Wednesday, February 6, 2019 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com $1 Palmer performing By PAULEINA BRUNNEMER The Commercial Review A musical journey that began as a toddler through listening to recordings has led Robert Palmer to not only travel the world, but to Pianist will take stage teach students at a international level about music. Friday at Arts Place Palmer will be performing a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Arts Place as part of the Portland Center Stage Series. This will be Drawing from a musical from Ludwig van Beethoven Palmer’s third performance at career during which he has per - (Germany), Gabriel Fauré Photo provided the venue. formed on three continents, his (France), Frédéric Chopin The performance will take performance will feature four (Poland) and Franz Liszt (Hun - Pianist Robert Palmer will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday audience members on a “musical countries. Performing on the gary). at Arts Place as part of its Portland Center Stage Series. journey,” he said. piano, he will feature pieces See Palmer page 5 Talks shift to Moscow Appeal, no yield By AMIE FERRIS-ROTMAN The Washington Post MOSCOW — Members of the Taliban and key Afghan power brokers, including former Presi - dent Hamid Karzai, dis - cussed their vision for the future of Afghanistan on Tuesday, congregating in Moscow for talks aimed at ending the war. The meeting shifted the fragile peace process from the United States, whose special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad declared a breakthrough with the Taliban just days ago, back to Moscow, which is reasserting influence in the region. But the talks, being held over two days in a hotel maintained by the Russian government, included no representatives of Presi - dent Ashraf Ghani’s gov - ernment, inviting fierce criticism from the Ameri - can-backed Afghan leader. “A peace deal with the Taliban will not be imple - mented unless there is a nationwide consensus,” Ghani said, adding that any agreements made without the Afghan gov - ernment were meaning - less. “Let hundreds of such meetings be held.” Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster This did not stop some prominent Afghan politi - President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday to a joint session of Congress on Capitol cians, such as Mohammad Hill in Washington, as Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., look on. Mohaqiq, deputy to the government’s chief execu - tive, from attending the intra-Afghan talks, but President calls for bipartisanship in speech, they did so in an independ - ent capacity. stands strong on his demand for border wall The large and somewhat chaotic gathering in the By JULIE PACE night for bipartisanship but outline a clear path for collabo - eroded slightly during the Russian capital was the and CATHERINE LUCEY refused to yield on the hard-line rating with Democrats who are recent government shutdown most noteworthy contact Associated Press immigration policies that have eager to block his agenda. Their and previewed a fresh defense between Afghan officials WASHINGTON — Face to face infuriated Democrats and opposition was on vivid display against Democrats as they ready and the Taliban in a num - with emboldened Democrats, forced the recent government as Democratic congresswomen a round of investigations into ber of years. It marked President Donald Trump called shutdown. He renewed his call in the audience formed a sea of every aspect of his administra - another triumph for a on Washington to cast aside for a border wall and cast illegal white in a nod to early 20th-cen - tion. Kremlin eager to boost “revenge, resistance and retribu - immigration as a threat to tury suffragettes. “If there is going to be peace sway in Afghanistan 30 tion” and end “ridiculous parti - Americans’ safety and econom - Trump is staring down a two- and legislation, there cannot be years after pulling out its san investigations” in a State of ic security. year stretch that will determine war and investigation,” he own troops in disgrace. the Union address delivered at a Trump accepted no blame for whether he is re-elected or declared. Lawmakers in the cav - President Donald Trump’s vulnerable moment for his presi - his role in cultivating the ran - leaves office in defeat. His ernous House chamber sat recent push to withdraw dency. corous atmosphere in the speech sought to shore up largely silent. U.S. troops from Trump appealed Tuesday nation’s capital, and he didn’t Republican support that had See Speech page 5 Afghanistan, long a key requirement by the Tal - iban before joining peace talks, may have accelerat - ed the process. Unlike Moscow’s land - Indiana Republicans push for ban mark peace talks with the Taliban in November, no By TOM DAVIES join North Dakota in Indiana’s GOP Legisla - tial and irreversible phys - lenge under the new members of the Russian Associated Press advancing a bill that ture have been blocked or ical impairment of a makeup of the court.” government — or any INDIANAPOLIS — would ban dilation and thrown out by federal major bodily function” to Abortion-rights groups other government — were Indiana Republicans evacuation abortions, judges since 2013, but the woman. Doing so argue that banning the at Tuesday’s meeting, eager for a rare legal vic - which the legislation activists believe they would become a felony procedure that’s frequent - although the Afghan tory in their efforts to calls “dismemberment have a new opportunity punishable by one to six ly used for second- organizers live in Moscow restrict abortion rights abortion.” for success with the addi - years in prison. trimester abortions and have ties to Russian are seeking to outlaw a Similar laws against tion of Justice Brett Mike Fichter, president wrongly interferes with authorities. second-trimester proce - the procedure are on hold Kavanaugh. of the anti-abortion private medical decisions. Underscoring the long - dure, hopeful an increas - elsewhere because of The new Indiana bill group Indiana Right to The procedure account - time conflict, the Taliban ingly conservative U.S. court challenges, and Ala - would make it illegal for Life, called such abor - ed for 27, or 0.35 percent, attacked an army base in Supreme Court will back bama officials in Decem - doctors to use instru - tions “barbaric” and said of the 7,778 abortions per - the northern city of Kun - a ban that courts have ber asked the Supreme ments such as clamps, he believed banning the formed in Indiana during duz as the Moscow talks blocked in seven other Court to consider its forceps and scissors to procedure “is the most 2017, according to an Indi - were underway, killing 26, states. appeal. remove a fetus from the aggressive legislation ana State Department of mostly soldiers and police - The GOP-dominated Four other anti-abor - womb unless there is with the highest chance Health report. men. state is expected to soon tion laws approved by “serious risk of substan - of surviving legal chal - See Ban page 5 Deaths Weather In review Coming up The high temperature Tues - State Rep. J.D. Prescott and day in Portland was 48 State Sen. Travis Holdman Thursday — Story features degrees. The low was 33. will visit Jay County for a Jay County High School grad - Rain is expected to continue Third House Session at 10 a.m. uate who will coach Friday Stuart Ronald , 91, Port - tonight with a low in the mid Feb. 23 at Community against the Patriots. land 40s. Expect more ran Thurs - Resource Center, 118 S. Merid - Carl Dillman , 77, Lafayette day with the high climbing ian St., Portland. They will Saturday — A look at the Details on page 2. into the 60s and winds gusting share updates from the cur - impact of the potential end of to 35 miles per hour. rent legislative session and block scheduling in Jay For an extended forecast, answer questions from con - Schools. see page 2. stituents. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Obituaries Stuart Ronald He was married Sept. 14, tingtons, Runkles, Eggerts and Lafayette, passed away on Sun - man of Dunkirk; and a sister, 1955, to Martha Sue Whiteman, Ronalds). day, Feb. 3, 2019 at Franciscan Jeannie Hiller of Greenwood, April 12, 1927-Feb. 5, 2019 who survives. He was a lifelong He is survived by his wife of Health in Lafayette. South Carolina. Also surviving Stuart G. Ronald, age 91, of member of First Presbyterian 63 years, Martha Sue; children He was born March 9, 1941, Portland passed away Tuesday are seven grandchildren, Evelyn Mong (husband: Joe), in Portland to the late Kenneth morning, Feb. 5, Church, Portland where his Jayson Benner, Ashlie Marsell Elizabeth “Buffy” Inman and and Ella (Wentz) 2019, in Persim - father was minister from 1921 (husband: Jordan), Bradley, to 1939. He sang in choir, served Carl Ronald (Julie Swoveland), Dillman. Carl Brett and Rebecca Dillman, mon Ridge all of Portland, and Dale Ronald Healthcare. as deacon, trustee and elder, was raised on a and Ethan and Carlee Unger, as and taught Sunday School (wife: Deb) of Waynesville, farm in Jay well as five great-grandchil - He was born Ohio; sister Mary Ellen Clark of April 12, 1927, in class. County. He grad - dren, Ryker, Easton and Nox He started working for Lyons Fan Mountain, Virginia; several uated from Pen - Marsell, and Ethan and Austin Portland the nieces and nephews, including youngest of eight Construction Company in nville High Dillman. March 1958 and became manag - Susan Johnsonbaugh of Grosse School in 1959. Private graveside services children born to Pointe Farms, Michigan; eight the Rev. Hugh N. Ronald er of C&C Lumber Company He graduated will be held at a later date.