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Most local residents take DST in stride

By RICK YENCER
ryencer@thestarpress.com


MUNCIE -- Adapting to life in daylight-saving time was seemless for people who went to church Sunday but not necessarily for those who had to go to work.

Roy and Aubrey Smith arrived in plenty of time for an 11 a.m. Sunday service to have their daughter, Caroline Ashlynn, baptized at High Street United Methodist Church.

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"We did spend some time turning the clocks at Grandma Nellie's house," Roy Smith said, referring to his daughter's great-grandmother, Nell Carr.

At the 911 emergency dispatch center, supervisor Randy Vorhees said the time change meant everyone had to come to work an hour early. Dispatch records showed the change skipping calls from 1.54 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to 3:08 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Depending on one's daily routine or level of technology, Indiana's move to daylight-saving time -- for the first time since 1971 -- seemed to have little impact on many people.

"Everything was so seemless," said Steve Geraci, a Ball State University student.

Most devices on a grid -- including computers, cell phones and the Internet -- changed automatically. Only stand-alone clocks had to be reset manually.

"Students use cell phones to tell time," Geraci said. "And there were plenty of reminders."

Earl Yestingmeier, retired Ball State University golf coach, wanted to make certain that Sunday was the day to change time when he called a newspaper reporter.

"I just came back from Florida and discovered we would be on daylight time again," he said. "It does not really matter."

Yestingmeier, like other ECI residents who winter in Florida, are used to the time change if they stay south past March or go before the end of October, when clocks are set back an hour.

Pastor Jack Hartman, High Street senior pastor, noticed that Sunday's congregation had fewer numbers, but believed that was largely due to spring break, with lots of families taking vacation.

Hartman is used to time changes after ministering in a Methodist church in Kentland, where Newton County observes Central Daylight Time.

Roy Smith remembered when he had to change clocks while a student at Cornell University in New York, and said it would be good for business. He works for a Seymour auto parts company that does business with Detroit.

It was too soon to tell whether the Players Club Golf Course would see more business from that extra hour of sunlight, which could stretch to 10 p.m. when summer begins in June.

"There's been a lot of people talk about it, but there's not a lot of people out here," said Matt Heiden, assistant golf pro.

It was cold and damp Sunday morning, and Heiden said the season had been off to a slow start with recent rain and cold temperatures.

Bars and taverns stood to lose an hour's business early Sunday with the time change until Gov. Mitch Daniels waived the switch, mainly as a result of the NCAA Final Four tournament in Indianapolis.

Stan Stephens, owner of the Heorot Bar in downtown Muncie, said he did not think losing an hour -- when 1:59 a.m. was immediately followed by 3 a.m. -- would have had that much of an impact on business.

"If people stay out until 2 in the morning, they are usually sitting on their last drink," he said.

Contact news reporter Rick Yencer at (765) 213-5833.

Originally published April 3, 2006

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