Congressman Joe Donnelly has sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to reduce the price of gasoline. He stated that opening the reserve has proven to reduce gas prices.
Last year, President Obama allowed the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the reserve and that action reduced the gas prices six percent.
Contracts were signed last week by the Starke County Commissioners for work to be done by the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission for debris removal work on the Yellow River.
“We’re going to start at the Marshall-Starke County line,” explained Commissioner Dan Bridegroom. “We’ll GPS all of the log jams, those will be bundled, and that’s the work they will bid on.”
Only recently more debris has gone into the river.
“We do know there was one big tree that fell in during the last big storm we had about three weeks ago. Since then, five more trees have gone into the water.”
The $150,000 grant to do the work is coming from the stimulus money offered two years ago. Territorial Engineering is now preparing the bid specifications and work will hopefully begin sometime this summer.
The Northwest Indiana Community Action Corporation, on behalf of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, has announced that they will be opening the Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List for Starke and Pulaski Counties.
“Walk to School Day” in the Town of Winamac is scheduled for Thursday, April 12th.
Students will gather at 7:15 a.m. ET at the Downtown Depot on the corner of Main and Logan Streets in Winamac and the walk will begin at 7:30 a.m. ET. The students will walk down Main Street to the north side of the County Courthouse, to Monticello Street to Riverside Drive and it will end at the Elementary and Middle Schools. Safe Routes Task Force leaders, Kiwanis Key Club members and local law enforcement will also participate in the effort. You are also welcome to join in.
Though classes have already started, it’s still not too late to sign up. Several openings are still available for the computer classes offered at the SCILL Center, which are open to the public and area businesses. Classes will be offered from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., with a cost of $40. A minimum of six people are required for each session.
Ed Hasnerl has a few more seats available for his summer trip to Washington, D.C.
”We aren’t going for another three months, but I do have room for four more on the motor bus. We’re going to see all the great sites in Washington. We’ll hear Abraham Lincoln speak, we’ll be visiting the Gettysburg Battlefield, and there’s a good chance that Martha will fix lunch for us at Mt. Vernon,” Hasnerl said.
Even though it’s cooled off a little, spring bugs are still thinking it’s mid-April. Pests, such as wasps, have begun to appear and in Southern Indiana there’s been reports of mosquitoes.
Along with the bugs we don’t like to see, there are some pretty species out, like butterflies.
The warm winter, and summer-like March temperatures have allowed bugs to move up their seasonal appearances.
Some Entomologists are even saying that ticks didn’t rest at all over the winter.
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department investigated a two vehicle accident at the intersection at State Road 39 and U.S. 30 last night.
Flora Howard, of North Judson, was reportedly traveling through the intersection and a semi ran a stop light and hit Howard’s car. She received non-life threatening injuries in the incident and the semi driver was not injured. Howard was taken to IU Health LaPorte Hospital for her injuries.
Thirty-four-year-old Nathan VanDerAa, of Star City, received his sentence in U.S. District Court Friday from Judge Robert Miller, Jr. of 33 months in the Bureau of Prisons and two years of supervised release following his plea of guilty to charges of Unlawful User of a Controlled Substance in Possession of a Firearm. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.
To most people in the Republican Party in Starke County, Ione Moore was thought of as “Mrs. Republican.” A Starke County office holder and faithful party worker, Mrs. Moore was given many awards by the local party, and only three years ago received a special state certificate for her years of service to her community by then-Secretary of State Todd Rokita.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. today for Mrs. Moore at the Braman and Son Memorial Chapel in Knox. She passed away at the age of 92 on Friday.
Besides the special state award, Mrs. Moore was the 1997 Schricker Award winner and was the Senior Volunteer of the Year in 1996.
Winamac Wastewater Superintendent, Brad Zellers, told the Town Board that a lift station may need to be installed on the east side of the Panhandle walking trail on the farm real estate.
Water is draining off the farm ground and going into the town’s sanitary system, causing a great additional cost to the sewer plant. Identifying the responsible party is the next step and a meeting with the property owners will be scheduled with the Drainage Board.
Mayor Rick Chambers announced at the most recent Knox City Council meeting that there was money left over from the Storm Sewer Infrastructure project.
Chambers said Territorial Engineers has looked over the project, and the Knox Street Department was given the extra money.
“The street department had the first shot at it and they wanted some streets repaved and overlaid,” stated Mayor Chambers. “The streets to be repaved are Sycamore between John and Bender, and John Street east of U.S. 35 from Prettyman to McGill will also be completely repaved.”
Ancilla College in Donaldson has a new Interim Admissions Director. His name is Eric Wignall, and even though he’s new to the admissions office he is not new to Ancilla. Wignall has been with the college for a year-and-a-half doing market-type research.
We asked Wignall to describe his job.
“The Director of Admissions is the person who is involved in bringing students to Ancilla,” explained Wignall. “I’m part of the funnel, or the system of people who tell you about Ancilla College and how it works.”
LaPorte County TRIAD is launching a new project to assist senior citizens. I.C.E., which stands for In Case of Emergency, is designed to give senior citizens a way of informing medical, fire or police personnel with vital medical information in case they are incapacitated and unable to provide the information.
Tom Berg has been talking about going into the Guinness Book of World Records for a radio broadcasting endurance mark. It was on this date in 1928 at Bass Lake when George Byer, of Knox, won the roller skating endurance contest.
He roller skated continuously, except for five minute rests for 25 hours and 28 minutes. He was one of 11 entrants in the contest, which was sponsored by Nehi Company and Rannells and Kriss. It attracted the attention of scores of people.
“If you build it, they will come.” That phrase comes alive in Culver, as a number of volunteers have converted what was previously farm fields and weeded areas into something useful: soccer fields for Culver Community Schools.
“We have about five acres out there that used to be just farm field and just weeded areas, and over the last couple years we’ve had some volunteers in the community working on trying to develop that a little bit. They didn’t build any buildings at all, but they’ve got it kind of leveled off and they’ve made two small soccer fields for lower elementary grades and one soccer field that’s a little bit closer to full size,” said Superintendent Brad Schuldt.
Schuldt says that the field will be used primarily in the evenings after school, or for Saturday soccer programs. While players would previously have to share the field or just wait for the evening to use the field in the playground at the north end of Culver Elementary, they can now use one of the new soccer fields.
Schuldt says that there was no expense involved in making the soccer fields.
It’s no big construction or anything like the Liverpool stadium expansion, we didn’t spend any money on it. It’s all community volunteers getting it ready and that kind of thing, Schuldt said.
The only downside to establishing these new fields is the impact on parking. Schuldt says that the parking lot in that area only has about 25-30 spots, and sometimes when they have girls’ softball games, those spots can be filled fairly quickly. With the addition of parents bringing their children for evening and after-school soccer leagues, the parking lot will be filled to capacity– but Schuldt says they have opened up some of the grassy areas for parking as well, so that won’t be a problem.
The North Judson Town Board discussed the new key policy at their recent meeting. There is a new key log for all employees and all keys will be accounted for for all buildings and employees.
Town Superintendent Marshall Horstman reported to the board that a position with the utility department has been filled pending a drug test.
The Town of North Judson has a new Facebook page. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry and Billing Clerk, Jennifer Vanek, have been reworking the site and they post town information as well as board minutes, which will be posted as they are approved.
The Habitat for Humanity of Marshall County Restore sells discount building supplies, with the proceeds helping to build the next habitat home. Manager Steve Guriel explained where the proceeds go.
“All the proceeds go toward funding a house,” said Guriel.
According to Guriel, the items are all donated.
“Everything here is donated. We do offer a tax donation receipt if they do want one,” said Guriel.
Habitat for Humanity is a non profit ecumenical Christian housing ministry that works in partnership with people in need to improve the conditions in which they live.
Many of their donated items came from people who are remodeling their homes. They also receive tons of donated items from builders, contractors, businesses and corporations. The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and the business is located at 116 S. Walnut Street in Plymouth.
If you would like to donate items bring them to the store, and if you have a large number of items they will pick them up. Call (574) 935-4214 for more information or to schedule a pickup.
Phyllis Ungerank, a nurse with Corizon Medical, was arrested for trying to traffic marijuana and for possessing marijuana inside the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. A check-point officer reportedly found Ungerank trying to take a package of marijuana inside the jail with her on Sunday, March 18th.
She is currently in the LaPorte County Jail. Trafficking of marijuana carries a sentence of up to eight years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
The Powerball Jackpot is up to an estimated $40 million, and the Hoosier Lotto is $5 million. The drawing is tonight on both of them.
In Hoosier Lottery news, Ralph Frazee of Cedar Lake was a Lucky 5 winner two weeks ago– but that’s not all. Two year years ago in May, Ralph was also a Lucky 5 winner. Both jackpots were $50,000. So what will he do with his winnings?
His wife “Bert” gave the answer at Lottery Headquarters. Said Bert, “We’re going to do a renovation of the kitchen after 43 years in the home.”
To be eligible tonight, tickets must be purchased by 9 p.m. CT.
