Marshall County Commissioners Approve Payment to Humane Society

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Commissioners approved the payment of $7,000 to the Marshall County Humane Society. The county usually supports the humane society with $40,000 a year and had been behind in payments to the group.

The commissioners discussed the payment system and decided that the cost should be paid in January so the officials can budget their money they way they need to at the beginning of the year.

Auditor Penny Lukenbill urged the commissioners to draw up a contract with the humane society pertaining to the payment system as she can’t find a current contract. There was a contract, but the paper trail can not be accounted for.

The commissioners also approved a motion to pay EMA Director Clyde Avery out of county’s funds instead of having him get his salary through a grant distributed by the state. All three commissioners commented on how well Avery is conducting business out of his office. The state keeps raising the bar on points needed to obtain the grant and the commissioners know how hard he works to make sure the county is in compliance for a variety of issues.

It was unanimously approved to fund Avery’s salary out of the county budget.

Local Democratic Chairman Named 2nd District Chairman

Posted on Author WKVI

A local Democratic Chairperson has been elected treasurer of the state’s Second Congressional District.

Kenny Wallace will join newly installed chairperson Carol McDaniel of LaPorte, Vice-Chair Lynn Coleman of South Bend and Secretary Jane Long of Wabash County.

Carol McDaniel stated that she looks forward to working with the team of officers for the next four years on issues that matter to working families.

Wallace, who is Starke County’s Starke County Democratic Chairman, expressed his excitement to serve as treasurer for the Second Congressional District. He will continue in his local duties to the Democrat party.

Open House Scheduled For Knox Elementary School Palmer Wing

Posted on Author WKVI

An open house will be held Tuesday, April 2 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Palmer Wing of the Knox Elementary School so you can tour the portion of the building that is up for a proposed construction project.

The construction of the Palmer Wing is in the fate of the voters of the Knox Community School District on May 7 where a yes or no majority vote determines the future of that portion of the building.

Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the open house is sponsored by the “Whatever it Takes Committee” who supports the project. The event will be held in the all-purpose room in the elementary school.

“That’s kind of the heart of the old building,” explained Gappa. “It’s connected to the affected areas including the kitchen and the boiler rooms. Tours will be offered to anybody who hasn’t been through the building.”

The open house is intended to be an informational meeting to address current building concerns, overview of the project and the impact on community members.

Plymouth City Council Approves Bids for New Police Vehicles

Posted on Author WKVI

Newly installed Plymouth Police Chief Dave Bacon recently approached the Plymouth City Council to request three vehicles for the police department that were budgeted for the year. He says two will be used for regular patrol and an SUV will be used for the K9 unit. “We were looking at the all-wheel drive Ford utility vehicle, which is basically the Explorer to give to the K9,” explained Bacon. “We did get a bid on that and an approval for that. The two other vehicles will go into our patrol fleet.”

The council decided to purchase a sport utility vehicle for K9 officer John Wier and K9 Jax as it’s a more sturdy vehicle for the needs of the K9 unit.

“K9 units sometimes go off-road, depending on what type of situation they have, and that might call for a track out in the woods. In order to get him to where he needs to go, we thought a four-wheel drive vehicle would be the best for that,” Bacon explained.

The purchases were approved by the Council.

 

Meth Investigation Nets One Arrest

Posted on Author WKVI
Henry Wood
Henry Wood

A Starke County man is jailed on meth charges after an investigation yesterday by deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. They found Henry Wood and his dog sitting in the passenger seat of a tan vehicle parked at 3131 South State Road 39 in North Judson. Wood consented to a search of the vehicle, and deputies reportedly found an inactive meth lab and other articles used in the manufacture of meth. Wood faces charges of dealing in methamphetamine. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team was called in to assist with the cleanup.

Police Turn Bomb Threat Suspect Over to Proseuctor, Probation

Posted on Author WKVI

police investigation 2A police report concerning the case involving a 15-year-old Plymouth High School student who reportedly admitted to writing a bomb threat on the boys bathroom wall in the high school on Jan. 23 is now in the hands of the Marshall County Prosecuting Attorney and the Marshall County Probation Department.

 Plymouth Police Chief Dave Bacon said they have been investigating the incident since it happened and had narrowed the suspect pool down to a few students and then this student confessed to the act.

 The student had reportedly written that a bomb would go off in the high school library at noon on January 24. Several police agencies searched the school and didn’t find any evidence of a bomb.

 The student allegedly told police that he never meant any harm to students or faculty.

 The Marshall County Probation officer and Prosecutor David Holmes will make a decision on what the juvenile’s charges will be and a decision has not been made yet.

Starke County Relay for Life Pageant Entry Deadline Approaching

Posted on Author WKVI

The deadline to register for the First Starke County Relay for Life Pageant is quickly approaching, as Candice Miller from DeMotte State Bank said the deadline of March 29 gives interested individuals just over a week to register.

The pageant will be held on April 21 at 2 p.m. in the family life center at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Knox, where a winner will be crowned in each of four age groups to represent their title and participate at the Starke County Relay for Life Event at the Hamlet fairgrounds in June. All Starke County residents ages 1-18 can participate in the event, with age groups ranging from Teeny Tiny Miss, ages one to three; Tiny Miss, ages four to seven; Little Miss, ages eight to 12; and Miss, ages 13 to 18.

Entry fees are $30 per contestant, and the team is still seeking sponsorships and donations to cover expenses. Applications can be picked up at DeMotte State Bank, or anyone interested can call Pamela McDonald at (574) 806-1143 or Candice Miller at (574) 806-2901.

This is the first Relay for Life pageant of its kind, and Miller said her team is hoping for a successful event. Miller indicated that if the event goes well, DeMotte State Bank would love to make it an annual part of Relay.

SCEDF Says No Eminent Domain Necessary for 300 East Project

Posted on Author WKVI

The executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation gave the county commissioners an update on the County Road 300 East project this week, and informed them that eminent domain action will no longer be necessary to complete the project. Charles Weaver recommended that the commissioners agree to an administrative settlement for a parcel of land owned by a woman that is necessary to be purchased in order to allow the project to continue.

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IU Health Starke Hospital Names Interim President

Posted on Author WKVI

 

IU Health Starke Hospital Interim President Jared Beasley
IU Health Starke Hospital Interim President Jared Beasley

IU Health Starke Hospital has named a new interim president. Jared Beasley will take over next month for standing President David Hyatt, who is transferring to a new position at Jay County Hospital in Portland, Ind. Beasley has served as vice president of clinical and diagnostic services at IU Health LaPorte Hospital since last June. He previously worked as the emergency department director at partner IU Health Goshen Hospital for six years. Beasley earned a bachelor of science in nursing from Goshen College, a bachelor of science in economics and business administration from Manchester College and a master in business administration from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Continue reading →

Pulaski County Lincoln Day Dinner Held Wednesday Night

Posted on Author WKVI
Sue-Ellsperman-at-Lincoln-Day
Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann

The Pulaski County Republican Lincoln Day dinner was held last night.

More than 50 attended the event and heard presentations from Indiana State GOP Political Director Trent Hagerty and Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson. The keynote speaker for the evening was Indiana Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann. She spoke of the many goals of the administration including cutting taxes for Hoosiers, creating the highest job rate in Indiana history, expanding current Indiana technology into new and different uses, and making Indiana an even more attractive place for businesses to locate and operate.

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Plymouth High School Student Admits to Writing Bomb Threat

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A Plymouth High School student has reportedly admitted to writing a bomb threat that shut down the school for a few hours on January 24.

A 15-year-old male student came forward Monday and admitted to Plymouth police that he wrote the bomb threat on the boys restroom wall. The student allegedly expressed to police that he had no intentions of harming other students or faculty.

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Starke County Commissioners Deny Holiday Pay for Lawson

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Former Starke County Sheriff’s Department employee Ron Lawson is surely disappointed with the commissioners’ decision this week to not award him the holiday pay he claims he is entitled to. Lawson previously indicated that Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen is under the impression that Lawson had already received his holiday pay for the days in question, but Lawson said he has not been paid and he’s been seeking this reimbursement for two years.

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Hacienda Restaurant Soon to Open in Plymouth

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Plymouth residents will soon have a new place to enjoy some nice food and tasty drink, as Hacienda Mexican Restaurants have announced they will be opening a new restaurant in Plymouth in a little over two months.

The restaurant, Hacienda’s 13th in Indiana, will be located off of U.S. 30 in the building that used to house Beef O’ Brady’s. Hacienda’s vice president of sales and marketing, Jeff Leslie, said the building will be entirely redecorated to match Hacienda’s ambiance and will seat 135 people with the addition of an outdoor margarita garden. Leslie also noted that they expected to hire around 100 employees, and they are currently accepting applications online at www.haciendafiesta.com with interviews to begin on April 8.

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PEO Chapter Reorganizes, Funds Available for Assistance

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The local Starke County chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization, or PEO, has reorganized and Vice President Erin Bourff says the organization has plenty of leaders to help area women seek educational opportunities.

“Many of the women who are involved in the community and many of the PEO chapters are in the educational field themselves and want to promote this outside of their jobs and help women who are in need of assistance,” said Bourff.

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Lt. Gov. Speaks at Marshall County Farm Bureau Luncheon

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Representatives at Farm Bureau
Starke County Representatives at Farm Bureau

Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann was the guest speaker at the Marshall County Farm Bureau Luncheon Wednesday afternoon.

She spoke of “The Future of Rural Indiana” and how the state is working to provide a better rural Indiana to help agriculture, entrepreneurship, economic development, visioning, community development, rural workforce development and infrastructure.

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“Celebrating the Arts” Event Planned For April 6 in Winamac

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Winamac’s chapter of Psi Iota Xi Sorority, Iota Xi, will once again be “Celebrating the Arts” in the Winamac community on April 6. The event, which will be held at the Church of the Heartland at 890 E. Highway 14, will take place 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET with free admission, but the sorority is welcoming a suggesting $1 donation, the proceeds of which will support the event.

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SCPL Announces Amateur Youth Photo Contest Winners

Posted on Author WKVI

Henry F. Schricker Library
Henry F. Schricker Library
The Starke County Public Library announced the winners of their second Annual Amateur Youth Photo Contest during the month of March. Diantha Upham, program coordinator at the library, said the library would like to extend their heartfelt congratulations to each winner of the contest.

The contest offered three different categories of landscape, object, and people, and four grade groups ranging from K-12.

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Starke County Ranks Among 10 Unhealthiest Counties in State

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The fourth annual County Health Rankings report was released yesterday, ranking the overall health for all 92 counties in Indiana and the rest of the country by using a standard formula measuring how healthy people are and how long they tend to live. Starke County fell under the 10 counties with the lowest health outcomes, while Hendricks County, alongside Hamilton and Boone counties, ranked the highest in health outcomes, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s annual report.

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Medaryville man arrested on drug charges

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A Medaryville man who reportedly left the scene of a property damage accident faces drug charges after authorities caught up with him at a gas station there. The crash occurred on U.S. 421 at County Road 200 North in Pulaski County Monday night. Officers from the Medaryville Police Department and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office found 32-year-old Russell Kevin Risner a short time later at the Family Express Station. His speech was slurred, his balance was poor and he failed several field sobriety tests, according the arrest report. He consented to a portable breath test and a blood draw and was taken to Pulaski Memorial Hospital. While there, a sheriff’s deputy reportedly found a yellow pill in Risner’s inside coat pocket. Hospital staff advise he tested positive for the presence of an anti-anxiety medication and marijuana. Formal charges are pending.