Nonprofit Seeks to Give Seniors Job Skills and Opportunities

  
 
A nonprofit organization is looking to help low-income seniors build new skills to help them in the workplace while providing them with the training they need to succeed. Experience Works is a national charitable community-based nonprofit organization that seeks to help seniors get the training, support service and job development assistance that they need to find jobs.

Participant assistant Laura White explained that anyone over the age of 55 with low income is encouraged to check out the program. The organization will be taking applications for various positions on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Starke County Community Service Center, located at 311 E. Culver Road in Knox.

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Bullying Lasts a Lifetime, Says Study

 
 
While some parents think bullying is something their children will “grow out of,” a new study from Duke University revealed that bullying increases the risk of anxiety and depressive disorders for decades after the incidents, and not just for the victims. The researchers kept tabs on more than 1000 children for up to 20 years and discovered that victims of bullying, and even the bullies themselves, are much more likely to develop severe problems into adulthood.

The lead author of the study, Dr. William Copeland, said one group was even more troubled than the others: those who responded to being the victims of bullying by bullying others.

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Heart Cart Offering Discounted Screenings This Spring

 
 
The Heart Cart is offering discounted cardiovascular screenings today at IU Health Primary Care at LifePlex in Marshall County, with another visit planned for next month as well. The Heart Cart will be offering the screenings from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET today and at the same times on May 21.

Both visits will be held at IU Health Primary Care at LifePlex, located at 2855 Miller Dr., Ste. 117, in Plymouth. All Plymouth residents and those of surrounding counties are encouraged to take advantage of the Heart Cart visit so close to home by pre-registering for a screening. The service is now even less expensive; the screenings cost only $50 for tests that would normally cost more than $1200.

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Knox Police Working Crash on Heaton Street

Accident picture edit

No injuries were sustained in a two-vehicle accident this morning at the corner of Clabaugh and U.S. 35 in Knox.

According to the preliminary investigation and witness statements, Betty Dotlich, of Grovertown, was driving south on U.S. 35 when she apparently ran a stop light at the intersection. Valerie Erickson of Knox was traveling east on Clabaugh Drive and proceeded through the intersection and hit Dotlich’s vehicle.

Officers from the Knox City Police Department responded to the scene along with other emergency responders.

Measles Case Confirmed in Bloomington

iu-logoOfficials at Indiana University are working to identify potential measles cases and prevent further transmission of the disease. State health officials have confirmed a case of measles in an IU student. The student did not attend classes while infectious and does not live on campus, according to health officials. The individual visited the IU Health Bloomington Hospital emergency department and a CVS pharmacy while infectious on March 24. IU Health Bloomington Hospital is contacting individuals directly who may have been exposed to measles. Continue reading

Open House Tomorrow at Knox Elementary School

 
 

An opportunity is available for you to see what the Knox Community School Board is looking to do in terms of renovation and construction at the Knox Elementary School if the voters approve a public question that will be offered on the May 7 ballot.

You will be able to tour the Palmer Wing of the Knox Elementary School tomorrow from 6–7 p.m. CT. Your tour will begin in the old all-purpose room at the east end of the elementary building.

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Starke County Library Project Resumes after Winter Hiatus

Henry F. Schricker Library
Henry F. Schricker Library

The Starke County Library construction project has been on hold throughout the winter season as most of the work that needs to be done first has been outdoors.

Library Director Sheila Urwiler said the under-sub duct work is being done and when that is finished the foundation will be poured. Walls will be built after the foundation is complete.

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Volunteers Carry Cross to Raise Awareness of Community Issues

 
 

The organizers of an Easter-eve walk from Knox to North Judson hope their event will raise awareness of many problems that plague Starke County.

“One person can’t fix it all, but as a community we can come together, and we can show these people that we care about ’em,” organizer Jerry Bacon told the crowd prior to the start of the event. “We don’t want to see ’em all thrown in jail because they’re all addicted to drugs. We want to see ’em delivered from that. We want to see ’em set free from that addiction. We don’t want to see people without jobs. We want to see jobs brought into our community and people working and taken out of the situations they’re in.”

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Mayor Chambers Discusses DOT Testing with Board of Works

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers touched upon the topic of drug testing for Department of Transportation employees during the recent Board of Public Works meeting.

He asked Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons to give him job descriptions and a list of all the employees who need a CDL license for drug testing purposes. Mayor Chambers explained that he wants to cut down the number of random drug tests given to the employees. About 50 percent of the employees are being drug tested and the mayor wants to revise the employee handbook to reflect which employees need to be drug tested. If a supervisor believes a drug test is warranted on a certain employee, a drug test will be performed.

All potential employees will be screened for drugs upon pre-employment and that requirement will not change.

Indiana Civil Rights Commission Investigating Mental Health Facility

mbhc
 

Last month’s protest outside a Marshall County mental health facility has prompted a state agency to investigate reports of wrongdoing there. The Indiana Civil Rights Commission is looking into operations at Michiana Behavioral Health. Former employees of the Plymouth facility claim it is understaffed and puts patients in danger. Officials there deny the claims. Findings from the ongoing investigation should be available in a couple of weeks.

 

Court Services Contract to be Presented to Marshall Co. Commissioners

 
 
Marshall County Superior Court 2 Judge Dean Colvin will be asking the county commissioners for their approval on a court services contract this morning.

He recently appeared before the county council to request an increase in the hourly wage for court clerks. The current rate for clerks was between $11.37 and $13.08 and he notified the council members that it makes it difficult to attract well-qualified clerks with pay at that level.

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Knox Graduate Proudly Serves Country as a U.S. Army Lt. Col.

Julie Simoni (middle) was promoted in 2011 to lieutenant colonel.
Julie Simoni (middle) was promoted in 2011 to lieutenant colonel.

A local graduate is now a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army and works as the regional defense counsel for Central Command stationed in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Julie Simoni was born and raised in Knox and was on two weeks R&R when she came in to give us an update on how she’s been doing since she graduated from Knox High School in 1989. She is proud to have had some of the core values she learned in her small town to take with her as she moves through the ranks in the Army.

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Don’t Miss the Boat for Ed Hasnerl’s Mississippi Riverboat Adventure

News Contributor, Ed Hasnerl
Ed Hasnerl
The deadline to reserve your spot for Ed Hanserl’s upcoming Mississippi Riverboat Adventure is a mere two weeks away, and that’s no April Fool. Join him June 3-6 for a trip via Cardinal bus to LaClaire, Iowa where you will board a riverboat for a day trip to Dubuque. Travelers will spend the night at the Grand Harbor Resort Hotel and visit many of the city’s attractions, including the Mississippi Riverboat Museum.

The trip also includes a stop in Galena, Ill. It should appeal to history buffs, as it is President Ulysses S. Grant’s hometown. Dinner in Galena will be enjoyed at the restored Desoto Historic Hotel where Abraham Lincoln once slept. These are just a few of the stops and attractions along the way. Give WKVI a call at (574) 772-6241 to reserve your spot on this historic trip, and we’ll mail you a packet of information. Don’t miss the boat; the deadline to sign up is Monday, April 15.

Food Finders Mobile Pantry to Give Away Food April 5

 
 
They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but the Food Finders Mobile Pantry is seeking to change that with their Food Give Away Day on Friday, April 5. The event will take place at Pulaski County Human Services, located at 115 W. Pearl St. in Winamac at 11 a.m., where the Food Finders Food Bank will distribute food on a first-come, first-served basis.

Items to be distributed include frozen meat, beverages, snacks, cereal, vegetables, and baked goods, and the program is available to those who meet 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For a household of one, monthly income cannot exceed $1723 and annual income cannot exceed $20,665; for a household of two, monthly income cannot exceed $2333 or $27,991 annually; households of three, $2944 monthly or $35,317 annually. For larger households, add $611 per month for each additional household member.

Legislation on Immunizations, Veteran Businesses Moves to House

  
 
Two pieces of legislation are heading to the House of Representatives for further consideration, including one bill that seeks to make immunizations more readily available.

Sponsored by State Sen. Ron Grooms, House Bill 1464 would allow pharmacists to administer more types of immunizations than currently allowed under state law. Grooms said the bill would make the immunizations more easily accessible and would make hours for pharmacies more convenient, offering a savings to patients because of the increased availability and supply.

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