Security Plan to be Developed for Pulaski County Courthouse

 
 

Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn discussed the development of a security plan for the safety of those in the courthouse during business hours.

It has been suggested that a security plan be put in place. Judge Shurn told the commissioners that he will soon be putting together a plan in order to not only keep his court secure, but protect the visiting citizens as well.

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Keep Children Safe This Halloween, Check Sex Offender Registry

 Help keep your children safe this Halloween by using online tools to learn the location and identity of registered sex offenders in an area where you plan to take your children trick-or-treating.

Go to www.indianasheriffs.org to search for registered sex offenders in a two-mile radius of a location entered into the database. A list of offenders, including their pictures, offenses and physical descriptions, is available. You may search any county to learn of any registered sex offenders in proximity to your home.

An online sex offender registry is available for residents of LaPorte County. There are currently 190 registered sex offenders in LaPorte County. 50 of those registered are sexually violent predators and 59 are classified as offenders against children. Visit www.laportecountysheriff.com to search through the database. 14,300 people have visited the site to date and all at the sheriff’s office encourages you to help ensure the safety of children this Halloween.

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department and all sheriffs in the state utilize “OffenderWatch” Sex Offender Management System to manage and monitor registered sex offenders.

Unique Situation Comes to the Attention of Marshall County Commissioners

  
 

The Marshall County Commissioners were made aware of a very bizarre issue facing a Keighbaum Lake resident.

Jean Klinedinst told the commissioners that she and her husband own approximately 41 acres of lake-front property at Kreighbaum Lake. When a survey was completed, she found out that 18 acres of the property on which she pays taxes is the lake itself. She told the commissioners that she is actually paying taxes on water. The lakes are usually county or state owned.

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Haunted Corn Maze to Scare Most this Weekend

  
 

The Fisher family and the DeMotte State Bank Relay for Life team are teaming up to present a haunted corn maze this weekend.

The Fisher family puts together one of the best corn mazes in the area and they work hard to make it a scary experience for all who dare to enter.

The corn maze is at 1202 E. 200 S. in Knox and will be open Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26 from 6:30 until 11 p.m. CT and on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are available for $5.00 at the DeMotte State Bank and at the gate.

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Football Coaching Leaders

(Through 10-18-13)

Tim Roth-Winamac (33 years): 211-132  .615

Kirk Kennedy-NJSP (23 years): 167-103  .619

Andy Thomas-Culver (14 years): 89-66  .574

Dan Klimczak-South Central (8 years): 71-18  .798

Darren Rodriguez-West Central (6 years): 30-32  .483

Chris McGowen-Knox (2 years): 5-14  .263

Dave Sharpe-John Glenn (1 year): 4-5  .444

Starke County Commissioners Award Jail Construction Bids

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

The bids awarded for construction of the new Starke County Jail east of Knox on State Road 8 total $13.1 million. That cost includes the base bid and two of the key alternates that were contingent on funds being available. The first alternate adds 36 beds to the initial proposal for a total of 145 beds. The second alternate includes the relocation of the county’s E-911 service to the new facility.

The county commissioners stress these construction costs represent a maximum amount, as discussions are ongoing between the project design and engineering firm, county officials and the contractors about ways to further reduce costs. One example cited during the meeting was using a less expensive type of ceiling material that is still adequate to meet the county’s needs.

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Attempted Child Abduction Reported in North Liberty

 
 

Parents in North Liberty are on high alert amid reports of an attempted child abduction on Sunday. According to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV, a white man in his mid-30s approached a 12-year-old boy around 7:30 Sunday evening. The man was said to be driving a dark-colored, four-door vehicle and reportedly made several attempts to get the youngster into his car. The boy got scared, ran home and told his mother. Police remind parents to tell their children not to trust adults they don’t know. If you have any information about this incident, please contact the North Liberty Police Department.

CR 750 E Closed Due to Disabled Train

  
 

Traffic to the Oregon-Davis Schools will be re-routed today due to a CF&E train that is stuck on the tracks. County Road 750 East just south of U.S. 30 will be closed most of the day, according to dispatchers with the sheriff’s office. They advise the train broke in half, forcing the temporary road closure.

Winamac Man Arrested after 101 Marijuana Plants Found

 
 

A Winamac man was arrested Sunday after Pulaski County deputies reportedly found a marijuana growing operation on his property.

A deputy was checking the area of 625 North and 800 West as he received an anonymous call of suspicious activity in the area. The officer got out of his car at a location where he saw a home ruined by a fire and two outbuildings. He approached a shed and was greeted by a man later identified as Rodger Birnbaum, 57, of Winamac. He had been carrying an electric screw driver and set it down to talk to the officer. The officer reportedly smelled a strong marijuana smell and asked to search the shed. Birnbaum asked the officer why he would do that and the officer explained that he could smell marijuana coming from the shed and he observed Birnbaum acting suspiciously.

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Marshall County Detectives Investigate Criminal Mischief Incident Near Bremen

 
 

Marshall County detectives are asking for your help in gathering information to identify a possible suspect in a criminal mischief incident.

Detectives learned on Friday that some unknown person(s) used spray paint and caused damage to buildings and property in the Beech Road area, near Bremen. The Borkholder Amish School was spray-painted along with the New Burlington Amish School. A homeowner’s fence was also spray-painted, as well as part of a roadway, traffic signs, and a sign for the Ren-Town Country Store on 3rd Road.

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Drug Take Back Event This Saturday

 
 

The Indiana State Police is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in a drug take back event.

You are encouraged to take your unwanted, expired and unused prescription medication to any Indiana State Police Post (except for the Toll Road Post in Bristol, IN) for proper disposal. There will be a designated receptacle for you to drop off your medication and no questions will be asked.

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NJ-SP Prepares to Purchase Two New Buses

 
 

The North Judson-San Pierre School Board will have prices for two new, 72-passenger school buses when they meet next month. Corporation business manager Guy Richie is using the state’s new online purchasing system to obtain that information.

“The bids have already been done and submitted to the state,” Richie told the board. “You simply put in the type of bus you want, your specs, your additional equipment and such.” The website then calculates the price of the bus, subtracts the school corporation’s trade-in value and returns a price within 30 minutes or so.

The school board will still need to approve the purchases. This is the first year N.J.-S.P. is using this system to purchase buses. In the past the corporation had to publish legal notices with detailed information about the kind of buses they wanted to buy and make a purchasing decision after bids were received.

Marshall County Commissioners Pass Ordinances after Holding Public Hearings

  
 

The Marshall County Commissioners held three public hearings Monday morning.

Christopher Martin was before the commissioners with Planning Director Ralph Booker to request that his parcel of land located in the Deer Trace Subdivision in West Township on Eastwood Drive in Plymouth be rezoned. He requested it be changed from Lake Residential (L-1) to Agricultural (A-1). He explained that he would like to have small livestock on his property near the lake for his children who participate in 4-H.

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OWN to Screen Documentary Featuring Knox Man’s Story

BridegroomA documentary film with roots in Starke County will be screened this weekend on the Oprah Winfrey Network. “Bridegroom” debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and has received critical acclaim. The film tells the story of Shane Bitney Crone, whose partner, Knox native and Culver Military Academy graduate Thomas Bridegroom, fell to his death during a photo shoot in 2011. Crone says Bridegroom’s family left him out of the decision making process and made it clear he was not welcome at the service. The film examines the struggles couples without the legal protections of marriage face and aims to raise awareness of the issue. Continue reading

National Cyber Security Awareness Month Highlights Online Crimes

Cyber SecurityOctober is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and federal and state officials want to make sure you don’t become a victim of online crime.

Online criminal activity in 2012 resulted in losses of more than $525 million, according to FEMA. The agency urges everyone to guard against fraud while surfing the Internet. For starters, you should set strong passwords, change them regularly and don’t share them with anyone. Install the latest updates to your computer’s operating system, browser and other critical software. Use privacy settings on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in order to control who sees your profiles and photos, and limit the amount of personal information you post online.

VPN or virtual private network is one of the best ways to secure your internet connection and keep your data private. However, all of that protection amounts to nothing if a VPN can be easily hacked. To get protected you should download the best free vpn in India. With online banking, you’re using personal information, bank account numbers, secure passwords, and in some cases, social security information

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National Weather Service Issues Freeze Watch

freeze-alert-mdYou may wake up to frost on the pumpkin tomorrow morning, so plan accordingly if you have outdoor plants. The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for the entire WKVI listening area through early tomorrow morning. Overnight temperatures in the 29 to 32-degree range are predicted. This could kill vegetation.

Starke County Commissioners Set to Award Jail Bid

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.
This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Jail.

The Starke County Commissioners are set to award bids for construction of the new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 when they meet this evening. The commissioners opened the bids on Oct. 10 and took them under advisement so they could be sure they met the specifications outlined in the pre-bid documents. The bids were submitted in 10 different categories: general trades and sitework, masonry, drywall and acoustical, flooring, painting, kitchen equipment, detention equipment and security electronics, fire suppression, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical. A large number of contractors submitted bids for the work, including some who submitted combined bids; that is, a combination of categories, such as masonry, flooring and painting, at a discount.

The work on the project is due to begin next month and wrap up in the spring of 2015. Construction can continue through the winter months since an existing building is being modified.

Republican Sheriff’s Candidate Named to Indiana Leadership Forum

Greg wireman
Greg Wireman

A Starke County Sheriff’s Candidate is among 25 statewide applicants selected to the Indiana Leadership Forum this year. Greg Wireman is the first Republican from Starke County named to the forum since it began in 1993. It’s a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preparing Indiana’s most talented community leaders for various political leadership and public service roles throughout the state. Applicants must have a track record of leadership skills, self-motivation, professional achievement and exemplary character and demonstrate a strong potential for future success along with a willingness to be more actively engaged in the community. A six-member selection committee evaluated all applicants based on these criteria, and the finalists underwent oral interviews.

Cost Estimates Expected Soon for St. Joe Valley Metronet Expansion

Metronet logoA final cost estimate for the St. Joe Valley Metronet’s expansion into Marshall County and the city of Plymouth is expected soon, as one of the organizers of the project has reported that the proposed route has been decided upon and they will soon have an estimated cost.

The path takes consideration of the location of existing utilities and avoids them wherever possible, and also takes into account the subscribers who have already put money into the project to ensure the Metronet expands into the area. Businesses like Hoosier Racing Tire and St. Joseph Regional Medical Center put sums of money up front to make the project happen. Continue reading