Common Household Products Can Be Deadly to Curious Kids

  
 

Most people know to keep items such as bleach and antifreeze out of the reach of little ones, but experts say there are other dangers lurking in the home that Hoosiers may not consider. Dierdre Davis with the Indiana Poison Center says over-the-counter medication is very dangerous for children, but their curiosity can put them at risk of a dangerous situation. She says putting medication up high may not keep a little one away.

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Starke County Highway Department Working Hard to Repair Roads

 
 

The Starke County Highway Department has been focusing a large part of its efforts this week on patching and other road repairs, with two patch boxes out working on the North Judson, English Lake, Knox and Hamlet areas. According to the highway department’s Facebook page, many areas throughout the county are in need of patching work and the department is progressively making its way to all of them.

Anyone with pothole concerns is encouraged to call the highway department at 574-772-3011.

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N.J.-S.P. School Board Honors Retiring Administrator

N.J.-S.P. Superintendent Lynn Johnson, Pam Croll and school board president Pat Goin
N.J.-S.P. Superintendent Lynn Johnson, Pam Croll and school board president Pat Goin

A longtime North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation employee is retiring from the corporation in a couple of days. Pam Croll is the assistant principal at the elementary school. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says she’s served in a number of positions during her 18 years with the corporation.

“She’s certainly made a difference. Classroom teacher, Response to Intervention, RTI coordinator, Title 1 and now assistant principal at the elementary school….Pam is leaving us at the end of next week. They want her to start April 1st, and we’re happy to accommodate that so she can begin her new position at Kankakee Valley,” said Superintendent Johnson.

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Fire Destroys C&C Salvage

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An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office will be called in to determine the origin and cause of a fire that destroyed a Starke County business. The Bass Lake Fire Department was initially called to C &C Salvage on U.S. 35 south of Toto Road at 5:17 p.m. Thursday night, according to dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. A black mushroom cloud of smoke could be seen for miles. Firefighters from the Knox, North Judson, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, San Pierre and Monterey were all called in to assist. Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen says one firefighter suffered minor injuries. Continue reading

Frost Law in Effect Throughout Starke County

Signs like this one were posted throughout Starke County.
Signs like this one were posted throughout Starke County.

Travelers in Starke County may have noticed a few new signs posted on county roads advertising the “frost law” now in effect throughout the county. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler said the frost law ordinance prevents big trucks from being on the roads and potentially causing more damage before the county has a chance to repair them.

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Kankakee River Flood Warning Extended Again

 
 

The National Weather Service has once again extended the flood warning for the Kankakee River at Davis Route 30. It is now set to expire Monday evening. Last night at 8 o’clock the river was holding steady at 10.8 feet. Flood stage there is 10 feet, and minor flooding is occurring. The river is expected to fall below the flood stage around 7 p.m. Sunday. At 11 feet, flooding of secondary roads near the river begins.

Former Plymouth Resident Receives Ten Year Prison Sentence

Tara Chizum
Tara Chizum
A ten year prison sentence was given to a former Plymouth woman after she pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine.

Tara Chizum, 36, admitted providing pseudoephedrine and cold packs to David Garman on Sept. 1, 2013 so he could manufacture methamphetamine in a motel room at the Super 8 Motel in Plymouth. Garmin was recently sentenced to 15 years in the Department of Corrections.

The sentence was left up to Marshall County Superior Court Judge Robert O. Bowen with the maximum sentence to be ten years, according to the plea agreement. After hearing testimony for an hour, Judge Bowen concluded that Chizum was in great need of drug treatment. He sentenced Chizum to ten years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. She can petition the court for purposeful incarceration after serving two full years.

Starke Council Receives Update on Hospital’s Capital Expenditures

Craig Felty
Craig Felty
The recently named president of IU Health Starke Hospital presented the county council this week with the hospital’s fourth quarter report for capital dollars spent at the hospital. Craig Felty told the council that the hospital suffered from the loss of the hospital’s oldest generator, and as a result, they had no choice but to put in a new one. He said other expenses included finishing the work on the hospital’s electric system, fireproofing for firewalls throughout the facility and the installation of fire stops.

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North Judson, Winamac Residents Urged to Keep Running Water

 
 
Though today is the last day residents in the city of Knox and town of Hamlet are asked to run their faucets to prevent frozen pipes, residents of North Judson are still encouraged to run their taps until April 1, according to Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry. She told WKVI this week that Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann has asked residents to continue running water until the first of April to prevent any further freezing problems.

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NJ-SP Board Studies Alternative School

Superintendent Lynn Johnson
Superintendent Lynn Johnson
North Judson-San Pierre school officials like the idea of the proposed Crossing alternative school but aren’t quite ready to commit to it. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says Knox and Oregon-Davis are also looking at the hybrid program for students who have fallen through the cracks.

“It’s really to focus on kids who have dropped out of school. The cost is really their enrollment, their ADM, Annual Daily Membership, we get for them re-enrolling at our school. They would be our students on paper, but they would go to The Crossing,” said Johnson.

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Oregon-Davis School Board Approves Additional Make up Day

Greg Briles
Greg Briles
The Oregon-Davis School Board members discussed when to make up the final missed day of instruction due to inclement weather.

Superintendent Greg Briles said the teacher’s association agreed to add the day to the end of the school calendar and the board approved that recommendation.

“March 12, the day that we missed, will be made up on June 4 which will be finals day and the last day for students,” explained Briles. “Our teachers’ last day will be June 5 and graduation will be Friday, June 6.”

Briles added that this solution would best fit the corporation out of all of the options made available by the state.

Severe Weather Preparedness Week Ends Sunday; Prepare Now

 
 

As Severe Weather Preparedness Week comes to a close on Sunday, residents are reminded that preparedness should not be a temporary thing. Severe weather can take many forms including hail, lightning, thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding and strong winds, and all residents are encouraged to stay educated about severe weather as knowing what to do in the event of a severe weather incident may be a lifesaver.

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Meth Cook Receives 15 Year Prison Sentence

Peter Devine
Peter Devine
A former Plymouth resident was sentenced Wednesday in Marshall County Superior Court 1 after pleading guilty to a charge of Manufacturing Methamphetamine as a Class B felony.

Peter Devine, 35, admitted that between March and April 2013 he manufactured methamphetamine in his home directly across from Webster Elementary School in Plymouth. Anonymous complaints had been investigated by the Plymouth Police Department and officers executed a search warrant at the home in the 1100 block of South Michigan Street where they found several precursors and paraphernalia. Some items in the home field tested positive for heroin and methamphetamine.

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Starke Council Approves Change to Innkeeper’s Tax

  
 
The Starke County Council approved a change to the county’s ordinance regarding the innkeeper’s tax – a tax on the rental of rooms and accommodations, for periods less than 30 days, in addition to the state sales tax. Deb Mix with the Starke County Convention and Visitors Commission approached the council to discuss the tax, and according to county attorney Martin Lucas, the innkeeper’s tax is covered by Indiana Code and controlled by the fiscal body.

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Pulaski County Maintenance Department Gives Update on Repairs

Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
The Pulaski County Maintenance Department is working steadily to improve conditions of buildings and equipment throughout the county, and according to Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston, his department has already made a number of improvements this year. Johnston said his department has already installed the four HVAC units on the roof of the justice center and they’re running in good condition. However, some minor work with sensors must still be done over the course of the next few days.

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Starke County Commissioners Discuss Manufactured Homes Ordinance

  
 
Starke County attorney Martin Lucas this week provided his interpretation on a proposed amendment and its associated Indiana code in regards to the applicability of manufactured housing. Lucas addressed the county commissioners at their meeting Monday night, and said that the basic issue under consideration is that the Planning Commission wants to review a provision that was placed into the county ordinance code in June 2010 stating manufactured homes can only be set by Indiana licensed set crews.

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