Welcome Home Procession Scheduled for Body of Winamac Soldier

Posted on Author WKVI
SSgt. Andrew Budd

Members of the community are invited to pay their respects to a Winamac native who died while on active military duty. Staff Sgt. Andrew Budd was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. He was 27 at the time of his death on Sunday, Aug. 23 in El Paso. His body is being flown to Indianapolis this afternoon and will be returned to Winamac with an escort of police and patriot guard riders along with his family. The procession will travel north up U.S. 35 into Winamac this afternoon and turn east onto Main Street with a final destination of Frain Mortuary. The funeral home will post updates on their Facebook page as to the schedule. Continue reading →

Moving Starke County Forward Hosts Overdose Awareness Service

Posted on Author WKVI
Overdose Awareness 1
Aaron Kochar from Porter-Starke Services lights a candle in memory of a life lost to a drug overdose. A total of 61 candles were lit during last evening’s ceremony.

Community members paused last night at Wythogan Park to celebrate the 61 Starke County lives lost to drug overdoses over the past seven years as well as those who are in long-term recovery. Aaron Kochar is the director of prevention and education at Porter-Starke Services. He says people are now more likely to die from a fatal overdose than from a car accident.

“Up until last year, if you died in an accident it was some sort of motor vehicle accident. Now it’s overdose. Another statistic that is concerning is the fact that while a number of people will die in overdose from heroin, in fact we’ve got about three times the number who will die from a prescription opioid overdose.” Continue reading →

Starke County Prosecutor Warns of Sexting Perils

Posted on Author WKVI

Sexting imageThe photos you post online or the text messages you send can haunt you for years to come. That’s the message prosecuting attorneys across Indiana are sharing with young people. Starke County Prosecutor Nick Bourff says so-called sexting — the sending and posting of inappropriate images — can get you in a lot of trouble. Continue reading →

Grant Applications Now Being Accepted for Hometown Collaboration Initiative

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Applications are now open for grants serving communities with a population under 25-thousand.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, or OCRA, says applications may be submitted online for their Hometown Collaboration Initiative. The grants can be used for the development of local leaders, economic development, or improving quality of place in local communities.

Continue reading →

Substance Abuse Counselor Discusses Overdose Epidemic

Posted on Author WKVI
Overdose awareness
The ribbons on the lawn at IU Health Starke Hospital represent local victims of overdoses over the past seven years.

Advocates and community members will pause tomorrow evening to remember the 61 lives lost to drug overdoses in the past seven years in Starke County. Aaron Kochar is a substance abuse counselor at Porter-Starke Services. He says methamphetamine used to be the biggest drug problem locally, but opioids and heroin have caught up.

Kochar says drug use is a significant problem. Continue reading →

Knox Street Paving to Start Monday

Posted on Author WKVI

roadworkThe City of Knox will start street paving on Monday. The project list includes Lake Street from Prettyman to McGill Streets, East Street from Water Street to the dead end at the railroad tracks, Myrtle Court and Potter Street from U.S. 35 to Main Street. Residents who live in those areas are asked to move all vehicles from those streets until the work is completed.

 

Sunday Vigil to Mark International Overdose Awareness Day

Posted on Author WKVI
Overdose awareness
The ribbons on the lawn at IU Health Starke Hospital represent local victims of overdoses over the past seven years.

Moving Starke County Forward is trying to take the stigma out of drug overdoses with a Sunday evening event at Wythogan Park in Knox. Advocates and community members will remember the 61 lives lost in Starke County with a candlelight vigil and share information about the perils and pitfalls of drug use. Jordan Morris from Starke County Community Corrections says people who use drugs are less likely to be aware of the potential consequences of their actions. She  says common rationalizations include “I know my limit” or “I always test what I get first, so I know the strength of it.” She adds mixing different types of drugs can often prove fatal. Continue reading →