Knox Mayor Rick Chambers would like to remind residents that it’s time to renew or purchase dog tags for the year. There is an ordinance in effect that requires all dogs within the City of Knox to have a dog tag. This ordinance will be enforced regularly as the new year progresses.
Knox City Police Chief, Clint Norem, has released the Department’s December statistics. The Department had 370 calls, 11 accident reports and 18 incident reports. There were 7 Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated reports and 1 Public Intoxication report. 12 people were arrested on 15 traffic charges, 29 people were arrested on 55 criminal charges, 5 juveniles were arrested on 6 charges, and 3 people were cited for ordinance violations.
We are learning more details about a story WKVI broke on Saturday. Several bones that were returned to the Army in 1988 have been positively identified as belonging to Andy Howes, the young soldier from Knox who was MIA for over four decades after the helicopter he was in went down in Vietnam.
We now know there were six bones recovered (a right upper arm, a left lower arm, a right upper leg, one rib, and two other bones). All of the bones are partial and degraded, but positively match the DNA profile provided by Rob (Andy’s brother) and his late sister, Valarie.
Tony Kerby lost his life in the Yellow River attempting to save his younger brother’s life. The good looking boy went in the treacherous waters to save his 8-year-old brother Dominick when the youngster slipped off a rock. Dominick was saved when a person in the park pulled him to safety, but Tony could not swim to the banks.
Community members were so saddened by the death that a cross was put at the site to honor his efforts and his life. The memorial was created by Shelby Clemons of North Judson, his wife, Danielle, and Misty Baldridge of Knox.
It’s said that 80% of Americans believe in miracles. Do you? The Jay and Katie Amidei family, on Anns Ct. in Knox, believe in miracles. Here’s why:
Their son, Colton, was diagnosed with a rare disease after doctors found a large mass behind his eye. The disease, which is difficult to pronounce, was so rare that very few Americans had ever been diagnosed with it.
At this time last year, little Colton had gone through two surgeries to remove the tumor, the first surgery taking 12 1/2 hours. The second was performed after opening his head to remove the mass that had been missed the first “go round.”
After 44 years of searching, the remains of Samuel Hewitt, a 1965 Oregon-Davis graduate, were found near a military base near Da Nang, Vietnam in September of this year. Hewitt was a United States Marine stationed at a base near Da Nang when he suddenly came up missing. That was on March 22nd of 1966. Until his skeleton was unearthed and identified he had not been heard from since that date.
Hewitt served outside Da Nang with the 3rd Battalion of the 9th Division Marines, assigned to night patrols and scouting missions. His sister feels that when Hewitt was out on night patrol, he was shot and killed.
The new Starke County Prosecutor will begin his duties in the office January 1st.
“The majority of the staff that is already there will remain there,” explained Nicholas Bourff, Starke County’s newly elected Prosecutor. “I think it’s important to maintain continuity in that office, especially since I’m new at it. The women in the Child Support office have been there for a while, they know that office much, much better than I do and I think it’s important to keep that.”
A Starke County police officer arrested a Knox resident on Wednesday, December 23rd, on charges of Residential Entry and Possession of Methamphetamine, both Class D Felonies.
Officers were called to a residence on 250 North after a call was made to the Sheriff’s Department about a possible break-in at the residence. Justin Miller was attempting to leave the residence and got stuck in the snow when police were called to the scene. After further investigation, police found that Miller had allegedly broken into the basement by breaking the basement window and gaining entry into the residence. When police searched Miller’s vehicle, they reportedly found methamphetamine and paraphernalia in his pickup truck. Justin Miller was taken to the Starke County Jail and currently has no bond.
Experience Works is offering paid training and employment search opportunities for low-income seniors age 55 and older.
Participants with Experience Works earn minimum wage while they train, learning updated job skills at local non-profit and community organizations. They also get assistance creating resumes, coaching on interview skills, learn to fill out online applications and conduct job searches. If you think you might qualify for this program, attend an information session at the Knox WorkOne location on West Lake Street on Wednesday, December 29th from 9:00 a.m. to Noon CT. For more information, call (574) 595-6294 or visit their website.
Sonny Newbauer, Plant Manager at Hoosier Custom Plastics, was struck by lightning in the business’ parking lot on Tuesday, August 3rd.
Gordon Shank, owner of Hoosier Custom Plastics, told WKVI that day that he had heard a clap of thunder at 7:45 a.m., looked outside the plant, and saw Sonny Newbauer on the ground after he was struck by lightning. Newbauer, of Knox, was given CPR by a fellow employee and while still unconscious, he was taken to Starke Memorial Hospital. The medical staff sedated Newbauer and he was flown to a Fort Wayne Hospital.
Newbauer is still recovering from the incident.
Christmas came early for Knox and North Judson officials. Lieutenant Governor, Becky Skillman, announced that 13 Hoosier communities will receive grants totaling almost $11 million dollars for storm water infrastructure projects. These grants are funded by an appropriation for disaster recovery efforts from the federal Community Development Block Grant program.
John Brooke, a suspect in events surrounding a shootout at Bass Lake in February, and his attorney, Dale Allen, told Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall Monday afternoon that they have failed to come to a satisfactory plea agreement with the court so they will move forward to trial.
The trial will begin on Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. CT and will last the week. Allen said there could be up to 50 witnesses called to take the stand. A final status hearing will be held on January 26th to ensure all paperwork is prepared for trial.
Knox Mayor, Rick Chambers, invites the Knox community to participate in an outdoor Christmas decoration contest.
Judging will be on Monday, December 20th, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. CT. Anyone wishing to take part in the contest are asked to make sure outdoor decorations are on during the judging hours. First place will receive $100, second place will get $50 and third place, $25. Winners will be notified and announced on WKVI on Wednesday, December 22nd.
Throughout the month, we’ve mentioned the wonderful efforts of local organizations that are lending a helping hand to the less fortunate. Among those organizations is Economy Auto in Knox and the business is conducting a food bank collection.
Marvin Allen of Knox is this year’s recipient of the Indiana Historical Society’s Hubert Hawkins History Award. The presentation will be made during the Society’s annual Founders Day Dinner at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. The Hubert Hawkins History Award is made annually to a local historian for his or her distinguished service and career in local history.
Gilsinger Implement, Indiana’s oldest John Deere Dealership, recently purchased Kauffman Sons, Inc., a fourth-generation commercial and lawn and garden dealer. With established locations in Winamac, Knox, Leesburg, and Plymouth, Gilsinger Implement will now operate dealerships in Goshen and Mishawaka.
