Week in Review for October 31st-November 4th, 2011

Here is just some of the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:

Paul Paul Kosta, of Rensselaer, died after he was injured in an accident where Marilyn Stellingwerf pulled into the path of a vehicle driven by Vaid Robinson, of Hamlet, at the intersection of State Road 8 and U.S. 35 north of Knox on Saturday, October 29th. 

The Starke County Jail Committee met on Friday, October 28th, where the members were given an assignment to study an overview of the criminal justice system, forecast the capacity requirements for twenty years in five year increments for juveniles and adults, project cost for building new or remodeling and examine the possibility of privatization and regionalization.

Over 900 people attended the 2nd annual WKVI Great Pumpkin Drop Saturday, October 29th. A 1,200 pound pumpkin was dropped on a white panel van and the Fahrfunflinger’s organization was chucking pumpkins from a cannon. The event also gathered donations and canned items for Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry.

James Penicaro
Adam Koske

James Penicaro and Adam Koske were arrested early Sunday morning in Pulaski County after a pursuit incident. Penicaro found himself in more trouble after he was reportedly tased twice at the Pulaski County Jail for non-compliance and once at the hospital when he was trying to escape.

The West Central School Board will be focusing on technology upgrades now that some of the Board’s capital projects are nearing completion.

Donald Kissinger, of LaPaz, was arrested on a preliminary charge of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Bodily Injury after he allegedly swerved to miss a deer on his moped on County Road 1200 East in Koontz Lake which caused his passenger, Teresa Clark, to fall off. She hit her head on the pavement and was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. He allegedly told officers he had been drinking before the accident.

Kaltrina Neely
Billy Neely
Loralie Fritz

Billy Neely, Kaltrina Neely and Loralie Fritz of Star City were arrested after police found a meth lab at Kaltrina Neely’s residence.

A Public Hearing was held last night to gather the Knox community together to make future plans for the downtown Knox area.

Starke County Clerk, Evelyn Skronski, said that absentee balloting is slow for this year’s municipal election. Only five contested races are on the ballots in Starke County.  Pulaski County Clerk Tasha Foerg said that the balloting is slow there also.

Stacie Brown’s case was continued to December 1st in Starke Circuit Court as Brown’s attorney requested time to prepare discovery papers. Brown is charged with Battery Resulting in Death and Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in death after the death of her three-year-old stepson, Ethan Brown.

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate a break-in at a Walkerton residence early Tuesday morning where a man dressed in a ninja costume entered a residence, saw the homeowner on the phone with police, and left. If you know anything about this incident, call (574) 936-3187.

The National EAS Test will be conducted on November 9th at 2:00 p.m. ET. This is a national public alert and warning system that enables the entire nation to be warned of an extreme emergency.

Ken Singleton was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on a charges of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor and Incest, both Class B Felonies.

And that is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.