Crews from the Knox Street Department will begin the 2017 asphalt overlay project this week, weather permitting.
Paving will take place on Washington Street from Sellers Avenue to the intersection at Lake Street. All of Danker Street, Pine Street, Jackson Street, and Brown Circle Drive will be paved. Fisher Street from Adams Street to Brown Circle Drive will also receive new asphalt.
Knox Police Chief Harold Smith updated the Knox Board of Public Works last week on a fundraiser to aid in the purchases of tasers for the officers.
According to the GoFundMe page created for this crowdfunding effort, $1,700 has been raised toward the $6,000 goal. Chief Smith told the board of works members that a personal injury law firm in South Bend has offered to match donations to a certain denomination and has done so thus far.
The Labor Day holiday will create a change in hours at all Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches. All branches will be closed Saturday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 4.
The La Porte, Plymouth, Walkerton, and Winamac branches will open on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 8:30 a.m. local time while the Knox branch will open again on Wednesday, Sept. 6.
For online assistance, visit mybmv.com.
Trial dates were set for several defendants in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday morning.
Jerry Leonard, of Knox, is charged with four felony counts of child molesting. Two counts are Class A felonies and the remaining counts are Class C felonies. His trial with a 12-member jury is expected to start Jan. 8, 2018. There is a plea agreement deadline date in this case of Dec. 15.
The Knox Board of Public Works and Safety heard from homeowner Lucia Valladares on the progress on renovation efforts on the home at 6 N. Pearl Street.
Valladares said she was involved in a motor vehicle accident and hasn’t been able to get any work done on the property. She plans to focus on the exterior part of the building yet this year. Her plan is to demolish two side additions and the back porch, reinforce the foundation, start up siding installation, replace the roof, and construct a new addition.
Road work is planned in La Porte County next week to increase safety on U.S. 20.
Indiana Department of Transportation crews will install rumble strips on U.S. 20 between U.S. 35 and the U.S. 20 and State Road 2 intersection. Officials say engineers found a way to use equipment and resources from a nearby project on State Road 39 to install this safety enhancement on the heavily traveled highway.
The Culver Town Council this week adopted an ordinance that rezones two parcels.
The ordinance proposes the rezoning of 1213 Hoosier Lane and 1201 West Shore Drive from Residential (R-1) to Lake District (L-1). This action would combine two lots into one lot and grant lake access.
Officers from the La Porte City Police Department are attempting to find a man who allegedly attempted to lure three children into his car in the 400 block of Fox Street Wednesday afternoon. The children are ages 12, 4 and 3.
The children’s mother reportedly told police that the trio was playing in a neighbor’s yard when a man called the children over to his silver-colored Honda Pilot. When he called their attention, he began taking off his seatbelt, according to police. The report indicates that the 12-year-old child told her mother and the mother approached the SUV yelling at the man. The man then fled the area.
Edward Blackburn will return to court for a status update in October.
Blackburn, 31, is facing a murder charge in Starke County. He is accused of killing Cord Colgrove in an incident in rural North Judson in March. Formal charges were filed on March 6 and he has been incarcerated in the Starke County Justice Center since his arrest.
The Culver Town Council met in a work session Tuesday afternoon to discuss the 2018 budget.
Council President Ginny Bess Munroe commented that every department worked hard to trim $17,000 from next year’s budget. The budget will be published with the public hearing on the budget set for a modified meeting date of Wednesday, Sept. 27.
The Knox Board of Public Works discussed a proposal for services to conduct a stormwater separation project in the alley between Washington Street and Lake Street, west of Main Street.
The project will include installing a new storm line in the alley and abandoning the existing storm sewer connections into the current sanitary sewer. The lines would be rerouted into the new storm sewer.
The man accused of killing a Starke County man in March will be in Starke Circuit Court today for a final pre-trial and plea agreement deadline hearing.
The Culver Town Council considered the first reading of an ordinance that creates the Culver Economic Development Commission, a board that can approve residential tax abatements.
The commission will have three members: one appointed by the Marshall County Council, the second appointed by the Culver Town Council President and the third appointed by town council. The years are staggered with the town council president appointee serving three years, the county council appointee serving two years and the town council appointee serving one year. After those terms expire, the successor will serve a four year term. Qualified members can be a county resident, a business owner in Culver or work in town of Culver.
The Knox Board of Public Works opened bids Wednesday morning for the demolition of 420 Maple Drive and 322 W. Spruce Street.
Three companies submitted bids for both structures. Mark Milo had a total bid of $17,840, Jackson Trucking and Excavating submitted a total bid of $18,998 while Chem Check, Inc. submitted a total bid of $43,000.
A significant number of vehicle thefts have been reported to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department and police are asking for help in identifying suspects allegedly involved in the thefts.
Investigators have approximately 50 open cases of theft from vehicles and another 50 are open with other agencies in La Porte County and surrounding departments. Several cases involve forced entry. The items reported stolen were left in plain sight. Electronics, money and firearms have been taken from vehicles.
The finishing touches are complete on the Stellar Strategic Investment Plan for submission to the Stellar Communities Designation Program committee for the Town of Culver.
Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist said Union Township submitted a letter of support toward the project along with a $40,000 contribution toward the effort. The Marshall County Community Foundation, in coordination with the Vonnegut Fund through the organization, contributed $80,000 toward the bike and pedestrian trail project and Elkay Manufacturing is partnering with the town to provide cabinetry and plumbing fixtures for the proposed Sandhill Farm workforce development housing project.
The Knox Board of Public Works members will review a project design today for the stormwater separation project in the alley between Washington Street and Lake Street, west of Main Street in downtown Knox.
The Culver Town Council will meet tonight where a few items will be discussed.
The council is expected to approve the second and third reading of a rezoning ordinance for 1213 Hoosier Lane and 1201 West Shore Drive. The ordinance that previously passed on first reading would change the zoning from Residential (R-1) to Lake District (L-1). This would combine two lots into one lot and grant lake access. A public hearing on the matter was held at the council’s last meeting with no comments given. The adoption of the ordinance is expected tonight.
