The Culver School Board has recently been assessing school policies and Superintendent Karen Shuman said that some members met in a work session this week to familiarize themselves with the rules that are being reviewed.
“It’s more of an education of the board members so that they have a chance to understand what the policies mean since some of them are new or some of the members weren’t around when the policies were adopted.” Continue reading
An ordinance that describes the official duties of common council members was adopted during Thursday night’s Knox City Council meeting.
The ordinance establishes policies about attendance and sufficient constituent representation. It also specifies that the rules set forth in the ordinance are retroactive to the start of a term.
Mayor Dennis Estok has been consulting with Indianapolis attorney John Molitor on this matter. Molitor informed the members why a local ordinance had to be passed in order to address concerns about absenteeism. Continue reading
Now that the Oregon-Davis School referendum tax levy has passed, school officials are evaluating various aspects of how the corporation is run in order to ensure the additional revenue will be spent practically and proficiently.
Superintendent Dr. Don Harman said officials are assessing staffing, programs and everything about the corporation’s operations in order to prioritize needs. Continue reading
The highlight of Tuesday night’s Culver Town Council meeting was a public hearing that was held to review a Planned Unit Development application for Culver Meadows.
Town Manager Jonathan Leist explained that this week’s hearing consisted of a review of the primary plan and rezoning request. According to Leist, the town has a zoning district that is strictly for PUDs, which allows for the development to have both commercial and residential structures. Continue reading
The North Judson Fire Department plans to commemorate their old firehouse with a monument in front of the new building. At Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting, Fire Chief Joe Leszek explained that some material from the old firehouse was retrieved during the demolition process.
Leszek told members, “When the old firehouse was torn down, some of our members went over there and we salvaged some of the limestone and it was always our plan to build a small little memorial wall.” Continue reading
Knox City Council members will meet a little bit earlier than usual in order to cover the multiple items listed on tonight’s agenda.
Prior to the start of the meeting, a public hearing over the 5-Year Park Master Plan will be held at 6:45 p.m. Members will also consider a resolution to approve the Master Plan later in the evening.
The meeting will officially commence at 7 p.m. and another public hearing will be held over the petition submitted by J.W. Hicks for annexation into the City of Knox. Continue reading
One major result that came out of Starke County’s primary election was that the Oregon-Davis School referendum passed, with 61.5 percent of voters voting in favor of it. Continue reading
A 30-year-old oversight is one step closer to being rectified after North Judson Town Council members held the first reading of an ordinance Monday night.
The ordinance that members considered addresses a request that was initially submitted in 1986 that asks for the town to vacate an unused alley that is located south of Dahlke Street and north of Lyle Street. Continue reading
Several area firefighters responded to a structure fire on 800 E north of SR 8 on Tuesday evening.
Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost reported that his department, the Washington Township, and the Hamlet fire departments were on the scene where a pole barn had caught fire. He noted that the Washington Township Fire Department was the primary on the case. Continue reading
The approval of two resolutions by North Judson Town Council members Monday night will allow the town to be reimbursed for expenditures made toward the water and sewer projects prior to the completion of the bonding process. Continue reading
Thursday, May 10th is the final day to register for the North Judson Mint Festival pageants! Sign-ups will be held at the Henry F. Schricker Public Library in Knox from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Starke County students ages 5 through 19 are permitted to sign up for the Mint Festival Queen and King Pageant. The registration fee is $20 and a fundraiser is required.
The county’s youngsters, ranging from newborns up to 4-year-olds, can register for the Mint Darlings Pageant, where a fundraiser is also required. Continue reading
Sand Hill Farm Developer Kevin Berger recently reached out to community members to remind them about an exciting opportunity through the Habitat for Humanity of Marshall County.
The Sand Hill Farm development will be providing a site for a Habitat for Humanity home and the organization is still looking for a local family to fill it.
Officials are anticipating that the site will be made available later this year and construction will most likely begin in 2019. Interested parties are encouraged to apply now as they need to assess whether or not they fulfill certain eligibility requirements. Continue reading
The North Judson Town Council members will be considering reimbursement resolutions for water and sewer bonds when they meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
Members are also expected to go over service contracts with CommonWealth Engineers, the firm working with the town on the water and wastewater projects. Continue reading
If you’re looking for a unique way to celebrate Mother’s Day, the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has a few opportunities that may interest you.
The Guest Engineer Program will give adventurous moms a chance to operate a diesel locomotive. Guest Engineers are supervised and have the option to drive the train for 30 minutes or 1 hour for a nominal fee. Continue reading
More than 80 people gathered at Knox High School for the 2nd Annual Life Skills Class Color Run, last Saturday.
Event coordinator and Life Skills teacher Tiffany Hoar, or Mrs. H as her students call her, reported that about $1500 was raised for the class during the event! Continue reading
As the Knox Planning Commission continued their discussion over amending the accessory building ordinance, members also considered what to do about residents who are currently in violation.
During their meeting Tuesday night, President Greg Matt mentioned there are a few residences that have structures that are violating existing rules, such as one that prohibits breaking the plane of the front of the house and another that deals with proximity to sidewalks. Continue reading
Volunteers with Culver’s Blessings in a Backpack program realize that hunger doesn’t halt just because school is no longer in session.
Thanks to the generous donations of committed community members, Blessings in a Backpack was able to expand their winter school program into the summertime last year.
This year, they will continue the summer program and will be working in conjunction with the USDA Summer Food Service Program to provide weekend meals to students who require additional assistance. Continue reading
The new Norwayne Field stage cover will get some use this Saturday at the first North Judson Movies in the Park event of the season.
The movie being shown this month is Justice League and the screening will begin around dusk. Continue reading
Dr. Ken Zirkle, who has served as the president of Ancilla College for the past four years, has announced his retirement, effective Monday, May 14th.
During his time an Ancilla, the college saw a lot of growth. Two new residence halls and a student life center were built on campus and a few new programs were added including the Autism Program at Ancilla and the culinary arts and agriculture programs. Continue reading
Knox Planning Commission members were informed about an upcoming Board of Zoning Appeals meeting when they met Tuesday night.
Planning Administrator Kenny Pfost stated that a notice of the meeting has been published and neighboring property owners have been notified.
The meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 14th at 7 p.m. in Knox City Hall. Property owner Tim Miller will be submitting a request for a variance on the rear-yard setback requirement since his site plan currently doesn’t meet the 40-foot requirement for commercial properties. Continue reading
