All posts by Jacque Ryan

Emergency Management Officials Coordinate Response Efforts For Residents Affected by the Floods

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

As the flood waters start receding, emergency management officials are beginning to plan out ways to assist those most severely impacted by the recent floods.

The Salvation Army recently delivered a few clean-up kits to emergency management officials in both Starke and Pulaski County. Starke County EMA Director J. Nier and Pulaski County EMA Director Sheri Gaillard said they will be handing those out to the citizens who need them in the near future.

They also said they’ll be conducting more thorough damage assessments once the water recedes more. However, residents are still reminded to fill out damage assessment reports through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to assist with relief efforts. Only uninsured property damage should be reported. Continue reading →

Starke County Surveyor Warns Residents to Be Aware of Scams

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase is warning residents to be aware of potential scammers looking to take advantage of people during flood recovery.

Last Friday, the surveyor’s office received a call from an individual reporting that two men in a U-Haul truck drove up to his residence and told him they were from the county surveyor’s office.

They reportedly said they were replacing a culvert nearby and told the resident he needed to write them a check since it was on his property. Continue reading →

One Seat was Filled and Another Opened Up at Last Night’s Knox Park Board Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

During Monday night’s Knox Park Board meeting, it was announced that Mayor Dennis Estok has appointed Glenn Barnes to fill Dave Comb’s seat.

Barnes is the Principal of Knox Elementary School. His perspective as someone who has hands-on, daily experience with the youth of our community will be a helpful addition to the board. Continue reading →

State Senator and Representative Meet with County Officials About Flooding

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

On Sunday afternoon, Starke County officials met with State Representative Jim Pressel (District 20) and State Senator Mike Bohacek (District 8) to discuss the recent devastation caused by flooding and what steps to take next.

Local officials who were present included Starke County EMA Director J. Nier, Surveyor Bill Crase and Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler as well as Engineer Lee Nagai and County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Donnie Binkley and Charles Chesak. Continue reading →

Citizens Encouraged to Attend Public Hearing Over Knox Parks 5-Year Master Plan Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A public hearing over the Knox Parks 5-Year Master Plan will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in City Hall.

The draft plan had to be submitted to the DNR by January 15th in order for the city to be eligible for potential funding for proposed park plans. Mayor Dennis Estok reported that it was turned in on time and it will be discussed during the hearing tonight.

Additionally, Troyer Group representative will discuss the results from the online survey that was conducted. Mayor Estok mentioned that more than 250 surveys were received. Continue reading →

Knox Center Township and LaCrosse Volunteer Fire Departments Assist DNR With Rescue

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
Picture Source: Indiana DNR Law District 10 FB Page

On Sunday morning, members of the Knox Center Township Fire Department joined forces with the LaCrosse Volunteer Fire Department as well as DNR Conservation Officers to rescue an elderly individual from his home as floodwaters encroached.

Indiana DNR Law representatives from district 10 report that firefighters deployed a boat to rescue the resident and Conservation Officers deployed another boat as a secondary rescue vessel. Continue reading →

UPDATED: Voluntary Evacuation Alert Announced Due to Expected River Surges

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Starke County Emergency Management Officials have announced a voluntary evacuation alert due to a possible surge of flood waters affecting the Yellow and Kankakee Rivers over the next 24 hours.

UPDATE 8:00 p.m: Officials with Knox Community School Corporation are reporting that the temporary response site has been moved to Knox Middle School. Residents are asked to utilize the doors in the back by the bus parking lot (door #8). Additionally, the Red Cross has a site set up at Plymouth High School as well.

Residents in low lying areas near both rivers and those who live by any drainage ditches connected to the rivers are being advised that a shelter is being established at Knox Middle School should any residents feel it necessary to evacuate.

According to EMA Director J. Nier the areas in the City of Knox that may be affected include:

North side of Washington St from Sellers Ave to US 35
Sellers Ave North of John St
Parkview area: Residences West of Portland St
Ruthie Drive
Pacific Ave
North of Culver Rd between 200 East and 250 East. Continue reading →

Starke County Flood Updates for Saturday

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

High water is still being reported in several sections of Starke County. Many area parks are remaining closed until further notice and major flooding has been confirmed around the Yellow, Brown and Kankakee River bridges as well as in areas near Bass Lake and English Lake.

Starke County EMA Director J. Nier is encouraging residents to submit damage reports through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security website. Officials are collecting data to submit in order to potentially receive federal or state financial assistance with relief efforts. Any additional questions or concerns can be directed to Starke County EMA at 574-772-9182.

Starke County Highway Department representatives added there are few things that motorists can do can do to assist crews who are working on the flooding. Continue reading →

Saturday Flood Updates for Pulaski County

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Much of Pulaski County is still experiencing flooded conditions. Motorists are advised to use caution while driving and to respond accordingly to all posted signage regarding high water and closed roads.

The Pulaski County Highway Department shared yesterday that sandbags can be picked up at the Pulaski County EMA Office (112 E Main St #110 in Winamac) and sand to fill the bags is available at the intersection of 200 W and 50 North in Pulaski County. Continue reading →

Plymouth High School Will No Longer Serve as a College Goal Sunday Site Due to Flooding

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Due to the current conditions in Marshall County, Plymouth High School will no longer serve as a College Goal Sunday site on February 25th.

Plymouth Community Schools Marketing Director Judi Lykowski encourages local families to attend this weekend’s event at any of the other locations across the state. She said other nearby locations include Valparaiso, Goshen, Warsaw, Elkhart and South Bend. A plethora of other sites are listed at CollegeGoalSunday.org.

College Goal Sunday is a cost-free charitable program held by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association. At this state-wide event, students and their families can receive assistance with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid aka the FAFSA. Continue reading →

Truck Drivers are Being Advised to Take an Alternate Route in the City of Knox

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Due to the flooding and road closures in and around the City of Knox, a revised truck route has been designated for trucks entering and leaving the industrial park.

Until further notice, truck drivers are advised to take 200 South to 300 East. Businesses should immediately notify their drives of this alternate route. Drivers should refrain from traveling down any other roads that are typically restricted to trucks.  Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Decides on Potential Dates for SCEDF Workday

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Town Council members decided on a few potential dates to recommend for a SCEDF workday when they met Monday night.

Starke County Economic Development Foundation liaison James Young reminded council members that Executive Director Larry Wickert is attempting to set up a session of some kind so members can brainstorm some ideas for potential development. Continue reading →

North Judson-San Pierre Officials Consider Implementing eLearning

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Officials at North Judson-San Pierre schools are discussing the possibility of implementing eLearning in the future.

During Tuesday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin told board members that with the number of snow days and delays recently, some teachers and community members have been asking about bringing eLearning to NJ-SP Continue reading →

Public Perception of Safety Discussed During Culver School Board Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

School safety was a topic discussed at this week’s Culver School Board meeting.

Superintendent Karen Shuman said that the school recently sent out a survey to teachers, students and parents. Though the survey included a variety of questions, Superintendent Shuman focused on the question that gauged the community’s perception of safety at Culver Community Schools during Monday’s meeting. Continue reading →

North Judson-San Pierre School Board Approves Contractors for Lease Project

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson-San Pierre School Board members awarded several contracts for the corporation’s Lease Project when they met Tuesday evening.

Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin explained that when bids were opened in January, they discovered that they came in under budget. This will allow the corporation to move forward with some of their alternate bids which included upgrades to the baseball and softball fields, stairwell renovations, roofing and lighting work.

Zupin added that they will also be able to have signage installed on route 10 to inform motorists they’re nearing the NJSP campus. She said it will be an electronic sign where they will be able to put various school information and community announcements. Continue reading →