Knox Splash Pad Closed for Winter

Fall is here, and that means the end of splash pad season in the City of Knox. Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council that the splash pad was shutting down for the season earlier this week. “We were going to let it ride until over the weekend, but the weekend’s supposed to get cold,” he said. “And right now, you’ll see maybe one or two people on it and that’s about it. So we are going to be shutting down a little earlier than what we thought.”

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Jerry Leonard’s Child Molesting Convictions Upheld by Indiana Court of Appeals

Jerry Leonard

A man found guilty of child molesting has had his convictions affirmed by the Indiana Court of Appeals. Back in February, Jerry Leonard was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court to concurrent terms of 30 years in the Indiana Department of Correction with 10 years suspended, for two Class A felony counts of child molesting. Leonard appealed the convictions, arguing that his confession to police was not made voluntarily and “that the trial court abused its discretion” by admitting video of the police interview as evidence.

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Knox City Council Approves Purchase of Tax Lien Certificate for Parkview Property

Long-term efforts by the City of Knox to buy up available land in Parkview Heights took a step forward Tuesday. The city council authorized the purchase of a tax lien certificate, at the request of Mayor Dennis Estok. “It’s a property down in Parkview Heights that went through the tax sale,” he explained. “Nobody bought it. It’s a burned-out house. We did get the owners of that to clean the house up. They did leave the foundation and all that. They have no intentions of redeeming the property through the tax sale, and that’s where the county can transfer it. We can buy it for $35 off the certificate sale.”

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Pulaski County EMS Director Proposes Adding Training Program Finances into Department Budget

Pulaski County Emergency Medical Services is taking steps to formalize the finances of its training program. During a public hearing on the county’s 2019 budget last week, EMS Director Bryan Corn told the county council that his department is certified to offer emergency medical technician classes. But he said the training program’s finances haven’t been tracked properly.

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Proposed Changes to Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies’ Retirement Plan Presented to County Council

The Pulaski County Council got a closer look earlier this month at proposed changes to the sheriff’s deputies’ retirement plan. Actuary Stan Brown with OneAmerica explained that the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is one of about a dozen in the state that still use a 20-year maximum service plan. “So what that means is only 20 years count for any deputy’s benefit,” he explained. “If you have someone work beyond 20 years, those years don’t count in determining the monthly retirement benefit.”

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$25,000 Worth of Equipment Donated to Knox High School Graphic Arts Department

Knox High School’s Graphic Arts Department is getting a major equipment upgrade, thanks to a recent donation. Compliance Signs gave the school two Roland wide body printers, valued at $12,500 each. On top of that, CutCardStock of Valparaiso has donated $450 worth of paper. The donations were officially accepted by the school board last week.

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Pulaski County Building, Health Departments Seeking Support for Rental Property Inspection Program

Pulaski County officials continue working on implementing a rental property inspection program, but exactly how to do that was a topic of discussion during Monday’s plan commission meeting. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told members that she and Building Inspector Doug Hoover are repeatedly called to the same rental units, due to complaints about their condition. “It’s really sad when you see the kids, you guys,” she said. “They don’t want to live like that. It’s terrible. Makes you sick.”

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