Sunday Time Change Brings Recommendation To Change Batteries

 
 

Daylight savings time will begin Sunday, and area emergency management agencies are asking residents to make changes to more than just their household clocks.

The time change officially occurs at 2:00 a.m. when clocks will move ahead by one hour. Emergency Managers from Indiana’s various counties are also advising that residents use the occasion to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors.
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Starke County EMS Car to Be Repainted

 
 

The county-owned Dodge Charger used by Starke County EMS Director Keith Emigh will soon be repainted. The former sheriff’s department patrol vehicle is currently a two-tone tan with a light bar on the top. Commissioner Don Binkley has asked repeatedly if it can be returned to a solid color so it is not as easily mistaken for a law enforcement car. Continue reading

SCILL Center Instructors Honor Students of the Month

SCILLSeveral Knox Community High School students were honored recently by their SCILL Center welding program instructors. They pick students of the month based on test scores, class participation, attitude, attendance and initiative in the shop. Recent honorees include Brock Majchrzak in January; Jonathan Rowe and Logan Schwenk in February; and Aidan Hollingshead and Nick Runkle in March. Continue reading

Starke County Highway Superintendent Makes Case for Additional Mechanic

starke-county-courthouseStarke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler has the blessing of the county commissioners to seek funds for a third mechanic. Right now the two mechanics maintain 106 county-owned vehicles and pieces of equipment, with top priority given to those used by EMS and the sheriff’s department. Highway vehicles are third on the list, and those used by other departments are fourth. All of the money for repairs comes from the highway department’s budget. The mechanics are also responsible for completing all of the necessary paperwork. Continue reading

Starke County EMS Anticipates Significant Savings With New Oxygen Vendor

 
 

A change of oxygen vendors is expected to save Starke County EMS a significant amount of money. Director Keith Emigh told the county commissioners Monday he’s been comparison shopping from several suppliers. The county presently uses Praxair from South Bend for tank rentals and refills. However, Emigh says Plymouth-based American Welding charges quite a bit less for the same supplies. The county will save $225 per month on portable oxygen tank rentals and will also realize a savings on M and K tanks. Over the course of a year the savings will total nearly $3,000. Continue reading

Local Student to Compete in National Geographic State Bee

National Geographic BeeA North Judson-San Pierre Middle School student is a semifinalist in the 2015 Indiana National Geographic State Bee. Eighth-grader Cameron Kolasa finished first in the school level competition. School bees took place at schools with 4th through 8th grade students. Winners at the school level took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. Up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories were invited to compete in the state bees. Indiana’s will take place Friday, March 27 in Indianapolis. Continue reading

Home Detention Ordered in Custody Interference Case

 A woman accused of interfering with a custody exchange will spend the next 12 months on home detention through Starke County Community Corrections. Amy Lowe pleaded guilty to the felony offense this week in Starke Circuit Court. Judge Kim Hall sentenced her to 12 months in the Department of Correction with none of the time suspended. However, she will be allowed to serve it on home detention with electronic monitoring.