The Starke County Commissioners have scheduled a certificate sale for Monday, Feb. 17, 2015 to rid the county of properties not sold at tax sale. Treasurer Kasey Clark will review the list of properties with county attorney Marty Lucas prior to placing the advertisements. Adjacent property owners will also be notified in case they want to make a purchase. Continue reading
MDwise and Starke County Public Library Schedule Affordable Care Act Forum
Health care industry experts will be available Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Starke County Public Library to answer questions about the Affordable Care Act. Representatives from the nonprofit health insurance company MDwise will offer a presentation about the health insurance marketplace at 2 p.m. CST. Continue reading
Starke County Community Foundation Awards Grants, Honors Hardesty
The Starke County Community Foundation has announced that nearly a quarter-million dollars ($247,630.00) was awarded in 2014 grants and scholarships. The total was revealed at last night’s “Impact Celebration” at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center.
A number of the grant recipients were presented their cash awards at the catered dinner.
Scholarship winners were recognized at an earlier event.
Culver Community High School Gets Money for Project Lead the Way
Culver Community High School students will have an opportunity to prepare for college thanks to the generosity of the Culver Redevelopment Commission. They gave the school corporation $50,000 to cover the cost of equipment for participation in Purdue’s Project Lead the Way curriculum. Continue reading
Oregon-Davis FFA Members Advance to State Competition
Members of the Oregon-Davis Future Farmers of America chapter are heading to state next month. All eight students who took part in the Area X Crops Judging/Forestry/Entomology CDE at at Plymouth High School on Monday qualified to advance to the state-level competition at Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 13. Continue reading
Town of North Judson Offers Seasonal Reminders
The Town of North Judson reminds residents and business owners to let water run constantly in a stream about the diameter of a pencil whenever temperatures are below freezing. This helps keep water meters and pipes from freezing.
Starke County Commissioners Defer Action on Highway Superintendent Contract
The Starke County Commissioners will revisit whether to offer a long-term contract to Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler when they meet Dec. 1. Commissioner Kent Danford previously raised concerns about the precedent such an action would set. He says possibly offering Ritzler a contract is a “test case” and adds he will say no to anyone else who requests a long-term employment contract until he sees how this works. Continue reading
Oregon-Davis Adopts Balanced Calendar Concept
The Oregon-Davis School Corporation is the first in the area to adopt the balanced calendar concept. The school board voted 5-to-1 in favor of the plan, with board member Lee Nagai casting the lone no vote. Continue reading
Majority of Culver Community School Corporation Parents Say Yes to Balanced Calendar
The Culver Community School Corporation received balanced calendar survey responses from families, students and faculty members this week. A total of 780 responses were recieved with 75 percent of the surveys saying yes, they would like to see a balanced calendar implemented.
Knox School Renovation Plans Move Forward
The Knox Middle School Building Corporation Committee, at a public hearing last night, reviewed, approved, and sent to the School Board, a number of resolutions to move along the construction and renovation of a portion of the elementary building. No citizens attended the hearing.
Later at the School Board meeting, a public hearing was held on details of the project. Again, no member of the public appeared to comment. Continue reading
John Glenn Spell Bowl Team Wins 19th State Championship
The John Glenn High School Spell Bowl team won their 19th Indiana Academic Spell Bowl state finals championship this past weekend. They now hold the record for number of spell bowl state championships in the history of all divisions. Spell Bowl Coach Brandt Ayoub says the team was part of division 2 and competed against 4 other schools. He says it was a team goal from the beginning to make it to state.
Starke County Park Board to Consider Camping at Bass Lake
The recently-formed Starke County Park Board will consider whether to allow seasonal camping at Bass Lake Campground when they meet this evening. The five-member board has been tasked with oversight of the beach and campground, Starke County Forest and other non-municipal recreational areas in the county. Continue reading
Salvation Army Bell Ringing Begins This Weekend
The Salvation Army is gearing up for their annual bell ringing charity fundraiser. Volunteers will start the season off this Friday at Mark Bailey’s Discount Center. They will be there each Friday and Saturday until Dec. 22. Continue reading
Knox School Board Spotlights Tech Tribe
Members of the Knox Elementary School’s “Tech Tribe” were in the “Spotlight” portion of the agenda at Monday’s Knox School Board meeting. The students, under the direction of Laura Barnes, who meet in weekly after school sessions, displayed their work in video production, showed board members and the Superintendent one of 13 that they have produced. Continue reading
Warsaw Man Arrested After Rear-Ending School Bus
A Warsaw man was arrested Friday night in Marshall County after rear-ending a stopped school bus. Steven L. Foreman, 42, was eastbound on U.S. 30 west of North Oak Drive behind a Rensselaer Central Schools Corporation bus. The driver, Russell W. Wiseman, 66, of Rensselaer, stopped at a railroad crossing, and Foreman hit him. He registered a 3.0 on a certified alcohol test, according to the crash report. No injuries were reported.
Norfolk & Southern Cited for Blocking Railroad Tracks
Elkhart-based Norfolk & Southern Railroad was cited for blocking State Road 17 in Burr Oak for an extended period of time Sunday morning. A Marshall County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a complaint around 9:30 a.m. and observed the train not moving for more than 10 minutes. He then drove to the Redwood Crossing area and spoke to the conductor, who said they were waiting for a long train from the Fort Wayne area to pass. It’s the latest in a series of problems at that crossing. On Oct. 30 a verbal warning was given, and the conductor was told citations would be issued for future occurrences. Continue reading
Starke County Chamber Hands Out “Above and Beyond Awards”
The Starke County Chamber of Commerce recently recognized community contributors with their inaugural “Above and Beyond Business Awards.” They will be given annually to businesses or organizations that do something special, like add a new program or go out of their way to support Starke County.
The SCILL Center was recognized for their high school auto tech and welding programs and adult welding program, all of which give Starke County residents training for lifelong employment opportunities.
The Starke County Youth Club was also honored with a plaque. Their after school, summer and basketball programs serve more than 600 Starke County youngsters annually and provide social and leadership skills as well as help with academics and test scores. Recently the SCYC added middle school programs at Knox and North Judson-San Pierre. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners to Revisit Highway Superintendent Contract
The Starke County Commissioners will resume their discussion of whether to offer Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler a long-term contract when they meet this evening. His is one of the jobs that is appointed annually by the commissioners. President Jennifer Davis is leading the charge to change that. She says doing so would ensure the long-range plan Ritzler has in place for road and bridge improvements is carried out. Making the change requires a unanimous vote of the commissioners. Kathy Norem is in favor of offering Ritzler a long-term contract, but fellow commissioner Kent Danford is not. He said in a previous meeting it could open a “can of worms.”
This is Winter Weather Preparedness Week
This week has been designated as Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.
Winter does not officially arrive until Dec. 21 and although snow has arrived in parts of Northern Indiana this season it’s never too late to craft an emergency plan.
Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery suggests that you stay informed about potential severe weather. If snow begins to fall in the area, slow down if you plan on driving. Give yourself plenty of extra travel time to reach your destination.
Starke County Schools Considering Balanced Calendar
The Knox and Oregon-Davis School Boards could vote tonight to adopt a balanced school calendar for the 2015-2016 school year, and the North Judson-San Pierre School Board will consider one when they meet tomorrow. A balanced calendar still features the state-mandated 180 classroom days. The school year starts earlier in August and includes longer breaks in the fall and spring. They can be used for either remediation for students who are struggling or enrichment for higher-achieving pupils. Continue reading
