The Fourth of July is approaching and the Indiana State Fire Marshal reminds you to celebrate safely.
You are encouraged to purchase fireworks from vendors who are licensed to sell fireworks in Indiana and have a permit issued by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Fire and Building Safety Division. Vendor permits must be displayed on the wall in the store. If you don’t see a permit and the owner cannot produce a permit, call the State Fire Marshal at (317) 232-2222.
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office has been called to look into the cause and origin of a Friday afternoon house fire in Knox. The home on County Road 200 South just east of 200 East was in flames when firefighters from the Knox-Center Township Fire Department arrived at the home around 2:30 p.m., and the occupants were next door. They spent about 90 minutes getting the flames under control. The Hamlet and Washington Township Volunteer Fire Departments brought additional water to the scene.
WKVI morning show host Tom Berg and sports director Nathan Welter answered their cold water challenge Thursday afternoon in the radio station parking lot. They were called out by news director Mary Perren to either donate $10 to the Hoosier Burn Camp and get wet or stay dry and write a $100 check. The guys decided to play along, so members of the Bass Lake Fire Department brought their dump tank to our parking lot and filled it with water. Several listeners also stopped by with extra ice and donations to really help the guys chill out. Another Step Forward Walking Challenge Coordinator Ryan Greer had also been called out previously, as had fire chief Les Jensen. They took the plunge as well. So did Knox High School Band Director Craige Phipps, who opted not to prolong his torture when Nathan called him out. WKVI raised $200 in donations for the Hoosier Burn Camp, thanks to the generosity of the listeners who donated and the staff for being such good sports.
A portion of Rinehart Park near the Pulaski County Family YMCA will soon be transformed into a skate park. Winamac teenager Clark Gudas took the effort on as an Eagle Scout Project. He told the Winamac Town Council he’s signed a contract with Hunger Skate Parks to begin construction by July 5th. Continue reading
Parrotheads will be flocking to the Melody Drive-In Theater in Bass Lake in droves on Thursday to catch perennial beach bum Jimmy Buffett’s “Live at the Drive-In” simulcast show. He’s performing at a theater in Fort Worth, Texas and making a closed-circuit feed of the show available exclusively to similar venues. Melody Drive-In owner Fred Heise says the gates will open at 5 p.m., with plenty of pre-show activities and entertainment for fans. Continue reading
Each year the Centers for Disease Control receives approximately 30,000 reports of Lyme disease in the United States. It is a potentially serious bacterial infection that is transmitted through the bite of certain species of ticks.
According to the State Department of Health, the concentration of ticks will be higher this year due to the long, cold winter. Pulaski County Health Department Director of Environmental Health, Terri Hansen, has a few tips to take into consideration when it comes to keeping ticks off of your pets, your loved ones and yourself this summer season.
Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff has filed three felony charges against the Knox man accused of stealing two cars in Starke County and a third in Hebron before shooting himself when police in Lake County used stop sticks to end a high-speed chase Friday afternoon. Continue reading
Sewer rates for Winamac Municipal Utilities customers will go up soon. The Winamac Town Council on Monday approved a rate increase to offset what Eric Walsh with accounting firm Umbaugh and Associates says is a significant drop in revenues since 2011.
“Your revenues have decreased somewhere in the neighborhood of $80,000 to $90,000 on an annual basis,” Walsh told the council. A lot of that drop is due to a change in state law that caps the surcharge amount for customers outside the incorporated town limits. They were paying 50-percent more, but the town had to drop that to 15-percent last year to comply with the law. “There’s a portion of it due to some of your larger users just aren’t using as much water, and therefore their sewage bills are going down as well. The lion’s share of it is the reduction that was made via state statute last year,” Walsh explained. Continue reading
A valuable member of the Marshall County law enforcement community now has a bulletproof vest. K9 Arras was one of 350 police dogs selected by nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9’s Inc. They provide working dogs with appropriate safety equipment to protect them while they are working on the streets. Each vest bears a tag in memory of K9 Rocco of the Pittsburgh Police Department. He sacrificed his life in the line of duty in January. Continue reading
WKVI morning show host Tom Berg and sports director Nathan Welter will be chilling out, or perhaps freezing to death, for charity this afternoon at the WKVI studios in Knox. News director Mary Perren paid it forward by calling both of them out as part of the cold water challenge. Continue reading
With winter behind us, maybe you’ve decided to bring the moped or scooter out of the garage and take advantage of the lovely weather. The Indiana State Police reminds Hoosiers of moped policies to assure safety this summer.
Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff hopes to file formal charges today against the Knox man accused of stealing two cars and leading police on a high speed chase Friday afternoon. Police say Gary Chavez, 57, of Knox, commandeered the first car in the Mark Bailey’s Discount Center parking lot at 3:41 p.m. He switched vehicles in English Lake, according to authorities, and left the owner of the first stolen car behind when he took a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Continue reading
Members of the Eastern Pulaski School Board did not reach a definite decision Monday evening about whether to allow firearms on school property. Last year a change in Indiana law allowed concealed weapons with a permit to be in locked cars on school property. This prompted school boards all over the state to consider whether weapons should be allowed within the schools. The policy would not apply to students, just to a designated group of faculty members who would have to undergo training and psychological evaluation.
Superintendent Dan Foster offered his opinion to the board. Continue reading
WKVI news has received word of a new scam using a popular discount store chain as a ploy to access people’s money. If you get a card or letter in the mail stating that you’re set to receive a $100 credit from Wal-Mart but need to pay $4.19 to claim it, throw it in the trash. Continue reading
Winamac Municipal Utilities customers will soon see a new charge on their water bills. The town council adopted a Public Fire Protection Surcharge to offset the cost of maintaining the hydrants and ensuring adequate water pressure. Eric Walsh with accounting firm Umbaugh and Associates says it will allow the town to shift the cost from property taxes to a user fee of $6.65 per month for residential customers. Industrial customers with larger water meters would pay more. Continue reading
The Moving Starke County Forward Coalition wants input from the entire community about how to best address addiction issues. They are hosting a community discussion on addiction and recovery tomorrow evening at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in downtown Knox. Board member Jordan Morris from Starke County Community Corrections hopes people from all walks of life will come be part of the dialogue and not worry about being profiled or judged. She says although people who have struggled with addiction will speak, the event is not limited to that population. Morris adds the entire community has been touched by the issue as taxpayers, business owners, health care providers, farmers and teachers. Continue reading
This weekend during the North Judson Mint Festival, patrons will have the opportunity to ride the rails at the Hoosier Valley Rail Road Museum. Passengers have their choice of riding in a vintage caboose, an open-air car or a vintage commuter coach. The train will leave the depot for the 10-mile round-trip excursions to English Lake/Kankakee River at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The longer, 20-mile round-trip excursion to LaCrosse, lasts approximately two hours and leaves the depot at 2 p.m. Continue reading
The Psi Iota Xi Sorority will be holding a Rummage Sale this Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. CST at the Knox United Methodist Church. The proceeds from this sale will be used to fund preschool and college scholarships for Starke County residents. Psi Iota Xi contributed over $3,000 to Starke County scholarships this year and are looking to increase that number. The Sorority is constantly looking for ways to give funds throughout our are with events like their Rummage Sale. Donations are made to worthy causes by Psi Iota Xi on a monthly basis. If you would like to get involved with their charity events, contact Tammy Fletcher at 574-772-4348.
The estranged wife of the Knox man accused of stealing three vehicles and leading police on a high-speed chase through four counties Friday afternoon was murdered. Kimberly Chavez, 50, of Portage, was found dead Friday evening at the home of her estranged husband, Gary. Continue reading
The first of several charges has been filed against the Knox man police say stole two cars in Starke County Friday afternoon, led police on a high-speed chase, stole a third vehicle in Porter County and shot himself after officers in Lake County used stop sticks to flatten the tires of the truck he was driving. Gary Chavez, 57, is still in critical condition at Christ Advocate Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill. Continue reading
