Police never know what they walk into when called out.
LaPorte County police deputies were called to a domestic disturbance at a home in 7200 west block of County Road 125 North on Monday evening. When inside the home officers found what appeared to be homemade explosive devices.
Indiana Conservation officers are continuing in their search for 29-year-old Ron Wood, Jr.
Wood, a Knox High School graduate, went missing after jumping into Lake Michigan Saturday night to attempt to rescue struggling swimmers who drifted from their boat a mile off shore. All swimmers were rescued by the US Coast Guard and nearby boaters except for Wood who remains missing.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Gil’s nose landed three people in jail Saturday night for various drug charges. He assisted with a traffic stop in the 3500 block of County Road 650 South in Pulaski County.
A truck driven by Jason B. Maroules, 36, of Knox, was pulled over for driving on the wrong side of the roadway, according to information provided by the sheriff’s department. He had two passengers with him. Paul Mast, 44, of Bourbon, was in the front seat. A female who repeatedly told the officers her name was Amanda Cooley but was found to be Heather Manns, 35, of Winamac, was in the back seat. She was arrested for false identifying.
A Star City man faces numerous drug-related charges after his neighbor reportedly found a duffel bag full of items used to make methamphetamine and called the police. He was mowing the lawn at his home in the 8000 block of South Corinne Avenue last Friday when he spotted an unfamiliar bag underneath his shed. While waiting for a sheriff’s deputy to arrive, a man picked up the bag, walked next door to a camper, put the bag inside and left the residence, according to the incident report. Continue reading
The Starke County Commissioners will open bids for two scheduled and one emergency bridge replacement at their Monday, July 7th meeting. Highway superintendent Rik Ritzler is is working with a design firm to finalize plans for the emergency bridge replacement on County Road 700 East over the Yellow River. The road has been closed since a tree struck the bridge earlier this year. Ritzler says the project will be considerably less expensive than originally anticipated.
“I thought it was going to cost $150,000 for the repair. It came in at about $45,000,” Ritzler told the commissioners. The reconstructed bridge will be able to open to full traffic, including farm vehicles. It’s still scheduled for replacement in 2018. He adds plans for the bridge will be finalized and sent to the commissioners for review prior to their June 16th meeting. Continue reading
LaPorte police are warning of a phantom debt scam making its way around Northern Indiana.
A LaPorte woman told police that she received a text message on Thursday from her supervisor that she needed to call 202-239-8194 as soon as possible regarding fraudulent activity with the victim’s social security number. The supervisor received the call at work and notified the victim.
Summertime is right around the corner and that means longer days and shorter nights. No matter how short the nights may be, minors still have to obey curfew ordinances. State law mandates that all individuals between the ages of 15 through 17 cannot be in public unaccompanied Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 p.m and 5 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays the curfew is set from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. Children under the age of 15 are prohibited from being unaccompanied in public between the hours of 11 p.m until 5 a.m. any day of the week.
Some local towns have implemented their own policies expanding on the state’s curfew ordinances. Continue reading
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) is offering customers more ways to save money and conserve energy by extending energy efficiency programs.
The programs are available to all NIPSCO electric customers and will replace the state-wide Energizing Indiana programs. They are set to expire at the end of 2014. Popular residential programs such as the Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, the New Construction Program and Low Income Weatherization Program will continue. Continue reading
A 29-year-old Knox High School graduate is missing in the waters of Lake Michigan.
Ron Wood, Jr. of Chicago and several others were in a boat drifting off shore north of Mount Baldy on Saturday night. Two members of the group jumped into the lake and became separated from the boat. A few passengers jumped into the water to retrieve the swimmers. The remaining passenger in the boat could not start the boat’s engine and called 911.
Funeral services for James R. Hardesty, 92, Starke County philanthropist, historian, banker, supporter of higher education and of community programs and projects, as well as an active Davis Township farmer until his mid-80s, are scheduled Saturday, June 7 at the Hamlet United Methodist Church.
Much of his community work had been in the background, as he always preferred to go about it without fanfare.
Often recognized for his support of many community activities, he was honored with the Henry F. Schricker Award, given for “service before self,” and the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Ancilla College at Donaldson, where he has been a member of the Board of Trustees and a major financial contributor.
A graduate of Purdue University and a World War II veteran, he was a local historian, authoring publications on the history of the Starke County Courthouse and the Town of Hamlet, as well as being active in the Starke County Historical Society.
Mr. Hardesty was an active member of the Hamlet United Methodist Church and many, many area community organizations.
The Starke County Commissioners will revisit the proposed expansion of EMS services when they meet this morning. Director Paul Matthewson is seeking to add a paramedic to the North Judson and possibly the Grovertown base so the county can offer transfers from IU Health Starke Hospital to other facilities. Such transfers are covered by insurance or Medicaid and would generate money for the county. The commissioners want to make sure the expanded service will make money for the county before agreeing to proceed. Matthewson plans to hire part-time paramedics in order to keep costs down. Continue reading
WKVI is sponsoring a singing competition for youngsters during the Starke County Fair. WKVIdol will take place Monday, July 14 at 8 p.m. at the fairgrounds. The competition will be divided into three age groups: ages 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18. Each age group will have a maximum of four contestants. The first step for would-be contestants is to submit a 1 minute singing demo with your name, address, email and telephone number. You can drop it off at the station on a compact disc or other digital media file or email an mp3 to wkvidol@wkvi.com. Please list the top three family-friendly songs you would like to perform. Duplicate songs will not be allowed, so the sooner you submit your demo, the greater your chances of getting to sing your favorite song for the competition. Continue reading
The Knox Community School Board will discuss breakfast and lunch prices for the 2014-15 school year when they meet this evening. The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation has raised prices for next year. It is possible Knox will follow suit. Another agenda item is discussion of the Trane service agreement for air conditioning systems. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at Knox Elementary School.
This year’s Knox Community High School graduation will feature something unique. A few seniors went to principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff earlier this year and inquired about voting for their own commencement speaker. All seniors were eligible to be chosen as the speaker. The 2014 senior class voted to have Chris Baczynski give the commencement speech at their ceremony on Friday, June 6. Baczynski was a member of the SCILL welding program, a football player and served as student council president. He will be attending IUSB after graduation.
Come celebrate the recent renovations at the Henry F. Shricker Public Library in Knox during their annual summer reading program kick off today at 5:30 p.m. The theme for this year’s children and young adult program is Fizz…Boom…Read. It is a science oriented theme but that doesn’t mean that the reading choices are limited to science books. Students will be required to fill out a reading log and will then be eligible for prizes. The program runs from June 2 until July 26. Although the kickoff aimed towards kids there is a summer reading program for adults in which they will need to read six books checked out from the library. Entertainment for the little ones will include the presence of story book characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog and Llama Llama Red Pajama. Any questions about this program or any other library services can be directed to program director Andrea Brown at abrown@starkecountylibrary.org or 772-7323.
Boater education courses are planned for June 14 and July 19 in Starke County. If you successfully complete the class, you will be given an Indiana ID which allows you to operate motorboats on state waters. These IDs can be obtained by anyone 15 years of age and older.
Indiana Conservation Officers offer the first class on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association (BLPOA) Community Center at 6996 S. State Road 10. The second class will be on Saturday, July 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the Koontz Lake Homeowners Association Clubhouse at 10896 Cherokee in Walkerton.
The pavilion and picnic benches at Sandy Acres Park got a fresh coat of paint, thanks to IU Health Starke Hospital associates and their families. President Craig Felty says they chose the site for their annual day of service. They worked with Knox Park Superintendent George Byer to figure out how to best use their time and talents. Associates tackled several projects. They painted picnic tables and the park pavilion, installed exercise equipment and spread mulch in the play areas. Felty says all of the IU Health associates enjoy getting out and giving time back to the community.
The Culver-Union Township Public Library is getting the summer started with an ice cream party. The Monday afternoon event marks the start of their summer reading program for children, teens and adults. The hourlong event starts at 2 p.m. EDT Monday afternoon in the library’s large meeting room. Local author Jack Johnson will read from his children’s book “The Ice Cream Hotel” and sign copies. Registration is open to library patrons of all ages. The free summer reading program continues through Thursday, July 31. Call the Culver-Union Township Public Library at 574-842-2941 or visit http://www.culver.lib.in.us/ for more information.
“The choices you make today will follow you tomorrow” was the message that guest speaker Janice Hernandez wanted the students to take away from the SCILL graduation ceremony Thursday evening.
Hernandez is in charge over at Integrity Trade Services and advised the students gradating from the program to include their work with the SCILL Center on their resumes.
The Knox Community Schools are participating in the U.S.D.A. Summer Feeding Program this year. This is an opportunity for members of the community to receive meals Monday through Thursday throughout the summer. Breakfast will be served at the Knox High School at 7:15 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. The program lasts from June 9 until July 3. Any questions may be directed to Knox Community Schools Director of Food Services Sandra Landry at 574-772-1632.
