The North Judson Town Board plans to add three additional rows of grave sites to Highland Cemetery. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry tells WKVI news that there is room to do so on the far east side of the existing property. Board members voted Monday night to proceed with surveying and plotting the land. Henry says the expansion will add between 100 and 115 grave sites. They will be available within the next few months. Contact the North Judson Clerk’s Office at 574-896-3340 for more information.
The meal prices for the Knox Community Schools’ 2014-15 school year have been officially set by the school board. The breakfast price will remain the same at $1.15. Lunch prices will increase by 10-cents. That brings the elementary school lunch price to $1.85. The middle and high school lunches will be $2.10. Knox Community School Corporation Superintendent A.J. Gappa says even with the 10-cent increase, Knox Elementary School still has the lowest lunch price in the area.
A newly created scholarship at Ancilla College will give non-traditional students a chance to obtain a college degree.
The family of Jack and Peggy Lynch have created an endowed scholarship that will allow students who are 22 or older to enroll in at least six credit hours (two classes) and to receive financial assistance in doing so.
Students may apply for the scholarship for the fall semester by contacting Ancilla College at (574) 936-8898.
Do you have what it takes to be a singing sensation? Don’t hide your talent, share it with the everyone at the North Judson Mint Festival in the Mint Idol contest! Friday, June 6 is the entry deadline for the Friday, June 13 contest, so get your application in as soon as possible! The competition is open to individuals ages 5 and up. All participants will receive ribbons, and first, second and third place prizes will be awarded in each age group. Age groups are as follows: 5-9, 10-13, 14-17 and 18 and older. Contestants under 18 require parental consent. Contestants must have their song chosen and ready to go in time for the Thursday June 12 rehearsal. It will take place from 6 until 9 p.m CDT at St. Peter Lutheran School in North Judson. Tracks cannot have lead vocals. Music on CDs, MP3 players, iPods and phones are acceptable, but contestants are responsible for bringing the appropriate connector or format to play the songs. The Mint Idol competition will be Friday June 13 at 6 p.m. at St. Peter Lutheran School. Click here for the Mint Idol 2014 Registration Form. Entry forms can be completed and sent to Mint Idol, P.O. Box 33, North Judson, IN 46366.
The National Weather Service is warning of potential severe storms through Wednesday evening.
Damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain, flooding, lightning, and tornadoes are possible. The highest threat for severe weather will be late Wednesday morning through the afternoon for northern and central Indiana.
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.
