Starke County Preschool Project logoStarke County parents of young children are encouraged to attend tomorrow’s Starke County Preschool Fair at the community center in downtown Knox. The Starke County Early Education Advisory Council organized the event, which will take place from 5 until 7 p.m. CDT. More than 25 preschools and community organizations will have booths, and several will offer activities for children. Starke County Head Start Education Manager Dawn Wallen says sending your child to a quality preschool is an investment in their future. The kindergarten curriculum has become more rigorous since many of today’s parents and grandparents were in school. Wallen says students are expected to know and recognize all 26 letters of the alphabet and the sounds of letters. They should also be able to recognize numerals 1 through 20. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Prepares for Annual WKVI Radiothon
Starke County Youth Club members and volunteers will take over the WKVI airwaves on Friday to raise money for the nonprofit organization. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says they provide academic support to 600 youngsters across the county at after-school sites at Knox, North Judson-San Pierre and Oregon-Davis Elementary schools and at O-D Junior/Senior High School. They give students quiet time to do homework, offer one-on-one tutoring in a specific subject and offer a variety of enrichment programs like technology classes, videography and world travel through culture centers. Services are offered each Monday through Friday for three hours after school.
“That is the time when kids are most likely to be the victims of or perpetrators of violent crime. We know that kids who don’t have proper supervision, who don’t have great role models, who aren’t engaged in something productive, make the wrong choices in their lives. So we’re there to provide a safe, engaging and positive environment for kids once the school day ends,” Szakonyi says. Continue reading
Food Finders Mobile Food Pantry Distribution Planned in Monterey
The Food Finders Mobile Food Pantry returns to Pulaski County later this week. The truck will be at the Monterey United Methodist Church on Main Street Friday, May 2 at 11 a.m. EDT. Items are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis to individuals who meet income guidelines and may include frozen meat, baked goods, vegetables, beverages, snacks and cereal. Participants are asked to bring a laundry basket or box to carry the food home. Continue reading
Advocacy Group Says Smoking Raises Diabetes Risk
Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County leaders are sounding the alarm about another health risk factor tied to smoking. Coordinator Linda Molenda cites a Surgeon General’s report that smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than nonsmokers. They are also more prone to having trouble with insulin dosing and controlling their disease. Smokers with diabetes are also at a higher risk of developing more serious complications like heart and kidney disease; poor blood flow in the legs and feet than can lead to infections, ulcers and possibly amputation; retinopathy, which is an eye disease that can cause blindness; and peripheral neuropathy, which is damage to the nerves in the arms and legs that causes numbness, pain, weakness and poor coordination. Molenda says smokers with diabetes have better control of their blood sugar levels when they quit. Free help for smokers who want to quit is available by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visiting www.CDC.gov/tips.
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Four Departments Respond to House Fire
Firefighters from four local departments responded to a house fire on 175 North just east of U.S. 35 Sunday afternoon. Dispatchers were notified of the fire at 2:15 p.m. The Knox, Hamlet, Koontz Lake and Washington Township departments spent three hours getting the blaze under control. No injuries were reported. As soon as we have more information, we’ll update the story on the air and on WKVI.com.
KVREMC Sets Little League Light Poles
The little league diamond at the North Judson Town Park is shining brightly, thanks to a recent assist from Kankakee Valley REMC. A crew from the utility company set the three new light poles the town purchased for the park. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the town board sent them a thank you letter.
Foul Play Not a Factor In Culver Death
Marshall County officials have ruled out foul play in the death of an elderly Culver man found Wednesday night in his rat-infested home on Redwood Road. A neighbor called the police to check on 71-year-old Harvey Moore, according to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV. He had no family, according to his neighbors. They say he had been feeding the rats for some time. Various health issues may have been a factor in his death. The Marshall County Health Department was notified of the home’s condition.
Winamac Soldier Killed In Car Crash in Germany
A local soldier was killed early Wednesday morning in a single-car accident near his military base in Germany. Spc. Ryan P. Grandstaff, 24, of Winamac, was en route from Katterbach Army Airfield in Ansbach, Germany to an appointment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center when his vehicle left the road and hit a tree, according to a spokesman for the Army’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. German emergency medical responders pronounced Grandstaff dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation. Continue reading
Dog Park Advocate Addresses Knox Park Board
The Knox Park Board supports the notion of establishing an off-the-leash dog park in the city but lacks the funds to make it a reality any time soon. Chuck Richardson spoke at length to the board last night about his desire to give canines and their humans a place to exercise and socialize at Wythogen Park. President Ray Stevenson says it’s in the five-year plan for park improvements the board adopted a few years ago. He says a 150 foot by 300 foot area with a six-foot high fence and carries an estimated cost of more than $11,000. Stevenson stresses the park board is interested in establishing such a park when funds are available. He says the area south of the basketball court just off the walking trail where 150 trees were blown down during a summer storm a few years ago would be an ideal spot. It has ample space, shade and is also accessible by road. Board members suggested Richardson form a committee to raise money for the park and possibly get a school or scout group or other civic organization involved in the process.
U.S. News Awards Medals to Several Area Schools
The Kankakee Valley boasts some of the best high schools in the state, according to recent rankings by a national publication. John Glenn High School in Walkerton ranks 17th on the 2014 U.S. News and World Report list. The magazine awarded the school silver medal. Students there have an opportunity to take advanced placement tests, and 36 percent do. Of the school’s 611 students, 85 percent are proficient in English and 84 percent are proficient in math. Knox Community High School earned a bronze medal from U.S. News and World Report. The publication notes 25 percent of the 606 students enrolled take AP courses and tests, 77 percent are proficient in English and 69 percent are proficient in Algebra. Continue reading
Turkey Tracks Event Begins Tonight
The annual Turkey Tracks event is this weekend.
Forty-two physically disabled hunters and their guides will be hunting for turkeys this Saturday beginning at 4:30 a.m. and a full weekend is planned. Hunters can also visit https://ballachy.com/hunting/ for all their equipment.
The festivities begin at 5 p.m. tonight with a taco bar and then it’s up early on Saturday for the big hunt. On Saturday evening, once the hunters return from their quest, a buffet dinner will be featured along with many fundraising activities. This year’s event will end on Sunday around noon. All activities will be held in the Washington Township Community Building.
Indiana Bicentennial Workshop Planned at Marshall County Museum
A workshop will be held Monday, April 28 in order to assist in planning Indiana’s bicentennial celebration. The Indiana Historical Society will host the workshop at the Marshall County Museum at 123 N. Michigan Street in Plymouth.
Indiana turns 200 years old on Dec. 11, 2016, but work is being done now to plan the celebration. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the state’s identity and reflect on how the state has changed. It’s also a change to think creatively and a once-in-a lifetime chance to capture the attention of the public of the importance of Indiana history.
The workshop will include the Marshall County Museum staff and local organizations. It will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET and you are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided. If you plan to attend, call the Marshall County Museum at (574) 936-2306.
Indiana Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Corbin Case
The Indiana Supreme Court gave no indication of when they might rule on a case from Starke County. The justices heard oral arguments this morning in Robert Corbin v. State of Indiana. Corbin was arrested in April of 2012 on attempted child seduction charges stemming from Facebook messages between him and a 16-year-old female Knox High School student. At the time Corbin was a teacher at Knox. His attorney argued unsuccessfully before Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall that Corbin did not take a “substantial step” to constitute the crime. A state appeals court ruled in Corbin’s favor and dismissed the charges. The state appealed, and the Supreme Court took the case. Continue reading
Starke County Council Approves Unsafe Building Demolition Money
The Starke County Plan Commission can now enforce demolition orders for dilapidated properties after the county council appropriated $20,000 for that purpose. Plan Commission President Dennis Estok told them the county already has a process in place.
“We have a public hearing with these people, and then we give an order whether to rehab that house or to demolish it. If it’s too far gone, we want it demolished. They have X amount of days to do it. Now I can tell you right now I’ve been sitting on planning for five years. I bet you we’ve had a handful out of probably 200 cases that have actually done something on their own. So basically if they don’t do it, by law we can go in there and take care of the problem,” Estok said. Until now, funds have not been available for the plan commission to carry out demolition orders, some of which date back to 2006. Continue reading
Pulaski County EMS In Limbo Waiting On Insurance Adjuster
Pulaski County EMS is down one ambulance until one damaged during a recent fire can be either certified and put back into service or totaled and replaced.
Director Nikki Lowry told the county commissioners Monday that the county’s insurance adjuster asked her to inspect the truck. Lowry said she’s not qualified to do anything more than determine whether it’s clean. The vendor from whom the county bought the most recent ambulance is willing to help if the county will bring the truck to Iowa.
Fire Destroys Rural Winamac Home, Cause Under Investigation
Firefighters from three departments spent four-and-a-half hours battling a house fire southwest of Winamac Tuesday afternoon. A neighbor called 911 at 3:30 p.m. and told dispatchers the home at 7948 South 475 West was fully engulfed. The Star City Volunteer Fire Department responded and requested tanker support from the Winamac and Buffalo Fire Departments. They ended up filling their trucks at the boat launch in Pulaski in order to more quickly get water to the scene. Pulaski County REACT also assisted by directing traffic. There’s no word yet on a cause. No injuries were reported. The firefighters left the residence at 8 p.m.
Formal Charges Pending Against Accused Child Molester
Deputies from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office arrested an accused child molester following a joint investigation with the Department of Child Services. Formal charges are pending against Joshua Sanders. He’s accused of inappropriately touching a juvenile in Marshall County during the past six weeks.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Searching for Stolen Truck
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a truck from a property west of Winamac. A bronze 1994 three-quarter ton Chevrolet truck was stolen from the area of State Road 14 and 400 West sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. Monday, according to a news release. The truck has tube step sides, a sticker on the tailgate that reads “Get Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” and a Bass Master sticker in the window. The truck’s license plate number is TK181MCC. If you see the truck, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office at 574-946-3341 or contact the closest law enforcement agency.
Train Hits Car, Driver Arrested
A North Liberty woman faces drunk driving charges after her abandoned car was struck by a train Monday night in Marshall County.
The 2001 Honda registered to Malory K. Schmucker, 30, crashed into the tracks on southbound Redwood Road north of 1st Road just after 10 p.m., according to a report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
Marshall County Deputies Arrest Knox Residents on Drug Charges
A man and woman from Knox face felony drug charges in Marshall County after being pulled over for speeding Tuesday.
A sheriff’s deputy stopped their SUV near the intersection of Harrison Street and Oak Road. The police report indicates Marshall County K9 Jax indicated the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. Officers reportedly found Crystal Singleton of Knox to be in possession of heroin and found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. The officers reportedly found heroin on passenger Earl Beem as well. He also had two outstanding arrest warrants, including one for a felony parole violation.
Singleton and Beem both face numerous charges in Marshall County.
