The Hamlet man whose trailer was destroyed by an early morning fire Tuesday is jailed on numerous drug charges after local police officers reportedly found a meth lab in the rubble. Hamlet Police arrested David Salyer, 45, at 2:10 Tuesday morning on preliminary charges of manufacture and possession of methamphetamine, possession of two or more precursors with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, false informing and maintaining a common nuisance. The Hamlet Volunteer Fire Department responded at 12:34 a.m. to 504 North Starke Street, lot 10 and left at 2:18 a.m., according to dispatch records. The Koontz Lake Volunteer Fire Department was called in to assist. Continue reading
LaPorte Police Seeking Wanted Sex Offender
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department is on the lookout for a wanted sex offender.
James W. Adams, 31, is wanted on a charge of Failure to Register, a Class D felony. Adams was convicted in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin of third degree Sexual Assault of a Child in 2001. He was identified as an Offender Against Children with lifetime requirement to register with law enforcement.
Adams first registered in LaPorte County in 2009 and in October 2013 he told the sheriff’s office he was homeless. Since October of 2013 he had been registering as homeless every seven days as required but he last registered in mid-February but has not been seen or heard of since. He was last seen in the Michigan City area.
Pulaski County Looking at Costs of Fire Alarm Upgrades
None of the Pulaski County government buildings have fire alarm systems tied in to the 911 system to immediately notify the fire department in the event of an emergency, and the courthouse does not have any sort of sprinkler system in place. Those issues were raised during Monday’s county commissioners meeting when Teri Hansen from the health department asked why the fire alarm system at the annex building on Riverside Drive does not go anywhere. Maintenance supervisor Jeff Johnston says he will look into the cost of doing hard-wiring it to the dispatch center. He says the annex building at least has a zoned sprinkler system in place. “If there’s a fire on the third floor, only the third floor suppression goes off,” Johnston said.
That’s more than the courthouse has in place, according to Johnston. “Over here, there’s nothing. If there’s a fire downstairs in the hallway, this is going to be a nightmare. This is something we’ve looked at. We’ve got battery- powered smoke detectors stuck on like you’ve got in your house.” Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Approve Precinct Changes
Voters who cast ballots in one Starke County precinct will do so in a new location, starting with the May 6 primary. Clerk Evelyn Skronski told the commissioners Wayne Township 4 was previously located at the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation Administration Building. School officials said it’s becoming too crowded and offered an alternative.
“They told us that we could use the atrium area at the high school,” Skronski said. “The east side has the handicapped parking and a lot of space. It’s got what we need. The only thing is we have these big, open windows that let in lots of light. That’s fine. They’re going to cover them so that candidates cannot stand out there and do whatever they do.” Continue reading
Community Services of Starke County Hosts Tailgaiting Fundraiser
Attention sports fans. Don’t miss your chance to hang out with Chicago Tribune sports writer David Haugh and bid on some exclusive Chicago sports SWAG Saturday night. He’s headlining a tailgaiting party Saturday night at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center to benefit a nonprofit organization close to his heart. His mother, Joan, is the executive director of Community Services of Starke County. Proceeds from “Tailgaiting with David Haugh and Charlie Adams” will all benefit the agency. Haugh says the organization was a part of his life when he was growing up in North Judson and is very important to Starke County because of all of the services they provide. He and former WSBT sportscaster Charlie Adams will be at the 5 p.m. event, which will include a live auction of a lot of sports memorabilia. Items up for bid include items from the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks and footballs signed by Chicago Bears players. The Chicago White Sox also donated items, and a signed Notre Dame Football will be sold as well. Continue reading
Secretary of State to Headline Lincoln Day Dinner
Secretary of State Connie Lawson will be the featured speaker at the upcoming Starke County Lincoln Day Dinner. It’s scheduled Saturday, April 26 at the Bass Lake Community Center.
Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed Lawson to that post on March 16, 2012. He called her the obvious choice because of the local and state elections experience she brings to the office. Lawson served in the Indiana Senate for 16 years prior to her appointment. Before that she was clerk of the Hendricks County Circuit Court for eight years.
North Judson Maintenance Building Progressing
The exterior of the new North Judson maintenance building should be finished by the end of the month. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says town employees will complete the interior work. The new structure replaces the dilapidated building on George Street near the town park.
Speaking of the park, Henry says the town is looking for a seasonal caretaker to work through September taking care of mowing and maintenance issues there. Applicants can submit resumes to the town office through Friday, April 18. Continue reading
Marshall County Patrolmen Receive Sergeant Stripes
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department has two new patrol sergeants. Patrolmen Phil Beam and Nick Laffoon were selected through a numerical scoring system by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Merit Board. Beam is a 27-year veteran of the department and lives in the Argos area. Laffoon lives near Plymouth and has been with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department for nine years.
Tuesday Morning Hamlet Trailer Fire Under Investigation
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office has been called in to determine the origin and cause of a Tuesday morning fire in the Hamlet trailer court. The Hamlet Fire Department was dispatched to 504 North Starke Street, Lot 10, at 12:34 a.m. Fire Chief Bob Goetz tells WKVI news no injuries were reported. The Koontz Lake Fire Department assisted. Dispatchers advise the fire department left at 2:18 a.m. and turned the scene over to the Hamlet Police Department until the fire marshal arrived.
Starke County Commissioners Approve Seed Demolition Money
The Starke County Plan Commission is cracking down on enforcement of unsafe and blighted buildings. President Dennis Estok told the county commissioners they’ve restructured their enforcement letters and means of taking owners to court but still have a backlog of structures that need to be torn down.
“You’ve got to have some seed money, because if they don’t do it you can go in there and take care of these unsafe structures,” Estok said. “Then basically what you do is you fine them, and you bill them. If they don’t pay the bill, then you put a special assessment on their taxes. You wind up getting the property, and then you re-sell the property to try to recoup some of your cost.” Continue reading
John Glenn Student Named Lilly Endowment Community Scholar
A John Glenn High School senior will receive a full tuition scholarship to the University of Notre Dame and an additional $900 annual stipend to help with books and other school equipment. Cole Jacobson of Plymouth is the Marshall County Community Foundation’s 2014 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.
Jacobson has received numerous state and national academic awards and has demonstrated leadership through his involvement with National Honor Society and student council. He also attended Hoosier Boys State, the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Seminar and Purdue Entrepreneur Academy. Jacobson also volunteers with several local non profit organizations, teaches and mentors local youth and visits with senior citizens at a local nursing home. Continue reading
North Judson BZA Members Sworn In
The North Judson Town Board honored a longtime board of zoning appeals member who is stepping aside after 15 years of service.
Jim Kersting will continue to serve as a senior consultant. Jerry Jernas is replacing Kersting on the North Judson BZA. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry swore him in Monday night along with Teena Hittle and John Silhavy, who have each agreed to serve another two-year term. Marv Peters and Chris Konefsky are in the second year of their two-year terms of service.
Purdue Extension Postpones Poverty Simulation
A Saturday poverty simulation event in Pulaski County has been canceled. It was to take place from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. EDT at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Winamac. Purdue Extension was hosting the event to help people understand the complexities and frustrations of living in poverty day to day. It will be rescheduled sometime this fall.
Driver Loses Control of Truck, Blames Rutted Road
An Argos man says chuck holes on Oak Road south of 6A road are to blame for the single vehicle Monday afternoon accident that sent him to the hospital. Robert Dille, 53, was southbound on Oak Road south of 6A road and lost control of his 1988 Ford Ranger, according to information from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Dille’s truck veered off the east side of the road, hit a tree and spun around 180 degrees before coming to rest. He was treated and released from the Plymouth hospital.
Winter Expenses Force County to Slash Road Repair Budget
The harshest winter in nearly four decades is putting a squeeze on the Starke County Highway Department’s road repair budget. Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners his drivers spent 94 days plowing more than 150,000 miles. They also logged 35,000 more miles in support roles. “We used over 44,500 gallons of diesel and a lot of gasoline,” Ritzler said. “We did not run out of salt or sand, as many local agencies did. As a result, we did not have to pay the premium prices for added material. Our salt cost was $48 per ton throughout the winter. The counties that had to get extra had to get it for over $200 a ton, so we were lucky there.”
Ritzler says the Starke County Highway Department will be able to absorb the overtime and fuel costs in the existing budget. “We did have a cushion built in. Unfortunately the pillow is now gone. We have no extra money. We were hoping to use that extra money to add to the road improvement program and to make that where we could improve the roads. We’re not going to be able to do that now without added funds. That’s the greatest effect. It’s going to affect our road program a little bit. We’ll still be able to stay at a maintaining level that we did last year, but we won’t be able to get to an improvement level,” Ritzler said.
The initial 2014 road improvement recommendation list contained 191 miles of improvements at a cost of nearly $1.4 million. A combination of state-mandated budget cuts and winter snow removal costs slashed that to 138 miles of improvements at a cost of $750,000. Ritzler says some of the major improvements were also downgraded due to a lack of money.
Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation Gives IU Health Starke Hospital High Marks
IU Health Starke Hospital recently underwent a rigorous accreditation process. President Craig Felty says the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation’s findings are a nationally recognized symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to “They come in and they more or less go from top to bottom in your hospital,” Felty says. “They look at everything from the physical structure to our processes to our quality outcomes to how we credential and privilege our physicians. It’s a very thorough four-day survey that’s done every three years.”
The survey team comes in unannounced. Felty says the hospital staff has to be in a “state of constant readiness” for them. The Joint Commission team members spent four days at IU Health Starke Hospital, touring the building, tracking the progress of individual patients through the hospital and talking to cart and bedside care providers.
Felty says the Joint Commission’s report was overall very positive. “We had absolutely no findings in the actual patient care division, which was absolutely wonderful. We have an older facility, and so we do have challenges that come with that. A couple of our findings were related to the age of the facility and things that pop up here or there. The few findings that we had, we are very happy to say and very proud of the colleagues of Starke Hospital, or physician partners, who we could not do without. Physicians are a huge part of our organization. We are just very proud to say that we had a remarkable survey, one of the best surveys I’ve had in my 20-plus years of experience with the Joint Commission.”
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Taxes Due April 15 Whether or Not You File an Extension
Federal and state income tax returns are due a week from today. H&R Block Senior Tax Advisor Michelle Bachtel says the worst thing you can do is ignore the looming deadline if your taxes aren’t done. “To ask for more time, you can file an extension using form 4868. This gives you an automatic six months of extra time. It’s faster if you e-file the request through your tax preparer. The IRS will send you a message of receipt if you file that way. Paper applications, unfortunately, do not get acknowledged,” Bachtel says. She adds you should have an idea if and how much you will owe when you file for an extension, as it only gives you extra time to finish your return and not more time to pay. “Do everything you can to pay the full amount when you file for the extension. Otherwise you’ll face interest and penalties that could raise your bill by up to 25 percent. Continue reading
Single-Vehicle Crash in Plymouth Sends South Bend Woman to Hospital
A South Bend woman who lost control of her vehicle while merging onto U.S. 31 northbound from U.S. 30 westbound late Friday morning was taken to St. Joseph Hospital. Sarah K. Thrasher, 22, hit a light post before her vehicle rolled over and came to rest on its roof, according to a news release from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. She sustained a head injury and complained of pain.
Flood Warnings Extended for Local Rivers
The National Weather Service has extended flood warnings for two local rivers. Minor Kanakee River flooding is occurring at Davis Route 30. The river was holding steady at 10.4 feet last night. Flood stage there is 10 feet, at which low-lying agricultural areas start to flood. The river is expected to fall below 10 feet Friday morning. The flood warning has also been extended for the Tippecanoe River near Ora. Last night the there was just below the 12-foot flood stage. It’s expected to rise above that tomorrow afternoon, crest near 12.1 feet Wednesday morning and fall below flood stage around mid-afternoon. Significant lowland and rural flooding begins when the river reaches the 12 foot mark.
Starke County Building Corporation, Commissioners Meeting This Morning
The Starke County Building Corporation plans to appoint a committee to discuss future uses for the current jail. They are meeting this morning at 8:30 at the county annex building, prior to the commissioners meeting at 9. Skillman Corporation will also provide an update on how construction of the new jail east of Knox on State Road 8 is going. It’s scheduled for completion in the spring of 2015. The commissioners agenda includes consideration of a proposal from Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski to relocate some precincts. Officials from IU Health Starke Hospital will also discuss the physicians recruitment program. EMA Director Ted Bombagetti and James Coad are on the agenda regarding the county’s emergency preparedness plan. Wendy Elam from CADA has a proclamation for the county to declare April Child Abuse Prevention Month. CADA, CASA and the Indiana Department of Child Services are kicking off the awareness campaign tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Nancy J. Dembowski Convention Center in downtown Knox with a Pinwheels for Prevention candle lighting ceremony. Members of the public are invited to come show their support for children in the community. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place inside.
