Many outdoor projects are being planned now that spring is upon us and NIPSCO wants to remind you to call before digging.
April is National Safe Digging Month. Call 811 two business days before starting any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. If 811 isn’t called before a digging project, not only do you subject yourself to injury but you could be fined up to $10,000 or more and the cost to repair damages.
A former Winamac Community High School valedictorian and basketball star is making a name for herself in another country.
WKVI’s Harold Welter recently caught up with Tonya Small, who was a guest on his Saturday SportsLine Live program. She’s now in South Africa after continuing her education a bit closer to home.
Firefighters from three area departments kept a tractor-trailer fire on U.S. 30 from spreading to a couple of nearby buildings and managed to save most of the truck’s cargo. The Hamlet Fire Department was called to U.S. 30 just west of the Stay 4 Less Motel just after 7 p.m. A semi registered to Hikma Transportation, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn. had caught fire, and the wind caused the flames to spread to the field on the north side of the road. The driver was not injured. The truck was hauling a load of tractor tires, but the flames were contained before they could catch fire. The Knox and Hanna Fire Departments also responded.
Winamac-based BraunAbility will be able to offer mobility solutions to the nation’s veterans through a new partnership.
The company recently entered into an agreement with the Adaptive Driving Alliance (ADA) to offer mobility equipment through their existing Federal Supply Schedule with the Veteran’s Administration. This will allow BraunAbility to leverage the success of the existing relationship while providing more choice and better mobility solutions for the nation’s veterans. Thanks to the partnership with BraunAbility, the ADA’s product offerings will now include lowered-floor accessible vehicles, expanding options and choice for veterans. BraunAbility’s full range of accessible vehicles will provide non-service connected veterans with a much wider array of new and pre-owned mobility options.
Some taxpayers in our area may be in for a surprise when they file their Indiana returns.
H&R Block Senior Tax Advisor Michelle Bachtel says that could be the case if you moved mid-year, as the state calculates county taxes based on where you live on Jan. 1. For instance, someone who moved from Pulaski to Starke County and changed their withholding may end up owing state taxes.
The City of Knox is picking up leaves through Friday if you took advantage of the mild weather and did yard work. A second spring leaf pick up is scheduled May 5-9. Leaves should be placed at the front curb.
If you have brush that needs to be picked up, the street department will do that on Thursdays, weather permitting. Please separate your brush and your leaves.
A North Judson man and a Winamac man face illegal possession of a controlled substance charges in Pulaski County following their arrest Sunday in Pulaski County. DNR Law Enforcement Officers reportedly found them near the Tippecanoe River by the Winamac South Ramp crushing and snorting hydrocodone and acetaminophen pills for which they did not have prescriptions. Anthony Prato, 22, of North Judson and Zebadiah Breyfogle, 18, of Winamac were both taken to the Pulaski County Jail.
Bond has been set at $2 million for the owner of a Knox business destroyed by fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall found probable cause to charge James Campbell, 46, with arson, which is a Class A felony, during a Sunday afternoon hearing in his courtroom. He also ordered Campbell to surrender his passport. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and State Fire Marshal’s Office arrested Campbell late Friday. He owns Starke County Recycling, also known as C&C Salvage. The business, located on U.S. 35 just south of Toto Road, caught fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke County dispatchers were notified at 5:17 p.m. The Bass Lake, Knox-Center Township, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, North Judson-Wayne Township, San Pierre and Monterey Fire Departments all responded to the blaze and spent several hours getting it under control. One firefighter was injured. Black smoke was visible for miles, and a brigade of tanker trucks hauled water to the scene. Continue reading
The deadline to file federal income taxes is almost here. H&R Block Senior Tax Advisor Michelle Bachtel says many low and middle-income families benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit. “Basically depending on the number of children you have, the credit can range anywhere from $2 to $6,044. The Earned Income Tax Credit is also available for people who don’t have children. They do need to be considered low income according to the IRS, but there is also a credit available for them.” The amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit varies depending on the size of the household. For an individual who does not have any children, they can make up to $14,340, or if they are married they can make up to $19,680. For people that do have children, they can make up to $37,870 or $43,210 if they just have the one child. From there the amounts increase, but the maximum amount for three children they can make up to $51,567. The Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the most lucrative. Unfortunately, Bachtel says it’s also one of the most widely abused. Continue reading
Area high school students can get a jump on their higher education at Ancilla College as early as this summer. The school is following the national trend of offering Early Bird Courses. Local high school students who will be juniors or seniors this fall can take college courses during the summer. Executive Director of Admissions Eric Wignall says students get a huge tuition discount and can take fully transferable introductory college courses. “If you’re going off to IU or you’re going off to Harvard, it doesn’t matter. The English writing and literature and the micro-and macro- economics courses are going to transfer,” Wignall says. He notes one Plymouth High School student started taking classes during her junior year of high school, continued taking one or two credits per semester at $125 per credit hour, took a full load of courses during the summer sessions and graduated from Ancilla with an associate’s degree at the end of the summer after her high school graduation. As a result, she was able to start college at IU that fall as a junior. Continue reading
The deadline to file federal and state income taxes for 2013 is quickly approaching. H&R Block Senior Tax Advisor Michelle Bachtel says anyone who has federal income tax withheld from their income should file regardless of the requirement to file. She says by doing so they can either receive a refund or properly credit any tax obligation they owe. This includes many teenagers who work part-time after school or during the summer.
A sure sign of spring in the Kankakee Valley is the opening of the Melody Drive In Theater at Bass Lake for the season. Fred Heise says they’re all set to open Friday, April 4 with a blockbuster and have several other popular flicks scheduled throughout the spring and summer. For Friday, Screen 1 will feature Captain America 2 and Need for Speed. Mr. Peabody and Sherman and Non-Stop will be showing on Screen 2. Other movies lined up for the summer include Rio 2, which is scheduled the week of April 11. Fred Heise is excited about the lineup for later in the season.
Students looking to get a jump on their college careers or maybe take a course during a less-stressful time of the year may want to see what Ancilla College has to offer. For starters, they offer a hefty discount on per-credit-hour tuition during the summer. Executive Director of Admissions Eric Wignall says a lot of students who struggled with a course during the regular school year use summer school as a do-over.
Local physicians were the guests of honor Friday morning at IU Health Starke Hospital. The administration hosted a breakfast in the cafeteria to celebrate Doctor’s Day, which is actually Sunday, March 30.
Doctor’s Day was first celebrated in 1933. That date was chosen because on March 30, 1842 Dr. Crawford Williamson Long first used general anesthesia in surgery. He used ether on a patient who was having a tumor removed from his neck. Long went on to use anesthesia in both amputations and childbirth. In 1990 President George H.W. Bush officially made the date a holiday to recognize the nation’s physicians.
The Town of Winamac recently decided to outsource the collection of trash and recycling. Advanced Disposal is now in charge of both. Residents are reminded to have their trash and recycling containers at the curb by 6 a.m. on the morning of their scheduled pickup. Also, anyone who no longer wants the small recycling containers provided by the Town of Winamac can put them out empty with their trash on either April 7 or April 8and the town will pick them up. Anyone with questions can call the Winamac Town Office at 574-946-3451.
The owner of a Knox business that was destroyed by fire last week is jailed without bond, charged with arson and insurance fraud. James L. Campbell, 46, of Knox, was arrested this afternoon by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Fire Investigation Division. Campbell owns Starke County Recycling, also known as C&C Salvage. The business, located on U.S. 35 just south of Toto Road, caught fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke County dispatchers were notified at 5:17 p.m. The Bass Lake, Knox-Center Township, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, North Judson-Wayne Township, San Pierre and Monterey Fire Departments all responded to the blaze and spent several hours getting it under control. One firefighter was injured. Black smoke was visible for miles, and a brigade of tanker trucks hauled water to the scene. Continue reading
After raising the city’s workers’ compensation benefits in January, the Knox City Council held an executive session Tuesday night prior to their regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the possibility of back-pay for an injured Knox fireman who was out of work after suffering an injury while investigating a fire.
The Knox Board of Public Works learned that the street department is working hard to start on spring projects.
Street Superintendent Jeff Borg told the board that the crews are attempting to work on alleys to smooth them out. Street sweeping started but had to be put on hold as temperatures did not allow for that activity to immediately continue. Equipment maintenance has been ongoing until the weather breaks. Borg notified the board that two new plows are needed for the trucks as they are getting to the point of deterioration. Crews keep repairing the plows, but they’re hanging on by a thread.
