The Town of Culver may soon have a new Town Manager.
A vote was taken Tuesday night that saw the Culver Town Council approve making an offer to the potential candidate. A name has not been released at this time while the Council awaits the candidate to accept the position.
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Plymouth City police officers have arrested a suspect after investigating additional information received from a case in 2011.
The additional information was received on Nov. 4, 2014 regarding a house fire at 707 Pearl Street in Plymouth on March 3, 2011. According to a previous report, an explosion occurred at the residence where a victim was severely burned and another injured. A meth lab was discovered at the residence.
Detectives followed up on the additional information received and requested the reports be reviewed by the Marshall County Prosecutor.
The former Starke County Sheriff’s Department prisoner transport van will soon be converted for use by coroner Adam Gray. President of the Starke County Commissioners Kent Danford tells WKVI news he’s checked the vehicle out and deemed it road-worthy for the coroner. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Council reorganized for the year where Jay Sullivan was retained as president of the fiscal body while Roger Querry was appointed as vice president. The council also welcomed newly elected member Linda Powers.
Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the council that three new deputies have been hired and he requested $6,000 to be transferred so a part-time officer can cover their absence while they’re at the academy. Two officers will be sent to the academy in March and one officer will go after the first two come back. When the officers complete their training, the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department should be fully staffed with eight deputies. The transfer was unanimously approved.
A design team from a local company has been honored for their innovation in high efficiency oil-fired furnaces.
According to a release from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, engineers from Thermo Products were recently inducted into the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana.
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Starke County organizations are being asked to help provide more students and adults access to higher education
The College Success Coalition is newly formed and is sending a steering committee to attend workshops in Plymouth. Starke County will join about 20 other Indiana counties for the sessions as they develop the coalition.
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Applications for the Starke County Community Foundation’s Lilly Endowment Scholarship are due next week. The application is available online at www.ncif.org and must be turned in by Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2015.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program offers a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to one local high school senior who will start college in the fall of 2015. The recipient must intend to be a full-time student and pursue a baccalaureate degree at any accredited public or private Indiana college or university. Prospective applicants must currently live in Starke County and be high school seniors graduating by the end of June 2015 with a diploma from an accredited Indiana high school. Continue reading
David Kesvormas was re-elected president of the Hamlet Town Board, when it met Wednesday night. The other members of the board are Brian Earnest and Frank Lonigro.
The board accepted a bid of $12,000 for two vacant lots on West Davis Street, east of Rannells Funeral Home from Kris Rannells of the mortuary. In the offer, Rannells said he plans to develop the properties into a gravel parking lot with ADA compliant sidewalks. Continue reading
Winamac is looking for individuals that may have an interest serving in local government.
The Winamac Town Board reorganized itself last week, but on Monday night, found itself looking for residents to fill open slots on the Town’s various commissions.
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Tax Tips are provided to you by H&R Block, for questions schedule an appointment with Michelle Bachtel at your local Knox H&R Block or call at 574-772-2316
Here’s where it is simple. If you have regular employment – meaning you work for another person or corporation and receive a W-2 – and no one else can claim you on a federal tax return, you can use this chart to determine whether you need to file a return. Here’s how: Continue reading
Property tax bills are planned to go up for area farmers, but efforts are in the works to temporarily halt the increase once again.
According to Starke County Assessor Rhonda Milner, the Department of Local Government Finance uses a formula each year to determine the agricultural base rate. This is combined with other factors, including the soil productivity factor to determine the taxable value.
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Knox City Attorney David Matsey will narrow the focus of the proposed dumpster ordinance before the city council approves the second reading.
The city council members last night reviewed the plan commission’s recommendations for the proposed ordinance. The commission members had issues with the definition of a dumpster and how the document would apply to the business sector of the city. They also felt that the time limits in the ordinance conflict with one another.
Months of research has still left questions for a few Culver residents.
The Culver Town Council held a public hearing last night to amend the zoning ordinance to allow for Wind Energy Conversion Systems. The Town’s Plan Commission has been researching the matter for some time.
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The second of two public hearings was held yesterday afternoon by the Town of Knox for a Housing and Urban Development Block Grant.
The grant is designed to assist those who meet certain income and living requirements to help repair portions of their homes. Yesterday’s hearing updated those receiving assistance on the progress of the grant program.
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Pulaski County is one of Indiana’s inaugural Hometown Collaboration Initiative communities. The program seeks to help small communities expand their pipeline of local leaders, strengthen and expand jobs by building on existing economic assets and improve attractiveness and quality of life of their hometowns. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellsperman offered her congratulations via YouTube video announcement, saying she’s a strong proponent of growing rural Indiana. Continue reading
A jury trial is set to begin today in the case of Michael Salita.
Salita, 28, was arrested on Aug. 14, 2014 on a charge of rape as a Level 3 felony. Jury selection of 12 jurors and one alternate will be held beginning at 9 a.m. followed by opening statements by both Deputy Prosecutor Autumn Ferch and defense attorney Richard Ballard.
The state is anticipated to call up to four witnesses while the defense will have five witnesses to testify in the case. The only motion that Ballard made to the court was that all witnesses be separated during the trial.
The trial is expected to take two days in Starke Circuit Court. The jury will deliberate after all testimony and closing statements are given.
Pulaski County Prosecutor Daniel Murphy approached the county council this week to ask the council members to accept his full-time employment and wages as he begins his four-year term in the office. That request was unanimously approved.
Crystal Sanders was appointed as deputy prosecutor.
He also asked for a transfer of $6,000 to satisfy the installation of money to the pre-trial diversion line item in the budget. The prosecutor requested that the money be moved from the pre-trial diversion user fees.
A program rolled out late last year by the Veterans Administration in an attempt to ensure timely access to health care services is creating confusion locally. The Veterans Choice Program gives veterans the option to seek non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling a long distance to the nearest facility. Starke County Veterans Service Officer Terry Turner says Starke County is geographically situated between the facilities in Crown Point and in Knox. Both places are more than 45 miles away by car, but Turner says the VA looks at distance as the crow flies. Continue reading
The Winamac Town Board says it won’t be making the decisions when it comes to opening and closing the Town Park in winter.
During Monday night’s Board meeting, it was suggested the back portion of the park be closed during the colder months. The change could potentially save money, reduce hassle, and protect residents from dangerous or icy conditions.
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If you made a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking, you will soon have a program to help you stay smoke-free, presented by IU Health Starke Hospital, Moving Starke County Forward and Porter-Starke Services.
Cindy Reister, who is an American Lung Association-trained facilitator, will lead eight small group sessions to help participants get personalized attention to quit smoking. Evaluation studies show that individuals, who participate in small group sessions like this Freedom from Smoking Clinic, are more likely to stay smoke-free one year later than those who try to quit on their own.
