Adults seeking funding for post-secondary education have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship.
The Pulaski County Community Foundation is offering qualifying adults a chance to apply for the Back Home Again in Indiana scholarship. You can apply online beginning today at www.pulaskiccf.org.
Indiana residents are encouraged to see if they are eligible to claim unclaimed property totaling $66 million.
Unclaimed property includes investment earnings, insurance proceeds and benefits, wages, and money from savings and checking accounts. Attorney General Greg Zoeller said making a claim with the Attorney General’s Unclaimed Property Division is free. Visit www.IndianaUnclaimed.gov search for your name, relatives, neighbors and friends names. Business owners and charitable organizations should also check annually for unclaimed property.
A LaPorte man faces drunk driving charges after reportedly hitting a school bus full of children Wednesday afternoon and injuring one of them. The wreck occurred in the 100 block of west McClung Road, according to LaPorte Police. When they arrived, they found a school bus with damage to the rear and a red Pontiac Grand Prix with heavy front end damage. Continue reading
A Plymouth teen who ran away has been found in Texas along with the man who reportedly took her with him.
Alyssa Tapia was reported missing on March 6 and was believed to be with Rigoberto Calix-Reyes. It is alleged that Reyes falsified his identity to get into Plymouth High School two years ago, according to a WSBT-TV report.
The report also states that Alyssa Tapia is pregnant. Arrangements are being made to have the pair transported back to Indiana.
Work will begin soon to repair the railroad crossing on Heaton Street or U.S. 35, in Knox.
Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council this week that he received several emails in the past two weeks from the Indiana Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railroad. They’re waiting until the asphalt plants open up in April in order to form a plan of attack. There is no timeline of when the work will be complete. They want to repair the crossing with a hot asphalt mix instead of applying cold patch. The hot mix will ensure a more permanent fix.
A nonproift organization dedicated to serving youngsters in Starke County is the recipient of funds from the Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation. Starke County Youth Club Executive Director Irene Szakonyi and Melissa Smith accepted the honor during a Tuesday reception at the Governor’s residence.
“The Starke County Youth Club is one of those organizations that is doing great work for our Hoosier children and families, and it is an honor to recognize them today,” First Lady Karen Pence said. Continue reading
An account has been set up to help a Knox man with hospital expenses after he was involved in a car accident on Saturday morning.
John Binkowski, 22, recently returned home from serving a term in Afghanistan. He was stopped at a red light when a semi disregarded the red light and rear-ended Binkowski’s car. Binkowski is recovering from injuries sustained in the accident at the intersection of State Road 49 and 500 North in Valparaiso. He remains in a Chicago hospital.
Binkowski is a member of the National Guard and was on his way home from a Reserve meeting in Gary when the accident occurred.
Binkowski’s military friends have come to his aid by asking for funds to help cover expenses as they are with Binkowski as he recovers. Go to http://www.gofundme.com/o9g0mc to donate.
A local nonprofit agency has smoke detectors available for families in need of the potentially life-saving devices. Community Services of Starke County Executive Director Joan Haugh says a couple of recent fire fatalities got her to thinking.
“I just felt we could save a life or two if we made sure every home had a smoke alarm – a working smoke alarm or sometimes two. So we applied to State Farm because they had a safety grant, and they awarded me some funds to purchase smoke detectors,” Haugh said. Continue reading
Officials in Pulaski County are making plans to celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday. The Pulaski County Community Development Commission recently established the Pulaski County Bicentennial Committee. It will serve as a liaison to the Indiana State Bicentennial Commission.
Activities across Indiana in 2016 will celebrate 200 years of statehood with Legacy Projects, an Olympic-style torch relay across the state and other events. Continue reading
The Starke County Community Services food pantry received a donation from a recent community event.
The holidays usually bring in a good amount of food for underprivileged families and then donations drop off. The Bluegrass Jam event helps supply the food pantry with needed funds and items to stock the shelves. The admission fee to the concert featuring local talent is a donation for the food pantry or a monetary gift so the staff at Community Services of Starke County can purchase what is needed for families.
The event at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox on Saturday collected 998 pounds of food and $440 was raised.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council members this week that since the program started six years ago, this is a record high for collections in a single event. In all of those years, 6,529 pounds of food and $2,586 has been collected.
The Marshall County Council will consider an additional appropriation request made by Commission President Kevin Overmyer in an upcoming meeting.
He explained to the council members this week that the council cut $20,000 from the budget and that is needed to satisfy a contract with the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation. Overmyer said the contract is for $150,000 and the additional appropriation is needed for the rest of the year.
The Pulaski County Democratic Party has a new chair and vice-chair following the resignation of their longtime leader. Bill Reutebuch recently stepped down, citing out-of-town work schedules and responsibilities. Vice-chair Laura Bailey was appointed chair for the remainder of his term, and John Plowman was named vice-chair. Continue reading
Ancilla College officials broke ground on the new residence hall Tuesday afternoon.
The three-story facility and student life dining center is expected to open on Aug. 1, just in time for the fall semester. The residence hall will be home for nearly 100 new students. The project includes a separate dining facility, fitness area, media center, two-story lobby with fireplace and prayer rooms.
Ancilla College President Dr. Ken Zirkle told those in attendance yesterday that this is just the beginning of great things to come at Ancilla.
A 75-year-old LaPorte woman was unable to file her taxes because someone else used her personal information to file a claim.
LaPorte City Police Department officers were made aware of the fraud incident this week. The victim told police that her nephew attempted to file her taxes, and the filing was rejected. She added that she was an Anthem Health Care customer, and her information was among those stolen in a recent massive hacking incident.
The Knox City Council discussed a grant match amount for the proposed water project.
The project will replace outdated galvanized lines and repair pressure issues to fire hydrants. Water Superintendent Todd Gardner told the Board of Public Works recently that the section of line around brown circle on Delamatyr and Fisher and Adam will be replaced. The other part of the project would extend lines to Mound Street and Myrtle Court. Washington Street and Allen Drive would also be involved. The project may also include an extension of lines from Williams Street to John Street.
The Culver Town Council will be taking another step when it comes to reforming their EMS Department.
Discussions continued during a work session meeting, yesterday. The EMS Department has experienced difficulty attracting and retaining volunteers.
Continue reading
The Eastern Pulaski School Corporation could soon be cleaning up some of its technology on campus.
Due to the extensive renovations and improvements being considered in Eastern Pulaski, cabling being run through the ceilings will be removed with new cabling replacing the former infrastructure. Because of this, Eastern Pulaski Schools will be upgrading their phone system.
Continue reading
The Pulaski County Council members will need more information from the state to see if any severance pay can be issued to the employees at Pleasant View Rest Home.
The council members discussed the issue briefly Monday night.
The county home is expected to close on March 31, and the commissioners had discussed the possibility of severance pay last week. County Attorney Kevin Tankersley previously said the county can’t give bonuses. The money isn’t theirs to spend in that kind of fashion. Tankersley also said the county can’t pay for work that isn’t done.
The Marshall County Council discussed several additional appropriation requests at their meeting Monday morning.
The highway department had a request for a $310,000 additional appropriation for a new pug mill. Highway Superintendent Jason Peters discussed looking into a used pug mill in Missouri but decided against the purchase. Peters previously said the pug mill had been used for a different need. It was decided to go with a new pug mill for the requested amount that the council approved.
