Pulaski County Sheriff Jeff Richwine discussed foreclosure/sheriff sales with the commissioners this week.
The sheriff suggested hiring a company to help with the sales which, he said, would save the county money. The county is allowed to charge up to $200 per sale, but the county has only charged $113 for the sale. Sheriff Richwine said the company will take care of most of the sale details.
Before more cold weather sets in, the Better Business Bureau wants you to be sure you be careful in hiring plumbers to help you in any repairs you may need to make due to freezing pipes.
BBB officials say that a professional service needs to be licensed and display their license number on their website, vehicles and marketing pieces. Ask for three estimates from different plumbing services contractors to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Be sure to understand if a plumber charges by the hour or a flat rate for work to be completed and get that agreement in writing. Keep a copy of that contract. It’s also good to break up the payments and offer the last payment when the work is done to your satisfaction. You can also check emergency plumbing services available in San Diego County or other local services.
The labor force participation rate changed little at 61.5 percent in March. This measure is 1.8 percentage points lower than in February 2020. The employment-population ratio, at 57.8 percent, was up by 0.2 percentage point over the month but is 3.3 percentage points lower than in February 2020.
Not only is the federal government the largest employer in the U.S., its workforce of more than 2 million is getting older. The percentage of federal workers age 55 or older grew from 15 percent in 1998 to 25 percent in 2010. And the percentage of workers older than 55 in the federal government is higher than in the private sector. Older workers are protected by federal law from hiring discrimination and bias while on the job. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older.
Residents may now apply for the Experience Works Senior Community Service Employment Program which runs pre employment checks to all using this service.
The program is a chance for older aged Hoosiers to be a part of paid community service assignments at local organizations and also training to go back into the workforce.
Authorities in LaPorte have arrested a man accused of robbing the Family Express on Pine Lake Road Thursday afternoon. Jacob Borders, 35, came into the store around 2:30 p.m., demanded money from the clerk and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t comply, according to a police department news release. She gave him money, and he fled in a tan Ford Explorer. Occupants of that vehicle flagged down officers en route to the call and told them they gave the suspect a ride to Family Express so he could use the ATM. They say Borders got back into the truck, told them he had just robbed the store and they needed to hurry. They told the police they ordered him out of the vehicle and said they believed he went into a home in the 400 block of Pine Lake Avenue. Continue reading
The Pleasant View Rest Home in Pulaski County has received the nomination to be in the National Register of Historic Places.
Letters of support were sought by the Division of State Historic Preservation and Archaeology in October to place the structure on the register. In a public meeting held at the Pulaski County Courthouse in November, Paul Diebold, a member of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Historical Preservation and Archaeology Committee, said he had never seen so much support for a effort such as this.
The 23-year-old Knox man accused of burglarizing USA Café in August of 2013 was sentenced yesterday by Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall.
Michael Hoekman pleaded guilty to a single Class B felony count of Burglary as part of a plea agreement in front of a Magistrate Judge on Wednesday. The state dismissed all other charges as part of the deal.
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The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a sentence imposed against Dennis Wireman in Starke Circuit Court.
Wireman was convicted in 2013 on three counts of illegal possession of a controlled substance as a Class D felony in two separate cases, plus a Class D felony charges of illegal possession of a syringe and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction.
The decision to allow discussion on the Sunday sale of alcohol in Indiana has been made.
State Representative Tom Dermody has not only decided to allow discussion, but he also authored a bill to allow for the sales. House Bill 1624 would permit Sunday alcohol carry-out between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
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Officials at IU Health Starke Hospital want input from members of the community as to the health needs that need to be met. Members of the public are invited to complete a brief online survey, which can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/inhealthneedssurvey. This is a first step to developing new programming. Additional information will be gathered through targeted focus groups later this year. Examples of successful programs developed as a result of these sorts of initiatives are the regional Women’s Fair and numerous other free screenings and other events held throughout the year. A link to the survey is also posted on the hospital’s home page at iuhealth.org/starke.
A new report says that while seizures of meth labs are up in Indiana, the number of labs is also up in the state.
The publication from Purdue Extension says Indiana saw nearly 1,800 meth lab seizures in 2013, the highest of any state in the country. Data supplied in the report describes the trends in illegal drug use in rural areas and proposes a few solutions to the problem.
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The American Lung Association says the state of Indiana needs to do more to enact tobacco control policies.
The “State of Tobacco Control 2015” report evaluates tobacco control policies at the state and federal level. It says Indiana failed to enact any policies that the American Lung Association believes will save lives. That led the state to receive a failing grade in tobacco prevention, taxes, and access to tobacco cessation services.
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The Oregon-Davis School Board established a strategic planning committee this week.
Superintendent Greg Briles gave testing statistics to the board members and all of the initiatives made to improve education at the corporation. He suggested putting together a committee to establish priorities, a vision, a mission, and goals for what they want the students to be able to do when they walk out of the doors. He stressed that the Oregon-Davis School Corporation is a community school.
Pulaski County EMS Director Nikki Lowry is still in need of paramedics for her department.
She told the commissioners this week that she is currently in the hiring process for staff. While she gets plenty of applications for basic life service, she needs to have advanced life service staff, which is required.
A pilot program started in 2012 has been granted long term approval according to NIPSCO.
The company’s Green Power Rate program is offered to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Currently there are 940 homes and businesses enrolled in the Green Power Program.
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An overturned semi-tractor trailer left the roadway on Wednesday afternoon according to the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.
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Changes to be made at the Pulaski County Highway Garage will be handed down by the commissioners, according to Superintendent Mark Fox.
Fox told WKVI News that some changes were made from suggestions made by Commissioner Bud Krohn, Jr. during Tuesday night’s commissioners meeting. One of those changes included putting a pad lock on a fence to the department’s outdoor equipment and covering up animal carcasses at the site.
The LaPorte County Coroner determined that two people died this week in separate incidents due to accidental causes.
A Michigan City man found dead in his Woodling Crossing apartment on Monday night died of cardiac arrhythmia that was caused by blood loss following a fall, according to a news release. Investigators believe that 57-year-old Russell Pratt may have fallen and suffered a laceration that caused the blood loss. Neighbors initially called the LaPorte County Dispatch Center to request a welfare check on Pratt as they hadn’t seen any activity from Pratt for several days.
Probation was given to a 25-year-old woman who pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state in Starke Circuit Court to a charge of neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony .
Mary Young of Auburn, Indiana told Starke County Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese that she did in fact lock her son in his bedroom and would not let him out of the room throughout the night. Her 10-year-old son, who has a form of autism called Asberger’s Syndrome, could not even leave the room to use the bathroom which caused further problems.
Changes to the state school funding formula have area school corporations closely tracking the legislative movements.
Governor Mike Pence has previously said he wants the current session of the General Assembly to be an education session.
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