Gov. Mike Pence has declared this “Indiana’s Electric Cooperative Community Day.” Kankakee Valley REMC members are spending it giving back to the community. They are adding a new section of privacy and security fence at the Phoenix House in Knox. It’s a transitional facility for women and children who have left home to escape domestic violence. They are also painting a 700-foot-long fence for longtime REMC member Mrs. Dolores Hammerlund at her home on 350 West in Knox. Continue reading
Firefighters have been educating students on fire safety during Fire Prevention Week.
Hamlet Fire Department members were at the Oregon-Davis Elementary School on Wednesday morning where the students were taught basic prevention skills. The students were also given a demonstration of the extrication tool.
The firefighters challenged the students to remind parents to change the batteries in smoke detectors and to discuss a meeting place outside of the home in the case of a fire. Fire drills should be practiced and a back up plan in place in case of emergency situations.
The refurbished veterans monument at Fletcher Cemetery is almost finished. Members of the Fletcher Cemetery Association have been collecting donations to move the structure east of its original location, pour a new foundation and surround it with commemorative bricks. Continue reading
The next basic nurse aid class at Ancilla College starts Monday. Director of Nursing Ann Fitzgerald says students will learn to work with people and take care of their daily activities, including bathing, eating and dressing. She adds a high school diploma or GED is recommended but not required. Students should be at least 18. Even though there’s no state minimum age to work as a nurse aid, Fitzgerald says many employers will not hire anyone under 18. The ability to read and write in English and basic math skills are also required. The course wraps up Nov. 22. From there Fitzgerald says students can take their certified nurse aid test. Once they pass, they can work in home health, a long-term care facility or elsewhere. Find more information online at www.ancilla.edu.
Fall leaf pick up is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 14th in Knox. Leaves need to be placed in front of your residence next to the curb on the street in a long row, not in the alley. Continue reading
All Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches in the state will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 11 and Monday, Oct. 13 for the Columbus Day holiday.
All license branches will resume business hours on Tuesday, Oct. 14, according to Don Snemis, Commissioner of the BMV.
For a complete list of branch locations and hours, visit mybmv.com.
Authorities in Marshall County are searching for a stolen vehicle. It was taken just after 5 p.m. last night from a home in the 500 block of Thorn Road. The red 1998 Chevrolet Suburban bears the registration VPR565. It has some rusting on the back end and underneath the rear doors and a white fish symbol on the rear window. Additionally a hole in the floorboard is covered with a piece of wood. Anyone with information about the vehicle’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Marshall County Police Department at 574-936-3187.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department eradicated marijuana plants in sober living Austin Texas, Austin recovery treatment options.
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Deputies received information from the Indiana State Police Marijuana Eradication Team of an outdoor marijuana grow in the 5000 S. block of 300 E. in Knox.
Approximately 60 marijuana plants were found growing in a garden behind the residence. Officers removed the plants from the property.
The county home in Pulaski County could be deemed a historic structure.
The commissioners received a letter from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources stating that the county home has been proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
The review board members of the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation will consider the nomination during their meeting on Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Indiana Government Conference Center in Indianapolis in conference rooms one and two. Pulaski County residents are welcome to attend this meeting and to deliver comments, either pro or con, regarding the application.
The 50/50 sidewalk replacement program in the Town of Hamlet has moved forward with the approval of a bid from Covenant Concrete for a total of of six projects. The bid, at $19,761, was lower than one other bid received for the work. The town has set aside $10,000 for its portion of the sidewalk replacement program. Continue reading
The Marshall County commissioners received an update on the 7th Road project and the Metronet project Monday morning.
USI Consultant’s Bart Trester is the project manager and said the 7th Road project is moving along.
“The contractor has begun the soil stabilization of the sub-grade and should finish from Linden Trail to Seltenright Ditch by the end of the week. This will actually allow them to put in under drains and hopefully begin paving toward the end of the week. They won’t put surface down this year. Traffic has been running on a temporary lane allowing the contractor to construct phase two of the roundabout on Michigan Road. Traffic will be switched to phase three at the end of this week or early next week. They will be running through the center of the roundabout at this time allowing them to construct phase three which is the east side up to Zimmer Ditch,” said Trester.
The annual Reality Store for 8th grade students at West Central Middle School is scheduled this month. The program provides students with the chance to learn about careers, and envision their life at age 28. Continue reading
The inaugural Autumn Leaves Festival at Norwayne Field in North Judson promises a day full of healthy, family fun. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department has sold one of its K9s to Starke County.
Sheriff Michael Gayer told WKVI News that the K9 officer resigned abruptly and no other officer in the department wanted to resume the responsibility of K9 “Terror”. He reached out to other departments to see if a K9 could help them. One department that expressed interest was the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. The K9 and a kennel were sold to Starke County for $8,500 about two weeks ago.
The Pulaski County commissioners discussed the K9 situation Monday night during their meeting where Commissioner Terry Young was not pleased with the amount of money for which the K9 was sold. Commission President Larry Brady gave the sheriff the option of including the vehicle with the K9 and the kennel at a price of $17,000 or leave the vehicle for use by a department head. The vehicle stayed with the county.
The Starke County Commissioners have tasked coroner-elect Adam Gray with finding a suitable space for a morgue. He told the commissioners he needs a completely secure facility to house the county’s cooler and provide a viewing area for family members should an identification need to be made. Gray says the cooler needs 16 feet of clearance. He adds a 20-by-20 space with concrete floors and metal walls will be adequate to meet the county’s needs. The commissioners suggested adding on to the west side of the existing Starke County EMS building in Grovertown or possibly building on another parcel of county-owned land. EMS Director Keith Emigh notes the ambulance garage is a bare-bones facility and said pipes freeze in cold weather. Continue reading
NIPSCO gas customers can expect to pay less to heat their homes this winter, according to the utility company’s forecast for home heating bills. Projections indicate they will be four percent lower than last year. That means an average savings of $22 over the winter heating season for residential customers. Continue reading
A final public hearing on the renovation and addition project for the Knox Elementary School is scheduled for Monday, November 3rd. Superintendent A. J. Gappa explains the proposed 5,500 square foot addition.
“When the referendum failed a year ago, plan B was as things go along and failed,” explained Gappa. “We had to fix them but that can become expensive in the long run. One of our major perceived needs was our kitchen situation where we have a 60-year-old cafeteria doing all the cooking and then carting the food down for the half of the building at the west end serving and warming the food at that point in time.”
The West Central School Board members recently approved the 2015 budget which includes the General Fund, Capital Projects Plan and Bus Replacement Plan.
Superintendent Don Street also discussed other financial matters with the board including insurance.
Voters can now vote absentee in a county clerk’s office for the November General Election.
In Starke County, in-office absentee voting will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT in the second floor meeting room in the courthouse from now until Oct. 31. The same hours will apply for Saturday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 1.
