A Star City man faces numerous drug-related charges after his neighbor reportedly found a duffel bag full of items used to make methamphetamine and called the police. He was mowing the lawn at his home in the 8000 block of South Corinne Avenue last Friday when he spotted an unfamiliar bag underneath his shed. While waiting for a sheriff’s deputy to arrive, a man picked up the bag, walked next door to a camper, put the bag inside and left the residence, according to the incident report. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Approve Bridge Plans, Set Bid Openings
The Starke County Commissioners will open bids for two scheduled and one emergency bridge replacement at their Monday, July 7th meeting. Highway superintendent Rik Ritzler is is working with a design firm to finalize plans for the emergency bridge replacement on County Road 700 East over the Yellow River. The road has been closed since a tree struck the bridge earlier this year. Ritzler says the project will be considerably less expensive than originally anticipated.
“I thought it was going to cost $150,000 for the repair. It came in at about $45,000,” Ritzler told the commissioners. The reconstructed bridge will be able to open to full traffic, including farm vehicles. It’s still scheduled for replacement in 2018. He adds plans for the bridge will be finalized and sent to the commissioners for review prior to their June 16th meeting. Continue reading
USI Project Supervisor Gives 7th Road, Metronet Project Updates
The project supervisor of the 7th Road project in Marshall County gave an update of that project and the Metronet project to the commissioners Monday morning.
Bart Trester from USI told the commissioners that a box culvert was installed, crews cleared the right of way by Michigan Road and an abandoned house has been demolished.
Summer Cooling Program Begins July 1
The summer cool program is about to begin.
Community Services of Starke County, Pulaski County Human Services, Inc., and North Central Community Action Agencies, Inc. will accept applications starting July 1. Residents must bring in income information for the past year for each member of the household, a current utility bill, a lease if the home is rented, and a social security card for each household member. New applicants may start calling June 23 to schedule an appointment for July. The program will run through Aug. 15.
LaPorte Woman Falls Victim to Phantom Debt Scam
LaPorte police are warning of a phantom debt scam making its way around Northern Indiana.
A LaPorte woman told police that she received a text message on Thursday from her supervisor that she needed to call 202-239-8194 as soon as possible regarding fraudulent activity with the victim’s social security number. The supervisor received the call at work and notified the victim.
Teens Urged to Be Mindful of Curfew Laws
Summertime is right around the corner and that means longer days and shorter nights. No matter how short the nights may be, minors still have to obey curfew ordinances. State law mandates that all individuals between the ages of 15 through 17 cannot be in public unaccompanied Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 p.m and 5 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays the curfew is set from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. Children under the age of 15 are prohibited from being unaccompanied in public between the hours of 11 p.m until 5 a.m. any day of the week.
Some local towns have implemented their own policies expanding on the state’s curfew ordinances. Continue reading
LaPorte Woman Charged with Dealing Heroin
A LaPorte woman will be facing an additional charge after information received in a recent drug investigation.
Jillian A. Townsel, 22, was being held in the LaPorte County Jail for revocation of a suspended sentence for theft. She was placed into custody on this charge on May 16. On Friday, May 30, she was charged while being held in the LaPorte County Jail on a preliminary count of Dealing a Schedule I Controlled Substance (heroin), a Class B felony.
NIPSCO Announces Customer Energy Savings Plans
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) is offering customers more ways to save money and conserve energy by extending energy efficiency programs.
The programs are available to all NIPSCO electric customers and will replace the state-wide Energizing Indiana programs. They are set to expire at the end of 2014. Popular residential programs such as the Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, the New Construction Program and Low Income Weatherization Program will continue. Continue reading
Intoxicated Driver Arrested in Marshall County
A Fort Wayne man was recently arrested under the suspicion of driving his vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance.
James Krout, 40, was pulled over by Marshall County police on U.S. 30 near the intersection of Pioneer Drive and during the course of the traffic stop officers believed that Krout was under the influence. Officers also found that Krout’s Driver’s License was suspended in a lifetime forfeiture.
Knox High School Graduate Missing
A 29-year-old Knox High School graduate is missing in the waters of Lake Michigan.
Ron Wood, Jr. of Chicago and several others were in a boat drifting off shore north of Mount Baldy on Saturday night. Two members of the group jumped into the lake and became separated from the boat. A few passengers jumped into the water to retrieve the swimmers. The remaining passenger in the boat could not start the boat’s engine and called 911.
Services Scheduled for Starke County Philanthropist
Funeral services for James R. Hardesty, 92, Starke County philanthropist, historian, banker, supporter of higher education and of community programs and projects, as well as an active Davis Township farmer until his mid-80s, are scheduled Saturday, June 7 at the Hamlet United Methodist Church.
Much of his community work had been in the background, as he always preferred to go about it without fanfare.
Often recognized for his support of many community activities, he was honored with the Henry F. Schricker Award, given for “service before self,” and the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Ancilla College at Donaldson, where he has been a member of the Board of Trustees and a major financial contributor.
A graduate of Purdue University and a World War II veteran, he was a local historian, authoring publications on the history of the Starke County Courthouse and the Town of Hamlet, as well as being active in the Starke County Historical Society.
Mr. Hardesty was an active member of the Hamlet United Methodist Church and many, many area community organizations.
Starke County Commissioners to Revisit Paramedic Program Expansion
The Starke County Commissioners will revisit the proposed expansion of EMS services when they meet this morning. Director Paul Matthewson is seeking to add a paramedic to the North Judson and possibly the Grovertown base so the county can offer transfers from IU Health Starke Hospital to other facilities. Such transfers are covered by insurance or Medicaid and would generate money for the county. The commissioners want to make sure the expanded service will make money for the county before agreeing to proceed. Matthewson plans to hire part-time paramedics in order to keep costs down. Continue reading
Marshall County Commissioners to Meet Today
The Marshall County Commissioners will meet in regular session today where Bart Trester from USI will have an update on the 7th Road project and the Metronet project.
The Metronet project started a few weeks ago where conduit is being installed from Ireland Road in South Bend to Marshall County. That conduit will house broadband cables for high speed internet for businesses to increase productivity. The project is expected to be complete this year.
WKVIdol Competition Planned During Starke County Fair
WKVI is sponsoring a singing competition for youngsters during the Starke County Fair. WKVIdol will take place Monday, July 14 at 8 p.m. at the fairgrounds. The competition will be divided into three age groups: ages 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18. Each age group will have a maximum of four contestants. The first step for would-be contestants is to submit a 1 minute singing demo with your name, address, email and telephone number. You can drop it off at the station on a compact disc or other digital media file or email an mp3 to wkvidol@wkvi.com. Please list the top three family-friendly songs you would like to perform. Duplicate songs will not be allowed, so the sooner you submit your demo, the greater your chances of getting to sing your favorite song for the competition. Continue reading
Starke County Residents Ready to Take Another Step Forward
Starke County residents have signed up to take another step forward in improving the health in Starke County.
The kick off event for Moving Starke County Forward’s “Another Step Forward” walking challenge was held Saturday where a ceremonial first lap around Wythogan Park was taken by those in attendance.
Knox School Board to Discuss Lunch Prices
The Knox Community School Board will discuss breakfast and lunch prices for the 2014-15 school year when they meet this evening. The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation has raised prices for next year. It is possible Knox will follow suit. Another agenda item is discussion of the Trane service agreement for air conditioning systems. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at Knox Elementary School.
Student Council President to Give Knox Commencement Address
This year’s Knox Community High School graduation will feature something unique. A few seniors went to principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff earlier this year and inquired about voting for their own commencement speaker. All seniors were eligible to be chosen as the speaker. The 2014 senior class voted to have Chris Baczynski give the commencement speech at their ceremony on Friday, June 6. Baczynski was a member of the SCILL welding program, a football player and served as student council president. He will be attending IUSB after graduation.
Summer Reading Program Kicks Off at Knox Library
Come celebrate the recent renovations at the Henry F. Shricker Public Library in Knox during their annual summer reading program kick off today at 5:30 p.m. The theme for this year’s children and young adult program is Fizz…Boom…Read. It is a science oriented theme but that doesn’t mean that the reading choices are limited to science books. Students will be required to fill out a reading log and will then be eligible for prizes. The program runs from June 2 until July 26. Although the kickoff aimed towards kids there is a summer reading program for adults in which they will need to read six books checked out from the library. Entertainment for the little ones will include the presence of story book characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog and Llama Llama Red Pajama. Any questions about this program or any other library services can be directed to program director Andrea Brown at abrown@starkecountylibrary.org or 772-7323.
Boater Education Classes Offered in Starke County
Boater education courses are planned for June 14 and July 19 in Starke County. If you successfully complete the class, you will be given an Indiana ID which allows you to operate motorboats on state waters. These IDs can be obtained by anyone 15 years of age and older.
Indiana Conservation Officers offer the first class on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association (BLPOA) Community Center at 6996 S. State Road 10. The second class will be on Saturday, July 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the Koontz Lake Homeowners Association Clubhouse at 10896 Cherokee in Walkerton.
Tyler Roth/WKVI Athlete of the Year is Named
Our Tyler Roth/WKVI Athlete of the Year for this year is Ashley Campbell, a member of the Girls Basketball team at Oregon-Davis High School.
Ashley concluded a great high school athletic career by leading her team to a State Championship!
Campbell set an Oregon-Davis school record with 1,863 career points in her 4 years as a starter, breaking the old record of 1,606 points set by Aubrey Minix. In addition, she led her team in assists for 4 years with a total of 509, 2nd all-time behind Gabi Minix who had 711.
The 5-8 senior was the MVP 3 times for her team and led them in free throw shooting for 3 years. She was also named the MVP in the Bi-County tournament while leading her team to 2 Bi-County Championships. Campbell also helped lead the Lady ‘Cats to 3 Sectional Championships, a Regional, and Semi-State Championship. In the State Championship game this year, Ashley set the State Finals record for points in a championship game with 35.
Ashley is the daughter of Emily and Lance Campbell and joins Sarah Konkey, a 2-time winner of the award, as the second Oregon-Davis athlete to be named as our Tyler Roth/WKVI Athlete of the Year.
Congratulations to Ashley Campbell of Oregon-Davis, our 2013-2014 Tyler Roth/WKVI Athlete of the Year!
