Tomorrow is Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. local time in each of Indiana’s 92 counties. In-person absentee voting wraps up today at noon at the courthouse. If you wait until tomorrow to vote, you will need to do so at your local precinct. County historian Ed Hasnerl says every vote counts, especially in local races.
“There have been many elections decided by one or two votes. We had a mayoral primary here where the winning person was elected by one vote.” Continue reading
The West Central School Board members approved the hire of a new middle school and high school principal during their meeting last week.
Superintendent Charles Mellon said the corporation is welcoming back a former graduate in this position.
Knox Elementary School is once again offering a three-week Kindergarten Countdown to help students who have little or no preschool experience get ready to start school in the fall. Curriculum director Peggy Shidaker says it gives youngsters an idea of what to expect.
“They experience the type of class atmosphere and learning that actually happens or will happen when they enter kindergarten. They have an opportunity to ride a school bus, which the kids absolutely love. They’ll eat breakfast with their peers, and they’ll eat lunch with them as well. Since it is actually kindergarten readiness, the students will be immersed in those literacy and math skills to help those students enter kindergarten at the same academic levels as their peers, or at least close to the same academic levels as their peers who have had some preschool.” Continue reading
The Knox Community School Board will not have a regular school board meeting tonight. Instead, the board members will have a work session to talk about the elementary facility study.
According to Superintendent A.J. Gappa, the board is expected to discuss different options that the board can move forward with after receiving information in the facility study that was done on the elementary school prior to the referendum.
The Starke County Building Corporation is expected to get an update from the committee tasked with looking into future uses of the former jail when they meet this morning. Representatives from Skillman Corporation will also discuss the scope of the old jail renovation as well as share information about how construction of the new facility is going. The building east of Knox on State Road 8 is due to open next spring. The Starke County Building Corporation meeting will take place at 8:30 a.m. at the county annex building prior to the commissioners meeting at 9.
The Marshall County Commissioners will meet in regular session today in the commissioners meeting room on the second floor in the Marshall County Building.
Bart Trester from USI is expected to discuss the 7th Road project; Director of Court Services, Ward Byers, will talk about the Software Maintenance Project and the commissioners will appoint members to the Argos Plan Commission.
The Starke County Commissioners will discuss dog ordinances when they meet this morning. That’s one of several items on their agenda. Others include an update of the county’s nepotism ordinance to match the state’s policy and an update on the status of proposed revisions to the county employee handbook. Terry Stephenson from the plan commission is also scheduled to talk to the commissioners about a flood plain ordinance. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. at the county annex building.
Motorists who travel through Walkerton on State Road 23 will need to find a new route for the next several weeks. Starting tomorrow, INDOT is closing 23 between Union Road and County Road 900 North, just south of Walkerton so crews can replace a small structure in the roadway. Southbound SR 23 drivers will be detoured west on U.S. 6, south on U.S. 35 and east on U.S. 30 to get back to 23. Northbound traffic will go west on 30, north on 35, east on 6 and back to 23 to bypass the construction. INDOT can only use state roads for detours. The project should be finished in mid-June, according to INDOT officials.
Street sweeping in the city of Knox will take place for the first time this year early tomorrow morning and continue each Tuesday through September. Stopping, standing and parking are restricted on several city streets between the hours of 4 and 8 a.m. Those routes include Shield Street from Washington Street to Culver Road; Main Street from Washington Street to Culver Road; Pearl Street from Washington Street to Culver Road; Washington Street from Heaton to Shield Street; and Lake Street from Heaton to Shield Street. Vehicles in violation may be impounded, and owners may be subject to fines in accordance with Knox City Ordinance 914 Set. 9-444-9446, which can be read by clicking https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=14045.
Spring brush pickup is scheduled this week in North Judson. Brush piles need to be placed along the edge of the alleyway by 7 a.m. on Monday, May 5. Residents who do not have an alleyway should pile their brush along the street curb. This pickup is for brush only, not for leaves. Utility crews will not be able to return once they finish picking up brush on a particular street or from an alley. Residents are welcome to haul brush, grass and leaves to the town dump site. The key is available at the town water department office during business hours, which are 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office closes for lunch from noon until 1 p.m. daily.
The Starke County Youth Club held the 7th annual Radiothon yesterday on WKVI.
Executive Director Irene Szakonyi said it was a great event.
“We had an absolutely fantastic day,” beamed Szakonyi. “This community comes through every year for our kids and so we can chalk this up to another really great day.”
Several testimonials were given by students and leaders of the club. Organizations, residents and businesses donated just over $42,000 during the six-hour event, which was the fundraising goal.
The LaPorte City Police Department Shooting Review Board completed an investigation on an incident involving the fatal shooting of a resident’s aggressive dog.
According to LaPorte City Police Chief Adam Klimczak, Officer Chris Schoof was dispatched to 316 G. Street in LaPorte on Tuesday, April 29 to look for a wanted person. While on the property, the 50-pound dog broke its collar and charged at the officer while barking and showing its teeth. Officer Schoof tried to retreat but due to the dog’s aggressive actions and that the occupants did nothing to stop the action, the officer was forced to fire two shots into the animal.
A new Culver park superintendent has been hired.
Marc Hayden was chosen as the new park superintendent by the Culver Parks and Recreation Board during a meeting on April 21. According to a report in The Culver Citizen, Hayden has 18 years of experience as the head of the Plymouth parks and has worked recently at Lifeplex in Plymouth. He was chosen after the park board reviewed 11 applications for the position.
The 47th class of graduates from Ancilla College in Donaldson will go through commencement exercises today. It’s the last ceremony for Dr. Ron May. He’s retiring June 30th after serving as Ancilla College president for the past eight years.
“Ancilla is probably in terms of my own personal philosophy and professional philosophy about what a two year college should be, what the first two years of college should be like, is almost a perfect fit for me. I just believe in the mission of the college and the values and philosophy that drives it, and what we do there in terms of trying to change the lives of students,” May said.
He added many of the students who attend Ancilla probably would not have an opportunity to go to college otherwise. Continue reading
The West Central School Board members approved several agenda items including the school board meeting dates, pay dates, and the budget calendar.
Superintendent Charles Mellon said there was a slight change in cafeteria prices for next school year.
“Just lunch is the only change,” explained Mellon. “The lunch price will increase by ten cents next year.”
If your weekend plans include yard work, you may be in luck if you live within the Knox city limits.
The final spring leaf pick up of the year will take place Monday, May 5 through Friday, May 9. Residents should place leaves in the street along the curb and not in the alley. Brush and limbs will be picked up each Thursday by the Knox street department. However, debris left over from professional tree trimming or removal jobs will not be taken by the city. The tree company is responsible for disposing of them.
A farmer helped an Indiana State Police trooper make an arrest last week.
A trooper spotted an erratic driver in Kosciusko County and a chase ensued. The suspect was able to get away but the trooper later saw the suspect’s vehicle parked in a driveway at 4985 N. 920 W. in Etna Green. The officer exited his car and found the suspect running through a farm field. The trooper returned to his car and paralleled the man on 400 North as the man began to run faster through the field.
Marshall County Sheriff’s Department officials are warning residents of a local scam.
Several reports have been made to police that an agency claiming to be collecting funds for the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is calling residents for donations. The caller claims that funds are being raised to donate teddy bears to local police.
Ernest Dale Wireman, 40, was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court this week.
He had three cases before Judge Kim Hall. Wireman pleaded guilty to a charge of Domestic Battery as a Class D Felony. He was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance as a Class D felony. Wireman was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended.
Allergy sufferers are in for a long spring as the “Polar Vortex” has turned into the “Pollen/Allergy Vortex”.
The slow start to spring has delayed the blooming of trees. With the delay, the trees will be blooming at the same time grasses are blooming which will create a dramatic rise in pollen.
