Absentee Voting Still Going Strong

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The May 6 Primary Election is in less than two weeks. If you cannot make it to the polls on election day, you have the option of completing an absentee ballot.

Absentee voting in Starke County is available today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Starke County Courthouse will be open this Thursday night for absentee voting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT. Evening hours will be available Tuesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Voting will take place on the second floor of the courthouse. So far, 245 absentee ballots have been filed in Starke County.

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Town of Culver to Update Water Plant

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Town of Culver is planning a complete overhaul of its water plant.

Culver Town Manager David Schoeff told WKVI that town officials are working to apply for an Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) grant worth $400,000. This will help in obtaining the $1 million needed for the upgrades. The town will also apply for a state revolving loan.

Schoeff said the council members are hoping that the town is approved for the grant this year and construction can start next year.

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Additional Heating Help Available for Pulaski County Residents

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Money is still available to help low income Pulaski County residents pay their winter heating bills.

The Energy Assistance Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to households that have not applied for aid yet during this heating season.

Funding is limited, and applications are taken by appointment only at the Pulaski County Human Services office. Call 574-946-6500, email pulaskipchs@embarqmail.com or stop by the office at 115 W. Pearl St. in Winamac to schedule an appointment or to obtain additional information.

Drug Take Back Event This Saturday in Marshall County

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and the Bremen Police Department are participating in the DEA Drug Take Back program on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET.

You can take your expired, unwanted or unused medicines for disposal to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at 1400 Pioneer Drive in Plymouth or to the CVS Pharmacy at 1150 W. Plymouth Street in Bremen.

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Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Swears in New Council Member

Posted on Author WKVI
Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swears in new council member Corrie Hauptli
Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swears in new council member Corrie Hauptli

The Town of Medaryville has a new council member. Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swore Corrie Hauptli in this morning. She was appointed by the Pulaski County Democratic Party Chairman to replace longtime council president Gene Payne, who recently stepped down. Derrick Stalbaum was recently elected president and was present at the swearing-in ceremony. Carolyn Hagar will serve as vice-president. The appointment was made in accordance with state law. All three Medaryville council seats are up for reelection in 2015.

Starke County Officials Appoint Committee to Study Wheel Tax

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Starke County Council members want more information about proposed wheel tax rates, types of vehicles that would be taxed and how any funds generated would be used for road improvements before making any decision about implementing such a tax. County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler will chair a committee comprised of council members Marvin McLaughlin, Freddie Baker and Bob Sims and Commissioner Kathy Norem. After they discuss the details, a public input meeting will be scheduled to further explain the process. Ritzler has streamlined the highway department’s operations since taking over but says efficiency can only go so far. “Our limiting factor is the oil and stone that we use to improve roads. We have a certain amount of funding sources, we used them all. The only way of increasing is a user tax that is available to us, a user fee. 47 of the 92 counties in Indiana have it. Of the counties that don’t have it, many have an additional source of funding that’s not available to us, and that’s riverboat gambling money. We are in the bottom fifth of road conditions in the state,” Ritzler told the council. Continue reading →

Marshall County Commissioners Sign Metronet Paperwork

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Commissioners signed several documents Monday morning to get the Metronet project closer to the beginning phase.

The interlocal agreement with Marshall County and the City of Plymouth was signed by the commissioners which will go on to the county council to be signed. County Attorney Jim Clevenger explained that a local board will need to be formed to oversee operations. A commissioner, city council member, county council member, and a representative from the private sector will need to be appointed to this board.

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Knox City Council Meets Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council will meet in regular session tonight.

Senator Jim Arnold will have a legislative update, Charles Weaver from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation will discuss the 300 East construction project, and Brian Trappe will have a Toll Brothers tax abatement update.

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Local Detour Available to Bypass U.S. 35 Construction

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Motorists traveling between Knox and Winamac on U.S. 35 can avoid taking the long way around during the next few weeks of road work. INDOT has closed the highway from 850 S. to the Starke/Pulaski County line in order to replace a culvert. The state’s marked detour sends drivers west on 10, south on 39 and back east on 14 because INDOT can only use roads maintained by the state to divert traffic. Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says drivers heading south on 35 can turn left on 800 S., right on 600 East and right on 900 S. to get past the construction and back to U.S. 35. Northbound motorists can follow that route in reverse. Ritzler says those roads are paved and are more suited to heavy traffic. He says several drivers have used 850 S. and 400 E. to get around the construction. Those roads are gravel and are becoming rutted. The project should wrap up by the end of the month, weather permitting.

LaPorte Police Respond to Overdose in Restaurant Parking Lot

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A LaPorte man may face criminal charges after reportedly passing out in the front seat of his car in a restaurant parking lot after apparently overdosing. The police report indicates he had a metal spoon in his lap when first responders arrived at the Buffalo Wild Wings on Pine Lake Avenue. When officers from the LaPorte Police Department got there, he was reportedly conscious but unable to walk without assistance and was sweating heavily. The police report indicates he admitted to ingesting heroin before emergency personnel arrived. Police reportedly found several items of drug paraphernalia inside his car, which was seized as evidence. He was taking by ambulance to IU Health LaPorte Hospital. The LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office is considering charges.

Construction Complete on New Municipal Building in Walkerton

Posted on Author WKVI
The new Walkerton Municipal Building
The new Walkerton Municipal Building

The new Municipal Building in Walkerton is complete.

According to Walkerton Building Commissioner Phil Buckmaster, the building is situated at 301 Michigan Street and is twice the size of the old office building on Roosevelt Road. The building holds the offices of the clerk-treasurer and the economic development director as well as the town courtroom/city council meeting room and the police department.

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Unemployment Numbers Down in the State

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Unemployment numbers went down in March, according to statistics released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

Over the past year, the state’s unemployment rate declined two percent which is the third largest decrease in the nation.

Starke County’s unemployment rate fell one point to 8.2 percent from February’s rate, while the state’s rate fell .2 percent to 5.9 percent.

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Victims Airlifted After Marshall County Crash, Investigation Continues

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Authorities in Marshall County believe speed and possibly alcohol were factors in a Saturday afternoon wreck that sent the driver and a front seat passenger to South Bend Memorial Hospital via helicopter. A 1995 Mercury driven by Nicholas Walker, 22, of Plymouth was northbound on Tulip Road from 9C road in Plymouth, lost control and hit a tree, according to a crash report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Walker was pinned in the car but conscious when sheriff’s deputies arrived. A passenger, Matthew Gaines, was also in the vehicle and was in and out of consciousness, according to authorities. Both had to be cut from the wreckage. A young girl in the back seat was not hurt. A formal criminal case is being prepared and will be sent to the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Eastern Pulaski School Board Holds Discussion on Calendar Year Budget

Posted on Author WKVI

The Eastern Pulaski School Board held discussion on the calendar year budget during their meeting last week.

Superintendent Dan Foster explained that only two school corporations in the state operate on a fiscal year budget and Eastern Pulaski is one of those two schools. The board recently approved a measure to move the school from a fiscal year budget to calendar year budget to come in line with state software and other advantages. He said the switch may get a little tricky.

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