The Winamac Town Council has a full agenda for their regular meeting tonight.
One of the bigger items the board has discussed as of late is the town pool. The pool will be closed this summer as the maintenance cost to keep the existing pool up and running is too costly. The town is pursuing options to get the pool up and running in 2015.
A LaPorte man was sentenced in federal court this week.
Brian Lindsey, 27, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to a charge of Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. He was sentenced to one year supervised probation and 94 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay $680 and $100 in restitution.
According to documents filed in this case, Lindsey purchased two Nook Notebook tablet computers using counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes in the denomination of $20 in the total amount of $240 at a local department store in December of 2012. Lindsey was aware the bills were falsely made, forged and counterfeited at the time that he gave them to the cashier.
Owners of property in Starke County will now have the value reassessed every four years.
Assessor Rhonda Milner told the county commissioners the state has ordered a new timeline for the process in order to more accurately track market trends. She says 25 percent of parcels in the county will be assessed each year rather than trying to squeeze everything into two years. That will put the county on a more normal schedule.
Knox City Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston reminded those in attendance in Tuesday’s city council meeting to call before you dig if you’re planning outdoor projects.
Call 811 two business days before starting any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. If you don’t call 811 before a digging project, not only do you subject yourself to injury but you could be fined up to $10,000 or more and the cost to repair damages.
A Knox man will continue to serve parts of Starke and Marshall County as a member of the Kanakee Valley REMC Board of Directors.
Ronald Singleton was reelected to the District 4 seat for another three-year term during the cooperative’s annual membership meeting Tuesday night. He’s served on the board since 1987. During his tenure he has held numerous leadership roles, including secretary-treasurer from 1988-2003 and 2008 to 2010. Singleton received his Credentialed Cooperative Leadership Certificate in 1991 and Board Leadership Certificate in 1996.
Starke County’s participation in Indiana’s upcoming bicentennial celebration may be limited unless organizations or individuals step up and volunteer to help with event planning.
Commissioner Kathy Norem says the county’s only commitment right now is to be part of the 92 county torch relay in 2016. According to the bicentennial website, it’s “designed to promote and unify the state by connecting people, communities and regions. Hoosiers will also symbolically “pass the torch,” connecting past and current generations to future ones to IGNITE our future.”
A wanted sex offender has turned himself into the LaPorte County Jail.
James W. Adams was a non-reporting sex offender and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Thursday. Adams told police that he opted to surrender himself when he heard a news report that he was wanted for failing to comply with the terms of Indiana’s Sex and Violent Offender Registry.
He was booked into the LaPorte County Jail Friday morning on a charge of Failure to Register as a Class D felony. He is being held on a $7,500 bond.
Starke County Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Bombagetti is working on an emergency preparedness plan for all of the county’s buildings.
He’s told the commissioners community corrections and the jail have turned in their plans, and he’s got one for the annex and courthouse. However, Bombagetti says he’d like to add more detail and make sure the wording is consistent throughout.
The onset of storm season has brought an ongoing issue for the Pulaski County Health Department back to the forefront.
Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen says they desperately need a generator in case of a power failure so their $80,000 worth of refrigerated vaccines don’t spoil. The county recently acquired two 400 kHz military surplus generators, but they are not compatible with the building’s existing infrastructure.
Now that spring is finally here, many people are taking walks, jogging and riding bicycles on local roadways. In doing so, they may inadvertently come across the toxic remnants of a methamphetamine lab. The byproducts of meth production are also flammable, corrosive and acidic and could cause an explosion or burns if they come into direct contact with the skin. Officers with the Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Section say people who cook the drug are using a variety of containers. One that’s become popular is the 1.5 gallon gas can. If you find one that looks new along the roadside, there’s a good chance it’s a working meth lab.
Plastic pop bottles and glass or plastic jars are also used to make meth. An empty container with granular material and possibly a tube coming out of the top is extremely hazardous. Battery casings, zipper sandwich bags and empty cold medication blister packs are also signs of recent meth production. Continue reading
The Knox City Council members approved a transfer to help cover the cost of snow removal.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston told the city council that the street department did what they could, but they have gone over budget in the snow removal line item. The contractor that removes snow in the downtown area also worked harder this season and charged a little more.
The Knox Community School Board members discussed the air conditioning units at the middle school during their meeting this week.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the units are getting older and showing some great wear and tear. The company has offered the corporation a special program.
The Marshall County Commissioners heard a report from Marshall County Economic Development Corporation Board Chairman Bill Davis.
Davis explained that 2013 was one of the best years in Marshall County. Over $25 million in investments and businesses came into the county last year. The county has also seen a drop in unemployment and an increase in personal income.
The Hamlet man whose trailer was destroyed by an early morning fire Tuesday is jailed on numerous drug charges after local police officers reportedly found a meth lab in the rubble. Hamlet Police arrested David Salyer, 45, at 2:10 Tuesday morning on preliminary charges of manufacture and possession of methamphetamine, possession of two or more precursors with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, false informing and maintaining a common nuisance. The Hamlet Volunteer Fire Department responded at 12:34 a.m. to 504 North Starke Street, lot 10 and left at 2:18 a.m., according to dispatch records. The Koontz Lake Volunteer Fire Department was called in to assist. Continue reading
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department is on the lookout for a wanted sex offender.
James W. Adams, 31, is wanted on a charge of Failure to Register, a Class D felony. Adams was convicted in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin of third degree Sexual Assault of a Child in 2001. He was identified as an Offender Against Children with lifetime requirement to register with law enforcement.
Adams first registered in LaPorte County in 2009 and in October 2013 he told the sheriff’s office he was homeless. Since October of 2013 he had been registering as homeless every seven days as required but he last registered in mid-February but has not been seen or heard of since. He was last seen in the Michigan City area.
The Knox Community School Board members discussed entering into a contract with The Crossing alternative school during their meeting this week.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said The Crossing is a second-chance opportunity for students who have dropped out of high school, been expelled or transitioned to home school. Education is delivered in a way that best fits students.
Gappa confirmed that the board is moving forward to help those students.
None of the Pulaski County government buildings have fire alarm systems tied in to the 911 system to immediately notify the fire department in the event of an emergency, and the courthouse does not have any sort of sprinkler system in place. Those issues were raised during Monday’s county commissioners meeting when Teri Hansen from the health department asked why the fire alarm system at the annex building on Riverside Drive does not go anywhere. Maintenance supervisor Jeff Johnston says he will look into the cost of doing hard-wiring it to the dispatch center. He says the annex building at least has a zoned sprinkler system in place. “If there’s a fire on the third floor, only the third floor suppression goes off,” Johnston said.
That’s more than the courthouse has in place, according to Johnston. “Over here, there’s nothing. If there’s a fire downstairs in the hallway, this is going to be a nightmare. This is something we’ve looked at. We’ve got battery- powered smoke detectors stuck on like you’ve got in your house.” Continue reading
Voters who cast ballots in one Starke County precinct will do so in a new location, starting with the May 6 primary. Clerk Evelyn Skronski told the commissioners Wayne Township 4 was previously located at the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation Administration Building. School officials said it’s becoming too crowded and offered an alternative.
“They told us that we could use the atrium area at the high school,” Skronski said. “The east side has the handicapped parking and a lot of space. It’s got what we need. The only thing is we have these big, open windows that let in lots of light. That’s fine. They’re going to cover them so that candidates cannot stand out there and do whatever they do.” Continue reading
