Earned Income Tax Credit Among Most Popular, Most Abused

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The deadline to file federal income taxes is almost here. H&R Block Senior Tax Advisor Michelle Bachtel says many low and middle-income families benefit from the Earned Income Tax Credit. “Basically depending on the number of children you have, the credit can range anywhere from $2 to $6,044. The Earned Income Tax Credit is also available for people who don’t have children. They do need to be considered low income according to the IRS, but there is also a credit available for them.” The amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit varies depending on the size of the household. For an individual who does not have any children, they can make up to $14,340, or if they are married they can make up to $19,680. For people that do have children, they can make up to $37,870 or $43,210 if they just have the one child. From there the amounts increase, but the maximum amount for three children they can make up to $51,567. The Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the most lucrative. Unfortunately, Bachtel says  it’s also one of the most widely abused. Continue reading →

Money Saving Program to be Featured at Pulaski County Public Library

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Next week is Money Smart Week and the staff at the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac is hosting a program to help you get a hold of your finances.

Lisa Thompson from Fort Wayne will be presenting a program entitled “How to Save Money and Pay off Debt” on Thursday, April 10 at 5 p.m. ET at the library. She and her husband went through David Ramsey’s Financial Peace University Membership kit and found their $80,000 debt disappear.

This program will help veterans dealing with debt, failed businesses, or individuals who have been dealing with money problems. It not only discusses how to get out of debt but also touches topics on money saving and control.

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Ancilla College Offers Early Bird Classes for High School Students

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Area high school students can get a jump on their higher education at Ancilla College as early as this summer. The school is following the national trend of offering Early Bird Courses. Local high school students who will be juniors or seniors this fall can take college courses during the summer. Executive Director of Admissions Eric Wignall says students get a huge tuition discount and can take fully transferable introductory college courses. “If you’re going off to IU or you’re going off to Harvard, it doesn’t matter. The English writing and literature and the micro-and macro- economics courses are going to transfer,” Wignall says. He notes one Plymouth High School student started taking classes during her junior year of high school, continued taking one or two credits per semester at $125 per credit hour, took a full load of courses during the summer sessions and graduated from Ancilla with an associate’s degree at the end of the summer after her high school graduation. As a result, she was able to start college at IU that fall as a junior. Continue reading →

New Sustainability Endowment Grant Offered

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Community Foundation is offering a new award for organizations called the “Sustainability Award”.

Executive Director Sarah Origer says any organization can apply for this $5,000 endowment grant.

“It’s a simple, two-page application,” said Origer. “We just want to know about your organization, about your priorities, about your long-term goals, and long-term planning. The top candidates will be invited to come in for an in-person interview.”

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Dog Recreation Park Proposed in the City of Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

dog picA meeting to gather interest in a dog recreation park in Knox will be held April 19 at 6 p.m. at the Henry F. Schricker Public Library in Knox.

Chuck Richardson told WKVI that he presented a list of names on a petition to start a dog park at the Knox Park Board meeting last week, but the board members reportedly told him that they would like to see people at their next meeting in favor of the incident.

Richardson proposed that the fenced-in dog park be located in Wythogan Park in Knox. If that location isn’t feasible, then another location could be sought.

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Tax Deadline Approaching, Don’t Forget to File

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The deadline to file federal and state income taxes for 2013 is quickly approaching. H&R Block Senior Tax Advisor Michelle Bachtel says anyone who has federal income tax withheld from their income should file regardless of the requirement to file. She says by doing so they can either receive a refund or properly credit any tax obligation they owe. This includes many teenagers who work part-time after school or during the summer.

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Melody Drive In Set to Open for the Season

Posted on Author WKVI

Melody Drive In PhotoA sure sign of spring in the Kankakee Valley is the opening of the Melody Drive In Theater at Bass Lake for the season. Fred Heise says they’re all set to open Friday, April 4 with a blockbuster and have several other popular flicks scheduled throughout the spring and summer. For Friday, Screen 1 will feature Captain America 2 and Need for Speed. Mr. Peabody and Sherman and Non-Stop will be showing on Screen 2. Other movies lined up for the summer include Rio 2, which is scheduled the week of April 11. Fred Heise is excited about the lineup for later in the season.

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Wastewater, Water Reports Given to Knox Board of Public Works Members

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Knox Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons told the Knox Board of Public Works this week that some snow melt and rain water got into manholes around the city and that issue will need to be addressed in the future. Some violations were also noted at the plant which are being remedied. Clemons said they could be fined for the violations, but she hasn’t received any penalties yet.

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Ancilla Offers Summer School Tuition Discounts

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Students looking to get a jump on their college careers or maybe take a course during a less-stressful time of the year may want to see what Ancilla College has to offer. For starters, they offer a hefty discount on per-credit-hour tuition during the summer. Executive Director of Admissions Eric Wignall says a lot of students who struggled with a course during the regular school year use summer school as a do-over.

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IU Health Starke Hospital Celebrates Doctors Day

Posted on Author WKVI
Dr. Mangalore Subba Rao and IU Health Starke Hospital President Craig Felty
Dr. Mangalore Subba Rao and IU Health Starke Hospital President Craig Felty

Local physicians were the guests of honor Friday morning at IU Health Starke Hospital. The administration hosted a breakfast in the cafeteria to celebrate Doctor’s Day, which is actually Sunday, March 30.

Doctor’s Day was first celebrated in 1933. That date was chosen because on March 30, 1842 Dr. Crawford Williamson Long first used general anesthesia in surgery. He used ether on a patient who was having a tumor removed from his neck. Long went on to use anesthesia in both amputations and childbirth. In 1990 President George H.W. Bush officially made the date a holiday to recognize the nation’s physicians.

Winamac Residents Remined to Be Timely With Trash Containers

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Town of Winamac recently decided to outsource the collection of trash and recycling. Advanced Disposal is now in charge of both. Residents are reminded to have their trash and recycling containers at the curb by 6 a.m. on the morning of their scheduled pickup. Also, anyone who no longer wants the small recycling containers provided by the Town of Winamac can put them out empty with their trash on either April 7 or April 8and the town will pick them up. Anyone with questions can call the Winamac Town Office at 574-946-3451.

Missing Knox Man Found

Posted on Author WKVI
Joshua Simpkins
Joshua Simpkins

A Knox man who was reported missing early Friday evening was located a few hours later.

Joshua Simpkins, 32, was reported missing around 5:30 p.m. Friday evening.  He was last seen by his home in Knox.

Officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department told WKVI News that he was safely located several hours later.

 

Knox Man Reported Missing

Posted on Author WKVI
photo
Joshua Simpkins

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department are looking for a 32-year-old Knox man with Down Syndrome who was reported missing Friday night.

Joshua Simpkins was last seen on John Street and 500 East in Knox just east of the cemetery around 5:30 p.m. or 5:45 p.m. CT.  He was wearing blue jeans, a black and gray t-shirt, a neon yellow and green coat with a white and red baseball  cap.  He is just over five feet tall and weighs 120 pounds.

If you see him, call 9-1-1 or the Starke County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 772-3771.

C&C Salvage Owner Jailed Without Bond on Arson, Insurance Fraud Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
The owner of C&C Salvage/Starke County Recycling, James Campbell, 46, is charged with arson and insurance fraud in connection with the March 20 fire that destroyed his business.
The owner of C&C Salvage/Starke County Recycling, James Campbell, 46, is charged with arson and insurance fraud in connection with the March 20 fire that destroyed his business.

The owner of a Knox business that was destroyed by fire last week is jailed without bond, charged with arson and insurance fraud. James L. Campbell, 46, of Knox, was arrested this afternoon by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Fire Investigation Division. Campbell owns Starke County Recycling, also known as C&C Salvage. The business, located on U.S. 35 just south of Toto Road, caught fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke County dispatchers were notified at 5:17 p.m. The Bass Lake, Knox-Center Township, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, North Judson-Wayne Township, San Pierre and Monterey Fire Departments all responded to the blaze and spent several hours getting it under control. One firefighter was injured. Black smoke was visible for miles, and a brigade of tanker trucks hauled water to the scene. Continue reading →

Pulaski County Animal Shelter Still in the Works

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The seven-member board of directors for the soon-to-be-established Pulaski County Animal Shelter continues in their endeavor, having recently cleared a number of hurdles as they seek to create the much-needed shelter in the county. Board member Jaime Keller told WKVI that the building they are interested in renting, located at 13 E. Indian Hill Road in Winamac, was recently approved for rezoning and a special exception for the kennels.

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Knox City Street Department Hoping to Start Spring Projects

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox Board of Public Works
Knox Board of Public Works

The Knox Board of Public Works learned that the street department is working hard to start on spring projects.

Street Superintendent Jeff Borg told the board that the crews are attempting to work on alleys to smooth them out. Street sweeping started but had to be put on hold as temperatures did not allow for that activity to immediately continue. Equipment maintenance has been ongoing until the weather breaks. Borg notified the board that two new plows are needed for the trucks as they are getting to the point of deterioration. Crews keep repairing the plows, but they’re hanging on by a thread.

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Voter Registration Deadline Approaching for May Primary

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Eligible voters who would like to cast ballots in the upcoming May 6 primary election have until Tuesday, April 8 to register. Prospective voters must be U.S. citizens who will be at least 18 on the day of the next election, have lived in their precinct for at least 30 days prior to the election and cannot be currently imprisoned after committing a crime. The easiest way to register is online at www.IndianaVoters.com. You will need to have a valid Indiana Driver’s License Number or Indiana State Identification number handy in order to complete the online registration. If you’re already registered to vote but need to update your name or address, you can also do so online.

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Drop Boxes Available to Discard Prescription Medications

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

It was recently reported that one of the biggest issues in Starke County is prescription drug abuse. A program sponsored by Moving Starke County Forward will be held in the next couple of months that will give information to community members on how to combat this pressing issue.

If you have unwanted, unused or expired prescription medication, you may take that medication to drop off locations at the Knox City Police Department and at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.

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