A bench trial was held Wednesday in Starke Circuit Court in which Judge Kim Hall heard testimony in the matter of Johnny Dubois.
Dubois was charged with Intimidation, a Class D felony. As written in the charging information, Dubois had verbally threatened to physically harm the victim if she didn’t give him the money he wanted. He also told her that he would kill her if she took their children away from him.
Winamac residents no longer need to let their faucets drip to keep their pipes from freezing. That’s the word from town manager Jim Conner. He tells WKVI news water lines in town have finally thawed out and thanks residents for their cooperation. Also, Conner says any residents who no longer want the small recycling containers provided by the town can put them out, empty, with their trash on your collection day April 7th or 8th. The town will pick them up on those days.
The Knox Board of Works received an update on the lift station project on Clabaugh Drive.
A pay application for $10,553.07 was approved. Bob Aloi from Territorial Engineering explained that the pump issue over the winter was reportedly caused by a problem with the force main. He said once the wastewater department crews finished cleaning the force main, crews will see how well the pump works. Aloi doesn’t anticipate any further costs in this project, but if the crews evaluate the pump after the force main is cleared and they find that it’s not working properly, crews would need to remove the pump and reevaluate the situation which could cost the city more money.
The project, which was supposed to be completed before the winter season, is nearly finished. The old lift station still needs to be removed and other items need to be wrapped up, including paving, before it is all said and done.
During a pre-trial motion and instructions hearing on Tuesday, both the defense and the state agreed to waive the right for a trial and the defense asked for a bench trial which was granted.
Both sides presented evidence in the case yesterday and Judge Kim Hall took all evidence under advisement. Judge Hall will deliver a verdict today at 10 a.m.
The Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings report came out this week and Starke County ranked in the bottom ten of all 92 counties in the state.
Moving Starke County Forward leader Nancy Dembowski said the organization began working to improve the numbers last year and noted that it takes a while to get things moving in the right direction. She said it’s going to take time and effort to overturn the numbers.
Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website to learn how to guard against identity theft and the steps to take should your identity be stolen. You can access all this information at http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft.
The Starke County Historical Society has hit another roadblock as they seek to relocate their museum. The Knox City Council this week refused to give the Historical Society permission to lease the city’s railroad right-of-way on U.S. 35, across from the visitor’s center, but Marvin McLaughlin with the Historical Society said this won’t necessarily stop them from establishing the new building.
The federal government did grant a reprieve for people who have started an application on the healthcare.gov website but can’t complete it by the March 31 deadline. They will be given an extension, although the amount of time was not specified. In order to qualify, the applicant needs to check the blue box on the healthcare.gov website indicating an attempt to sign up for coverage by the March 31 deadline.
Two people were injured in a three vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon in Marshall County.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene in front of Ev and Jayne’s Irish Inn on Michigan Road north of 7B Road in Plymouth at 12:08 p.m. ET. A semi driven by Lavern Sampler of Michigan was traveling south behind a vehicle driven by Summer Scott of Syracuse, Indiana . The semi driver told police that he reportedly did not know the vehicle was turning into the business. The semi rear-ended Scott’s vehicle which was pushed into the path of an SUV driven by Cheryl Kuhn of Plymouth. Kuhn was traveling north on Michigan Road.
Several offenders were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday morning.
The ten counties with the lowest ranking include Delaware, Lawrence, Sullivan, Orange, Jasper, Starke, Crawford, Blackford, Fayette and Scott.
INDOT was awarded the money in February for local transportation projects to be bid in July 2016. This round of funding is for projects that would be designed, developed and have purchased land according to federal standards prior to bid during the fiscal year beginning July 2017.
Attendees are asked to park in the west lot and enter through the cafeteria doors. Contact the school office at 219-767-2266 for additional information.
With the cold temperatures this March, it doesn’t quite feel like spring. That’s especially true for five homes in Knox that still suffer from frozen pipes after the harsh winter, and one resident approached the city council this week asking for some kind of solution to her ice-clogged pipes.
The Knox Chapter of the Psi Iota Xi sorority has announced that they will soon be awarding scholarships to deserving Starke County seniors. Previous recipients may also reapply; the application is simple, and only asks for a brief written paragraph.
With the upcoming deadline of April 4, the sorority is urging all seniors to not miss the opportunity for free money. Tammy Fletcher, president of the sorority’s Knox chapter, said her sorority has been active in the community for more than 27 years, staying busy all year round.
The inaugural Empty Bowls project at the Center at Donaldson was a resounding success, filled to the brim with eager participants. The project began in early February at MoonTree Studios, when the public was invited in on a Saturday to make clay bowls with their own hands. Participants then returned two weeks later to glaze their bisque-fired bowls with combinations of blue, beige, green, and reddish-brown glazes. These unique bowls numbered over 300 for the Empty Bowls soup supper on Saturday, March 15.
Officers worked 52 hours of impaired driving patrols and 122 hours of aggressive driving patrols. Six arrests were made that included a preliminary charge of Operating While Intoxicated and two arrests for other offenses. Officers wrote a total of 267 citations and 225 warnings for other violations; of those, 128 were for speeding, 19 for driving while suspended, 14 for stop sign and traffic signal violations, 61 for seat belt violations, five for texting while driving and several others for various offenses.
Operation Pull Over Blitz #78 ran from Feb. 28 to March 23.
Operation Pull Over is a federally funded enforcement initiative administered by the Traffic Safety Division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
Participants will be assuming the role of a low-income family member living on a limited budget. Four 15-minute sessions will be held and each session will represent one week in which you must provide for your family and maintain your home.
