A program to give you information to help you protect yourself from fraud, scams and identity theft is planned in Winamac.
On Tuesday, April 8, a representative from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office will feature a presentation on consumer protection at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Winamac at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The investigation into the fire at C&C Salvage continues as the Indiana State Fire Marshall has been called into determine the origin and cause of the massive inferno Thursday night.
Eight fire departments responded to the scene to attempt to put out the fire. Thick black smoke billowed from the business at the corner of U.S. 35 and Toto Road, south of Knox.
A LaPorte man was arrested Thursday after a warrant had been issued for his arrest for Dealing Heroin.
Investigators from the Metro Operations Unit arrested Jeremy Klement at his home in the 400 block of Washington Street in LaPorte. Klement was wanted on three counts of Dealing of Schedule I Controlled Substance (heroin), a Class A felony.
A LaPorte County man was arrested Wednesday on five counts of Child Exploitation.
Investigators from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation served a search warrant at the home of 42-year-old Wayne E. Cory, Jr. in the 7700 North block of Fail Road in rural LaPorte County.
The Starke County Highway Department this week cleared another hurdle as they seek to establish a new position in the county to hire a construction inspection supervisor. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler had previously approached the commissioners seeking their approval to create the position and his request was approved unanimously.
Monday night, the council reviewed the amendment to the salary ordinance regarding the new position and approved a motion to amend the ordinance to allow for the hire of the inspection supervisor. Ritzler said this will allow the county to forgo hiring inspectors for projects, saving money in the long run.
The supervisor would have to be INDOT certified, but Ritzler said there are already a number of residents within the county who would qualify for the position. He said he estimates the savings would be around $140,000 over two years, and the supervisor could train other highway department employees as well.
On top of that, Ritzler said there is a possibility that INDOT may reimburse some of the expense in hiring a supervisor.
A LaPorte man recently learned that his identity had been stolen when he found out someone in Rhode Island used his name to open a Dish Network account. He told LaPorte police the account is now more than $1,400 in arrears and has been turned over to collections. The incident has also been reported to Dish Network officials.
Most people know to keep items such as bleach and antifreeze out of the reach of little ones, but experts say there are other dangers lurking in the home that Hoosiers may not consider. Dierdre Davis with the Indiana Poison Center says over-the-counter medication is very dangerous for children, but their curiosity can put them at risk of a dangerous situation. She says putting medication up high may not keep a little one away.
The Starke County Highway Department has been focusing a large part of its efforts this week on patching and other road repairs, with two patch boxes out working on the North Judson, English Lake, Knox and Hamlet areas. According to the highway department’s Facebook page, many areas throughout the county are in need of patching work and the department is progressively making its way to all of them.
Anyone with pothole concerns is encouraged to call the highway department at 574-772-3011.
A longtime North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation employee is retiring from the corporation in a couple of days. Pam Croll is the assistant principal at the elementary school. Superintendent Lynn Johnson says she’s served in a number of positions during her 18 years with the corporation.
“She’s certainly made a difference. Classroom teacher, Response to Intervention, RTI coordinator, Title 1 and now assistant principal at the elementary school….Pam is leaving us at the end of next week. They want her to start April 1st, and we’re happy to accommodate that so she can begin her new position at Kankakee Valley,” said Superintendent Johnson.
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office will be called in to determine the origin and cause of a fire that destroyed a Starke County business. The Bass Lake Fire Department was initially called to C &C Salvage on U.S. 35 south of Toto Road at 5:17 p.m. Thursday night, according to dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office. A black mushroom cloud of smoke could be seen for miles. Firefighters from the Knox, North Judson, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, San Pierre and Monterey were all called in to assist. Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen says one firefighter suffered minor injuries. Continue reading
Travelers in Starke County may have noticed a few new signs posted on county roads advertising the “frost law” now in effect throughout the county. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler said the frost law ordinance prevents big trucks from being on the roads and potentially causing more damage before the county has a chance to repair them.
The National Weather Service has once again extended the flood warning for the Kankakee River at Davis Route 30. It is now set to expire Monday evening. Last night at 8 o’clock the river was holding steady at 10.8 feet. Flood stage there is 10 feet, and minor flooding is occurring. The river is expected to fall below the flood stage around 7 p.m. Sunday. At 11 feet, flooding of secondary roads near the river begins.
Tara Chizum, 36, admitted providing pseudoephedrine and cold packs to David Garman on Sept. 1, 2013 so he could manufacture methamphetamine in a motel room at the Super 8 Motel in Plymouth. Garmin was recently sentenced to 15 years in the Department of Corrections.
The sentence was left up to Marshall County Superior Court Judge Robert O. Bowen with the maximum sentence to be ten years, according to the plea agreement. After hearing testimony for an hour, Judge Bowen concluded that Chizum was in great need of drug treatment. He sentenced Chizum to ten years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. She can petition the court for purposeful incarceration after serving two full years.
“It’s really to focus on kids who have dropped out of school. The cost is really their enrollment, their ADM, Annual Daily Membership, we get for them re-enrolling at our school. They would be our students on paper, but they would go to The Crossing,” said Johnson.
Superintendent Greg Briles said the teacher’s association agreed to add the day to the end of the school calendar and the board approved that recommendation.
“March 12, the day that we missed, will be made up on June 4 which will be finals day and the last day for students,” explained Briles. “Our teachers’ last day will be June 5 and graduation will be Friday, June 6.”
Briles added that this solution would best fit the corporation out of all of the options made available by the state.
As Severe Weather Preparedness Week comes to a close on Sunday, residents are reminded that preparedness should not be a temporary thing. Severe weather can take many forms including hail, lightning, thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding and strong winds, and all residents are encouraged to stay educated about severe weather as knowing what to do in the event of a severe weather incident may be a lifesaver.
