An employee of the Pulaski County Assessor’s Office can expect to see a nice boost in pay, after Assessor Holly VanDerAa told the county council this week that one of her employees has achieved certification as a Level I Assessor-Appraiser. This, she said, entitles the employee to a $500 raise as mandated by the state.
The Marshall County Council members approved an ordinance in order for Culver Military Academy to sell bonds to a trust company.
An attorney representing CMA appeared before the council and explained that in 2000, CMA took out economic development bonds in the amount of $25 million to construct a math/science building, a dormitory and library on the campus.
Five offenders were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to charges in individual plea agreements with the State.
Chase Miller pleaded guilty to a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance as a Class D felony. Judge Hall sentenced Miller to 13 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with that entire sentence suspended to be served on probation. If he successfully completes a drug rehabilitation program as determined by the probation department, he may petition the court for misdemeanor treatment of the charge. The State may object to that request.
State officials say an Indiana program launched less than two years ago is already working to ensure children from families who can’t afford needed mental health services don’t slip through the cracks. The Children’s Mental Health Initiative was created to help children who aren’t eligible for Medicaid and whose private insurance doesn’t cover the services they need. Lisa Rich with the Department of Children and Family Services says they’ve managed to help many families who didn’t have anywhere to turn before. You can read this recommended reading to understand how important it is to tend to the mental health of children.
“Their children have significant mental health issues,” said Rich. “They have at least two diagnoses; they are struggling with behaviors – really struggling to make sure these families are safe in their homes and in their communities.”
Continue readingA resident recently received a call from a person saying she had won a new car and the she didn’t recognize the number. It turns out that the phone call came from a phone number known to originate out of Jamaica and the caller attempted to swindle her out of money. Continue reading
New hunters who want to learn about turkey hunting are invited to sign up for a free workshop put on by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources at the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area. “Hunt, Fish, Eat: Wild Turkey” is part of the ongoing “Hunt, Fish, Eat” program that is run by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife and teaches self-reliance. The program is free.
Officers from the LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit Recently made three arrests on felony drug charges. Curtis Maupin, 25, of LaPorte, is free on bond on the C felony offense of dealing in marijuana.Phillip A. Strieter, 35, of LaPorte, remains jailed on a $25,000 bond on a charge of dealing in heroin. He was arrested without incident Tuesday at his home on David Court. Officers also arrested Kristin Arnett, 29, without incident at her home on Wardner Street in LaPorte on Tuesday. She’s charged with dealing in prescription medication and is jailed in lieu of a $25,000 bond. Continue reading
Emily Gross, community development planner with the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission, said the Wastewater Study was paid for using Federal Community Development Block Grant Funds from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
Superintendent Charles Mellon said the student count was a little less this time around.
Angie Garner said those who are suffering from the effects of the harsh winter temperatures this season and frozen pipes need help getting water. Garner is asking for donations of bottled water at their facility located south of IU Health Starke Hospital in Knox.
William Allen was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday morning.
Allen pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the State to a charge of Domestic Battery as a Class D felony. Judge Kim Hall sentenced Allen per the terms of the agreement to 36 months in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended. He was permitted to serve the sentence on home detention.
As a term of his sentence, Allen will undergo necessary and appropriate classes or programs offered by Starke County Community Corrections to assist in his rehabilitation.
This sentence will be served consecutively to a sentence to be handed down in LaPorte County on a probation violation charge.
Marshall County Sheriff Tom Chamberlin requested to fill a position in his department and presented a salary ordinance amendment proposal to the county council members this week.
Chamberlin informed the council members that Sergeant Larry Snyder has announced his retirement and the sheriff will need to replace him. The new officer would probably be hired in March and the notice needs to be advertised. The council unanimously approved his request.
A wanted man’s attempt to flee from a Marshall County Police officer on a snowmobile ended with a trip to jail when his off-road vehicle got stuck in a snowbank. A patrolman tried to stop the snowmobile Sunday near the intersection of U.S. 31 and 11th Road, according to a news release. The driver fled down U.S. 31 at a high rate of speed before turning west on 14th Road with officers behind him. He eventually traveled off-road but was unable to clear a large snow bank at a ditch line and got stuck. The driver, identified as Brandon King, then took off on foot. The officer caught up with King and restrained him. That’s when he discovered King was wanted for battery, residential entry and auto theft. He also faces new charges of resisting law enforcement, driving while suspended-prior and reckless driving.
Highway Superintendent Neal Haeck told the council members that his employees have been out everyday for nearly a month making sure the county’s roads are passable. There is a list available for volunteers to work the night shift and it’s on a rotating basis.
The second of four Families and Addiction Seminars is scheduled this evening at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in downtown Knox. They are an outgrowth of last spring’s Moving Starke County Forward Drug Symposium. Porter-Starke Substance Abuse and Addiction Counselor Todd Willis says the goal is to present information in a non-threatening, educational setting.
