Pulaski County Surveyor Jenny Keller appeared before the commissioners Monday night to discuss the move to the highway garage.
Keller told WKVI that she wanted the commissioners to know her feelings and the feelings of those in the office about the idea of moving from their space in the courthouse out to the county highway garage. She is not in favor of the move and had expressed that opinion to the commissioners in previous talks on the issue.
The Knox Board of Public Works approved the purchase of a Dodge Avenger SE for the Knox City Police Department.
Three quotes were sought for the car. The lowest bid of $17,894 came from Thomas Dodge in Highland, Indiana. The city has dealt with the company in purchasing squad cars for the police department in previous situations.
The Knox Community School Board discussed the Standard for Success model used for certified teacher evaluations.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the three building principals delivered the report to the board.
“With this modern technology, they can go into a classroom and do a walk-through and highlight things that are going on in a quick fashion – within five minutes or less. They can show how an extended observation can be hooked in with the RISE evaluation tool and objects can be marked as highly effective, effective or needs improvement at that time and then they can go back and critique that,” explained Gappa.
The Sesquicentennial celebration for the Town of Hamlet is tonight.
Clerk-Treasurer Kristina Pitts and the town board members invite all Hamlet residents to take part in the celebration which includes opening a time capsule. The time capsule had been buried at the site of the Hamlet Town Hall for decades. It will be interesting to see what has changed in the town and what officials thought should be remembered during that time period.
Another time capsule will be filled and buried.
The celebration begins at 5 p.m. CT at the Hamlet Town Hall.
The Knox City Council received information on the possible purchase of a machine to help better clear the snow from the downtown area.
Mayor Rick Chambers explained to the council that it would be easier if a little John Deere tractor with a cab and heater be used to clear the snow on the sidewalks downtown. Chambers said the Knox Community School Corporation utilizes similar equipment and it works efficiently.
The American Lung Association, Centers for Disease Control, and the National Cancer Institute encourage radon testing during the observation of National Radon Week.
All this week through Oct. 27, health agencies in the country have joined forces to promote awareness of the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.
Polling places for voters in Pulaski County will be streamlined during the upcoming election following action by the county commissioners. They adopted the election commission’s recommendation to make the county highway garage on U.S. 35 north of downtown Winamac the polling place for all four Monroe Township precincts. The commissioners also combined the Indian Creek, Harrison and Van Buren Township precincts into one location. Residents of all three will vote in Star City at the community center. The voting machines purchased by the county several years ago will easily accommodate this consolidation, as they can be set for each individual voter. The consolidation also means the county will need fewer Election Day poll workers. Continue reading
The Knox City Council discussed an easement agreement for the water project for the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center. The city is putting in water lines that will extend to the property from Henry Drive.
City Attorney David Matsey explained that one of the owners of the property would like to strike a sentence in the agreement which states, “Provided further, that if Owner makes any use of the easement that increases the city operation and maintenance and or restoration costs, then the Owner shall pay for the increase in costs.”
The Oregon-Davis School Board approved a change in the facility rental agreement per the recommendation of the corporation’s attorney and the insurance company.
Interim Superintendent Greg Briles said it is a pretty standard change.
Starke County officials will break ground for the Starke County Sheriffs Department and Detention Center east of Knox on State Road 8 on Thursday, Nov. 7. The public is welcome to attend the hour-long ceremony, which will begin at 10 a.m. The new 146 bed facility will more than double the capacity of the existing jail, which can hold up to 63 prisoners. The project was prompted by a federal lawsuit due to overcrowding at the jail.
“We’re housing an average of 15-20 prisoners a day in other jail facilities and have had up to 30 Starke County prisoners in the Pulaski County Jail. We are desperate to get this project done,” Sheriff Oscar Cowen said. His term as sheriff ends in 2014, and he’s not eligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
The project timeline calls for completion of the work in two stages. The sheriff’s department will be done by May of 2014, and the detention pods and 911 center will be finished by April of 2015. Bids for the project came in at $13.1 million.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz has filed a lawsuit against the members of the State Board of Education.
The lawsuit alleges that the members of the state board violated the state’s Open Door Law by taking action in secret by drafting, or directing the drafting of, a letter sent to President Pro Tempore Long and Speaker Brian Bosma on Oct. 16.
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn discussed the development of a security plan for the safety of those in the courthouse during business hours.
It has been suggested that a security plan be put in place. Judge Shurn told the commissioners that he will soon be putting together a plan in order to not only keep his court secure, but protect the visiting citizens as well.
Help keep your children safe this Halloween by using online tools to learn the location and identity of registered sex offenders in an area where you plan to take your children trick-or-treating.
Go to www.indianasheriffs.org to search for registered sex offenders in a two-mile radius of a location entered into the database. A list of offenders, including their pictures, offenses and physical descriptions, is available. You may search any county to learn of any registered sex offenders in proximity to your home.
An online sex offender registry is available for residents of LaPorte County. There are currently 190 registered sex offenders in LaPorte County. 50 of those registered are sexually violent predators and 59 are classified as offenders against children. Visit www.laportecountysheriff.com to search through the database. 14,300 people have visited the site to date and all at the sheriff’s office encourages you to help ensure the safety of children this Halloween.
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department and all sheriffs in the state utilize “OffenderWatch” Sex Offender Management System to manage and monitor registered sex offenders.
The Fisher family and the DeMotte State Bank Relay for Life team are teaming up to present a haunted corn maze this weekend.
The Fisher family puts together one of the best corn mazes in the area and they work hard to make it a scary experience for all who dare to enter.
The corn maze is at 1202 E. 200 S. in Knox and will be open Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26 from 6:30 until 11 p.m. CT and on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are available for $5.00 at the DeMotte State Bank and at the gate.
The bids awarded for construction of the new Starke County Jail east of Knox on State Road 8 total $13.1 million. That cost includes the base bid and two of the key alternates that were contingent on funds being available. The first alternate adds 36 beds to the initial proposal for a total of 145 beds. The second alternate includes the relocation of the county’s E-911 service to the new facility.
The county commissioners stress these construction costs represent a maximum amount, as discussions are ongoing between the project design and engineering firm, county officials and the contractors about ways to further reduce costs. One example cited during the meeting was using a less expensive type of ceiling material that is still adequate to meet the county’s needs.
Parents in North Liberty are on high alert amid reports of an attempted child abduction on Sunday. According to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV, a white man in his mid-30s approached a 12-year-old boy around 7:30 Sunday evening. The man was said to be driving a dark-colored, four-door vehicle and reportedly made several attempts to get the youngster into his car. The boy got scared, ran home and told his mother. Police remind parents to tell their children not to trust adults they don’t know. If you have any information about this incident, please contact the North Liberty Police Department.
A Winamac man was arrested Sunday after Pulaski County deputies reportedly found a marijuana growing operation on his property.
A deputy was checking the area of 625 North and 800 West as he received an anonymous call of suspicious activity in the area. The officer got out of his car at a location where he saw a home ruined by a fire and two outbuildings. He approached a shed and was greeted by a man later identified as Rodger Birnbaum, 57, of Winamac. He had been carrying an electric screw driver and set it down to talk to the officer. The officer reportedly smelled a strong marijuana smell and asked to search the shed. Birnbaum asked the officer why he would do that and the officer explained that he could smell marijuana coming from the shed and he observed Birnbaum acting suspiciously.
The Indiana State Police is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in a drug take back event.
You are encouraged to take your unwanted, expired and unused prescription medication to any Indiana State Police Post (except for the Toll Road Post in Bristol, IN) for proper disposal. There will be a designated receptacle for you to drop off your medication and no questions will be asked.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board will have prices for two new, 72-passenger school buses when they meet next month. Corporation business manager Guy Richie is using the state’s new online purchasing system to obtain that information.
“The bids have already been done and submitted to the state,” Richie told the board. “You simply put in the type of bus you want, your specs, your additional equipment and such.” The website then calculates the price of the bus, subtracts the school corporation’s trade-in value and returns a price within 30 minutes or so.
The school board will still need to approve the purchases. This is the first year N.J.-S.P. is using this system to purchase buses. In the past the corporation had to publish legal notices with detailed information about the kind of buses they wanted to buy and make a purchasing decision after bids were received.
A documentary film with roots in Starke County will be screened this weekend on the Oprah Winfrey Network. “Bridegroom” debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and has received critical acclaim. The film tells the story of Shane Bitney Crone, whose partner, Knox native and Culver Military Academy graduate Thomas Bridegroom, fell to his death during a photo shoot in 2011. Crone says Bridegroom’s family left him out of the decision making process and made it clear he was not welcome at the service. The film examines the struggles couples without the legal protections of marriage face and aims to raise awareness of the issue. Continue reading
