Winamac Students Working on Space Project

Posted on Author WKVI

Winamac Community High School
Winamac Community High School
Dr. Darlene Gordon, a middle school science teacher, gave the Eastern Pulaski School Board an update on the Student Space Flight Experiment Program last week.

Gordon said the program is funded out of Washington D.C. and that the middle school students have partnered with students from Crown Point in this program. All of the students are working together, with the two schools competing against each other, to come up with experiments that could be chosen to go up on the International Space Station.

“This is open to fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students and a few other students that we have in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program,” explained Gordon. “So, we’ve come up with everything from biological to physical experiments.”

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Cupcake Contest Scheduled at Knox Library

Posted on Author WKVI

Henry F. Schricker Library
Henry F. Schricker Library
A phone call made one WKVI reporter’s day last week.

A representative from the Henry F. Schricker Public Library in Knox called Anita Goodan and asked her to be a judge for a cupcake contest at the library on Thursday, April 18. She, of course, accepted without hesitation and will join other judges from several Starke County restaurants and members of the library board.

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New Cold Medicine Deters the Manufacture of Meth

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
A cold medicine is available that is designed to help deter the manufacture of methamphetamine.

The mayor of Warsaw told our reporting partners at WNDU that the development of the new cold medicine is an alternative to Sudafed. According to Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, Nexafed, which is available at local drug stores, has “Impede” technology which is a combination of inactive ingredients that impedes the process of manufacturing methamphetamine. When methamphetamine cooks use this drug during the process of making methamphetamine, it forms a thick gel which blocks the extraction of pseudoephedrine so it can’t be converted to meth.

While this drug doesn’t provide an immediate solution to the meth problem, it does offer hope. It could, in theory, reduce domestic production of methamphetamine.

Winamac Council Approves Monument Placement at Pocket Park

Posted on Author WKVI

Winamac Town Hall
Winamac Town Hall
The Winamac VFW and American Legion plan to place a monument at the new pocket park on Memorial Day. Greenspace Winamac turned the vacant corner lot at the corner of Monticello and Washington Streets across from Dairy Barn into a park and dedicated it to Pulaski County’s veterans. American Legion Commander Chuck Webb sought and received approval from the Winamac Town Council to place a 15-by-15 monument at the park. The veterans service organizations plan to dedicate it on Memorial Day.

Search Continues for MCEDC Director

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Fifty applications and resumes for the position of Director of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation have been received.

Board member Roger Umbaugh gave an update on the search to the Marshall County Council members. The board has waded through the many applications and have decided upon eight candidates who will be interviewed over the phone. Many of the candidates live outside Marshall County, even out of the state. Umbaugh pointed out that all candidates have local roots. He hopes a new director will be active by the end of March.

Jennifer Laurent was the last director and she left the Economic Development Corporation in December.

Umbaugh also reported that 320 new jobs were new to the county in 2012, including many factories and industry opportunities.

Local Equestrienne Receives Full-Ride Scholarship to Miles Community College

Posted on Author WKVI

Shanena Saylor
Shanena Saylor
A local equestrienne recently signed her letter of intent to attend Miles Community College in Miles City, Mont. Shanena Saylor and her parents signed the letter to receive a full-ride rodeo scholarship to the college her father, Eurrat Saylor, attended on a similar scholarship 20 years ago.

Eurrat said the college wants to have Saylor compete on their rodeo team, and now that the scholarship has been finalized, the family is very excited.

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Easter Train Rides at HVRM on March 30

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year!

To kick off the year-long celebration, Easter train rides are being offered on Saturday, March 30. You will be able to ride in vintage cabooses, a passenger coach, or open-air sightseeing cars. The train ride is a round-trip five-mile excursion that will take you over the Kankakee River at English Lake and through some countryside before returning to North Judson. A stop will be made along the way where passengers can participate in an Easter Egg hunt and a visit with the Easter Bunny.

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Indiana State Police Now Accepting Recruit Academy Applications

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The Indiana State Police is now accepting applications for the 73rd Recruit Academy as they search for individuals interested in a rewarding career as a state trooper. Apply online at www.in.gov/isp/2368.htm, where detailed information is provided regarding the application process and other important information.

Applications must be received by email before April 1, 2013 – any applications received after March 31 will not be accepted.

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House Republicans to Text Bill Updates

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
There’s a new way for the public to stay up-to-date on legislation, as the Indiana House Republicans led by House Speaker Brian Bosma are working to send out text message updates on certain bills as they proceed through the legislative process. Bosma said this is a great way to communicate to the public while providing transparency, and he hopes it will get more people involved with the happenings at the Statehouse.

This decision is an extension of several transparency initiatives Bosma launched in previous years; in 2005, he began live streaming House floor proceedings, and in 2011, he made every House committee meeting available online. In January, he hosted the first ever “tweet seats,” making Indiana the only state to host such an event.

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Freezing Rain Advisory In Effect Through Mid-Morning

Posted on Author WKVI

A Freezing Rain Advisory is in effect through mid-morning for parts of the WKVI listening area. The National Weather Service warns that an area of freezing rain will move slowly northeast across northern Indiana and northeast Ohio this morning. The advisory remains in effect until 11 a.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Central for Starke, Marshall and Pulaski Counties as well as areas to the south and east. Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing by late morning and allow ice to melt. Light ice accumulations of less than a tenth of an inch are expected before the temperatures rise. This will be enough to make roads and sidewalks slick and potentially hazardous, so leave yourself some extra travel time and be extra careful on bridges and overpasses. They will be the first pavement surfaces to freeze.

MBHC Responds to Protest Group Allegations of Inadequate Staffing, Treatment

Posted on Author WKVI
mbhc
 

The Michiana Behavioral Health Center issued a press statement in response to the allegations from a group of protesters yesterday claiming that the center is putting children in danger through a variety of policy violations, dangerously low staffing, and inadequate supervision, along with a hostile work environment that the protest group alleges has caused more than 50 employees to quit their jobs or be fired.

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Winamac Man Arrested After Traffic Stop

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
A Winamac man was arrested Wednesday after a traffic stop in Marshall County. A Marshall County Sheriff’s Department officer stopped a vehicle for a moving violation on State Road 17 near 15th Road.

During the course of the traffic stop, a K9 unit was requested at the scene. K9 Arras indicated the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. When the officer searched the vehicle a substance believed to be methamphetamine was found along with drug paraphernalia.

Dennis Bell of Winamac was arrested and booked into the Marshall County Jail on a preliminary charge of Possession of Methamphetamine. His bond was set at $3,000.

Winamac Park Superintendent Prepares for Busy Season

Posted on Author WKVI

Winamac Town Hall
Winamac Town Hall
The Winamac Town Council has decided to keep the back part of the town park locked for now. That’s where the annual Northern Indiana Power from the Past and Pulaski County 4-H Fair are held, but the park is also a prime spot for mischief, particularly from youngsters who like to drive through the grass and tear the area up. Town Council members advised Park Superintendent Rick Dilts to keep the gates to the back locked for awhile in hopes of heading off vandalism. Meanwhile, Dilts says he’s staying busy bringing the shelter house restrooms at the park up to ADA compliance standards and preparing the concession stand for the upcoming Winamac Community High School softball season.

Sequester Could Halt Great Lakes Restoration

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
A group of Great Lakes fans from Indiana and seven other states recently returned from that nation’s capital after trying to persuade Congress that the sequester – that is, automatic budget cuts – will hurt the lakes. Cleanup efforts at the Great Lakes are a massive, lengthy project funded significantly by federal dollars, and those cuts could mean the cleanup could grind to a halt; no more dredging toxic chemicals from within the bodies of water, stopping Asian carp from invading Lake Michigan, or monitoring bacteria in the water for safe swimming.

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State Moratorium on Heating Bills Lifted

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The state’s winter moratorium ended Friday for customers enrolled in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. NIPSCO will continue to offer assistance programs, payment arrangements and energy efficiency programs to help customers pay their bills.

The moratorium requires Indiana natural gas providers to keep service to all customers in the program who may be behind on their bills.

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Demotte State Bank Officials Warn Residents of Fraudulent Text Messages

Posted on Author WKVI

A fraudulent text message involving Demotte State Bank is making the rounds again.

If you receive a text message saying your Demotte State Bank card has been deactivated and to call the number included in the text, do not call that number and do not give out any information.

If you have released information, call your banking center immediately.

Protestors Claim Behavioral Health Center in Plymouth Puts Children in Danger

Posted on Author WKVI

Protesters lined Oak Road voicing their outrage at MBHC.
Protesters lined Oak Road voicing their outrage at MBHC.
Weathering the wind and the low temperatures, a group of more than a dozen concerned parents, registered nurses, and other former employees of Michiana Behavioral Health Center in Plymouth made their voices heard yesterday evening as they stood along the side of Oak Road near the intersection of U.S. 30, holding signs expressing their discontent with the MBHC. The group of protestors claimed that the center is putting children in danger through a variety of policy violations, understaffing, and inadequate supervision, along with a hostile work environment that they allege has caused more than 50 employees to quit their jobs or be fired.

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Winamac Council Ponders Pool Options

Posted on Author WKVI

Winamac Town Hall
Winamac Town Hall
The Winamac Town Council isn’t sure how long maintaining the community swimming pool at the Pulaski County Family YMCA will be feasible this year. The state scaled back the town’s recreation budget by about $9,000, leaving about $38,000 to cover the necessary chemicals and other maintenance costs. The operating loss is offset with the money the Y pays the town to operate the facility. Town Council members say they would like to keep the pool open through Labor Day but simply won’t have the money to do so this year. Keeping the pool open evenings and weekends for an extra three weeks will cost an extra $4,300. Council members discussed the matter Monday but did not take action.

Lawmaker Questions Constitutionality of Welfare Drug Testing Bill

Posted on Author WKVI

The full state Senate could vote next week on a bill to require drug testing for some welfare recipients. The Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services approved the measure by a vote of 9-3. Democrat Senator Jean Breaux of Indianapolis says many people don’t realize recipients of Temporary Aid for Needy Families benefits are already required to be looking for or have a job.

“A large portion of them are working,” Breaux says. “They are simply the working poor. This bill presumes that just because you receive some sort of state assistance you are either a drug abuser or someone who sits around and waits to get state money so you can go out and buy drugs.”

Breaux says the proposal is an unfair characterization of a hardworking population that needs assistance. She adds that the constitutionality of similar bills in other states has been challenged. Additionally, Breaux says the return on the state’s investment in the drug testing is too miniscule to make it worthwhile.