Knox Community School Corporation Technology Director Jim Landrum was recognized by the school board during their recent meeting.
Landrum attended the Indiana Association of School Business Officials (IASBO) where he presented the school’s one-to-one computer initiative.
Governor Mike Pence will be meeting with other fellow governors in Washington, D.C. as part of the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting this weekend.
Governor Pence will be attending business sessions, a meeting with the NGA Economic Development and Commerce Committee, and a governors-only meeting with President Obama. Pence will also spend an evening with the President and Mrs. Obama at the White House.
Knox High School is experiencing electrical issues. Students with permission from parents are being dismissed at 11:30 a.m. Students who do not have permission to leave will be at the middle school until school is dismissed for the day. Elementary and Middle School students will be dismissed at the end of the regular school day.
NIPSCO will be shutting off the electricity at the high school this afternoon in order to make necessary repairs.
Saturday night’s dance in the Knox High School Cafeteria has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.
If you’re trying to raise money to pay your bond, you may not want to break the law to do it. A Michigan City man learned that the hard way early just after midnight Thursday when LaPorte Police spotted his truck leaving New York Blower and pulled him over nearby. Officials say the truck bed was half full of metal scrap. The driver, 33-year-old Jonathan Granacki of Michigan City, reportedly told the police he was sorry and said he was trying to raise bond money. He offered to return the scrap and never come back to LaPorte again. Granacki was free on bond from a Feb. 16 arrest for theft. He faces a felony charge in connection with this incident.
An Idaville man apparently picked a bad place to take a nap this morning. Emergency responders in Pulaski County were dispatched to a report of an injury crash on State Road 114 west of U.S. 421 just before 6 a.m. and found 35-year-old Joshua Wayne Slavens sleeping in his car. They woke him up, and he drove off. Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Mat Anderson was turning onto turning onto114 from 421 en route to the crash scene, met Slavens’ vehicle leaving, pulled him over and arrested him for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction.
An economical and quicker solution may come to fruition regarding the radio communication issues in Starke County’s Oregon Township.
The radio tower atop of the Starke County Sheriff’s Department suffered extreme damage in severe storms in June and July and has static communication with Oregon Township and in the San Pierre area. Oregon Township Trustee Mark Allen had approached the Starke County Council this week with an idea for a solution, but the members tabled the issue for further discussion. Council President Dave Pearman explains that decision.
“That original motion basically died – not because we didn’t want to move forward and support the community. The reason why is we wanted to expand this and see if we wanted to look in other areas,” said Pearman.
An active shooter training exercise is planned for tomorrow (Saturday) at Monterey Elementary School.
Beginning at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET, personnel from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department, EMS, Pulaski County fire departments, Pulaski County Health Department, Indiana State Excise Police, State Police, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Homeland Security will be participating in a scenario to coordinate efforts in the case of an active shooter situation at a school or business.
The Pulaski County Assessor’s office is staying put in the courthouse basement for now.
Their quarters are so cramped employees are forced to transact business in the hallway. Assessor Holly VanDerAa approached the commissioners and council last month about purchasing the building across from the courthouse most recently occupied by attorney Crystal Sanders. The commissioners told her to proceed, but the council wanted more information about whether the building is handicap accessible and otherwise up to code.
The Oregon-Davis School Board held a public work session Monday night before their regular meeting to discuss capital projects and the final budget order.
Downtown Medaryville may get some overdue infrastructure improvements once spring arrives.
The Knox Community School Board received an update on how the third through eighth grade students performed on the NWEA testing in January.
Planning for college can sometimes be overwhelming with such decisions as choice of college and paying for college.
Kelly Manning, Admissions Counselor at Ancilla College in Donaldson, says if you’re looking to go somewhere local, attend the Access Ancilla Day on the campus on Thursday, Feb. 28.
A Marshall County native police say left a string of broken hearts and bad debt from Oregon to Indiana and stole a gun in Kokomo now faces theft charges in South Bend. The charges against 29-year-old Raymond Holycross were filed after a Mishawaka woman with whom he lived discovered he stole and pawned her camera and called the police. Authorities say she also found out Holycross also uses the names Ray Paris and Ray Cross to meet women, earn their trust and charm them out of their money. Holycross is also wanted on a Howard County warrant for theft of a firearm.
If you bought a Cash 5 ticket for Wednesday’s drawing at JK Deli on U.S. 35 at the Starke-Pulaski County line, you may want to check your numbers. Hoosier Lottery officials say a ticket sold there is worth $!62,000. The winning numbers were 9-15-21-27-34. The winner has yet to come forward. If you’ve won, be sure to sign the back of the ticket and contact the Hoosier Lottery for instructions on how to redeem your prize. That ticket will have to be redeemed at either a regional lottery office or at the headquarters in Indianapolis due to the jackpot amount. Visit www.hoosierlottery.com for more information.
Former Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker says the employees who were leaving 15 minutes early each day were still on the clock even though they were no longer on the county’s property. He said they were driving snow plows home due to the threat of inclement weather, and they could not drive county vehicles on their own time due to liability concerns. County commissioners learned of the practice after Becker’s suspension last month and voted Monday to dock each of the employees 15 minutes of time in order to balance the books. Becker was reinstated to full pay eight days after his suspension but is working as “manager” of the department under the supervision of commissioner Larry Brady. Commissioners discussed the matter at length during Tuesday’s heated meeting. Brady said he’s checked with the county’s insurance agent, and the employees are covered even when they are not on the clock. He says the coverage follows the vehicle, and not the employee. Commissioners acknowledged their investigation found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Starke County’s newest business is open for business. Homemakers A+ Adult Day Service in the Cristo’s Plaza on U.S. 35 celebrated its grand opening with a Starke County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility offers adult daycare for ages 55 and up and can accommodate up to 30 people. Hours are 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, with full and half-day service available. President Scott Bradshaw says the business offers activities throughout the day to provide fellowship for clients and keep them mobile. He says the service also gives caregivers a break and peace of mind by allowing them to drop their parents off and know they will be cared for properly. Bradshaw adds that the business serves clients in Starke and all surrounding counties.
A Marshall County plant is expected to close within the next few months. Plymouth-based Whitley Products filed a WARN notice Tuesday to alert its 86 employees they will likely lose their jobs. Last month the Marshall County tubing company announced plans to close and lay off all employees. It reopened less than two weeks later after a court order was issued.
Three witnesses were called Thursday in the Starke Circuit Court bench trial in the case of Jennie Carter. Carter was charged with theft in an investigation with the Indiana State Police after she allegedly took $7,000 in Starke County Tourism Commission funds for her own use.
The prosecution called two witnesses, the lead detective in the investigation Chris Campione with the Indiana State Police and Debbie Mix with the Starke County Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Commission. They testified of their knowledge of the event surrounding the incident. Defendant Jennie Carter testified on her own behalf.
Testimony lasted throughout the day with Judge Kim Hall presiding. The prosecution and defense were able to deliver their final arguments, but those arguments have been continued until Monday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. The elements of the count of Theft, a Class D Felony, will be presented in this case. All evidence will then be in the hands of Judge Hall who will render a verdict.
A jury trial will commence today at 9 a.m. in the case of Jerome Uskert who is accused of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Prior Conviction within Five Years.
The recent action by Pulaski County commissioners to strip the highway superintendent of his title and make him the manager has raised questions about the chain of command for road repairs. Commissioner Larry Brady is serving as acting superintendent until lingering policy questions are resolved. Meanwhile, Kenny Becker says a couple of roads need to be repaired, including a section of 200 North between 500 and 600 West on his property where a ditch is caving in. Becker told the commissioners if work isn’t done soon, the county may lose the entire road.
The Starke County Election Board has formally approved a public question presented by the Knox Community School Board to be placed on a ballot for a special election set for May 7.
The question pertains to the proposed Knox Elementary School renovation and construction project. The Department of Local Government Finance has approved the wording of the question to be placed on the ballot and it has been certified by the Starke County auditor.
