Visitors were invited to shop the Christmas Barn and check out the wreath crib and greenhouse, and snacks and drinks were provided at the event as well. As an additional treat, the Knox High School Jazz Band performed for the festival as well.
Kids queued up to have their picture taken with Santa and families from all around picked out trees for the ever-nearing Christmas holiday. A slideshow with highlights from the event is below!
A North Judson man was sentenced in Pulaski Circuit Court after pleading guilty to a an amended charge of Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury as a Class A Misdemeanor. The charge was originally filed as a Class C Felony. Continue reading
Five new firefighters were hired to the Winamac Fire Department.
Fire Chief Bill Weaver told the town board that one of the applicants is fully trained except for training at the station with the trucks. The other four will need training.
A Walkerton man died Thursday after his car was struck by a train.
64-year-old David Hollinger was traveling eastbound on U.S. 6 in the Walkerton area around 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning when he illegally went around the “road closed” barricades on the tracks that are under construction and attempted to cross them.
The Marshall County Commissioners held more discussion on the request from Plan Director Ralph Booker, who is asking for their support in seeking the position of part-time planner for the city of Plymouth. Booker said he feels the position would enhance cooperation between the city and county, but the commissioners have their concerns about a possible conflict of interest.
A pair of Knox residents were arrested Thursday after they allegedly stole prescription medication.
A Knox resident called the Knox City Police Department to say that she dropped a bottle of prescription medication outside her home and Timothy and Priscilla Bodine picked it up and stole it. The Bodines were over at the residence and to pick up coats and when the victim handed the coats to them, she told police it was then that she probably dropped the medication that she had in her hand. She later noticed it missing and believed that’s when she lost the bottle.
With family, governmental officials and friends in attendance, former State Representative Nancy Dembowski was honored for her years of service at an open house yesterday. The celebration was held in the building that now bears her name, the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center.
Emcee Ted Hayes brought up several people to speak including Starke County Economic Development Director Charles Weaver; Councilmen Linda Berndt, Jeff Berg and Greg Matt; plus County Democrat Chairman Kenny Wallace. Knox City Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston and his wife Michaelene also thanked Dembowski for representing Starke County so well.
The Winamac Town Board approved several ordinances during their meeting last week, including an ordinance establishing the regulation of the opening of the fire hydrants owned by the Winamac Municipal Waterworks Utility.
The Town Board also approved ordinances that establish the salaries and wages for the position of town mechanic, Town Manager, clerical personnel for the Town of Winamac, the seasonal position of Park Manager Assistant, the Winamac Police Department and the crossing guard.
One board member opposed the salary ordinances stating that the federal government gave a 1.7 percent standard of living increase and did not agree with the $.50 raise. The ordinances did pass with four out of the five members approving the vote.
More than 43 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving holiday weekend which is an increase from last year.
Wednesday is the busiest travel day of the year with 90 percent of travelers traveling by automobile to visit with family and friends during the holiday. The next most popular mode of travel for the holiday is airplane and followed by train and bus.
Gas prices may stay around the current price, but with the oil rig fire off the Gulf Coast on Friday may affect prices. The explosion came a day after oil giant BP reached an agreement to pay penalties of $4.5 billion for its role in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster which also occurred in the Gulf of Mexico.
The biggest shopping day of the year is coming up on Friday and the Indiana Department of Labor is encouraging retailers to make is a safe holiday shopping season.
Crowd management preparation is recommended. Train employees to handle the crowds and provide them with the knowledge of how to address any emergency situation that may arise. Emergency training may include the proper use of Automated External Defibrillators.
Shoppers are encouraged to treat others with kindness and not engage in physical force to obtain the items you wish to purchase.
IU Health Starke Hospital has announced an expansion of services in the Wellness Center. Heather Skelly, head of the program, said it’s a great way for the public to stay healthy by getting shape that is available to everyone.
The public is invited to tour the facility where Skelly, an athletic trainer for the Knox High School for 11 years, will offer an assessment of each individual’s physical capabilities before introducing them to the equipment. Former physical therapy patients are also invited to use the facility.
The WKVI/Five Star food drive for the Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry was held Saturday at Five Star and it was a success. The boy and girl scouts in North Judson also helped get donations for the food drive.
Several carts were loaded with food items and several cash donations were made. Community Services of Starke County Director Joan Haugh said it greatly helps the food pantry. Continue reading
The Winamac Police Department has been commended on their efforts in Operation Pull-Over.
Officer Mike Hoffman told the Winamac Town Board this week that the Winamac Police Department received the Best in State Police Department award and was given a $2,500 equipment grant. The department will be using that money to purchase a computer for a police car. A plaque was displayed to the board.
Rick Dilts, the town park manager, told the town board this week that the park is now closed for the season. More than 100 tables have been placed in storage, the bleachers are now stored and the restrooms have been closed. The volleyball and basketball courts will be winterized this week and a tractor will be set up for the snow season.
A domestic dispute in Knox led police to lock down the Knox Elementary School as a precaution this morning.
Knox City Police were called to a Knox residence in response to threats that had been made toward family members. When police arrived on the scene, officers learned that the threats that had been made were related to a domestic incident that had occurred the night before. Unfortunately, the male subject had left the home before officers arrived and authorities believed he was in an unstable state of mind.
On top of that, police soon learned that the man had made additional threats that morning to remove his children from the Knox Elementary School. Because police believed the man to be mentally unstable, police contacted the school and, through cooperation with the Knox Police Department, Starke County Sheriff’s Department, and the Knox Community School Corporation, the building was locked down. Students were kept inside and the building was secured while officers remained on the premises.
Fortunately, the subject was soon located in LaPorte County and arrested, and the lock-down was lifted shortly afterward.
We are approaching the winter season and this week has been designated as Winter Weather Preparedness Week.
Being prepared for cold, snow, freezing rain, sleet and ice will help minimize the impact this winter could have.
Most winter-related deaths are the result of car accidents in snow events. When snow is forecast or is happening in the area, pay attention to road condition reports and allow extra time to get to your destination. Slow down and exercise caution.
It’s one of those things that you just have to see it to believe it.
One Knox resident was surprised to find out that a deer had jumped through a picture window at his home on W. Lake Street Sunday morning.
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a call from a resident on Lake Street who stated that a deer reportedly had just jumped through his neighbor’s picture window. It jumped in and jumped right back out again. No other damage was reported to the home.
The Knox City Police Department responded to the scene.
A man was arrested in Marshall County after cocaine was found in his vehicle.
On Saturday, a woman contacted an off-duty officer who said her boyfriend reportedly battered her. A battery report was taken and she was jailed on a preliminary charge of Public Intoxication. On Monday, she was released from the Marshall County Jail and she apparently called the same man who battered her to pick her up at the jail.
The cost of gas is back on the rise as some stations in Indiana report prices as high as $3.89 per gallon. GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan said this is due in part to the increasing cost of wholesale gasoline, and while he does expect them to decrease in the near future, they will likely stay in the mid-three dollar range for the rest of the year.
The adult smoking rate in the United States continues to decline slowly.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that the largest decline in smoking from 2005 to 2011 occurred among young adults aged 18–24. Smoking among high school students has been cut by more than half since peaking in 1997. The U.S. Surgeon General has found that nearly 90 percent of smokers start by age 18 and almost no one starts smoking after age 25.
WKVI Sportscasters Harold Welter and Nathan Welter took the Saturday Sportsline Live show to Kosta’s Restaurant in Winamac on Nov. 10. Several area coaches were on hand to discuss the upcoming basketball season and a wrap up of the football season. The crew were fed by Gus and the gang at Kosta’s! Who knows where they’ll be next…. Continue reading
