Unsold Starke County Properties To Go To Tax Sale

Posted on Author WKVI

All Starke County properties not sold in the spring tax sale will be offered in a commissioners online certificate sale beginning Thursday, July 5 at 10 a.m.

Visit SRI-taxsale.com, select Starke County and then property list to search the available properties. To place a bid, follow the instructions on the website. The winning bidder, or lien buyer, has certain rights and responsibilities, including the completion of the required legal actions to secure a tax deed after the one year redemption period.

Over 100 properties are listed in the sale that begins Thursday, July 5 and ends Monday, July 16 at 10 a.m.

Senate Democrats To Hold Online Town Hall Today

Posted on Author WKVI

The Indiana Senate Democrats will hold an Online Town Hall meeting on Twitter today at 9:30 a.m. ET. The Online Town Hall will cover new Indiana laws.

District 8 State Senator Jim Arnold invites you to join in the session and address all questions to @INSenDems using the hashtag #AskSenDems. You can discuss issues with a new law that requires the Department of Education to work with the Department of Child Services and other organizations to provide the public school system with a curriculum to educate teachers, school personnel and children about sexual abuse and how to report suspected abuse of students. You may also discuss a new law that prevents school corporations from charging a fee to parents or students for transportation to and from school or the state-wide smoking ban.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can sign up for free before the event.

WKVI Fall Trip To Nashville, Grand ‘Ole Opry Announced

Posted on Author WKVI
News Contributor, Ed Hasnerl
Ed Hasnerl

Ed Hasnerl has announced WKVI’s fall trip to Nashville, Tenn. and The Grand ‘Ole Opry. He says reserved seats have been obtained for the Opry on Saturday night, September 29, as part of the four-day, three-night deluxe motor coach trip to “Music City USA.”

Highlights of the trip include dinner and a show on the General Jackson Showboat on the Cumberland River; a tour of The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s plantation home; tours of the Ryman Theater, the original home of the Opry; the Opryland Hotel; the County Music Hall of Fame; and the new American Pickers Store.

Many more exciting and country music-related stops and events are planned and you can get the information and a registration form by calling WKVI at (574) 772-6241 or by stopping in the studios at 400 West Culver Road in Knox.

Grovertown Woman Arrested after Pursuit

Posted on Author WKVI

A Grovertown woman was arrested Wednesday after backing up into a police car during a pursuit incident in Marshall County.

Marshall County officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on U.S. 30 near Tulip Road and 37-year-old Renee Craig, who was wanted on a parole violation, would not stop. As Craig attempted to turn north onto Tulip Road off of US 30, she slid on gravel and left the roadway and drove over a stop sign. She then reportedly backed up her vehicle and struck a vehicle driven by an undercover officer and owned by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.

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New Law Assists Low-Income Families In Home Energy Costs

Posted on Author WKVI

The cost of home energy will be a bit more affordable for low-income families, thanks to House Enrolled Act 1141 – one of 161 new laws approved this year by the Indiana General Assembly. The new law dedicates nearly $30 million in mortgage foreclosure settlement funds in an effort to assist families who rely on assistance from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program to pay for high heating or air-conditioning bills. The program is a federal program offering financial assistance to low-income households who qualify and need support to pay home energy bills.

The program is funded from $145 million that the state received from the multi-state legal settlement concerning issues in mortgage foreclosures, and is administered through local community action agencies.

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Northwest Indiana Professional Network to Host Resume Workshop

Posted on Author WKVI

If you’re having a tough time writing your resume or you need help in writing one to submit with a job application, the Northwest Indiana Professional Network will present a workshop to help you in this process.

The Creating a Master Resume/Cover Letter/References workshop is Thursday, July 5 from 10 a.m. to noon CT at the Sagamore Center in LaPorte. During this workshop, you will develop an updated, professional resume and master application in order to fill out job applications with ease.

For more information, call (219) 462-2940 ext. 40.

Storm Yesterday Causes Few Injuries, No Estimate On Power Restoration

Posted on Author WKVI
Scenes like this one in North Judson were all too common in the wake of yesterday’s storm.

Kankakee Valley REMC has reported over 7000 people without power in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, and Pulaski counties after the afternoon storm that tore through the area on Friday. KVREMC dispatched crews yesterday to affected areas to begin restoring power. Causing the outages are five substations that have been reported down due to transmission feeds from NIPSCO being out as well as broken poles and downed wires.

Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem says the hardest hit area seems to be around Bass Lake, where boats were reportedly flipped over in the water and even tossed up on land. Several trees were felled and Norem says cleanup crews have their work cut out for them.

“The hardest hit areas seem to be in California Township around Bass Lake and North Bend Township, also around Bass Lake. The crews have been out, the highway department is out, the Sheriff’s Department has been out, but there is a lot of damage in that particular area and it’s going to be a long cleanup,” Norem said.

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Fundraising Efforts Pay Off For The Starke County Fireworks

Posted on Author WKVI

Fundraising efforts for the Starke County fireworks celebration have paid off, as a total of $6499.20 has been raised thus far for the event. Knox Mayor Rick Chambers says the cost of fireworks came out to roughly $7800, and the remaining $1300 is expected to be made up by gate fees.

Donations provided $3696 toward the celebration, and two fundraisers nearly doubled that amount. The port-a-pit chicken fundraiser raised $1533, and the fish fry raised another $1044.50. The remaining $225 came from vendor fees at the airport.

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Statewide Smoking Ban Effective Tomorrow

Posted on Author WKVI

The statewide smoking ban takes effect tomorrow.

House Enrolled Act 1149 bans smoking from restaurants, hotels and motels, movie theaters, bowling alleys, healthcare facilities, nursing homes, mental health facilities, assisted living facilities, and most other workplaces. The law also prohibits smoking within eight feet of a public entrance of any of those facilities.

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Drought Triggers Call For Voluntary Water Conservation

Posted on Author WKVI

This summer’s chronic hot and dry weather has not only resulted in drought conditions throughout most of Indiana, it has also prompted a call for high-capacity water facilities in 32 counties to implement voluntary water conservation measures.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security have announced plans to send notification letters to owners and operators of facilities in several counties with the capacity to withdraw 100,000 gallons or more per day.

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Pulaski County 4-H Fair Kicks Off Today

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County 4-H Fair is underway!

More 4-H entries are coming in today and open class exhibits are expected as well. The 4-H Recognition Program is set for 3 p.m. ET today and Earth Day activities are scheduled for 3-7 p.m. ET. The truck and tractor pull gets underway at 6 p.m. tonight. Admission is $7, but children under the age of six get in free.

Tomorrow, the Fair Association’s Hog Roast is at 10:30 a.m., the bed race begins at 2 p.m. and the Miss Pulaski County Pageant is at 8 p.m.

The Pulaski County 4-H Fair continues through Friday, July 6.

New Motorcycle Sale Law Ensures Level Playing Field For Indiana

Posted on Author WKVI
State Senator Ed Charbonneau

This Sunday, fully-assembled motorcycles will be available for purchase to Hoosiers at Indiana dealerships thanks to a new law authored by State Senator Ed Charbonneau.

Currently, state law prohibits the sale of motorcycles on Sunday, making their purchase a class B misdemeanor. However, Senate Enrolled Act 192 repeals that ban, aiming to not only help local business owners increase profit, but Charbonneau says it will also add convenience for Indiana customers.

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Week in Review for June 25th-19th, 2012

Posted on Author WKVI

Here is a look at some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.

Two fatal accidents were investigated in the Kankakee Valley area this week. On Monday, the Knox City Police Department responded to a two vehicle accident on U.S. 35 and John Street where the driver of a passenger vehicle hit a minivan head-on. The driver, 67-year-old Robert Freye, of Hamlet had a heart attack and crossed the center line and hit the minivan. He died of a torn aorta. The passenger in his vehicle, Mary Hightower, 63, of Hamlet, was badly injured in the accident and the driver of the minivan, Patrick McCarty, 39, of Knox sustained minor injuries in the accident. Two 16-year-old boys were killed in a single vehicle accident on 12 B Road, east of Olive Trail in Marshall County, Thursday night. Vincent Cody Poczik and Hunter Brandt of Plymouth were killed instantly when Poczik’s vehicle left the roadway, struck a guardrail and flipped end over end. The accident remains under investigation.  Continue reading →

Pulaski County Mourns Loss of Prominent Community Member

Posted on Author WKVI

A 50-year member of two organizations and a prominent community member passed away this week at the age of 90.

Alladean L. Clouser of Medaryville passed away on Wednesday, June 27. Clouser was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Winamac, and a 50-year member of OES Tippecanoe Chapter #96, having served as a matron for the organization three times. She was also a Rainbow Mother Advisor.

Clouser was also a member of the Home Demonstration Clubs for 50 years in addition to being a member of the Pulaski County REACT. She also served as a 4-H leader, Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader, and a choir mom.

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Authorities Release Driver’s Identity In Monday’s Fatal Knox Crash

Posted on Author WKVI

Authorities today released the name of the driver of a vehicle who died in a Monday morning accident on U.S. 35 and John Street in Knox. Robert E. Freye. 67, of Hamlet, died when his vehicle struck a minivan.

Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells and Forensic Pathologist Dr. Alan Griggs performed an autopsy Tuesday in Lafayette and confirmed that Freye had suffered a heart attack prior to the accident and died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. The cause of death was determined to be a torn aorta.

The woman who was a passenger in the vehicle has been identified as Mary Hightower, 63, of Hamlet. She was badly injured in the accident and remains hospitalized. The driver of the minivan involved in the accident was Patrick McCarty, 39, of Knox who received minor injuries in the accident.

Brief Storm Causes Thousands To Go Without Power, Few Injuries Reported

Posted on Author WKVI
Several trees were reported to have fallen, some even across the road, in several areas throughout the Kankakee Valley.

A storm tore through the Kankakee Valley on Friday, cutting off power to thousands and causing a number of roads to be closed. The storm also caused at least two injuries, as two boys were injured when a tree fell on them near Bass Lake and were transported to IU Health Starke Hospital for treatment.

The Bass Lake area suffered a large amount of damage from the storm. Boats were reportedly flipped over in the water or even flung up on shore, and several piers were reported to have been broken or missing entirely.

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Hamlet Man Killed in Monday Accident in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Police and first responders tend to an accident at U.S. 35 and John Street in Knox

Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells has released the name of the man killed in a two vehicle accident in Knox Monday afternoon.

67-year-old Robert Freye, of Hamlet, was traveling north on U.S. 35 in Knox when he suffered a heart attack, causing him to cross over into the southbound lane by John Street and hit a minivan driven by Patrick McCarty, 39, of Knox. Freye died instantly of a torn aorta as a result of the accident. The passenger in his vehicle, Mary Hightower, 63, of Hamlet was injured in the accident and was flown to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. McCarty received minor injuries in the accident.

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Fatal Accident Investigated by Marshall County Police

Posted on Author WKVI

Officers from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department were called to a fatal accident on 12 B Road east of Olive Trail last night.

Marshall County Coroner Bill Cleavenger said 16-year-old Vincent Cody Poczik of Plymouth and his passenger, 16-year-old Hunter Brandt of Plymouth, died of injuries sustained in the single vehicle accident. Poczik’s vehicle left the road, struck a guardrail and flipped end over end.

Both boys were killed instantly.  The accident remains under investigation.

Toxicology results are pending on both youths.

Fallen Tree Causes Moped Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

A moped driver was injured in an accident during the storms that went through the North Judson area last night.

The moped hit a tree in the middle of the road on 250 West near 700 South. The driver was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital and later airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend with unspecified injuries. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department has not released the name of the man involved in the accident.