A 12-year-old Knox boy was injured after being hit by a car late Sunday afternoon.
The boy was reportedly riding his bicycle at the intersection of St. Louis Street and Shield Street when he proceeded into the intersection and into the path of an oncoming vehicle driven by a 17-year-old Knox resident.
With temperatures breaking the three-digit mark, former Starke County Health Officer Dr. Walter Fritz says residents need to be aware of the risk of heat stroke. Fritz says the longer the weather stays this hot, the more likely it is for someone to suffer from heat stroke.
“It looks like we’re in for a long haul with this, and the longer and the more severe the weather goes on like this, the more likely the possibility of heat stroke is to come up,” Fritz explained. “This is a medical condition that we all have to keep in the back of our minds and hopefully use good common sense to prevent.”
Public fireworks displays in Marshall County are in jeopardy, as the disaster declaration for the county has prohibited the launching of consumer fireworks. Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery says the decision as to whether or not to allow public fireworks displays to take place this year will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the county commissioners.
Avery says one jurisdiction has decided to move forward with their fireworks display this year, so Avery will meet with the commission president to reevaluate conditions and decide whether or not to allow the fireworks show. Legally, fireworks are not supposed to be launched until today, according to state statute – but Avery says they’ve always had a problem with people discharging fireworks before they’re legal.
A Knox woman was arrested Wednesday on a charge of theft after an investigation by the Plymouth Police Department.
On Tuesday, June 26, an employee from AutoPark called the Plymouth Police Department to report a customer going through employee cars in the parking lot. Police were told that a video was taken of the suspect entering one car and placing something in her pocket.
The Knox City Council this week approved a motion to use $4000 from Riverboat revenue to put in a handicap ramp on the west side of the courthouse. The committee planned to use funds out of the 50/50 sidewalkfund, but work that had been done in front of city hall and expenses as part of the city’s leaf pick-up had drained the sidewalk repair fund.
Cecilia Torres-Bowman has retired from Community Services of Starke County after dedicating 20 years of her life to the organization. She says she’s done a little bit of everything while there.
“For almost 20 years, I’ve done a little bit of everything – mostly with the food pantry and the Energy Assistance Program,” said Torres-Bowman. “I also lent out health equipment and the resource manuals, so there have been quite a few things I’ve been doing.”
With state corrections facilities running out of room, a summer study committee is looking into the possibility of housing criminals charged with Class D felonies in county jails rather than the Department of Corrections.
Because of this, the Starke County Jail Committee has been encouraged to plan for a facility with 130 beds rather than just 100 to ensure that even if the state does decide to send D-felony offenders back to the county, they won’t have to worry about overcrowding.
The Pulaski County 4-H Fair begins today!
Several 4-H entries are due at the fairgrounds throughout the day and commercial exhibits and vendors will be moving into the fairgrounds today.
The Garden Tractor Pull begins tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
The Supreme Court has upheld President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The law requires individuals not covered by employer or government-sponsored insurance plans to maintain minimal essential health insurance coverage or pay a penalty unless exempted for religious beliefs or financial hardship.
The drought is affecting everyone from farmers to outdoor enthusiasts.
Conservation officer Keith Wildeman said that because of the drought conditions, water levels are low in public freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams. You should be prepared to run into issues while visiting your favorite lake or river because of the low water levels.
After tabling the matter twice, the Knox City Council this week finally signed documents stating that Hoosier Custom Plastics is in substantial compliance to the terms of their tax abatement.
Council Attorney David Matsey said they were hesitant to sign the forms because documents that were necessary to ensure they were in compliance had been sent to the wrong department – some documents went to the clerk-treasurer’s office that should have gone to the auditor’s department, and vice versa. However, the council ultimately agreed that the company is in compliance, and approved the forms.
The Plymouth Police Department on Monday arrested 19-year-old Andrew Benson on charges of Theft, Credit Card Fraud, Forgery, and Resisting Law Enforcement following an investigation into items stolen from a vehicle parked at the Plymouth High School.
Police received a call on June 20 stating that a Dell laptop computer and a wallet containing credit cards and gift cards were stolen from a vehicle parked at the high school, and police soon learned that the cards had been used shortly after they were stolen. Three Plymouth businesses reported the cards were used at their locations.
The summer months usually mean a summer vacation for students, but not for the members of the Knox Redskin Brigade. Director Craige Phipps says the marching season and the regular band season is right around the corner.
“We start full-bore at the end of July and run through the end of May,” said Phipps. “We really do try and give them as much time as we can, but even with that, there’s things that need to be done through the summer.”
Phipps said the staff talked about what type of show to do this year and the music from “Cirque du Soleil”came up in conversation. He explains the show’s concept from there.
A six-state project for a DUI enforcement initiative is set for June 29 and June 30, and the Indiana State Police will participate in this effort.
The high-visibility enforcement effort will help reduce DUI-related vehicle crashes. The Indiana State Police will be joined by the Kentucky State Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Pennsylvania State Police, Michigan State Police and the West Virginia State Police in this enforcement effort.
Troopers in Indiana will utilize sobriety checkpoints and high-visibility saturation patrols in an effort to deter impaired driving.
The National Weather Service has placed us under an excessive heat warning and a red flag warning until 7:00 p.m. CT tonight. A red flag warning means that today’s combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and the heat will create explosive fire growth potential.
With that, Knox-Center Township Fire Chief, Kenny Pfost, reminds you that proper disposal of cigarettes and safe handling of fireworks is critical to avoid accidentally starting a fire.
The Starke County Community Foundation recently distributed $30,000 in scholarships during their annual reception.
Twenty-two scholars received 29 scholarships. Cody Hendershott was named this year’s recipient of the Ed Hasnerl/WKVI Scholarship and received his award during the reception. The 2012 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, Katelyn Schwenk of Oregon-Davis High School, was also recognized.
More than 50 Starke County students applied for the 29 Community Foundation scholarships and 15 students applied for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
The Indiana General Assembly approved 161 new laws this year, many of which will become effective July 1. The changes in state law taking place this summer impact a variety of issues including education.
Senate Enrolled Act 267, or, “Erin’s Law,” requires the Department of Education to work in cooperation with the Department of Child Services and other organizations to provide public school systems with a curriculum to educate teachers, school personnel and children about child sexual abuse and how to report suspected abuse of students. The Department of Education will provide schools with education materials, response policies, and reporting procedures for grades two through five.
Authorities are not yet ready to release the name of the driver of a vehicle who died in a Monday morning accident on U.S. 35 and John Street in Knox. Notification of the next of kin has to be made before that information can be released.
Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells and Forensic Pathologist Dr. Alan Griggs performed an autopsy Tuesday on the victim in Lafayette and confirmed that the driver of the passenger vehicle had a heart attack prior to the accident and died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. The driver suffered a torn aorta.
The Starke County Jail Committee looked at plans for a renovated or new county jail yesterday afternoon, and one surprising figure presented was that renovation of the current jail would cost more than a new facility.
That’s because $750,000 to $1 million would be needed to house the prisoners for 18 months while the renovation is being completed. Also adding to the cost of renovation would be soft costs, as a renovation project would take longer than new construction.
Applause filled the room at this week’s meeting of the Knox City Council, as they approved a motion to allow an exercise group to resume use of the community center at no charge.
The group had been using the Knox Community Center free of charge since 1998, but were recently asked to move operations to the Girl Scout Cabin in order to avoid paying a fee to use the center. Virginia Wireman-Duncan, the leader of the exercise group, said they felt they should be able to use the center free of charge because they did not charge any of their members any kind of fee in order to exercise with the group.
