Mint Festival To Take Place This Weekend

The 35th Annual Mint Festival begins Friday, June 15 and runs through Sunday, June 17. The event is held every year during the Father’s Day weekend and a Father and Grandfather of the Year are selected annually. Mint Festival President Terry Thompson has a few other items that will be featured during the event.

“We have a lot of vendors this year,” stated Thompson. “There are a lot of craft vendors and food vendors. We also have a lot of music. Mike McBride has a lot of live bands this year which include a lot of new bands for your entertainment.”

Don’t forget the parade on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., and Thompson will discuss another unique aspect of the Mint Festival tomorrow.

Senator Jim Arnold Receives Award From Disabled American Veterans Department

Senator Jim Arnold

The Disabled American Veterans Department of Indiana on Friday named State Senator Jim Arnold of LaPorte Legislator of the Year in recognition of his support for key veteran and military affairs issues at their annual state convention in Indianapolis. Arnold was previously recognized in April by the Michigan City chapter of the DAV for his dedication and commitment to Indiana servicemen and women.

Arnold said that because of his personal experience as an air traffic controller in the U.S. Air Force, these issues are particularly important to him. Since he joined the State Senate in 2007, Arnold has supported several legislative initiatives in support of Indiana’s veterans, including House Bill 1178 in 2010 – an act requiring post-deployment health evaluations of returning Indiana National Guardsmen and women to be conducted in person by a trained healthcare provider.

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Starke County EMS Director Says We Need Power Cots, Stair Chairs

Paul Mathewson

Starke County EMS Director Paul Mathewson informed the Starke County Commissioners last week that he is looking into more modern equipment that might cut down on Workers Compensation Claims. He specifically said that he is pricing power-lifting cots and stair chairs.

One of the real dangers for EMS personnel is bringing patients from their home to the ambulance. Many back injury claims have been submitted in the past, and Mathewson said it would pay off in the long run to cut down on these injuries.

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Five Entrepreneurial Spirits To Receive Scholarships

Five young business people will be presented with college scholarships for their outstanding entrepreneurial spirit today from members of the National Federation of Independent Business.

Nolan Sampson of Union Mills and a student from South Central Junior-Senior High School will be awarded scholarships. Sampson currently runs a mowing business with one employee and has 30 clients, and he says this business has been thriving throughout his high school career. He plans to go to college at Purdue this fall and to continue with his business in the Union Mills area. Sampson plans on focusing more on the agricultural side of business while at Purdue and after he graduates.

The scholarship presentation will be made at noon at the Hilton Downtown in the Vincennes Room in Indianapolis.

West Central School Board Signs Renewable Energy Contract

West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board signed a renewable energy credit contract. Superintendent Charles Mellon explains what that means for the corporation.

“Companies buy renewable energy credits – this is in connection with our wind turbine – that way they can say they are part owner of someone who is doing something along the ‘green lines,’ as far as not polluting the air. As a part of that, the corporation was awarded $67,000 for that right to those companies,” Mellon said.

The contract is for an eight-year period and when that time period is up, the board can renegotiate or send it out for bid. The corporation is only responsible for one thing.

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More Than $3000 Raised For Starke County Shop with a Cop

Starke County Conservation Officer Keith Wildeman, Jeremiah Patrick, Harold Smith, James Upsall, Rob Olejniczack, Rich Gast, Caitlyn Hinshaw, Melissa Osburn, Sandy Binkley, Hugo Reese, Chris Kisela, and Bob Leffert participated in last year's Shop with a Cop event.

Nearly $3,200 was raised Saturday in a fundraiser held by the members of the Kankakee Valley Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #129.

The proceeds will be used to fund the “Shop with a Cop” program in Starke County. The money will be used to purchase much-needed school clothes and school supplies for the 2012-2013 school year, and children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade will get to shop for these items with the help of members of the FOP.

Last year, the FOP was able to help 33 children, spending between $100 to $150 per child. Several businesses helped with donations for raffle items and more.

Knox City Police Department Officer and FOP President Chris Kisela will announce plans for the Shop with a Cop program as we get closer to the start of the school year.

Hoppe Receives Most Influential Woman in Construction Award

Wendy Hoppe, North Judson Town Council President and SCEDF Director receiving her award.

Starke County Economic Development Foundation Board Member Wendy Hoppe has been named the recipient of a Northwest Indiana Most Influential Woman Award, presented at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville on May 31.

This was the second year for such awards, with Hoppe being named as the Most Influential Woman in the category of construction.

This is the second year a SCEDF Board member has won an award. Diane Thalman, vice president, was the inaugural winner in the 2011 category of Most Influential Woman in Economic Development.

Wendy Hoppe is currently the North Judson Town Council president for 2012. She was the first licensed female plumbing contractor in Indiana. Wendy is well known at the state level and is sometimes the subject of referrals when other females inquire about the possibility of obtaining a plumbing license.

Her next goal is to hold classes for females in the community to learn the basics of plumbing so that they might feel comfortable in performing some of the more routine tasks that they might face. Hoppe is in her eighth year on the Starke-Pulaski Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors.

Pulaski County Human Services Offers Summer Cool Program

The Summer Cool Program is being offered through Pulaski County Human Services, Inc. and the North Central Community Action Agencies.

The program provides an additional $65 toward an electric utility for those who signed up for the winter energy assistance program. New applications will be taken by appointment starting July 2. Air conditioners will be available on a first come, first served basis to current and new residents who are eligible. In order to receive this benefit, you must be financially eligible based on the income guidelines of the program, have a person living in your home who is elderly or disabled, or have a child under the age of six.

For more information, call (574) 946-6500 or toll-free at (877) 946-4211 and schedule an appointment. The Summer Cool Program ends Aug. 31.

Center Township Alumni Gather To Reminisce About Center School

Before they were “Redskins,” they were “Blue Streaks.” That was the what the Center Township sports teams were called before the school burned to the ground in 1942. After the fire, the students from Center Township came into Knox.

Legend has it that the blue in the uniforms of Knox sports teams is in honor of the Center Township School – after all, one of the most famous of all Knox High School graduates, Harold Weinberg, attended the school until it burned.

On Sunday, several of the students who attended the school gathered at the Community Services building to enjoy a meal, look at pictures, and reminisce about their school days at Center.

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Literacy Council Established In Starke County

Sheila Urwiler

There is now a Literacy Council in Starke County. Through the efforts of Sheila Urwiler, director of the Starke County Library System and Jerry Gurrado of the SCILL Center, a council has been established and volunteers trained.

“We’ve had five people go through the training and are now certified. We’re looking for more volunteers because the more people we have do this, the better. Training only takes about one to two hours. It’s not hard to do. You don’t have to be a teacher; you can just be a person who has a few hours of time a week who would like to help out,” Urwiler said.

Tutoring has already started for students in the program.

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Starke County Relay For Life Event Raised More Than $58,000

Erica Taylor Joseph, Jaxon Joseph, and Macie Keppler were members of the Hawg Wild DJs team.

The Starke County Relay for Life held over the weekend was a success! Relay for Life Coordinator Megan Hamand gave the results figure at the end of the event Saturday morning.

“We raised $58,445 this year, which is amazing. I couldn’t believe it when we hit $52,000 last year, but our 44 teams were determined to beat last year’s total and we did,” Hamand said.

The “Hawg Wild DJs” team was unofficially named the top fundraiser, and team member Ericka Taylor Joseph explained some of her team’s fund raising methods.

“We usually have several fund raisers. We had a Purses for a Purpose fundraiser and a pork fundraiser. Our team is large, and everyone pitches in and raises its $100 personal goal,” Joseph explained.

Joseph explained that there is one thing in particular that all the team members have in common.

“Actually, everyone on the team has lost someone to cancer. I lost my father Tommy D. Taylor to cancer ten years ago,” Joseph observed.

Hamand thanked everyone who made the event a huge success, and she says planning is already underway for the 2013 relay.

West Central School Board Changes Regular Meetings

West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board modified its meeting date schedule, and Superintendent Charles Mellon says the board will now only meet once a month instead of twice a month.

“We’re going to a little different format,” explained Mellon. “We’re going to be meeting the first Thursday of the month. The only time we deviate from that would be the first week in January and the first week in July. This will be something new – we’ve always been a two-meeting-per-month corporation, but we’re going to try something different.”

The first meeting in January and in July in 2013 will be on the second Thursday of the month. If the
board needs to meet more than once a month, special sessions can be called in order to take care of business.

35th Annual Mint Festival Is This Weekend

The 35th Annual North Judson Mint Festival is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Mint Festival President Terry Thompson says plenty of activities are planned.

“We have more carnival rides this year and some are new and we have karaoke, which is a big event this year for us,” said Thompson. “It will be in the middle of town on Saturday from 1 – 4 p.m. The Mint Idol Contest will be Friday night at 6 p.m., and there will be town-wide yard sales Saturday and Sunday.”

Those are just a few of the events scheduled, and Thompson will talk about more Mint Festival events through the week as the event nears.

Oregon-Davis School Board Seeking Two New Members

Oregon-Davis Jr./Sr. High School

The Oregon-Davis School Corporation is searching for two replacements for the school board. Candidates are being sought for a District III position and an At-Large member.

If you are interested in serving on the Oregon-Davis School Board, submit a letter of interest with background information and reasons why you want to be a school board member. Included in the letter should be an explanation of how you could contribute to the success of the Oregon-Davis School Corporation.

Consideration for candidates will be held at the June 18 school board meeting.

Send candidacy letters to Julie McLiver, administrative assistant at the Oregon-Davis School Corporation at 5998 N. 750 E., Hamlet, IN, 46532. Oregon-Davis has a policy of providing equal opportunity.

NJSP Joins Area Schools In Summer Food Service Program

The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation is participating in the Summer Food Service Program where free meals will be available to all children age 18 and younger. This is the fourth area school that has announced its participation in the program, following Knox, Culver, and Oregon-Davis.

Breakfast will be served to all children from 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and lunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meals will be provided Monday through Thursday to all children without charge and all meals are the same for everyone. Breakfast and lunch will be served at the North Judson-San Pierre Elementary School Cafeteria.

Adults may eat at the site for a charge of $1 for breakfast and $2 for lunch.

Women Over 40 Need Mammograms, Says Klicek

IU Health Starke Hospital

Ladies over 40, have you had your yearly mammogram? According to Josephine Klicek at IU Health Starke Hospital, there is no more important decision you can make today than to schedule your mammogram.

Klicek is so passionate that women over 40 should have a yearly mammogram that she set up a table at the recent Health Fair, sponsored in part by IU Health Starke Hospital.

“When the patients would come up, one of the things we would ask them is, ‘Do you have insurance? Have you had your yearly mammogram?’” she said.

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Tri Ancilla Event Raises $4600

Todd Zeltwanger, executive director of Institutional Advancement at Ancilla College, has announced the recently-held Tri Ancilla event netted approximately $4600. Zeltwanger said that was significantly up over the past two years.

The event also brought a field of 140 participants from five different states to the college for the fourth annual triathlon. Men and women, ranging in age from 15 to 87, participated in a 500-yard swim, 11-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile run that toured the Donaldson campus and surrounding areas.

Prizes were awarded to the top male and female finishers as well as the winners of various age groups. On the men’s side, the overall winner was Jim Langfeldt of Plymouth. On the women’s side, the overall winner was Madison Woods of Osceola.

The event was held on May 19.

West Nile Virus Confirmed Early This Year

First signs of West Nile virus activity in Indiana have already been confirmed – a full month sooner than last year. Mosquitoes in Orange County have tested positive for the virus, considerably earlier than the first positive mosquitoes found last year in Mid-July. State health officials say it’s not possible to predict the severity of this year’s West Nile virus season, as temperatures and rainfall will have an impact. Last year, the virus was found in mosquitoes in 34 counties.

Starke County Health Nurse Frank Lynch has a number of tips for those looking to avoid mosquitoes.

“Big thing is to just be insect repellant when you’re outdoors, try to avoid mosquito-infested areas around dusk to dawn – that’s when they’re most prevalent, use your repellant, screens on the windows and doors, and any standing water – bird baths, puddles, anything like that – try to keep those cleaned out as best as possible,” said Lynch.

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Four Arrested In Knox On Possession Charges

Four people were arrested in Knox on Monday after police reportedly found drugs in a vehicle.

Knox City Police officers and officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Community Corrections were near the Super Value Inn when they saw a suspicious vehicle pull into the hotel parking lot. A woman got out of the car and, once she saw police, quickly got back in. Police stopped the vehicle and talked to the occupants.

One officer reported smelling burnt marijuana in the car and asked everyone to exit the vehicle. After the driver granted police permission to search the vehicle, police reportedly found methamphetamine and marijuana in the car, which were field tested with a positive result on both tests.

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Two Arrested In La Porte For Dealing Controlled Substances

Steven McClelland
Allisha Mendoa

Two La Porte residents were arrested on Friday after an arrest warrant was executed by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Division and La Porte Metro Operations Unit.

Allisha Mendoa, 31, was arrested on charges of Dealing a Schedule II Controlled Substance, a Class B Felony; two counts of Dealing a Schedule IV Controlled Substance, a Class C Felony; and misdemeanor charges of Aiding, Inducing, or Causing an Offense and Visiting a Common Nuisance.

Steven McClelland was arrested on charges of Dealing a Schedule II Controlled Substance, a Class B Felony; Dealing a Scheduled IV Controlled Substance, a Class C Felony; and a misdemeanor charge of Visiting a Common Nuisance.

These arrests are the results of investigations conducted by the La Porte Metro Operations Unit in response to community concerns about illicit activity in the area.