A woman’s hat led to a successful promotion for the Starke County Food Pantry.
Lois Bock noticed a woman’s interesting hat during services at the Eagle Creek Church, and it was that hat that inspired her to organize last week’s Victorian High Tea event.
Of course, her pastor also had something to do with the event, as Bock explained.
Detectives with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department are investigating an alleged rape incident.
On Sunday morning, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department received a call of a female that had walked to a residence in the area of Rose Road and Mill Pond Trail. She indicated to the homeowner that she had been assaulted and asked them to call the police.
Two Monterey residents were arrested on Tuesday, April 24 after Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputies reportedly found an active meth lab at their residence.
Officers approached the home on Hazel Boulevard after an investigation was being conducted concerning the theft of scrap metal. Bart Shank, who was suspect of theft, had directed police to the residence to speak to Pete Rowe. He told police that he had been scrapping items with Rowe and said he lived at the address. When police arrived, one resident, Michael Babcock, told police he had never heard of Pete Rowe and that he and his girlfriend had been living at that residence for approximately two months.
According to the second of a two-part forum last Thursday night at Bass Lake, a county’s health ranking can impact many different areas– one of which is industrial attraction. State Representative Nancy Dembowski said that “quality of life” is one of the issues that arises when industry considers Starke County, because being ranked next-to-lowest in the state’s health ranking is definitely not a postive.
At the forum Thursday night, Dembowski pointed out a number of areas to work on, as the assembled members separated into groups.
WKVI is gearing up for its annual Radiothon for the Starke County Youth Club. This Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., we’ll be on the air taking pledges and informing the public about this award-winning club.
Youth Club Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says her main goal for the radiothon is educate the community about the club’s purpose.
The Drew Shearin Scholarship Fund is receiving some support from local student Taylor Kemble, who has organized a rummage sale to take place Friday, May 4 at the Knox United Methodist Church. Kemble says that because this will likely be her last rummage sale, she felt she needed to benefit someone who had a huge impact on her life– the late Drew Shearin.
“Well, I’ve been doing this for, I believe, the past four years now, and I just decided that since this was probably going to be my last rummage sale, I wanted to do something for Drew because he was a huge part of my life, and he inspired me to do many things and I just decided that this was going to be dedicated to him,” said Kemble. (05-01-12 Kemble – Drew)
Area firefighters recently completed a new recruit course.
Captain Joe Short from the Washington Township Fire Department said the course started in November and finished April 22. Firefighters met three days a week for a combination of lectures and hands-on activities. Those who completed the training received certifications in National Incident Management System (NIMS) 100, NIMS 200, NIMS 700, Autism, HAZMAT Awareness, HAZMAT Operations, Mandatory Firefighter, Firefighter I and Firefighter II. The courses were taught by Washington Township, Hamlet and Bremen Fire Officials and Starke County EMS Director Paul Mathewson.
The Knox Community School Corporation will be participating in the USDA Summer Food Program again this year.
Free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under beginning in June. Any child is welcome to eat for free at the Knox High School from June 4 to July 26, and at the Knox Elementary School from June 4 to June 28.
No child will be discriminated against and every child from all over the area is welcome to participate. Both breakfast and lunch will be served.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department investigated a fatal accident late yesterday afternoon.
82-year-old Donald Ferguson, of Plymouth, was killed instantly when his car was struck from behind by a semi-trailer tanker truck on U.S. 30 and Cedar Road in Bourbon. Ferguson was making a right hand turn onto Cedar Road when the accident occurred. Ferguson’s wife was injured in the accident and she was transferred to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth.
Selected Furniture LLC will be relocating from China to Knox, Indiana. Selected Furniture produces commercial seating and this season, are bringing you the best set of chairs for the winter.
Charles Weaver, Executive Director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, talks more about the new business that will be housed in the old Rockwell Building on Culver Road.
The three-day Turkey Tracks event was held this past weekend. As of Noon yesterday, the disabled hunters and guides had taken in 20 wild turkeys. The event was sponsored by the Eric Corey Foundation, and the 31 hunters enjoyed a weekend in the woods.
Activities occurred during the evening and in fundraising efforts, two specially-crafted Eric Corey plaques were auctioned for $4,600.00. A third plaque was presented to Carol and Doug Corey to be hung in Eric’s trophy room.
Starke County’s unemployment rate dropped .5% from February to March, but the county is still tied with Lawrence county as the fifth highest in the state.
Starke County’s rate went from 11.3% to 10.8%. Other counties in the top 5 are Vermillion at 12.1%, which is highest in the state, Fayette, Tipton, and Newton.
Gateway and the Starke County Historical Society are in discussions with the City of Knox to deed the Gateway property to the city. When Gateway was conceived, it did not include the Depot and all of the other historic items such as the watchman’s tower, Nickel Plate signal tower or the caboose and tracks.
The area had been an ice and coal yard for years on the west side of U.S. 35 and a fuel distribution center on the east side. To the north was the Golding property that was at one time a 1920 gas station. Jim Shilling convinced the owners of the property to sell it to a private organization called Gateway.
The 4-County Drainage Board has omitted the 2012 general drain maintenance assessment for landowners within the Robbins Watershed.
This will affect landowners in Center, Davis, Oregon and Washington Townships. The change will be reflected on the 2012 tax statement. The Drainage Board will continue to address maintenance on the drain during this year and the Board will review and evaluate the maintenance assessment for 2013.
The vote totals are in! Two residents from the Corey Drive area of Knox presented petitions to the Knox City Council last week that indicated most residents of the subdivision do not want street lights. Virginia Thomas presented the results.
“Three want street lights, and 14 don’t,” Thomas reported. “We went down the whole street. You know what they want more than street lights? They want “speed bumps,” but I said we’re only surveying for or against street lights.”
Knox City Board of Works members heard this week that the storm water drain project is officially completed. The $837,095 project provided several drains in flood prone areas of the city, mostly around Portland, Washington, and John Streets.
$25,000 was left over after the project was completed and now the city is now researching if the funds can be used for other projects.
The Oregon-Davis students will host a Mini-Relay to raise money in the fight against cancer.
Students will be collecting money from now until the day of the event, May 18th. The students will walk on the school grounds in the abbreviated version of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. The Mini-Relay will be an all-day event complete with music, games, class banners, and luminaria bags decorated by the students in memory or in honor of a family member or friend with cancer.
The Pulaski County Extension Chords will present their “Life is a Highway” concert tonight at 7 p.m. ET in the Winamac High School Socialtorium. Director Jodie Schlatter described what the concert-goers will enjoy.
“It’s just like the chorus is going on this bus trip to go to a choral festival and we’re just singing about our trip on the bus– what we see out the window, what we’re feeling, and just tying in all these cool songs from many decades,” said Schlatter. “We’ve got 60’s songs, Beatles, w’re singing part of Rascal Flatts’ song that they made famous with the Cars, good ol’ standards like ‘Blue Moon,’ some country, some pop, Taylor Swift, and we’re doing our own version of Ike and Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary.'”
She explained that the organization is actually part of a larger club.
“We are part of the Extension Club through Purdue University. We’re a special interest club and we go to Purdue each year at Festival Day during their Extension Service Homemakers’ Club event and our club travels around the country,” said Schlatter.
Many of the visitors to the Commissioners’ Meeting Room in the Starke County Annex have been pleasantly surprised to see the different configuration of the room and new furniture. EMS Director Ted Bombagetti discussed the way the new furniture for the room was secured.
“A year or so ago the commissioners allowed me to use this room as my Emergency Operations Center. Through District Two I was allowed to purchase furniture to support my center. Therefore this is some of the equipment you see in front of you today,” Bombagetti said.
Bombagetti said he would need to use the room as a command center in time of a county-wide emergency.
“I do have the authority to use the room as I see fit. I just have to have the room set up within two hours after I call for an opening. We set the room up just the same as if we had an active emergency,” Bombagetti said.
The commmissioners and council members thanked Bombagetti for the effort to get the new furniture.
The Maxinkuckee Players will hold auditions today for their summer production of “Crazy For You.” The audition times are from 9 a.m. to noon, 1 – 4 p.m., and 6 – 8 p.m. ET at the Culver High School Auditorium.
Gregg Underwood, a member of the Maxinkuckee Players, explained what the director will expect to hear from you when you audition.
“They can bring a song of their choice to sign with the piano or A Capella. Be prepared to read from a script given to you and perform a short dance combination,” Underwood said.
