Starke Circuit Court Judge Sentences Earl Beem, Jr.

Posted on Author WKVI
Earl Beem, Jr.

Earl Beem, Jr., of Knox was convicted of Possession of Methamphetamine Under Three Grams as a Class C felony in the Starke Circuit Court Thursday after previously pleading guilty as part of a plea agreement. Beem was sentenced to a total of 62 months in the Department of Corrections, making this his third trip to prison after he was convicted of a Probation Violation and Dealing A Legend Drug in the past.

Beem will serve four years for the felony, but will be serving an additional 14 months for violating his probation. In addition, the court recommended that he complete the CLIFF program.

Knox City Council Approves Purchase of Property in Parkview

Posted on Author WKVI
Back Row: Greg Matt, Mayor Rick Chambers, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, Donald Kring, City Attorney David Matsey. Front Row: Linda Berndt, Jeff Berg and Ron Parker

The Knox City Council approved the purchase of a property in the Parkview Heights area.

The Council purchased property at 404 Giles Court. On the property is a 1950’s-type trailer, and the owner, James Landrum, offered to sell it to the city for $2,000.00. Mayor Rick Chambers said on top of the purchase price the council would need to figure the cost of cleaning up the property.

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Right to Work Bill Passes Indiana House

Posted on Author WKVI
Indiana Statehouse

The right to work bill passed the Indiana House yesterday.

The final vote was 54-44. The bill gives workers the freedom to choose whether or not to financially support a union. It states that an employee cannot be forced to join to financially support a union in order to get or keep a job.

House Bill 1001 was heard on third reading yesterday after the majority of the Democrat Caucus boycotted the first few weeks of session by failing to show up to work. Members of the House Republicans attempted to address right to work last session, however the Democrats denied the House a quorum by fleeing to Illinois for five weeks. The issue was tabled and further studied in the Interim Study Committee on Employment this summer.

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December Unemployment Rates Show Little Improvement

Posted on Author WKVI
Indiana Workforce Development

Starke County’s unemployment rate went up in December. The rate was only slightly higher at 10.7%, which is the 11th highest in the state.

Indiana’s rate was not changed from November at 9%.

Fayette County had the highest rate at 12.3% followed by Vermillion, Elkhart, Tipton, and Blackford. Dubois County had the lowest rate at 5.9% followed by Davies, Hamilton, Knox, and Switzerland.

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Knox Woman Arrested after Battery Incident

Posted on Author WKVI
Jennifer Czarnecki

A Knox woman faces seven charges after a battery incident on Saturday.

Starke County police were called to a residence in North Judson where it was reported a female had been battered. When the Starke County officer arrived on scene, he observed a woman in handcuffs attempting to leave the back of the police car. She had reportedly told her mother that she had been battered, but no evidence of the battery was indicated.

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Hearings Held in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall sentenced Cheryl Hughes yesterday on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Operating a Vehicle Dangerously While Intoxicated. She was sentenced to 13 months on the possession charge and 12 months on the OVWI charge. All time was suspended and will be served on probation. Her Driver’s License was suspended for nine months.

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Legislators Considering Smoking Ban

Posted on Author WKVI

Legislators are considering a smoking ban in this session of the legislature that would prohibit smoking in public places, enclosed areas of a place of employment, in certain state vehicles and within 12 feet of a public entrance to a public place or an enclosed area of a place of employment. The bill allows smoking iqos heets uae cigarettes in certain gaming facilities, cigar bars, and retail tobacco stores if certain requirements are met.

Yet tobacco is legally sold in virtually every country in the world and, after decades of understanding its harm, it remains not only legal but highly accessible and profitable (to everyone but the consumer) in US.

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College Goal Sunday Set in Plymouth

Posted on Author WKVI

Students looking for help on the FAFSA form can get that assistance during College Goal Sunday on February 12th at Plymouth High School.

This free program is designed to assist you in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. The FAFSA is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, loans and scholarships at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools nationwide. The deadline to file for the FAFSA is March 10th. In one afternoon at College Goal Sunday, you and your parents can get help in finishing the complicated form and get it filed online.

Tax forms and other income and benefit information are required. For more information, visit this website.

Township Government Portion of Government Reform Bill Fails to Pass

Posted on Author WKVI
Indiana Statehouse

A bill that would have reshaped county government died yesterday. Republican Representative Kevin Mahan, of Hartford City, pulled a bill that would have eliminated township advisory boards and required referendums in each county on whether to keep township government at all. The bill was to have been debated Friday.

Oregon Township Trustee Mark Allen, a Democrat, traveled to Indianapolis to attend the hearing.

“There was quite a push to keep townships alive and I think it’s a great thing, especially in your rural communities,” said Allen. “Where I live, you’ve got a volunteer fire department that the township trustee is in charge of and you also have a township assistant.”

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Some Republicans are Voting Against Right to Work

Posted on Author WKVI
State Representative Tom Dermody

Even though Republican Governor Mitch Daniels has made right to work his number one priority item for this session of the Indiana General Assembly, some Republicans are voting against the measure. One was Senator Ed Charbonneau, of Valparaiso, who voted against the bill Monday.

Republican Representative Tom Dermody, of LaPorte, has said he will vote against the measure.  Continue reading →

Owner of Ortman’s Meat Processing in Winamac Dies

Posted on Author WKVI
Jim Ortman

The owner of Ortman Meat Processing in Winamac passed away Monday in Pulaski Memorial Hospital.  James R. Ortman, with his wife Mary,
have owned the business for 23 years as well as Prairie Moon Orchard in Francesville.

Ortman won many awards for his products. He was a member of the Indiana Meat Packers Association and a Director and Chairman of the Cured Meat Show.  Jim had lived in Winamac since 1962 and when he was 13, he was adopted by George and Ann Ortman.

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Winamac Man Arrested for Alleged Battery Incident

Posted on Author WKVI

31-year-old Wesley Hurley, of Winamac, was arrested Saturday after an alleged battery incident.

A deputy from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department was notified of the incident and was enroute to the residence when he saw a man waving his arms in the air to gain his attention. The officer walked up to the residence where he could hear a man yelling at a woman. The woman then opened the front door and the officer could see that she had been crying and her clothes were torn and she was injured.

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Medaryville Fire Department Investigates House Fire

Posted on Author WKVI

The Medaryville Fire Department and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating a house fire that erupted Sunday evening.

Fire Chief Shaun Hauptli said that when the fire department arrived on scene, the southern part of the home at 210 W. Main Street was engulfed in flames. The home was occupied at the time of the fire and it was on the market. The home was considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

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Winamac Man Arrested after Driving under the Influence

Posted on Author WKVI

Jeremy Miller, 33, of Winamac, was arrested Saturday after he was found to be driving under the influence.

Pulaski County Police were called to the town of Pulaski after a call was received about a man who reportedly had driven from a residence with his three children and he had been drinking. An officer pulled over Miller’s vehicle and his mother pulled up in a truck across the street. The officer allowed Miller’s three children to be taken from the scene into the custody of his mother. Police then conducted several sobriety tests and Miller allegedly failed every one. A portable breath test showed that he was over the legal limit. He was transported to the Pulaski County Jail.

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West Central School Board Discusses Future Plans

Posted on Author WKVI

During the recent meeting of the West Central School Board, Superintendent Charles Mellon said that the Board talked about future plans for the Corporation.

“We did discuss a little bit about the possibility of having a late arrival day for students, possibly once week,” stated Mellon. “We’re looking at Thursday where the students would come in like maybe 20 minutes late. The teachers would arrive at 7:30 a.m. and that would give us almost an hour of in-service each week to take care of the many tasks that now face teachers outside of the classroom. This was just presented to the Board. We need to discuss it with the Association. We have received teacher input just on a survey. That was kind of a first step to make the Board aware and we’ll go back and do a little bit more work and bring it back to the Board when it’s time to approve the 2012-2013 school year calendar.”

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Pulaski County Police Arrest Rochester Man for Battery

Posted on Author WKVI

Officers from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Rochester man after he allegedly battered his wife on Sunday.

The victim told police that she and Derek Keller were drinking and they were on their way home when an argument ensued. Keller reportedly struck the victim with a closed fist in the forehead. She grabbed the keys out of the ignition and the vehicle stopped in the roadway. She ran to a home nearby and the homeowner drove her home and she called police.

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Two North Judson Residents Arrested on Methamphetamine Charges

Posted on Author WKVI

Two North Judson men were arrested on Tuesday, January 17th after Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department officers reportedly found items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine in their vehicle.

Police initiated a traffic stop at County Road 800 North and U.S. 421. The officer notified the driver, Donald Fletcher, that the license plates did not match the vehicle. Fletcher said he didn’t have the money to get the proper plates and he reportedly told police that he knew they weren’t the right plates and Starke County police recently towed the vehicle for the same reason.

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High School English Students Present Assignment to Knox Community School Board

Posted on Author WKVI
Gary Dulin, Jerry Fletcher, Harold Welter, Mary Lynn Ritchie, Kirk Bennett, Nathan Marcum, Mike Yankauskas, Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board heard a presentation from Michelle Matysak’s High School English class during the Spotlight on Success portion of the meeting. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said that Jacob Kietzman and Kara Aaron made the presentation:

“They presented Sonnets that they had they had created on their MacBook. Remember, we’re in the one-to-one computer program and they were able to create, not just in words, but show on their MacBook, with video presentation, the Sonnets they created. They had a background of instrumental music to go along with it. The Board was pretty impressed and it was a great presentation. It’s just another example of some of the items that teachers and students are able to do in classes that they wouldn’t be able to do if we hadn’t gone to this computer program.”