Snow Storm Blankets Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI

A snow storm Friday night and early Saturday morning left varying inches of snow in Starke County. Anywhere from three to 11 inches fell depending on where you were in the county. Northeastern Starke County received the heaviest amount of snow, as a band stretched from lower Michigan into Indiana. The Starke County Commissioners issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for the area and pulled the snow plows at 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon and they resumed duties at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The Commissioners have since lifted that Level 2 Travel Advisory.

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Nancy Dembowski Will Not Seek Re-Election

Posted on Author WKVI
State Representative Nancy Dembowski

Democrat State Representative Nancy Dembowski has decided to end her 26 year political career. In her time, Dembowski served as a county councilman, mayor, state senator, and state representative.

Dembowski talks about her proudest moments as the Mayor of Knox.

“Everything from the Community Center and I’m especially proud of the police force that we were able to have for 11 years,” said Dembowski. “There are so many things. I think the accomplishments that we made and the improvements that we made in our community are some of the things I am most proud of.”

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Kent Danford Files for Starke County Commissioner Seat

Posted on Author WKVI

Kent Danford is seeking another term as a Starke County Commissioner. Danford, a Republican, is a former commissioner, who lost in a race to Dan Bridegroom in 2008.

Danford was asked why he decided to run for another term.

“There were several things. The main thing was I felt like I still had more things that I had to give back to the people. I’m a taxpayer and I felt like there were some things that could be done yet,” said Danford.

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Knox Community School Board goes to Paperless Meetings

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 went paperless at their meeting last week.

“For a long time, our school board, even before I came into this position, has been talking about going paperless with their board meetings,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “There has been some resistance, of course. Many adults are afraid of technology and it’s just the fear factor of moving forward. It came to the point where it was time to make a move.”

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H.J. Halleck Award Winner Announced

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski Chamber of Commerce H.J. Halleck Award winner has been announced. Tom Murray, Sr. is this year’s recipient.

Murray, for many years, has gone above and beyond promoting Pulaski County in many ways. To hear his story, plan on attending the Chamber’s Annual Meeting/Recognition dinner on Thursday, March 8th at the Moss Creek Golf Club at 6:00 p.m. ET. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling Angie Ansach at (574) 270-0016.

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Starke County Under Travel Advisory

Posted on Author WKVI

With today’s large amount of snowfall, Starke County has been placed under a travel advisory status of “Advisory.” A travel advisory status of “Advisory” means that routine travel or activity may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation. Citizens should use caution or avoid these areas.

Commissioner Dan Bridegroom says the plow trucks have been pulled off the streets for the day, but will resume clearing the roads at 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service has issued the following alert for Marshall and St. Joseph counties.

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Two LaPorte County Residents Arrested on Heroin Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Ryan Thomason
Jesse Brown

Two LaPorte residents were arrested Thursday, February 9th after an ongoing investigation by the LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit into the sale and distribution of heroin in the City of LaPorte.

Ryan Thomason, 26, and Jesse Brown, 24, were taken into custody without incident. Thomason has been charged with Dealing a Narcotic Drug in excess of three grams, a Class A Felony. Brown has been charged with Aiding, Inducing and Causing an Offense, a Class A Felony. Both are being held in the LaPorte County Jail pending appearances in LaPorte Circuit Court.

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Plymouth Man Arrested on Warrant

Posted on Author WKVI
Stewart Hummel

A Plymouth man was arrested Friday on an arrest warrant for drugs.

On January 12th, Chief Jim Cox, Detective Sergeant Leo Mangus and Investigator Ted Brown from the Plymouth Police Department were at a residence in the 17000 block of Lincoln Highway in Plymouth in regards to a theft call. During the investigation, Stewart Hummel, 33, was observed attempting to hide a methamphetamine lab in the garage. He then ran from the residence and police could not locate Hummel.

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Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County Make No Decision Concerning Jennie Carter

Posted on Author WKVI
Jennie Carter

The regular meeting of Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County was held Wednesday and produced no action on the status of Jennie Carter as Coalition Coordinator of Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County. The President of Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County, Judy Jelinek, said no action could have been taken as the lack of a quorum prohibited the Board to conduct business.

Another meeting has been scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 15th at the Girl Scout Cabin in Knox. Carter is still the Coordinator, and Jelinek said that the executive session is scheduled to discuss personnel matters. A yet to be announced open meeting for the public and press will be held after the executive session. No time or location has been announced for that public meeting.

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Damage Forces Change in Student Pickup/Drop-off Locations at Knox Elementary

Posted on Author WKVI

The Knox Community Elementary School is experiencing a change in its pickup and drop-off procedure for students.

“We had a structural problem in the doorway that has caused us to have to close that door for the time being and only use it for emergency exits if needed,” explained Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “Because of the problem at door #7, the pattern for drop-offs and walkers is going to change. Different door exits and entryways will have to be used for the parents who drop off kids and for the students that walk to school.”

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Knox Woman Injured in Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

A Knox woman was injured in a single vehicle accident in the City of Knox.

19-year-old Rebecca Stacy told Knox City Police that she was driving on Pacific Avenue by Bender Street at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday night when the vehicle began to go off the road. She corrected and turned the wheel one way and the steering went the other way. She corrected again and the vehicle went sideways and left the roadway.

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New Vending Machines En Route to Pulaski County

Posted on Author WKVI

The convenience of easily-purchased snacks and drinks is coming to more Pulaski County buildings, thanks to a pending contract with Canteen Vending. The courthouse, justice center, and county building will be outfitted with new glass-front Coke, Pepsi, and snack machines, and vending machines that already exist in other departments will be replaced by Canteen as well.

Deputy Auditor Carrie Wilson says that this agreement will bring a bit of money to the county through commission from the machines, and Canteen will provide maintenance for the machines weekly– a much better agreement than the county currently has, as the machines are rarely serviced which often proves problematic.

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Mike Pence to Speak at Pulaski County Lincoln Day Dinner

Posted on Author WKVI
Mike Pence

Mike Pence, a Republican candidate for Indiana Governor, will speak at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Pulaski County.

The Pulaski County Lincoln Day Dinner will be held on Tuesday, February 21st, at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Star City Community Building.

On Monday, Pence filed ballot petition signatures to run for Indiana Governor on the Republican ticket. He filed with 100 volunteers from every county in the state accompanying him to the Government Center in Indianapolis.

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From the WKVI Archives

Posted on Author WKVI
Jayne Cowen as Miss Starke County in 2001

It was 11 years ago that the first Starke County Pageant was held at the North Judson-San Pierre Socialatorium. One of the highlights of the evening was an appearance by the 2000 Miss Indiana Betsy Bobel.

The first Miss Starke County was Jayne Cowen, who said after being crowned that introducing crime prevention programs in schools would be her platform.

After competing in the Miss Indiana Pageant, June 14th, 2001, Jayne went back to Indiana State University where she finished her degree work.

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Knox Man Injured in Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

A Knox man was injured in a single vehicle accident in LaPorte County.

LaPorte County Police officers responded to a call at 12:07 this morning of a car in the ditch at 1500 S. 100 W. in LaPorte County. Eugene Sinn, 57, told police that he didn’t remember how he got there or how long he was there. According to LaPorte County officials, the officer reportedly asked Sinn if he had been drinking prior to the accident and stated that he had been drinking. He was taken to the hospital for medical treatment for facial cuts and a laceration over his upper lip.

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Starke County Landfill Problems Reported to Commissioners

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

More money needs to be poured into the site of the old Starke County Landfill. Brian Horvath, the Senior Project Manager of Weaver and Boos Consultants appeared before the Starke County Commissioners this week to report on conditions at the landfill.

Of the 12 probes placed on the property to detect methane gas, four showed up positive. The county now has 60 days to correct the situation.

Horvath said that trench 15 to 20 feet deep will need to be dug and then filled with gravel . The trench will provide a preferential pathway for any gas in the ground. The gas would then be vented into the atmosphere.

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Accidents Reported in the Kankakee Valley

Posted on Author WKVI

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department responded to a single vehicle accident on 1500 South, one mile East of State Road 39 last night around 8:00 p.m. One occupant was taken to the hospital.

Knox City Police Department officers were called to a rollover accident on Bender Street near Pacific Avenue around 10:00 p.m. last night. This was also a single car accident and minor injuries were reported in this accident.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers were called to a rollover accident early this morning at 1075 W. State Road 10. This was a one vehicle accident with one person injured.

All of these accidents are still being investigated and we hope to get more information on these cases once more information is available to us.