The Pulaski County Health Department is working with VaxCare to administer a program that will allow the Department to continue vaccinating insured patients.
The Indiana State Department of Health announced last year that the Immunization Program would no longer support insured patients. This practice will be effective March 1st of this year for some health departments.
The Silver Creek High School Band Booster program in Sellersburg, Indiana recently hosted a benefit concert for the Drew Shearin Memorial Scholarship fund.
Hannah Gibson, who spearheaded the event, said two concerts were held on Sunday, January 22nd and Monday, January 23rd. The first concert, which featured Group 1 and Group 2 solos/trios that will be performed during the State Solo and Ensemble competition, raised $390. Group III raised $110 during the second night of performances.
Starke United is now accepting applications from non-profit organizations in Starke County who wish to apply for undesignated funds from the 2011 fundraising campaign.
Applications are available in the Starke United office at 53 W. Lake Street in Knox. Applications may also be downloaded from this website. Your organization must be an IRS qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or be able to prove your non-profit status. The following areas of concern are education, income and health.
Indiana State Police Troopers Gary Runde and Marcus Gholson thought they were responding to a single vehicle roll-over crash on I-80, this morning, due to weather conditions. What they found was a crash that was a result of a gunshot wound.
Preliminary investigation revealed that at approximately 3:43 am, this morning, Saturday, January 28th, a 1985 Buick LaSabre was south on Cline Avenue near Michigan/5th Avenue when the thirty-one year old, male black, driver from East Chicago and his twenty-four year old, female passenger noticed a slow moving red or maroon Dodge Durango in the left lane. The passenger stated that they noticed both the front and passenger windows were down on the passenger side as they neared and thought that was unusual. She related that the Durango slowed down to where it was barely moving when the driver decided to pass it. They (LaSabre) exited off onto I-80 eastbound and were in the right lane when she noticed the Durango pull alongside them on the driver’s side. She stated she heard one gunshot and they lost control.
The LaSabre driver veered to the right, hit the concrete barrier wall off the outer shoulder, rolled the Buick onto its top, and hit the wall again. Both the driver and passenger were able to exit the vehicle and take refuge inside another vehicle that had stopped to see if they were alright (this person did not witness the shooting or crash).
The driver was taken to NorthLake Methodist Hospital in Gary where it was confirmed that he suffered a single gunshot wound to his left temple. He is unconscious at this time and is being transferred to another hospital. The passenger was also taken to NorthLake where she was treated and released. Name is being withheld as family has NOT been notified.
This is an on-going investigation and anyone with any information is asked to please call investigating Detective Jennifer Richmond at 219-696-6242 Lowell Post.
Two Grovertown residents were arrested Wednesday after a search warrant was executed at their residence.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police conducted a drug investigation at 10195 E. Francis Street in Grovertown. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall approved a search warrant for the property and officers from Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police and the Plymouth K9 unit executed the search warrant early Wednesday morning. Officers located several items commonly used the manufacture of methamphetamine, discarded methamphetamine labs, the finished product and other controlled substances.
The right to work bill passed the Indiana House Wednesday and the debate on the bill lasted five hours. Democrat State Representative Nancy Dembowski said it was grueling.
“It was one of the worst things I’ve ever been through,” she said. “They’ve got all of the people demonstrating in the hallways and they shut off the speakers so the people out there can’t hear what’s being said. We insisted that they have a right to hear and we demanded they open the doors because the Constitution says that you have to have the doors open unless you want to do something in secrecy. Our people were trying to open the doors and they instructed the police to stop us. People have no idea what it was like. Person after person after person just pleaded with them that it was going to hurt the common working man and stop and they stuck together and they got it accomplished.”
Several Republican candidates filed for office yesterday in the Starke County Clerk’s Office.
Those candidates include Robert “Bob” Kolanowski, Don White, Don Johnson, Dorene Matzat and John Norem who filed for Precinct Committeeman positions. Don Johnson and Don White also filed for State Convention Delegate.
Kathy Norem filed for County Commissioner in District 1. Continue reading
Cheryl Paschen was sentenced yesterday in Starke Circuit Court.
She pleaded guilty in plea agreement to two counts filed against her: Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Syringe.
Judge Kim Hall sentenced her to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with 6 months suspended on both charges. Both sentences will run concurrently and on home detention through Starke County Community Corrections. As a term of her probation, she will be entering into a drug rehabilitation program and she will need to complete treatment.
Culver Community School Corporation’s One-to-One Technology Initiative is receiving some positive attention, and Principals Albert Hanselman and Julie Berndt informed the board this week of an upcoming presentation hosted by Apple to allow visitors from other school corporations to see the iPad initiative in action. According to Superintendent Brad Schuldt, the event will give visitors a chance to talk to Apple representatives regarding products, services, and their costs, as well as speak to Culver employees regarding the use of the technology and get an idea of the major successes and problems with the program.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Knox City Attorney David Matsey has informed Mayor Rick Chambers and the City Council members that he has been notified by Umbaugh and Associates that now might be the time to refinance the Community Center bonds. Umbaugh and Associates reported that the rates have gone down again.
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.
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.
The House Natural Resources Committee this week passed a bill 8-4 that would allow people to pay thousands of dollars to shoot deer behind high fences.
Many outdoor groups opposed the bill. Supporters included those who grow deer to sell to shooting preserves.
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.”
