The Winamac High School currently works on tri-semesters instead of two semesters, but Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman said that may change.
“We’re on tri-semesters and that’s been a very good approach for us in scheduling classes for our high school students but the State has really put a monkey wrench into that process in that the State Assessments do not follow the tri-semester schedule very well. Our students are having to take the State Assessment which has a lot of meaning. So, we’re looking to see if the best fit now for our students and their performance would be a typical two semester program versus the three semester. I’ve been working with the high school staff through their curriculum leaders and gathering input as to what makes sense.”
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 from Elementary School Assistant Principal, Michelle Tarnow, who presented the Little F.I.S.H. program as the Spotlight on Success portion of the project. The Little F.I.S.H. program is available through IU Health Starke Hospital.
“F.I.S.H. is the acronym for Feeling Important Staying Healthy and the Little F.I.S.H. program offers students in the fourth grade level ideas and different recipes and different foods that they can eat and that are more healthy than others,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “They each get a t-shirt and it has created some excitement with other grade levels. Our fourth grade is large enough this year that we split up the students so that not as many kids are being shown the program at one time so they come twice a month for the program.”
The widow of Starke County’s longest-serving mailman passed away over the weekend.
Margie Green died Saturday at the age of 91. The Knox Post Office was named for her late husband, Grant Green, who served as a Knox mailman for 50 years prior to his retirement in 1970.
Margie had conducted a Kindergarten in her home before the public schools offered such a program, then started the Knox Kindergarten program under Superintendent Ralph Harbison.
After retiring from the Knox Schools, she started a new career at the age of 70 as the Starke County Voter Registration Officer for which she was named Indiana Voter Registration Official of the Year in 2005.
WKVI was at Hensler Nursery in Hamlet on Saturday morning broadcasting live and helping the staff bring in the Christmas season. Many people were there picking out their perfect Christmas tree or getting wreaths and other greenery to create the perfect scene for the holiday season. It was a great way to kick off the wonderful time of the year. Enjoy these pictures from the event! Continue reading →
Santa Claus arrived in Knox for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony
Santa Claus arrived right on time yesterday afternoon for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the Starke County Courthouse. Accompanied by several beautiful young ladies from the recent Miss South Bend/Kankakee Valley pageant, Santa came in on a Knox-Center Township Fire Department fire truck.
On the count of three, Mayor Rick Chambers flipped the switch on the Christmas tree and proclaimed the Christmas season’s beginning.
Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.
Traci JacobsRichard Warner
Traci Jacobs of Knox and Richard Warner of North Judson were arrested on Thursday, November 17th after one pot method meth labs were found at a residence in North Judson. They were charged with several drug possession charges. Jacobs was also arrested on active arrest warrants for Failure to Appear. Continue reading →
The third suspect in the shooting death of 81 year old Wilma Upsall has been arrested. Police received a tip, and arrested Roy Bell at a home outside of Monterey. He was transported to the Fulton County Jail.
Bell was reportedly taken without incident. He was arrested at about 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. Police did not reveal who’s home Bell was at when arrested.
He’s being held on the same burglary, robbery and murder charges as two reported accomplices in the shooting death that occurred Tuesday near Leiters Ford. Also being held are William Scroggs, 25 of Delong and Jason Miller, 34 of Plymouth.
Upsall lived with her daughter and son in law at the rural Olson Road residence and was found shot to death in her home Tuesday evening.
One suspect remains at large in a shooting incident in Rochester that took the life of a former Starke County woman.
Police have arrested William Scroggs, 25, of Delong, and Jason Miller, 34, of Plymouth in the incident. They reportedly shot and killed 81-year-old Wilma Upsall at a home in Rochester after they forcibly entered into the home where she lived with her daughter and son-in-law. An autopsy confirmed that she died from a single gunshot wound.
Scroggs and Miller were arrested after police attempted to conduct a traffic stop near Monterey after the vehicle they were driving crossed the center line and was exceeding the speed limit. A ten minute police pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed on State Road 117 north of State Road 110. Miller and Scroggs fled on foot and were arrested. A third man in the vehicle, Roy Bell, 24, of Rochester remains at large today.
Jason Cooke, of Plymouth, was recently arrested by Starke County police on a warrant and has been charged with Resisting Law Enforcement and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, all Class D Felonies.
The offense occurred on August 31st when Cooke allegedly fled from police after he initially told police to go around him while exiting the Grovertown Truck Stop. He reportedly waved the police to go around him and the officer decided that the driver didn’t want the officer to follow him and criminal activity may be involved. The driver then pulled away and drove east through the parking lot. The officer followed and started traveling east on U.S. 30 behind the vehicle. The car turned south on 1100 East and started to drive faster. The vehicle crossed the railroad tracks and went off the side of the road. The officer activated his emergency lights and attempted a traffic stop but the car kept going. The officer stated in his report that he followed the car until the car swerved into a corn field and went down the road until he saw the vehicle come out on the south end of the field. The vehicle stopped and the driver and passenger ran from the vehicle on foot. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Knox City Police Department were unable to find the suspects.
Shawn Mattraw, a member of the Starke County Community Corrections staff, has been selected to be the Northwest District Director for the association. In this capacity, Shawn will organize training for district members in Evidence Based Program initiatives.
“It’s going to give me greater responsibility, not just at the local level of Community Corrections, but also at the state level in terms of overall policy development any revisions with statutes and things like that that impact and affect anybody in the Northwest region,” explained Mattraw. “The Northwest region, including Starke County, consists of 12 other counties. It’s a task I’m really looking forward to. It gives me an opportunity to broaden my experiences and develop things more at the state level that impact us all in Community Corrections.”
The Knox City Council has decided to refinance the remaining payments on the Knox Community Center. John Julien, from Umbaugh and Associates, appeared before the council to announce that re-bonding rates would go from 5.6% to 2.5%, and the city could realize savings from $14,000 to $25,000 over the course of the payments.
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis
The Starke County Commissioners have passed an ordinance that would halt nepotism in hiring in county government. The ordinance was created in part to stop complaints from the public about employees working under direct supervision of a family member. In the ordinance, the definition of relatives was spelled out with 17 listed from father and mother to relatives by adoption.
The ordinance applies to all elected or appointed directors.
The West Central School Board has decided to proceed with eliminating the Middle School Principal position.
Superintendent Charles Mellon told us that he has notified Principal, Kay Beasey, of the decision. She has the opportunity to meet with the Superintendent and the Board to discuss the situation. The restructuring of the Middle School/High School has not yet been finalized but Superintendent Mellon said they are working on that process.
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede
Pulaski County Maintenance Director Morry Demarco told the commissioners this week that he is ready for winter. All the winter equipment is ready to fire up, the salt is in place, and the equipment has been served. He also mentioned that the 28 heating units in the county buildings are up and ready to run, and each of them have been test-fired.
Demarco also told the commissioners that he performed some sidewalk repair on the west entrance of the courthouse and also took some before and after pictures. He said that the job was a simple patch job, but the weather was interfering with his ability to get it done.
The Eastern Pulaski School Board discussed its fiscal year budget at their recent meeting and gave Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman permission to advertise the budget.
Gary Dulin, Jerry Fletcher, Harold Welter, Mary Lynn Ritchie, Kirk Bennett, Nathan Marcum, Mike Yankauskas, Superintendent A.J. Gappa
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa gave the School Board a facility study update this week.
“Our Board has been investigating work that needs to be done at the Elementary School. I’ve been meeting with the staff members at the Elementary School by grade level and offering them the same mini tour and showing them the inner workings of the building, similar to what the Board had seen during a mini retreat that they had and also what the public was shown last spring.”
Rural Rochester – Tuesday, at approximately 7:06 p.m., officers from the Indiana State Police and Fulton County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call reporting a possible murder at 6832 West Olson Road, rural Rochester, IN.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the owners of a residence at 6832 West Olson Road arrived home from work, and found a rear door to the house open. Upon entering the house, they found the body of Wilma Upsall, 81. An autopsy, conducted on Wednesday, revealed that Upsall died of a gunshot wound. There were signs of forced entry into the home but investigators have yet to determine if any articles are missing from the residence.
Upsall lived at the home with her daughter and son-in-law.
Last night, at approximately 6:34 p.m., officers from the Indiana State Police initiated a traffic stop on a Chevrolet El Camino on 20 A Road near the town of Monterey, IN. The El Camino had purportedly driven across the center line and was exceeding the posted 55 miles per hour speed limit. Officers also wanted to speak with the occupants of the Chevrolet about Upsall’s alleged murder. When troopers activated the emergency lighting and sirens on their police cars, the El Camino accelerated and led officers on an approximately ten minute pursuit. The chase ended when the Chevrolet crashed on State Road 117 north of State Road 110. The driver, Jason Miller, 34, Plymouth, IN, and his two passengers, William Scroggs, 25, Delong, IN, and Roy Bell, 24, Rochester, IN, all fled on foot.
William B. Scroggs
After an overnight manhunt, by multiple police agencies, Scroggs and Miller were eventually located and incarcerated in the Fulton County Jail. They each face a single count of murder and two class A felony charges for burglary and robbery. They are being held without bond. Scroggs and Miller were found in different locations and at different times.
At this time Bell has not been located. Investigators believe he is possibly armed and should be considered dangerous. An order of probable cause has been issued by the Fulton Circuit Court for Bell to be arrested on murder, robbery, and burglary charges.
Jason A. Miller
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this case, or Bell’s whereabouts, is encouraged to call the Indiana State Police Peru Post at 1-800-382-0689 (inside Indiana) or 765-473-6666. Information can also be provided to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department by calling 574-223-2819. Information can also be provided anonymously to Fulton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-616-7867.
A single vehicle crash in Jackson County claimed the life of Craig M. Milcarek.
Just after midnight this morning a single vehicle crash in Jackson County claimed the life of a La Porte, IN teen. According to Trooper Matt Holley, at approximately 12:35 a.m. a 1996 Honda Civic driven by 21 year old Cory D. Allison of La Porte, IN was traveling southbound on I-65 near the 51.5 mile marker when he lost control of the vehicle which then rotated striking a guardrail in the median. The force of the crash caused five of the guardrail posts to be broken off before the vehicle came to rest with the passenger side of the vehicle against the guardrail.
Allison suffered severe head and chest injuries and a back seat passenger, 19 year old Brandon W. Lehman of La Porte, IN also suffered severe head and chest injuries. Both Allison and Lehman were transported to area hospitals. The front seat passenger, 19 year old Craig M. Milcarek, also of La Porte, was pronounced dead at the scene. Although the crash remains under investigation, speed and aggressive driving possibly contributed to the crash.
Assisting Tpr. Holley at the scene was Tpr. Seth Davidson, Seymour Police Department, Seymour Fire Department, Jackson County EMS, and the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.
Indiana State Police and all local police agencies are still looking for one man in connection with a murder on Tuesday evening in Marshall County. Two individuals were arrested late Wednesday night following a police chase which resulted in a crash near SR 110 and SR17 near Mystic Hills Golf Course.
Arrested so far are Jason Miller 34, address unknown, and William Scroggs, 25 of Delong. Police are still searching for Roy Bell 24, address unknown. Bell should be considered armed and dangerous and any information the public has regarding this individual should be relayed to your local police department.
Bell escaped following the car crash and a manhunt continued through the night on Wednesday in the Culver area with homes being checked. Miller and Scroggs who also fled on foot following the crash were arrested at separate times and locations in the Culver area.
The murder happened Tuesday evening in the 6000 block of west Olson Road in Marshall County. The body of Wilma Upsall was found when the owners of the residence arrived home.
A former Starke County woman was found murdered at her home in Rochester.
Indiana State Police officers responded to 6832 W. Olson Road where the owners of the residence reported a possible murder. The residents came home from work and reportedly found a rear door to the house open. Police say the owners found Wilma Upsall’s body on the floor of the residence and investigators say she was shot and died from her injuries. An autopsy will determine an exact cause of death.
