It was on this date in 1999 we were digging out from the snow. Starke County received 18 ½ inches of snow on January 2nd and 3rd.
On this date in 1973, Superintendent Kermit Weddell was reporting that after a lengthy delay, construction on the new $5 million dollar North Judson-San Pierre High School was underway. It would be built to house up to 800 students in grades 9 through 12. Official ground breaking was set for February that year.
A North Judson mother is mourning the death of her son, whose life was taken Friday in a traffic accident in Indiana. Etha Kallin lost her son in the I-465 crash.
Paul Kallin was pronounced dead at the scene by a representative of the Marion County Coroner’s office from injuries sustained in the crash, which occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m. in Indianapolis, on city’s east side. Kallin was driving his vehicle in the far right lane, when it abruptly turned left across I-465 and was struck on the driver’s side door by another vehicle driven by Clifford Perkins, 34, of Gary. Perkins and a front seat passenger in his pickup were taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Jeremy Rowe age 33 and Randall Rowe age 35 both of Hamlet, Indiana are presently being held in the Starke County Jail on $500,000 bond each, set by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall on charges filed by Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff in the home invasion which occurred last Friday.
Citizens of Knox and landowners affected by the Klockner Road Project in the Industrial Park will be brought up to date on the proposed work at a meeting Wednesday night to be held at the Henry F. Schricker Library in Knox.
According to Starke County Development Director Charles Weaver, the road was designed as a rural thoroughfare and was never meant to carry the truck traffic now using it.
The 2012 Indiana General Assembly convenes Wednesday with a contentious labor bill topping the legislative agenda.
GOP lawmakers and Governor Mitch Daniels say the law is needed to make Indiana more attractive to companies looking for a place to do business.
Union leaders and Democrats call it a transparent attempt to dismantle organized labor and say such a law drives down wages.
Some Republican Senators with many union members in their districts are placed in a tough spot going into an election year. One of those Senators, Ed Charbonneau of Valparaiso, has said that he is going to study the bill long and hard before placing a vote one way or the other.
The Henry F. Schricker library expansion project is underway and moving along right on schedule. Library Director Sheila Urwiler said that the next step they’ll be taking is to get the plans and drawings to an estimator.
“We’re getting our final estimates and they’re drawing up the construction documents to go out for bidding, and the bidding should start in February sometime, we’re not sure exactly when yet, but that’s the goal right now,” said Urwiler.
A hiring freeze for Pulaski County employees has been proving to be problematic for many county departments. Pulaski County Auditor Sheila Garling says that the hiring freeze prevents all departments from hiring new employees, causing several departments to find themselves in a predicament.
Billing changes are on their way to the Pulaski County Health Department. Terri Hansen of the Health Department said that they have signed up for VaxCare, a company who will be not only providing them with vaccines and other supplies, but will handle their insurance billing as well.
Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski said that January 11th will be first day that you can file candidacy for office in the 2012 election.
The office of Starke County Surveyor will be up for election in 2012, as well as Starke County Treasurer, Commissioner District 1 and District 3 and three at-large County Council seats.
The staff and management here at WKVI wish you a Happy New Year! Celebrate responsibly and we will continue with music, news, sports, information and entertainment for you in 2012.
Two home invasion suspects are in custody after a chase that started in Starke County and ended with a wreck at 200 East and 950 South in southern LaPorte County. Police say they are accused of breaking into a man’s home and threatening to kill his family if he didn’t comply with their demands.
Police report that just before 11 a.m. Friday in the 3000 block of 400 North in Starke County. The homeowner told police the two suspects, who he knew, entered the home and battered him with a gun. They made him open his gun case and took several firearms and other electronic items from the home.
One of the suspects stayed in the house while the other forced the man to drive to a local bank in Knox, and withdraw $800. They told the man they would kill his family if he didn’t do what they said.
Police say the man was driven back to the home where the suspects again threatened to kill him and his family if police were called after they left and would resist police if they were located and were not afraid to fire upon the officers.
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department along with the Knox City Police, DNR Kingsford Heights Police Department, Lake County Helicopter and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department found the suspects traveling on 950 South in LaPorte County. A pursuit ended when the suspects wrecked in the area of 200 East and 950 South.
The suspects took off on foot, say police. One was quickly caught while several departments searched for the second man. K-9s and a helicopter were used in the search, with a LaPorte County K-9 unit eventually locating the suspect.
The investigation is ongoing, say police. They have not released the names of the suspects. The suspects are being held in the Starke County Jail with charges pending.
Jasper County Circuit Court Judge John Potter has not yet made a decision in the matter between former Starke County Treasurer Linda Belork and the Starke County Commissioners.
The Commissioners removed Belork from the office of Treasurer on August 13th after a state audit found financial discrepancies. The money has been accounted for, but a Temporary Restraining Order placed against Belork by the Commissioners is still in effect and prohibits Belork from returning to office.
A new ordinance is in effect for Starke County which adopts the state standard for disaster emergency declaration. EMA Director Ted Bombagetti explained that the ordinance was adopted in order to alleviate confusion between counties when dealing with disaster emergencies.
Five Starke County Republican candidates successful in the November Municipal Election were sworn into office last night. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall swore in City Court Judge Charles Hasnerl and he said his office will be busy in 2012.
“One of the primary issues that we’re dealing with, along with the City in working with the Council and the Mayor, is the financial issue and trying to come up with resources to cover the costs,” said Hasnerl. “It’s a needed service and we handle a number of cases for the entire county so that’s going to be our primary focus – not just this year, but throughout this term.”
Indiana State Police and officers from local police departments will be out in full force this weekend to seek impaired drivers. Make sure you find a safe, sober driver to take you to your destination after your New Year’s Eve party.
Pulaski County Sheriff, Michael Gayer, said officers from his Department will be stepping up patrols this weekend.
The city of Knox brought in over $500 by selling scrap metal that had been laying around. Mayor Rick Chambers explained that sheets of corrugated metal had been purchased when the city was installing new sidewalks downtown because the engineers were under the impression that there were tunnels beneath the sidewalks, but after the sidewalks were dug up, they quickly realized that was not the case.
The Pulaski County Human Services Food Pantry is doing fairly well after the Christmas holiday.
Officials there say that they continue to get donations and the community has been very generous. Several monetary donations have been given to the pantry for essential needs.
With plenty of sniffles, sneezes, and coughs abound, Starke County Health Nurse Frank Lynch wants to remind everyone that the flu vaccine is still available for adults and kids. The peak of the flu season in February and March is still on its way, but so far, cases of the flu have been down since the last flu season. The H1N1 virus isn’t any worse than last season as well, but we’re not out of the woods yet.
Lynch explains that getting the flu vaccine isn’t the only step to avoiding getting sick this season– as always, keeping those hands clean is vital.
This week we have been reviewing the Top Stories of 2011. Today we reveal the top story of the Year.
It was a story that captivated all who heard it. Chief Warrant Officer Andy Howes returned home after being lost in the Vietnam War on January 10th, 1970. Although his remains had been in storage in Hawaii since the ’80’s, only improved testing allowed an Armed Forces Forensic Team to match DNA samples to those that had earlier been taken from relatives.
Nathan Hummel made his initial appearance in Starke Circuit Court yesterday afternoon. Hummel is accused of robbing the Knox CVS with his brother, Jonathan Hummel, on December 20th.
Hummel is charged with Dealing in Narcotic Drugs as a Class A felony; Robbery as a Class B felony; Aiding, Inducing, or Causing a Robbery as a Class B felony; Resisting Law Enforcement as a Class D felony; Criminal Mischief as a Class D felony; and Attempting to Disarm a Police Officer as a Class C felony.
