For the second time, the Starke County Council has refused to approve an addition-renovation bond issue plan proposed by the Starke County Library Board. The bond issue would be for $2 million and would follow the pay-off of bonds on the Henry F. Schricker Library in Knox. Because of the payoff of that bond, there would be no increase in the levy. Councilman David Pearman talked about the Council’s hesitancy to approve the request.
On Tuesday, July 12th, The Indiana Department of Education released I-STEP results. The Oregon-Davis School Corporation ranked #1 in the State of Indiana out of 292 corporations for improvement overall. That includes all grades in English and Math. The Oregon-Davis School Corporation students displayed a 14.6% improvement from 2010 to 2011.
Knox City Police Chief Clint Norem contacted the Starke County Sheriff’s Department last week to report that he has removed 358 marijuana plants from a vacant lot within city limits. The plants were grown without care and were found by an alley between New York and Delaware Streets, just west of U.S. 35. He said that some plants were very small. The plants were transported to the City Police Department to be destroyed at a later time.
Knox Middle School and High School are participating in a one-to-one computer program this fall where all students will receive a computer to use for the entire year. The final preparations are being made for that transition and Superintendent, A.J. Gappa gave the School Board an update on that progress this week.
“The Principals and Curriculum Director have been meeting and putting together Policy and Procedures Handbooks for the computers and the computer use guidelines,” said Mr. Gappa. “There should be a letter going out to parents later this week with some of those explanations. We will have a student agreement form for students to sign when they receive their computer and also a parent agreement form for parents to sign.”
Knee-high grass is a thing of the past for the Pulaski County Recycling Center, thanks to the upcoming purchase of a Dixie Chopper from Bill’s Circle Mowers in Francesville, IN. While the grass wasn’t yet knee-high, it could have potentially grown that tall if the commissioners didn’t approve the purchase of a mower. Ed Clark of the recycling center has been using his personal mower to keep the grass trimmed, but Commissioner Kenneth Boswell felt uneasy about allowing county employees to use personal equipment.
The Starke County Plan Commission is scheduled to meet tonight in the Starke County Annex building to discuss a proposed Dog Kennel ordinance after it failed to gain approval at the June meeting of the Starke County Commissioners.
Over 60 owners objected against many aspects of the proposed ordinance at that Commissioners meeting that was presented by Administrator/Building Inspector, Bruce Williams.
On this date, Apollo 11 landed the first humans on the moon.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first to step out onto the moon’s surface.
While that was going on, Harold Welter and Ted Hayes were testing the equipment at WKVI FM because the next day they would be broadcasting to the Kankakee Valley for the first time. Continue reading
A committee set up to select a new EMS Director made their recommendation last night at the Starke County Commissioner’s meeting. Paul Mathewson was selected to take over the duties most recently held by Lisa Burger. The Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation.
One qualification that Mathewson had was that he is a professionally trained Paramedic. He has most recently been employed by Porter Hospital in Valparaiso.
The Pulaski County EMS is in an inconvenient situation with one truck out of commission and another being serviced because it has been belching black smoke. Nicole Lowry asked the commissioners to approve the replacement of a 6 liter diesel engine with a 7.3 liter diesel engine, with an estimated cost of $20-$32,000. Wagner’s Performance Diesel will be performing the conversion, which includes changing wiring harnesses, as well as the electrical components in the vehicle, which makes it a pretty tough job.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department officers were called to a single-vehicle accident scene on County Road 500 South near 1600 West in Francesville on Sunday. Kenneth Nuest, 47, of Francesville told police that he was traveling on County Road 500 South when he fell asleep. His vehicle hit some gravel which caused him to wake up. He reportedly was traveling off the roadway on the north side of the road. He attempted to correct the vehicle and told police that he believes that he over-corrected. The vehicle then began to fishtail and the vehicle left the roadway and began to flip and slide.
The Knox Community School Board members approved the appointment of Josh Pugh as the Middle School Assistant Principal at their meeting last night.
Pugh has been a Knox Elementary School teacher for the past 10 years. He has worked as a 2nd grade teacher and as a Reading Coach. He said that he looks forward to the challenge of the position of Assistant Principal and will do it to the best of his ability.
A 1998 graduate of Knox Community High School is the new Starke County I.T. Director. Joe Short was recommended to the Commissioners by a committee assembled to select a successor to Bob Smith.
WKVI News has learned that a Director for the SCILL Center in Knox has been hired and is on the job. Jerry Gurrado, a 1969 Knox High School graduate, has been at the facility since July 1st. In the past, he has primarily been in education, having been a successful basketball coach at several high schools in Indiana.
WKVI will have an extensive interview with Mr. Gurrado later this week.
If you think you’re hot in this heat, consider how your pets are feeling. Suzanne Crider, from the Starke County Humane Society, reminds us about pet care during extremely hot weather.
“They dehydrate just like we do,” she said. “They need an adequate supply of water, shade if at all possible, but water is the very most important thing. If you have livestock, you need to have some kind of salt block because when they get dehydrated, they need salt the same way people do. If you use some common sense, and if you think about what would make you comfortable, that will usually translate right to your animal.”
The sets are made, the actors and actresses have rehearsed their parts, and it’s a about curtain time for the first performance of the summer musical Nunsense – The Mega Musical as presented by the Maxinkuckee Players.
The show’s Director, Becky Liechty, had erlier said the performances this year will come with a larger cast and more music than the original production presented at Culver a few years ago.
Starke County Prosecutor, Nicholas Bourff, said Friday that the death of a three-year-old Knox boy is still under investigation. The three-year-old died after being rushed to IU Health Starke Hospital by his father on June 19th. He was transferred to a South Bend Hospital where he passed away.
The Starke County Commissioners are expected to name a new IT Director tonight to replace Bob Smith who recently announced that he is leaving the position.
Also on tonight’s agenda is the possible naming of an EMS Director. That position might be a little more difficult to fill because the selection committee has been inundated by applications. Enticed by a $50,000 salary and car, the position has seen applications from far and wide. The committee advertised for a paramedic to take the EMS job, as it’s hoped that the new Director helps in a move from a basic service to Advanced Life Support. One of the goals is to have a paramedic chase vehicle in operation by the first of the year. Several codes have to be approved by the state before the move to ALS service. It’s expected that IU Health Starke Hospital will be the sponsoring hospital.
Jack Haut’s trial is expected to begin on Wednesday in Starke Circuit Court. Haut is charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death and Reckless Homicide.
In July 2010, it is alleged that Jack Haut was driving his pickup truck on US 35 north of Knox when he swerved into the other lane and struck Thomas White of Knox head-on. White was riding a motorcycle at the time of the accident. White died from injuries sustained in the accident.
The Starke County Courthouse elevator is still out of order.
“We finally got the hydraulic jack in and the crew did that last week,” said Courthouse Custodian Carl Goodrich on the progress of the construction. “Now, another crew is going to put in the hard-wiring, get the controllers hooked up and all of the handicapped part of it put together. They’re putting in new push buttons and kind of modernize it a little bit and they should be done with that by next week. All that’s left is to have an inspector come and see if everything’s been done right.”
The elevator will be in use once the State inspects it and gives the notice to proceed with operation. Oracle Elevator in Kentucky has been working on the project. Continue reading
The maintenance staff at the Eastern Pulaski School Corporation has been busy with several projects this summer.
“In our Elementary Gym, we’re completing the project of switching out those very expensive-to-run lights that take five minutes to turn on,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman of the energy efficient upgrades. “We’re removing all of those and putting in very efficient tube lights. We have found in doing this that we’re using far less fixtures that we had the old way so we are doing that ourselves internally and just buying the materials. We feel like we’re going to be saving in the cost of installation as well as in the operation of the materials.”
