Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers arrested four on methamphetamine charges at a Knox residence Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading
Four Arrested in Knox on Methamphetamine Charges
Two Vehicle Accident at Culver Road and US 35 in Knox Injures Two
The Knox City Police Department investigated a two vehicle accident that occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m. today at the intersection of Culver Road and US 35 in Knox.
According to City Police Officer, Chad Dulin, Sharon Button, of Winamac, was traveling southbound on US 35 when she reportedly disregarded the stoplight at the intersection and struck a vehicle driven by Dalerie Ford of Knox. Ford was traveling westbound through the intersection when the accident occurred.
Starke County Commissioners, Council to Hold Meeting to Discuss Future of IU Health Starke Hospital
Representatives of Indiana University Health Starke Hospital will meet next week with members of the Starke County Board of Commissioners and the County Council to discuss the future and continued use of the facilities leased from the County. The current lease expires in 2016.
“We are committed to be here, we want to stay here, but we also know that improvements are going to have to be made along the way, particularly in relationship to the building” stated hospital CEO Linda Satkoski. Continue reading
Initial Hearings Held for Holloway Six
The six individuals arrested at the Holloway Motel on various methamphetamine charges were given their initial hearings this afternoon. Matthew Schoff, Timothy Clark, Cheryl Paschen, and Kimberly Hurley were charged with Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony, along with other charges. The others, Tracey Gaideski and the Holloway Motel manager Freeman Spelts, were charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance, as well as other charges. Gaideski was also charged with one count of Taking a Minor to a Nuisance after her 8-year-old child was taken into protective custody following the arrests. Schoff, Paschen, and Hurley were additionally charged with Possession of a Syringe.
Judge Rejects Plea Agreement for Kevin Eggert
A plea and sentencing hearing for Kevin Eggert was held Wednesday morning. Eggert is accused of threatening to kill Misty Ross while pointing a 12-gauge shotgun at her, and faces one count of Intimidation, a Class C Felony, and one count of Pointing a Firearm, a Class D Felony.
Larry Brock Seeks Ambulance Repair Grant
EMS Director Larry Brock presented his report to the Pulaski County Commissioners on Monday. Brock is seeking grants for repairing two ambulances and purchasing a generator for their Winamac station.
“We are seeking a ambulance grant to replace two of our ambulances , rechassis them, and a second grant for a generator for the Winamac station,” said Brock. “We have some rust damage due to a light that’s rusting in, of course because it’s on top of the ambulance it may fall through and we need to take care of that issue right away.”
North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation Reviewing New Budget Figures
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation has received new paperwork concerning the budget.
“We’re still kind of looking through that information. The proposal is for a large cut, but it’s not as bad as we thought,” said Superintendent Lynn Johnson. “We’re still waiting for specifics with the Full-Day Kindergarten funding and hopefully that will help out the budget too. The cuts weren’t quite as deep as we thought. They’re still considerable, but we’re working hard at managing those. The original proposal was $1.2 million. I’m really not quite sure how it’s going, we’re just starting to work on that. It’s less than a million, but still a significant cut.”
Starke County Council Approves Bridge Inspection Expenses
At the request of the highway department, the Starke County Council approved the spending of $135,000 for bridge inspections throughout the county. In total, 67 bridges are to be inspected, with the expense coming out of the county’s cumulative bridge fund, which can only be spent on bridges.
The bridge inspections are a necessary expense, especially when given the current state of the bridges in Starke County. Three bridges were recently closed, and three others are in danger of being reduced to one-lane to allow for repairs.
Jeff Houston Seeks Another Term as Knox City Clerk-Treasurer
We’re less than two weeks away from the 2011 Primary Election, and we’re talking to the candidates running for office in the City of Knox Election.
Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston is in his 5th year in the position. We asked Houston what he enjoys about the job.
“I enjoy working with people, and I enjoy planning for the future with the City,” said Houston. “Right now we’re working on a number of different projects including the new J.W. Hicks project. We’re working with different grants – we’re working in the park right now with a five year grant. I like interacting with the different people in the City and with utility customers. All in all, I enjoy the job altogether.”
Knox McDonald’s Receives 70 Applications for National Hiring Day
National hiring day for McDonald’s was held yesterday. It was the intent of the business to hire 50,000 employees nationwide during the one day event.
Billy Boldt, Manager at the McDonald’s restaurant in Knox said that they received 70 applications. 47 applications were received the day of the event. while others were received online prior to the event. 11 people were hired and three others are pending. 56 interviews were conducted and part-time crew member positions were filled.
Knox Community School Board Approves Amended 2011-2012 School Calendar
The Knox Community School Board approved an amended 2011-2012 school calendar during its Monday night meeting. The Board had asked Superintendent A.J. Gappa to work with all entities involved to push back the start of the school year. The preliminary calendar had students starting on August 10th and the Board felt that start date was too early. The amended calendar has the students beginning the next school year on August 16th with the last student day on May 24th. Spring break would be March 26th-30th with commencement on June 1st.
A Clean Air Filter Increases Gas Mileage
Looking for ways to save at the pump? Rod Dawson, instructor at the SCILL Center in Knox, says that a clean air filter can increase your gas mileage.
“This is the time of year when we’re starting to get a lot of bugs, farmers are out in the fields and we’re going to be picking up a lot of dust and dirt and those filters will start to clog up. We start restricting the amount of air that needs to be put into that engine through that air filter,” said Dawson. “When that starts to clog up, it richens the engine up because we’re not getting the air to mix in with it. We start using a little more fuel at that point in time. We’re robbing about ten percent of the air that needs to come into it which can cost us up to about fifteen percent on fuel consumption.”
Two Starke County Residents Arrested after Traffic Stop
Two Starke County residents were arrested today on felony charges after a traffic stop by Starke County police.
Officers recognized Heather Manns, 33, of North Judson traveling as a passenger in a vehicle and police stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Culver Road and US 35 in Knox. Officers took her into custody on a Failure to Appear warrant through Starke County and she was also wanted out of Pulaski County.
Starke County Commissioners Withdraw Support for Full-Time Deputy Treasurer
It seems the Treasurer’s office will not be getting the full-time help they’ve been requesting, after all. At the Starke County Council Meeting on April 18, the council noted that after looking at newest budget figures, they noticed that they would be short of the amount needed to transfer in order to support another full-time employee in the Treasurer’s office because some of those funds do not exist in the Treasurer’s budget.
The Commissioners agreed with the council, withdrawing their support as well because of budgetary concerns. They did not anticipate the coming year, and the Commissioners do not believe they will have the $5600 necessary to contribute that they previously believed they had. Treasurer Linda Belork was not present and could not help the Council and the Commissioners determine if the funds were available in the budget or not.
Zhart Requests Inmates’ Assistance in Planting Trees
The Pulaski County Commissioners were approached at their biweekly meeting on April 18 by Fred Zhart with the Winamac Tree Committee. Zhart requested approval of the use of inmates to help him dig holes to plant 28 trees this weekend.
Zhart told the commissioners that he has enlisted the assistance of inmates before, and he reminded them that he did not allow smoking or contact with other people while the inmates were assisting him. Zhart went on to say that inmates were not only grateful to get out and work, but when the returned to work they are much easier to manage.
Extensive Cleanup to be Done at Holloway Motel before it can Open
It will be a long time before the Holloway Motel is back in business. The motel was condemned after three methamphetamine labs were removed from the premises on Friday, April 15th. Extensive cleaning needs to be done and approved by IDEM and the Health Department before it can be reopened.
Plea and Sentencing Hearing for Kevin Eggert Scheduled
A plea and sentencing hearing for Kevin Eggert is scheduled for this morning. Eggert is accused of threatening to kill Misty Ross while pointing a 12-gauge shotgun at her, and faces one count of Intimidation, a Class C Felony, and one count of Pointing a Firearm, a Class D Felony.
According to the police report, Officer Todd Keen was dispatched to a residence on Nov. 21, 2010 in reference to a male subject pointing a gun at a female. When Keen arrived, he spoke with Misty Ross, who was standing outside the residence. Ross told Keen that she and her boyfriend, Eggert, had been having some relationship problems, and had told Eggert a few days prior that she was leaving and taking their children. On Nov. 21, Ross had gone to a male friend’s house, and was getting ready to leave when Eggert pulled into the driveway, pointed the shotgun out the window, and said, “I’ll kill you and Tom.” Eggert then left.
Mark Smith Seeking Candidacy for Mayor of Knox
We continue today with our interviews with the Knox city candidates for elective office in the spring Primary on May 3rd.
Mark Smith is the President of the County Council and has been coroner in the past. He is the owner of M.C. Smith Funeral Home in Knox.
Smith noted the improvements made in past administrations, including the highway project through Knox, Gateway Project, renovation of the old depot, and others. He said he feels we’re not progressing now, as we did then.
Vote Absentee at the Starke County Courthouse
Absentee voting has begun in the Starke County Courthouse for the May Primary Election. This election will feature the City of Knox candidates running for office only.
Absentee voting is available on the first floor of the Starke County Courthouse, Monday through Friday from now until Friday, April 29th from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. CT. Absentee voting will also be available on Saturday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 30th from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00-4:00 p.m. On Thursday, April 28th, absentee voting will be available from 5:00-7:00 p.m. You may vote absentee May 2nd from 8:00 a.m. to Noon. The Starke County Courthouse will be closed on Good Friday so absentee voting will not be available.
Nagai Offers Alternative for Robbins Ditch Bridge Repair
Bridge #156, the bridge over the Robbins Ditch on Range Rd. between 400 N and 500 N, may not be out of commission for as long as expected. Lee Nagai explained an alternative method of repairing the bridge, suggesting a deck maintenance project as opposed to the state’s recommended plan of total reconstruction.
