Knox High School Student to Participate in Indiana’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour

Posted on Author WKVI

Knox Community High School Junior, Connor Carlson, applied for and was chosen by Kankakee Valley REMC to participate in Indiana’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the trip is to provide young adults with the opportunity to travel to our nation’s capital. Connor will be able to experience first-hand how our government functions, learn about the complexities of today’s electric utility industry, discover the unique characteristics of cooperative business enterprise, and to meet and work with hundreds of his peers from throughout the United States.

Connor, along with other students in Indiana, will travel from Indianapolis on Friday, June 10th to Washington, D.C. with a stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to see the battlefield. The students will visit several places in Washington, D.C., and participate in a Town Hall Meeting where they will share their thoughts and opinions on a variety of timely issues. They will then visit with representatives of Indiana’s Congressional delegation. The group will return on Thursday, June 16th.

All of Connor’s travel expenses from Indianapolis, meals, lodging and scheduled event fees will be paid for by Kankakee Valley REMC.

Historic Locomotive No. 765 to Visit Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum

Posted on Author WKVI
Locomotive No. 765

The staff at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum are gearing up for another busy season with train rides and visits to the Museum on Mulberry Street in North Judson.

The Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 765 will be making another trip to the Museum during the Memorial Day weekend, May 28th through the 30th. Recognized as a national historic landmark, locomotive no. 765 is the largest operating steam locomotive east of the Mississippi River. It was rebuilt and is operated by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. The locomotive will take passengers on a 2 hour, 20 mile round-trip journey in Starke County. Passengers will have the rare opportunity to enjoy “the steam experience” in an open-air sightseeing car.

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Miss Sandie’s Dance Students to Present Recital this Weekenie

Posted on Author WKVI
Sandie Martinkus

Students of Miss Sandie’s Dance Studio will present the 33rd recital this weekend at the Knox High School Auditorium. The performances will be Saturday, May 21st at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 22nd at 2:00 p.m. CT. There are 125 students in the recital and the theme this year is “Dancing Through Life”.

“It’s about life’s experiences from childhood to adulthood, the happy times and the sad times and the good and the bad times,” explained Miss Sandie. “You’ll be seeing creative musical theater numbers, dynamic jazz, really cute tiny tots, beautiful lyric and ballet, humorous novelty numbers, some tap, and ethnic dance. There will be serious moments and deep spiritual expressions.”

Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Investigating Daytime Burglaries

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is investigating several daytime residential burglaries in north central Marshall County. Burglaries have been reported at residences on Quince Road, 3rd Road, Lilac Road and Filbert Road.

Witnesses have told police that a few of the burglaries revealed the suspect vehicle as a white Ford Ranger and two males, approximately 20 to 30 years of age, to be the occupants of that vehicle and allegedly participating in the acts.

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Starke County Bridge Project Moving Along

Posted on Author WKVI
County bridge #156 over the Robbins Ditch

Starke County Highway Superintendent, Steve Siddall, approached the Starke County Commissioners last night with some good news: The DNR has given them a bit of leeway in the bridge repair situation. IDEM and CORE permitting will not be involved as long as construction stays above the water line, and only the DNR permit will be needed.

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Judge Hall Approaches Starke County Council for Fund Transfer

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall came before the Starke County Council last night to request a transfer of funds to help cover the cost of hiring court-appointed attorneys for defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. Because of the increasing number of criminal cases, particularly those dealing with methamphetamine, the costs for appointing these public defenders are becoming staggering. Hall mentioned that the percentage of defendants who cannot afford an attorney and request to have one appointed has also gone up; 75-80% of defendants now need a public defender.

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Gayer Explains Purchase of “Mango Tango” Charger

Posted on Author WKVI



Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer

The Pulaski County Commissioners discussed with Sheriff Mike Gayer why a vehicle was purchased without their approval. Gayer said that he was under the impression that, because the vehicle is a necessary tool to the Sheriff’s Department, it fell under the type of purchase that did not need approval from the Commissioners. Gayer also stressed that he was not trying to circumvent the system and he meant no disrespect, and he purchased the vehicle  as inexpensively as possible.

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Court Dates Needed for Ten Cock Fighting Attendants

Posted on Author WKVI

At least ten of the people arrested in the cock fighting raid that occurred in Starke County in late February still have not had their day in Knox City Court. Those cases where the defendants announced in court that they were securing attorneys have yet to be settled. According to court documents, those defendants are trying to work out settlements through their attorneys with the prosecutor’s office. If that is not worked out, trial dates will be set and those could occur in July.

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Knox City Council Discusses Pawn Shop Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council #2
Back Row: Mayor Rick Chambers, Ed Blue, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, Greg Matt and Attorney David Matsey. Front Row: Linda Berndt, Jeff Berg and Ron Parker

A discussion of a Pawn Shop Ordinance that would license and regulate pawnbrokers within the corporate limits of Knox met with objections from the owners of First Choice Pawn and Loan of Knox.

Hank Minix and Chris Firebaugh objected to a part of the proposed ordinance that would demand that pawn shops get social security numbers, serial numbers and hold purchased items during a 10 day waiting period.

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IU Health Starke Hospital to Allow College Nursing Students to Shadow Registered Nurses at Facility

Posted on Author WKVI
IU Health Starke Hospital

IU Health Starke Hospital is helping prepare the next generation of nurses by allowing college nursing students to shadow registered nurses at the hospital.

“We are having two clinical rotations each semester and these are usually second or third year Med-Surg students that are coming,” said Clinical Manager of Patient Care Services, Janet Gillon. “We’re very excited about the relationship because it’s something that brings about the autonomy of nursing – bringing them forward from where they are in their school curriculum into the actual working patient care centers.”

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State Senator Ed Charbonneau Achieves Perfect Voting Attendance Record

Posted on Author WKVI
State Senator Ed Charbonneau

State Senator Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) was recognized Monday by Senate President Pro Tempore David Long (R-Fort Wayne) for achieving a perfect voting attendance record during the 2011 legislative session.

In addition to votes on bills, there are also votes on amendments, committee reports and procedural motions. Charbonneau’s floor votes totaled 535.

State records show this session, 118 Senate bills moved to the governor’s desk and 94 percent of third reading roll-call votes in the Senate were bipartisan in nature.

Tri Kappa 50 Year Celebration Held in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI
Standing, four past Tri Kappa Province Officers: Karen Showalter, Knox Chapter; Lori Jacob, Walkerton Chapter; Jenny McBride, Westville Chapter, and Melba Shilling, Knox Chapter. Seated, Past Tri Kappa Council President, Sue Crisman, Crown Point.

Forty members of Tri Kappa gathered at the Knox Community Center on May 14th to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Zeta Eta Chapter in Knox. One of the thirteen charter members, Judith Brooke, attended as a special guest.

Sandy Hansen, past Chapter President, presided at the celebration. She introduced other guests: Sue Crisman, past Council President, who came from Crown Point; Jenny McBride, Province XII Officer, a member of the Westville Chapter, and Lori Jacob, a past Province XII Officer from Walkerton. Other guests, former members of the local chapter, came from Kentucky and Michigan, as well as Selma, Plymouth, LaPorte, Culver, Walkerton, and Monticello in Indiana. Many friendships were renewed.

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North Judson-San Pierre Social Studies Squad State Runner-up

Posted on Author WKVI
Front Row: Chris Lippelt, Maddie Allender, Katie Bejes. Back Row: Jon Hileman, Matt Bejes, Emma Allender, Cody Hendershott

The North Judson-San Pierre Academic Super Bowl Social Studies squad was the Class 3 runner-up in the State Hoosier Academic Super Bowl Competition on Saturday, May 7th, at Purdue University.

The North Judson-San Pierre Academic Super Bowl Fine Arts squad achieved 5th place in the same competition.

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Fire Causes Damage to Sibo’s Grill

Posted on Author WKVI
Crews assess the damage after an electrical fire at Sibo's Grill

The Knox-Center Township Fire Department was called to a fire at Sibo’s Grill, north of Knox on U.S. 35 shortly after 2:00 a.m. this morning.

According to Fire Chief, Kenny Pfost, an electrical issue started the fire in the facility. The building was not a total loss, but it did suffer extensive heat and smoke damage.  Thousands of dollars in damage was done to the facility.

Two Arrested on Methamphetamine Charges in Pulaski County

Posted on Author WKVI

Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department officers arrested two people, Friday, May 13th, on methamphetamine related charges.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. ET, officers observed a vehicle pull up to a home near Beardstown on U.S. 35. Officers knew that the occupant of the home is in the nursing home and so they stopped and watched the occupants in the vehicle from a distance. After a while, the officers pulled into the driveway to check their story and one occupant fled into a building. At that time, Avery A. Mullins, 28, of Grovertown and Otis T. Young, 30, of Plymouth, were taken into custody. A wanted persons check found that both subjects were wanted on outstanding warrants in Marshall County.

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Eastern Pulaski School Board Discusses Legislation Passed in General Assembly; Fall Registration

Posted on Author WKVI
Dr. Robert Klitzman
Dr. Robert Klitzman

Eastern Pulaski School Superintendent, Dr. Robert Klitzman shared a few pieces of legislation that came out of the General Assembly with the School Board members at their recent meeting.

“Teacher evaluation is going to be more geared toward student data and how the students have improved in their actual achievement,” said Dr. Klitzman. “That’s going to be folded into the evaluation for teachers. Collective bargaining has been greatly restricted. Over the years, collective bargaining with our teachers has grown more and more and that’s through an agreement on both sides. It’s not a one sided thing. Our legislature passed a bill that limits what you can bargain so even if a school and a Teacher’s Association wants to go and bargain other things, legally they can not. This is what’s put in the statute.”

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Marsh Manor Fate to be Decided May 25th, 2011

Posted on Author WKVI
Marsh Manor is pictured here shortly after the fire

The fate of Marsh Manor on Main Street in Knox will be decided on May 25th. According to Planning Commissioner Greg Matt, the building has been boarded up after the last of the renters were evicted. According to some, the building had been home to several “squatters” too before it was finally emptied.

Once a home to Dr. Kelly, a prominent dentist in the community, the home had been turned into an apartment building. It had fallen on hard times during the past few years, with a fire the final blow to its viability as a rooming house.

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