Starke County EMS Clerk Mary Lynn Ritchie informed the commissioners Monday night that the number of ambulance transfers is increasing.
She said the number of transfers in November was at 16 percent which is up from seven percent the month before, but not where they were earlier this year. Basic Life Service transfers from the area nursing homes have increased where the EMS department had not been getting those calls.
North Judson Fire Chief Joe Leszek presented council members with a few different ways the fire department is helping bring money into the town at Monday’s town council meeting.
Leszek shared that the fire fighters host a number of fundraisers which prove successful and added that the volunteers also go out of their way to apply for grants. They recently received $8,000 worth of grant funding
“We got a $3,000 dollar Starke County Community Foundation Grant, no match, it’s $3,000 of free money for us. We also got a $2,500 REMC Grant and then we also got a $2,500 Monsanto Grant.”
Leszek explained that the grant funds will be put toward the purchase of brush fire gear for all members and will also be spent to upgrade some leaky tanks on a couple of trucks. Continue reading
The Knox School Board Monday approved the corporation’s 2018-2019 school calendar. Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart says there aren’t any major changes from this year. Continue reading
The Starke County Highway Department crew is prepared for the winter season.
Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners this week that everyone is set to go when the snow arrives.
A resolution letting the Winamac Park Board’s advisory council transition into a “Friends of the Parks” group will be considered during tonight’s park board meeting.
Knox Mayor Dennis Estok will be holding several meetings today as a part of the process for amending and renewing the 5-year Parks Master Plan.
The purpose of today’s meetings is to gather community input about the various concerns and any recommendations that people have about the parks in Knox.
The first meetings will be conducted with stakeholders. Mayor Estok said that at 1:30 p.m. he will meet with Starke County Youth Club representatives. Then starting around 4:30 p.m. representatives from Moving Starke County Forward, the Starke County Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals Group will meet with the mayor to discuss individual group concerns.
At 6 p.m. a public hearing will be held at City Hall, where community members can weigh in on what they’d like to see at Wythogan Park, Sandy Acres and Heritage Park. Everyone is encouraged to attend to have their voice heard and their suggestions considered. Continue reading
Tomorrow morning, get into the giving spirit with some of Kankakee Valley Broadcasting’s best and brightest. This Friday, from 9 a.m. until noon (CT), members of the KVB staff will be stationed in Starke and Pulaski County, collecting food items and monetary donations.
WKVI’s Morning Show Host Charlie Adams is teaming up with MAX’s Morning Show host and sportscaster Tony Ross for a remote broadcast at Five-Star in Knox. They will be there collecting donations for Community Services of Starke County.
Meanwhile, WKVI’s father-son sports broadcast duo, Nathan and Harold Welter will be at Sanders Foods in Winamac collecting donations for Human Services of Pulaski County. Continue reading
Ron Clemons and Commander Matt Fox from the North Judson American Legion Post #92 approached the Starke County Commissioners Monday night concerning the American flags that are placed at Round Lake Cemetery.
Clemons explained that the American Legion members place flags at every veteran’s grave for Memorial Day at eight different cemeteries. He said that the flags stay on the graves all year round except at Round Lake Cemetery. He noted that he’s not sure if the flags and flag holders have been removed for mowing purposes or if the cemetery association members are removing them, but he doesn’t think it’s right that they’ve been removed from the veteran’s graves.
The Knox Plan Commission met last night to hold a public hearing and discussion over a subdivision of property for the purpose of developing a Dollar General Store in the area at the request of Mark Matthew.
The commissioners ultimately approved the subdivision but prior to and following the decision, the meeting continuously erupted into conversations over site planning and safety concerns, resulting in one commissioner submitting verbal resignation and leaving the meeting prior to adjournment.
Commission president Jeff Berg began by running over the purpose and protocol of the meeting and hearing, saying that Mr. Matthew was seeking permission to divide a lot at the corner of U.S 35 and County Road 200 S. Planning Administrator Kenny Pfost added that a notification of the hearing was publicized and all neighbors within a 500 foot radius of the project were sent letters about the plans. Continue reading
Pulaski County employees will get 15 paid holidays in 2018, including both the May and November elections. The county commissioners approved next year’s holiday schedule Monday, but not without plenty of discussion.
The Knox Community School Corporation is moving ahead with a facilities study. The school board voted Monday to hire architectural firm Schmidt Associates to do the work, according to Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart. He says the study will cost about $21,000.
Town Marshal Kelly Fisher presented a request to purchase a dual-purpose K-9 officer during Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting.
Fisher addressed the fact that one of their part-time officers, Scott Beishuizen, does have a K-9 but she feels having one on the full-time force would be advantageous. She explained that after conducting some research, she found that the Peru-based organization Vohne Liche Kennels has the best available training program. She also mentioned that Vohne Liche dogs are less likely to be involved in law suits due to the level of training they have. She presented council members with booklets detailing what the organization offers.
Fisher said, “The course teaches the K-9 and the handler the proper techniques to be a successful team and what we what we thought would fit best and what would give us the most for our money would be to get a dual-purpose K-9.” Continue reading
Center at Donaldson will be hosting their Christmas event on Sunday, December 10th. The event will kick-off with the children’s choral performance at 3 p.m. ET, followed by family activities from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Children will have the opportunity to have their picture taken with Santa and can even decorate a frame for their picture. Other activities include face painting and cookie decorating. Continue reading
As winter weather approaches driving conditions will become more hazardous with an increase of snow and ice on the roadways during the coming months. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a few tips to keep in mind, to ensure all motorists have a safe holiday travel season.
Be sure to check that your vehicle’s battery, windshield wipers, tires and heating system are all in proper working order before severe winter weather hits. NHTSA also advises drivers to clean snow, ice or dirt from all windows, sensors, headlights and taillights before taking off in a vehicle. Continue reading
The Community Foundation of Pulaski County plans to continue working with the Winamac Park Board on the town’s swimming pool rebuilding project. The foundation’s board of directors got an update last month from Park Board President Courtney Poor, along with town council and pool committee member Judy Heater.
Two Pulaski County roads are set to be resurfaced with money from the 2017 Community Crossings grant. The county commissioners Monday approved a contract with Central Paving of Logansport for nearly $1.2 million worth of road work. Seventy-five percent of that cost would be covered by the state grant funding.
The Starke County Commissioners held a public hearing Monday night on the proposed UTV Ordinance.
The county’s ordinance authorizes and regulates the use of Recreational Utility Task Vehicles (UTVs or side-by-sides) and Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) on certain county roads.
North Judson Town Council members reached a decision about town employee health insurance during last night’s town council meeting.
The town’s insurance broker John Howard with Wealth Care Group informed the council that the request submitted to National General was denied. The remaining options came from their current provider United Health Care.
He presented them with a few different plans explaining that one option only allowed for coverage by a specified network of health care providers. He said that while a majority of local physicians would fall into this category, but if an employee needed to seek medical attention by a specialist or someone outside of the community, it would not be covered under the insurance.
The other option, what he called AU63, allowed for coverage outside the network for an additional fee. He also said that option is the closest to what they currently have. Continue reading
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver spoke with Knox City Council members about an estimated deficit in the city’s CEDIT account at their meeting last Tuesday.
Back in October, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston mentioned that he received a notification from the Department of Local Government Finance indicating that there would be a projected loss of revenue of $34,908 for next year. He told members that sometimes those figures can be off but also assured them that the SCEDF was working with representatives from Umbaugh to get to the bottom of it.
At the most recent council meeting, Weaver informed members that after speaking with the city’s financial advisor Todd Samuelson of Umbaugh and Associates, he had a better understanding of why next year’s numbers are lower than the figures from 2017. Continue reading
Culver Utility Superintendent Bob Porter told the town council members last week that several surplus items are available for bid.
Sealed bids will be accepted until Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. ET, by Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim on a 1999 leaf vac machine, a 1964 grader, a 1993 Patchman trailer, a 2000 Ford F-150, and a 2000 Leeboy 300 roller.
