North Judson Town Council Moves to Transfer Old Railroad Funds to New Account

The cumulative railroad revenue fund was established through an ordinance passed by the North Judson Town Council at their last meeting in September. The ordinance was passed in order to switch over the $94,820.19 in the previous railroad fund to the newly established account.

Clerk-Treasurer Alicia Collins alerted the council Monday night that the State Board of Accounts said she needed council approval before any funds could be transferred.

She informed them that the old railroad fund, as well as their credit card is currently at First Farmers Bank and Trust, while their general account is at First National Bank of Monterey. She asked the council whether they wished to move all the money in the old rail road account over to the First National Bank of Monterey or if they wanted to close out the old railroad account and start the cumulative railroad revenue fund at First Farmers Bank and Trust. Continue reading

Winamac Town Council to Hold Special Meeting over Parks and Recreation Department Funds

After learning that the Town of Winamac did not receive the DNR’s Federal Land and Waterways Conservation Fund grant, Winamac Town Council members now have to consider whether or not to move forward with plans to construct a community pool. A special session was scheduled for tonight, in order to ensure that all five council members and the clerk-treasurer will be in attendance.

The special session had to be held today because not all council members will be at the regular meeting on October 16th. It is crucial that all council members are present so they’re able to contribute to the discussion and decisions that will be made regarding parks department funds and plans to build the public pool.

The Winamac Town Council special meeting will commence at 5:30 p.m. EDT in the Winamac Utilities Complex.

New Sign Going Up for Culver Community Schools

Culver Community School Corporation is currently in the process of installing a new sign that better represents the school corporation. Back in September, the Culver Community School Board discussed the design of the sign.

At the Culver Town Council meeting last Wednesday, Superintendent Karen Shuman alerted the board that the old sign was taken down that day and they are planning to have the new one up within the next week. Continue reading

Starke Hospital Mobile Health Units Providing Breast Cancer Awareness Info in October

Starke Hospital will have mobile health units out in a few places in the Starke County community during the month of October. Starke Hospital’s Regional Manager of Community Relations Stacey Kellogg said that wellness professionals will be onsite to help disburse breast cancer awareness information. Find All answers in this article about how you can increase breasts size with food and more.

Kellogg said the professionals will be able to steer people in the right direction when it comes to how and when individuals should be screened and other helpful health tips. She said they will have information there about early detection practices, clinical breast exams, how to do a self breast exam, when everybody should get screened and how to have that conversation with your doctor. Continue reading

Caucus Scheduled to Find Replacement for North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Position

A caucus has been scheduled to find a replacement for the clerk-treasurer position in the Town of North Judson. The current clerk-treasurer, Alicia Collins, submitted her resignation to the North Judson Town Council yesterday at their first meeting in October.

During the clerk-treasurer’s report Collins stated she would be leaving the office in good standing, with the 2018 budget pending approval and all other records and filing up to date. Her final day will be October 20th and she said she will make her self available for training during the transition period. Continue reading

Starke County Commissioners Concerned about Drop in Ambulance Transfers

Starke County EMS Director Travis Clary presented ambulance transfer figures to the county commissioners Monday night and the numbers caused concern.

The percentage of transfers dropped from 35 or 25 percent to 10 percent last month. Clary explained that Porter Regional brought in a full-time ambulance that is available at Starke Hospital 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The Porter ambulance service is getting a majority of the Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support and nursing home transfer calls while Starke County EMS is not getting as many.

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Fuel Analyst Says Gas Prices Have Fallen From Last Month But Risen From Last Year

You may have noticed that gas prices have recently gone down. Though that is partially due to certain areas finally regaining stability after the recent natural disasters, it also has to do with the annual switch from summer fuel to winter fuel. Senior Petroleum Analyst for Gas Buddy, Dan McTeague said that prices in Indiana have dropped on average around 15 cents from last month, when there was still speculation and concern over the amount of refineries damaged.

Though we may be experiencing lower gas prices than a month ago, compared to this time of year in 2016, we’re paying approximately twenty more cents. McTeague said there a few factors responsible for that difference. Continue reading

Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Foundation Receives 2017 Advisor Charitable Leadership Award

Seventeen years ago, the Knox community collectively grieved the loss of Cheryl Lyn Welter, a dedicated and involved senior at KHS who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident the day before Homecoming.

These days Cheryl is still making impacting the community by making a difference in the lives of underprivileged school children thanks to the efforts of her family. The Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation was established back in March to raise money to assist local school children in grades K-12 with various expenses that are out of their reach.

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Starke Hospital Offering Free Mammogram Vouchers to Those Who Qualify

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer found in women. They say 1 in 8 American women will have breast cancer at some point in their life. The good news is that when the cancer is detected early, it can be treated and the survival rate goes up substantially. In order to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and to promote mammograms and self-examinations, we recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust is a not-for-profit organization that improves access to breast cancer screenings and diagnosis and support services while also increasing awareness. One of the ways they accomplish all of that is by selling Breast Cancer Awareness specialty license plates through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. A $25 donation is generated through every license plate sold. Since the plate was introduced in 2002, tens of thousands of Hoosier women have received screening, diagnostic and support services with nearly $4 million being awarded through their competitive grants.

Regional manager of community relations for Starke Hospital Stacey Kellog says that through grant funds provided by IBCAT, the hospital is able to offer free screening mammogram vouchers this year. Continue reading

Town of Culver Awarded All Requested Community Crossings Funding

Culver Town Manger Jonathan Leist informed the board last week that the town is one of the few communities in the area who received all the Community Crossings grant funds they requested this year. He said the $206,000 received will go a long way to assist with projects they have in the works.

Leist mentioned that work on College Avenue, parts of Jefferson Street and the entrance at the Sand Hill Farm are the three priority projects. He told council members that in their grant proposal they utilized estimates that came from E&B paving. However, since those numbers were calculated several months ago, Utility Superintendent Bob Porter is looking into quotes. Leist said he is expected to present those quotes at the next town council meeting. Continue reading

Knox City Council Unofficially Discusses Potential New Lighting Downtown

Mayor Dennis Estok has been discussing the possibility of replacing the lights in the downtown area during the last few Knox City Council meetings. They have been experimenting with a new kind of bulb. When they first met in September, he suggested that the council members take a little time after the meeting was adjourned to see the change and provide their input.

At their meeting last Tuesday, Mayor Estok said the experiment bulb was moved from its initial placement due to an obstruction from a near by tree. However, even with the tree covering the original spot, many council members said they could see a definite difference in brightness. Continue reading