The Town of Hamlet has announced the dates for its spring town-wide yard sale. It will be held Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5.
Jason Cooke Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court
Jason Cooke was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Monday afternoon.
Cooke pleaded guilty in an amended plea agreement to count of robbery as a Level 2 felony. Cooke admitted to robbing Sescoe Wireman of Knox of money, prescription medication, an Indiana ID card, and multiple credit cards. Cooke hit Wireman during the robbery causing severe injury. Wireman was hospitalized and later died. The incident happened on or about Oct. 6, 2015, at Wireman’s home in the 100 block of East 500 South in Knox.
Nurse Faces Level 5 Felony after Allegedly Trafficking Cell Phone into La Porte County Jail
A nurse employed by Advanced Correctional Healthcare has been arrested for the Level 5 Felony of trafficking with an inmate after she allegedly snuck a cell phone into La Porte County Jail with the intention of delivering it.
A press release issued by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office indicates that on Friday, March 16th, Jail administrative staff received information that an inmate within the jail was potentially in possession of a cellular telephone.
Upon receiving the information, an investigation was immediately launched and Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division of the La Porte County Sheriff’s office were called to assist. Continue reading
Starke County Park Board Agrees to Compensation Offer for Bass Lake Beach Gate House Damage
The Starke County Park Board is ready to accept an insurance settlement for damage to the Bass Lake Beach gate house. The structure was seriously damaged when a pickup truck reportedly crashed into it back in November.
District 4 Knox City Councilman Submits Verbal Notification of Resignation, Members to Proceed with Official Duties Ordinance
Mayor Dennis Estok informed council members last Tuesday, that the councilman for District 4, Tim Manns, has verbally indicated that he intends to resign from the city council.
Mayor Estok said that Manns sited scheduling conflicts with work and family obligations as the reason for his resignation. Estok added that the verbal notification is not official and Manns will still need to submit a resignation in writing. Continue reading
Winamac Town Attorney Advises Council to Utilize Umbaugh and Associates to Assess Bond Status
In order to ensure that no money is owed to the United States Treasury, Winamac Town Council members agreed to allow Umbaugh and Associates to assess the status of their existing bonds when they met last Monday.
Winamac Town Attorney Justin Schramm explained that whenever the town bonds a project, the bonds are tax-exempt since they were governmental bonds issued for a utility project.
He added that typically, bonds are subject to arbitrage regulations and if any excess interest or income earned are invested into higher yielding bonds for additional proceeds. However, since the town’s bonds are tax-exempt, different rules apply. Continue reading
Hamlet Residents Reminded of Tuesday Trash Pickup
Hamlet officials are reminding residents that garbage is now being collected on Tuesday mornings. The change took effect at the beginning of this month, when the town switched from Republic Services to Local Affordable Disposal.
Starke County Council, Commissioners to Meet Tonight
The Starke County Council members will consider the approval of a job description for a shift supervisor for the Starke County EMS Department when they meet tonight. EMS Director Travis Clary requested support from the commissioners for the four paramedics to oversee operations while he is unable to do so. A $.25 or a $.50 increase for those assuming those duties will also be considered. The council will also determine how to fund two cardiac monitors that were deemed an emergency purchase by commissioners earlier this month. The cost is just over $42,000.
Pulaski County Commissioners to Get Update on Wind Turbines, Consider Bridge Inspection Contract
An update on wind turbines will be given to the Pulaski County Commissioners this morning. In the past several months, a number of filings have been made with the Federal Aviation Administration for possible wind turbines in the Francesville and Star City areas. County Attorney Kevin Tankersley has been looking into writing an ordinance that would regulate them.
Oregon-Davis School Board to Consider School Calendars, Equipment Donation
The Oregon-Davis School Board is scheduled to approve the 2018-2019 school calendar tonight. Superintendent Dr. Don Harman presented a few different options to board members last month. A tentative 2019-2020 calendar will also be up for consideration.
North Judson Town Council to Meet Tonight
North Judson Police Officer Rico Simpson and his K9 partner Jimy are heading into their fourth week of training at Vohne Liche Kennels today. Town Marshal Kelly Fisher will provide the latest K9 update, as well as any additional police business, during her report at tonight’s town council meeting.
Members will also revisit the topic of cemetery mowing bids. Continue reading
Eastern Pulaski School Board Learns About Project Based Learning Class at Winamac Middle School
Seventh graders at Winamac Middle School are learning some higher-order thinking skills through problem-solving. The Eastern Pulaski School Board learned about the school’s Project Based Learning class last week from teacher Melissa Newman and students Chase Keller, Luke Dickinson, and Josh McCarnan.
Town of Culver Accepting Applications for Sidewalk Program
Applications will be accepted soon for the curb and sidewalk reimbursement program for the Town of Culver.
Culver residents who would like to replace and improve sidewalks may apply beginning Monday, April 2, at the Culver Town Hall. Project applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis and reviewed by Utility Superintendent Bob Porter. Dimensions which include the width and length of the sidewalk and/or curb are required at the time of the application submission.
State Wide Test of Emergency Alert System to be Held Tuesday Morning
As a part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week, which runs from March 18th through the 24th, Indiana broadcast stations will participate in a statewide tornado drill on Tuesday, March 20th.
The National Weather Service test of the statewide Emergency Alert System will be issued for 15 minutes at 9:15 a.m. CT/10:15 a.m. ET tomorrow morning. Continue reading
INDOT Announces Complete Closure on U.S. 421 Near Medaryville for Bridge Deck Replacement
The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced that all lanes of U.S. 421, north of the Medaryville Town limits will be closed beginning Monday, March 19th and will remain closed until early September.
INDOT crews will be replacing the bridge deck for the structure over Antrim Ditch, just north of County Road 200 North. Continue reading
Starke County Park Board Discusses Rent Increase, Clarifications to Bass Lake Beach Lease
Members of the Starke County Park Board continue to call for clarifications to the Bass Lake Beach and Campground lease, and that could mean a rent increase for Callahan Development, LLC.
Housing Challenges Discussed with Hamlet Town Council
As the Town of Hamlet looks to attract housing development, town officials are learning about some of the challenges they’re likely to face. During this week’s town council meeting, Ron Gifford with the Starke County Economic Development Foundation discussed a report from Purdue University.
Local Artists to Collaborate on Mural for Serenity Gardens in Knox
Mayor Dennis Estok shared some information with Knox City Council members about a mural that will be put up on the wall behind Serenity Gardens located at the corner of Main and Lake Streets in downtown Knox.
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Estok said that he met with some local talent recently and brainstormed some ideas about how to tackle the project.
“We do have three local artists, Joe Eskridge, Zac Hunter and Ryan Ehresman, they’re all three working together,” Estok explained, “What they’re going to do is basically, they’re going do three different themes and what I want them to do is bring the themes in and invite the public to view them and everything.” Continue reading
Pulaski County Council Approves Budget Transfer to Help Cover Circuit Court Overtime Costs
Overtime costs continue to add up for Pulaski Circuit Court. The Pulaski County Council voted Monday to transfer $5,000 into the court’s overtime budget from the law books line item, at the request of Judge Michael Shurn. “Last week, a two-day jury trial morphed into a four-day one,” he explained. “And I was working 16-hour days, and my staff was real close to that.”
Starke County and Pulaski County Health Rankings for 2018
The annual County Health Rankings Reports have been released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute.
While Pulaski County Ranked higher than Starke County in health factors and outcomes, their rank fell compared to last year while Starke County saw an improvement in each category. Continue reading
