Manhunt Ongoing In Marshall County

Posted on Author WKVI
William Newman

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is still hunting for a wanted suspect for outstanding warrants. According to the Marshall County Emergency Management Agency, Marshall County deputies are still searching for 42-year-old William Newman after he fled from police attempting to serve a Fulton County felony warrant earlier today.

Around 10:15 a.m., deputies attempted to serve the warrant on Newman but he quickly fled, leading deputies on a vehicle pursuit that finally ended in the area of 4th and Rose roads. The suspect then exited his vehicle and fled on foot.

Marshall County deputies, along with the Indiana State Police, Walkerton Police Department, Starke County deputies and La Porte County deputies, set up a perimeter and began tracking the suspect. Even with the assistance of the Marshall County K9 and a state police K9, the suspect is still eluding police.

William Newman is a 42-year-old white male with thinning grey and black hair. He was last seen wearing a gray plaid hoodie. If you observe this man or someone suspicious in your area, do not approach! He is suspected to be armed and dangerous. Contact the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at 911 or (574) 936-3187.

Starke Commissioners Seeking Volunteers To Fill Vacant Board Seats

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners

The Starke County Commissioners are currently seeking interested, qualified, and community-minded individuals to fill several vacancies on a number of boards.

Commissioner Kathy Norem said they are currently seeking an individual to appoint to the Starke Regular Drain Board for a three-year term. Two appointments are needed for the Kankakee-Iruquois Regional Plan Commission for one-year terms, and one appointment is necessary for the Planning Commission as a four-year term.

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Bombagetti Confident Starke County Will Meet ADA Deadline

Posted on Author WKVI
Ted Bombagetti

Despite being behind schedule due to the late start, EMA Director and ADA Compliance Coordinator Ted Bombagetti said he’s confident they’ll still make the ADA compliance deadline. Bombagetti was appointed as ADA compliance coordinator on Dec. 3, and with the end-of-the-year deadline for drafting a plan quickly approaching, time is running out.

Bombagetti said he’s currently working on the county’s self-assessment as well as the inventory of buildings, crosswalks, and other items that need to be upgraded for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said he has also been studying what other municipalities and counties in surrounding areas have done in complying with ADA requirements, and said he will bring information to the commissioners at their next meeting to see which avenue they would like to take.

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Production Better Than Expected For West Central Wind Turbine

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board got an update on the wind turbine during their recent meeting and Superintendent Charles Mellon said production is ahead of projections.

“We did have a very good month of October where we produced over 240, 000 kilowatts of energy. That has been our best month to this point. This was considerably above projection. Our other months have been slightly above or slightly below so that was good for us,” said Mellon.

IU Health Starke Hospital President Holds “Coffee with Dave” Sessions

Posted on Author WKVI
The Virginia Rockettes met with Dave Hyatt for "Coffee with Dave."

On Wednesday mornings, IU Health Starke Hospital President Dave Hyatt will be meeting with the ladies in the public in a setting called, “Coffee with Dave”. Hyatt says it’s a chance to let him tell everyone what’s going on at the hospital.

“We’ve made so many changes over the last three and a half years really letting the community know that they really do have a top-notch facility here in Knox in Starke County. It’s not the same old Starke Memorial Hospital it was three years ago. We still have the same dedicated staff. Our colleagues are excellent at what they do. We’ve made a lot of changes and a lot of improvements,” Hyatt said.

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91 Children Participate in Shop with a Cop

Posted on Author WKVI
Ninety-one children participated in Shop with a Cop this year at Walmart.

Ninety-one kids from White and Pulaski counties enjoyed a day with police officers as part of the annual Shop with a Cop Program on Sunday. Approximately 31 kids from Pulaski County and 60 children from White County attended the event which included pizza, pictures with Santa, a police escort to Wal-Mart, and a shopping spree for purchases of much-needed clothing, and the kid’s favorite toys.

Pulaski County Sheriff Mike Gayer profusely thanked everyone who generously donated to the event, and the officers who participated on their own time to make this great program a success.

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Knox Woman Named As Transitional Care Director For IU Health Starke, LaPorte

Posted on Author WKVI
Melissa Grcich

A Knox local has been named the new transitional care/care management director for both IU Health Starke and La Porte hospitals. In her new role, RN Melissa Grcich will oversee the departments and collaborate in the development and implantation of Transitional Care and new structure within the Social Services/Case Management department.

Grcich brings a variety of leadership experience in charge nurse roles, development of cultural standards, coordinating chair of the shared governance council and supervision, having previously worked with Methodist Hospitals. There, she served in critical care, renal, case management and utilization review. Most recently, however, she served as the care manager at IU Health Starke Hospital – a position she held since 2011. On top of that, Grcich worked as an investment representative for New York Life and AIG before making her transition into nursing.

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Knox Schools and Kiwanis Club Team Up For Food Drive

Posted on Author WKVI

A cooperative effort between the Knox Community School Corporation and the Kiwanis Club of Knox is seeking to assist those in need this holiday season.

Knox High School Assistant Principal Michael Bendicsen said that the corporation has for more than 20 years performed a food drive in an effort to collect nonperishable food items. Lately, he said, the food drive has also been receiving toys – something Bendicsen said was unexpected but certainly pleasant.

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Don Villwock Reelected as Farm Bureau President

Posted on Author WKVI

Don Villwock has been unanimously reelected to his sixth term as president of Indiana Farm Bureau and Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. Villwock, a corn and soybean farmer from Knox County, was elected during the delegate session that marked the conclusion of the IFB convention, which was held in Indianapolis on Dec. 7 and 8.

Villwock first took office as IFB president in January 2002, an honor that Villwock said humbled him. He said he appreciates the trust that the delegate party placed on him and he looks forward to the next three years as he continues to work on behalf of their members and Indiana agriculture.

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Two Arrested Following Gas Siphoning Incident

Posted on Author WKVI

A Knox man was arrested Wednesday after an alleged theft incident.

William Duncan told police that gasoline had been stolen out of his truck that was parked in his driveway. He listed a possible suspect and police began their investigation.

Police went to the suspect, Matthew Bradley’s, residence and questioned him about the theft. He denied any involvement. The reporting officer found that Bradley’s shoes matched the shoe prints found at the scene, and Bradley allegedly told police that someone else stole the gas, but when he was asked about what he did with the gas, he said he put in in Sarah Drabik’s car. He was detained by police.

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Dembowski Awarded Robert E. Hamilton Award

Posted on Author WKVI
Nancy Dembowski was presented with the award by Bill Sonnermaker.

The Starke County Economic Development Foundation honored three companies who have opened operations in Starke County over the past year during their “Prospectus and Achievements Night” on Dec. 5. Kemin Industries, Inc.; Chester, Inc., Ag Services Division; and Selected Furniture, LLC were honored along with two companies who announced plans to expand operations in the county: American Oak Preserving Company and Knox Fertilizer. Executive Director Charles Weaver also gave a report on the economic development highlights of 2012 and what might be expected in 2013 for Starke County.

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Plymouth Business Announces Closure

Posted on Author WKVI

Kabelin Ace Hardware announced last week that they will soon be closing their store in Plymouth. A statement released by the company stated that the store did well, but the big box store competition over the last several years has become greater than the family store could overcome.

Kabelin came in Plymouth in 1996 and has moved three different times within the city before they settled on their final location on Oak Road. Kabelin Vice President Matt Moore said last week that the store has been going through hard times since before it moved to Oak Road from North Kingston Road in 2010. He had high hopes that the new location would be an improvement, but he said the relocation did not meet their expectations.

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IU Health Starke Hospital Announces Upcoming Transitional Care Program

Posted on Author WKVI

IU Health Starke Hospital will soon be offering a transitional care program.

Since October, the hospital has suffered a penalty by the federal government for the amount of re-admissions to the hospital. President Dave Hyatt says all hospitals, not just the Starke County hospital, is held accountable for re-admissions within 30 days if a person has suffered a certain disease – such a pneumonia, heart attack, or congestive heart failure.

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West Central School Board Plans Work Session For Student Performance

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board scheduled a work session for Jan. 15 to discuss the strategic plan for the corporation. Superintendent Charles Mellon explains some of the points the board will be going over during the work session.

“Our most important is student performance, you know we want to make sure that the staff has adequate resources. That’s both material type things and staff, you know to do the best job possible. We also look at projects that may be upcoming, always put energy savings and kinds of things first on the list. So, we’re working our way through that list,” Mellon said.

Maxinkuckee Singers to Present Christmas Spectacular Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI

The Maxinkuckee Singers will present their Christmas Spectacular tonight at the Bremen United Methodist Church.

The Maxinkuckee Singers will share standard Christmas songs in their production along with contemporary numbers, sacred songs, comedy routines and featured soloists. This year, there will be a five minute intermission prior to the show’s surprise conclusion!

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Be On Guard For Scams This Holiday Season

Posted on Author WKVI

With the holidays fast approaching, many scammers are gearing up to deck the halls with their tried and true holiday scams. The Better Business Bureau is warning holiday shoppers and donors to know the red flags and be on guard this holiday season.

Thousands of shoppers every year fall victim to the holiday deals that seem too good to be true and the fraudulent charity pleas, so this season, the BBB urges consumers to take the following tips into consideration before doing their holiday shopping and making charity donations.

Always check a business’s BBB Business Review at bbb.org before making a purchase in the store or online. If you shop Craigslist or other free online bulletin board sites, look for local sellers and conduct transactions in person; never wire money. Always research charities through the Better Business Bureau before giving, and never click any links or open email attachments until you have confirmed that they are not malicious.

Two Arrested For Manufacturing Methamphetamine

Posted on Author WKVI

Two Walkerton residents were arrested on Friday, Nov. 30 after police allegedly found them in possession of methamphetamine and precursors in which to manufacture the drug.

Starke County officers learned that the occupants at 11220 E. 875 N. were manufacturing meth. When officers arrived on scene, they reportedly saw a zip-lock bag containing a light blue substance which they recognized as being an ingredient used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

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North Judson Renewing Fire Contracts For Several Townships

Posted on Author WKVI

The town of North Judson is working on a number of projects, but Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said they have just wrapped up the leaf pickup for the town. She said the crew made several sweeps of the town in November to make sure they picked up all loose leaves, and now they’re moving on to other items.

Henry explained the town is now working on fire contracts as they currently have bi-annual agreements with two other townships for fire run coverage. She said the fire department has an annual agreement with Wayne Township to send firetrucks out in response to calls, and they also have contracts with Jackson Township in Starke County and Rich Grove Township in Pulaski County.

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Local Pro Bodybuilder Sets Up Shop In Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

After hitting up competitions in about 30 states over the course of two years, professional bodybuilder Eric Keen is settling down – but that doesn’t mean he’s getting out of the sport entirely. Keen, who suffers from cerebral palsy which has affected the use of his legs, said he stopped doing competitions as of October to focus on his business ventures.

Enter Keen Performance in Knox, a business that Keen came up with as a way to help fellow professional bodybuilders who wish to compete but face difficulties with the finances. The shop, which offers a variety of fitness supplements, jerseys, t-shirts, and a plethora of other items as well, will donate a portion of the profits to help professional bodybuilders compete.

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