Starke County Commissioners Appoint Bombagetti As ADA Coordinator

Posted on Author WKVI
Ted Bombagetti

Starke County Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Bombagetti will soon be taking on several new responsibilities for the county, as the Starke County Commissioners this week passed a motion appointing Bombagetti as the county’s ADA coordinator.

Commissioner Jennifer Davis told WKVI that the highway garage had received a letter from the Indiana Department of Transportation detailing several deadlines for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall forwarded the letter to the commissioners by email in October.

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Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Purchase of Part Washer

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker told the county commissioners this week that he is looking into the purchase of a part washer, which he said he can pay for using money left over in the miscellaneous fund. Becker explained that the equipment would cost just over $10,000, and though that may seem like a steep price tag, he said they are currently paying $1200 per year for their current system.

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Santa Visits Pulaski County Library Throughout December

Posted on Author WKVI
Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Santa Claus is coming to Pulaski County! He’ll be making himself at home at the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac on Thursdays and Saturdays from Dec. 6 to 22.

The library has already been all decked out for the season, with a decorated tree in the reading room and a wonderful winter scene throughout the library. Santa will be at the library to pose for pictures and hear children’s Christmas wishes this season.

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Two Arrested For Theft In Plymouth

Posted on Author WKVI

Plymouth police officers arrested two people in separate theft incidents Sunday afternoon.

Sharon Ream, 51 of Plymouth, was arrested after a restaurant manager complained to police that she was in the business, helped herself to a soda without paying, refused to leave and was smoking inside the facility. Ream was arrested and booked into the Marshall County Jail on a preliminary charge of Theft, a Class D Felony.

Plymouth officers were later dispatched to Walmart after a man was allegedly caught shoplifting. Brandon Patrick, 21, of Plymouth was arrested on a preliminary charge of Theft. He was taken to the Marshall County Jail.

Starke County EMS Bringing In The Bucks

Posted on Author WKVI
Paul Mathewson

The Starke County EMS Department is still bringing in more money to the county’s general fund than they had anticipated for this year, as the department has already raked in $622,728 through the end of November – more than $60,000 over their projected revenue for the year.

This has led to the county’s general fund being above the expected collections, and Commissioner Kathy Norem said it was largely due to the new Advanced Life Support service offered by the EMS Department.

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Pulaski County Auditor’s Office May Switch To New Time-Tracking Software

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

As part of their ongoing effort to make things a bit less hectic in what they described as the “busiest office in the courthouse,” the Pulaski County Commissioners this week heard a presentation from Bill Ryerson of Harris Bank regarding a new program that could be implemented in the office to track employees’ work hours.

Ryerson explained that a time-in-attendance system would greatly help the office, and he said he had shown it to Auditor Shelia Garling and she said it would work well for the office. Commissioner Ken Boswell said the goal of the commissioners is to make the auditor’s job easier, and as long as she is comfortable using this new program, he’s fine with it.

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Community Choir To Present Christmas Cantata Sunday

Posted on Author WKVI

The Community Choir will present the 15th Annual Christmas Cantata this Sunday, Dec. 9 with two performances at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Knox United Methodist Church.

Choir member Ken Whiles tells us what kind of music we can expect to enjoy.

“Most of them are new songs, but there are two or three of them that do include some familiar songs,” said Ken Whiles. “They’re primarily new songs that fit into the theme of Christmas.”

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Fire Destroys Bass Lake Sandbar

Posted on Author WKVI

The Sandbar at Bass Lake was destroyed by a fire yesterday morning. The Bass Lake Fire Department was called to the scene around 4:26 a.m. when a resident drove by the business and saw smoke and fire.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen said the building is a total loss, and his crew responded within eight minutes of the initial call. It took over three hours to contain the fire. As the firefighters were attempting to put out the blaze, part of the roof fell in. Jensen would not provide a preliminary cause of the fire.

State Fire Marshall Fred Sumpter was on the scene yesterday afternoon conducting an investigation and helping with cleanup efforts.

The Bass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Knox-Center Township, North Judson-Wayne Township, Washington Township and Hamlet Fire Departments.

The fire is still under investigation and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Town of Winamac Continues ADA Compliance Efforts

Posted on Author WKVI

The town of Winamac is continuing its efforts to become ADA compliant, and Town Manager Jim Conner said they’ve still got a few steps to go on the long road to compliance. The town held a public meeting earlier this week to get the public informed about the plan and hear any ideas that residents may have.

Conner said they’ve still got inventory work to do for sidewalks and curb ramps to get an idea of which areas need to be reworked to ensure compliance. On top of that, the town will soon be installing truncated domes at the end of crosswalks to ensure the visually-impaired know they are approaching a street crosswalk.

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Knox School Board To Hold Project Hearing Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI
Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board will have a project hearing and a preliminary determination hearing regarding the elementary school project tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Administration Office. During this hearing, public comments will be heard.

The board will be discussing a possible referendum for an elementary school building project during that meeting.

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Oregon-Davis Student Council Sponsors Food Drive

Posted on Author WKVI
Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney

The Oregon-Davis Student Council is sponsoring a food drive through December 14. Student Council members Abby Gregory and Alivia Jensen are looking for your help.

“You can help our needy families by bringing in non-perishable food items, toiletries and coats,” said Abby Gregory.

“When you come to a ballgame or student event, bring a can of food,” encouraged Alivia Jensen.

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Bass Lake Bar Destroyed after Fire

Posted on Author WKVI
Firefighters assess the damage at the Sand Bar

The Sand Bar at Bass Lake was destroyed by an early morning fire on Sunday.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen told WKVI that the firefighters were called to the scene at aproximately 4:26 a.m. The structure is a total loss and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office is on the scene investigating what caused the fire.

No one was in the bar at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. Fire crews battled the blaze for three hours.

The Bass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Knox-Center Township, Washington Township, Hamlet, and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments.

Photo by Denice Daggett.

Benefit Being Held Today For A Young Starke County Girl Battling Cancer

Posted on Author WKVI
Korie Howard

A nine-year-old Starke County girl is staying strong as she battles one of the biggest fights of her life. Korie Howard was diagnosed in October with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer to her right lower femur after her mother, Amber Howard, took her to the emergency room because she was limping and suffering from knee pain.

An x-ray was performed at the hospital which found something that Amber said looked “off”- either a mass or an infection, and they were referred to a specialist at Riley’s Children’s Hospital. There, an MRI was performed, followed immediately by a biopsy. Howard said the specialist knew immediately what her daughter was suffering from, and the long fight she had in her future, but the results didn’t come in for another seven days.

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Two Arrested After Search Turns Up Slew Of Precursors, Drugs

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two county residents on Wednesday after responding to a residence under the suspicion that a person at the residence had a warrant out for his arrest.

Two officers arrived at 11220 E. 875 N. around 9:50 a.m. One officer covered the rear entrance while the other stayed at the front door, but before long, the officer who had traveled to the rear of the home located a zip-lock baggie containing a light blue substance that he suspected to be organic solvent, an ingredient used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

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Starke County Man Sentenced To 13 Years in DOC

Posted on Author WKVI

A Starke County man was sentenced to 13 years in the Department of Corrections for manufacturing methamphetamine at the Super Value Inn in Knox. According to the criminal information filed in the court, Lolus Johnson was charged with Theft and Possession of a Controlled Substance as Class D felonies and Possession of Marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor on March 30 after he stole shoes from Dollar General and was arrested. Police then found oxycodone, a controlled substance, on his person along with marijuana.

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Officials Awaiting Autopsy Results For Culver Shooting Victims

Posted on Author WKVI
Stephen Suthard

Police have yet to release any additional information on the shooting deaths of two Culver residents on Wednesday night. Officials are still investigating the incident, conducting interviews, and awaiting the autopsy results for 16-year-old Stephen Suthard and Michael Price, 44.

The two deceased are not related, but sources say the pair are close family friends. While few details have been released about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, officials have stated that a gun was found inside the home with one of the victims. There were no signs of forced entry.

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Plymouth Man Arrested On Battery Charges

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was arrested after allegedly battering his girlfriend.

Plymouth police were called to a residence in the 300 block of East Garro Street where the victim told police she had been battered. After an investigation, police found there was enough evidence to arrest the suspect, Kelton Washington.

Washington was arrested at the residence and taken to the Marshall County Jail. He was preliminary charges of Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child and Interference with Reporting a Crime.

This case has been forwarded to the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office for formal charges.