Pulaski Co. Walk-in Flu Shot Clinics Planned For Early October

Posted on Author WKVI

Walk-in flu shot clinics have been scheduled by the Pulaski County Health Department.

The clinic hours are Oct. 2 and 4 from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., and Oct 3 from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 7 p.m. ET at the Pulaski County Health Department.

Flu vaccines will be $20 for adults and $20 for children. Insurance companies will not be billed. Parents can inquire if your child qualifies for publicly funded vaccines through the state. Call the Pulaski County Health Department at (574) 946-6080.

Decomposed Body Found In Bass Lake Home, Police Investigating

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the mysterious death of a Starke County man who was found in a home along Bass Lake Saturday morning.

Just after 9 a.m., police found a dead body in a Bass Lake home. While his identity has not yet been released, his body was reportedly badly decomposed, indicating that the man had been deceased for some time in the home.

Foul play has not been ruled out, and the Sheriff’s Department has launched a death investigation that will begin Monday with a forensic autopsy.

Welter’s Back in the School Board Race, Sports on Hiatus

Posted on Author WKVI
Harold Welter

Since announcing his withdrawal from the Knox School Board race because of the unwillingness of other candidates to sign a waiver of equal-time rights so he could continue to broadcast ball games on WKVI, Harold Welter has been informed by Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski that she was unable to get his name removed from the ballot. WKVI then contacted the FCC and were informed that even though Welter had withdrawn, the equal-time provision would still apply to WKVI because his name will remain on the ballot.

Welter offered the other candidates not to serve if elected in order to get their cooperation, but that offer was also rejected. Therefore, he’s decided that for the first time in 48 years, he will not broadcast sports for the required 60 days before the election.

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Starke County Commissioners to Deed Land to North Judson

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners this week corrected a mix-up from years past, as North Judson Town Board President Wendy Hoppe requested their assistance in transferring two parcels of land back to the town.

Hoppe explained that several years ago a building on Lane Street had been demolished, and the county assisted the town in clearing the debris; however, the property which had been split into two parcels was supposed to be deeded to the town, but instead, was deeded to the county. She says that issue was supposed to be straightened out long ago, but it was never corrected.

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Marshall County Council to Adopt Budgets Today

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Council will meet today to adopt the Solid Waste, South West Lake Maxinkuckee Conservancy District and Argos Community School budgets. The council will also perform the non-binding review of unit budgets and adopt the 2013 county budgets.

The Argos Community School Corporation advertised a budget increase of $82,000 with a levy increase of 56 cents. School personnel have not received raises for the past three years. A public hearing was held with no comments made and the budget, Capital Projects Plan and Bus Replacement Fund will be approved in a meeting today.

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Knox School Board to Meet With Consultant Regarding Palmer Wing

Posted on Author WKVI
Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board and the Facility Study Committee have been working on a solution to address the needs at the Palmer Wing at the Knox Elementary School. A recent public meeting was held in which Superintendent A.J. Gappa reported that it was an overwhelming consensus that a new Palmer Wing needs to be constructed.

A construction referendum could be featured in the May Primary Election and the board is in the process of deciding if that’s the route they want to take. Gappa said that the board will be holding a special work session on Sept. 17 in place of their regular meeting to discuss the referendum process with a consultant.

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West Central School Board Reaches Agreement with Teacher’s Assoc.

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board came to an agreement with the Teacher’s Association last week. Superintendent Charles Mellon said the board reviewed the contract during their recent meeting.

“It’s the extension of a contract that was set for five years,” said Mellon. “We dealt with some insurance benefit increases as well as paying those teachers a stipend that are at the top of the schedule who would not be receiving an increment, so to speak.”

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North Judson To Hold IACT Roundtable in October

Posted on Author WKVI

North Judson will soon be the host of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns quarterly roundtable.

Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says she and town board president Wendy Hoppe had attended the previous roundtable in Demotte in August, and she says each roundtable has a different topic. The August roundtable was focused on budgets, and Henry says she asked the organization if the North Judson Town Board could hold one of the upcoming roundtables in North Judson.

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Starke County Chamber Golf Outing This Week

Posted on Author WKVI

The annual Starke County Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing is quickly approaching, with registration and lunch to begin at noon CT on Friday, Sept. 14. A shotgun start will kick off the outing at 1 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie Mix said the chamber is excited to offer this opportunity to members of the community, and they hope that this year’s fundraiser – their biggest yet – will help the chamber provide the many benefits it offers to the community and its members.

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Plymouth Man Arrested Twice in Two Days, Held on $150K Bond

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was arrested on three charges in two different incidents over the course of two days.

On Monday, it is alleged that Jason Cooke entered the property of Linda Draper and she ordered him off the property. Cooke had reportedly exited a vehicle and walked onto the property and said he needed to speak with Draper’s son. She told Cooke that he was not welcome on the property and to leave. He then said he was going to talk to him anyway and continued on her property and into the house. Draper then called police and he left the property. He was eventually taken into custody and arrested on preliminary charges of Criminal Trespass and Residential Entry.

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Jury Finds Bradley Guilty Of Criminal Deviate Conduct, Criminal Confinement

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Courthouse
A 12-person jury took less than 20 minutes to deliberate and announce their verdict in the case of Samuel Bradley, charged with Criminal Deviate Conduct as a Class B felony and Criminal Confinement as a Class D felony. The jury found Bradley guilty on both counts shortly after the two-day trial came to an end.

The state called three witnesses to the stand throughout the course of the trial, including the victim in the case, along with the dispatcher and the detective. The defendant called only himself as a witness.

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West Central Schools to Adopt Budget Soon

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board held a hearing on the 2013 proposed budget. Superintendent Charles Mellon said the hearing included the Capital Projects Plan and the Bus Replacement Plan.

“I basically just reviewed the budget with the board once again,” stated Mellon. “We had our work session back in the first week of August. We will be adopting the budget at our meeting on Oct. 4.”

The corporation is anticipating losing another $155,000 in state tuition.

Knox Middle School Newspaper Spotlighted At School Board Meeting

Posted on Author WKVI
Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Middle School newspaper got the spotlight this week during the recent meeting of the Knox Community School Board. Mrs. Kathleen Jerrell, a sixth grade English teacher, is the sponsor of the newspaper The Redskin Review. Superintendent A.J. Gappa talks about the presentation of good posts like this one on Jimmy John Shark.

“Mrs. Jerrell brought in some students and a copy of the news paper to show the board and did a fantastic job of presenting the paper,” said Gappa. “Most of the editions of the paper go out over the internet and the middle school website.”

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State Road 8 RR Crossing Once Again Open Near Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

The railroad crossing over State Road 8 near 700 East in Starke County is once again open. The crossing had been closed since Aug. 27, and was reopened yesterday morning.

The crossing was closed for routine maintenance by Norfolk Southern Railroad, and they had estimated that it would be closed to traffic until Sept. 10, but the work was completed ahead of schedule and the road is once again open to traffic.

INDOT Railroad and Utilities Engineer Mike Essling said that the planned closure was expected to be a bit longer than usual, but he said the company would coordinate efforts on restoring access to the tracks as quickly as possible. All emergency services, school corporations, and other affected parties were notified of the track’s closure and provided with alternate routes.

American Community Survey Causes Scam Scare

Posted on Author WKVI

If you have received what you suspected was a fraudulent phone call from someone claiming to be with the U.S. Census Bureau, worry not; it could very well have been a legitimate survey.

North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said that an elderly citizen had contacted the North Judson Town Hall and stated that she had been contacted numerous times by someone claiming to represent the U.S. Census Bureau and requested information for the American Community Survey. The woman said she was concerned that it was a fraudulent phone call.

Fortunately, Henry contacted the U.S. Census Bureau and discovered that the organization was, indeed, performing the survey. However, no news outlets were notified of the survey, causing those who were contacted to be slightly suspicious.

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Hunter Education Class Offered In North Judson

Posted on Author WKVI

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is offering a Hunter Education Class to assist participants in receiving their Indiana Hunter Education Certification.

Indiana Conservation Officers will be holding the class on Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT at Kankakee FWA Headquarters, located at 4320 W. Toto Rd, North Judson. There is no fee for this course.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive their certification, which is required for any hunters born after Dec. 31, 1986.

Students are asked to preregister for the course by calling District 10 Law Enforcement Headquarters at (219) 879-5710. Attendance both days is mandatory for the certification, and children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch.

Ancilla College Hires Two New Admissions Staff

Posted on Author WKVI
Kelly Manning
Ericka Taylor-Joseph

Ancilla College is proud to welcome two long-time local education professionals as part of their new marketing and admissions efforts.

Kelly Manning and Ericka Taylor-Joseph, both Starke County residents, are now part of Ancilla’s Admission Department as admissions counselors. Both have extensive connections to regional schools and community organizations.

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Week in Review for Sept. 4-7, 2012

Posted on Author WKVI

Here is a look at some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:

Funeral services were held Tuesday at the Knox Community Center for Knox High School student Taylor Wagner. She died from injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident on U.S. 35 just south of 200 North last Saturday morning. Her vehicle left the roadway and she attempted to correct it, but the vehicle ended up flipping three times, ejecting her from the vehicle. She was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital where she died of her injuries. A Starke County Sheriff’s Department investigation found that she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. Continue reading →