The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has granted permission to the city of Knox to burn the brush that has accumulated from the storms that ravaged the city on July 24.
The Knox City Street Department has already prepared an area for a burn and will notify the fire department when that activity will proceed. This is not for individual residents to burn, but the city of Knox as a government entity.
The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership will be working additional hours from now until Sept. 3 to enforce impaired driving and seat belt laws.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, and Hamlet, North Judson and Knox Police Departments will be looking for all traffic violations including seat belts, texting while driving, driving while intoxicated and more. Officers will be issuing traffic citations in an attempt to combat the growing number of traffic accidents in the county.
The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership is working in conjunction with the state’s Operation Pullover Blitz 72.
IU Health Starke Hospital, a major sponsor of the Harvest Festival, has announced they will be conducting a festival 5K Run and 3K walk on Saturday, Aug. 25.
The race will begin and end at the EMS parking lot near the hospital.
Participants in the run or walk are instructed to gather at the starting point before the 8 a.m. event, and registration begins at 6:45 a.m.
With the Harvest Days Festival just a week away, courthouse tours are set to begin this weekend, offering a unique look at the 115-year-old Starke County Courthouse.
The tours are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These tours have been conducted since 1994, and during that time, more than 5000 people have visited the courthouse’s eight floors and watched as the clock and bell ring out, tolling the time to the residents of Knox.
Energizing Indiana is now offering residential home energy assessments as a smart approach to improve the comfort of Hoosier homes. The assessments can lower energy bills, improve in-home air quality, and increase the value of the home overall.
According to Energizing Indiana, their advisors will guide participants step-by-step through the process to produce long-term, cost-effective energy savings by analyzing energy use and recommending appropriate efficiency measures. Further, they will install several low-cost energy-saving measures, and even assess the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems to determine if they are operating efficiently. Air duct sealing, insulation levels, and more may also be inspected to evaluate the home’s energy consumption and heating and cooling efficiency.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-established Kemin Industries facility in North Judson drew an unexpectedly large crowd as more than 50 people turned up to celebrate the new industry brought to the town.
Kemin is an innovative bioscience company dedicated to manufacturing ingredients that provide nutrition and health benefits for humans and animals alike. Through their commitment to feed and food safety, the company manufactures more than 500 specialty ingredients for the global feed and food industries as well as the health, nutrition, and beauty markets.
This was the first week of school for area students.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa talks about how the first week went for Knox Community School students.
“After talking to the principals at each building, I guess the one word we could use is smooth,” said Gappa. “There were no major glitches. Bus loading and unloading seemed to go well. I talked to the people at the transportation garage and all of the routes seemed to be in place and moving well. I don’t have any preliminary numbers, but hopefully our student population is at least as much as last year.”
Two Medaryville men were arrested Wednesday night after Pulaski County police responded to a report of shots fired on County Road 1400 West, a half-mile north of 300 North. The caller told police that a vehicle was on private property without permission, and he believes he heard gunshots fired.
When Medaryville Assistant Police Chief Sheri Gaillard arrived on scene at roughly 9:12 p.m., she says she found the vehicle in question and recognized the subjects inside as James F. Richie, 38 of Medaryville, and Roger L. Frinkel, 31 of Medaryville. An active arrest warrant was out for Richie, and he was consequently arrested.
As if dealing with outbreaks of swine flu and West Nile weren’t enough, state and federal health officials are now advising all Hoosiers to discard cantaloupes purchased after July 7 following an outbreak of salmonellosis, which has sickened 14 Hoosiers and approximately 150 people nationwide.
According to the State Department of Health, farms in Southwest Indiana, as well as distributors and retailers, are being investigated as possible sources of the outbreak. One farm has voluntarily agreed to do a market withdrawal and will be stopping the shipment of all cantaloupes as a precaution.
The 32nd annual ABATE/MDA ride is coming up this month. The LaPorte County Fairgrounds will be host to the event, sponsored by ABATE of Indiana Region 2, made up of dedicated members from seven northern Indiana counties including Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Jasper, Newton, and Pulaski.
ABATE is a motorcycle rights and safety organization that believes in the freedom of the road with an emphasis on achieving the safest motorcycling conditions in the state – but they also believe in helping those who are in need. For 32 years, the organization has raised over $3 million for Muscular Distrophy Association research and local patient service programs.
A LaPorte man was sentenced in U.S. District court this week.
Casey Lloyd, 31, was sentenced to 19 months and three years supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon. He had been previously charged with Dealing Heroin and Identity Theft. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The United States Attorney’s Office will hold a press conference on Monday at 11:00 a.m. CT at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department to announce the distribution of more than $2 million to local law enforcement. The money will come from drug interdiction proceeds.
Officials have released the identity of a woman injured in an accident in Washington Township Wednesday night.
Police say 26-year-old Amanda Tomerlin of Knox was traveling at a high rate of speed on 700 East just north of 25 North in Starke County when she reportedly went off the road near Eagle Creek Cemetery. Her car struck the fence, causing the vehicle to spin around and into a tree before coming to a rest against another portion of the cemetery’s fence.
Tomerlin was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital for injuries sustained in the accident, and she was later transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.
Toxicology tests were inconclusive and the case remains under investigation.
Four Plymouth residents were arrested after police learned of a possible methamphetamine lab operation at 400 W. Washington St. in Plymouth. Police say that three officers approached the home at 11 a.m. on Monday and, upon arrival, detained four individuals. They obtained permission to search the apartment, and soon found several items associated with manufacturing, dealing, and using methamphetamine. Jason Joseph, 27; Justin Keller, 28; Sara Johnson, 22; and Robin Chese-Barnett, 26 were arrested and face charges of Manufacturing Methamphetamine and Possession of Methamphetamine, Precursors, and Paraphernalia.
A Bass Lake man was killed in a motorcycle accident late yesterday afternoon. William (Bill) Wagner, 55, was reportedly traveling on State Road 10 just west of the Bass Lake Beach when the motorcycle went left of center just prior to the start of a curve. The motorcycle then went into a ditch, struck a raised driveway causing it to go airborne. It landed on its front wheel and with the back of the motorcycle still up in the air, the driver and motorcycle hit a tree. Wagner was transported to IU Health Starke Hospital where he later died of his injuries. There were no witnesses to the accident and the reason why the motorcycle left the roadway has not bee determined. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department investigated the accident.
A revised injunction against C&C Salvage has been filed in Starke Circuit Court. The Starke County Planning Commission had filed the injunction after it was found that the owner, James Campbell, did not have the proper permits to expand the business. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management also conducted an inspection of the business and found that C&C Salvage violated several state and federal laws. Campbell is required to obtain the necessary permits for the business and correct all violations before operations can resume. Campbell is also ordered to pay $300 a day for every day he is in violation of county, state and federal laws since July 30.
The attorney for the new owner of Marsh Manor, at 304 S. Main St. in Knox, appeared before the Knox City Council this week to determine what needs to be done in order for her client to bring up that property to livable standards. The owner had purchased the property on the county’s online tax sale and didn’t know that the inside of the building had been gutted from a fire and was condemned due to that fire. The owner attempted to get her money back, but all property tax sales are final. The owner will have to appear before the Board of Public Works to get the information needed in order to bring the property up to code.
Indiana State Police officers responded to a two vehicle accident early Wednesday morning on I-94 just three miles east of the Michigan City exit in LaPorte County. LaPorte County Coroner, John Sullivan, told WKVI that one victim in the accident, 38-year-old Michael Van Der Linden of Belleville, Michigan was driving the wrong way on I-94 and hit a vehicle head-on driven by 45-year-old Juan Nelson of Portage. The impact caused a fire that consumed both vehicles and left the bodies burned beyond recognition. Sullivan said the cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma and thermal burns. As Michigan police arrived at Van Der Linden’s home to attempt to notify the family of the fatal accident, they observed the door to the home open. When police entered the residence, they found that every member of Michael Van Der Linden’s family was murdered. His wife and children were found stabbed. Investigators now are trying to piece together why Van Der Linden was in LaPorte County and if he is the suspect in the murder.
Bobby Jewel was arrested Tuesday after a pursuit incident with Starke County police. Police received a call that Jewel was driving a stolen pick-up and manufacturing methamphetamine in the Monterey area and when police found the vehicle on Lincoln Street, he fled. Police attempted a traffic stop, but he did not stop. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed through a shed and chain link fence on Adams Street in Monterey. Jewel then ran from the vehicle, but was taken into custody. Police reportedly found a controlled substance and a syringe in his possession. Jewel was transported to IU Health Starke Hospital for injuries sustained in the accident. He has preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Syringe.
An accident in Washington Township sent one person to the hospital. Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers found that a woman was driving at a high rate of speed on 700 E. just north of 25 N. in Starke County and left the roadway. Her vehicle hit the fence at the Eagle Creek Cemetery and then a tree. Her car came to rest on another part of the fence. She was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital due to her injuries and was later transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. The accident remains under investigation and alcohol could be a factor.
Marshall County has been added to the list of counties where cases of variant influenza A have been confirmed. To avoid the flu or other infections, wash your hands frequently; never eat, drink or put anything in your mouth when visiting areas with animals; cough or sneeze into your sleeve or elbow; and avoid those who are ill.
A $132,000 loan has been approved by the Pulaski County Commissioners to L&C Recycling, LLC, to allow Tom Bonnell to move his business from its current location on State Road 119 south of Winamac to a facility on County Road 200 South near 500 West. The loan was approved pending his request to rezone the new location to industrial to accommodate his business. He was recently granted a favorable recommendation by a revolving loan committee, and now with the commissioners’ approval, the matter falls to the shoulders of the Pulaski County Planning Commission. A hearing will be conducted on Aug. 27 to decide whether or not to proceed with Bonnell’s request.
The work session held by the Knox Community School Board last week shed some light on the feelings of the community concerning the Palmer Wing project at the elementary school. Superintendent A.J. Gappa explained that of the three options available – do nothing, renovate the existing wing, or build a new one – the consensus seemed to favor constructing a new wing. With just over a dozen patrons in attendance alongside staff members at the meeting, Gappa says the majority seemed to favor the idea of building a new wing and carrying on with classes as normal until the wing has been completed. Then, classes would be added to the new wing, and the 60-year-old Palmer Wing would be torn down. Gappa explained the new wing would likely be at the west end of the newer structure of the elementary school.
In light of this year’s worsening drought, the town of Culver is looking into the possibility of drilling an extra well for the town’s water supply. According to Town Manager David Schoeff, the town board had discussed the idea a while ago and had a study done regarding the project, but nothing had come of it. Since then, some comments had been made at the last board meeting that some residents thought the board should look into the idea once again because of the dry weather. Schoeff says the dry weather isn’t causing concern for the water supply, but they’re instead looking into the possibility to ensure that as the town grows, the water supply can accommodate the expansion.
Police say an 18-year-old Valparaiso man was struck by a train on Saturday morning on the Canadian National Railroad tracks near Yellowstone Road. Nicholas Domer was reportedly walking on the railroad tracks while wearing headphones, and the train conductor told police that he saw the man walking westbound on the tracks, headed in the same direction as the train. He said he sounded the train’s horn several times in an attempt to warn the man of the quickly approaching train, but it quickly became apparent that the man was not going to get off the tracks. The train conductor initiated an emergency stop, but was unable to bring the train to a stop before it struck Domer. Domer was taken to Porter Valparaiso Hospital before being airlifted to a Chicago hospital.
A Monterey man was injured after a pursuit with Starke County police on Tuesday.
Information was received by Sheriff’s Department deputies that Bobby Jewel was driving a stolen pick-up and manufacturing methamphetamine in the Monterey area in Starke County.
Officers located the vehicle in the roadway on Lincoln Street, but when they approached the vehicle, it sped away. A traffic stop was attempted on the vehicle for unsafe start, but the driver ignored the lights and sirens. The pursuit ended after the vehicle went through a shed and a chain link fence in a yard on Adams Street in Monterey.
A LaPorte man was arrested Wednesday after LaPorte Metro Operations personnel followed him as part of a surveillance operation to a residence in the 200 block of Worden Street in LaPorte. Police say when they approached the home, they were given permission to search and soon found precursors and what appeared to be the initial stages of methamphetamine production.
Matthew Rancatore, 23, was arrested at the scene and taken to the LaPorte County Jail, where he is pending bond. The Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Suppression Team from Lowell was notified and responded to the scene for further investigation as well as the removal and safe disposal of the chemical components of the methamphetamine lab.
Two people pleaded guilty to counts of Theft as Class D felonies in the Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Stephen Wood and David Miller were arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 28 following an alleged burglary incident, and the pair pleaded guilty to Theft as part of a plea agreement. Charges of Class B felony Burglary will be dropped as part of the agreement upon sentencing with a recommended sentence of 18 months for both, with nine months suspended.
Marion, Marshall, and Delaware counties have now joined 20 previously-identified counties in which cases of variant influenza A virus have been confirmed, but the total number of identified cases remains at 138. The Indiana State Department of Health says they recently found some duplicates in the samples submitted to the State Laboratory, and they have adjusted the number of cases confirmed in some counties.
A call center has been established to answer the general public’s questions regarding the virus, and is open from 8:15 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday at (877) 826-0011.
A tree stand accident in the 10000 block of 7th Road near Plymouth is currently under investigation by Indiana Conservation Officers, and officials say this emphasizes the need for caution when setting up a tree stand.
Forty-five-year-old Stephen E. Guzak was reportedly attempting to hang his tree stand in preparation of the upcoming deer season, but as he was doing so, he fell from the tree to the ground 20 feet below. Guzak was not wearing any of the recommended protective gear, such as a climbing harness or safety line. As a result, he suffered a broken hip, possibly-broken ribs and arm, and a dislocated shoulder.
IU Health La Porte Hospital would like to remind drivers to watch La Porte County roads for closures and cyclists on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25 and 26, during the La Porte Hospital Foundation’s 11th Annual Tour de La Porte bike, run, and walk event to benefit local cancer patients.
The tour includes a number of running and walking events throughout the morning on Saturday, including a half-marathon 21K chip-timed competitive run as well as a 10K run, 5K run, and 5K walk. All events will begin and end at Soldiers Memorial Park La Porte, and consequently, temporary road closures are necessary around the area to ensure the safety of participants and residents.
The statewide crackdown on impaired and dangerous driving, known as Blitz 72, will begin today and run until Sept. 3.
“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a national campaign funded and led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Thousands of officers from more than 250 law enforcement agencies throughout the state will be on the roads to enforce impaired driving laws.
