The Eastern Pulaski School Board held a public hearing for the 2014-2015 school budget.
The budget includes the Capital Projects Plan for the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 years, plus the 2014-2015 through 2015-2016 Bus Replacement Plan.
The Eastern Pulaski School Board held a public hearing for the 2014-2015 school budget.
The budget includes the Capital Projects Plan for the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 years, plus the 2014-2015 through 2015-2016 Bus Replacement Plan.
Starke County residents will see a specific fee on tax statements in 2014.
Treasurer Kasey Clark told WKVI that the solid waste fee will be on the spring tax statement. She said the fee, which is around $20 in some cases, will be a separate item on the tax bill and will be due when the regular property taxes are due in her office in May.
The Knox City Council this week learned an unexpected statistic from Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost, who explained that one-third of his department’s calls are for medical purposes. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it is inconvenient for the fire department because they receive no reimbursement for medical calls, but must pay $10 to each firefighter that responds to the call.
With frigid cold temperatures in the forecast, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency wants families and individuals to stay safe when faced with hazardously cold temperatures.
Andrew Velasquez, FEMA regional administrator, said subfreezing temperatures can be dangerous and even life-threatening for people who don’t take the proper precautions.
Samuel J. Frain, co-owner of Frain Mortuary in Pulaski County, has recently qualified to become re-certified as a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner through the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. Frain is also a lifetime member of the academy.
A suspect in several Culver area thefts is jailed in Marshall County after apparently picking a bad place to take a nap. An officer from the Marshall County Police Department reportedly found Russell A. Prosser sleeping in a car in the Lapaz McDonald’s parking lot around 4:30 Monday morning. The car matched the description of one that was part of several thefts and a foot chase in Culver on Sunday, according to the arrest report. A rifle and several items believed to have been part of the theft and subsequent chase in Culver were reportedly visible through the car window. Prosser is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to several prior serious felony convictions. He was arrested on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. Officers obtained a search warrant for Prosser’s car and reportedly found several items that had apparently been stolen the previous evening in Culver. Additional charges are pending.
Two people were arrested on Monday after a month-long investigation by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.
As a result, Joseph Lippner of Knox was arrested on a preliminary charge of Dealing in a Narcotic Drug (Heroin). Emilee Kajer of Knox was also arrested as part of this investigation on a preliminary charge Maintaining a Common Nuisance.
Sunday’s house fire in downtown Knox left two single mothers and seven children homeless. The blaze at 7 N. Bower Street started in a second floor bedroom, according to Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost, who believes an electrical heater is to blame. Nobody was injured, but the families were able to salvage very little. The Kid’s Closet Ministry at North Judson United Methodist Church has stepped in to offer assistance, and the St. Joseph County American Red Cross chapter is providing temporary shelter. An account has also been set up at First Farmer’s Bank and Trust in Knox and North Judson if anyone would like to make a monetary gift to the Sexton Family Fire Fund.
The U.S. 35 bridge is now open!
Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Deitchley notified WKVI Tuesday that the bridge was open to traffic. The last part of the project which included finishing the final surface of the roadway, lane striping and median work was completed in the past few days.
The Knox City Council this week passed a motion increasing the city’s income protection insurance benefit from $300 per week to $1000 per week. The discussion originated from a fireman who was injured while investigating a fire, preventing him from working his full-time job.
The town of Winamac will save roughly $12,000 a year by privatizing the collection of garbage and recycling in the town, according to Town Manager Jim Conner. Conner told WKVI that the town council this week decided to accept a bid from Advanced Disposal Services to provide garbage and recycling services for the town at a cost of $141,408 for the first year.
The Pulaski County Council this week decided not to make an exception in the pay rate of a part-time administrative assistant for the probation department at the behest of Hollie Schultz. Schultz told the council that her office has no full-time administrative person, though they have two part-timers, one of whom has been recently replaced.
Hometown pride runs deep, even when it is shown 1,519 miles away.
WKVI’s Anita Goodan has an old school friend who is helping her son with Cerebral Palsy reach rock star status. Casey Clark, who lives in Anita’s hometown of Shelby, Montana, is asking friends and neighbors to send her son, Gavin Gristy, Christmas cards. Clark said the main purpose of this venture is to show her son that even with his physical and speech ailments, he can reach his rock star status.
“My son has Cerebral Palsy and I wanted him to have a very special Christmas this year,” explained Clark. “Things kind of get hard for him at times. He has always dreamed of being a rock star, wanting fans and wanting to get mail. So, I decided to start a Facebook thing and ask all of my friends to send Christmas cards in his name so he can go through mail and get the mail. I had no idea it was going to explode into this huge extravaganza!”
The West Central School Board discussed the corporation’s budget at their recent meeting.
Superintendent Charles Mellon said the corporation received the 1792 notice and the board reviewed the notice.
“I went through that with the board and explained the rationale behind some of the budget cuts with the main reason being the reduction in revenue coming in,” said Mellon.
Families who receive SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits will need to adjust their grocery shopping schedules. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is changing the dates on which the benefits will be received. January of 2014 will serve as a transition month for the program, with the changes to be fully implemented in February. State officials stress that benefit amounts are not changing. The only change is the date on which benefits are applied to the Hoosier Works EBT card. Previously payments were made during the first 10 days of the month. However, a change to state law will spread payments from the 5th to the 23rd of each month, on odd days. More information about the change is available online at www.SNAP.IN.gov.
You have until this Friday, Dec. 13 to submit a nomination for the prestigious Henry F. Schricker Award.
This award is given to a Starke County resident who has exemplified the former governor’s attitude of “service before self.”
With the temperature expected to remain below freezing for the next several days, homeowners are urged to winterize their plumbing system to prevent frozen pipes. When water freezes, it expands, and when it expands within a pipe, it could burst and seriously damage property.
Winamac Coil Spring has cleared another hurdle in its quest to expand operations in Winamac as the county council this week gave their approval of a forgivable loan. A representative for Winamac Coil Spring approached the county council this week alongside Community Development Corporation Executive Director Nathan Origer, who said the business has acquired Chesapeake and they are looking to make improvements and investments in order to expand.
The Knox-Center Township Fire Department responded to a house fire Sunday morning in Knox.
Fire Chief Kenny Pfost stated that the firefighters arrived at 7 N. Bower St. shortly after 10 a.m. and battled the blaze that was reportedly started by an electrical heater. The fire was contained to the second floor, but the first floor sustained smoke and water damage.
No assistance was called in and Pfost said the fire was extinguished fairly quickly. No injuries were reported.
Marshall County Chief Deputy Prosecutor E. Nelson Chipman, Jr. announced his candidacy to run for the 2014 Republican nomination for Marshall County Prosecutor.
Current Prosecutor David R. Holmes announced that he will not seek re-election in 2014 for the position he’s held for a number of years. Holmes has served four full terms as prosecutor and served part of another to fill out a term when the elected prosecutor was appointed Circuit Court Judge.
Holmes was first elected as prosecutor in 1970.
A life-long Marshall County resident, Chipman, 59, will file his intention to run for prosecutor in January.