This morning’s fire at a vacant home in the 1300 South block of 300 East near Binkley Drive in Knox remains under investigation. Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost says an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office has been called in, and the police are also looking into the incident. Firefighters were dispatched to the home around 1 a.m. and remained on the scene for about 6 hours. No injuries were reported. Pfost adds nobody was living in the house at the time.
An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office has spent the past two days in San Pierre trying to determine the origin of Tuesday night’s blaze that destroyed the grain elevator on U.S. 421. The San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene just after 9 Tuesday night. Fire Chief Mike Korous tells WKVI news the warehouse and silo were both fully engulfed when they arrived. Additional firefighters from North Judson, Medaryville and Wheatfield were called in to help battle the blaze. Firefighters remained on the scene for about four hours. No injuries were reported.
Since this week’s report of unsolicited salespeople once again visiting homes in Starke County, there has been some confusion as to who is and is not allowed to go door-to-door trying to peddle merchandise. According to officials at the Starke County Auditor’s Office, the county’s peddler’s permits are valid for six months and only two issued permits are currently valid. However, that does not mean the person visiting your home is breaking the law; there are several exemptions allowed in the ordinance.
The ordinance allows anyone who grows what they sell – such as flowers, fruits or vegetables – to try to sell their items without a permit, as well as anyone who crafts the item by hand, auctioneers that are licensed, residents of the county that offer the items for sale for no more than four days, anyone who is exempt from the Indiana gross retail tax, activities sponsored by organizations, trade shows or conventions, and anyone who holds a registered retail merchant certificate. Continue reading
A motorist’s erratic driving early Sunday morning led to a traffic stop and subsequent arrest for drug possession after a patrolman from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office reportedly recovered drugs that were thrown from the vehicle. The officer pulled the car, driven by Matthew C. Cadwell, over on U.S. 30 east of Oak Road. Prior to the stop, the officer saw Cadwell toss items from the window, according to the incident report. Another officer retrieved the baggie, which reportedly contained two white pills identified as a controlled substance. Officers searched the vehicle and reportedly found more drug paraphernalia and evidence of recent drug use. Cadwell appeared nervous, according to the arresting officer. During a search at the Marshall County Jail, employees there reportedly found seven small baggies of white powder that field-tested positive for heroin. Formal charges against Cadwell are pending.
An auto theft incident was reported yesterday morning around 7:42 a.m. in the 10,000 block of Gumwood Road in Bourbon. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department reported that Doyne and Mary Snider found that their 2007 white Lincoln, along with a debit card, had been stolen during the early morning hours.
Officer Les McFarland traveled to the residence and completed a case report for the auto theft and theft cases before making contact with the Bourbon Police Department in an effort to locate and recover the stolen vehicle. Chief William Martin and Officer Matt Geiger soon located the vehicle in question within the Pentecostal Church parking lot.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa said 70 people were involved in the effort.
Graveside services for 59-year-old Michael Carey Velligan of Las Vegas are Saturday, Sept. 21 at noon ET at Star City West Cemetery. Frain Mortuary in Winamac is handling arrangements.
The Marshall County Council approved a request by Sheriff Tom Chamberlin to hire an officer to replace one who recently resigned. The council also approved a request by Clerk Julie Fox to hire a deputy clerk as Vicki Yost will be vacating the position when she moves to Alabama. Yost had worked in the clerk’s office for more than 10 years.
A Fort Wayne man who was traveling home from a court hearing in Chicago will now have a hearing in Marshall County after he was arrested on Tuesday on felony drug charges.
An officer with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 33-year-old Justin M. Horan on U.S. 30 just west of Oak Road for a speeding violation. During the course of the traffic stop, the officer found that the plates on the vehicle were fictitious and that Horan was in possession of a substance believed to be heroin. Drug paraphernalia was also found inside the vehicle.
Did the participants in this year’s Moving Starke County Forward Walking Challenge reach the goal of 25,000 miles? Did Starke County make it all the way around the world?
We’ll find out if that goal was reaching during the celebration event this Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. CT at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox.
The Moving Starke County Forward committee will offer awards and raffles, healthy snacks, and health tips and information. Vendors from the community will also be at the community center to give more information about health.
The walking challenge was just one movement the committee has focused on to get the residents of Starke County in better health. More initiatives are being discussed to get Starke County moving!
A Plymouth man was sentenced to 50 years in prison yesterday in Marshall County Superior Court.
Kenneth Schoff, 35, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of Conspiracy to Deliver Methamphetamine and Habitual Offender. He had pleaded guilty to the charges in an earlier hearing where the prosecutor and the defense left the sentencing recommendation up to Judge Robert Bowen.
If you someone of any age who has performed a random act of kindness, send a letter to Knox Mayor Rick Chambers that states the person’s name and contact information and why you think he or she should win the award. Include your name and address in that notice. Continue reading
The average price of gas in Indiana is once again on the rise, having been increasing since Aug. 28, and is now up to $3.70 per gallon – 10 cents more than the national average, which has remained relatively steady. The national average is currently resting around $3.60, down 5 cents since a month ago. According to Gregg Laskoski of GasBuddy.com, this regional increase can be attributed by rising crude oil prices and, despite common belief, it’s very unlikely that the gas increases in our area are caused by the Labor Day weekend or unrest in the Middle East.
Most license branches will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The Demotte, Knox, Monticello, Nappanee and 12 others in the state will reopen on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
If you need to conduct business, visit the BMV’s website at www.mybmv.com.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration now offers a Smartphone app that allows employees who primarily work outdoors to calculate the heat index. This will allow you to judge the conditions at a worksite.
The app can be tailored to your own purpose and will display a risk level associated with that particular heat index reading. Continue reading
The town of Medaryville is a step closer to having a Dollar General store after a proposed zoning change to accommodate the 9,100 square foot facility received the blessing of the Pulaski County Advisory Plan Commission. Town Council President Gene Payne says the proposal will now go to the county commissioners for final approval.
“It means everything to Medaryville and the surrounding community to get a business like that, or any kind of business. Everyone in the area is in support of it. We really need it,” Payne said.
The next Pulaski County Commissioners meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 3, but it’s unclear whether the matter will be discussed then. Click here to view the Dollar General site plan
Labor Day weekend is approaching, marking the end to the summer boating season for Hoosiers and the beginning of hunting seasons in the state. With that in mind, Indiana conservation officers are encouraging boaters and hunters to stay safe and revisit safety plans as we transition from one season to the next.
While on the water, the best way to stay safe is to wear your lifejacket, according to Indiana Boating Law Administrator Lt. Kenton Turner. He said lifejackets continue to be the best way to keep drowning statistics low and state waterways safe. According to the United States Coast Guard, 85 percent of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents died because they were not wearing life preservers.
LaPorte police officers received numerous complaints from residents about unlawful entry into their vehicles. One victim gave police a description of a suspect and the suspect was located with a case in his hand that matched the description of one of the stolen items. The suspect reportedly told police that he found the case lying abandoned and did not know what was inside it. The case contained various cell phones, iPods and car chargers.
Funeral services for Bettie K. Schmaltz, 88, of Royal Center, are Friday, Aug. 23 at 10:30 a.m. EDT at Harrison-Metzger & Rans Funeral Home, Royal Center Chapel, with visitation there Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be given to the Royal Center United Methodist Church.
