Members of the FOP will be helping those students who have been selected to benefit from this program. The store will open early specifically for this endeavor and students can find clothes, backpacks, shoes or any other supplies needed for the start of the new school year. The FOP will be helping 60 children in need this year.
“Kids Closet Ministry is all about kids in need in Starke County. It’s a new ministry that began in the spring that just came from an idea, and so we’re kind of working on it and seeing what we can do,” said Lewandowski.
Twinkies lasted less than 24 hours on the shelves at Five Star in the Knox Mall. The Hostess treats are sold out, but more will be in stock next week. The gooey goodies made their return after a hiatus prompted by last year’s Hostess Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo Global Management purchased the bakery in March for $410 million. CEO C. Dean Metropoulos stated at that time that the company would make $60 million in capital investments to reopen locations throughout this summer, with plans to hire at least 1500 employees to get the snacks back on the shelves.
Amber Lain admitted to Judge Kim Hall that she was in a home in which she lived with Johnny Mullens that had an active methamphetamine lab, precursors and drug paraphernalia in the presence of her son at the time a search warrant was executed at that residence on March 1. She admitted that she purchased ingredients for the manufacture of methamphetamine but never participated in the actual cooking of the harmful drug. She stated that she was usually at work when the drug was made and her son was usually in the home when that activity occurred.
Patricia Vega had agreed to plead guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of Possession of a Legend Drug as a Class D felony. As part of the plea agreement, she would serve 24 months in the Department of Corrections with 12 months suspended to be served on home detention.
Starke County Commissioners have chosen the less expensive premium option for insurance to ensure the county has coverage, but they intend to keep shopping for lower cost alternatives. They finally got rate quotes Monday morning and did not have time to explore other options prior to their meeting that night. Doing nothing wasn’t an option, as the county’s existing policy expires this week. After quite a bit of discussion they chose the policy with a $153,000 annual premium and a $50,000 deductible on all claims, including vehicles. The premium for the other policy is $225,000 per year, and the deductible is $10,000. The premium spike is due to the high number of insurance claims filed by the county over the last five years. It’s unclear whether the county will have to pay a penalty if they find a less expensive policy and cancel this one.
NIPSCO has announced that their Reynolds-Topeka Electric System Improvement Project is now in its Routing Phase as they focus on developing a set of potential routes to take to the public and local communities to allow them to get input for the final route selection. Kathleen Szot, spokesperson for NIPSCO, explained the business was approached by a planning group requesting help.
“NIPSCO has been asked by a regional transmission planner group that oversees the whole Midwest area to help construct a project between Reynolds and Topeka, so running through north central Indiana,” said Szot.
Smith had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony in two separate cases. He admitted to stealing a John Deere Gator, a compressor and a welder from a storage shed in Holland, Mich. and attempting to sell those items in Starke County. A potential buyer believed that the item he was about to purchase was stolen and called the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Smith was subsequently arrested. That occurred in January.
A Fulton County fireworks store went up in flames last night. Firefighters were called to Windy City Fireworks just east of Rochester on State Road 14 at U.S. 31 around 10 last night and found the building fully engulfed when they arrived. Every fire department in Fulton County was called out to battle the blaze, according to WSBT-TV. Pulaski County dispatchers tell WKVI news that no requests for mutual aid from departments there were received. The fire created quite the spectacle as fireworks ignited and exploded overhead. We have not received word of any injuries, and the cause remains under investigation.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the WKVI listening area until Friday evening. It officially takes effect today at noon ET and continues until 8 tomorrow night, as temperatures climb into the low 90s and heat indexes hit the triple digit mark. Overnight lows will only drop into the low 70s tonight. A heat advisory means a combination of high temperatures and high humidity significantly increase the likelihood of heat related illness. If you have to be outside, drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks. Children and the elderly are especially susceptible to heatstroke and other conditions, so be sure to check on them and make sure they are well hydrated. Likewise, see that outdoor pets have ample water and shade. If possible, stay inside in the air conditioning until this weather breaks.
“We’re allowing our members to kind of give back to the service territory that we serve – mainly Marshall County, but also parts of Starke, Kosciusko and Kankakee also. And we’re allowing different organizations and individuals to fill out applications for different needs,” said Howard.
Twinkies have made their long-awaited return to Starke County to minimal fanfare, but while the snack cakes aren’t exactly flying off the shelves, some residents were excited to see their favorite Hostess treats back on sale. Five Star in Knox began selling Hostess products this morning, with a display set up and ready before 11 a.m.
One Knox resident said he was elated to see the products back on the shelves, though they didn’t have the snack his wife was looking for.
On top of that, Johnson said that teachers and leadership members will be provided with iPads next year and will learn how to operate the devices. The following year, the board will look into student implementation of the devices.
Johnson said this summer has been all about technology training, and the month of August will focus largely on training in various services, such as School Messenger – a parent contact and notification system – as well as Google Drive and MyBigCampus.
An early afternoon pickup truck versus motorcycle crash in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop shut down traffic in both directions for about an hour and sent a Plymouth man to a South Bend hospital. Justin Neher was westbound on U.S. 30 on his bike when a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Natalie Radtke, 17, of North Judson turned east out of the truck stop into his path. Continue reading
Medaryville firefighters were called to a house fire on Prairie Street but when they arrived at the scene, they found a second home on fire. Firefighters from the Francesville Fire Department were then called to the scene.
The two-story house owned by Danny Clark was a complete loss while Randy Franscoviak’s home suffered severe damage to an exterior wall, rood and attic area. The main floor suffered heat, smoke and water damage.
“The hot water doesn’t work, there’s feces in the toilet, there’s sewage leaking here and there, no safety and security equipment, toilets don’t flush…every year, and frankly, sometime you’ve got to say, ‘hello, there’s a problem here,’” said Norem.
