The weather station at the Starke County Airport should be back in service in the near future. It stopped reporting local weather conditions a few months ago, causing current conditions to be left blank on the National Weather Service website and some local weather reports. Continue reading
School corporations are waiting for guidance from the state before trying to assign too much meaning to the 2014 ISTEP scores released last week. They showed a decline of roughly 20 percent statewide over the prior year. Oregon-Davis Interim Superintendent Jim Dermody calls it a “fluid situation.” He intends to dig deeper into the local data and present a full report to the school board in February. Continue reading
The mild winter has been good to Pulaski County’s road salt reserves.
Around 20 tons have been used so far, a drop in the bucket for what the county uses during a typical winter. So far, road crews in Pulaski County have only been out de-icing the roads a couple of times. More snow is expected in the area as the winter season progresses.
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The Town of Culver may consider snow removal from the sidewalks of some commercial businesses in the near future.
Business representatives asked the Town to consider implementing the service after it was noticed that the downtown merchants often scoop their sidewalks at different points in the day. The inconsistent snow can obstruct pedestrian traffic.
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LaPorte Police will be on the lookout for aggressive drivers during a special enforcement initiative that starts today. Through Jan. 24, officers will be working 30 hours of Operation Pull Over-funded patrols. They will be looking for behaviors such as running stop signs or automatic signals and failing to yield, following too closely, unsafe backing, speeding and driving too fast for conditions. Continue reading
Starting today, the Starke County Clerk’s office will be closed for an hour each day to accommodate staff training. It will occur between noon and 1 p.m. each weekday through Jan. 29th. Continue reading
Many government offices will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Day. Starke, Pulaski, and Marshall County offices will all be closed, as well as the City of Knox and the Town of Culver. However, Winamac and North Judson town offices will be open.
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The City of Knox will have a community splash pad by Memorial Day. Adding that amenity to Wythogan Park was one of Mayor Dennis Estok’s main priorities. He discussed the plan in greater detail with the city council Tuesday night. Continue reading
A Downtown Winamac building is one step closer to demolition. The Long Branch building had been acquired by the town under a quitclaim deed after the county issued a demolition order against the site. Continue reading
The Winamac Town Council will meet in a special session tomorrow morning to update its nepotism policy. Winamac’s current policy dates back to 2012, when the state first started requiring one from local governments. Continue reading
It takes a bit more pay to support a family in Starke County than some of the surrounding areas.
That’s according to data in a report released by the Indiana Institute for Working Families. A team of researchers from the University of Washington helped develop the standard which attempts to define salary levels for residents to attain self-sufficiency.
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Indiana’s elected representatives in Congress are providing their opinions on this week’s State of the Union address.
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The Oregon-Davis School Corporation has a new school resource officer. Continue reading
The Eastern Pulaski School Corporation ended 2015 in good financial shape. Superintendent Dan Foster says all of their funds were in the black, and they had about 7 percent of appropriations remaining. As a result, Foster says they were able to move $600,000 into their rainy day fund. Continue reading
The Hamlet Town Board met last night with a new member, Connie Bailey, who replaced Frank Lonigro Jr. in the November election. David Kesvormas was re-elected Town Board President. Re-appointed were Martin Bedrock, attorney; Frank Lonigro, town marshal; Fred Rowe, street superintendent; Henry Ruiz, Water and Waste Water Operator; Connie Bailey, KIRPC representative; and Brian Earnest, Starke County Development Foundation representative.
A revised plan to issue permit fees has received an initial nod from the Culver Town Council.
A public hearing was held on the plan – which was recommended from the Town’s Plan Commission. Culver is taking the steps to deal with increasing costs from Marshall County to compensate for the use of their building inspector.
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A state lawmaker whose district includes part of Starke County is not seeking another term in office. Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, says in a statement he is stepping down to spend time with his wife and family. Continue reading
The City of Knox has a new police chief. Mayor Dennis Estok last night appointed Harold Smith to that position. He replaces Clint Norem, who served under Mayor Rick Chambers. Continue reading
Chickens will not be coming to the Town of Winamac in the near future. The Town Council narrowly defeated an ordinance Monday that would have let residents raise poultry in the town for a one-year trial period. Continue reading
Pulaski County believes they are within two months of revising their salary ordinance.
Months of work has led to the development of a plan, otherwise referred to as the “salary matrix.” The document saves the county money on new hires, but also provides incentives for longevity with the county.
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