Starke County Road 700 East north of State Road 8 should be open again to traffic by mid-August. That’s the time frame outlined by Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler. He presented plans for what he calls a “pretty straightforward fix” to the bridge damaged earlier this year by a tree floating down the river that struck the supports. Continue reading
Work continues to improve roads and other upgrades in the Industrial Park in Knox.
With that, Knox Mayor Rick Chambers said 300 East and Culver Road will be closed at various times this week for the installment of a gas line in that area. Millers Construction will be performing the work and the travel interruption is only expected to affect this one week.
The Marshall County Commissioners voted unanimously to sign a letter of intent to purchase an asphalt zipper in the amount of $149,470 out of the rainy day fund.
Interim Highway Superintendent Jason Peters presented the paperwork to the three board members Monday morning. Peters said the equipment could be shipped on June 20 with arrival on June 24. A demonstration on how to use the machine would be given by the manufacturer on June 25.
The Pulaski County Commissioners received an update on the fire-damaged ambulance Monday night.
EMS Director Nikki Lowry said the repairs have been completed. She said that the ambulance is in Tipton and needs new brakes. The company that did the repairs on the ambulance quoted them $650 for new pads, rotors and all repairs needed.
Starke County will soon have a new EMS director. The county commissioners last night accepted Paul Matthewson’s resignation from that job, effective July 1st. He plans to remain with the county as a part-time paramedic. Continue reading
Starke County Republican Party Chairperson, Brenda Stanojevic, has several positions to fill for the November General Election ballot.
According to Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski, the vacancies include the clerk; auditor; recorder; coroner; assessor; commissioner district 2; trustee positions in California Township, Center Township, Davis Township, Jackson Township, Oregon Township, Railroad Township and Wayne Township; plus advisory board candidates for California 1, Center 2, Davis 1, Jackson 3, North Bend 1, Oregon 2, Railroad 1, Washington 1 and Wayne 2. These positions need to be filled by noon on June 30. The only exception is the Railroad Township Trustee due to a withdrawn candidate. That vacancy needs to be filled by June 18.
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office has determined the cause of a Friday afternoon house fire just west of Knox. The home on County Road 200 South just east of 200 East was in flames when firefighters from the Knox-Center Township Fire Department arrived at around 2:30 p.m. Continue reading
A LaPorte man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly stabbed someone with a knife when a fight broke outside a bar.
The victim stated he was inside the establishment when he heard someone outside screaming. He went to see what the commotion was about and saw Joshua L. Tawney, 22, of LaPorte, yelling at patrons telling them that the parking lot was his. The bouncers attempted to get Tawney to leave and he reportedly threw a barbecue grill causing a fire in the adjacent parking lot.
One person is in custody in an apparent homicide in LaPorte.
Daniel Shoffner was arrested on a preliminary charge of murder, pending further investigation. Formal charges are pending and could be filed in two days.
The incident occurred at a residence in the 100 block of McClung Road Sunday evening. Officers from the LaPorte City Police Department found the body of a woman at that residence.
An early morning joyride in a pickup truck reported stolen from a Plymouth residence ended with a crash in St. Joseph County. The owner of the white 1996 Ford F-350 pickup truck called Marshall County Dispatch early this morning to report it stolen from a lot in Gatewood Mobile Home Park on U.S. 31 in Plymouth. Continue reading
The committee formed to determine whether Starke County needs a park board could present a report to the county council this evening. Such a board would oversee the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, Starke County Forest and other public lands controlled by the county. It’s up to the council to establish such a volunteer board. Members have previously expressed reluctance to do so because of potential future costs. Continue reading
The Knox City Council last week received an update on the Henry Drive water extension project.
Mayor Rick Chambers stated that while the project is complete there are several loose ends that need to be tied.
“The Henry Drive water line is complete. The street has been paved and one homeowner was not happy with the way his yard was left and I’ll take care of that. Territorial Engineering is still working with Milo to move that original water line because the water superintendent didn’t like the way it was placed. Territorial will be paying that bill. They want to wait until later on this summer when the water levels drop a little bit. That will be taken care of,” explained Chambers.
A unique opportunity for aspiring nurses has surfaced at Ancilla.
WorkOne is collaborating with the university in order to help those who qualify receive assistance with paying for courses. Their nurse aid course begins June 30 and lasts until August 3. Nurse aids are the people who give direct patient care to individuals who cannot provide care for themselves. The course has a classroom portion, with instruction and a practicum portion, where skills are applied. It allows students to gain the sufficient certification required by potential health care employers.
The Oregon-Davis School Board will meet with several items up for discussion this evening.
The board members will consider several employment changes, transfers, renewals, non-renewals, and resignations. Also up for consideration is the advertisement of bids to purchase gasoline and diesel fuel for the next school year, a one-time stipend of 1.9 percent of current salaries for the 2013-2014 teachers and the approval of the 2015 budget calendar. There is time for public comment if any patrons have any concerns to bring before the school board members.
Summer school staff and bus drivers, plus the discussion of field-trips and fundraisers are on the agenda for tonight’s Knox Community School board meeting in the administrative office at the elementary school.
Also on the itinerary is handbook updates and credit activities.
The meeting is open to the public and begins at 6:30 p.m.
Mosquitoes can be more than a nuisance, they can be dangerous!
In extreme cases, mosquito-borne diseases can be spread through a bite including West Nile Virus, Yellow Fever and Malaria. With the game preserve and state park in the area, the concentration of insects is high.
The Fourth of July is approaching and the Indiana State Fire Marshal reminds you to celebrate safely.
You are encouraged to purchase fireworks from vendors who are licensed to sell fireworks in Indiana and have a permit issued by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Fire and Building Safety Division. Vendor permits must be displayed on the wall in the store. If you don’t see a permit and the owner cannot produce a permit, call the State Fire Marshal at (317) 232-2222.
Over a month ago, critics were wondering if Jimmie Johnson was ever going to win a Sprint Cup race this season. Now he’s won three out of the last four.
Jimmie Johnson was able to claim his first victory in the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Crew Chief Chad Knaus played some great strategy for the No. 48 team which put them in the position to win. Pit strategies are scattered throughout the field as the number of laps were ticking down. After all of the drivers had come down for service, it cycled back to Johnson and he was able to hold on for the win.
