WKVI Information Center

LaPorte Police are looking for a suspect or suspects responsible for a fire at 505 Maple Ave on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the investigation, the resident told police that a grill and two tires caught fire in the back yard and the tires were reportedly purposely moved to that location and a gasoline container was found nearby. The container had been on the front porch and moved to the area where the fire originated. It is suspected that gasoline was used as an accelerant.

Starke County Voters Choose Dulin and Bope

Voters in Starke County have selected the Democratic and Republican Party nominees for sheriff. Bill Dulin got the most votes of any candidate on the ballot, beating fellow Democrat Harold Smith by nearly 1,000 votes, according to unofficial totals.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum going in. We’re going to take a couple months off and regather our thoughts and hit it again come November,” Dulin said.

Smith got 850 votes to Dulin’s 1,840 and admits he’s disappointed. “We tried. Like I said, the final results came in, and it is what it is,” he told WKVI news.

On the Republican side, Bill Bope beat Greg Wireman by a margin of 646 to 381 and said he’s excited about the Nov. 4 General Election. Continue reading →

Binkley Beats Dembowski in Commissioners Primary

Former Knox Mayor and state representative Nancy Dembowski will not be making a political comeback as a member of the Starke County Board of Commissioners. She lost to fellow Democrat Donald Binkley by 126 votes in the primary.

“It’s just important, I think, for everyone to work together on the county level to make certain we have one goal in mind, and that’s the benefit of the people who live in Starke County,” Dembowski said.

So far Binkley is unopposed in the November 4^th General Election. Continue reading →

Gray Beats Hoffer in Starke County Coroner’s Primary

A Starke County Sheriff’s Deputy won the Democratic Party Primary for coroner. Adam Gray got 60 percent of the votes to Dannie Hoffer Junior’s 40 percent. “I believe in dignity and respect for the deceased and compassion for the families,” Gray told WKVI news. “I’ve got the support of the present coroner and the past coroners, and I want to carry on the legend of Kris Rannells and the wonderful job he’s done for the past eight years. I want everyone in Starke County to know I’m going to carry that tradition on.” Gray does not have an opponent in the November election.

Pulaski County Voters Narrow Sheriff’s Field, Nominate GOP Prosecuting Attorney

Pulaski County voters overwhelmingly supported a first-time candidate and two people who have previously held the offices they are seeking. Former state conservation officer Jeff Richwine was the runaway winner in the Republican sheriff’s primary. He got 1,064 votes to Brian Gaillard’s 444. Jeff Heims finished third with 323. Richwine will face former two-term sheriff Paul Grandstaff in the Nov. 4 General Election. He got 446 votes, and his challenger Jeff Jenkins pulled in 126. Grandstaff also served four years as a county commissioner after his term as sheriff ended. Continue reading →

Federal Filing Deadline Approaching for Exempt Organizations

May 15 is the federal filing deadline for many tax-exempt organizations.

Internal Revenue Service officials say groups who are required to file Form 990 and fail to do so are at risk of losing their tax exemption. Do not include Social Security numbers or other personally identifiable information on the form, as it can lead to identity theft. The IRS and most organizations are required by law to make most parts of their completed forms available to the public, including schedules and attachments.

Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Zoning Change

Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Terry Young and Tracey Shorter

The Pulaski County Commissioners Monday unanimously approved a zoning change to turn recreational and residential land back into farmland.

The advisory plan commission recently approved the request to rezone the former driving range at Moss Creek Golf Course from RR-1 to A-1, which means it can be tilled under and planted. The commissioners also approved the rezoning of six nearby lots in the Moss Creek Acres Subdivision from residential to agricultural use.

Plymouth Fire Department Requests Use of County Property for Training Facility

May 7, 2014November 2, 2020WKVI

The Plymouth Fire Department is looking for a piece of property to construct a live training facility. Fire Chief Rod Miller approached the Marshall County Commissioners Monday morning to request the use of some land at the Marshall County Jail site.

“The purpose of this is to obtain property for this training facility,” explained Miller. “The use of this property would be a multi-agency use for the county departments including police and fire. It would definitely be an opportunity for every department in the county to take advantage of something like this. The closest one that we have now is in Warsaw.”

Click it or Ticket Campaign to Begin May 9

The Indiana State Police will be out in full force beginning Friday, May 9 for the Click it or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign. The enforcement will continue until June 1.

More than 250 law enforcement agencies in Indiana will conduct special controls to identify and ticket unrestrained drivers and passengers. The focus will be on the Memorial Day weekend.

Starke County Highway Department Announces Mowing, Paving Plans

Starke County Highway Department employees plan to mow county rights-of-way for the first time tomorrow, weather permitting. This will be the first of at least six planned mo

wing cycles this summer. Crews will mow five feet off the edge of the pavement at each road and 20 feet back at intersections in order to clear the necessary sight distance for drivers. The Starke and Marshall County Highway Departments are also coordinating their paving schedules in order to share resources. Starke County will make Marshall County’s pug asphalt, and Marshall will loan Starke County their distributor trucks and two-lane chipper box. The pug will be made in late May for paving in July.

Pulaski County Commissioners Hire Assistant EMS Director

Pulaski County EMS has a new assistant director.

The county commissioners last week interviewed five applicants during an executive session meeting at the request of director Nikki Lowry. She works closely with all of the applicants and wanted to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

Primary Election Results

May 6, 2014WKVI

The results are in for the May Primary Election.

The following list includes the results for the contested races in Starke and Pulaski Counties. For a full list of results, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the documents. Continue reading →

Kasey Kahne’s Crew Chief Fined after Talladega Race

May 6, 2014WKVI

A rules violation committed on May 3 at Talladega Superspeedway has resulted in a fine for Kenny Francis, the crew chief for the No. 5 team for Hendrick Motorsports.

According to NASCAR officials, Sections 12-1, actions detrimental to stock car racing, and 12.4.3(A)1-c, unapproved added weight and/or weight affixed improperly, were violated as stated in the 2014 rule book.

Wreck Sends Driver to IU Health Starke Hospital

May 6, 2014May 6, 2014WKVI

A two-vehicle wreck just before 11 a.m. on U.S. 35 just south of U.S. 30 sent the driver of one of the cars to the hospital. According to witnesses, the driver of the green Pontiac Sunfire did not stop when she came off the ramp from U.S. 30 onto U.S. 35. Her car hit the left side of a Chrysler Town and Country minivan owned by Braman and Son Memorial Chapel. It was northbound on 35 when the crash occurred. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Hamlet Police Department and Indiana State Police all responded. The driver of the Pontiac was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital by ambulance. There’s no word yet on the extent of her injuries or her name.

The Pontiac struck the left side of the minivan, which was northbound on U.S. 35.

Witnesses say the driver of the Pontiac made no attempt to stop when she came off the eastbound exit ramp from U.S. 30 onto U.S. 35. — Witnesses say the driver of the Pontiac did not stop or yield.

It’s Primary Election Day, Find Your Polling Place

It’s Primary Election Day!

Polls are open today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. The WKVI News and Information Center will have complete election results live on K99.3 FM tonight. Starke, Pulaski and Marshall County results will be distributed on the air and final tallies will be available on our website.

Absentee Ballot Count Shows Some Interest in Primary Election

May 6, 2014May 6, 2014WKVI

The absentee ballot count for the May Primary Election was pretty good for Pulaski County. According to Clerk Tasha Foerg, 465 ballots were cast. Only 95 had been cast prior to the last week of absentee voting. She noted that total included mail-in absentee ballots.

The Marshall County Clerk’s office reported 521 absentee ballots which includes walk-in, mail-in and travel board ballots.

County Government Offices Closed for Election Day

If you have business to conduct with county government, you will have to wait until Wednesday to get it done. The Starke, Pulaski and Marshall County Courthouses and other office buildings and are all closed today in observance of Election Day. The closures will not affect emergency services like EMS and law enforcement. The county clerks’ offices will reopen this evening after polls close so election results can be tallied.

Fire Pump Necessary for New Jail Facility

This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center. — This building on SR 8 at CR 550 E will soon house the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center.

The $29,000 to add a fire pump to the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center was money well spent by the Starke County Building Corporation. The project to extend city water lines to the site east of Knox is finished, but the water pressure is still short of what is needed to suppress a fire at the facility. Building corporation members approved that expenditure last month in order to keep the project on track with the additional wiring that would be necessary for the installation. Completion of the new building is still scheduled next spring.

Meanwhile, the committee appointed last month to discuss future uses for the current jail facility is in the very early stages of exploring options. The building will have to be used for something within the scope of corrections since it was used as collateral for the bond to build the new structure. Continue reading →

Pulaski County Commissioners Still Waiting for Ambulance Answers