The Kankakee Valley boasts some of the best high schools in the state, according to recent rankings by a national publication. John Glenn High School in Walkerton ranks 17th on the 2014 U.S. News and World Report list. The magazine awarded the school silver medal. Students there have an opportunity to take advanced placement tests, and 36 percent do. Of the school’s 611 students, 85 percent are proficient in English and 84 percent are proficient in math. Knox Community High School earned a bronze medal from U.S. News and World Report. The publication notes 25 percent of the 606 students enrolled take AP courses and tests, 77 percent are proficient in English and 69 percent are proficient in Algebra. Continue reading
Turkey Tracks Event Begins Tonight
The annual Turkey Tracks event is this weekend.
Forty-two physically disabled hunters and their guides will be hunting for turkeys this Saturday beginning at 4:30 a.m. and a full weekend is planned. Hunters can also visit https://ballachy.com/hunting/ for all their equipment.
The festivities begin at 5 p.m. tonight with a taco bar and then it’s up early on Saturday for the big hunt. On Saturday evening, once the hunters return from their quest, a buffet dinner will be featured along with many fundraising activities. This year’s event will end on Sunday around noon. All activities will be held in the Washington Township Community Building.
Indiana Bicentennial Workshop Planned at Marshall County Museum
A workshop will be held Monday, April 28 in order to assist in planning Indiana’s bicentennial celebration. The Indiana Historical Society will host the workshop at the Marshall County Museum at 123 N. Michigan Street in Plymouth.
Indiana turns 200 years old on Dec. 11, 2016, but work is being done now to plan the celebration. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the state’s identity and reflect on how the state has changed. It’s also a change to think creatively and a once-in-a lifetime chance to capture the attention of the public of the importance of Indiana history.
The workshop will include the Marshall County Museum staff and local organizations. It will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET and you are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch. Drinks and dessert will be provided. If you plan to attend, call the Marshall County Museum at (574) 936-2306.
Indiana Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Corbin Case
The Indiana Supreme Court gave no indication of when they might rule on a case from Starke County. The justices heard oral arguments this morning in Robert Corbin v. State of Indiana. Corbin was arrested in April of 2012 on attempted child seduction charges stemming from Facebook messages between him and a 16-year-old female Knox High School student. At the time Corbin was a teacher at Knox. His attorney argued unsuccessfully before Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall that Corbin did not take a “substantial step” to constitute the crime. A state appeals court ruled in Corbin’s favor and dismissed the charges. The state appealed, and the Supreme Court took the case. Continue reading
Donald Frazier Found Guilty
A Starke County jury has found Donald Frazier guilty on two counts in a one-day trial.
The six-member jury took less than 15 minutes Wednesday to find Frazier guilty on charges of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and Possession of Paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to a charge of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Prior Conviction and that merged with the other OVWI charge which made it a Class D felony.
Knox City Water Department Uncovers Large Water Leak
The crew at the Knox City Water Department has been working hard to repair leaks and other water issues since the temperatures rose above freezing. They found a rather large leak Tuesday morning.
Water Superintendent Todd Gardner said the crews turned on the water at Wythogan Park and heard a large vibration which is indicative of a water leak. Gardner said it wasn’t visible and the leak may account for a large portion of the city’s discrepancy in water use.
Starke County Council Approves Unsafe Building Demolition Money
The Starke County Plan Commission can now enforce demolition orders for dilapidated properties after the county council appropriated $20,000 for that purpose. Plan Commission President Dennis Estok told them the county already has a process in place.
“We have a public hearing with these people, and then we give an order whether to rehab that house or to demolish it. If it’s too far gone, we want it demolished. They have X amount of days to do it. Now I can tell you right now I’ve been sitting on planning for five years. I bet you we’ve had a handful out of probably 200 cases that have actually done something on their own. So basically if they don’t do it, by law we can go in there and take care of the problem,” Estok said. Until now, funds have not been available for the plan commission to carry out demolition orders, some of which date back to 2006. Continue reading
LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department Receives 3D Scanner
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department recently purchased a machine to help spot evidence with any sort of investigation.
Major John Boyd told WKVI that the sheriff’s department partnered with the LaPorte County Prosecuting Attorney’s office to purchase a 3D crime scene and accident scene forensic scanner.
Water Line Project for New Jail Complete
The Knox Board of Public Works received an update on the water project for the new Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers said the project should be complete today.
“The weather has finally broken so we have gotten caught up,” explained Chambers. “The contractor has gotten in there and pretty much finished his job. The water line has been de-sanitized and pressure checked. There will be some additional work to be done. The line will have to be moved – it’s been deflected too much so we will go in and correct that problem, but should be up and operational within the next day or so.”
Pulaski County EMS In Limbo Waiting On Insurance Adjuster
Pulaski County EMS is down one ambulance until one damaged during a recent fire can be either certified and put back into service or totaled and replaced.
Director Nikki Lowry told the county commissioners Monday that the county’s insurance adjuster asked her to inspect the truck. Lowry said she’s not qualified to do anything more than determine whether it’s clean. The vendor from whom the county bought the most recent ambulance is willing to help if the county will bring the truck to Iowa.
Oregon-Davis School Board Approves Technology Plan
The Oregon-Davis School Board members approved a three-year technology plan during their regular meeting Monday night.
Superintendent Greg Briles said a computer will be in the hands of every student.
“We’re looking at putting iPad Minis in our Kindergarten through second grade students’ hands, full-sized iPads for three through eight and laptops for nine through twelve students. In doing so, we will also have portable labs with the full-size computer laptops for the students to utilize if they need to for testing and other activities throughout the school year,” explained Briles.
Knox School Board Approves Personnel Changes
The Knox Community School Board met Monday where the members approved several personnel items.
In addition to the appointment of Neill Minix as the high school girls basketball coach, Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the board approved two retirements.
Marshall County Building Permit Numbers Rise
Marshall County Building Inspector Chuck DeWitt had some good news for the county commissioners this week.
March was a good month for permit applications. Twenty-four applications were issued in March which brings the permit count to 61 so far this year. Over $4.6 million in value of construction was noted in March to bring the quarter total to $8.375 million.
Oregon-Davis SADD Students Recognize Don’t Text and Drive Awareness Week
The Oregon-Davis organization, Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD, are raising awareness about the dangers are texting and driving this week.
The school resource officers are helping the students in learning the dangers of texting and driving. The officers have a course for the kids to drive to show what impairment is caused when a person texts and drives at the same time. Students will have to maneuver a golf cart through cones while texting to complete the course.
Plymouth High School Named Silver Medalist High School
Plymouth High School has made the U.S. News and World Report as one of the top schools in Indiana.
The high school is ranked as a Silver Medalist High School. The school came in 12th place.
The U.S. News and World Report used a three-step process to determine the best high schools. The first steps ensured that the schools serve all of their students well, using performance on state proficiency tests as the benchmarks. The third step assessed the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.
Fire Destroys Rural Winamac Home, Cause Under Investigation
Firefighters from three departments spent four-and-a-half hours battling a house fire southwest of Winamac Tuesday afternoon. A neighbor called 911 at 3:30 p.m. and told dispatchers the home at 7948 South 475 West was fully engulfed. The Star City Volunteer Fire Department responded and requested tanker support from the Winamac and Buffalo Fire Departments. They ended up filling their trucks at the boat launch in Pulaski in order to more quickly get water to the scene. Pulaski County REACT also assisted by directing traffic. There’s no word yet on a cause. No injuries were reported. The firefighters left the residence at 8 p.m.
Formal Charges Pending Against Accused Child Molester
Deputies from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office arrested an accused child molester following a joint investigation with the Department of Child Services. Formal charges are pending against Joshua Sanders. He’s accused of inappropriately touching a juvenile in Marshall County during the past six weeks.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Searching for Stolen Truck
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a truck from a property west of Winamac. A bronze 1994 three-quarter ton Chevrolet truck was stolen from the area of State Road 14 and 400 West sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. Monday, according to a news release. The truck has tube step sides, a sticker on the tailgate that reads “Get Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” and a Bass Master sticker in the window. The truck’s license plate number is TK181MCC. If you see the truck, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office at 574-946-3341 or contact the closest law enforcement agency.
Train Hits Car, Driver Arrested
A North Liberty woman faces drunk driving charges after her abandoned car was struck by a train Monday night in Marshall County.
The 2001 Honda registered to Malory K. Schmucker, 30, crashed into the tracks on southbound Redwood Road north of 1st Road just after 10 p.m., according to a report from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
Marshall County Deputies Arrest Knox Residents on Drug Charges
A man and woman from Knox face felony drug charges in Marshall County after being pulled over for speeding Tuesday.
A sheriff’s deputy stopped their SUV near the intersection of Harrison Street and Oak Road. The police report indicates Marshall County K9 Jax indicated the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. Officers reportedly found Crystal Singleton of Knox to be in possession of heroin and found drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. The officers reportedly found heroin on passenger Earl Beem as well. He also had two outstanding arrest warrants, including one for a felony parole violation.
Singleton and Beem both face numerous charges in Marshall County.
