Plymouth Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison

Posted on Author WKVI
Andrew White
Andrew White

A ten-year prison sentence was handed down to a Plymouth man Thursday afternoon in Marshall County Superior Court 1.

Judge Robert O. Bowen accepted a sentencing agreement between Andrew White’s defense attorney and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Nelson Chipman where White pleaded guilty to charges of Manufacturing Methamphetamine and Possession of Stolen Property. White was sentenced to 10 years on the Manufacturing Methamphetamine charge and 18 months for the Possession of Stolen Property charge. Four years of the sentence was suspended.

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Starke Commissioners Continue Work on Utility Vehicle Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The Starke County Commissioners have still not made an official decision regarding the drafting of an ordinance to allow utility vehicles on county roads. The commissioners recently passed a policy allowing battery operated golf carts to be driven on county roads, but chose to separate gasoline powered vehicles like John Deere Gators and Kawasaki Mules from the policy.

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Probation Violations Send Plymouth Man to Prison

Posted on Author WKVI
Gregory Mullins
Gregory Mullins

A Plymouth man will be going to prison after violating the terms of his probation.

Gregory Mullins, 35, was sentenced on Jan. 10, 2010 to ten years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with four years of that sentence suspended. After his release from prison on Feb. 7, 2012, he was placed on two years of reporting probation. In August of 2012, Assistant Chief Probation Officer Abby Caswell found that Mullins violated probation. Urinalysis examinations returned in September of 2012 that detected the presence of amphetamine and methamphetamine. This led to the filing of the revocation of probation.

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Grand Opening of New SCPL Wing Tomorrow

Posted on Author WKVI

Sheila Urwiler
Sheila Urwiler
The grand opening of the new wing at the Starke County Public Library is scheduled for tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean all the heavy lifting is out of the way. Library Director Sheila Urwiler said there is still a lot of remodeling left to do before their grand opening ceremony, which will include a ribbon cutting at noon and activities for kids, as well as entertainment by the Knox Jazz Band and the Showstoppers.

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LaPorte Police Issue Hundreds of Citations During Operation Pull Over Event

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Safe Family Travel Operation Pull Over Blitz 77 was a success in LaPorte as officers issued 227 citations to vehicle operators in the three-week enforcement.

The LaPorte City Police officers joined more than 250 law enforcement agencies across the state to conduct impaired driving and seat belt patrols. This was to rid roadways of drunk drivers and unrestrained motorists during the Thanksgiving holiday season.

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Pulaski Commissioners Delay Insurance Bid Opening

Posted on Author WKVI

Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week passed a motion to postpone the opening of liability insurance bids after Barb Whitaker with Novotny Insurance approached the commissioners and stated that she was unaware they were accepting bids. She requested they postpone the bid opening to allow her to put together two bid proposals, and said there was some confusion because the county did not submit bid specs to be used in the bidding process.

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MDWise and IU Health Starke Hospital Schedule Affordable Care Act Forum

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Health care industry experts will be available Tuesday, Dec. 10 at IU Health Starke Hospital to answer your questions about the Affordable Care Act. Representatives from the nonprofit health insurance company MDwise will offer a presentation about the health insurance marketplace at 3 p.m. CST in the conference room of the Knox facility. It’s one of several “learn and enroll” events the hospital is putting on to answer questions about the effect of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance options and the consequences of not enrolling in a health plan. Hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers will be eligible for health insurance starting next year, but there’s still quite a bit of confusion about the enrollment process and various health plan options. The session is open to the public, and an RSVP is not required to attend.

Tree Lighting Ceremonies in Winamac, North Judson Today

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The trees will soon be gloriously lit in Winamac and North Judson with tree lighting ceremonies scheduled in both towns on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. local time. In North Judson, a small parade will take place at 5:45 p.m. The lighting of the trees will then be performed by a child from the crowd who will pull the switch to turn on the lights. Following that, Reimbold said there will be hot cocoa, cookies and refreshments at the old firehouse with an appearance from Santa Claus himself.

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HVRM Hosts Santa Trains on Dec. 7, 14

Posted on Author WKVI

HVRM Tourist Train
HVRM Tourist Train
The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is ringing in the holidays with their third annual Santa Trains, featuring Santa Claus himself aboard as passengers take a round-trip train ride from North Judson to the Kankakee River and back. Marketing Specialist Loretta Kosloske said Santa Claus also has a gift bag for the passengers as well.

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LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office Asking Burglary Victims to Reclaim Items

Posted on Author WKVI

LaPorte County Sheriff's Department
La Porte County Sheriff’s Office
A string of residential burglaries in the LaPorte County area led police to conduct a raid that turned up a variety of electronics, including cellular telephones, handheld personal devices, laptops and even jewelry. Sgt. Andrew Hyneck with the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office said they are still trying to identify the owners of the recovered property.

The propery was recovered on Nov. 26 at a residence in rural Coolspring Township through a search warrant. The investigation remains open and ongoing as a collaborative effort between the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan City Police Department. The goal remains to locate the victims and owners of the recovered property and return it to them.

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Two Pulaski County Bridges Now Open

Posted on Author WKVI

Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
Two bridges that were previously closed in Pulaski County are now open, though one bridge is still awaiting a final inspection. Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Mark Fox told the county commissioners this week that the contract for bridge inspections for 2014–2016 has been approved by INDOT and is ready to sign, and informed them that the two bridges closed in the county have since been reopened. Bridge 268, however, still needs a final inspection but is currently open to traffic.

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Starke County Highway Department Reviewing Bridge Inspection Bids

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Highway Superintendent Stephen "Rik" Ritzler
Starke County Highway Superintendent Stephen “Rik” Ritzler
The Starke County Highway Department has been busy with a number of projects, according to Superintendent Rik Ritzler. Ritzler informed the county commissioners at their meeting this week that his department has received five bid submissions for bridge inspections and one bid for bridge design and presented them to the commissioners. He said he will review the bids and rate them for their approval at the next meeting.

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Marshall County EMA Director Clyde Avery Urges Filing of Damage Reports

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Howard County is one county seeking federal assistance after the Nov. 17 storms that wrecked havoc in the state. The weather affected our listening area with an EF-1 tornado in Pulaski County.

It was reported by our reporting partners yesterday that Kosciuscko County will not be able to receive assistance as the damage reported was not enough to declare a disaster on the federal level.

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Marshall County Economic Development Corporation Seeks Executive Director

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation is looking for a new executive director. Jay Bahr, who took over leadership of the corporation in mid-April is leaving. Board Chair Bill Davis says in a news release, “Mr. Bahr has been effectively leading our organization since April of this year. We want to wish Jay a successful career transition.”

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Marshall County Commissioners Approve Emergency Response Plan

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
Gene Gray from the Local Emergency Plan Commission came before the Marshall County Board of Commissioners Monday morning to seek approval of the emergency response plan.

Gray explained that there were a few format changes to the plan and updates were made. The plan includes site plans for evacuations and how to report hazardous material. All departments are to respond accordingly to the plan.

The commissioners told Gray that the plan looked good and that he and EMA Director Clyde Avery and other members have worked hard to make this report available and to create protocol for emergency situations. The commissioners unanimously approved the plan and signed the document to enact the changes.