It was about Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski all Sunday long. When he wasn’t leading, he was battling for the lead and took care of the field after restarting outside the top ten on several occasions after pit stops. He controlled the Camping World RV Sales 301 Sunday afternoon and took home the trophy – and the lobster – at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
He also won the Nationwide Series race, the Sta-Green 200, Saturday afternoon.
Prices for a gallon of unleaded gasoline have taken a plunge and Don Good from the Good Oil Company in Winamac said the trend could continue.
“It looks like we could even see some really good drops coming up here through August,” said Good. “One of the top analysts suggested we could see a 20 percent drop in prices if everything lines up as it is. It came a little later than anticipated. We thought it would come a little earlier in the season, but it looks like it’s going to be pretty significant. That’s good news.”
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An interim director is running Starke County EMS until the county commissioners can hire a full-time replacement for Paul Matthewson, who recently resigned from the job. The Starke County Commissioners this week unanimously ratified Keith Emigh’s appointment to that position. They’re accepting applications for the vacancy and hope to have a permanent EMS director hired by the end of September. Continue reading
Starke County’s new EMS director will be driving one of the recently retired sheriff’s department patrol cars if the commissioners decide a county-owned vehicle is a necessary part of fulfilling those job duties. Continue reading
Be sure to stay alert and monitor weather reporting sources this weekend. Strong storms and heavy rains are possible, especially Saturday evening running into Sunday morning. Continue reading
The IREAD-3 is a state-wide test that all Hoosier third graders are required to pass in order to advance to the next grade. Continue reading
The fireworks show at the Starke County Airport held one week ago today was well attended, according to Knox Mayor Rick Chambers.
Chambers told the Knox City Council members this week that with the fireworks committee’s fundraisers, gate collections, donations from the three county commissioners, several monetary donations from businesses and individuals, the town of Hamlet and a generous donation from the town of North Judson, the only loss the city of Knox will realize is $767. The show was $8,550 and $7,783 was collected.
Scholarships totaling nearly $30,000 have been given to 24 students through the Starke County Community Foundation and more scholarships are up for grabs.
Five additional scholarships are currently available to high school graduates and to non-traditional students.
The Back Home Again in Indiana Scholarship is specifically for non-traditional students and gives college scholarships as well as supporting those who wish to further their education and/or training as a way of enhancing their employment skills.
Erik Jones made it look easy as he claimed the checkered flag in the American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway. But it wasn’t. He had some stiff competition from Ryan Blaney for most of the race.
Jones was able to get out of pit road with the lead just in front of Blaney on the last round of pit stops after a caution on lap 125. From there, Blaney used lapped traffic to close the gap on Jones and went three wide for the lead on lap 184 in an attempt to charge for the lead but got loose coming out of the corner. The rear right wheel on Blaney’s truck made a smooth black tire tread mark on the track as he brought the truck out of a slow slide to avoid any contact with Jones. There was minimal contact as Jones was caught in the middle of the action with the lapped truck of Justin Lofton on the outside. Jones was able to reclaim the lead and stayed there until the flagman waved the checkered flag on the stand.
A LaPorte man police say sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl at a beach Wednesday afternoon is jailed on a $10,500 cash bond. Gary W. Cooper, 50, of La Porte, is charged with rape and child molestation. Both are Level 1 felonies under Indiana’s recently overhauled sentencing guidelines. Continue reading
A Knox man was sentenced to 15 years in the Department of Corrections in a sentencing hearing in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday morning.
Clinton Wilcox, 21 of Knox, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of burglary as a Class B felony, receiving stolen property as a Class D felony and theft as a Class D felony. He also admitted in open court that he violated probation of which he had three counts.
Starke County Highway Department crews are ready to begin chip sealing roads. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners they will start in the Koontz Lake. He says they’ve made more than 6,000 tons of asphalt and more than 445 tons of patching material. Continue reading
The Knox City Council learned this week of ongoing vandalism at Wythogan Park.
Park Superintendent George Byer has informed authorities that there is some form of vandalism at the park on a constant basis. Recently a picnic table was thrown into the river, a toilet was blown up by a firecracker, two fountains were destroyed and the cannon in the park has also suffered damage from vandals.
Summer unfortunately can’t last all year. School resumes in August and the Knox Community School Board approved the dates and times for freshman orientation and back to school nights at their Monday evening board meeting. Continue reading
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall sentenced defendants in court Thursday after conducting several hearings.
Joshua Hansen, of Hamlet, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of dealing in methamphetamine as a Class B felony and maintaining a common nuisance as a Class D felony. Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and Hansen was sentenced per the terms of that agreement. Hansen will serve eight years in the department of corrections with two years of the sentence suspended on the charge of dealing in methamphetamine and 18 months with no part of the sentence suspended on the charge of maintaining a common nuisance. He will serve two years on probation. If he successfully completes the CLIFF or GRIP program or other purposeful incarceration, he may petition the court for a modification of his sentence.
Citizens who require wheelchair access to their homes can now get a ramp by calling Joan Haugh at the Starke County Community Services office.
The West Nile virus has been confirmed in mosquitoes in Marshall County but no human cases have been reported. The best way to protect yourself from mosquitoes is to avoid being outdoors during peak biting times which occur from the evening to early morning hours. If you need to be outside, apply mosquito repellent with DEET or wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outdoors. Continue reading
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers will be at Iowa Speedway on Friday and the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series drivers will be at the Magic Mile – New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
What are the drivers saying about these tracks? Scroll through to see what your driver has to say… Continue reading
A recently retired college administrator will serve as the interim president of Ancilla College for the next year. Dr. Kenneth Zirkle retired last fall from Mercyhurst University North East in Pennsylvania, where he served as chief academic officer. He takes over for Dr. Ron May, who retired in June after eight years at Ancilla. Continue reading
Three juveniles were taken into police custody at 4:30 a.m. CT Tuesday after an alleged attempted burglary was reported in the Parkview area in Knox.
The caller witnessed a boy and two girls attempting to break into a vacant residence on North Clark Street, according to a release from the Knox City Police Department.
