WKVI Information Center

Sam Hornish, Jr. Claims Victory at Iowa Speedway

May 18, 2014WKVI

Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, does a burnout on the start/finish line after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Get To Know Newton 250 Presented By Sherwin Williams at Iowa Speedway on May 18, 2014 in Newton, Iowa. Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

It was a back and forth battle between Sam Hornish, Jr. and Ryan Blaney for the top spot for the entire Get to Know Newton 250 in the Nationwide Series race Sunday afternoon.

Blaney had the pole position for the race – his first in the Nationwide Series for Team Penske with whom he runs a part-time schedule. He and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sam Hornish, Jr. traded the lead several times during the race with Hornish leading a good portion of the race and Blaney contributing his share.

LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit Arrests Several on Drug Charges

The LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit had a big week of arrests this week.

On Monday, officers from the Metro Operations Unit and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at a home in the 600 block of Pulaski Street in LaPorte. That search resulted in the arrest of Jennie Searing, 24, on an outstanding warrant for three counts of dealing a schedule II controlled substance (cocaine) plus preliminary charges of possession of cocaine or a narcotic drug as a Class A Felony and possession of a controlled substance as a Class D felony. She is being held in the LaPorte County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Melissa Hansen, Jeremy Conley Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Two defendants were sentenced by the Starke Circuit Court Magistrate this week.

Melissa Hansen pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Maintaining a Common Nuisance, both Class D felonies. Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese accepted the agreement and Hansen received a sentence of 14 months in the Department of Corrections with eight months suspended on both charges. Those sentences will run concurrently, or at the same time. She was permitted to serve that sentence on home detention through Starke County Community Corrections. She will also serve eight months on probation.

Knox Board of Public Works Approves Conditional Offer of Employment

The Knox Board of Public Works members approved a conditional offer of employment to a candidate for a position on the Knox City Police Department.

The board members interviewed three candidates: Jacob Berger from Plymouth, Eric Vanderhoff from Rochester and Eric Christianson from Wisconsin. After careful selection, the board unanimously chose Eric Vanderhoff for the conditional offer of employment.

Unemployment Numbers Decreasing in Indiana

The state’s unemployment rate has decreased.

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percent to 5.7 percent which marked the ninth month in a row of unemployment rate declines in the state.

The rate has decreased by 2.1 percent over the past year and has remained below the national rate for the past four months.

Bella Vita Pregnancy Resource Center Celebrates “Beautiful Life”

May 17, 2014May 14, 2021WKVI

Bella Vita Pregnancy Resource Center hosted its fourth annual banquet on Thursday to honor board members.

Several clients also shared their testimonials about the programs offered. Bella Vita was founded in January of 2010 and is a Care Net organization. Founder Susanne Lange shared the reason behind her choice of name for the organization. She faced a crisis pregnancy and was motivated through a series of events to choose life. She named her daughter Isabella, Bella for short. She’s the organization’s namesake and inspiration. Bella Vita means “beautiful life.”

Oregon-Davis High School Stages Mock Car Crash

O-D students staged a mock fatality crash to underscore the consequences of drunk driving.

The Oregon-Davis High School’s Student’s Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organization teamed up with the school’s two resource officers to make the consequences of drunk driving eminent to students who will be attending prom this weekend.

They staged a two-vehicle crash with a fatality and multiple injuries in the school parking lot Friday afternoon. Some of the students wore prom dresses and were made up to replicate real car crash victims. Empty beer cans were also scattered across the cars and outside of the vehicles to imply the drivers were intoxicated.

Nation Celebrates Armed Forces Day

Today marks a day of recognition to all the men and women serving our nation. Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson created Armed Forces Day in 1949 to combine separate holidays observed by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. President Harry S. Truman officially established the holiday Feb. 20, 1950. Today we commemorate any individual who has or is currently serving in any branch of the United States military.

Kyle Busch Dominates NCWTS Race, Wins under Caution

May 16, 2014WKVI

Kyle Busch, driver of the #51 Hiring Our Heroes/Toyota Care Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

It was a wild night in Concord, North Carolina for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ (NCWTS) North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was a no-brainer for Kyle Busch who had the pole for Friday night’s race and stayed out front for almost the entire race. Joe Nemecheck did not pit after a caution and restarted in the lead on lap 98 and led four laps. The rest was all Kyle Busch as he wins his third race in three starts in 2014 for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

SCILL 12th Annual Car Show

May 16, 2014Lenny Dessauer

SCILL 12th Annual Car Show on May 18, 1-4pm. $15 registration fee includes car plaque and prizes. Call 574-772-8001 for more information.

County Pride Concert is Sunday, May 18,

May 16, 2014Lenny Dessauer

County Pride Concert is Sunday, May 18, 3:30 PM CDT at the NJSP High School Auditorium
A county-wide combined high school band and choir performance will be held this Sunday, May 18. The choirs and bands of the 3 high schools in Starke County will join together along with the directors from each of the schools – Oregon Davis, North Judson San Pierre and Knox. The schools have collaborated on the project to allow the students to work together.

This is an opportunity for the students and the community alike to have unity within the county that includes everyone. Competition is a natural result of teams playing against one another. This concert is to help everyone see the unity that’s in our county and help spur a sense of pride to be a part of Starke County.

There’s no charge for admission although a free-will donation will be gladly accepted at the door. All proceeds will be divided equally between the schools for their music programs. Come and enjoy the program which will include music by the combined choir and band individually, with the final number being a patriotic medley performed by both the choir and band.

Kersting’s Cycle Center Train Adventure Ride – Saturday, May 17.

May 16, 2014Lenny Dessauer

Kersting’s Cycle Center Train Adventure Ride – Saturday, May 17.

Come and support our troops and enjoy the day as well!

Sign Up @ Kersting’s Cycle Center 11:00am, Eastern Time

Group Ride Leaves Kersting’s Cycle Center @ Noon E.T.

(Approx. 1 Hour Scenic Country Motorcycle Ride Followed by Lunch and a 45 minute Train Ride)

Benefits The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund

$15.00 per Rider

Includes Ride, Lunch & Train Ride

Tickets may be purchased at Kersting’s Cycle Center or the Railroad Museum

Everyone Welcome….If you don’t wish to ride on the motorcycle ride, you can still have lunch and take the train ride and help donate to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund

Ride sponsored by

Kersting’s Cycle Center &

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum

North Judson, IN

Cody Byrn Receives DOC Sentence for Attempted Theft of Delivery Truck

The man who attempted to steal a Calumet Breweries, Inc. truck while parked at the CVS pharmacy in Knox will spend some time in the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Cody Byrn, 20 of Corydon, Indiana, entered the delivery truck in the afternoon of Feb. 6 while the driver was inside the store. Byrn attempted to take off in the truck when he was approached by a customer. Knox City Police officers quickly arrived on the scene and found Byrn in possession of stolen items. He was subsequently taken into custody.

A Tie Vote in Primary Election Creates Unique Situation

The Primary Election solved several contested races, but one interesting issue came up when the votes were counted in the California Township Advisory Board race on the Republican ticket.

Three candidates were to be chosen and four candidates filed to run for that office. Steve Ahlenius received the most votes with 72 and Matt McGowan, Sr. received the second most votes with 63. The last two Republican candidates, Michele Albon and Phill Cherry, received the same number of votes at 53 which created a tie for that third candidate to be considered for a seat on the California Township Advisory Board.

Pulaski County Officials Considering Payroll Software

The Pulaski County Council and Commissioners want more information about a proposed electronic payroll system for county employees before committing to the expense. They have several options to consider, including electronic swipe cards and fingerprint recognition keypads for employees to clock in and out. Auditor Shelia Garling says such a system would much more efficient than the manual time cards and reports the county is currently using. The data will first go to the auditor’s office for review before it is sent to Adaptasoft to process payroll, taxes and direct deposits. Garling says this will alleviate the hassle of processing paper payroll reports and would cut down on the time department heads spend compiling that information from time cards. She told the council she would like to have the software in place by Oct. 1 if possible. The council and commissioners plan to discuss options more thoroughly in a joint session before making any decisions.

Starke County Crossing School on Track to Open Aug. 1

The Crossing accredited alternative school in Starke County is moving along, according to Executive Director Rob Staley.

He told WKVI News that several community meetings have been held and he’s encouraged about seeing the leaders that are jumping on board in support of the school. He noted that there is a great need in the community to help educate students who may have been expelled, dropped out or home-schooled.

Concrete Bid Approved for 50/50 Sidewalk Program in Knox

The Knox Board of Public Works members approved a bid for the 50/50 sidewalk program in a special meeting on Thursday morning.

The board approved the lowest conforming bid from Covenant Concrete in the amount of $22,395. That includes all 12 properties and the ADA compliant accessible curbs for properties at 55 E. Lake Street, 53 E. Water Street and 707 S. Shield Street. The city is responsible for paying for the ADA accessible curbs.

Eastern Pulaski School Board Adds J.E.S.S.E. Staff to Payroll

The Logansport J.E.S.S.E. Co-op is de-centralizing and since the Eastern Pulaski School Corporation is a part of that co-op the Eastern Pulaski School Board had to make some clarification and housekeeping changes regarding some staff members.

Indiana Senator Introduces Bill to Help Charities