The defending champion in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Behind the Wheel Producer Anita Goodan.
Crafton had his daughter with him during this interview as he talked about the upcoming truck series race at Kansas Speedway, his career and his championship:
Economy Auto Sales in Knox is a locally owned, Award winning Dealership and is celebrating its 25th Anniversary! Economy Auto Sales was named the 2012 Quality Dealer of the Year by the Indiana Independent Auto Dealers Association and was voted Starke County’s #1 Used Car Lot 8 years running by the Leader/Review’s readers. Located at 300 N. U.S. 35, you will find a large selection of used automobiles. Their buy here-pay here finance program provides you with Affordable down payments, flexible Pay Day payments plans, short loan terms with no added fees and no penalty for early payoff. All vehicles are inspected and serviced with a free 6 month, 7500 mile warranty. Financing Good People with All Types of Credit since 1989. Call 574-772-6646 or visit our website.
www.economyautosales.net
Starke County Youth Club celebrates it’s 7th Annual Radio-athon on May 2nd
Starke County Youth Club celebrates it’s 7th Annual Radio-athon on May 2nd
Starke County, Indiana – After the school bell rings, youth in Starke County have amazing opportunities. Students have access to high quality homework assistance, engaging enrichment activities, and fun recreational centers with adults who care. The Starke County Youth Club (SCYC) provides innovative services to children and families every day. These services are available at four convenient sites across the county during the school year and the summer. And, an amazing expansion is in the works!
The community is heartily encouraged to participate in The Starke County Youth Club’s 7th Annual RadioThon on WKVI, 99.3 FM on Friday, May 2, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 4 p. m.. The day of the RadioThon is filled with testimonials, special guests and fun challenges. It helps spread the word about this amazing program and the exciting changes ahead. Most importantly, it lets everyone know that
we must keep the doors open after school
Members:
Do you want to include a coupon or offer in our new member packet? Post a job opening? Need a copy or send a fax?
Take Advantage of your Chamber membership
1.) Would you like to share a coupon or special? The chamber would be happy to share your specials, coupons, etc. with our members and the rest of the community. We can place them in our new member packet, new resident packet, and even on the website. This is a free offer for chamber members. Contact the chamber office at 574-772-5548 to take advantage of this great offer!
2.) Do you have a job posting you’d like listed on the chamber website? Send an email to info@starkecountychamber.com and your job will be listed. A new page will be set up for job listings. This is a free offer to members.
3.) If you’re not in a local office and need a quick place to stop and make a phone call, make a copy, send a fax or check your email, stop by the chamber office and if it’s open, you’re welcome to come in and use our office as your quick, temporary one.
Starke County Tourism is putting together the next edition of the Traveler Magazine, the county’s Official Visitor’s Guide. This guide is distributed locally and throughout Indiana and peripheral states.
Would you like to advertise in it? Newcomers, visitors and local residents read this magazine. The last magazine was printed in 2009, and now we need to print more. Now you know the quality of the magazine. This is a great value for your advertising dollars! Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center was quick to note how advertising in the Traveler brought them guests from far to become regular guests at their facility. Bring our visitors and readers to your business!
Click here for the form to advertise. We’re looking at an April 20 deadline date. Digital artwork is required, and if needed, we can help you create what you want. For more information, call 574-772-5548 or 772-0896. Pictured is the new front cover, Cleaver’s Chute at Bass Lake. 
I’d like to announce our new member, Char’s Florist & Gifts. Char Allen is the owner and carries more than just flowers. Go into the shop and see the great gifts that are on display. Flowers, balloons, Boyd’s Bears, Beanie Babies, Webkins, Tux rentals, candy, jewelry, South Bend Chocolate and more! Stop in Char’s at 217 E. Culver Rd. in Knox. You can call at 772-4005. Welcome, Char’s Florist & Gifts!
Sunshine Confections is a new bakery via online or phone order! See the selections at their webiste www.etsy.com/sunshineconfections. A local baker at Bass Lake. You can call 574-207-3033 or go to the Facebook page, Sunshine Confections. Lemon Blueberry cake truffles
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office has been called in to determine the origin and cause of a Tuesday morning fire in the Hamlet trailer court. The Hamlet Fire Department was dispatched to 504 North Starke Street, Lot 10, at 12:34 a.m. Fire Chief Bob Goetz tells WKVI news no injuries were reported. The Koontz Lake Fire Department assisted. Dispatchers advise the fire department left at 2:18 a.m. and turned the scene over to the Hamlet Police Department until the fire marshal arrived.
The Starke County Plan Commission is cracking down on enforcement of unsafe and blighted buildings. President Dennis Estok told the county commissioners they’ve restructured their enforcement letters and means of taking owners to court but still have a backlog of structures that need to be torn down.
“You’ve got to have some seed money, because if they don’t do it you can go in there and take care of these unsafe structures,” Estok said. “Then basically what you do is you fine them, and you bill them. If they don’t pay the bill, then you put a special assessment on their taxes. You wind up getting the property, and then you re-sell the property to try to recoup some of your cost.” Continue reading
An ordinance amendment will be going back to the drawing board as the Knox City Council members failed to pass it on final action.
Discussion concerning an amendment to ordinance #1142 regarding outdoor storage and the setback distance for displays was the issue that hung up the approval of the ordinance.
The Marshall County Economic Development Commission (MCEDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning in order for the shell building project to begin. It will be located at 2910 Commerce Street in Plymouth.
The shell building will be built over the summer that will be available for an incoming business or industry to the area.
Dan Zuerner, Vice President of Garmong Construction, talks about the structure and the time frame in which it will be complete.
“This will be a state-of-the-art building made of manufactured precast concrete sandwich panels so they’re heavily insulated and have a very high energy efficiency rating,” explained Zuerner. “This building will be 45,000 square feet expandable to 135,000 square feet. We expect the precast to arrive on site in late June or early July, the steel will be set in July and August, we’ll put the roof on and the product will be 100 percent complete by early October.”
Garmong Construction is based in Indiana and crews from the company have built seven similar structures in the state with five more projects this year. He says they success rate in getting a company into a shell building is quite high.
“They’ve been very successful. Right now, out of all of the buildings that we’ve built, we only have one remaining for sale. We’ve done three for the county of Delaware in Muncie, Indiana, there’s one being done right now in White County and three projects in Vigo County. They’re scattered throughout the state.”
Marshall County Commissioner Deb Griewank said it will be beneficial for the county.
“It’s going to be bringing in a lot of economic development here” said Griewank. “People will be moving in, more business coming to town – I’m really excited!”
Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter said the new shell building will have a great impact on not only the Plymouth area, but Marshall County and the Northern Indiana region.
“Within the next year, we’d love to have a new manufacturing corporation here and bring 100 jobs or more!” smiled Senter.
The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation worked along with the Plymouth Redevelopment Commission, Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation, the City of Plymouth, and Garmong Development Company to make sure this shell building became a reality.
The Oregon-Davis School Board recently hosted a community meeting to inform parents, students and community members about the technology plan, what’s happening in the future in the junior/senior high school and about the balanced calendar.
The Pulaski County Commissioners awarded the contract for concrete work at the county recycling center to the low bidder when they met Monday evening. Winamac-based TM Construction bid $10,450 to pour a 34-by-96-foot, 4 inch concrete pad. Art Mau submitted a bid of $12,096, and Form It Corp’s price for the work was $13,056. The county has run afoul of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in the past because recyclable materials were sitting directly on the ground.
Maintenance supervisor Jeff Johnston says drainage continues to be an issue at the recycling center. Every time it rains, at least six inches of water stands there, and this winter the ground was an ice rink. The concrete pad will have a basin in the center for drainage, but that won’t solve the problem. Continue reading
Marshall County remains under a travel advisory as water has ponded in roadways.
Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery told WKVI that water is standing on Olive Road between 4th and 4B Road and the advisory will remain until that area and other clear up.
The Marshall County Commissioners approved Avery’s grant request Monday morning.
A John Glenn High School senior will receive a full tuition scholarship to the University of Notre Dame and an additional $900 annual stipend to help with books and other school equipment. Cole Jacobson of Plymouth is the Marshall County Community Foundation’s 2014 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.
Jacobson has received numerous state and national academic awards and has demonstrated leadership through his involvement with National Honor Society and student council. He also attended Hoosier Boys State, the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Seminar and Purdue Entrepreneur Academy. Jacobson also volunteers with several local non profit organizations, teaches and mentors local youth and visits with senior citizens at a local nursing home. Continue reading
The North Judson Town Board honored a longtime board of zoning appeals member who is stepping aside after 15 years of service.
Jim Kersting will continue to serve as a senior consultant. Jerry Jernas is replacing Kersting on the North Judson BZA. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry swore him in Monday night along with Teena Hittle and John Silhavy, who have each agreed to serve another two-year term. Marv Peters and Chris Konefsky are in the second year of their two-year terms of service.
The Starke County Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT at Bowlaway Lanes in Knox.
This is an annual fundraiser where members of the community and business leaders come together for a night of fun while raising money for a worthwhile youth organization.
Kindergarten roundup for prospective Oregon-Davis students for the 2014-2015 school year is Wednesday, April 16.
Children must be the age of five on or before Aug. 1 in order to be eligible for kindergarten. Parents and children must attend registration as basic skills assessments will be conducted and forms will need to be completed.
A NOAA Weather Radio Programming Day is being offered today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET at the Walgreen’s store at 2014 N. Michigan Street in Plymouth.
NOAA Weather/All Hazards Alert Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana. In addition to local radio weather coverage, these radios alert you to severe and potentially deadly weather situations giving you time to take emergency action.
A Saturday poverty simulation event in Pulaski County has been canceled. It was to take place from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. EDT at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Winamac. Purdue Extension was hosting the event to help people understand the complexities and frustrations of living in poverty day to day. It will be rescheduled sometime this fall.
An Argos man says chuck holes on Oak Road south of 6A road are to blame for the single vehicle Monday afternoon accident that sent him to the hospital. Robert Dille, 53, was southbound on Oak Road south of 6A road and lost control of his 1988 Ford Ranger, according to information from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Dille’s truck veered off the east side of the road, hit a tree and spun around 180 degrees before coming to rest. He was treated and released from the Plymouth hospital.
