Save Your Dog’s Life By Preventing Heartworms

 
 
It’s been a wet, warm spring thus far in the Kankakee Valley and the mosquito population is booming. Anyone who has been working outside is undoubtedly aware of that, and while mosquitoes are an annoyance and a health concern for humans, disease-carrying mosquitoes are also a major concern for dogs. Mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease, but while every dog is vulnerable to the illness, protecting your animal against it is easy.

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Production at Former Whitley Products Plant Begins

Whitley Products
Whitley Products
Production at the former Whitley Products plant in Plymouth is looking to continue.

According to Marshall County Economic Development Executive Director Jay Bahr, six or seven employees will be working at the plant purchased by Michigan-based Aggressive Manufacturing Innovations. AMI has retained the Plant Manager from the Whitley Products crew and the employees at the Plymouth plant will continue manufacturing parts for tractors and diesel-powered equipment for the agriculture business.

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Planting Season Nearing Completion

  
 
The spring planting season had farmers a little delayed in getting their crops in the ground, but Purdue Extension Starke County Ag and Natural Resources Educator, Chad Rushing, says planting is about finished.

“We’re definitely above average as far as the state goes,” said Rushing. “Corn planting is over 95 percent done – probably closer to 99 percent. We’ve got a little seed corn left, but all of the commercial corn is generally in.”

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Kersting’s Cycle Center Receives $1085 Grant for Efficient Lighting

  
 
Kersting’s Cycle Center, like most other businesses throughout the country, is looking for ways to cut down on costs. Thanks to Kankakee Valley REMC, Jason Kersting learned about the Power Moves program offered by Wabash Valley Power which provides cash incentives to commercial and industrial facilities that replace older, less-efficient lighting and other devices with higher-efficiency equipment.

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PCCF to Hold Grads in Action Program, Scholarship Recognition June 15

  
 
The Pulaski County Community Foundation is inviting scholarship recipients, their parents, donors and members of the community to attend the Scholarship Recognition Picnic at the Tippecanoe River State Park on Saturday, June 15. The Grads in Action project will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the nature center, with the Scholar Picnic following at noon and their recognition program at 1 p.m. at the River Shelter.

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John Glenn High School Senior Awarded ICOO Scholarship

  
 
John Glenn High School senior Cole Kaser is the recipient of the Thomas J. Deniston Memorial Scholarship presented by the Indiana Conservation Officers Organization.

Kaser is planning to pursue a degree in conservation law enforcement at Vincennes University this fall.

The Indiana Conservation Officers Organization awards six scholarships a year to students seeking a college degree in conservation law enforcement or law enforcement. Kaser was one of those six state-wide recipients this year.

Lapaz Fire Department Raises $1000 for Hoosier Burn Camp

 
 
The Lapaz-North Township Fire Department recently announced that the members met their goal of $1,000 to donate to the Hoosier Burn Camp.

The Hoosier Burn Camp provides campers with a week of traditional camp activities and programs that build self- esteem and foster friendships. The camp ends today. The camp helps provide a fun week of activities for young burn survivors. The Burn Camp is supported entirely by donations which allows campers to attend at no cost.

The Lapaz Fire Department also received special recognition from Clay Fire Territory’s Local Union for fundraising efforts during the Mustache Bash. Each year, members of the local fire departments raise money and grow mustaches. Awards are given to the best and worse mustaches.

DNR Names Officer of the Year

 
 
Employees with the Department of Natural Resources were recently honored with annual awards.

Jeffrey Richwine, a conservation officer with the District 10 office, was selected as officer of the year in his district. District 10 encompasses the northwestern part of the state that includes Starke, Pulaski and LaPorte counties. That recognition made him eligible to be nominated for officer of the year and a candidate for the Pitzer Award.

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LaPorte Police Warn of Door-to-Door Scam

  
 

A door-to-door scam artist is making the rounds in LaPorte, claiming to be a music student raising money for a band trip to Florida. The LaPorte High School music director tells the police department there that there’s no ongoing solicitation, nor is there a planned band trip to Florida. Police remind residents to verify any solicitations with the organization the solicitor claims to represent.

 

Plea Agreement Filed in the Case of Bradley Austin

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall will be considering a plea agreement between the state and defendant Bradley Austin, 22 of North Judson. The agreement was presented Wednesday morning in Starke Circuit Court.

Austin is facing one count of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor as a Class B felony. One count of Possession of Methamphetamine would be dismissed. He is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a teenage girl. The incidents allegedly occurred over a four-month period.

The plea agreement recommends a seven year sentence with four years suspended to be served on probation and a no-contact order with the victim. Restitution in the amount of $275 was also included in the agreement.

Judge Kim Hall took the plea agreement under advisement and set the sentencing hearing for Wednesday, June 12 at 9:30 a.m. CT.

Monterey Town Council Mulling Over Rate Study, Waste Water Project

  
 
The Monterey Town Council has a lot of thinking to do as they head into the beginning stages of their sewer project. The town has received a grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to conduct a sewer rate study to determine whether or not they should increase their rates – something they haven’t done since 2007 – in order to fund upgrades and repairs to the waste water treatment plant.

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Two Knox Residents Arrested on Narcotics Charges

 
 

Two people were arrested Tuesday after the execution of a search warrant in the 300 block of Fisher Street in Knox.

Officers from the Knox City Police Department arrived at the residence and presented the search warrant. During the search, officers reportedly found several types of narcotics including heroin. A five year old child was also in the home at the time the narcotics were located and collected.

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North Judson BZA Grants Variance to Kersting to Rebuild Home

  
 
A North Judson man has been given permission to rebuild his home that had burned to the ground, despite the fact that the building he wishes to construct does not meet zoning laws. Jason Kersting wished to build a new house of similar dimensions on the property, but the house would not meet the minimum square foot requirements set by zoning laws – that is, 1250 feet. While Kersting could build a structure of 1250 feet and comply with the zoning regulations, he requested the variance to build the new structure to a similar size.

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Mullins Sentenced to Ten Years in DOC

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
A Winamac man was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning to ten years in the Department of Corrections on two counts.

Johnny Mullins, 27, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B felony and Neglect of a Dependent as a Class C felony. Judge Kim Hall sentenced Mullins to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with no time suspended on the Dealing in Methamphetamine charge and six years in the Department of Corrections with no time suspended on the charge of Neglect of a Dependent. Those sentences will run concurrently and will run consecutively to another case in Fulton County.

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Two Knox City Officials Apply for Sidewalk Reimbursement

Knox City Council
Knox City Council

Two city officials from Knox have applied for the 50/50 sidewalk reimbursement program, and now the pair must file conflict of interest statements as recommended by the city attorney. Attorney David Matsey told the council that Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston and Councilman Jeff Berg have applied for the program and the council must now approve the statements before filing them with the State Board of Accounts, circuit court clerk, and the Indiana State Ethics Commission.

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Knox Man Sentenced on Two Charges in Starke Circuit Court

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse
A Knox man received his sentence in Starke Circuit Court after pleading guilty in a plea agreement with the state on two counts.

Peter Scott, 26, pleaded guilty to Residential Entry as a Class D felony and Criminal Mischief as a Class B misdemeanor. He told Judge Kim Hall that he did in fact break into a home on County Road 200 East in Knox and spray-painted graffiti on the inside walls. The incident occurred on Dec. 4, 2012.

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