Bridge 70 Closed in Starke County; Travelers Be Advised
Travelers on County Road 50 East near 500 South in Starke County are strongly advised to find a new route, as County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler announced yesterday that the county has closed Bridge 70 due to safety reasons. Ritzler explained the bridge was scheduled to be replaced next year but because of the unexpectedly high rate of deterioration, he said it was necessary to close the bridge to prevent an accident.
Marshall County Commissioners Discuss Highway Department Requests
The Marshall County Commissioners held off on approving a road cut for Crystal Broadband as several customers have complained about the service the company provides.
Highway Superintendent Neal Haeck told the commissioners that a customer has complained for months that his cable service has not been working, but they keep charging him for it and he can’t get a hold of any representative to help him with the situation. He’d change to a satellite system but the location would not provide a direct line of sight for a satellite dish.
Cosmetic Improvements Planned for Pulaski County Courthouse
New Pulaski County Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston is sprucing up the historic courthouse. He told commissioners he’s outsourcing repairs to the tile floor on the main level. They approved an expenditure of $1,240 for the work. In addition to fixing parts of the floor, the vendor will also polish the tile. Johnston and his staff plan to refinish the wood floors and banisters on the second story of the courthouse and replace the torn and tattered window shades in many of the offices. He assures commissioners all of the work will adhere to the necessary standards for historic buildings.
Johnston also told the commissioners he’s in the process of assessing all of the county’s buildings and prioritizing necessary repairs. Immediate needs include replacing exterior concrete at the annex building and repairing the roof at the county highway garage. Johnston says his staff will also focus their efforts on beautification of the building exteriors.
Knox BOW Approved Bid for 50/50 Sidewalk Program
The Knox Board of Works met in special session Friday in order to open and award a bid for the 50/50 sidewalk program.
Five businesses provided bids: Custom Concrete, Pete Kuchel Concrete, Do All Concrete, EAM Enterprise, and Covenant Concrete.
Mayor Rick Chambers read aloud the bids for the nine addresses of homeowners who submitted applications for the project. In the end, the Board of Works approved the bid of Covenant Concrete with a total bid of $13,940 as the lowest conforming bid pending a review of the bid packet by Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and City Attorney David Matsey.
State Police to Crack Down on Aggressive Drivers
Indiana State Police Troopers are part of a federal effort to curb aggressive driving. The Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks Campaign aims to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles and passenger cars. State troopers will be part of the effort through Saturday, June 8. Troopers will be specifically looking for motorists who drive dangerously around semi trucks and other commercial motor vehicles. Some of the violations troopers will be concentrating on include unsafe lane changes, failure to yield the right of way, following too closely and aggressive driving. In many crashes involving commercial motor vehicles, the crash is caused by non-commercial drivers operating in an unsafe manner.
Watch for Mopeds on Indiana’s roadways
Knox Community School Board Commends Envirothon Team
The Knox Community School Board members recognized the Knox High School Envirothon team during the Spotlight on Success portion of their meeting Monday night.
The team had gone to the state competition on April 30 and placed 13th out of 17 teams. Coaches Laurie Simmons and Marge Wood told the board they were proud of the effort of the students and competed well at Washington High School.
DNR Cautions Against “Rescuing” Wild Animals
DNR officials caution well-meaning citizens not to “rescue” seemingly helpless, abandoned baby wild animals they find while enjoying the outdoors. A wildlife information specialist with the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife says many animals leave their young alone while searching for food and come back to them throughout the day. Michelle Cain adds that picking up animals can be harmful to both animals and people, and removing animals from their natural habitat is illegal. If you believe an animal is truly abandoned or injured, Cain says you should call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or DNR Law Enforcement. They are reachable 24-hours a day at 812-837-9536. If a bird has fallen out of its nest, Cain says it’s OK to gently put it back. If you’re unsure if an animal is orphaned, check on it periodically. If you’re still unsure, place some strings or sticks across the nest. If they are disturbed, it’s a good sign that the mother returned.
Warrants Issued for Sanchez, Spencer
Warrants have been issued for two offenders who escaped electronic monitoring from Starke County Community Corrections.
On Sunday, Brenan Sanchez cut off his ankle bracelet and fled to the Mishawaka area. Community Corrections staff began to investigate his whereabouts and found that he was at a girlfriend’s house in Mishawaka.
As this investigation was going on, another offender, Dustin Spencer, cut off his ankle bracelet on Monday.
LaPorte Teenager Arrested on Dealing Heroin Charge
Officers checked a vehicle that was parked in the Stone Lake Beach parking lot and an on-scene investigation resulted in the arrest of Christopher Miller of LaPorte. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of Dealing in a Schedule II Controlled Substance, heroin, as a Class A Felony. He was booked into the LaPorte County Jail and will appear in LaPorte County Circuit Court on Friday in an initial hearing.
Miller is being held on a $100,000 bond.
Two Starke County Offenders Charged with Escape
Brenan Sanchez and Dustin Spencer allegedly tampered with their electronic monitoring devices earlier this week. They were then reportedly involved in a breaking and entering incident in the Mishawaka area and are currently being housed in the St. Joseph County Jail on a preliminary charge of Criminal Trespass.
Sentencing Hearing Set for Monday in the Case of Connie Miller
WKVI’s Ed Hasnerl Remembers Gov. Otis Bowen
“Doc Bowen had the practice of when he would see somebody doing something in the community he’d cut out the news article or the picture, put it in a nice little card, send his well-wishes. That’s the first that I really remember Doc Bowen,” Hasnerl said.
One Marshall County Court to Be Closed Friday for a Period of Time
Judge Bowen explained to the commissioners that he and his staff would like to go to the funeral of former Indiana Governor Otis Bowen in Bremen Friday morning at 11 a.m. ET and would need to close the court from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
City of Plymouth May Soon Update Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive plans are used to guide the city for the future, pushing them in the right direction for development, targeting areas that may need redevelopment and helping the city to plan for growth socially and economically.
City of Knox Owner-Occupied Housing Project Delayed
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers stated the city should know something in June on how many homes will benefit from upgrades through grant funding.
North Judson Receives Update from INDOT on U.S. 30 Railroad Repairs
State Education Officials Urges Schools To Try Referendums Again
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz says school districts will have to continue to conduct referendums to seek tax increases until the Indiana Legislature changes the school funding formula. She made the comments during several stops in Lake and Porter Counties. Ritz told educators at the Hammond Area Career Center that “you have to spend money to get money.” She thinks that many voters in areas where school district referendums failed may not have been aware of the issue. The state school superintendent says she encourages the school districts whose referendums did not pass, to try again during the next election. Knox was one such school. Local voters rejected a property tax increase to pay for construction of a new $16 million elementary school wing. The Knox Community School Board has not indicated whether they plan to pursue the issue again during next year’s regular election cycle. In the meantime, Ritz says she will help the schools in any way she can. Ritz addressed members of the Professional Educators Partnership at Valparaiso University.
Pence Vetoes Pulaski County Tax Collection Bill
He adds that retroactive approval of the taxes collected is not the proper remedy for Hoosiers. Pence says he looks forward to working with the General Assembly during the next session to resolve the matter. Meanwhile, he has directed the Office of Management and Budget to develop options for refunding or crediting the revenues in question.
