The Starke County Youth Club Radiothon is today!
This is your chance to help over 600 students in Starke County participate in after-school enrichment programs, receive tutoring and engage in healthy activities.
Absentee Voting Going Strong in Special Election
Voters in California, Center and Washington townships are eligible to vote on a public question offered by the Knox Community School Board concerning a construction and remodeling project in the Palmer Wing at the elementary school.
Absentee voting is available today and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Starke County Courthouse. The last day to vote absentee in-office is Monday from 8 a.m. to noon. The polls will be open on Election Day Tuesday, May 7 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A total of 207 in-office absentee ballots have been cast, 32 mail-in ballots received and 8 travel board votes collected.
Drug Symposium Scheduled Today in Knox
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller will be the keynote speaker during the drug symposium today at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox beginning at 9 a.m.
IU Health Starke Hospital has partnered with the Moving Starke County Forward Coalition to present this drug symposium to address the abuse of methamphetamine and prescription drugs in Starke County. Zoeller is taking a more aggressive role in the issue and assisting in finding solutions.
Zoeller will be giving a presentation and will answer questions. A local panel of presenters will also share information. Small group discussions will be held in order to gather ideas for innovative ways to curb the drug issues in the county.
LaPorte Police Working on Safety in the Month of May
The LaPorte City Police Department will be involved in an Operation Pullover Blitz from May 17 to June 2.
Officers will be working overtime to enforce seat belt laws, especially during the Memorial Day holiday. More than 100 hours will be devoted to patrolling the streets to make sure travelers are buckled in safely. Traffic safety is the number one priority during the Memorial Day holiday.
Culver Elementary School to Begin HVAC Project June 1
The Culver Community School Corporation is preparing for summer break which kicks off on May 30 but the corporation still has some work to do over the summer while the students enjoy their time away from school. Superintendent Brad Schuldt said the school board approved three resolutions at their meeting Monday night, beginning the process of selling bonds to finance a project at Culver Elementary School.
Schuldt said the corporation is looking to improve every single classroom in the building by providing better temperature control and indoor air quality through the heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system. Schuldt said the project is expected to start as soon as the school year comes to a close, with the work to be wrapped up before the beginning of the next school year.
Leadership Starke County Class to Hold Final Session May 8
Jessup said the class emphasized three main ideas: networking, skill-building, and information.
April Revenue Report Indicates Healthy Tax Collections Overall
April was a good month for the state’s general fund in terms of tax collections, which are $71.3 million above the most recent revenue forecast and $81.4 million above collections for the same period last year. State Budget Agency Director Christopher Atkins credits an 11-percent increase in individual income tax collections, which are also up significantly from last year and are running 3.7 percent ahead of the forecast amount.
Sales tax collections for April were up slightly over last year but missed the forecast mark by .05 percent. They’ve increased since last year but are still less than one-percent below the forecast amount. Corporate income tax collections missed the mark significantly for April, coming in at 11.4 percent below forecast for the month. Year-to-date they’re half-a-percent below forecast.
Newly Approved Principal Eager to Begin at O-D
The Oregon-Davis School Board recently named a new high school principal to take the place of Greg Briles.
Tim Pletcher has been in education for the past 19 years and has spent his entire career at South Bend schools – mainly at Washington High School. He completed his undergraduate work at IUSB and he got his Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois. He also completed a doctorate at the University of Illinois and licensing at Indiana Wesleyan.
Starke County Humane Society Fundraiser Planned Saturday
RJ Howard, owner of Bub’s BBQ, said he has an emotional connection to the Starke County Humane Society and catering the event was the least he could do.
State Reports Trouble-Free ISTEP Testing
ISTEP+ testing resumes today in classrooms across the state. No major problems were reported during the administration of ISTEP tests yesterday, according to officials with the Indiana Department of Education. Computer crashes earlier in the week halted the administration of the test. As a workaround, state officials asked schools to cut the number of students testing at a time by half. That reduction continues today, and the department of education has extended the testing window by two additional days. Schools now have until May 17 to finish giving the test. Minimal interruptions were reported yesterday, according to state officials, who say 41 percent of the total expected ISTEP+ sessions have been completed this week. Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz remains committed to working with schools, students and parents to ensure that they have the time they need to guarantee all Hoosier students have the opportunity to take a fair test.
Starke County Prayer Breakfast Held This Morning
The Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox was filled with eager community members to help pray for our nation during today’s National Day of Prayer.
This year’s theme is “Pray for America”. It’s about coming together as a nation to better ourselves and make America the best place to be. Eagle Creek Community Church Pastor Ed Hasnerl gave a message of hope and urged neighbors to lift each other up in prayer.
“Of course we need to pray for America, but before our prayers can be effective as they can be we need to examine ourselves, our lives, repent, and then God will hear our prayers and He will heal our nation,” stated Hasnerl.
Winamac Police Officer Charged with Theft
An investigation into money found missing from an evidence storage locker at the Winamac Police Department has unearthed a suspect.
Daymond Hartley, a Winamac officer on the night shift, allegedly admitted to Winamac Police Chief Michael Buchanan that he took $6,352 from the storage locker while working a shift during the last week of March. The money had been collected as evidence after a fatal accident involving Jamie Sheets of Winamac.
Joint Investigation Leads to Three Arrests in Fulton County
Monterey Bridge Project on Schedule
The Monterey Bridge project is moving along despite the water issues experienced in April.
Bret Smiley, construction manager with United Consulting, said there was a bit of a flooding issue at the southern end of the bridge project, but that isn’t affecting the work being done this week on the north side of the bridge. The south side of the bridge project had been underwater and the workers have been working around that issue. LaPorte Construction built up a makeshift berm to help with erosion issues and to push back the river water.
Rain dates were built into the original construction schedule so Smiley noted the project is on schedule. They are drive piling the north side of the bridge so beams can be set this week and situating the crane so it can safely operate. Smiley said the ground is swelled with water and unstable so they are creating a safe platform for the crane.
Smiley said the retaining walls will be built in the next week or so.
Knox PD Still Down One Squad Car; Grant Still in the Works
While the Knox City Police Department is still short one police cruiser, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston said he’s still working on a possible grant to help cover the rest of the cost of a new squad car. Houston said that because of the per-capita income for the city, they may be eligible for a larger grant than what he had originally anticipated.
Culver School Board Approves Cut of Five Teachers
Schuldt said the resolution merely confirms that the corporation will perform a reduction in force by five teachers, but no specifics have been decided – that is, the board has not made a decision as to who will be cut nor what buildings will be affected. He said the board will know by their meeting in mid-June which teachers’ contracts will be canceled by the board.
Several Offenders Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court
Several sentencing hearings were held in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday.
Tiffany Woodard Wireman pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state in two different cases to charges of Visiting a Common Nuisance as a Class B Misdemeanor and Escape as a Class D Felony. On the misdemeanor charge, she was sentenced to 60 days in the Starke County Jail. On the Escape charge, she was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with six months suspended to be served on probation. The sentences will be served consecutively. She had removed her electronic monitoring device while serving time with Starke County Community Corrections.
Weather Delays Spring Planting Season
“We’re a little bit behind schedule, but everything is still on track for maximum yield potential,” said Rushing. “Planting is delayed. Corn is usually at about 20 percent planted by now and it’s about one percent across the state.”
Keep Pets Safe in Hot Weather
Dog owners are reminded not to let the warm weather take a tragic turn by leaving four-legged friends in the car with the windows rolled up. Temperatures inside a car can spike quickly, even if it’s parked in the shade. On a 78-degree day it feels like 90 degrees inside a car, and dogs can quickly overheat. Experts say even 60-degree days can get too warm for animals to be shut inside a car for very long. They advise against rolling windows down, because animals can escape and owners may be liable if they bite someone. Leaving the air conditioning running is discouraged because it can possibly fail or shut off and lead to a preventable tragedy. If you do take them along, bring plenty of water in a dish for them and don’t leave them alone for more than 15 minutes at a time. Also be sure any outdoor pets have adequate shade and plenty of fresh drinking water, and bring them inside when temperatures get too warm.
New CASA Volunteers Sworn into Service
Four new Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, members were sworn into service by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall in a special ceremony Tuesday.
Katlyn Foust, Patricia Camp, Rebecca Berg, John Wampler each completed 30 hours of classroom training plus an hour of observing cases. They all passed four separate background checks, including a federal fingerprint search.
