“We had a very nice $500 donation from Re/Max Real Estate,” said Klitzman. “For those of you who don’t know or may not remember, the Helping Hands is a program that we use to help students that are in need of assistance either in their cafeteria balance or in their textbook usage.”
Tom Bonnell, owner of TNS Recycling, had constructed canvas tarps that were donated to the school which are being used with the baseball and track programs as well as the fine arts department.
Grant funds are available for charitable organizations that serve the people of Starke County thanks to a partnership between the Starke United Fund and Northern Indiana Community Foundation. The two entities teamed up to make Starke United more cost-effective, and they hope to pass that savings along to deserving local entities. Grant applications can be found online at ncif.org. They are due Monday, April 22. The Starke United Fund Committee will review grant applications and decide which agencies will receive funds. It’s made up of Starke United board members. For more information contact the Northern Indiana Community Foundation toll free at 877-432-6423, or Sarah Origer at the Starke County Community Foundation at 574-772-3665.
The Food Finders Mobile Pantry is making its way to Monterey as part of their quest to provide food for those in need. The mobile pantry will make a stop at the Monterey Town Park Pavilion in downtown Monterey on Friday, May 3, at 11 a.m. where the Food Finders Food Bank will distribute food on a first-come, first-served basis.
Items to be distributed include frozen meat, beverages, snacks, cereal, vegetables, and baked goods, and the program is available to those who meet 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For a household of one, monthly income cannot exceed $1723 and annual income cannot exceed $20,665; for a household of two, monthly income cannot exceed $2333 or $27,991 annually; households of three, $2944 monthly or $35,317 annually. For larger households, add $611 per month for each additional household member.
With just three days until the IRS tax filing deadline, the IRS is reminding taxpayers to review their tax returns for some of the more common errors that could potentially delay the processing of their returns.
The IRS encourages filers to file electronically, whether through e-file or IRS Free File, to vastly reduce the risk of tax return errors. The tax software performs the calculations, flags common errors, and prompts the taxpayer for missing information. Best of all, there are free options available for everyone.
The Marshall County man who has left a string of broken hearts and bad debt from Oregon to Indiana has pleaded guilty to a theft charge in St. Joseph County. A woman who met Raymond Holycross online last fall called the police after discovering he had pawned the expensive digital camera she loaned him. She also discovered he used several aliases to woo and swindle unsuspecting women. Holycross agreed to plead guilty to a theft charge in exchange for not serving more than 18 months in prison. The agreement also recommends he pay restitution of $956 to his victim. Holycross will be sentenced on May 8. At that time the judge can either accept his plea or throw it out and send his case to trial. He may also reduce the D felony to an A misdemeanor since Holycross hasn’t been convicted of any similar charges. He does have charges pending in other jurisdictions but is not to be moved unless the judge in St. Joseph County approves it first.
Officers were conducting a drug activity call at a Hamlet residence and asked questions about a vehicle parked in the driveway. Nobody in the residence claimed ownership to the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the license plate numbers were ran and the plate did not match the vehicle. The VIN number was also covered up and wires were hanging from the broken steering column.
The Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon is tonight at Bowlaway Lanes in Knox.
Several teams have signed up to have some fun and raise money for the students of Starke County. Junior Achievement reaches kids in grades two through 12 and teaches them about financial lteracy. Volunteers and business people from the community teach those classes.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers this week gave the city council updates on several projects currently in the works for the city, including the lift station and Phoenix House projects.
Chambers said the sewer project is moving along after the council at their previous meeting approved an additional appropriation of $140,000 for the project. Now, he said six bid packets have been picked up from the city and they’re waiting to hear back from bidders for the project, which entails installing a new lift station near the South Side Fire Station. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston said the lift station is a necessity for the city to allow for present and future growth in the area as the current system is antiquated and no longer suit’s the city’s needs.
“It’s a great time to have PE,” explained Klitzman. “With a three-hour block, you do so many more things. You don’t have to worry about the class bell ringing after 50 minutes and you don’t have to worry about getting sweaty and going into an algebra class, which kids don’t like necessarily. It’s in the summer, it’s in the morning and you get it over with.”
Voters in California, Center and Washington Townships can get a firsthand look at what advocates say are long overdue and necessary repairs to the Palmer wing at Knox Elementary School this evening. The Whatever it Takes Committee is hosting another open house at the school from 5 until 6 p.m. Problems with the 60-year-old original structure include an antiquated heating and cooling system, a cramped cafeteria that is insufficient to prepare food for the entire student population and a host of other problems. The work will only be done if voters agree to support a property tax during a May 7th special election, for which absentee voting is under way at the Starke County Courthouse. Click https://gateway.ifionline.org/CalculatorsDLGF/RefCalculator.aspx to determine how much your property taxes will go up should the referendum pass.
“This was the result of other corporations throughout the state not using all of their funding and having to turn it back in,” said Mellon. “Basically, the state does not want to return it back to the federal government, so they gave us an opportunity to write a proposal and receive some items with this funding.”
Hasnerl said the presentation will be held on April 18 as part of National Library Week April 14–20 at the library, where a video will be shown with loads of information and history. Hasnerl said that even those who visit the courthouse on a regular basis are surprised by some of the things they’ve learned from the video.
With just under a month to go before the first installment of property taxes is due, Pulaski and Marshall counties are working feverishly to get property tax statements mailed out in time for taxpayers to get their payments in the mail. Pulaski County Treasurer Lynn Wilder said her office is about halfway through mailing out their statements and will finish the mailings by the end of today, while Marshall County Treasurer Deb VanDeMark said her office will have the mailings completed by Friday.
IU Health Starke Hospital and Community Services of Starke County have partnered together to present the annual health fair.
