Recycling Grants Available for Businesses
The program’s grants are awarded for business recycling projects that reduce solid waster disposal, increase Indiana’s capacity for recyclable material manufacturing, and increase the use of recycle content products. Supporting the development and marketing of recyclables can lead to the creation of more jobs.
Grants will range from $25,000 up to $200,000 with a required 50 percent match. For more information about the Recycling Market Development Program, call 1-800-451-6027 or www.recycle.IN.gov.
Several Presentations Made to Eastern Pulaski School Board
The Eastern Pulaski School Board members welcomed seven special guests to their meeting on Monday morning. Kindergarten students read a short story to each of the school board members to begin the presentation part of the school board meeting.
Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman emphasized that the students have come a long way from the beginning of the school year in their reading abilities and wanted to share that progress with the board. President Michael Tetzloff commented that the teachers and the kids are doing a great job and it was a highlight of the meeting.
Reserve Your Spot on WKVI’s Mississippi Riverboat Adventure!
“We drive out in our Cardinal bus to LaClaire, Iowa,” explained Hasnerl. “We go from LaClaire to Dubuque, Iowa on a riverboat and it’s an all-day trip. Once we get there, we stay at the Grand Harbor Resort Hotel overnight and visit all of the things in Dubuque. There are great museums there. The Mississippi River Museum is there. Then, we get back on the boat back and come back down to LaClaire on our second day.”
West Central School Board Approves Teacher Retirements
“Betty Sprunger, who has been teaching health and P.E. at West Central for several years, is retiring along with Cheryl Podell who is a first grade teacher,” said Mellon. “Jenni Garten, a third grade teacher and Linda Ferguson, a high school business teacher, are also retiring.”
Railroad Crossing Sight-line Bill Passes Senate
The bill clarifies requirements for railroad crossing sight-lines. House Bill 1037 would require the Indiana Department of Transportation to create new methods for measuring and determining minimum distance requirements for crossings. Current law mandates that sight-line crossings occur at 1,500 feet where trains are also required to sound the horn.
House Bill 1037 unanimously passed out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs and the full Senate by a vote of 44-0. The bill how goes to the House of Representatives where the bill’s author will have a chance to consider changes made in the Senate.
Pulaski Council Again Denies Commissioners’ Request for iPads
Shorter said the devices would cost the county $4259 for the purchase of the four iPads, a one-time charge of $199 for two years of protection, and an additional $1404 per year to include the devices on the county’s current shared data plan through Verizon. Shorter said that because the commissioners fund had carried over an amount from last year through various cuts in county expenses by both the commissioners and the county council, she felt that this expense is justified – especially when considering the benefit she claims the iPads would have for the county officials.
Marshall County Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Possession Arrest
At approximately 2 p.m. on Friday, patrolman Bryant with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of U.S. 31 and 12th Road after he witnessed a vehicle traveling 83 mph in a 60-mph zone. The patrolman then learned that the driver, China Swift, was operating the vehicle on a suspended driver’s license.
Bryant then requested assistance from patrolman Jeff Sharp and Plymouth Police officer John Weir. Weir’s K9 partner, Jax, indicated the presence of narcotics in the vehicle and a search was conducted, turning up marijuana and paraphernalia in the purse of Minequa Toliver. She was arrested and transported to the Marshall County Jail for the offense.
LaPorte Bank Robbery Suspect Extradited to LaPorte
James L. Jackson, 24, was transported back to LaPorte from Jackson County, Ala. on Friday. Jackson is suspected of robbing a 1st Source banking branch on Boyd Blvd in LaPorte on Feb. 28.
Four Suspects Have Yet to Appear in Court on Meth Charges
Jordan Bunton, Kim Frazier, Adam Wagers, and Dianna Watson were arrested on Thursday, March 7 after officers from the Plymouth Police Department, Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police executed a search warrant at 1008 Plum Street.
West Central School Board Approves Order in One-to-One Computer Initiative
“We’re beginning that with the middle school next fall,” explained Mellon. “The ChromeBook is what we will be using and that’s become a very hot item. They’re kind of back logged with orders so we wanted to place an order for 270 ChromeBooks. We wanted to get the paperwork rolling and have those computers here by fall. The board did approve that as well.”
The program will begin with middle school students with the anticipation that it will branch out to more grade levels after the initial rollout.
North Judson Town Board Tentatively Approves Purchase of Cemetery Signs
Residents Invited to Help “Create the Future” of Starke County
“Number one, they’re going to actually do the facilitation of it,” said Jessup. “In other words, do this all over the country with namely rural communities, and so they’re very knowledgeable and capable of talking about small, rural communities and how they can help grow and how they can help develop the community.”
Big Changes at Plymouth Speedway This Season
The world of auto racing is an ever changing one, even at the local level.
The Plymouth Speedway has undergone an extensive change in the off-season. Ed Kennedy, the owner of the track, made the decision to change the surface from asphalt to dirt. Director of Racing Matt Schwartz believes it’s going to be a positive change for the speedway.
“The asphalt track wasn’t that successful,” Schwartz stated. “We weren’t getting a lot of cars or a lot of fans. So, last year we experimented and tore out the infield and put in a one-fifth mile dirt track for racing and it was well received. We had a lot of people show up in the stands, we had a lot of cars in the pits and it was really exciting.”
Plymouth Mayor to Testify on Pseudoephedrine Limits
An area mayor is set to speak to state lawmakers about the effects of methamphetamine manufacture and use on his community. Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter will speak in favor of annual limits on ephedrine and pseudoephedrine sales. They are the main ingredient in many cold and allergy medications as well as in the production of methamphetamine. A bill pending in the House would set an annual limit on how much pseudoephedrine an individual can purchase. The current individual purchase limit is 7.2 grams per month, or 86.4 grams per year. The proposal before the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee would cap annual purchases at 61 grams per year for a consumer. It has already passed the Senate. Senter is scheduled to testify before the committee tomorrow in Indianapolis. He’s seen firsthand the effects of methamphetamine. Senter is a retired state trooper who spent five of his 28 years on the force as a member of the ISP Clandestine Lab Team.
Downtown Winamac Block Party Planned This Weekend
The Winamac H&R Block office is sponsoring this year’s second Annual Downtown Winamac Block Party, with donations going to support the Pulaski County Food Bank. Event Coordinator Amy Hoover said the event has drawn a lot of attention from local businesses, with a variety of activities offered in exchange for donations of money or canned items to benefit the food pantry.
“Everything that we collect is going to the food pantry – either the canned goods or the money,” said Hoover. “It was just something that I knew that they were in short supply, so we wanted to do what we could to give back to the community by giving to the food pantry.”
Eastern Pulaski School Board Approves to Advertise Superintendent Contract
The Eastern Pulaski School Board voted 4-3 Monday morning to advertise the superintendent’s contract.
The board met prior to their regular meeting to discuss the contract at length and held only a brief discussion on the issue in the public meeting. The board, by majority vote, agreed to continue in the current contract with Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman.
Per state statute, the contract must be published. After the contract is published, a public meeting will be held where comments will be fielded and then a vote will be taken to ratify the contract.
Local National Day of Prayer Scheduled for May 2
The local National Day of Prayer event sponsored by the city of Knox will be on May 2 at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox.
One of the committee members, Dixie Lockridge, said Ed Hasnerl will be the guest speaker.
“The theme this year throughout the nation is Honoring Our Heroes. Who better to do that than our Historian Ed Hasnerl? There will be other clergy members who will be involved as well as our Master of Ceremonies who will be Charlie Hasnerl,” stated Lockridge.
Alleged Threat Under Investigation at Oregon-Davis Schools
Nothing came of the alleged threats that were made on a boys restroom wall at the Oregon-Davis schools.
School officials were notified of graffiti in the bathroom that reportedly appeared threatening in nature over the weekend after an event was held at the school. Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney said police officers were at the school throughout the day and officials will remain on alert at the school on Tuesday. The threat level will be a yellow which indicates a moderate threat and not an emergency situation as experienced Monday.
Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership Conducts Sobriety Checkpoint
Officers from the Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership are pleased with the outcome of a Friday sobriety checkpoint. They stopped 40 vehicles in North Judson at the intersection of Talmer and Schricker Avenues as part of an Operation Pull Over Blitz.
