It’s the time of year to check your smoke alarms.
It’s not only crucial to have a working smoke detector in your home, but it is also the law.
Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost says it’s a life saving device.
Plymouth High School Jazz Ensembles Aim for All-Music Award
On Friday, March 1, the Plymouth High School Jazz Ensembles went head-to-head with other schools in the annual Indiana State School Music Association’s annual jazz contest under the direction of band director Bryan Ames.
Ames said that this year, the school took two groups to the competition: both their full jazz ensemble and jazz combo group gave outstanding performances, earning the top-rated gold awards. The jazz combo performed first, playing two Latin selections featuring improvisational solos by senior guitar player Jacob Harley, then I also found this awesome guitar shop in Dursley which is just incredible as they have some of the best guitars available so have a look there as it’s a great place.
State Officials Honor LaPorte High School Student for Essay
An 11th grader from LaPorte High School was honored at the Statehouse for placing first in an essay contest.
Jessica Bohlin was recognized by Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and State Representative Tom Dermody (R-LaPorte) for her winning essay in the contest entitled: “Our Food, Our Farmers: Nourishing Generations of Hoosiers.” Five other essay winners were also acknowledged in two other age categories at the Statehouse Tuesday.
Starke County Under Travel Advisory
Suspected Gas Leak Reported at Country Acre Mobile Home Park in Hamlet
A suspected gas leak has been reported at the Country Acre Mobile Home Park in Hamlet.
NIPSCO and the Hamlet Police Department arrived at the scene and after a preliminary investigation, it was found that some unknown person went into a mobile home and turned on the gas. It filled the home and the area was evacuated for the resident’s safety.
Bella Vita Acquires Starke United Building
Starke County’s crisis pregnancy center will soon have a new home. Starke United officials turned over the keys to their building on Lake Street to Bella Vita Crisis Pregnancy Center this morning. Secretary Rhonda Adcock says the former downtown post office location meets a lot of the organization’s logistical goals. These include having two entrances so new clients who come for pregnancy tests can do so through a different door than established ones who are there for counseling or to earn baby bucks. The building is also handicap accessible and offers plenty of space for counseling, classrooms, meetings and staff offices. Adcock says the building also provides a convenient location with ample parking nearby. The center isn’t quite ready to relocate just yet, as some interior renovations need to be done to make it user friendly. Those can happen soon, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous local donor. Starke United no longer needs the building due to their administrative merger with the community foundation. They’ve transferred ownership to Bella Vita.
Starke Commissioners Review Jail Site Appraisals, Approve Offer
Winamac Woman Suffered Heart Attack Before Accident
Winamac Police Chief Mike Buchanan said Jamie Sheets, 39, was traveling eastbound on Pearl Street on Monday, Feb. 25, at an excessive speed and hit a parked car. She continued eastbound where she struck a tree at a home at 202 N. Riverside Drive and then stopped after the vehicle hit a garage on that property.
Buchanan noted emergency personnel could not get a pulse at the scene and she was taken to Pulaski Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Buchanan spoke to Coroner Steve VanDerAa who reported the autopsy revealed that she suffered a heart attack prior to the accident. She had no visible injuries.
Starke Commissioners Name New Highway Superintendent
A new highway superintendent will be taking the reins in Starke County, having been appointed by the Starke County Commissioners this week. Stephen “Rik” Ritzler boasts an extensive history of experience and success with projects throughout Indiana, and said he will focus on bringing funds to the county and improving the highway department by providing the employees with the resources they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
Marshall County Commissioners Approve Temporary Court Services Director
The Marshall County Commissioners approved the hire of an independent contractor to fill in as director of court services while the current director takes a leave of absence.
Ron Babcock will be covering the Marshall County Community Corrections Department from March 13 through April 13. This is a 24-hour and 7-day-a-week position. The contract approved was for $2,100 to be paid to the contractor. The contract could be extended if more time needs to be filled.
Superior Court 2 Judge Dean Colvin made the request for the help. He also mentioned that the Community Corrections program is working well in the county and more and more offenders are being accepted into the program. Judge Colvin noted that a permanent part-time person may be needed in the future to help with the abundance of people in the program.
Pulaski County Commissioners Ratify Terminations
Pulaski County Commissioners plan to interview candidates for the vacant highway superintendent and maintenance supervisor positions Friday. They ratified the terminations of highway manager Kenny Becker and maintenance supervisor Morry DeMarco during a tense public meeting last night. Both were fired during an executive session a week ago. That action has raised questions about whether open meetings law violations occurred. Formal complaints filed by outraged citizens are still pending before Indiana Public Access Counselor Joe Hoage. Additionally, Becker has filed a $500,000 notice of tort claim against the commissioners, county attorney and auditor. They were all served copies of the proceeding prior to the start of last night’s meeting and now have 90 days to respond. Stay tuned to WKVI throughout the day for more on this story, and watch for updates on our website at www.wkvi.com.
Winamac Man Soon to Be Proud Recipient of H.J. Halleck Award
A Winamac man will soon be the honored recipient of the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce’s H.J. Halleck Community Service Award. The award is presented in honor of an individual’s selfless donation of time, energy, and hard work in an effort to make their community a better place for everyone to live, and this year, David W. Barr will be presented with the award on March 8 at 6 p.m. at the event center in Winamac.
Knox City Street Department Fully Stocked, Prepared for Snow Event
Street Superintendent Jeff Borg told the members of the Board of Works that there is a full stock of salt. He stated that last year, the department didn’t even use 80 percent of the salt due to the mild winter but they are close to that mark this year.
Local Police Agencies Join Together for Impaired Driving Blitz
Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over will begin Friday, March 8 and will continue through March 24. Due to the increase rate of alcohol consumption these events inspire, it’s a dangerous time on Indiana roadways and police want to keep roadways as safe as possible. Operation Pull Over is a federally-funded enforcement initiative administered by the Traffic Safety division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
Fire destroys downtown Valparaiso business
If you’re heading to Valpo today, you may want to avoid the downtown area.
An early morning fire destroyed a building at the southeast corner of Lincolnway and Michigan Street.
Starke County Sheriff’s Deputies Bust Meth Lab
Starke County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a man and a woman after reportedly busting a meth lab at a home near Round Lake where a toddler was present. Johnny Mullens and Amber Lain were arrested last Friday after officers served a search warrant for narcotics at a trailer on 200 E. south of Toto Road in Knox and found methamphetamine, precursors used in its manufacture, marijuana, syringes and an active meth lab within reach of a three-year-old male child, according to the arrest report. Officers also found $2,100 in a safe, which was confiscated. Mullens and Lain both face charges of dealing methamphetamine and neglect of a dependent. Mullens is also looking at charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
Winter storm watch issued for WKVI listening area
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the WKVI listening area from Tuesday morning through Tuesday night. Forecasters say light snow will develop early tomorrow with minimal accumulations through sunrise. The snow will increase in coverage and intensity through the day tomorrow, with the heaviest snow expected tomorrow afternoon through tomorrow evening. Accumulations of between 4 and 8 inches are possible by late Tuesday night, and some sleet may also mix in with the snow tomorrow morning, especially south of U.S. 30. As always, we’ll bring you the very latest on the weather and any school or business closings, delays or early dismissals on the air and online at www.wkvi.com as well as on our Facebook page.
LaPorte bank robbery suspect jailed in Alabama
A suspect in last Thursday’s bank robbery in LaPorte is jailed in Alabama. James L. Jackson, 24, was apprehended by authorities there after detectives with the LaPorte City Police Department developed and tracked leads throughout the weekend. Jackson reported walked into the 1st Source Bank on Boyd Boulevard, asked a teller for a deposit slip, wrote instructions to hand over money, handed the slip back to her and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. There’s no word yet on extradition proceedings.
Pulaski County Commissioners to Ratify Terminations
LaPorte Man Arrested, Charged with Child Solicitation
Early Friday afternoon, Indiana State Police Detective Jennifer Richmond, assigned to the Crimes Against Children unit, arrested Christopher Albin, 23 of LaPorte, at his residence at 808 Virginia Avenue on charges of Child Solicitation as a Class C felony.
