Two people were injured in a Wednesday evening accident at the intersection of Michigan Road and 4th Road in Marshall County.
An investigation at the accident scene found that Kevin Fleck, Sr. of LaPaz was traveling eastbound on 4th Road and stopped at the intersection. He proceeded through the intersection without seeing a vehicle driven by Brandon Heston, of Plymouth, who was traveling south on Michigan Road. Heston tried to avoid a collision but could not.
This year’s winner of the Henry F. Schricker Award was recognized last night during an award dinner at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox. This year’s recipient, Joseph Eugene “Gene” Blastic of Bass Lake, fit the exact meaning of Schricker’s motto of “Service Before Self,” having been active in many community projects and organizations including the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Starke United, Starke County Chamber of Commerce, Starke County Right to Life, and countless others.
A LaPorte man was arrested Wednesday as the result of drug enforcement taking place in LaPorte County.
Investigators from the LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit arrested 42-year-old Jody Harradon on charges of Dealing a Schedule II Controlled Substance (Hydrocodone) as a Class B Felony and Dealing a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Oxycodone) as a Class A Felony. He was taken into custody at his home without incident. Warrants had been issued for his arrest on these charges.
A Winamac woman was arrested on drug charges after a traffic stop in Pulaski County.
Early Thursday morning, a Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy saw that the driver of a passenger car failed to initiate the turn signal as the vehicle turned onto U.S. 35 from a side street in Winamac.
The Pulaski County Council this week held a lengthy discussion over how much the county should pay per hour for a part-time animal control officer. Commission President Tracey Shorter approached the council alongside the newly-hired animal control director Sarah Thompson with a request that the council set a part-time wage for the position, asking for a rate of $15.17 – the same rate as a full-time employee but without benefits.
Twenty-seven deaths have now been reported as a result of flu-related illness in Indiana. The overwhelming majority have occurred in individuals older than 65.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that flu-deaths have reached epidemic levels, which means the nation is experiencing a higher number of flu-related deaths than was expected.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation may have gotten a decent grade from the state, but Superintendent Lynn Johnson said they’re not quite satisfied. The corporation as a whole received a B grade from the state, while the elementary school received an A, the middle school a B, and the high school a C. On top of that, Johnson said the school received value added for growth in language arts and math, and while it was a good report card, she feels the model still needs work.
The Starke County Community Action Board of IU Health Starke Hospital met this week where Martin Bedrock and Ted Hayes were sworn in for additional four year terms. Bedrock completed the unexpired term of Ed Hasnerl and Hayes completed the unexpired term of Dr. Thomas Browne. They were recently reappointed by the Starke County Commissioners.
With the kick-off event behind us and the main event approaching, Starke County Relay for Life teams are planning their fundraisers to get this year’s fundraising effort off to a good start. The Demotte State Bank Relay Team has announced two fundraisers planned within the next few months with proceeds to go toward Starke County Relay for Life.
A Knox man has been arrested on Burglary and Theft charges after an investigation by the Knox City Police Department.
Kyle Bobb, 18, is being held in Starke County Jail on suspicion that he broke into a residence of a deceased woman and stole items from the home.
The tablet trend continues as more and more government, education, and private entities switch to tablets such as the iPad to allow employees to access information more conveniently. This time, it’s the Pulaski County Commissioners who are seeking to employ iPads to assist them with their duties.
Commission President Tracey Shorter approached the county council at their meeting this week requesting the purchase of iPads from Venture Wireless to help them work more efficiently. Shorter said it is hard to keep up with the information that is provided in their information packets, and that inconvenience translated to a loss for the county when the commissioners approved the purchase of a new truck for the sheriff’s department before reviewing the bids. Consequently, the commissioners spent more money on a Chevrolet model from Braun Chevrolet than they would have if they had gone with a different bid for a Ford model from Jim Dobson Ford.
A Knox woman was arrested Wednesday after police executed an arrest warrant and search warrant at her home.
Officers went to Sherry Wireman’s home on 150 South in Knox to execute an arrest warrant and while they were serving the warrant, officers reportedly saw drug paraphernalia in the residence.
A tip from the Marshall County Drug Task Force led to a traffic stop in the county that turned up methamphetamine and marijuana inside a vehicle.
On Tuesday, an officer with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle after the officer witnessed the driver commit a traffic violation. The driver, identified as Otis Young, was accompanied by a female passenger.
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon told the school board last week that the corporation’s wind turbine is already starting to pay off.
“I informed the Board that our NIPSCO bill for the last two months has been $200 for our service fee,” explained Mellon. “We are very fortunate that the wind turbine is working. We’re hoping that we can gain enough credits and that we can keep building until we come to those slow months in July and August. We want to continue to pay our bill just with a service fee throughout the entire year.”
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation continues to work toward AdvancED accreditation, and Superintendent Lynn Johnson explained the school board recently heard an update on the progress.
Johnson explained that at every board meeting, she presents one of the five standards for AdvancED accreditation; this time, she presented the Teaching and Assessing standard. According to the AdvancED website, the Standards for Quality mark an evolution in continuous improvement and accreditation, and they also emphasize teaching and learning and address students’ ability to successfully develop learning, thinking, and life skills as critical elements of student achievement.
The LaPorte County DUI Task Force has released the first quarter statistics from the 2013 Fiscal Year grant period that began Oct. 1 and ran through Dec. 31.
A total of 83 saturation patrols were conducted, totaling 374.5 hours worked. During this time period, a total of 250 citations and 558 warnings were issued for various traffic offenses. Forty-six impaired drivers were arrested on charges of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. Of those drivers, 38 were arrested on the misdemeanor operating while intoxicated statute and eight were arrested for the felony operating while intoxicated statute.
The DUI Task Force is comprised of police officers from the LaPorte and Michigan City Police Departments and deputies from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department. The task force is funded by a grant provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and overseen by the Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation continues to work toward AdvancED accreditation, and Superintendent Lynn Johnson explained the school board recently heard an update on the progress. Johnson explained that at every board meeting, she presents one of the five standards for AdvancED accreditation; this time, she presented the Teaching and Assessing standard.
According to the AdvancED website, the Standards for Quality mark an evolution in continuous improvement and accreditation, and they also emphasize teaching and learning and address students’ ability to successfully develop learning, thinking, and life skills as critical elements of student achievement. Continue reading
Two men seriously wounded when shot by a retired police officer inside his LaPorte County home have been charged with Burglary, a Class B Felony.
Edward Flynn, 67, and his girlfriend returned to his home Friday night in Pottawattomie Park and reportedly discovered broken glass in the dining room. Flynn, a retired Chicago police officer, told police he pulled out his revolver and encountered Marshaun Wright, 24, and Ladell Hemsworth, 23. He then reportedly pointed the gun at the men who began coming toward him.
A waste equipment manufacturer in Pulaski County has announced plans to expand its operations with the hopes of creating up to 85 new jobs by 2014, and county government has given its support in the hopes of economic development.
The county council approved two tax abatements related to the expansion. One such abatement was approved in December on manufacturing and IT equipment for GalFab Acquisitions, and the other to GalCo, Inc., for real-property improvements. Both abatements are 100 percent “alternative-deduction-schedule” abatements for 10 years.
A South Bend man was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court this week.
Jason Brooks pleaded guilty to a charge of Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony, in a plea agreement with the State.
