“Starke County, as well as seven additional Indiana counties, has been chosen to participate in the sentencing policy study committee. It’s quite an honor.”
Special Presentation Featured During Knox Community School Board Meeting
Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff explained that the students in the high school adult roles class featured two technology projects related to roles that students take that are not only inherited but those they accept.
“What the students were asked to do was highlight a couple of the roles that they take in the community – some that are inherited, as a daughter, as a sister, as a family member, and some of those that are chosen. One of the projects a student reviewed was how she has chosen to work with her faith. The other one could have dealt with their role as an employee or their role in school and academics to really be able to highlight a little bit of themselves.”
The students presented their projects to the board that were completed with iMovie on their school-issued computers in the one-to-one computer initiative.
Oregon-Davis School Board Gets Positive Feedback During Public Hearing
Interim Superintendent Greg Briles commented that the public hearing went very well.
“We had a packed house and it was very refreshing that people would take the interest in coming in and expressing their opinions on the hiring of a school superintendent,” stated Briles. “There was a lot of positive feedback. There was not one negative thing said in regards to the contract. They were very appreciative of the work that our board had done in establishing a contract for the new superintendent.”
The next step will be the hiring and naming of the new school superintendent which will be done during the board’s next regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 16.
Donate to the Starke County Food Pantry This Holiday Season
Salvation Army Bell Ringers Begin Early This Year
Expert Offers Tips to Help Children Cope with Disasters
NCWTS Crew Member Suspended for Violating Substance Abuse Policy
NASCAR has announced that a crew member in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been indefinitely suspended for violating the sanctioning body’s Substance Abuse Policy.
Curtis Martin Jr., was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy) of the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book.
This reportedly occurred on Nov. 12.
Martin is also a former crew chief in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
National Weather Service Confirms Pulaski County Tornado
The National Weather Service confirms a tornado struck Pulaski County on Sunday. An EF-1 tornado touched down just south of U.S. 421 and Delaware Street in Medaryville at 3:03 p.m. and lifted 10 minutes later about 2.5 miles northeast of Denham. The funnel cloud’s path width is estimated at 100 yards, with a length of 13 miles. The storm’s maximum wind speed is estimated at 110 miles per hour. The storm was one of at least 15 that hit the Hoosier State on Sunday.
Starke County Council Approves Transfer for Autopsy Funds
The four forensic autopsies required by law this year in Starke County have put a pinch on the county coroner’s budget. Last Friday’s death of a three-week old infant required a more in-depth determination of the cause. It’s the second forensic autopsy performed this year on an infant, according to Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells. The county also conducted forensic autopsies on the pilot of a small plane who was killed when his experimental aircraft crash-landed at the Starke County Airport in July and on the victim of a February domestic homicide. Rannells says these more extensive procedures ate up more than $10,000 of his total $13,000 autopsy budget for the year. Council members approved total transfers of $4,133 into his budget with the understanding that additional funds may still be needed if more procedures are required between now and the end of the year. County officials also plan to meet informally with Rannells and other former coroners to talk about budget planning for the office.
Fire Destroys Bass Lake Home; No Injuries
Alcohol a Factor in Marshall County Accident
There were no injuries in a rollover accident in Marshall County in the overnight hours on Sunday, but an investigation found that alcohol played a part in the crash.
Emergency personnel were called to scene where officers found that a car driven by 20-year-old Emmanuel Johnson left the side of the roadway in the 5000 block of Michigan Road, struck two mailboxes and rolled onto its top. The car came to rest in the middle of Michigan Road.
Public Health Meetings Scheduled in Knox and Hamlet
Members of the public are invited to community forums this week in Knox and Hamlet aimed at addressing the health care services and needs of Starke County residents. Commissioner Jennifer Davis is spearheading the effort to assess and address the continuum of care by identifying gaps in existing services. She says the information gathered at the meetings will be used to organize a plan for needs in the future. The first of three meetings took place last week in North Judson. A second meeting is scheduled tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in downtown Knox. The third session will take place tomorrow evening at the Oregon-Davis High School cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.
Preliminary Autopsy Finds Infant Died of Natural Causes
An infant who was found unresponsive early Thursday morning in Knox died of natural causes.
Knox City Police Detective Dave Combs, the deputy coroner and a representative from the Department of Child Services learned the preliminary results of the autopsy conducted by a Fort Wayne Pathologist on Friday.
The exact cause of death will not be known for another six to eight weeks as testing is ongoing.
Services for 3-week-old Olivia Robinson were held yesterday afternoon at the Braman and Bailey Funeral Home in North Judson.
Pulaski County Continues Storm Cleanup Efforts
“We started out with the storm front coming in and we had two small tornadoes spin up out of there. We had some minor property damage; no personal injuries, fortunately. Obviously no deaths. We did have quite a large outage on power; Winamac was out probably until about 8 p.m. Medaryville got their power back about 7:30-ish this morning. Denham now has their power and the crews are working on finish up Ripley. Hopefully they’ll be done by 2 o’ clock this afternoon getting the power back on,” said Hoover.
Marshall County Commissioners Approve Purchase of Three New Police Interceptors
Captain Daniel Butt with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department presented the request for three all-wheel drive Ford Interceptors. Oliver Ford in Plymouth turned in a state bid of $26,642 per unit and the sheriff’s department would get three vehicles. A 2009 Crown Victoria, a 2007 Ford Taurus and a 2007 Ford Fusion would be traded in for a total trade value of $7,200. The total cost of the purchase of the vehicles would be $72,726.
Marshall County Residents Cleaning Up After Storm
Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery told WKVI that he’s gotten a few reports from residents who sustained structural damage. He encourages those who have damage to call his office at (574) 936-3740. Federal assistance may be available. Avery stated that the state would have to meet a minimal threshold in order to be eligible for assistance.
Starke County Community Foundation Awards Grants to Local Charities
The founders were present to celebrate the accomplishments of 2013, during which more than $140,000 was awarded in grants and scholarships – more than $24,000 of which was awarded Thursday evening during the reception through the SCCF’s annual unrestricted grant process. The named unrestricted funds that made the grants possible are: The Freedom Fund, the Ann R. and Orville Nichols Memorial Fund, the Schuyler Family Endowment Fund, the Stewart Lain Memorial Fund, the Starke County General Unrestricted Fund, and the Arlowa S. Vorm Memorial Fund.
Prepare Your Emergency Disaster Kit Now
The most important tip, Hoover said, is to make sure your family knows where to go in a severe storm. Lay out an emergency plan with a place to meet in case you get separated and designate an emergency contact that is out of the immediate area to call in case of a disaster.
Penalties Issued to Nationwide Series Team
A post-race inspection found the No. 32 NASCAR Nationwide Series team in violation of several rules. Kyle Larson drove the car in the series finale Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Sections 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J (Any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20-A of the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book or has been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20A-12.8.1(B) (The car failed to meet the minimum front car heights).
Crew Chief Trent Owens was fined $10,000 and was placed on NASCAR probation until Apr. 2, 2014. Kyle Larson was docked six championship points and car owner, Harry Scott, was docked six points.
Interview: Max Gresham
It wasn’t the year Max Gresham had hoped for, but he’s excited to see what will come in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2014. He drove the No. 8 for Sharp-Gallaher Racing throughout the 2013 season. Here is what he had to say about the year and what he has planned in the off-season:
