10-16-12:
Winamac-42 Rensselaer-38
Stephanie Shorter (Winamac)- 18 points (12 in second half), 8-11 free throws, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks
Knox Elementary School Briefly Locked Down Yesterday
A domestic dispute in Knox led police to lock down the Knox Elementary School as a precaution yesterday.
Knox City Police were called to a Knox residence in response to threats that had been made toward family members. When police arrived on the scene, officers learned that the threats that had been made were related to a domestic incident that had occurred the night before. Unfortunately, the male subject had left the home before officers arrived and authorities believed he was in an unstable state of mind.
Four Adoptions To Take Place in Circuit Court Today Open To Public
Today is a special day for four families in Starke County as Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall will be finalizing adoptions for those families.
A ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. CT today when the public is invited to listen to several speakers concerning adoptions. At 1:30 p.m., the adoption hearings will begin. WKVI will be there to witness the adoptions as the Indiana Supreme Court has allowed the proceedings to be covered by the media when they are usually closed to the public.
LaPorte Metro Operations Units Net Two On Dealing Charges
A Kingsford Heights man and a LaPorte man have been arrested for dealing controlled substances.
LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit officials served an arrest warrant last week on Daniel J. Cangiano, 49, and he was arrested without incident at his home in LaPorte. He was charged with Dealing a Schedule II Controlled Substance, a Class A Felony. He is currently being housed in the LaPorte County Jail. His bond has been set at $100,000.
Pulaski County Council Denies Additional Staffing For Auditor
The Pulaski County Auditor’s Office isn’t getting any additional help any time soon, as the county council this week denied a request from Auditor Shelia Garling to hire an additional full-time employee.
Garling said her request was denied because the county council felt the office did not need any additional staffing, despite the auditor’s office being down one full-time employee. Fortunately, she said things should change at the start of the new year, when she expects to have three full-time employees and two part-time employees.
Winamac Police Receive Best in State Award
The Winamac Police Department has been commended on their efforts in Operation Pull-Over.
Officer Mike Hoffman told the Winamac Town Board this week that the Winamac Police Department received the Best in State Police Department award and was given a $2,500 equipment grant. The department will be using that money to purchase a computer for a police car. A plaque was displayed to the board.
Rick Dilts, the town park manager, told the town board this week that the park is now closed for the season. More than 100 tables have been placed in storage, the bleachers are now stored and the restrooms have been closed. The volleyball and basketball courts will be winterized this week and a tractor will be set up for the snow season.
Knox City Council Amends Police Salary Ordinance
The Knox City Council at their meeting this week passed a motion to amend the salary ordinance for city police, specifically the pay grade for the corporal position.
Mayor Rick Chambers explained that at some point in time, the corporal’s pay got spread out farther than it should have from the pay for other positions. He said that whenever an officer receives a promotion, he naturally receives a pay raise, but the gap in pay from patrolman to corporal is a $912 increase – way too much, according to Chambers.
Eastern Pulaski Schools Bring Home A’s, B’s From State
The Eastern Pulaski Schools Corporation is extremely proud of the grade they received from the state. Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman said the lowest grade the corporation received was a B, and while there is a little bit of room for improvement, he’s excited about their improvement.
“Eastern Pulaski Schools did extremely well academically, in that our high school got an A, our middle school got a B, our elementary school got an A, and our school corporation got an A. So we received three A’s and a B on our report card, so to speak. I don’t know about a lot of our listeners out there, but back in East Chicago when I was a kid, if I’d have brought home three A’s and a B, I’d have probably gotten a reward,” said Klitzman.
Dermody Appointed As Leadership For Ways and Means Committee
The Republican State Representative in District 20, Tom Dermody, has been appointed as leadership in the Ways and Means Committee.
Dermody believes Indiana is in great financial shape as debts have been paid down and the reserve has grown. He says being fiscally responsible is a commitment that the Committee will live by to ensure that wasteful spending is eliminated and a balanced budget is preserved.
For the past two years, Dermody has been the chairman of the Ways and Means Higher Education Committee. Republican Representative Tim Brown of Crawfordsville will serve as the new chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
South County Cheer Squad Advances To National Competition
The South County Pop Warner Peewee Cheer squad has advanced to participate in the national competition which will be on Dec. 4 at the ESPN Center at Disney World.
The squad, which is made up of students from South Central, Westville, and Tri-Township schools, is now attempting to raise money to send all the members to Florida. The girls need to raise $800 per person.
Knox Community Elementary School Lock-Down Lifted
A domestic dispute in Knox led police to lock down the Knox Elementary School as a precaution this morning.
Knox City Police were called to a Knox residence in response to threats that had been made toward family members. When police arrived on the scene, officers learned that the threats that had been made were related to a domestic incident that had occurred the night before. Unfortunately, the male subject had left the home before officers arrived and authorities believed he was in an unstable state of mind.
On top of that, police soon learned that the man had made additional threats that morning to remove his children from the Knox Elementary School. Because police believed the man to be mentally unstable, police contacted the school and, through cooperation with the Knox Police Department, Starke County Sheriff’s Department, and the Knox Community School Corporation, the building was locked down. Students were kept inside and the building was secured while officers remained on the premises.
Fortunately, the subject was soon located in LaPorte County and arrested, and the lock-down was lifted shortly afterward.
Winamac vs. Culver
11-13-12:
Winamac-44 Culver-38
Jessica Schramm (Winamac): 16 points, 2 3-pointers, 6-7 free throws, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Rensselaer vs. Knox
11-10-12:
Rensselaer-41 Knox-39
Laura Tonner (Rensselaer): 11 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals
Paul Burke Sentenced To 10 Years in DOC For Attempted Aggravated Battery
A Royal Center man has been sentenced in Pulaski Circuit Court for his attempt to injure a Pulaski County police officer by throwing anhydrous ammonia at him.
Paul Burke was sentenced to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to a charge of Attempted Aggravated Battery. Burke will serve six of those years on good time credit and serve four years on probation. He must also submit to alcohol and drug testing and complete substance abuse treatment. Additional charges of Disarming a Law Enforcement Officer as a Class C felony, Theft as a Class D felony, and two Class A misdemeanor charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and Illegal Storage and Transportation of Anhydrous Ammonia were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Knox City Council Renames Community Center In Honor of Dembowski
In honor of Nancy Dembowski’s unwavering dedication and service to the city of Knox, the city council this week passed a motion authorizing the renaming of the Knox Community Center to the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center.
The council originally discussed the idea of honorarily renaming a portion of Main Street, beginning at Claybaugh Drive extending south to County Road 150 South, to Dembowski Drive, but after a lengthy discussion, the council decided to rename the community center instead. Chambers said this was due to Dembowski being instrumental in its construction years ago.
National Adoption Day Saturday; Adoption Celebration Planned Friday
National Adoption Day will be celebrated nationwide on Saturday, but a local celebration is set for Friday in the Starke County Courthouse.
Starke County CASA Director Rhonda Adcock explains the day’s festivities.
Improvements Coming to Wythogan Park in Knox
Wythogan Park in Knox is closed for the season, but repairs and improvements are still ongoing. Park Superintendent George Byer told the city council this week that they are currently waiting for the delivery of 30 trees to be planted in the park, and crews are also working on installing a new piece of playground equipment.
Starke County Police Arrest Three On Warrants
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department arrested three people on outstanding warrants Friday morning.
Stephan Buckingham and James Hattery were arrested on warrants for probation violations. Hattery had been sentenced to time in the Department of Corrections in 2010 and after serving his sentence in the DOC, he was placed on probation. While on probation, police say he committed Domestic Battery as a Class D felony and Intimidation as a Class D felony, prompting a warrant to be issued for his arrest. Hattery will appear in the Starke Circuit Court tomorrow for a hearing.
Safe Routes to School, Winamac Receive $250,000 Grant
Dave Bennett and John Bawcum from the Safe Routes to School organization told the Winamac Town Board this week that Safe Routes and the town received a $250,000 grant.
The money will be used to pave the pathway to the depot in Winamac, possibly to State Road 14 West. Bennett shared that he has been in contact with a company to do the paving. An environmental study will also need to be done.
New Buses To Be Purchased By Eastern Pulaski Schools
Eastern Pulaski Schools will soon be shelling out nearly $200,000 for new equipment. Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman explained that they will be purchasing three buses – one utility bus and two full-size buses.
“The board did authorize us to purchase two new school buses. We had put out bids and the low bid for two full-size passenger buses went to Midwest, so we will get two buses from Midwest this year, and the prices actually came in a little lower than they were a year ago. We are also going to purchase one utility bus, that’s a 14-passenger bus, and that is coming from Kerlin out of Silver Lake,” said Klitzman.
