The guidelines apply to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and other programs. The program’s eligibility and other mandates are adjusted annually and are based on the Federal income poverty guidelines. They are stated on household size.
“We’re looking for children in need. So, basically, if your children are on free or reduced lunch, then they should qualify for a free backpack and school supplies. You just need to show up on Aug. 7 or 8, Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall at the North Judson United Methodist Church and we will have paperwork for you to fill out – a registration form for the children. The children have to be present with the parent or guardian,” Lewandowski explained.
Hartley is facing one count of Theft as a Class D Felony after he reportedly admitted to taking $6,342 from an evidence storage locker at the Winamac Police Department. Hartley, a former Winamac police officer, reportedly explained to Police Chief Michael Buchanan that he stole the money so he could afford a dental procedure for his mother to prevent a bacterial infection. He allegedly stated that during the last week in March, he found the evidence locker key in Chief Buchanan’s office and took the envelope. He returned every cent of the money on Saturday, April 6 in a sealed envelope and spoke with Buchanan about the incident that following Monday.
Museum Director Linda Rippy will be before the commissioners with an update on activities and operations at the museum and the commissioners will discuss the 911 circuits contract with Century Link.
The public is invited to attend this regular meeting which begins at 8:30 a.m. ET and will be held in the commissioner’s meeting room in the Marshall County building.
U.S. 31 will be down to one lane in each direction for a short stretch. This restriction will be in place until Monday, Aug. 19.
INDOT reminds you to use caution and consider worker safety when driving through a construction zone.
An update on the project was given during last week’s school board meeting. Superintendent Charles Mellon said Technology Coordinator Rob Evans and Kris Aschbrenner gave the update to the board.
“It’s going to have writing across every subject, because up to the core standards is what the new test will represent, the new state core standards. Everything’s going to be in line that way. Unfortunately someone who has taken a test with the old version can’t carry those passing scores over from the old year. They have to start all over from scratch under the new rules of the test,” Hornung said.
Plymouth police received information that counterfeit checks were being manufactured and distributed at a motel in Plymouth. The suspects reportedly had been involved in counterfeiting checks in southern Michigan and in the northern Indiana area.
The chip seal work in Starke County has been completed but many rural residents are wondering why their freshly treated roads are rough and rocky. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told WKVI that the chip seal process takes around a week before the loose stone sets, and until then, the rocks on the road are loose and can cause damage to vehicles traveling at high speeds.
The board members did act on the budget discussion during the regular meeting.
“They did approve advertising the budget we had worked on so that is in the hands of the newspaper people at this time,” stated Mellon.
In another action item, the board approved an insurance premium contract for underground storage tanks.
A local family’s recent trip to India proved to be life-altering in more ways than one. Gary and Cindy Kuechenberg and their children spent two weeks there visiting an orphanage run by a Christian pastor they befriended. He cares for about 80 children who have lost parents to the scourge of AIDS and is in desperate need of a new facility to house his ministry. The Kuechenbergs were so touched by his work they decided to sell their home in Knox and move to India.
“I’ve lived 48 years of my life very selfishly, and I want to finish well. That’s my motivation for doing this,” said Kuechenberg.
The annual Shop with a Cop event will be tomorrow at Kohl’s in Valparaiso. The organization has gone through the selection process and those students whose family doesn’t have the means to purchase needed school supplies will get that chance Sunday afternoon. The store will open early specifically for this endeavor and students can find clothes, backpacks, shoes or any other supplies needed for the start of the new school year.
Bret Smiley of United Consulting reported that the beams have been set and the crews are placing decking at this juncture of the project. Overhang jacks are being installed along the outside beams and they are installing decking on them as well. Once the deck is completely prepared, the next step will be the placement of rebar throughout the deck.
The project appears to be on schedule and the project should be completed in October.
Eastern Pulaski School Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman said it was a sad day for education and for Bennett and his family.
“It’s a very sad day educationally when the chief educational officer gets involved in the political arena and it basically cost him his job,” stated Klitzman. “Education has its goals and aspirations and politics has a purpose and a role. They’re not together and I think that why in recent years in Indiana, and continually I might add, we’re going down that path that I think is the wrong path for student learning and what our mission is in education.”
Oregon-Davis Interim Superintendent Greg Briles offered this statement:
“I am concerned that the system his administration has put into place for Indiana schools is flawed and needs an overhaul,” stated Briles. “I am confident that the current administration will take a serious look at the A-F system and make the changes necessary for Indiana schools to hold their heads high. Our communities have great parents, students, teachers, administrators and community members that want the schools they represent treated fairly and given the respect they deserve for the efforts being put forth by everyone.”
Republican Governor Mike Pence has urged the Indiana Department of Education to complete a thorough and timely review of the questions surrounding the 2011-12 A-F letter grades and report its findings at the next State Board of Education meeting in August.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has filed a lawsuit against the former director of the Walkerton library, who’s accused of improper and unauthorized spending of public funds. The suit demands that Scott Klingerman repay the nearly $96,000 a recent State Board of Accounts audit found he embezzled from the library. According to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV, Zoeller says the audit results authorize him to take legal action. Audit findings indicate Klingerman made unauthorized withdrawals from library accounts to pay for personal health club memberships, restaurant and bar tabs and out-of-town hotels. Zoeller’s office has filed a complaint in St. Joseph County Superior Court to recover the funds.
