Kersting’s Cycle Center hosted its 10th annual charity event September 8. The Motorcycle, Music and Memories event helped raise money for a number of charities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Nella Kersting Memorial Scholarship.
Enjoy these pictures from the event! Continue reading
On Monday, it is alleged that Jason Cooke entered the property of Linda Draper and she ordered him off the property. Cooke had reportedly exited a vehicle and walked onto the property and said he needed to speak with Draper’s son. She told Cooke that he was not welcome on the property and to leave. He then said he was going to talk to him anyway and continued on her property and into the house. Draper then called police and he left the property. He was eventually taken into custody and arrested on preliminary charges of Criminal Trespass and Residential Entry.
The state called three witnesses to the stand throughout the course of the trial, including the victim in the case, along with the dispatcher and the detective. The defendant called only himself as a witness.
The West Central School Board held a hearing on the 2013 proposed budget. Superintendent Charles Mellon said the hearing included the Capital Projects Plan and the Bus Replacement Plan.
“I basically just reviewed the budget with the board once again,” stated Mellon. “We had our work session back in the first week of August. We will be adopting the budget at our meeting on Oct. 4.”
The corporation is anticipating losing another $155,000 in state tuition.
The Knox Middle School newspaper got the spotlight this week during the recent meeting of the Knox Community School Board. Mrs. Kathleen Jerrell, a sixth grade English teacher, is the sponsor of the newspaper The Redskin Review. Superintendent A.J. Gappa talks about the presentation of good posts like this one on Jimmy John Shark.
“Mrs. Jerrell brought in some students and a copy of the news paper to show the board and did a fantastic job of presenting the paper,” said Gappa. “Most of the editions of the paper go out over the internet and the middle school website.”
The crossing was closed for routine maintenance by Norfolk Southern Railroad, and they had estimated that it would be closed to traffic until Sept. 10, but the work was completed ahead of schedule and the road is once again open to traffic.
INDOT Railroad and Utilities Engineer Mike Essling said that the planned closure was expected to be a bit longer than usual, but he said the company would coordinate efforts on restoring access to the tracks as quickly as possible. All emergency services, school corporations, and other affected parties were notified of the track’s closure and provided with alternate routes.
North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry said that an elderly citizen had contacted the North Judson Town Hall and stated that she had been contacted numerous times by someone claiming to represent the U.S. Census Bureau and requested information for the American Community Survey. The woman said she was concerned that it was a fraudulent phone call.
Fortunately, Henry contacted the U.S. Census Bureau and discovered that the organization was, indeed, performing the survey. However, no news outlets were notified of the survey, causing those who were contacted to be slightly suspicious.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is offering a Hunter Education Class to assist participants in receiving their Indiana Hunter Education Certification.
Indiana Conservation Officers will be holding the class on Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT at Kankakee FWA Headquarters, located at 4320 W. Toto Rd, North Judson. There is no fee for this course.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive their certification, which is required for any hunters born after Dec. 31, 1986.
Students are asked to preregister for the course by calling District 10 Law Enforcement Headquarters at (219) 879-5710. Attendance both days is mandatory for the certification, and children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch.
Ancilla College is proud to welcome two long-time local education professionals as part of their new marketing and admissions efforts.
Kelly Manning and Ericka Taylor-Joseph, both Starke County residents, are now part of Ancilla’s Admission Department as admissions counselors. Both have extensive connections to regional schools and community organizations.
Here is a look at some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
Funeral services were held Tuesday at the Knox Community Center for Knox High School student Taylor Wagner. She died from injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident on U.S. 35 just south of 200 North last Saturday morning. Her vehicle left the roadway and she attempted to correct it, but the vehicle ended up flipping three times, ejecting her from the vehicle. She was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital where she died of her injuries. A Starke County Sheriff’s Department investigation found that she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. Continue reading
Harold’s Picks: 9-6 (overall) 8-3 (with blind picks)
Jimtown-36 Knox-12
John Glenn-28 LaVille-7
New Prairie-41 Culver-20
West Central-37 North White-28
Whiting-28 South Central-27
Winamac-36 South Newton-21
North Judson-40 Boone Grove-12
Nathan’s Picks: 9-6 (overall) 7-4 (with blind picks)
Jimtown-49 Knox-0
John Glenn-28 LaVille-6
New Prairie-35 Culver-21
West Central-42 North White-21
South Central-32 Whiting-21
Winamac-28 South Newton-21
NJSP-35 Boone Grove-7
Tom’s Blind Picks: 2-9
Knox over Jimtown
LaVille over John Glenn
Culver over New Prairie
West Central over North White
Whiting over South Central
South Newton over Winamac
Boone Grove over NJSP
Detectives and members of the LaPorte County Metro Operations Unit and the Indiana State Police Marijuana Eradication Team removed 40 large, mature marijuana plants from a cornfield on Small Road just east of County Road 500 West in LaPorte County.
Surveillance of the area and tips from the public led to the confiscation of the plants which would have sold on the street for approximately $120,000.
The Knox Community School Board formally acted on Todd Boldry’s teaching position at the Knox Middle School. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said that substitute teachers are currently filling the position.
“The school board did approve the suspension of middle school math teacher, Todd Boldry,” stated Gappa. “The suspension is effective beginning Aug. 24. That suspension is with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation.”
The town of North Judson’s no-tobacco ordinance is now in effect, prohibiting smoking or any other form of tobacco use in municipal buildings or properties, including parks. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the ordinance prohibits smoking and tobacco use on the premises of municipal properties or within eight feet of their entrances.
The ordinance also prohibits smoking in town parks and their park shelters or within 15 feet of the shelters.
The North Judson Town Council held the first and second readings of the no-tobacco ordinance at their meeting on Aug. 20, and Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the council held the final reading on the ordinance at their meeting on Sept. 4.
The ordinance is more restrictive than the state’s Smoke Free Air Law, but only applies to municipal properties.
The replacement of Bridge 51 is coming right along, and it may actually be done ahead of time. The commissioners awarded the bridge replacement project to LaPorte Construction in August at an estimated cost of $224,238.25, and the company now predicts that they will be done with the replacement before the original estimated completion date of Nov. 1.
According to Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall, the bridge needed replaced because the wooden caps that had been installed on the bridge in the 1950s have crushed and failed, and he says this bridge was scheduled to be replaced in 2011.
Siddall told the commissioners that construction on the bridge had started shortly after the bid was awarded, and after the bridge structure was removed, it was hauled out. Work started soon after on placing a new bridge structure, and that is expected to be completed along with the other details toward the end of October.
Pulaski County Building Inspector David Dare approached the county commissioners this week with a request to make a number of amendments to prior meeting minutes.
According to Dare, there were a number of issues in appointments to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Advisory Commission. Dare noted that Jim Keiper was appointed to the BZA along with Bud Krohn and Cassie Thompson, and although the recording of the meeting reflected that, the written minutes did not. A motion was made and approved to amend the minutes to properly reflect the appointments.
A Plymouth man was arrested on methamphetamine and domestic battery charges after an incident Wednesday night.
Plymouth police were called to 903 W. Jackson Street where a domestic battery incident took place. An investigation revealed that Jason Kratzchmar reportedly battered his wife. He was taken into custody at that time on preliminary charges of Domestic Battery and Interfering with Reporting a Crime.
He was charged with an additional count of Manufacturing Methamphetamine after evidence of methamphetamine was found in Kratzchmar’s vehicle. His wife called police to report she found methamphetamine-related items in his truck. He was incarcerated in the Marshall County Jail.
A Plymouth man was arrested on credit card fraud this week after an investigation by the Plymouth Police Department.
An employee at the Kroger store in Plymouth notified police on Monday that her credit card was stolen and that the suspect made unauthorized charges on the card. An investigation found that Robert Wagers, 41, of Plymouth had taken the card and unlawfully charged items on the card.
Wagers was arrested the next day on preliminary charges of Theft and Credit Card Fraud. He was taken into custody at the Kroger store and transported to the Marshall County Jail.
Tammy Su Grigsby was sentenced in Pulaski Circuit Court Wednesday.
Grigsby pleaded guilty to a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance, a Class D Felony, in a plea agreement with the state. Charges of Dealing in a Schedule IV Controlled Substance as a Class C Felony and Possession of Marijuana as a Class A Misdemeanor were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
The LaPorte City Police Department recently participated in the nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
Nine impaired-driving arrests were made during the enforcement period, 25 citations were issued and 83 warnings were given. The campaign was in force from Aug. 17 through Sept. 3.
The LaPorte City Police Department joined forces with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and nearly 10,000 law enforcement agencies across the country in the campaign.
