The Starke County Youth Club is competing with charities nationwide for grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 from the Chase Community Giving Program. You can help ensure the Youth Club’s success by simply voting for the organization through the Chase Community Giving Program on Facebook.
The Youth Club gives students academic and social enrichment after school to enhance skills.
A special Halloween event is being planned by the Pulaski County Historical Society.
A “Phantom of the Vurpillat” will be held at the Vurpillat Opera House in downtown Winamac on Saturday, Oct. 27. Autumn and Halloween games will be played and kids will be able to make crafts, eat snacks and participate in other entertainment. Activities for adults include wine tasting and a band later in the evening.
The Starke County Commissioners this week approved two contracts regarding the proposed construction of a new Starke County jail facility.
One contract was signed with Skillman Corporation, who will be handling the construction of the facility. The local on-site construction manager will be Bob Chorba, a Starke County resident. Chorba currently works with Skillman, and has been the project manager for several projects handled by Skillman. A contract was also signed with DLZ, the architectural firm that will be handling the design aspects of the facility.
The North Judson Town Council continued their discussion this week regarding the proposed golf cart ordinance. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that this seems to be a rather hot topic between communities, as Marshall County and several other communities have recently passed golf cart ordinances restricting their use.
However, Henry says that the ordinance they have in mind defers to the state law on most points, but does allow golf carts to be operated on municipal streets. Henry says the operators of the golf carts must be licensed and have insurance coverage on the vehicle, and it will also need to be registered with the clerk-treasurer’s office.
Councilman Tim Cummins presented a draft copy of the proposed ordinance to the council this week, and provided copies for audience members interested in reading it. The council will review the draft and note any necessary revisions, and Henry says it’s likely they will have their first and second readings of the ordinance at their next meeting on Sept. 17. However, if there are several revisions necessary, the readings may be postponed until the following meeting.
A Knox man was arrested after a short foot pursuit Friday evening.
Loretta Wheeler called the Starke County Sheriff’s Department to report that her son, Jonnie Wheeler, was out of control. He had just taken his medication and asked to use her car and she told him no. He then threatened to hit her vehicle with an ax. He struck the car twice with the ax before it was taken away from him.
When police arrived at the scene, Wheeler ran out of the house. Officers pursued him through the woods by Shaw’s Fertilizer and it wasn’t long until he was taken into custody.
Jonnie Wheeler has preliminary charges of Criminal Mischief and Resisting Law Enforcement by Fleeing.
The Knox McDonald’s restaurant is going through an extensive renovation.
Store Owner Bill Boldt said the entire store is going to look different when the major renovations are done.
“It’s going to be a new, modern design,” said Boldt. “It’s going to be what McDonald’s calls an ‘archaic building’ – it’s kind of like a square building. We’re going to have outside seating, the lobby is going to be all new, we’ll have bigger bathrooms, a double drive-thru, and counter service will be a little different. It’s going to be totally redone.”
Four people were injured in a three-vehicle crash on Michigan Road in Marshall County on Sunday.
Angela Harding of Plymouth was driving north on Michigan Road near 4th Road and struck the rear of a vehicle driven by Ryan Swihart, also of Plymouth. That caused Swihart’s vehicle to travel into the path of Jeorge Humphrey of Hamlet. Humphrey hit the passenger side of Swihart’s car. Swihart had to extricated from the vehicle.
Four people were transported to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries and one was treated at the scene.
Officers from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene along with Lapaz EMS, the Lapaz Fire Department and Plymouth EMS.
For more news on car accidents, click to read more.
A Rochester man was arrested on methamphetamine-related charges after being stopped going the wrong way on a one-way street in Knox.
Aaron Egger told a Knox City police officer that he was on his way to pick up someone and tried to go down the street but it was blocked so he went the wrong way down the one-way street. The police officer said he just came from there and it was not blocked. The officer asked to search the car but Egger declined saying it wasn’t his vehicle. The owner then arrived on scene and gave permission to search the car.
Two people were arrested Sunday after a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of State Road 23 and 200 East in Starke County.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department found that the driver, 18-year-old Brittani Fisher, had an active arrest warrant through Knox City Court and that she had never obtained a driver’s license.
Democrat State Representative Nancy Dembowski, of Knox, is one of six-thousand delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
She said First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech Tuesday night was emotional.
“It was just an incredible speech by the First Lady,” commented Dembowski. “It was just so sincere and so emotional I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. We saw some other just incredibly good speeches. The whole convention seems to be, or least much of Tuesday night, was about inclusion and how the party stands for everyone.”
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers encourages residents to follow the city’s no-burn ordinance this fall.
Some leaves are falling and, while it’s tempting to burn leaves, there is an ordinance within city limits that prohibits that activity. Residents can discard any unwanted brush in the compost pile behind Knox City Hall.
Employees with the Knox Street Department will be picking up leaves beginning Tuesday, Oct. 9. Place leaves along the side of the street for pickup and do not bag them, as the garbage contractors will not pick up bagged leaves.
Kersting’s Cycle Center will be hosting their 10th annual charity event this weekend. The Motorcycle, Music and Memories event is a large celebration put on at the center for only one day, featuring live bands, food vendors, and a motorcycle ride in the afternoon. The event raises money for a number of charities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Nella Kersting Memorial Scholarship.
Jim and Nella Kersting developed their love of motorcycles into a growing, successful family business over the span of 40 years. Nella tragically passed away in 2003 as the result of a two-vehicle crash in Pulaski County which also left Jim critically injured.
It’s been a couple months since a number of vicious storms tore through the area, causing massive amounts of damage and toppling several tall towers.
According to Starke County IT Director Joe Short, repairing the damage that was done to the Sheriff’s Department’s radio tower is currently one of their top priorities, but they’re running into some complications. Short explained that the city of Knox has a restriction on the maximum height of a tower in a residential area, limiting the tower to a height of 100 feet.
The longest-serving member of the Knox Community School Board has withdrawn his candidacy for re-election.
Harold Welter, who is the President of the School Board, explained his decision to withdraw.
“The reason is that Federal Communications Commission guidelines would require that WKVI Radio give equal air time to the other seven candidates from Center Township to match the time I am on the air broadcasting sports,” Welter explained. “In past elections, other candidates have been willing to waive their equal-time rights so that I could continue to broadcast ball games. In this election, however, some candidates don’t feel comfortable with allowing that to happen, and therefore have declined to give WKVI a waiver.”
The Pulaski County Commissioners last night passed a motion approving a request to rezone the property located at 4877 W. 200 S. in Winamac. According to County Building Inspector Dave Dare, no public comment was heard opposing the rezoning at the public hearing held on Aug. 27. He says the 11.5-acre property has housed the Anvil & Saw business for the last 27 years.
The request is to rezone the property from an A-1 agricultural zone to an L-1 light industrial zone to allow Tom Bonnell to move his business from its current location on State Road 119 to the facility on that property. A $132,000 loan was previously approved by the commissioners on the condition that the rezoning take place.
An Ora man was arrested Saturday after a deputy from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department reportedly found drug paraphernalia in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
The officer found that Thomas L. James was driving at a high rate of speed on U.S. 35 near County Road 600 North. While speaking to James, the deputy saw a piece of drug paraphernalia under the seat. James was detained and the officer retrieved several pieces of drug paraphernalia as well as a bottle containing several prescription medications.
James was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Marijuana less than 30 grams and Possession of Paraphernalia.
A former Knox City Police officer passed away Sunday.
Fred Hignite, 66, was a 22-year veteran of the Knox City Police Department. He also worked as a patrolman for the North Judson Police Department and the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He recently retired from the Knox City Police Department.
Funeral services will be this Saturday, Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. at the M.C. Smith Funeral Home in Knox. Visitation is Friday from 4–8 p.m. at the funeral home. Special honors will be conducted by the Knox City Police Department.
A man accused of stealing his father’s checkbook and forging a series of checks for a total of more than $2000 made his appearance in the Starke Circuit Court last week for his initial hearing.
Todd Doland, Jr., 30 of Whiting, pleaded not guilty to four counts of Forgery as a Class C felony and one count of Theft as a Class D felony. Doland is accused of stealing his father’s checkbook and forging at least four checks for $150, $250, $200, and $1750.
Two pre-trial motions and instructions hearings were heard in the Starke Circuit Court yesterday.
Robert Singleton faces charges that include Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Illegal Drug Lab, and other possession charges. He was arrested on Feb. 17 when police traveled to a home on State Road 23 in Knox to serve an arrest warrant on Singleton and Matthew Baker, where police found an active methamphetamine lab and a slew of drugs in the presence of two young children. Singleton’s trial was re-set for Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. in the Starke Circuit Court.
Samuel Bradley will go to trial today at 9 a.m. for charges of Attempted Criminal Deviate Conduct and Criminal Confinement. He appeared for his pre-trial motions and instructions hearing yesterday, where the court determined everything is in place for the trial to proceed.
The 2013 Miss Kankakee Valley and Miss South Bend Scholarship Pageant will be Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at 5 p.m. CT at the Knox Middle School.
Miss Kankakee Valley and Miss South Bend contestants must be a senior in high school and at least 17 years of age. Contestants cannot be older than 24. Teen candidates must be 13–17 years of age, the Little Miss KV must be 9–12 and Tiny Miss KV contestants must be 5–8.
Those vying for the crown will be competing in private interview, fitness wear, on-stage question, talent and evening gown categories. The Miss contestants will also compete in swimwear.
For more information, call Christy Messer at (574) 806-7435 or Ashley Norem at (574) 933-4347.
