Unemployment Rates Released – Indiana Continues To Exceed U.S. Average

Posted on Author WKVI

Indiana’s rate of job growth continues to exceed the U.S. average. More than 143,000 private sector jobs have been added since July 2009 and Indiana has significantly outpaced the national rate of growth during this period.

The unemployment rate for July was calculated at 8.2 percent which is a 0.2 percent increase from June.

Starke County ranks 12th in the state with an unemployment rate of 9.9 percent. LaPorte ranks 14th with an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent, Marshall County is 44th with 8.4 percent, Porter County is 56th with 7.7 percent and Pulaski County is 83rd with 6.8 percent. Fayette County has an unemployment rate of 11.3 percent, giving them the highest rate in the state. DuBois County has only 5.4 percent.

Forty-two counties have reported an increase in unemployment and 30 counties reported a decrease.

Former Senator Joins Donnelly’s Campaign Throughout Indiana

Posted on Author WKVI
Joe Donnelly
Congressman Joe Donnelly

As part of his campaign for U.S. Senate, Joe Donnelly has announced that he will be joined by former Senator Evan Bayh on a “Main Street Tour,” through five communities in Indiana this week.

Donnelly says he’s honored to be joined on the tour by Bayh, and says his example of “bipartisan, common-sense leadership” is something he hopes to bring to the senate. The duo will tour businesses across the state to talk about their shared focus on creating jobs, lowering the debt, and balancing the budget.

Donnelly says that while Richard Mourdock promises more “politics of division,” Donnelly will work with anyone and everyone to get things done for middle class families.

Donnelly and Bayh will tour businesses and meet with Hoosiers in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne, Plymouth, and Whiting on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 12 and 13.

Plymouth Man Arrested after Domestic Battery Incident

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was arrested Saturday after a domestic battery incident.

Plymouth police officers were dispatched to a residence after a call came in about a domestic disturbance. The suspect, Joshua C. Sommers, reportedly left the home. Officers arrived on scene and found a female with wounds. Dispatchers then advised officers that the vehicle Sommers was driving was involved in an accident in the area of 1010 Ferndale Ave.

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Starke Council, Commissioners To Discuss Jail Project Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI
David Pearman

The Starke County Commissioners and the Starke County Council will meet tonight at 6 p.m. to discuss the proposed jail project.

Council President David Pearman said the council and the commissioners hope to approve a proposed ordinance that would enable the officials to utilize a 0.65 percent tax rate that would help fund the construction of a new jail facility.

Once the ordinance is approved, Pearman said the project will start to take shape

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Influenza A Cases Up To 130, Health Officials Encourage Getting Shots

Posted on Author WKVI

Influenza A has hit Indiana with over 130 cases reported to the Indiana State Department of Health. Starke County Health Nurse Frank Lynch was asked how concerned we should be with this strain of the flu.

“As concerned as we should be about seasonal flu or any other type of flu,” explained Lynch. “Right now the flu that we’re seeing is more concentrated in farmers of swine and that kind of thing.”

Lynch was quick to say that this strain of flu should not be associated with the swine flu.

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U.S. 35 Bridge Project To Finish Up Soon

Posted on Author WKVI

Construction crews are wrapping up the U.S. 35 bridge project in Knox.

Indiana Department of Transportation Spokesman Matt Deitchley said that they are working on some paving and guardrails and some work will be completed after the bridge opens to both lanes of traffic this week. The original deadline for the project was November, but swift progress was made during the good weather days we had throughout the summer.

The entire bridge deck was replaced as the old surface was deteriorating quickly.

Knox City Council Approves Stormwater Rate Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council at their recent meeting approved an ordinance on its third and final reading amending the city’s sewer and stormwater rates.

Since the city has constructed a sewage system to collect sewage and waste, and convey it to a treatment plant for treatment and disposal, the city council approved the ordinance to establish a department to address the city’s stormwater needs. The ordinance also created a stormwater fund and established stormwater rates.

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IDEM Grants City of Knox Permission To Burn Storm Brush

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has granted permission to the city of Knox to burn the brush that has accumulated from the storms that ravaged the city on July 24.

The Knox City Street Department has already prepared an area for a burn and will notify the fire department when that activity will proceed. This is not for individual residents to burn, but the city of Knox as a government entity.

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Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership To Crack Down On Impaired Driving, Seat Belt Laws

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership will be working additional hours from now until Sept. 3 to enforce impaired driving and seat belt laws.

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, and Hamlet, North Judson and Knox Police Departments will be looking for all traffic violations including seat belts, texting while driving, driving while intoxicated and more. Officers will be issuing traffic citations in an attempt to combat the growing number of traffic accidents in the county.

The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership is working in conjunction with the state’s Operation Pullover Blitz 72.

Harvest Day Race Announced For Aug. 25

Posted on Author WKVI

IU Health Starke Hospital, a major sponsor of the Harvest Festival, has announced they will be conducting a festival 5K Run and 3K walk on Saturday, Aug. 25.

The race will begin and end at the EMS parking lot near the hospital.

Participants in the run or walk are instructed to gather at the starting point before the 8 a.m. event, and registration begins at 6:45 a.m.

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Courthouse Tours Offered This Weekend

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

With the Harvest Days Festival just a week away, courthouse tours are set to begin this weekend, offering a unique look at the 115-year-old Starke County Courthouse.

The tours are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These tours have been conducted since 1994, and during that time, more than 5000 people have visited the courthouse’s eight floors and watched as the clock and bell ring out, tolling the time to the residents of Knox.

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Enrollment Open For Energizing Indiana Home Assessments

Posted on Author WKVI

Energizing Indiana is now offering residential home energy assessments as a smart approach to improve the comfort of Hoosier homes. The assessments can lower energy bills, improve in-home air quality, and increase the value of the home overall.

According to Energizing Indiana, their advisors will guide participants step-by-step through the process to produce long-term, cost-effective energy savings by analyzing energy use and recommending appropriate efficiency measures. Further, they will install several low-cost energy-saving measures, and even assess the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems to determine if they are operating efficiently. Air duct sealing, insulation levels, and more may also be inspected to evaluate the home’s energy consumption and heating and cooling efficiency.

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Technology Drives Eric Saunders’ Passion for Racing

Posted on Author WKVI
Eric Saunders (in black 349 car) zooms around turn 4 in a heat race Saturday night

It was a big night at the Plymouth Speedway Saturday – not only because three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart won a Sprint on Dirt Winged Sprint car event by a narrow victory, but Eric Saunders got to compete in the 600 mini winged sprint event.

Saunders said he’s pretty excited about the opportunity to race, especially since a Motocross accident left him paralyzed. Tony Stewart has helped him in his dream to race. Continue reading →

Kemin Industries Ribbon-Cutting Draws A Crowd

Posted on Author WKVI
R.W. and Mary Nelson were presented with a plaque from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-established Kemin Industries facility in North Judson drew an unexpectedly large crowd as more than 50 people turned up to celebrate the new industry brought to the town.

Kemin is an innovative bioscience company dedicated to manufacturing ingredients that provide nutrition and health benefits for humans and animals alike. Through their commitment to feed and food safety, the company manufactures more than 500 specialty ingredients for the global feed and food industries as well as the health, nutrition, and beauty markets.

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Return To School Went Smoothly Throughout Kankakee Valley

Posted on Author WKVI

This was the first week of school for area students.

Superintendent A.J. Gappa talks about how the first week went for Knox Community School students.

“After talking to the principals at each building, I guess the one word we could use is smooth,” said Gappa. “There were no major glitches. Bus loading and unloading seemed to go well. I talked to the people at the transportation garage and all of the routes seemed to be in place and moving well. I don’t have any preliminary numbers, but hopefully our student population is at least as much as last year.”

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Two Arrested On Dealing In Methamphetamine Charges Near Medaryville

Posted on Author WKVI

Two Medaryville men were arrested Wednesday night after Pulaski County police responded to a report of shots fired on County Road 1400 West, a half-mile north of 300 North. The caller told police that a vehicle was on private property without permission, and he believes he heard gunshots fired.

When Medaryville Assistant Police Chief Sheri Gaillard arrived on scene at roughly 9:12 p.m., she says she found the vehicle in question and recognized the subjects inside as James F. Richie, 38 of Medaryville, and Roger L. Frinkel, 31 of Medaryville. An active arrest warrant was out for Richie, and he was consequently arrested.

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State Health Officials Investigating Salmonella Outbreak In Cantaloupes

Posted on Author WKVI

As if dealing with outbreaks of swine flu and West Nile weren’t enough, state and federal health officials are now advising all Hoosiers to discard cantaloupes purchased after July 7 following an outbreak of salmonellosis, which has sickened 14 Hoosiers and approximately 150 people nationwide.

According to the State Department of Health, farms in Southwest Indiana, as well as distributors and retailers, are being investigated as possible sources of the outbreak. One farm has voluntarily agreed to do a market withdrawal and will be stopping the shipment of all cantaloupes as a precaution.

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32nd Annual ABATE Ride for MDA Planned For Aug. 25

Posted on Author WKVI

The 32nd annual ABATE/MDA ride is coming up this month. The LaPorte County Fairgrounds will be host to the event, sponsored by ABATE of Indiana Region 2, made up of dedicated members from seven northern Indiana counties including Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Jasper, Newton, and Pulaski.

ABATE is a motorcycle rights and safety organization that believes in the freedom of the road with an emphasis on achieving the safest motorcycling conditions in the state – but they also believe in helping those who are in need. For 32 years, the organization has raised over $3 million for Muscular Distrophy Association research and local patient service programs.

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LaPorte Man Sentenced to 19 Months for Felony Firearm Possession

Posted on Author WKVI

A LaPorte man was sentenced in U.S. District court this week.

Casey Lloyd, 31, was sentenced to 19 months and three years supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon. He had been previously charged with Dealing Heroin and Identity Theft. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The United States Attorney’s Office will hold a press conference on Monday at 11:00 a.m. CT at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department to announce the distribution of more than $2 million to local law enforcement. The money will come from drug interdiction proceeds.

Officials Release Identity Of Woman Injured In Washington Township Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

Officials have released the identity of a woman injured in an accident in Washington Township Wednesday night.

Police say 26-year-old Amanda Tomerlin of Knox was traveling at a high rate of speed on 700 East just north of 25 North in Starke County when she reportedly went off the road near Eagle Creek Cemetery. Her car struck the fence, causing the vehicle to spin around and into a tree before coming to a rest against another portion of the cemetery’s fence.

Tomerlin was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital for injuries sustained in the accident, and she was later transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.

Toxicology tests were inconclusive and the case remains under investigation.