Roy Atkins Sentenced on Meth Charge
Roy Atkins, 36, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to the charge and Marshall County Superior Court 1 Judge Robert O. Bowen sentenced Atkins to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with no part of that sentence suspended. Four other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Atkins was arrested earlier this year after an officer from the Plymouth Police Department conducted a traffic stop and smelled a strong chemical smell emitting from the vehicle Atkins was driving. An active one-pot method methamphetamine lab and other items commonly associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine were found inside the car.
West Nile Virus Confirmed in Indiana
Plymouth Library to Celebrate 100th Birthday
The celebration begins at 1 p.m. ET with plenty of entertainment and library history. A silent movie will be shown that would have played at Plymouth’s first movie theatre at 1 p.m. and at 3:15 p.m. ET. Kurt Garner will be talking history at 2:30 p.m. ET in the Fireplace Room.
Food and other activities will be featured throughout the day. All activities are free.
Fire Destroys Argos Pallet Yard
Firefighters spent Sunday afternoon battling a blaze at a 75-acre mulch and wooden pallet yard in Argos. Crews were called to North Central Pallets on SR 10 around 1 p.m. and remained there for nearly eight hours, according to WNDU-TV. There are no fire hydrants in the area, so tanker trucks had to make numerous trips to bring water in. There’s no word yet on the cause of the blaze.
Winamac Man Killed in Missouri Motorcycle Crash
A Winamac man was killed in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash Sunday morning on an interstate in southeast Missouri. Michael Blinn, 50, was northbound on Interstate 55 in Portageville on a 2004 Harley-Davidson, ran off the left side of the roadway and was thrown from the bike, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. He was wearing a helmet. The wreck happened at 8:30 a.m., and he was pronounced dead a short time later by the New Madrid County Coroner. Blinn sold tractors at Gilsinger Implements in Winamac and wrote a weekly newspaper column for The Pulaski County Journal. He also starred in the locally-produced movie And Then You Die. Arrangements are pending at Frain Mortuary in Winamac.
PCEDF to Host Economic Development Summit Thursday
Origer will give a “State of the County Economy” report, but he said that his talk won’t be very long. He said three other guest speakers will be featured at the event, focusing more on the tourism aspects of the county.
Marshall County Commissioners Approve Ordinances After Public Hearing
The first public hearing was for an ordinance regarding the procurement of emergency funds. This ordinance allows EMA Director Clyde Avery to meet with only the county commission president and the county council president if the county experiences a catastrophic disaster and is in need of emergency supplies. The presidents of both county government entities can sign for appropriations needed without having to call a special meeting of both boards to approve those emergency funds.
Spotlight Falls on Spring Stampede
Instructor Jenny Fletcher explained that the severe and profound special needs students participated in a Spring Stampede near the end of the school year and all instructors and students had a great time. There were over 80 special needs students from Argos, Plymouth, LaVille, John Glenn and Knox and 30 high school volunteers helped with activities.
DOE Seeking Damages for ISTEP+ Test Interruptions
The state is seeking damages not less than $613,000 and could reasonably go into the millions. That amount includes $400,000 in liquidation damages provided for in the contract between the Department of Education and CTB McGraw-Hill. It also includes a price that the DOE will spend to have a third party conduct an analysis of the student’s scores and other related costs associated with enhanced reporting data.
Additional damages include a reimbursement to Indiana schools for additional costs incurred to administer the ISTEP+ test during the extended testing window and reimbursements to the DOE.
Center for Culver History Hosting Kurt Vonnegut Exhibit
Indiana Reports Drop in Unemployment Rate
Rep. Dermody Receives Public Service Award
Republican State Representative Tom Dermody was presented the award at a ceremony hosted by the Michigan City Lions Club. Dermody was honored for his dedication to serving Hoosiers.
Report to Be Released Studies Dentist Shortage and Difficulty Receiving Routine Care
A report is scheduled for release next month examining the difficulty many Americans, including Hoosiers, have getting routine dental care. To make matters worse, the country is suffering from a shortage of dentists which only exacerbates the problem. Pew’s report, titled “In Search of Dentists,” provides data for all 50 states and ranks the 10 states with the worst dentist shortage, the 10 states where low-income children are least likely to receive dental care and the 10 states with the largest share of dentists approaching retirement. Wondering the cost of tooth implants and other dental treatments? Find more information if you go to this website to schedule an appointment.
Three Car Accident Closes U.S. 30
U.S. 30 was closed this morning after a bad accident at the intersection with State Road 39.
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that three cars were involved in the crash that injured three people. According to Capt. John Boyd, two cars were stopped at a stop light headed westbound on U.S. 30 at the intersection with State Road 39. A third driver, driving highway speed, apparently didn’t see the two cars stopped there and rear-ended the second car in line which hit the first car in line.
Attorneys Meet in Case Involving Former Winamac Police Officer
The former Winamac Police Department officer had pleaded not guilty to a charge of Theft as a Class D felony in an earlier court hearing. He allegedly admitted to Winamac Police Chief Michael Buchanan that he took $6,352 from an evidence locker at the police department on Feb. 25, but he returned the money on April 6. Hartley reportedly told Chief Buchanan that he took the money to help pay for a dental procedure for his mother.
The money was being held in an evidence locker during an investigation into a fatal accident involving Jamie Sheets.
Hartley has since resigned from his position at the police department.
Semi Truck Traffic Causing Damage to County Roads During U.S. 6 Construction
Haeck told the commissioners that semi truck drivers are utilizing the county roads to get around the construction in that area and causing destruction on Maple Road and 1st, 3rd and 4th roads. The commissioners and Haeck urge all semi truck drivers to adhere to the official detour that directs them on state highways. The official detour is meant to deal with semi truck traffic as opposed to county roads. “No truck traffic” signs will be posted in areas where the damage is heaviest.
Scam Email Report Taken by LaPorte Police
A LaPorte man told police Wednesday that he received an email from a subject claiming to be with the U.S. Military. The person was requesting assistance in smuggling $780 million allegedly confiscated by Saddam Hussein into the United States. The email requested the victim’s personal banking information so that the money could be wired into his account.
INDOT to Begin Mowing Rights-of-Way in LaPorte District
The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced it will soon begin mowing operations along state rights-of-way in the LaPorte District, which covers Carroll, Cass, Fulton, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke and White counties. According to a press statement issued by the department, INDOT mowing operations are designed to minimize costs and risk to highway workers while maintaining the vegetation on INDOT’s roadways at a safe height for driver visibility.
