Democratic State Senator Jim Arnold will be visiting 30 businesses in 30 days in the next month. Arnold says he wants to meet with local business owners and tour company sites to gain a perspective on current economic conditions.
Business owners in LaPorte County and northern Starke County are encouraged to contact the Senator to set a visit in October by calling (317) 232-9532.
Congressman Joe Donnelly yesterday attended the groundbreaking ceremony for INland Logistics Port–Kingsbury which provides free integration. This LaPorte County project aims to develop 800 acres of land and increase accessibility to the industrial park via truck and rail. Donnelly has worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, Kingsbury Utilities, the 624th Quartermaster Company, and Halfwassen Group, LLC, to come to an agreement to begin developing the intermodal port.
Donnelly said he was pleased to help break ground on such an important project, and said the improvements in rail access to help to give area businesses easier access to more markets. He said it will provide them with additional opportunities to grow their business and ultimately create more jobs in Indiana.
Harold’s Picks: 24-10 (overall) 20-9 (with blind picks)
West Central-52 Frontier-12
Jimtown-48 Culver-7
New Prairie-36 John Glenn-14
Bremen-25 Knox-21
South Central-23 North Newton-21
Winamac-27 NJSP-21
Nathan’s Picks: 23-11 (overall) 20-9 (with blind picks)
West Central-52 Frontier-0
Jimtown-42 Culver-0
New Prairie-35 John Glenn-7
Bremen-28 Knox-14
South Central-28 North Newton-20
NJSP-28 Winamac-24
Sean’s Picks: 9-3
West Central-68 Frontier-3
Jimtown-42 Culver-0
New Prairie-44 John Glenn-28
Bremen-31 Knox-13
South Central-27 North Newton-24
Winamac-31 NJSP-27
Tom’s Blind Picks: 12-18
Frontier over West Central
Culver over Jimtown
John Glenn over New Prairie
Knox over Bremen
South Central over North Newton
NJSP over Winamac
A Pierceton man died yesterday morning in a two vehicle accident in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop in Starke County.
Steve Mort was driving westbound on U.S. 30 and did not see a semi pulling out of the truck stop. The semi was turning eastbound on U.S. 30 when Mort drove into the semi’s trailer that was carrying a large wind turbine propeller. Mort’s vehicle went underneath the trailer trapping he and his passenger, his brother, in the vehicle. Mort and his brother, Tim Mort, were extricated from the vehicle. Steve Mort was transported to the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth where he later died of his injuries. Tim Mort was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend and was listed in stable condition.
The jury trial for Ryan Taylor began yesterday morning in the Starke Circuit Court with opening statements from both the state and the defense. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to a charge of Arson after he allegedly lit a car on fire, destroying it. The state claims the car rightfully belonged to Taylor’s mother and he had no right to destroy the vehicle, but the defense says Taylor was the actual owner, having both possession and control of the vehicle, so it was his right to do with the vehicle what he pleased.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mary Ryan said Taylor was seen driving a white pickup truck in rural Starke County by a witness who had driven past him on the road. The witness then stumbled upon a burning vehicle and reported it to police, but by the time emergency crews could arrive, the fire had entirely destroyed the vehicle. When police went to the home of the woman to whom the vehicle was registered, they found Taylor at the home with a package of three flares in his pickup truck.
A man accused of killing a former Knox woman will appear in Fulton Superior Court on Nov. 15 for a pretrial hearing.
Wilma Upsall was shot and killed after a burglary incident at the home she shared with her daughter and son-in-law in Rochester. In November 2011, Roy Bell, William Scroggs, and Jason Miller reportedly broke into the house to steal items and found Upsall in the home. She was then allegedly tied to a chair and shot to death.
Bell is the suspected shooter in the incident. Miller told police that he and Scroggs were outside of the residence when the shots were fired, and Bell allegedly said later that Upsall could identify him so he shot her.
Bell has been charged with murder and if he is found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
No progress has been made with the LaPorte County Jail funding issue.
A wing was closed last week in the LaPorte County Jail after the LaPorte County Council did not approve a request for an additional appropriation of $70,000 to fund the jail overtime budget for the rest of the year. That money was to be used to properly staff jailers and nurses. As a result, three part-time employees were laid off whose wages are funded from the overtime budget.
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department is looking for an armed robbery suspect.
A Caucasian male entered the Speedway gas station at the intersection of U.S. 35 and Highway 20 on Monday evening, brandished a gun, and demanded cash with a gesture. He was able to leave with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council this week that he has heard of a number of problems that have developed with the brush drop-off service available at the compost pile behind city hall. He said the pile has received an unexpectedly large amount of brush, requiring the city to take nearly one truck load per day from the site. More than 100 loads of brush have been removed from the compost pile so far this year.
Chambers said this might be due to a large number of people from out of town using the compost pile to drop off their brush, despite the fact that the service is only provided to residents of Knox. He said he has seen a number of out-of-town dump trucks deliver loads of brush to the site, and he is not sure what to do about the situation.
He said that the city does not want to fence in the area and it would be too costly to dedicate a patrolman to monitor the pile. The council decided to monitor the site’s activity for another year before deciding what action to take to cut down on out-of-town drop-offs.
One person was arrested after Plymouth police found the suspect in the process of manufacturing methamphetamine.
Officers were called to 321 W. LaPorte in Plymouth after Tanya Mullins was found in the basement of the home without permission. Mullins was found with a one-pot methamphetamine lab. It was determined that she broke into the residence to manufacture the drug.
The Knox VFW yesterday welcomed home two local heroes: Clinton Jordon and Jared Dietrich, two U.S. Army veterans who returned home from one-year tours in Afghanistan. Jordon and Dietrich both hail from North Judson and even grew up together as they both attended the same school.
A sign was hung between flag poles at the VFW welcoming Jordon back to the community, and family and friends were present to welcome both Jordon and Dietrich home.
The State Police Laboratory located in Lowell has achieved an internationally renowned accreditation.
The Lowell lab, along with the labs in Fort Wayne, Evansville, and Indianapolis, have successfully met the rigorous forensic lab standards of International Standardization for Organization. This is the standard recognized by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.
One person has died after sustaining injuries in a two vehicle accident on U.S. 30 in front of the Grovertown Truck Stop in Starke County this morning.
A semi hauling a wind turbine propeller was leaving the truck stop to go east on U.S. 30, escorted by four vehicles with wide-load signage. The semi and the load were completely across the westbound lane and partially across the eastbound lane. A man traveling westbound in his vehicle failed to see the semi. The man drove under the semi trailer carrying the propeller.
With two incidents this month involving police shooting aggressive dogs, Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen emphasized the need for dog owners to keep their animals safely detained, be it by chaining them outside or keeping them securely in the home. He said it’s not always black and white when it comes to identifying vicious animals, and it comes down to the dog’s owner to ensure they cannot attack visitors.
“When they feel that there’s danger out there, obviously we know that dogs will protect their home, their masters, their family. They have to restrain their dogs, whether fenced up, housed up, or chained up,” said Cowen.
The Knox City Council learned last night that the cleanup at Wythogan Park should be complete today or tomorrow, but Park Superintendent George Byer said that does not include cleanup toward the back of the park. He said the walkway area will be completely cleared this week after more than 125 tree stumps were ground down and more than 40 root balls removed from the walking path area.
Mayor Rick Chambers requested permission from the council to use funds that had been previously approved to cut down cottonwood trees in the park. He said they had planned to use $1500 to remove the trees because they thought they were growing into the sewer lines, which could cause severe problems, but he said the loggers working on the park’s cleanup were able to remove those trees at no additional cost.
Plymouth police arrested an Indianapolis man who had two active Starke County warrants for Dealing in Methamphetamine and Possession of Chemical Reagents.
The dealing charge reportedly stems from an incident on Sept. 6 when Derrick Crockett was seen in a home on Tippecanoe Road in Starke County along with two other people who were not supposed to be in the residence. The homeowner along with his mother who found the three in the home smelled a strong chemical odor coming from the basement and gained entry to the home. Crockett and two other suspects were told to leave the residence and Starke County police were called to the scene.
Two North Judson men were arrested last week after allegedly stealing a desktop computer and printer from a residence in the West 9000 block of Toto Road. Police were called to the home around 3:35 p.m. where they spoke to the homeowner’s daughter, Sarah Luzadder, who said her mother was on vacation, but when they came to check on the residence that afternoon, they noticed a dark blue Honda hatchback car in the driveway.
She said that she saw two friends of her sister, Brandon Zachary and Jonathan Cortez, walk from behind the house toward the car, and they told her they had been looking for a lost cell phone. Shortly after they left, Luzadder said she noticed the door on the north side of the home was open and discovered the computer and printer missing.
Two Starke County soldiers are coming home today.
Clinton Jordan, a soldier with the 713th Engineering Company, will be escorted by a convoy from North Judson down State Road 10 to U.S. 35 and into Knox. He is expected to arrive at the Knox VFW Post on South Heaton Street around 4 p.m.
Umbaugh and Associates will be the first company to relocate to the IronWorks riverfront project in downtown Mishawaka, with the assistance from companies such as same building movers, having recently signed a lease for the entire third floor of the building. It is the first confirmed contract for space at the building since it was first constructed in 2008. The agreement also allows Umbaugh and Associates the option of expanding onto the second floor in the future.
The vice president of Prime Development Corp., which built and owns IronWorks, says they hope that this is a sign that others will finally take the step to becoming part of the urban riverfront of Mishawaka.
Pulaski County Clerk Tasha Foerg has released absentee voting information for the General Election.
In-office absentee voting will be Oct. 8 through Nov. 5, Monday through Friday, from 8:30–11:30 a.m. and 12:30–3:30 p.m. ET in the Pulaski County Courthouse. One Saturday has been set aside for in-office absentee voting for Saturday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon ET in the courthouse. Another date may be added to that schedule at the end of October.
For information on voter registration, traveling board applications and more, call Tasha Foerg at (574) 946-3313.
