Berg Continues Work on Establishing Monterey Christian School

Monterey Elementary School
Monterey Elementary School
Eugene Berg of Monterey has been making the rounds, traveling around the community making presentations to churches and other organizations. Berg said he recently made a presentation at the Methodist church in Monterey on Wednesday evening as he makes his case for starting a Christian school in Monterey. Berg is trying to garner support for the school, and he said he hopes to use the now-abandoned elementary school in Monterey that has been out of use for two years.

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Marshall County Commissioners Have Full Agenda

  
 
The Marshall County Commissioners have a lot on their plate this morning as several items are listed on their agenda.

One of those items is an ordinance amendment concerning part-time hours in the personnel policy. The change reflects action taken to avoid running part-time workers logging more than 30 hours a week on a regular basis thus being eligible for insurance benefits as laid out in the Affordable Care Act.

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Movie to be Filmed in Culver This Summer

  
 
A movie entitled “Little Savages” is expected to be filmed in Culver this summer.

According to an article by Jeff Kenney with the Culver Citizen, the movie plot involves children by the name of Savage who befriend two outsiders. They go on a mission to find hidden treasure somewhere in the town of Culver. Their quest is interrupted by bullies who are looking for the same treasure. Who will be the winner in this adventure?

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Eastern Pulaski School Board to Look at Affordable Care Act Requirements

Dr. Robert Klitzman
Dr. Robert Klitzman
Eastern Pulaski School Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman informed the school board about a study being conducted in the special-ed co-op. He said it appears that there will be some movement from what they have now to a decentralized system where each member school will employ their own teachers and instructional assistants.

The board also discussed the Affordable Care Act.

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Candidates Named for 4-H Achievement Royalty

 
 
4-H Achievement Royalty candidates have been selected for the Pulaski and Starke County fairs.

Eight candidates have qualified for the Pulaski County Achievement Royalty. The program will be held on Saturday, June 29 at 3 p.m. ET at the Entertainment Stage. Dustin Dahn, Brooke Daugherty, Brandon Dickson, Kohl Hoover, Eric Newman, David Putt, Kaitlyn Rumsey, and Walker Wank.

The Achievement Royalty candidates in Starke County include Rachel Lenig, Taylor Kemble, Kamie Salkeld, Katie Back, Kayla Bailey, Katelyn Surfus, Kayla Grossman, Natalie Radtke, and Erica Pick. Royalty will be selected on Monday, July 15 around 6:15 p.m.

NASCAR Drivers Stir up Dirt at Plymouth Speedway

Kenny Wallace, David Stremme, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Schrader and David Reutimann prepare to film an opening segment for the "NASCAR on Race Day" show on the SPEED Channel.
Kenny Wallace, David Stremme, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Schrader and David Reutimann prepare to film an opening segment for the “NASCAR on Race Day” show on the SPEED Channel.

The regular season drivers left the NASCAR drivers in the dust in the Modified feature at Plymouth Speedway Saturday night.

Modifieds point leader, Frank Marshall, found the start/finish line first while Adam Williams and Tommy Beezley II rounded out the top three on top of the podium.

NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace, David Reutimann, Justin Allgaier, David Stremme and Ken Schrader put on a good show and the fans were excited to see them race. Allgaier experienced equipment issues toward the end of the 30-lap feature as a result of a bounce off the front straightaway wall earlier in the race. Schrader missed the feature due to mechanical issues while running hot laps and Wallace, Stremme and Reutimann finished fifth, sixth and seventh.

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Habitat for Humanity Accepting Applications for Home

 
 
Starke/Pulaski Habitat for Humanity is preparing to build their next home for a family in need but they have not yet chosen an applicant for whom the house will be built. Steve Morrison of Habitat told WKVI that the organization is still taking applications from interested parties who feel they may be qualified, and he said Habitat will soon make their selection as to whom they feel would most benefit from the home, with construction to, hopefully, begin in the summer.

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ISBH Inspector to Visit Bass Lake Campground

Bass Lake Beach
Bass Lake Beach

An inspector from the Indiana State Board of Health will soon be visiting the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, according to Starke County Sanitarian Chris Dalton. Dalton told the county commissioners this week that he had inspected the beach not too long ago and noticed a few minor problems, such as weeds growing near the beach, bathrooms suffering from structural issues, rusty water, and other issues. He said he had been out to the business in the past to deal with complaints of garbage laying around and unsanitary bathrooms, but the owners have been good at fixing up what Dalton points out.

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One Broken Tornado Siren Fixed in Plymouth

  
 
One of the two broken tornado warning sirens in Plymouth has been repaired.

Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery explained that the siren at the Plymouth/Goshen Trail in Centennial Park has been fixed, but the one out at Plymouth Speedway is still in need of repair.

The Plymouth Fire Department had conducted routine tests earlier this week and worked quickly to repair the siren in the park, but a bigger issue is plaguing the siren at Plymouth Speedway.

The signal to start the siren is triggered at the Marshall County Dispatch Center.

Flooding in Pulaski County Not as Harsh as Predicted

Entrance to the Winamac Town Park
Entrance to the Winamac Town Park
The flooding situation in Pulaski County may not be as serious as previously thought.

Pulaski County Emergency Management Agency Director Larry Hoover said the National Weather Service has lowered expectations of flooding of the Tippecanoe River in the Ora and Winamac areas. Moderate flooding is forecast in Ora, but the river will not crest as high as predicted.

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Check with Building Departments Before Hiring a Contractor

  
 

Pulaski County Zoning Administrator Dave Dare made a public announcement Friday reminding residents to check up on any contractors offering to do work on properties in the county. Because of the severe storms that tore through the area recently, many contractors have started to appear throughout the community, and Dare reminded residents that all contractors must be registered to perform work in the county.

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Inmates and Animals Benefit from FIDO Program

  
 

Faith Plus Inmates Plus Dogs Equals Opportunity, or FIDO for short, is a winning equation for animals and inmates at the state prison in Pendelton. Maleah Stringer with the Animal Protection League developed the program to save dogs from euthanasia and teach inmates new skills. While serving time for crimes ranging from theft to murder, they care for 16 dogs until the animals can be placed in permanent homes.

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Fate of MPI Goes to Employee Vote

  
 
A vote will be held toward the end of this month deciding the fate of MPI as employees are split between choosing whether to allow a labor union to take over the business or give Monomoy, an investment firm, a chance to improve conditions. Monomoy purchased the business in January and while some employees feel they deserve more time to improve upon MPI, others feel a union should step in and bring fairer conditions to the table.

Glenda Stacy, spokesperson for a collected group of protesters who gathered outside of USA Cafe in Knox yesterday afternoon, says they are against the idea of the union stepping in. She thinks it would be detrimental to the company and feels Monomoy deserves a chance to prove themselves, and says their owner has already made some positive changes.

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U.S. 35 Construction to Begin June 20

 
 
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the commissioners this week that U.S. 35 will be closed from June 20 to Nov. 1 to replace the overpass just south of U.S. 30 over the railroad tracks. Ritzler said the project was let for bids last month by INDOT, and will be completely paid for by state and federal funds.

The winning construction bid for the replacement came in at more than $4.2 million. Superior Construction from Gary will replace the bridge at an exact cost of $4,258,856, and Ritzler said the construction will begin on June 20, to be wrapped up by Nov. 1.

Ritzler said the state detour will direct traffic from U.S. 35 to State Road 8, to State Road 39, to U.S. 30. A local detour, however, was also cleared with the state. The local detour will direct traffic from U.S. 35 to County Road 500 North, to 300 East, then to U.S. 30.

No Harvest Festival This Year

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers

Bad news for festival-goers: there will be no Harvest Festival in Knox due to the lack of a coordinator. Mayor Rick Chambers explained that they still hope to have a parade and car show as well as a number of other events that weekend, but no formal festival will take place because no one stepped up to take the reins.

In October, Chambers announced that he was looking for a coordinator for the event after he learned the previous coordinator, Michelle Bachtel, would not be able to handle it this year. The event’s coordinator is responsible for putting together events, contacting vendors, lining up entertainment like live bands, getting dumpsters in town, and gathering volunteers to pick up trash, set up and tear down booths, manage the parade, and a variety of other tasks.

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Pulaski County 4-H Fair May Have to Relocate

Entrance to the Winamac Town Park
Entrance to the Winamac Town Park

The Pulaski County 4-H and Community Fair may have to be relocated due to the recent rains and consequent flooding. County Purdue Extension Director Natalie Daily-Federer told WKVI that fair officials are currently coming up with possible alternatives for locations to perform the animal shows and conduct judging on projects, but they haven’t come up with anything solid yet as they hope for fair weather to dry the fairgrounds.

“Hopefully, the fairgrounds will dry out the following week and we’ll be able to move everything back down and still host a fair there, but we are also looking into other facilities for livestock shows and our dogs show is the week before as well. So, lots of research, lots of conversations happening. We’re looking into lots of different options and trying to put together a backup plan,” said Federer.

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Tax Abatement Compliance Not an Issue With AMI

  
 
At their meeting this week, the Plymouth City Council questioned whether or not the new company that took over the Whitley Products establishment still is in compliance with the tax abatement.

City Attorney Sean Surrisi told WKVI that the officials at Whitley Products had asked for a tax abatement years ago when they wanted to install $600,000–$700,000 worth of equipment at their Plymouth facility. The council was concerned about that equipment when Whitley had decided to close their doors as they had heard that some of that equipment might have been sold.

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