Today is the last day of the Pulaski County 4-H Fair.
The County Official Breakfast is today from 7 to 8 a.m., the Ultimate Showman Contest is at 10 a.m., the 4-H and open class exhibits will be released at 4 p.m. and the 4-H Auction will begin at 6 p.m. ET. The auction order will be sheep, goats, rabbits, poultry, swine, then cattle.
The Starke County 4-H Fair will officially begin Monday, July 16.
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa announced that the school registration schedule has been released this week.
“The high school, middle school and the elementary school released registration dates for the upcoming school year,” said Gappa. “I know it seems like the old school year just ended, but that information will be posted on the website and we will get that information out so everyone is aware of the registration times for the upcoming school year.”
The registration days will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, July 31 through Aug. 2, at the Knox elementary and middle schools, and Aug. 1 and 2 at the Knox High School. To download a full schedule, click here.
Freshmen registration is Thursday, Aug. 9 from 8 to 11 a.m. Back to School Night is Monday, August 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. at all schools, and the first day of school for Knox students is Tuesday, August 14.
The dry conditions have put Indiana in the most severe drought Hoosiers have seen in a long time.
WKVI’s Accuweather.com Meteorologist Heather Zehr has been crunching the numbers with climatologists and while no records have been set, the amount of rainfall that fell in June was 2.25 inches below the normal June value of 3.79 inches. Only six days in June produced a measurable amount of rain with five days measuring .10 inches of precipitation. The only day that produced a greater amount was on June 28 with a half-inch of rain in that day. June was recorded as the 15th driest month on record at South Bend.
Cooler temperatures at the beginning of June helped hold the average temperature in South Bend at 71.5 degrees, which is 2.4 degrees above normal.
The entire state is experiencing drought conditions with 84 counties remaining under burn bans. The Starke County and Pulaski County Commissioners lifted the burn bans earlier this week. Officials continue to monitor the conditions.
According to Governor Mitch Daniels, a preliminary look at Indiana’s fiscal year data shows the state will close the year with reserves of more than $2 billion and a structural surplus, meaning annual revenue in excess of annual expenses of more than $500 million.
“Thanks to that amount and its overage beyond ten percent of next year’s budget, there will be a major infusion of money into Indiana pension funds, which are already the strongest in the country, and the first automatic taxpayer refund in state history,” said Governor Mitch Daniels. “So, what we can say today is that we have a double-digit discount for the typical Indiana taxpayer.”
Governor Daniels stated that you will receive the first automatic taxpayer refund when you file your state taxes in 2013. The Indiana General Assembly approved the Governor’s plan for an automatic taxpayer refund in 2011. The refund will clearly be in excess of $100 for a single filer or $200 for a joint return. The exact amount will not be known until the fall when the estimate will be made of how many tax returns will qualify. The median income tax payment was a little over $800 last year, so the refund will amount to more than ten percent.
For fiscal year 2013, the state is projecting a structural surplus of more than $400 million, resulting in the state’s reserves again exceeding $2 billion.
The Washington Township Board has decided to demolish the old elementary school building at the corner of Division Road and State Road 23. The board noted that the building poses a safety hazard and needs to be demolished.
Washington Township Trustee Shelly Kemble said the board is taking bids for the demolition.
“The Washington Township Board will be accepting sealed bids for the demolition and removal of the Washington Township Elementary School and pumphouse during the board meeting on July 24,” stated Kemble. “The contractor must have liability insurance and the sealed bid must be brought to the July 24 meeting.”
The Starke County Commissioners at their recent meeting approved a motion prohibiting smoking on all Starke County government building campuses – this but one day after the state’s new smoke-free air law took effect, prohibiting smoking in most businesses throughout Indiana. Smoking will not be allowed on the properties of the annex building, courthouse, jail, county highway garage, ambulance garages, and other county-owned buildings.
The minimum state provisions for the new smoke-free air law require all non-exempt buildings to post signs prohibiting smoking within eight feet of any entrance, but the commissioners’ motion prohibits smoking on the property as a whole and requires smokers to travel as far as the sidewalk to light up.
Jim McDaniels of the Arens Field Airport told the commissioners this week that the runway is in need of maintenance. He says that Broken Arrow usually performs the work but when McDaniels asked for an estimate, he says the cost was extremely high. He approached the commissioners in search of a solution.
One recommendation was to have the county highway department rent a piece of equipment called an asphalt tar kettle, which is used to resurface roads and runways. Unfortunately, the question remains: who’s going to pay for it?
In an effort to reduce the cost of watering lawns with sprinklers, the Town of North Judson has applied nearly $6000 in sprinkling rate credits. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says this last billing gave $5991.28 in credits to their water customers who have been using sprinklers to keep their lawns watered.
Henry explained that because the water that is used to sprinkle lawns doesn’t go through the sewer system, the sewage charges are reduced. She says the discounted sprinkling rate is applied to customers that have used more than their average amount of water, and the credit is applied automatically.
With this hot, dry summer, it’s the perfect incentive for residents to sprinkle their lawns and bring some green back to their grass. Henry says this reduced rate is a big service to the community because it encourages them to water their yards and keep grass and plants from becoming too dry from the arid heat.
The Knox Facility Study Committee met with Curt Pletcher from Umbaugh and Associates on June 26 to go over the financial feasibility of renovating or constructing a new Palmer Wing of the Knox Elementary School. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said they are trying to figure out how either project would impact the tax rate of the school district.
“The board wanted to have an idea of what direction to go,” said Gappa. “We will meet again with an architect within the next two weeks with our committee and at that point we will invite people in who came a year ago to start making more firm plans.”
Work on the Yellow River project could begin soon, according to Starke County Surveyor Dennis Estok, who says the project will address two problems.
“We’ll be pulling out a lot of the fallen trees in the river,” explained Estok. “They do a lot of damage and they’ve ruined a lot of banks. A lot of landowners have lost a lot of ground because of this. It’s not only that, it’s the recreation aspect. I know a lot of people who canoe and they do not hardly travel that route because of the many fallen trees.”
Officers from the Plymouth Police Department arrested a Culver man after he was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
On Monday, a resident called to report that a suspicious man was staggering in the parking lot at 881 Broadway Street. When officers arrived, they found Dominic Sheets and he was incoherent. He was taken to the Plymouth Police Department to get out of the heat and his condition worsened. EMS was called to the scene and Sheets was transported to the hospital. A drug screening was conducted and it was found that he had several different drugs in his system.
He was arrested on preliminary charges of Public Intoxication with a Controlled Substance in the Body.
The Starke County Fireworks celebration is tonight at the Starke County Airport! The gates open at 6 p.m. and there is a five dollar charge per carload. The Starke County Fireworks Committee encourages you to get all of your family members and friends together to attend the fireworks celebration.
There will be several vendors on hand to sell food and other goods, the Starke County Amateur Radio Club will have information available on their organization while members provide demonstrations and a remote controlled plane club will be flying model airplanes. Enthusiasts of both organizations will be available to answer any questions.
The fireworks show will begin at dusk.
The Pulaski County 4-H Fair continues today!
Don’t miss the Pedal Tractor Pull at 1 p.m. ET, the 4-H Olympics at 2 p.m., the talent show at 5 p.m., and the fireworks show at dusk.
The 4-H Fair continues through Friday, July 6 and it is located in the Winamac Town Park.
On this Fourth of July, it’s important to celebrate responsibly. Law enforcement will be working hard today to keep the roads free of impaired drivers as well as unrestrained motorists.
Officers and firefighters try to help the public the best they can, and according to these statistics, they are busy doing just that.
The Indiana State Police will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) from now until July 8. Statistics show that so far this year, 36 more people have lost their lives in accidents than this same time last year.
Operation C.A.R.E. is a federally funded program and will allow approximately 150 additional troopers to patrol area roadways during the Fourth of July holiday. Troopers will be targeting impaired drivers and motorists who speed, follow too closely, make unsafe lane changes, drive aggressively or fail to use their seat belt.
Indiana State Police troopers recently joined forces with six other law enforcement groups in six states to participate in a DUI enforcement initiative.
Indiana State Police Lowell District troopers arrested 11 drivers for Operating While Intoxicated. Two were arrested for Reckless Driving and 198 were issued tickets – 30 of those for restraint violations.
The Starke County Commissioners approved a motion repealing the county-wide burn ban on Monday, putting an end to the ban that lasted three weeks, from June 18 to July 2. Storms that had tore through the area last weekend had brought moisture back to the parched summer weather, alleviating some concern of fires caused by the dry conditions.
North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Chief Joe Leszek discouraged the commissioners from lifting the ban so soon, but the commissioners were also pressured by others to lift the ban in light of the recent rains. A motion was approved to lift the ban with the possibility of reinstatement in the future, and Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem says they will carefully monitor the situation in case conditions worsen.
The Pulaski County Commissioners received an update yesterday regarding the status of the Bridge 291 project. Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners that the right-of-ways have been cleared through INDOT, and the necessary documents have been submitted, however, INDOT has pushed several projects back to October.
Larrison said that the county has met all the deadlines, but they have to play by INDOT’s rules – which means opening bids for construction of the new bridge will not take place until October, setting them back several months. Larrison explained that after the bid is let, there is a 30 – 45 day period to choose a winning bid, which means construction could be delayed to as late as November.
Because of this delay, Larrison says a minimal amount of construction will take place before winter, but the majority of the work will take place come spring.
The Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against former North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Connie Miller last week.
The lawsuit stems from a special report for the Town of North Judson filed by the State Board of Accounts earlier this year citing alleged financial discrepancies totaling $74,408.67 during the period of time between Jan. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2011. Miller was asked to reimburse the town for the alleged discrepancies.
Miller, in a letter to the state board of accounts, wrote that she “strenuously objected to any allegations or suggestions” that she had “done any wrong for personal gain.” She also wrote that she was confident that the discrepancies set out in the report can be rectified.
Pulaski County police were called to the Good Oil Company in Winamac on Tuesday, June 26 on a complaint of a possibly intoxicated driver. The vehicle had been parked at a gas pump for nearly an hour. An employee told police that the driver nearly fell asleep while talking to her at the register.
When police arrived on scene, officers found the driver, 21-year-old Caitlin Shidler of Winamac, and a passenger inside the vehicle with two small children in the back seat. The officers noted in the report that they appeared to be asleep. Police asked Shidler what she was doing and if she needed medical attention and she said no. She told police that she was getting gas. She was asked to exit the vehicle where she was given sobriety tests and reportedly failed all of the tests given to her. She allegedly admitted to shooting prescription medication as did her passenger, 25-year-old Steven Decker of Winamac. Police reportedly found controlled substances during a search of the vehicle.
The Department of Child Services was called to the scene to take custody of the two children. Caitlin J. Shidler and Steven Decker were arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Neglect of a Dependent, Possession of Paraphernalia and Public Intoxication.
