Crews Still Working To Clean Up Storm Aftermath

Posted on Author WKVI
Scenes like this one in North Judson were all too common in the wake of weekend storms.

Crews are still working diligently to clean up the damage from last weekend’s series of storms, but Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen says the clean up efforts are going very well. The Starke County Highway Department has been removing branches from roads and power lines, and Jensen says the roads around Bass Lake that were previously closed are now open. However, some branches are still close to the road because cleanup crews had focused on getting the roads cleared and open, but those branches will soon be removed.

The NIPSCO Outage Center reports that only one customer in the Knox area is still affected by outages, with a total of 97 NIPSCO customers affected in Northern Indiana. KVREMC crews are also making efforts to clear lines and undo damages caused by the storm.

Continue reading →

Matthew Baker Receives Sentence In Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

Matthew Baker was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday after pleading guilty to four counts against him.

The Knox man was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with two years suspended, on a charge of Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony. On the Class D Felony charge of Attempted Battery, he was sentenced to 18 months in the DOC with none of that sentence suspended. He will spend one year in the Starke County Jail on each of the two misdemeanor counts of Taking a Child to a Nuisance. None of that sentence was suspended. The three lesser counts will be served concurrently, but the Dealing in Methamphetamine charge will be served consecutively to those charges.

He will also serve two years on probation. He will be applying to the home detention program when he is eligible to serve his sentence on probation, and if he successfully completes the CLIFF Program, he can petition the court to modify his sentence.

Report Storm Damages Online To Department of Homeland Security

Posted on Author WKVI

It wasn’t a tornado went through the area on Friday, but strong straight-line winds that caused power outages across the listening area and extensive damage to homes and boats at Bass Lake and several other locations.

If you sustained damage caused by severe weather Friday or Sunday, report it to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security by going online to www.myoracle.in.gov/hs/damage. If you don’t have internet access, contact a friend or neighbor for help, or go to the local library and someone can help you with you in this process.

Continue reading →

Two Arrested After Police Find Them Kayaking While Drunk

Posted on Author WKVI

Two Lake County residents were arrested by Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday, June 26 after a call came in about a suspicious man in a kayak on the Tippecanoe River.

A man yelled at police for help, and he told them that he was kayaking with his girlfriend and she was ahead of him and disappeared around a bend in the river. When he came around the bend, he saw her kayak up against the river bank and she was nowhere to be found. Pulaski County EMS, Fire, Sheriff’s boats and Indiana Conservation Officers were called to the scene.

Continue reading →

Starke County Burn Ban To Be Reevaluated Today

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Commissioners will discuss the burn ban during their regular meeting this morning at 9 a.m. The current ban expires today.

Despite the ban, the county’s fireworks celebration will proceed as scheduled. Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem confirmed that the event will be held at the Starke County Airport on Wednesday, July 4, regardless of the status of the ban.

Continue reading →

Miss Pulaski County Crowned

Posted on Author WKVI

Stefanie McGovern was crowned Miss Pulaski County in ceremonies Sunday night. She is the daughter of Michael and Cheryle McGovern in Winamac. Stefanie is a 2012 graduate of Winamac Community High School and she is planning to attend Ivy Tech this fall then transfer to IUPUI in Indianapolis to study nursing.

Continue reading →

Knox City Council Adopts Anti-Nepotism Policy

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council last week passed a motion to adopt a policy regarding conflicts of interest and nepotism in office, a policy required by new state law as of today. City Attorney David Matsey says this is the first step required to conform to Indiana’s new guidelines, and they will next pass a resolution and draft an ordinance reenforcing the policy.

The council adopted the minimum provisions required by state statutes for nepotism, prohibiting a person from supervising a direct relative. Matsey pointed out that the law does not prevent grandparents from supervising grandchildren in office, and it only affects direct supervisors.

The law only applies to future hirings, and Matsey told the council that a list of all employees will need to be made to note employees that are related.

Unsold Starke County Properties To Go To Tax Sale

Posted on Author WKVI

All Starke County properties not sold in the spring tax sale will be offered in a commissioners online certificate sale beginning Thursday, July 5 at 10 a.m.

Visit SRI-taxsale.com, select Starke County and then property list to search the available properties. To place a bid, follow the instructions on the website. The winning bidder, or lien buyer, has certain rights and responsibilities, including the completion of the required legal actions to secure a tax deed after the one year redemption period.

Over 100 properties are listed in the sale that begins Thursday, July 5 and ends Monday, July 16 at 10 a.m.

Senate Democrats To Hold Online Town Hall Today

Posted on Author WKVI

The Indiana Senate Democrats will hold an Online Town Hall meeting on Twitter today at 9:30 a.m. ET. The Online Town Hall will cover new Indiana laws.

District 8 State Senator Jim Arnold invites you to join in the session and address all questions to @INSenDems using the hashtag #AskSenDems. You can discuss issues with a new law that requires the Department of Education to work with the Department of Child Services and other organizations to provide the public school system with a curriculum to educate teachers, school personnel and children about sexual abuse and how to report suspected abuse of students. You may also discuss a new law that prevents school corporations from charging a fee to parents or students for transportation to and from school or the state-wide smoking ban.

If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can sign up for free before the event.

WKVI Fall Trip To Nashville, Grand ‘Ole Opry Announced

Posted on Author WKVI
News Contributor, Ed Hasnerl
Ed Hasnerl

Ed Hasnerl has announced WKVI’s fall trip to Nashville, Tenn. and The Grand ‘Ole Opry. He says reserved seats have been obtained for the Opry on Saturday night, September 29, as part of the four-day, three-night deluxe motor coach trip to “Music City USA.”

Highlights of the trip include dinner and a show on the General Jackson Showboat on the Cumberland River; a tour of The Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s plantation home; tours of the Ryman Theater, the original home of the Opry; the Opryland Hotel; the County Music Hall of Fame; and the new American Pickers Store.

Many more exciting and country music-related stops and events are planned and you can get the information and a registration form by calling WKVI at (574) 772-6241 or by stopping in the studios at 400 West Culver Road in Knox.

Grovertown Woman Arrested after Pursuit

Posted on Author WKVI

A Grovertown woman was arrested Wednesday after backing up into a police car during a pursuit incident in Marshall County.

Marshall County officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on U.S. 30 near Tulip Road and 37-year-old Renee Craig, who was wanted on a parole violation, would not stop. As Craig attempted to turn north onto Tulip Road off of US 30, she slid on gravel and left the roadway and drove over a stop sign. She then reportedly backed up her vehicle and struck a vehicle driven by an undercover officer and owned by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.

Continue reading →

New Law Assists Low-Income Families In Home Energy Costs

Posted on Author WKVI

The cost of home energy will be a bit more affordable for low-income families, thanks to House Enrolled Act 1141 – one of 161 new laws approved this year by the Indiana General Assembly. The new law dedicates nearly $30 million in mortgage foreclosure settlement funds in an effort to assist families who rely on assistance from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program to pay for high heating or air-conditioning bills. The program is a federal program offering financial assistance to low-income households who qualify and need support to pay home energy bills.

The program is funded from $145 million that the state received from the multi-state legal settlement concerning issues in mortgage foreclosures, and is administered through local community action agencies.

Continue reading →

Northwest Indiana Professional Network to Host Resume Workshop

Posted on Author WKVI

If you’re having a tough time writing your resume or you need help in writing one to submit with a job application, the Northwest Indiana Professional Network will present a workshop to help you in this process.

The Creating a Master Resume/Cover Letter/References workshop is Thursday, July 5 from 10 a.m. to noon CT at the Sagamore Center in LaPorte. During this workshop, you will develop an updated, professional resume and master application in order to fill out job applications with ease.

For more information, call (219) 462-2940 ext. 40.

Storm Yesterday Causes Few Injuries, No Estimate On Power Restoration

Posted on Author WKVI
Scenes like this one in North Judson were all too common in the wake of yesterday’s storm.

Kankakee Valley REMC has reported over 7000 people without power in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, and Pulaski counties after the afternoon storm that tore through the area on Friday. KVREMC dispatched crews yesterday to affected areas to begin restoring power. Causing the outages are five substations that have been reported down due to transmission feeds from NIPSCO being out as well as broken poles and downed wires.

Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem says the hardest hit area seems to be around Bass Lake, where boats were reportedly flipped over in the water and even tossed up on land. Several trees were felled and Norem says cleanup crews have their work cut out for them.

“The hardest hit areas seem to be in California Township around Bass Lake and North Bend Township, also around Bass Lake. The crews have been out, the highway department is out, the Sheriff’s Department has been out, but there is a lot of damage in that particular area and it’s going to be a long cleanup,” Norem said.

Continue reading →

Fundraising Efforts Pay Off For The Starke County Fireworks

Posted on Author WKVI

Fundraising efforts for the Starke County fireworks celebration have paid off, as a total of $6499.20 has been raised thus far for the event. Knox Mayor Rick Chambers says the cost of fireworks came out to roughly $7800, and the remaining $1300 is expected to be made up by gate fees.

Donations provided $3696 toward the celebration, and two fundraisers nearly doubled that amount. The port-a-pit chicken fundraiser raised $1533, and the fish fry raised another $1044.50. The remaining $225 came from vendor fees at the airport.

Continue reading →

Statewide Smoking Ban Effective Tomorrow

Posted on Author WKVI

The statewide smoking ban takes effect tomorrow.

House Enrolled Act 1149 bans smoking from restaurants, hotels and motels, movie theaters, bowling alleys, healthcare facilities, nursing homes, mental health facilities, assisted living facilities, and most other workplaces. The law also prohibits smoking within eight feet of a public entrance of any of those facilities.

Continue reading →

Drought Triggers Call For Voluntary Water Conservation

Posted on Author WKVI

This summer’s chronic hot and dry weather has not only resulted in drought conditions throughout most of Indiana, it has also prompted a call for high-capacity water facilities in 32 counties to implement voluntary water conservation measures.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security have announced plans to send notification letters to owners and operators of facilities in several counties with the capacity to withdraw 100,000 gallons or more per day.

Continue reading →

Pulaski County 4-H Fair Kicks Off Today

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County 4-H Fair is underway!

More 4-H entries are coming in today and open class exhibits are expected as well. The 4-H Recognition Program is set for 3 p.m. ET today and Earth Day activities are scheduled for 3-7 p.m. ET. The truck and tractor pull gets underway at 6 p.m. tonight. Admission is $7, but children under the age of six get in free.

Tomorrow, the Fair Association’s Hog Roast is at 10:30 a.m., the bed race begins at 2 p.m. and the Miss Pulaski County Pageant is at 8 p.m.

The Pulaski County 4-H Fair continues through Friday, July 6.