Special Prosecutor Appointed To Case Against Connie Miller

Posted on Author WKVI
Nicholas Bourff

A special prosecutor has been appointed in the case between the State of Indiana and Connie Miller, the former clerk-treasurer for the town of North Judson.

Starke County Prosecutor Nick Bourff requested a special prosecutor be appointed to the case because he felt it would be difficult to avoid the appearance of impropriety if the charging decision in the case was up to him, because he was the acting legal counsel for the town of North Judson during the year 2010. He said that due to the attorney-client relationship that existed between him and Miller during that time, the decision on whether or not to prosecute based on the Indiana State Board of Accounts Special Report causes a conflict.

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Rachel Berdine Arrested, Charged With Helping Hunnicutt Escape

Posted on Author WKVI
Rachel Berdine

The woman suspected of aiding Joshua Hunnicutt in his escape from the Starke County Jail was arrested Sunday evening.

Officials say Rachel Berdine arrived at the Starke County Jail to visit Hunnicutt and police arrested her on an active arrest warrant for Escape and Conspiracy to Commit Escape, both Class C Felony charges.

She is being held in the Starke County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

Police believe that Hunnicutt escaped from the jail on May 23 by climbing an outside recreation wall topped with razor wire, and allegedly got into a car driven by his girlfriend, Berdine, who then drove away from the scene. Hunnicutt turned himself in five days later and has pleaded not guilty in Starke Circuit Court to charges of Escape and Conspiracy to Commit Escape.

Plymouth Man Arrested Following Hit And Run

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was arrested after an accident Saturday night.

Plymouth police officers responded to a call in the area of Madison and Broadway Streets in Plymouth and spoke to Sara Johnson, 22 of Plymouth, who told police that she had been struck by a vehicle and the vehicle left the scene. She sustained an injury to her right side, but refused medical treatment at the scene.

Police found the vehicle suspected of leaving the scene of an accident on Harrison Street. The driver, Billy Bates, 54 of Plymouth, was arrested on preliminary charges of Criminal Recklessness and Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident.

West Central Schools To Take Funding Hit, Says Mellon

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board reviewed the estimated state tuition support for the 2013 budget and according to Superintendent Charles Mellon, it appears the corporation is going to take another funding hit.

“We find ourselves down another $155,000, which is a little over 2.5 percent,” said Mellon. “Again, these are just based on projections. You have to plug in your own numbers with enrollment projections and that type of thing.”

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Jury Trial To Be Held Wednesday In Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

A jury trial will be held Wednesday in the Starke Circuit Court – but the question is, who will go to trial?

Two pretrial motions and instructions hearings are set for this morning in the court; Jerrold Minix and Angela May will appear for their hearings, at which point it will be decided who will go to trial on Wednesday.

Minix faces two cases in the Starke Circuit Court. In the first case, he is charged with two counts of Burglary as a Class C felony, two counts of Theft, and two counts of Possession of Stolen Property. In the second case, he is charged with Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony.

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November Election Deadline Approaching For Starke County Chairpersons

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Democrat and Republican Chairpersons have until Tuesday, July 3 to fill empty slots on the November Election ballot.

The Republicans need to fill the positions of Surveyor and Treasurer, while the Democrats need to find a candidate for County Commissioner in District 1, which includes the townships of Oregon, Washington and North Bend. Anyone from these townships are eligible.

The Starke County Clerk’s Office also indicated that any candidate wishing to file for a school board position can file a petition in the clerk’s office beginning July 25 through August 24.

More Than 100 Indiana Democrats To Attend National Convention In September

Posted on Author WKVI
State Representative Nancy Dembowski

Indiana State Democrats Saturday picked 106 delegates to go to the National Convention, scheduled for Sept. 4 – 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

One of those delegates is State Representative Nancy Dembowski of Knox. Dembowski said yesterday that she was asked to run, and after giving it some thought, decided to “throw her hat into the ring” for a district spot. Not only did Dembowski win, but she was the top vote-getter.

“I am very humbled by the opportunity to go to the convention where I will get to cast a vote for President Obama,” Dembowski said.

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Dry, Hot Conditions Require Special Lawn Care

Posted on Author WKVI

Even though we received some rain over the weekend, most lawns in the area still look brown and burned. Eugene Matzat from the La Porte County Extension Office explained a few tips for watering lawns and gardens in this weather.

“For watering lawns and gardens, basically the guideline would be to water in the morning so that the air temperature and wind has a chance to dry off the surface. This prevents any potential for any fungal diseases to infest your lawn,” said Matzat.

Matzat said it has been quite an unusual spring, and summer doesn’t arrive yet for a couple of days.

Starke County Environment Days Event Made Starke County A Little Cleaner

Posted on Author WKVI
A trailer load of tires was collected during last year's event.

The Starke County Environment Days event was a success.

Starke County Environment Management Director Carrie Trent said that one-and-a-half semi loads of electronic equipment, three trailer loads of tires and one trailer of household hazardous waste were collected, along with two large shipping boxes packed with bottles of prescription medication.

A total of 467 vehicles came through the Collection Day that took place Friday and Saturday at the Starke County Highway Garage.

Wendy McIntire Wins “Original Boyz From The Hood” Contest At SCPL

Posted on Author WKVI
Henry F. Schricker Library

Local attorney and WKVI board member Leroy Gudeman and Ed Hasnerl, WKVI’s Talking of Many Things host, were two of the 30 pencil drawing subjects in the recent “Original Boyz from the Hood” contest held at the Henry F. Schricker Library. Patrons were invited to look at the pictures and try to figure out who the pictures depicted.

The library announced the winners yesterday, and they included Wendy McIntire who correctly identified 19 of the subjects and won first place. Carla Stoll identified 14 for second place, and Iva Griffith was the third place prize winner with 11 named correctly.

Diantha Upham invites everyone to watch for women in the community in the next few months.

Starke County Unemployment Rate Improves

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County dropped out of the top five Indiana unemployment counties in May. The county’s 9.6 percent rate for unemployment placed it in eighth place, tying La Porte County for the position.

Other rates for nearby counties include Pulaski at 6.2 percent, Marshall at 8.1 percent, Fulton at 7.8 percent, St. Joseph with a rate of 8.9 percent, and Porter at 7.3 percent.

Every county in the state had a lower rate than that of March, and the US rate was 8.2 percent while Indiana’s rate was 7.9 percent.

DuBois County at 5.4 percent and Hamilton at 5.5 percent were the lowest in the state.

Pulaski County Commissioners Enact Burn Ban

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County Commissioners have declared a county-wide burn ban effective now until June 25th.

Pulaski County is at risk of widespread fire hazard because of the ongoing drought conditions. Open burning of any kind using conventional fuel such as wood or other combustible material, with the exception of grills, is prohibited. The burning of debris, such as timber or vegetation and recreational campfires, unless enclosed, is prohibited.

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Water Department Fees May Soon Increase, Says Knox City Council

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

In an attempt to make the Knox Water Department more self-sufficient, the Knox City Council is considering a rate increase of $6.70 a month. The increase would be spread out over two years, and, if approved, could mean a monthly increase of $3.75 per month as early as August.

Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained the hike, which was recommended by Umbaugh and Associates, would ensure the water department could continue regular operations.

“The reason I wanted this rate study done was to make sure we had enough money to pay for our bonds, and other financial obligations. Basically, I wanted to make sure the water department was on sound financial footing,” said Houston.

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North Judson Mint Festival Features Betty, Allen Chesak As Grand Marshals

Posted on Author WKVI
Betty and Allen Chesak

The North Judson Mint Festival Parade was held under clear skies and hot and humid weather conditions yesterday afternoon. The parade, one of the highlights of the three-day event, featured Betty and Allen Chesak as the Grand Marshals.

Betty Chesak had been featured in an article in 1976, the Bicentennial Year, and the beginning of what is now the Mint Festival.

“Seems like just yesterday doesn’t it? When you’re having fun time flies,” Chesak said.

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Fire Rating Outside Knox City Limits May Be Lowered

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Ken Pfost

The Knox-Center Township Fire Department is looking to create a committee to research the possibility of lowering the fire rating outside the Knox city limits. Fire Chief Kenny Pfost explains the fire rating procedure.

“ISO – which is Insurance Service Offices – they rate the residents of Knox, as well as throughout the county, at a certain fire class protection,” said Pfost. “For instance, residents in the city of Knox are rated at a Class 6 and residents in the county, or outside of city limits, are Class 9.”

Class One represents the best public protection and Class 10 indicates no recognized protection. Those with Knox addresses who are outside of the city limits were recently notified that their fire rating had gone from a classification of six to a nine. Pfost explains why that happened.

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Eastern Pulaski School Corporation Plans Summer Maintenance Projects

Posted on Author WKVI
Dr. Robert Klitzman
Dr. Robert Klitzman

The Eastern Pulaski School Corporation’s maintenance staff is working hard on quite a few projects this summer, and Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman explained that the majority of these changes include digital upgrades.

“We’re continuing our project at the middle school and high school of changing the HVAC controls from pneumatic to digital,” explained Klitzman. “We are in the process of hanging all of the projectors in every classroom at the elementary level. They will be able to hook them up to their computers and basically bring the world into their classroom via the internet and help with student learning in that case.”

The regular deep-cleaning is also underway to get the classrooms and all of the school facilities ready for the start of another school year in August.

Smoke-Free Law Information Sessions To Be Held

Posted on Author WKVI

Two information sessions have been scheduled to inform you about the new smoke-free law.

A question and answer session is scheduled at the VFW in Winamac on Thursday, June 21 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET and, later that evening, a town hall meeting will be held at 6 p.m. CT at the Bass Lake Community Center. Representatives from the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission of the Indiana State Department of Health, the Starke County and Pulaski County Health Departments, along with Fulton and Marshall Counties, will discuss what the law covers, who to contact with questions, who enforces the law, and who to contact with complaints.

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Paul Gougeon Was This Year’s Grandfather of the Year

Posted on Author WKVI
Paul Gougeon and Kaeleigh Higgins

Yesterday was a special day for Paul Gougeon, who found himself in the North Judson Mint Festival Parade as the 2012 Grandfather of the Year.

Gougeon says he felt honored when he was nominated by his granddaughter, Kaeleigh Higgins.

“I’m not only honored to have been selected, but honored that my granddaughter wrote the winning entry,” Gougeon said.

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Father John Scott To Retire After 13 Years

Posted on Author WKVI
Father John Scott

After 13 years in Knox, Father John Scott will be leaving the pulpit to retire. This Sunday he will give his last regular sermon as the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

Scott says he’s had a number of exciting experiences here.

“I had an opportunity to do a Good Leaders-Good Shepherd’s program. That was a three-year program on how to use the ministry for the effect of getting the gospel out,” he said.

Father Scott said retirement doesn’t mean he’ll retire to the rocking chair.

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Battle Of The Bullring Rained Out, Stewart Says He’ll Try Again

Posted on Author WKVI
NASCAR Champ Tony Stewart watches the rain come in at Plymouth Speedway.

Saturday night’s Battle of the Bullring, featuring NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart, was actually a battle with Mother Nature – and Mother Nature won.

Rain canceled the Sprints on Dirt race on the dirt track at the Plymouth Speedway. The much-anticipated race has been rescheduled for August 18, but Irish Saunders of the Plymouth Speedway said it was an interesting day, not only because of the rain situation at the Plymouth Speedway, but for Tony Stewart as well. Continue reading →