Pulaski County Instrumental In Keeping Starke County Jail Population Down

Posted on Author WKVI
David Pearman

With the Starke County Jail construction project pending, Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen and the county officials are still dealing with overcrowding issues in the jail. Some inmates are being housed in the Pulaski County Jail, per an agreement, to help in the overcrowding situation.

Starke County Council President David Pearman said that he hopes that agreement will continue until the new jail is built.

“The state has certified our jail for 62 beds and as we approach that number, we will continue to house inmates outside our jail in another facility. Hopefully, Pulaski County will want to continue working with us.”

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Three Theft Arrests Reported In Plymouth

Posted on Author WKVI

Plymouth police officers arrested three people for theft on Tuesday in three different incidents.

Matthew S. Bradley of Knox was arrested after Dollar General employees reported a theft at the store. The employees gave police a description of his vehicle and the vehicle was found in the Walgreens parking lot. The officer reportedly found a knife and packaging next to him in the vehicle. Bradley was arrested on a preliminary charge of Theft.

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North Judson Town Council Discusses “Urban Chicken” Issue

Posted on Author WKVI

The North Judson Town Council this week discussed what some council members are referring to as the “urban chicken” issue. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that because the town does not have an ordinance regulating farm animals within town limits, the council will be reviewing information concerning domestic and farm animals in the town. The town currently has an ordinance for domestic animals, and Henry said they may revise the ordinance to regulate urban farm animals as well.

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Knox Football Players Commended For Storm Clean-up Efforts

Posted on Author WKVI

Dave Bullock from the Knox Park Board appeared before the Knox Community School Board Monday night to thank high school football coach Chris McGowan and the entire football team for helping to pick up debris at Sandy Acres Park after the July 24 storm.

Bullock said 45 members of the team took their time out of practice to help the park members who were swamped with all the wreckage after the storm. The team spent several hours picking up branches and limbs and tiding up the park for regular patrons. He added that some of players remarked that it was some of the hardest work they’d done so far this season.

The board thanked Bullock for his comments and also commended the team for showing great community spirit in a time of need.

Plymouth Man Escapes Serious Injury In Marshall County

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man escaped serious injury after crashing into a utility pole late Sunday night.

An officer with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department responded to a single vehicle crash on Upas Road in the s-curve, north of 11A Road. The driver, Randy G. Green, 56 of Plymouth, reportedly diverted his attention from the roadway and ran off the road in the west curve. The vehicle struck a fence and a guide wire for an electric pole. The electric pole then fell on top of Green’s vehicle.

A crew from Kankakee Valley REMC was called to the scene to help get the pole off the vehicle and to repair the lines. Green didn’t sustain any serious injury and the scene was cleared by police.

Knox School Officials Disappointed In ISTEP Scores

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The three principals and the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Knox Community School Corporation gave the school board members an overview of the corporation’s ISTEP scores.

Superintendent A.J. Gappa said all of the administrators and the board were disappointed in this year’s scores.

“They dropped in most categories at both the elementary school and a the middle school,” stated Gappa. “Everybody’s gathering together and making action plans on how their going to move forward and turn that around. We’re confident that the plans are going to be successful and do a reversal on the scores.”

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C&C Salvage Shut Down For Permitting, IDEM Violations

Posted on Author WKVI

An injunction order has been filed in the Starke Circuit Court against C&C Salvage and Auto Sales, Inc. in Knox prohibiting them from conducting business until they have applied for and received the proper permits.

According to the injunction, C&C Salvage did not have the proper permits from the Planning Commission to expand its operations, but James Campbell had expanded the salvage and junk yard to the south, nearly doubling its size. Further, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conducted an inspection in May and found several violations of both state and federal laws.

As a result, the injunction requires Campbell to cease all business operations until every violation of county, state, and federal law is corrected. A fine of $300 per day will be issued to Campbell for every day he is still in violation of the laws since July 30, and he is also required to pay the court costs for the matter as well.

Marshall County Commissioners Reach Decision On Golf Cart Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI

The Marshall County Commissioners have come to a decision on the fate of golf cart operators in the county. The commissioners discussed the ordinance, which was passed in early June, at the end of the meeting on Monday morning to determine whether or not a revised ordinance could get a vote.

Commissioner Greg Compton expressed that he feels golf carts should only be allowed on roads where the speed limit is below 35 mph, but president Kevin Overmyer said he liked the original ordinance, and commissioner Jack Roose asked about raising the speed limit to 45 mph on the golf carts.

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Starke County Commissioners, Council Discuss Jail Project

Posted on Author WKVI
David Pearman

The Starke County Commissioners and the Starke County Council met in a joint session Monday night to discuss the proposed jail project.

Council President David Pearman talked about the overall objective of the meeting.

“The overall goal of the meeting was to finally end up with getting the first look at the proposed ordinance that would enable us to utilize the 0.65 percent tax rate,” said Pearman. “However, what we did for the benefit of the rest of council, was basically go through the jail presentation but also, during each slide, kind of give a feel and some flavor of what the public had during our presentations.”

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Starke Co. Sheriff’s Department’s Tower Irreparable – Must Be Replaced

Posted on Author WKVI
IT Director Joe Short

The Starke County Commissioners this week heard from IT Director Joe Short, who gave them a bit of bad news. The Sheriff’s Department’s radio tower was damaged by last month’s storms, and Short told the commissioners that no tower companies will make repairs to the tower. Once it’s damaged, Short says, the entire tower must be replaced.

This is a huge undertaking, as the tower would have to not only be completely rebuilt, but it would also have to be expanded. When the tower was originally built, regulations weren’t quite so strict, but now regulations require heavier-duty towers. The base would have to be expanded from its previous five-foot base to a 16-foot base. Short says they’ve received a few proposals and they’re still waiting to learn how much of the expense will be covered by insurance.

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Bridge 291 Project in Pulaski County Out For Bids in October

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

Jeff Larrison of United Consulting presented the Pulaski County Commissioners with an update on the Bridge 291 project this week.

The last two expenses for the Combs property, which was acquired as part of the construction project, were presented to the commissioners. The Combs property was acquired and their moving expenses were paid in accordance with INDOT guidelines, which allow up to $25,000 to be paid to the owners of a property that are required to relocate.

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Knox Kindergarten Teachers Meet With Incoming Kindergartners

Posted on Author WKVI

The kindergarten teachers from the Knox Community School Corporation and Peggy Shidaker, the director of curriculum and instruction, recently visited all of the incoming kindergarten students and their families to welcome them into the school corporation.

Shidaker discusses those visits.

“During those visits, we met the child, we met the parents, we also took materials and distributed some activity books, an activity calendar, a book and a t-shirt donated by IU Health Starke Hospital. All of our kindergarteners are going to show up on that first day of school with a brand-new t-shirt,” said Shidaker.

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Work Session Tonight Regarding Knox Elementary Palmer Wing

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board will hold a work session tonight to discuss the possible Palmer Wing Elementary School construction project.

Superintendent A.J. Gappa says tonight’s meeting is to gather more public opinion on the condition of the Palmer Wing.

“Part of the elementary school is coming up on 60 years old and there’s some work that needs to be done,” said Gappa. “The board feels that it’s time for them to make a decision. They want to go with one more public meeting to get input from the patrons of the community. So, the board has scheduled an open meeting workshop at 6 p.m. and that will be held in the Palmer Wing All-Purpose Room which is at the east end of the elementary school.”

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Hoosier Homesteads To Be Recognized At State Fair Today

Posted on Author WKVI

Seventy-five families will be presented with the Hoosier Homestead Award this morning at 10:30 a.m. ET at the Indiana State Fair.

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years and consist of 20 acres or more or produce at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products per year. The award was created to recognize the contribution these family farms have made to the economic, cultural and social advancements of Indiana.

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One Badly Injured in Semi Vs. SUV Accident in Pulaski County

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department investigated a two vehicle accident at Highway 421 and State Road 14 shortly before Noon yesterday.

A semi driven by John Kamien of Kansas was traveling south on Highway 421 and came upon a car turning left on State Road 14. The semi truck driver went around the vehicle and ran into a car driven by Wendy Wempler who turned into the path of the semi off of State Road 14. Wempler was severely injured at the scene and was airlifted from the scene to a nearby hospital. The responding officer wasn’t able to get any details from Wempler’s perspective of the accident due to her injuries.

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Fire Destroys Busch Farm Service Building In Pulaski County

Posted on Author WKVI

A fire razed the Busch Farm Service building on County Road 550 South in Pulaski County early Friday morning. According to Francesville Fire Chief Tim Wuethrich, the fire occurred shortly after 9 a.m. and was caused by an electrical issue.

The building was a total loss. Both the office and shop were completely destroyed by the inferno, but Wuethrich says they were able to save the office computer and other records before the fire could reach them.

Fortunately, no one was inside the building when the fire started and no injuries have been reported. Mutual aid was requested from Buffalo, Monon, and Medaryville fire departments, but even with the extra assistance, Wuethrich says the fire continued until they were finally able to control it shortly after 12 p.m.

Knox Man Arrested For Residential Entry, Stalking

Posted on Author WKVI

A Knox man was arrested Friday after allegedly entering a woman’s home in Pulaski County without permission.

The victim called police to say that David Mattes had come to her house without her permission and she wanted him off her property. When she called police, she was in her back yard with her dog and a wooden stick while he was inside her home. Police arrived on scene, found Mattes and ordered him to the ground. He was then taken into custody.

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Two Arrested At Walmart For Possession of Precursors

Posted on Author WKVI

Plymouth Police Department officers arrested two people on Friday night after receiving a call from Walmart employees who stated that the individuals had purchased methamphetamine precursors.

One suspect, Jennifer Snellenberger of Angola, took items back to Walmart, giving officers a chance to run her driver’s license information through the system, and they learned she had a suspended driver’s license.

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Starke County Bridge 51 Replacement Underway

Posted on Author WKVI
Steve Siddall

Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall presented the county commissioners this week with an update on the progress of repairs on Bridge 51, located on County Road 700 South in North Bend Township. The commissioners had accepted a bid in July from LaPorte Construction to perform the replacement of the bridge at a cost of $224,328.25 – the lowest bid submitted.

According to Siddall, the bridge needed replaced because the wooden caps that had been installed on the bridge in the 1950s have crushed and failed, and he says this bridge was scheduled to be replaced in 2011.

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