Dale Hite Sentenced To 30 Years in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Dale Hite

It was an emotional day for the family of Amber McMillin and Nicholas White as Dale Hite was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday afternoon.

McMillin and White had been killed in a car accident with Hite as the driver. On October 16, 2009, officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department were investigating a call of someone manufacturing methamphetamine and when officers arrived on scene and began searching for evidence, a vehicle approached the residence and then suddenly sped from the scene which was approximately one quarter mile north of County Road 600 North on County Road 700 East in Grovertown. As police pursued the vehicle on 600 North, the vehicle’s headlights turned off and all the officer could see was the taillights. The vehicle then went off the road at 10320 East 600 North and ran into some trees. Police indicate that the vehicle was traveling 124 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Amber McMillin and Nicholas White, both of Plymouth, were ejected from the vehicle and died of injuries at the scene. Police found that Dale Hite, who was also injured in that incident, had been driving the vehicle and police found methamphetamine in Hite’s pants pocket.

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Prominent Starke County Community Member Passes Away

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County is mourning the loss of a prominent community member who passed away this week. Michael Haugh of North Judson, 73, devoted his life to the service of others, building upon the communities in which he lived to improve the quality of life for his neighbors and everyone in the community.

Haugh moved to North Judson with his wife Joan and their four children in 1971, but before then he served the Highland community through different organizations. He was a board member for the community hospital in Munster, the parish council of Our Lady of Grace, and he was a member of the Sanitary District of Highland, the Jaycees, and the YMCA. In fact, in 1971, Haugh was named the Outstanding Young Man of the Year by the Jaycees.

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Knox-Center Township Fire Department Receives Equipment Donation

Posted on Author WKVI

The Knox-Center Township Fire Department recently received a piece of equipment from Starke County Farm Bureau and the Starke County Co-Op. Fire Chief Kenny Pfost said the donation was received thanks to a grant applied for and awarded to the two entities.

“They gave us a grain bin rescue tool,” explained Pfost. “This will assist us if someone is trapped in a grain bin or silo and it can be used for various other things as far as sand or gravel or something like that.”

He explains how the apparatus works.

“This tube slips over the top of the person and as we are moving the material from around them, the tube slides down and it prevents more material from trapping the person further,” said Pfost.

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Some Starke County Townships Not In Compliance With Nepotism Law

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners this week heard an update on the county’s compliance with the new statewide nepotism guidelines, and Auditor Kay Chaffins says that they have received letters of compliance from several townships. Unfortunately, the county has not received them from North Bend, Washington, Jackson, and Center townships.

Chaffins says that although the state did not given the county much time to comply, the Department of Local Government Finance can still penalize the county for not being in full compliance. The DLGF can choose not to approve the county’s budget for next year, which can cause a myriad of financial problems.

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Highway Humps Caused By Extreme Heat

Posted on Author WKVI

Travelers on U.S. 30 may encounter a number of bumps in the road – literally. These bumps seem to develop on highways in extreme heat, and the Indiana Department of Transportation has announced that they will be sending out crews to level out those highway humps.

INDOT Media Relations Director Matt Deitchley said that a repair schedule has been worked out, and they expect work to begin on U.S. 31 and U.S. 30 very soon.

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Bass Lake Summer Splash Kicks Off Next Friday

Posted on Author WKVI

The Bass Lake Summer Splash begins Friday, July 27 for a three-day run.

The Miss Teen Bass Lake and the Little Miss and Mr. Bass Lake contests are tomorrow, July 21, at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association Building.

The Little Miss and Mr. Bass Lake contest begins at 4 p.m., followed by the Miss Teen Bass Lake at 6 p.m. There is a $2 admission charge.

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Knox High School Principal Named To ISSMA Board

Posted on Author WKVI

Knox High School Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff was recently named to the Indiana State School Music Association Board.

“This group does support marching band competitions, solo and ensemble, jazz band, orchestra – all of those different competitive events that our kids in Knox flourish at,” said Ratliff. “This is the board that helps to organize those events and manage them.”

Ratliff explains how she was chosen for the position on the board.

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Knox Schools Prepare For Vacation’s End

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

Preparations are being done for the start of the school year at the Knox Community School Corporation. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the school year begins Aug. 14.

“Schools are getting in condition,” said Gappa. “The maintenance people are refinishing floors and we have a couple of parking lots that are going to be resealed before school starts and then lines lines repainted on those.”

He says that while the maintenance crew is hard at work, the administration is looking into filling all available staff positions.

“All of the staffing positions have not been filled so the administrators in each of the buildings are working on that and planning to have staff members in place by the time school starts,” said Gappa.

Knox Mayor Urges Water Conservation

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers is asking residents to take measures to conserve water in light of worsening drought conditions that have placed the entire state under a water shortage warning.

Chambers said the average daily water use for the city is about 350,000 gallons, but for the past several weeks, over 550,000 gallons of water per day have been used. The aquifer from which three deep pumps draw water is about two feet lower than average. Chambers urges citizens to do what they can to conserve water. Residents are encouraged to restrain from watering lawns or flowers as often, and to change shower or bath habits to reduce water usage.

If adequate rainfall does not occur within the next couple of weeks, the mayor may need to restrict water usage.

Starke County Commissioners Accept Bid For Bridge 51 Replacement

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners this week accepted a bid from LaPorte Construction to perform the replacement of Bridge 51.

The highest bid received was from Yates Construction, Inc., for $325,445.33, while the lowest bid presented was from LaPorte Construction Company, Inc. for $224,328.25.

Five other bids were presented from companies throughout Indiana and Michigan, which the commissioners took under advisement to give Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall time to review the bids and decide which bid he would recommend.

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Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Several Expenses

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

The Pulaski County Commissioners approved a number of departmental expenses this week.

Ed Fleury of the Veteran Service Office requested the commissioners sign a lease for a Xerox ColorQube 8700 – a multifunction printer that he says his office requires. On average, Fleury says his office needs to make at least 500 copies per month, and because they currently have no copier, he has been going to the Health Department to use their equipment. However, Fleury says sometimes the office is closed and he is out of luck.

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North Judson-San Pierre Schools To Endure Hefty Budget Cuts

Posted on Author WKVI
North Judson-San Pierre Superintendent Lynn Johnson

The North Judson-San Pierre School Board discussed the budget outlook for the next two years and Superintendent Lynn Johnson said the school will take a major budget hit in 2012 and 2013.

“Close to one million dollars,” said Johnson. “One of the things we lost was the restoration grant and the small schools grant. Those two losses did come up to about a million dollars. Of course, it depends on enrollment. If we have an increase in enrollment, of course that will help us. There’s a lot of variables we have to look at, but right now we are looking at decreased revenue and I’m sure we’re not the only school corporation.”

On top of the budget cut, Johnson says they are also suffering from a decrease in enrollment.

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Starke County Vehicle Search Turns Up Methamphetamine – Four Arrested

Posted on Author WKVI

Four people were arrested Tuesday after a traffic stop in Starke County.

A deputy from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop on State Road 23 near 950 East and the officer was granted permission to search the vehicle. Several items used to manufacture and package methamphetamine as well as the finished product were found in the vehicle.

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Northern Indiana Power From The Past Kicks Off Today

Posted on Author WKVI
This was one of the many working displays from last year's Power from the Past show in Winamac.

The 35th annual Northern Indiana Power From the Past kicks off today! Their preview night, featuring HAP’s Chicken Bash, took place yesterday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. ET, sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 229.

Headlining this year’s show is Nashville Country Recording Artist Levi Riggs, and the event features Ford and Fordson tractors and will also exhibit motorcycles from the World of Motorcycles Museum, Inc., in North Judson.

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Knox Community Schools ISTEP Scores Lower Than Expected

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

The Knox Community School Board discussed ISTEP results Monday night. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the scores have declined.

“Our administrators are looking into possible reasons why they think they might have declined,” said Gappa. “We have given other tests in both buildings, like the NWEA test, that does show growth in some areas, but the administrators are looking into that and plan to come back with an action plan for the upcoming school year.”

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Rensselaer Pair Indicted on Drug Charges

Posted on Author WKVI

Two Rensselaer residents have been indicted on drug charges in Hammond Federal Court.

31-year-old Amin Guillermo Velazquez and 28-year-old Johana Jatzhiry Velazquez were charged with conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute four kilos or more of cocaine and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Illinois State Police.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that the pair are innocent until proven guilty.

Extreme Temperatures Prompt Communities To Establish Cooling Centers

Posted on Author WKVI

With record-breaking highs yesterday, many communities in the area established cooling centers to provide citizens with a place to cool off. Visitors to the Starke County 4-H Fair had to tolerate high 90-degree temperatures that felt hotter than 101 degrees with the humidity.

Fortunately, IU Health Starke Hospital put its Health Mobile to good use providing visitors with a place to go to get out of the sweltering heat and take a break. Hospital Interim President David Hyatt said the Health Mobile will help stave off heat exhaustion for fair-goers.

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LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department Investigates Shooting

Posted on Author WKVI

A LaPorte County woman was injured and her ex-husband was later found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department officers were called to a residence in Coolspring Township on Monday on a call that shots were fired. A 41-year-old female was found at the scene with a soft tissue injury to her back and side. The victim had been shot at while inside the home. The suspect reportedly fired at her and barely missed her. Police believe that the victim was injured by glass fragments and window fragments caused by the bullet that went through the window.

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