Knox Mayor Rick Chambers says his efforts to get American flags flying along U.S. 35 are going well, but he’s not sure if he’ll be able to get them up by Memorial Day.
Chambers says the American Legion donated a $400 check on Friday to get the project started, and he has already contacted the local VFW, who has informed him they are willing to help and are looking into what they can do to assist the cause. The Tri-Kappa organization has also said they would like to help the effort.
North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry wants to remind citizens of North Judson that the town will be flushing hydrants on the nights of May 13 and 14, so residents should keep in mind to run their water to ensure there is no rust in the line. Henry says if you’re doing a load of laundry, run an empty cycle first to avoid any rust in the wash.
The Safe Routes to School Task Force in Winamac has planned another “Walk to School” event for Winamac Elementary and Middle School students.
Students, parents, Safe Routes Task Force members and officers from the Winamac Police Department and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department will walk to school on Tuesday, May 22. All are to meet at 7:15 a.m. ET at the Downtown Depot in Winamac and the walk will begin at 7:30 a.m. ET. Participants will walk down Main Street to the north side of the Pulaski County Courthouse, then across Monticello Drive to Riverside Drive, before ending at the school.
The Oregon-Davis School Corporation will be participating in the USDA Summer Food Program this summer.
Free lunch will be offered to all children ages 18 and younger at the Oregon-Davis Elementary School cafeteria beginning June 11 through July 13, from 11:30 a.m. to noon. If you are 19 and older, you will be charged $2 per lunch. You don’t even have to be a part of the Oregon-Davis School community. Everyone is eligible to participate without residential or financial stipulations.
It will be a busy week in the City of Knox this week. It’s Spring Clean-up week! Knox Mayor Rick Chambers suggests utilizing two big dumpsters to throw out large, bulky items. The dumpsters will be located behind City Hall.
An additional salary ordinance for the town of North Judson is in the works. The ordinance would qualify town employees that earn a pesticide applicator license for an additional $.50 raise per hour.
That license was previously not included in the set of three licenses that would qualify an employee for a raise, but a number of workers took the class and qualified for the test. One hourly-paid employee took the class, passed the test, and will soon receive his license– but if the town council wanted to consider increasing his hourly rate by $.50, they would need to pass this ordinance.
The first and second readings of the ordinance were passed on Monday night, and a notice will be sent out to local papers publishing the ordinance. A third reading is expected to take place at the first meeting of the council in June.
The Starke County Tourism Board met this week and the members discussed putting together the county’s Traveler Magazine.
President Julie Dessauer said the 32-page manual will be distributed to all of the truck stops in the state of Indiana and will feature all the attractions Starke County has to offer. Now that all of the organization’s finances have been restored, advertising for the magazine can be secured and printed.
The board is also making plans for the Yellow River Fest in Hamlet to take place in August. A unique triathlon is scheduled and more details on that portion of the Yellow River Fest will be released once plans are finalized.
Indiana State Police Troopers announced their involvement in a seat belt enforcement blitz that begins May 18.
This national mobilization will take place over the Memorial Day holiday when more than 250 law enforcement agencies will conduct special seat belt patrols, day and night, and will identify and ticket unrestrained motorists and passengers. The blitz will end June 3.
“Click It or Ticket” has been credited with increasing Indiana’s seat belt usage rate from 63 percent in 1995 to an observed usage rate of 93 percent in 2011. In 2011, 3322 crashes occurred that involved unrestrained motorists and passengers and 202 fatalities. Police say statistics show wearing your seat belt increases your chances of surviving a crash by more than 50 percent.
The Spotlight on Success portion of the Knox Community School Board meeting featured fifth grade teacher Corey Bucher, who talked about a recent “Natural Disasters in Science” field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Superintendent A.J. Gappa summed up the presentation.
“Mr. Bucher also had two students, Kaitlyn Lindberg and Kevin Lovins, to show the reports that they had done and they reported to the board,” said Mr. Gappa. “They talked about their trip and Mr. Bucher was extremely happy that they were allowed to go and talk about all of the positive things that came out of the trip that the fifth grade took to Chicago.”
Things may soon be looking a bit purple in Knox, thanks to the Paint the Town Purple effort for Relay for Life.
Megan Hamand of Key Bank says that supporters will be hanging posters, putting up yard signs, tying purple ribbons around various items in the city, and they will encourage local businesses to show their support for Relay with a window decorating contest. Hamand says she will begin passing out flyers to storefront businesses next week informing them of a competition.
The goal of the competition is for local businesses to decorate their storefronts in purple and encourage visitors to donate money for Relay. Community members can “vote” for the best-decorated business by making a donation to Relay For Life in the business’s donation canister, and whichever business raises the most funds will receive six months of free advertising through Main Street Computers in Knox.
Hamand says she feels local businesses will participate in the event because the community has always shown such a high level of support for the Relay For Life organization.
“I just think that Relay for Life is such a community-wide event. I think everybody really embraces it, so it’s kind of fun to drive through the week before Relay and see the entire town purple and just get a feel. Especially if you’re battling cancer, or if you’re a cancer survivor, just to see that the whole community is behind you, that’s kind of a cool thing,” said Hamand.
The event will take place from May 28 to June 1, with the Relay to take place on June 8.
The staff at the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department encourages you to participate in the Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drive on Wednesday, May 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Winamac.
The Indiana Fallen Officer Blood Drive campaign was founded by Janice Starnes whose husband, Sgt. Daniel Starnes, was killed in the line of duty in 2001. She says this blood drive ensures that our fallen officers are not forgotten and it raises awareness of the dangers officers face every day and the need for blood.
To schedule a blood donation appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or log onto redcrossblood.org.
Here is a look at some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee valley this week:
Tuesday’s Primary Election decided a few contested races in Starke, Pulaski and Marshall Counties. The Oregon-Davis School referendum question brought a lot of controversy in this Primary Election, but in the end, the referendum passed with 699 voters saying yes and 383 voting no. With the passage of this referendum, the Oregon and Davis Township taxpayers will pay a 19 cent increase on each $100 of assessed property value over a period of seven years.
The North Judson Town Board’s plan to increase the size of the board from three members to five will be presented to the public for their approval in November on the general ballot. According to Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry, voters will be asked if they support the referendum to increase the board’s size after the Starke County Election Board ensures it gets on the ballot.
Pulaski County employees who are responsible for driving county-owned vehicles will soon have an added incentive to stay away from drugs and alcohol, as the commissioners this week authorized Cathy Fritz of Cathy Fritz Consulting to draft a drug testing policy to ensure the county meets federal guidelines for employees operating their vehicles.
Fritz told the commissioners she would charge $150 for a 30-page policy which conforms to the strict guidelines in place by the Department of Transportation regarding drug testing. She warned the commissioners that the county would be subject to audit to ensure they are in accordance with their guidelines, but did say that it is unlikely unless an accident were to occur.
The Knox City Council this week discussed the replacement of a lift station near Clabaugh Drive and U.S. 35. According to Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, the council is looking into covering 50 percent of the cost using their TIF funds, with the other half to be taken from the Cumulative Sewer Treatment Fund. Houston says the expected cost of the project is $188,301.08.
A Valparaiso man was arrested May 7 after he reportedly broke into the M.C. Smith Funeral Home in Knox.
The owner of the funeral home, Mark Smith, told police that Sonny St. John’s mother had died and was at the facility, but St. John wanted to change funeral homes. St. John learned that his mother’s trust was paying for the funeral and he reportedly told Smith that he found another home that could do the funeral for cheaper. Smith said St. John could not have the money back from the arrangements already made because it was illegal. St. John allegedly became belligerent and began saying that he would burn down the funeral home if he didn’t get what he wanted. He also threatened to break into the business and take his mother out of the facility. Smith told police that the threats really didn’t mean much– until he saw St. John leaving the facility when he was not there and the doors were locked.
A man accused of breaking into a Knox residence on April 28, 2010 was found not guilty of two charges against him following his jury trial on Wednesday.
James Watts was accused of breaking into a home at 4168 South CR 210 in Knox and stealing multiple tools and gas. He was charged with Burglary as a Class C felony and Theft as a Class D felony after a cigarette found in the residence matched his DNA. The owner of the home, Orlean Janasz, told police that she didn’t know him and nor did her family.
Thursday was a busy day for the Starke Circuit Court, where several initial hearings were heard.
Daily James Potter received his initial hearing in the court and received a number of important dates, including his attorney status hearing on June 6 at 9 a.m. His first pre-trial conference will take place July 18 at 8 a.m., with his second pre-trial conference and plea agreement deadline on August 16 at 8 a.m. Potter is charged with Aggravated Battery as a Class B felony, Robbery as a Class B felony, and Battery as a Class C felony. His bond remains at $75,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim in his case.
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa gave a report to the school board about the recent bus inspection. He says the state police have changed the procedure in inspecting buses.
“In the past, they used to do in the summer and we had weeks to prepare our buses. Now, because the state has cut back on the number of troopers that do the inspections, they have to do them throughout the year,” said Gappa.
IU Health Starke Hospital and IU Health LaPorte Hospital employees will be building a led panel for 25 homes in celebration of Habitat for Humanity of Indianapolis’ 25th Anniversary.
The assembly begins Friday, May 18th and volunteers will be working in one-, two- or four-hour shifts building panels for the homes. You are welcome to help in the process. Volunteers will receive a Habitat for Humanity/IU Health t-shirt. Light refreshments and sunscreen will be provided.
