Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Recycling Center Truck Repair

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

A $3,000 repair bill for a pickup truck was approved by the Pulaski County Commissioners this week for the county recycling center. According to Recycling Center Director Ed Clark, the Dodge truck’s motor needed rebuilt and he presented three bids for the repair.

The bids each came with three-year warranties for the motor, but the commissioners chose the lowest bid from Allen’s Automotive with the help of Offroad Power Products. The $3,160 expense was approved and will be paid from the recycling center’s equipment repair fund, pending council approval.

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Knox Woman Arrested on Theft, Illegal Drug Lab Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Angela May

A Knox woman was arrested by Plymouth Police officers after a theft incident on Friday.

Plymouth police responded to a theft complaint from Walmart. When police took her into custody, she was allegedly in possession of three precursors used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. She was also reportedly intoxicated.

Angela R. May, 42, was arrested and taken to the Marshall County Jail on preliminary charges of Theft, Public Intoxication and Possession of an Illegal Drug Lab.

Winamac Man Accused of Theft from Ace Hardware

Posted on Author WKVI

A Winamac man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly stole items from Ace Hardware in Winamac.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department was advised of a shoplifter in the store. The officer was told by a female employee that the suspect was believed to have been involved in a prior theft incident. Store employees said Duane Altman walked out of the store with three wrenches in his hand.

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Thank a Nurse during National Nurses Week May 6-12, 2012

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County Health Department is celebrating National Nurses Week this week.

National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the ways in which registered nurses are working to improve health care. Nursing is the largest health care profession and nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry.

3.1 million registered nurses work in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, research facilities and in hospitals all across the United States.

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Plymouth Man Injured in Crash

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was injured after a one vehicle accident in Marshall County.

Marshall County police responded to a report of a vehicle rollover on U.S. 31 north of 1st Road. The vehicle left the roadway, going down and striking an embankment and rolling over several times. The vehicle came to rest on its top in the side yard of a residence. The driver, Teofilo Cuatiacuatl, was seat belted in his vehicle and was extricated from the vehicle. He was transported to South Bend Memorial Hospital and later released.

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Starke County Jail Committee Receives Timeline

Posted on Author WKVI

Lisa A. Lee, partner at Ice Miller LLP, presented a draft timetable for the Starke County Jail project to the jail committee on Friday. The timetable included a list of dates for important steps that must be completed for the project to move forward.

The next committee meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of June 15, when the committee will receive an update from the DLZ Architectural Firm and the Skillman Corporation regarding cost proposals and budgets. Community meetings are expected to be held June 25-30, but that date could be moved sooner if the committee decides to move a month early.

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Services To Be Held For Two Prominent Starke County Residents

Posted on Author WKVI

Funeral services will be held for two prominent Starke County residents today.

Seventy-three year old Bill Schacht was a lifetime resident of North Judson, where he raised his family and made a living farming, excavating and trucking. He was one of the original founders of the North Judson Jaycees. Schacht retired after 20 years from both the North Judson-San Pierre School Board and the Starke Memorial Hospital Board. Services will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.

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State Revenue Report Indicates Increase In Collections

Posted on Author WKVI

The monthly revenue report for April 2012 state tax collections was recently released.

Total revenue collections were $1.8 billion, $159 million more than projected by the revenue forecast updated on Dec. 14, 2011. Through April, state general fund revenues have increased 9 percent compared to the same period last year.

Individual income tax collections significantly exceeded the April target, primarily as a result of the Department of Revenue’s improvements in the processing of tax returns. The 44.9 percent growth in individual income tax collection is also partially attributable to a 20 percent increase in withholdings.

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Indiana Farm Bureau Reports Increase in Grocery Prices

Posted on Author WKVI

The Indiana Farm Bureau has released grocery price statistics for the first quarter of this year.

Prices rose slightly, but that increase was enough to set a new record high for food prices on the survey. Sixteen food items on the survey cost an average of $51.15, up $1.55 from the fourth-quarter 2011 survey. The previous record was $50.70, set in the third quarter of 2008. Of the 16 items surveyed, six decreased in prices while ten increased.

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Starke County Youth Club Radiothon Exceeds Goal

Posted on Author WKVI
Irene Szakonyi

They did it. The Starke County Youth Club successfully raised over $40,000 during the radiothon on WKVI, and they’re still counting donations.

Youth Club Executive Director Irene Szakonyi thanked everyone involved in the six-hour fundraiser that took place yesterday.

“Thank you so much, and really, it isn’t me– it is the combination of all of these wonderful people in our community. WKVI, you guys are awesome. It is our board of directors, our staff, the families, the communities, friends, and neighbors, that we have who opened up their checkbooks today and really came through for our kids,” said Szakonyi.

The club provides services every year for more than 600 students in each of the Starke County school systems.

Governor Signs SEA 274 into Law

Posted on Author WKVI
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels

Governor Mitch Daniels signed Senate Enrolled Act 274 into law Friday, known as the “Indiana Lifeline Law.”

The legislation provides immunity for certain alcohol-related offenses committed by minors who seek emergency medical assistance.

Daniels says he is proud of the college students who pushed for a new law designed to encourage people to seek medical help for those who are dangerously intoxicated. The law shields people from arrest on public intoxication or underage drinking charges if they get help for someone facing an alcohol-related emergency.

Supporters hope the law that takes effect July 1 will make college students and others more likely to report alcohol poisoning.

The state reports 21 underage drinkers have died in Indiana since 2004 because of alcohol poisoning.

Senator Ed Charbonneau Named to State Fiscal Health Work Group

Posted on Author WKVI
State Senator Ed Charbonneau

State Senator Ed Charbonneau will be serving on a national group of state legislators working to prepare state governments for future financial stability in economic crises.

Charbonneau was one of 12 legislators nationwide selected to serve on the bipartisan State Fiscal Health Work Group recently created by the National Conference of State Legislators. The group will search for ways to strengthen state budgets during financial hardships and compile a “Principles of Sound State Budgeting Practices” report that will serve as a guide for legislatures throughout the country during crisis times.

Members will meet together in Washington, D.C. in June and Chicago in August.

Local College Graduate Finds Calling in Jewelry

Posted on Author WKVI

She’s always loved jewelry, just like Bijouteriehidous.com, but it wasn’t until recently that Stacey Horan of Knox began to dabble in its creation. Horan says jewelry-making was something she essentially stumbled into after attending I.U. Bloomington for four years, earning herself a degree in Apparel Merchandising and Business. Following college, Horan applied to several corporate apparel chains– but didn’t have much luck.

“In apparel merchandising, you basically learn how to merchandise anything retail; the apparel part was just a focus. So, I had to take a textiles class, a manufacturing and quality class, but essentially it was business: how to sell, retail, how to develop a brand image, and all that good stuff. And so I learned all that, applied to all those places that turned me down, so jewelry was kind of like a last option,” she said.

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Gas Prices Seem to Be Steadily Declining

Posted on Author WKVI

Gas prices seem to be falling in Indiana, although the average state price is still a little higher than the national average. Indiana’s average price for gas is $3.92 per gallon– thirteen cents higher than the national average of $3.79.

At the beginning of May, Indiana’s average dropped to around $3.83, but within two days it spiked back up to $3.93. In the last month, the lowest average price for fuel in the state was $3.79 on April 25.

The national average is on a steady decline as well. On April 5, the average price for gas was roughly $3.92, but over the course of a month, the price has decreased to rest at $3.79. Only twice within the last month has the Indiana average been lower than the national average.

Muncie Woman Looks Forward to Being Debt-Free After Winning Scratch-Off

Posted on Author WKVI
Jennifer Reichert

A Muncie woman plans to pay off her student loans after turning $3 into $50,000, thanks to a Hoosier Lottery Scratch-off. Jennifer Reichert claimed her $50,000 prize at Hoosier Lottery Headquarters in Indianapolis on April 30.

The mother of three says being debt-free will be wonderful, having won the Wild Cherry Crossword Tripler Scratch-off, which she says is her favorite game.

Reichert purchased her winning ticket at P and J Food Mart in Muncie.

Since its inception in 1989, the Hoosier Lottery has produced $4 billion in net income for the citizens of Indiana, nearly $1 billion in commissions and bonuses for participating Indiana retailers, and has paid out $8.5 billion in player prizes.

The Hoosier Lotto jackpot is up to $1 million, and the Powerball’s estimated jackpot is up to $60 million. The Hoosier Lottery reminds players to always play responsibly and always sign the back of their tickets.