The United States Postal System recently announced the consolidation of mail processing centers in several locations in the state, including Northern Indiana.
“These included moving the mail processing operations from South Bend to Fort Wayne, also moving the operations in Gary to the South Suburban facility in Illinois,” said Mary Dando, spokesperson for the United States Postal System in the Greater Indiana District.
Dando was asked when this will take effect.
Republican State Representative Tom Dermody will be holding a press conference this morning at 10:00 a.m. CT at LaPorte City Hall concerning the approval of Senate Bill 19 that will help solve the property tax issues in LaPorte County.
Recently, taxpayers were notified they had 10 days to pay property tax bills from 2007. Senate Bill 19 would give taxpayers at least 18 months to send in their payments, or more if the county council decides to extend the deadline. In an effort to encourage prompt payments, the council could grant a tax credit of up to two percent of delayed property taxes if the taxes are paid within 30 days. Additionally, the county would be prohibited from placing a property on tax sale for at least one year after the payment deadline.
The most recent session of the Indiana Legislature could be coming to an end sooner than it’s cut-off date, according to Democrat State Senator Jim Arnold, of LaPorte.
“We are required to be out of session by March 14th,” stated Senator Arnold. “The strong rumors and all indications are they are going to shoot to be out of here no later than March 9th which would be a week from Friday. There are still plenty of work to be done and a lot of issues to be discussed and voted on. I think it’s a real probability and most of us are hoping that’s the case.”
Senator Arnold was asked if the right to work measure was too time consuming and pushed back many important pieces of legislation.
Seventh grade students from the Knox Middle School will be visiting Ancilla College today. According to Todd Zeltwanger, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at the college, the students will tour the facility, visit classrooms, the dining area, and Chapel. They will also visit with faculty members including those in the nursing department.
The Starke County Community Foundation is announcing three new scholarship opportunities for high school seniors. Added this year are the Altman Family Scholarship for students at North Judson-San Pierre High School, the James and Carris Lucas Scholarship for Knox High School students, and the Physicians Hospital System Visionary Scholarship which will provide one scholarship for a Starke County student and also one for a Marshall County student.
A plea agreement was thrown out of court yesterday for Jenny Keeton, charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor as a Class C Felony and Dealing in a Scheduled II Controlled Substance as a Class A felony.
The agreement requested Keeton serve four years in the Department of Corrections with two of those years suspended, to be served on home detention followed by probation. The Class A Felony, which carries a minimum sentence of 20 years, would be dismissed. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall rejected the agreement, saying he has no reason to accept an agreement with probation because he believes her extensive past, including 16 prior charges with several violations of probation, disqualifies her for the privilege.
A status hearing was set for March 9 to allow Keeton’s attorney, Richard Ballard, to form a new plea agreement with Prosecutor Nick Bourff that would appease Judge Hall.
Keeton admitted in court to encouraging her niece to take methadone, a controlled substance, while she stayed at her home. Keeton said she told the girl to take the medication because she was suffering of pain—but Judge Hall said he didn’t buy her version of the story.
Don Good from the Good Oil Company in Winamac has said this week that you can forget what you may have read about the laws of supply and demand when it comes to gasoline prices. The supply of oil and gasoline is higher today than it was three years ago when a gallon of gasoline sold for $1.90.
There is a culprit – Wall Street speculators. A decade ago they controlled 30% of the oil futures market. Today they control 80%.
The Indiana State Board of Education recently notified Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney that the elementary school will be honored at the Indiana Statehouse today.
“They extended an invitation to me to bring our Elementary Principal, Mr. Bennett, and four of our elementary teachers to be recognized at the Indiana Statehouse on Thursday morning,” said Dr. Disney. “They’re recognizing the ten most improved schools in the State of Indiana and said that Oregon-Davis was 9th and that’s out of almost 900 schools.”
A San Pierre man was arrested Tuesday after police found him to be intoxicated and in possession of prescription medication while at the Winamac boys basketball Sectional tournament.
A student approached Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputies at the high school and told them that a man was in the stands threatening students and he smelled of alcohol. Police lead Craig Madsen into a hallway and asked him if he had been drinking. He denied drinking alcohol and became argumentative. Police administered several sobriety tests and found him to be under the influence. He consented to a Portable Breath Test which reportedly registered .085 BAC. Madsen was told he was under arrest for Public Intoxication.
Last month the City of Knox sold an old fire truck on eBay to a man in Michigan. Mayor Rick Chambers is back with another deal you just can’t pass up.
“All of the street signs have been replaced with new, high prismatic signs,” said Mayor Chambers. “All 256 signs are done. Jeff has sorted through and taken the ones that are just junk and has them in a pile and they’re going to haul them off for scrap. There are about 150-180 stop signs that are in pretty good shape and 30-40 yield signs. They’re too good to scrap and I think maybe we could just sell them for $10 apiece. Maybe I could check with the county or Hamlet or North Judson and see if they can use any of them.”
A North Judson man was arrested Monday on battery and theft charges.
Bradley White, 23, allegedly battered a person visiting his home and his live-in girlfriend. During the course of the investigation, police learned that he might be harboring stolen property. A warrant was obtained by North Judson Police and White’s Franklin Street apartment was searched and stolen property was reportedly recovered.
White has preliminary charges of Battery, two counts, and Possession of Stolen Property.
The property in question was reportedly taken from his neighbor’s home. The original burglary call was made in December. Police continue to investigate the case and more arrests are anticipated.
Troopers from the Indiana State Police, Lowell District will be participating in a drunk driving blitz beginning tomorrow.
Through Sunday, March 18th, officers will work overtime to conduct high-visibility enforcement activities designed specifically to identify impaired drivers. You will see an increased number of officers patrolling for aggressive drivers and unrestrained motorists during the 17-day mobilization.
Eric Corey’s spirit will be alive Saturday night at the Washington Township Building in Starke County.
Eric was the inspiration for the Turkey Tracks annual hunt in Starke County in which physically challenged youngsters go into the woods to try to bag a turkey. 22 guides and volunteers met this week to map out the April event and prepare for the Saturday night fish fry and stage show.
How many remember the fire in June of 1998 at the Starke County Annex?
It was on this date in 1999 that the Starke County Government Building was formally opened for business. The re-dedication services gave government officials a chance to thank those who helped contain the fire and those who helped restore it to its present condition.
Also in 1999, Dan Frain and Bob Curtis asked the Winamac Town Board’s approval to seek Lilly Endowment grant money to build a “Y” in Winamac next to the town swimming pool.
It was on this date in 1995 that Red Carpet and Furniture in Winamac burned to the ground.
In 1999, long-time Winamac resident Bill Russell, passed away. Russell, along with brothers Joe and Fred, plus brother-in-law Don Bome, ran Russell’s Trading Post in Winamac.
A suspect who had remained at-large since December 20th in the Knox CVS armed robbery incident, is now in the Starke County Jail. Jonathan Hummel is facing charges of Dealing a Narcotic Drug, two counts of Armed Robbery, Resisting Law Enforcement, Criminal Mischief, Forgery, Attempted Forgery, and Theft. He is being held under a $500,000 surety bond. The other suspect, Nathan Hummel, was arrested at the Raymond Hummel residence on Union Road in Marshall County after the incident occurred.
It is alleged that on Tuesday, December 20th, Jonathan Hummel, along with Nathan Hummel, entered the CVS store wearing disguises and held one store employee at knife-point and the other demanded prescriptions from the pharmacist at knife-point. The pharmacist ran to the back of the store and the suspect reportedly jumped over the counter and removed several thousand dollars worth of prescription drugs from the pharmacy. The suspects then left the store and the employees called 911.
Starke County emergency personnel were called to an accident yesterday afternoon where two vehicles burst into flames.
When officers arrived at the scene at U.S. 421 in San Pierre, they found a semi and a car fully engulfed in flames. Both drivers had been pulled from the wreckage. Officers determined that the driver of the passenger vehicle crossed the center line causing the accident. The semi was hauling mattresses which took firefighters nearly three hours to extinguish.
The Indiana State Police have informed Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff that claims of impropriety have been brought against Sheriff Oscar Cowen by former deputy, Don Ferguson.
Because he works closely with the Starke County Police, Prosecutor Bourff petitioned for a special prosecutor to handle the claims. Also issuing an Order of Recusal and Assignment of Special Judge was Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall. The Special Judge assigned to the case is the Honorable Jeffrey Thode of Porter Superior Court #6 located in Portage, Indiana. This Judge will conduct all future proceedings including a ruling on the pending Petition for a Special Prosecutor.
The Starke County Environmental Management District recently filed actions in Small Claims Court for collection of about 150 past-due solid water assessments. If you are among those who receive notice of one of these small claims, you may receive correspondence from an attorney or law office suggesting that bankruptcy is an option.
As gasoline prices go up dramatically at the pump, everyone is considering how to absorb the extra cost of driving.
With gasoline consumption down to the 1989 level, it looks like gasoline prices should be going down. According to Don Good from the Good Oil Company in Winamac, the speculators are holding the prices in the higher price range. There’s something else coming soon that will impact prices, too.
Starke County’s Coalition Against Domestic Abuse, or CADA, is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from Kankakee Valley REMC.
CADA received the money through the Operation Round-up Trust grant program. The money will be used to expand the Phoenix House, a transitional housing program for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children. The additional space will add meeting/advocacy rooms for clients, additional office space and storage space for donated items for victims of domestic abuse. A restroom will also be built for convenience of advocacy volunteers.
