City of Knox to Sell Retired Stop Signs

Posted on Author WKVI

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.”

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North Judson Man Arrested on Battery Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Bradley White

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.

Indiana State Police, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department to Step up DUI Patrols

Posted on Author WKVI

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.

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Fundraiser Scheduled for Turkey Tracks Event

Posted on Author WKVI
Eric Corey

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.

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From the WKVI Archives

Posted on Author WKVI

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.

Jonathan Hummel in Police Custody

Posted on Author WKVI
Johnathan Hummel

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.

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No Life Threatening Injuries in Fiery Crash in San Pierre

Posted on Author WKVI

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.

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Claims of Impropriety Filed Against Starke County Sheriff

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen

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.

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Gas Prices to Slowly Rise to over $4.00 a Gallon

Posted on Author WKVI

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.

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CADA Receives $10,000 Grant

Posted on Author WKVI
Judy Jelinek, Operation Roundup member, presents a check to Wendy Elam, Executive Director for CADA

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.

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It’s Leap Day!

Posted on Author WKVI

Today is Leap Day! February 29th is a date that usually occurs every four years, and is called Leap Day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days.

In the Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, most years that are evenly divisible by four are leap years. In each leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28. Adding an extra day to the calendar every four years compensates for the fact that a period of 365 days is shorter than a solar year by almost six hours.

Taylor Davis Named Employee of the Year

Posted on Author WKVI
Taylor Davis

Taylor Davis, Charge Nurse at Golden Living Center – Knox, has been selected as Employee of the Year.

Taylor Davis has been part of the Golden Living Center team since September 2009, and is responsible for supervising resident’s nursing care. Davis was selected as Employee of the Year based on her contribution to providing excellent care in a compassionate and comfortable environment. Additionally, she was one of the team members who helped the facility achieve a deficiency-free survey in 2011.

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North Judson-San Pierre Woodwind Ensemble Performs Live on WKVI

Posted on Author WKVI
The North Judson-San Pierre Woodwind Ensemble performs live on WKVI

Members of the North Judson-San Pierre Woodwind Ensemble performed the “Reformation Symphony – Symphony #5” by Felix Mendelssohn this morning live in the WKVI studios. The group, lead by Director Matthew Hibbets, played for about 10 minutes and thoroughly entertained the staff at the radio station and the listeners. Any other ensemble wishing to perform live at the WKVI Studio is welcome to contact Tom Berg at (574) 772-7600 or email Tom at tom@wkvi.com. (Anita Goodan plays the alto saxophone and would love to play along if you would be willing to share the music. Her sight-readings skills are pretty good, but she would appreciate a chance to practice before performance time.) Continue reading →

Oregon-Davis Referendum Should Not Impact Circuit Breaker

Posted on Author WKVI

The Oregon-Davis proposed operating referendum will not impact the Circuit Breaker if approved. That information was received yesterday from Curt Pletcher of Umbaugh and Associates in Plymouth.

“With a referendum, a school corporation would have a question on the ballot which would have a maximum tax rate,” explained Pletcher. “When a school really pursues an operating referendum, they look at their state support for their General Fund. If a referendum is passed, it is not subject to the Circuit Breaker caps. In other words, the levy would not impact the current Circuit Breaker tax credits for the school or the overlapping taxing units.”

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Gas Prices on the Rise

Posted on Author WKVI

West Covina, California, became the first area to hit $5.00 a gallon gasoline over the weekend. Could we be far behind? Will it be $5.00 a gallon gasoline for us by Memorial Day?

Don Good of the Good Oil Company in Winamac explains how gasoline prices could be going up so radically while consumption is going down.

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Plymouth Woman Crashes into Fire House

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth woman was arrested Saturday after leaving the scene of an accident.

Officers from the Plymouth Police Department were called to the Plymouth Fire Station in reference to an accident. According to police, a red Jeep had struck the Plymouth Fire Station and two people fled the scene on foot at about 2:35 a.m. ET. Police learned that one possible suspect lived in the Plymouth area.

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