Congressman Joe Donnelly took a few minutes to talk on the House floor about Robert Tauteris, Jr., of Hamlet, who died while serving his country in Afghanistan.
Robert’s two sons, Robert J. Tauteris III and Mathew, plus his daughter-in-law, Kayla, watched his speech from the gallery in the House chamber.
The Board of Directors of Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County met in Executive Session this week. According to Board President Judy Jelinek, the board will be meeting in an open session Wednesday, February 22nd, and will discuss the appointment of a financial committee and a personnel matter.
The appointment of a financial committee will be new for the organization as financial matters were handled by the state in the past. Quarterly reports were sent to the state by the local organization.
There is still no final decision in the matter regarding the building permit issued to Julia Ford for a structure at 6690 East 250 North in Grovertown following the recent meeting of the Starke County Board of Zoning Appeals.
Neighbor Betty Dotlich objects to the permit, citing the structure as commercial and not residential and, therefore, the structure should not be allowed to remain on the property. Dotlich presented the board with a thick packet of documentation regarding the situation, and a motion was made by the board to table the matter for a month’s time in order to digest the information presented.
A Grovertown man and his passenger were arrested Thursday morning after the Starke County Sheriff’s Department attempted to serve an arrest warrant at his home. Continue reading
Federal prosecutors are asking for a life prison term for a man who pleaded guilty to making child pornography while living in San Pierre. A sentencing report was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Hammond.
Randall Fletcher, Jr. pleaded guilty in September of last year to taking pornographic pictures of a seven year old child in February 2002 in San Pierre. Before that, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder when he tried to have the mother of a 15-year-old girl he was having sex with killed. This was in 1995.
Dylan Woolley was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday morning.
He had pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to charges of Burglary as a Class C Felony and Theft as a Class D Felony. He was arrested in August of last year after he told police that he broke into a garage. He told police that he didn’t find anything in the garage that he wanted so he went to another location and took two tents and a cordless drill from a shed. The items were returned to the owner.
Woolley was sentenced to three years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on the burglary charge and 18 months on the theft charge. The sentences were suspended and he will serve three years on probation.
The Eastern Pulaski School Board got an update this week on teacher evaluation training from Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman.
“It’s very complex and it’s brand new,” stated Dr. Klitzman. “Before you can evaluate any teachers, you need to go through a series of training. There are four training sessions and we have now gone through two of them. It’s designed to give feedback, very specifically, with data, with evidence, on what a teacher is doing and how they can perhaps do something differently to have a greater impact on student learning, or highlight, celebrate and recognize the good things they are doing. Ultimately, these evaluations are going to be tied to their compensation.”
There are a few vacancies on the WKVI tour bus that will head to Washington, D.C. in June.
“It’s the 14th-18th of June and you know we’ve got six seats available,” said Ed Hasnerl who will be leading the group on the trip. “We’ve had some folks who had to change their plans and they’ve canceled. Six seats have opened up. If you would like to go, let’s get those requests in.”
A Nappanee man was involved in an accident early this morning on Beech Road in Marshall County.
Indiana State Police Sergeant Trent Smith told us that at 6:00 a.m. ET yesterday, passersby found tracks alongside the road that led into a drainage ditch. They saw that a pick-up truck had overturned into the 20 foot deep ditch that was filled with six inches of water. Indiana State Police officers arrived on scene and found one occupant, 75-year-old Louis Cady, dead inside the vehicle.
A preliminary autopsy conducted in Mishawaka by Certified Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Prahlow, showed that Louis Cady, 75, of Nappanee, died from drowning. Marshall County Coroner, Bill Cleavenger, who released the press release, stated that he believes Cady was traveling on an unfamiliar stretch of road, drifted left and rolled down an embankment into the ditch sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. The accident remains under investigation by the Coroner, Indiana State Police and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
A man involved in a crash near Plymouth Monday afternoon that injured him and a child is being held in the Marshall County jail on $100,000 bond.
Police say 29-year-old Anthony McNeal of Plymouth was attempting to cross U.S. 31 at the intersection of 2C Road and pulled into the path of an oncoming semi. The semi hit the passenger side of the vehicle and it spun off the roadway. McNeal was reportedly unrestrained and was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported by helicopter to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. His daughter, 6-month-old Reese McNeal was a passenger in the vehicle. She was transported by ambulance to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.
The North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department was called to a house fire Tuesday morning at about 10:13 a.m.
Firefighters, Starke County EMS and the North Judson Police Department responded to 3942 W. 3rd Street. The fire was contained to the upper level of the home and the home sustained major smoke damage. A two-year-old child was taken from the residence to IU Health Starke Hospital and hospitalized.
A $424,620 grant was recently presented to the City of Knox by Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman. Knox Mayor Rick Chambers accompanied a number of members from the Coalition Against Domestic Abuse, or CADA, to the Indianapolis presentation last Friday for the award ceremony.
The City of Knox applied for a Community Focus Fund Grant, in partnership with CADA. In previous meetings of the Knox City Council, Ruth Matsey explained the need for an addition to the Phoenix House building. Water ruined a portion of the building that was used for storage. The money from the grant will be used for the construction of the addition.
Several donations have been made by businesses and individuals toward the acquisition of a new grand piano for the music department at the Winamac High School. Eastern Pulaski School Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman said the Winamac Music Boosters’ quest is moving along.
The Knox City Council discussed the need to do a Water Rates Study. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained the situation to the Council.
“We’re asking Umbaugh to do a study on the last three calendar years to determine the trends and the amounts of revenue that we have for the operation, maintenance, cash expenses, debt service requirements in the water department. They will also come up with a capital improvement plan so that we know that we have enough money in the future to cover whatever we need.”
The Fourth of July is a little less than five months away and the Starke County Fireworks Committee is gearing up for the 2012 celebration at the airport.
According to Linda Berndt, Knox City Councilwoman, a meeting was held last week to solicit ideas for raising funds. A fish fry is already set up for April 20th at the Knox Moose Lodge and a Nelson’s Port-a-Pit Chicken sale is tentatively scheduled for June.
If you would like to help with the fireworks, you are invited to contact Linda Berndt at 772-2300.
Winamac Park Department employees have been cleaning the park after the recent flooding event.
The Tippecanoe River runs through the Winamac Town Park and the water had risen to high levels in the past few months due to snow melt and rains. The back of the park had been closed to keep park patrons from entering the flooded area. The employees were also clearing the river of garbage and other debris from the park.
Mayor Rick Chambers passed out praise at the Knox City Council meeting this week. Chambers thanked Knox City Police Officer, Chad Dulin, and Knox-Center Township fireman, Wayne Noah, for quick action in saving the life of a child in an accident that occurred Saturday at 200 East and State Road 8. The car went into the ditch and began filling with water. The pair arrived on scene and helped get the child out of the car. The fire department then arrived on the scene and extricated the driver out of the car.
The Mayor also praised the Knox High School Girls basketball team who brought home the first Sectional crown since 1995.
Love was in the air Tuesday in the Starke County Clerk’s office. Clerk Evelyn Skronski performed three wedding ceremonies in the conference room, and has two more weddings coming up Friday thanks to expert service of companies like the event and wedding planner DC. Attended and photos captured by Catherine J. Gross Photography – Maine engagement photographer.
On a side note, wedding photos are one of the few things in life that we should preserve, though almost half of marriages don’t succeed, the other half does and that calls for a celebration. Printing your photos in a PrintedMemories wedding photo book is a great idea to look back into the time with quality photos.
Without the requirement of blood certificates, the whole process can take no longer than a half an hour. Anyone 16 years of age and younger has to have permission of the court and parents, those who are 17 years old have to have parental approval, and anyone aged 18 to 21 has to have a birth certificate and identification. If you are over the age of 21, you to only have an I.D. Men that are about to be married might also want to visit a tungsten wedding rings outlet if they still have not chosen a wedding ring for their big day.
The Clerk said the charge is $2.00 for the paperwork and $18.00 for the ceremony and you can be married with or without witnesses.
One happy groom told Evelyn Tuesday, The $20.00 fee is a sure a lot cheaper than my divorce.”
February, specifically Valentine’s Day, June and December are the big wedding months for marriages in the Starke County Clerk’s Office. She said a lot of couples in December say they want to be eligible for the tax deduction. Designer Dream is a one-stop destination wedding planner Toronto for all your wedding needs. Whether you’re looking to have an exclusive beach ceremony abroad or just want some help with logistics, this company has it covered!
The West Central Lady Trojans have won their 2nd consecutive sectional title! The Trojans had very little trouble collecting their championship in the all Midwest Conference sectional at North White. In their first game, West Central outscored Pioneer 26-6 in the first half on their way to a 43-22 win, behind Marissa Hamilton’s game-high 15 points. The Trojans came back in their second game to defeat Tri-County 54-39 and put themselves in the championship game. The duo of Hamilton and Justine Kruger combined for 37 of the team’s 54 points. In the championship game, West Central’s smothering defense was too much for Caston as the Trojans defeated the Lady Comets 43-18. Again, it was the combination of Hamilton and Kruger who lead the offensive charge, this time scoring 34 of the team’s 43 points. This sectional championship is the fourth in the six year coaching career of Gina Hierlmeier, proving that tradition never graduates!
West Central (18-5) will be taking on Fort Wayne Canterbury (21-2) in the first round of the Caston Regional. Congratulations to the West Central Lady Trojans on their 2nd consecutive sectional championship!
The Knox Lady Redskins have won their first sectional championship since 1995! After starting the year at 2-10, the Lady Redskins have now won 11 of their last 12 games. Their first victory of the Kankakee Valley sectional came against Andrean. The ‘Skins were lead in scoring by Hope Wagner (14) in a 53-38 effort. Knox then came back in the second round and were victorious once again, this time over Calumet 45-26. Once again, Knox was lead by Wagner who scored a game-high 12 points. The Redskins came out in the championship game ready to end the school’s 17 year drought. Knox played an incredible all-around game in a 59-45 win over Hanover Central. Shelby Gilbert was on fire from the start, knocking down four 3-pointers on her way to a 15-point game. Kaitlin Zachary added 12 points and was dominant on the boards, pulling down 15 rebounds. Hope Wagner lead the ‘Skins in scoring with 19 points. Chelsea Combs played solid defense all game long against Hanover’s top player. The Lady Redskins were so focused on being able to cut down the nets, they did not want to wait for the post game championship pictures, immediately going to the ladder after they were given the trophy ready to get their piece of history!
Knox (13-11) will be taking on Western (17-6) in the first round of the Rensselaer Regional. Congratulations to the Knox Lady Redskins on bringing home the school’s first sectional championship in 17 years!
