Today is Election Day! Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. prevailing time today.
Knox residents will be voting at the Knox Community Center, North Judson residents will vote at the North Judson Community Building (the old firehouse) and Hamlet residents will be voting at the Hamlet Fire Station.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall came before the Commissioners yesterday and reported on two bridges in the county.
The first bridge, #51 was closed last week. Siddall said the caps, that were wooden and placed on the bridge in the 1950s, have crushed and failed. He said that this was a bridge that was scheduled to be replaced.
“Several years ago, I’m going to say 10 or 12 years ago, they set up a program to replace these bridges and put them by category by year,” said Siddall. “If we were still on that, this year that bridge was scheduled to be replaced. It will be bid out in the spring.”
Miguel Salazar and Dave Bennett from 1st Source Insurance approached the Pulaski County Commissioners with some good news this week—the county has received a refund of $97,744 on their health insurance.
This refund comes from the Signa program, which allows two-thirds of any surplus in the claims fund not used to pay claims to be refunded to the county, and will more than cover the county’s premium for November. Salazar went on to remind the commissioners that they would not have received this refund from Anthem.
The Community Services of Starke County was recently chosen Agency of the Year.
The Food Bank of Northern Indiana recently presented a plaque to Community Services of Starke County Program Coordinator, Cecilia Torres-Bowman.
Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry currently serves over 250 families a month, a huge jump from serving 150 families in January of 2010. The pantry has matched the government commodities by 240% in 2011 and has been able to operate the food pantry through the generous donation of time and labor from volunteers.
Saying they had heard some complaints from the community, the Starke County Commissioners yesterday voted to have County Attorney, Marty Lucas, create a draft of an employee nepotism ordinance. When passed, the ordinance would spell out that no employee could work directly under a relative in any office.
The ordinance will make it clear that no parents, grandparents, spouse, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, or adopted relatives could be given employment where they work directly under, or having reporting responsibilities, to the supervisor or department head.
The Pulaski Sheriff’s Department has found itself with some more vehicle-related problems. A 2006 Ford Taurus has recently developed an issue with a low oil pressure light, and two different mechanics gave the same grim news: the motor needs rebuilt or replaced.
While this is not good news for any time of the year, it’s especially bad news this late. With the end of this year’s budget approaching, the county’s pockets are close to empty. After getting two quotes on used cars, Sheriff Mike Gayer asked the commissioners to approve $9,900 to purchase a used Buick Lacrosse, but the request comes with a twist—the funds would come from the 2012 budget.
Comedian Jeff Allen is coming to Starke County.
He is bringing his critically acclaimed “Apostles of Comedy” tour to the North Judson-San Pierre High School, on Friday, November 11th at 7:00 p.m. You may have seen him on Comedy Central, VH-1, Showtime, TBN, Family Net or other networks. He has performed for our troops on aircraft carriers and ships in the Indian Ocean and he has been featured at the National Prayer Brakfast in Washington, D.C. and performed for George W. Bush’s Inaugural in 2005.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and emergency personnel were called to a personal injury accident on Saturday afternoon.
The accident occurred on Highway 421 south of San Pierre by the south junction of State Road 10. Carey Foley, 56, of Demotte, was traveling in that area when for some unknown reason, he passed out, left the roadway, hit a tree, hit a utility pole and then hit another tree and came to rest. Foley was pinned in the vehicle and the San Pierre and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments were called to the scene to assist with extrication. Foley was airlifted from the scene to Memorial Hospital in South Bend and his condition is unknown at this time.
Brett Kersey appeared in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday. The state submitted a plea offer, but it was rejected by the defense. Kersey’s attorney, Richard Ballard, will be taking the case to trial. Kersey is charged with Child Molesting, Rape, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He faces a potential sentence of 20-50 years in prison.
The Knox City Council will welcome a special speaker during their regular meeting this week.
Candice Bernier, Special Projects Coordinator for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, will focus on planning for the future of downtown Knox.
The Knox City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Knox Community Center and you are invited to attend the presentation to hear those ideas and suggest ideas during the meeting. Other agenda items include the first reading of a salary ordinance for elected officials, the second reading of the change of fees and fines for the animal ordinance, and a resolution for the rebonding of the Knox Community Center.
Immunization eligibility requirements are changing as of January 1st, 2012.
All childhood immunizations are administered by the local health departments for free of charge, but due to funding constraints, eligibility requirements are changing. The State will only be providing childhood vaccines to the local health departments that have patrons who are on any type of Medicaid insurance, who are American Indian/Alaskan Native children, and those who are underinsured. “Underinsured” is defined as having no insurance, insurance that does not cover vaccines or the insurance caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount.
Denise Dalton, 42, of Knox, received her sentence in the Starke Circuit Court on Thursday for Possession of Methamphetamine, as a Class D Felony. All other charges against her were dismissed, including Manufacturing Methamphetamine as a Class A Felony, Illegal Drug Lab, and Battery.
Dalton was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with none of that time suspended. Her time will be served on home detention with electronic monitoring by Community Corrections, and was given 16 days credit for time served.
Samuel Smith plead guilty last week to battering his wife in the presence of his two-year-old child. Smith was present in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday along with his attorney, Richard Ballard.
Convicted of a Class D Felony, Domestic Battery with a Child Present, Smith will serve 18 months in the Department of Corrections with none of that sentence suspended. A $50 domestic violence fee has also been imposed, and he will submit to a DNA cheek swab. He was credited with 176 days served, and he is also required to complete a Batterer’s Intervention program.
As part of the plea agreement, charges of Criminal Confinement and Resisting Law Enforcement were dismissed.
The Pulaski County Drug Free Council has drafted and adopted a new three year comprehensive plan for combating the abuse of drugs and alcohol in the county. The plan was created after data was collected from the community.
The plan will be funded through the collection of drug interdiction fees received through the criminal justice system from those convicted of substance abuse offenses. That money is then awarded as grants to people and agencies that can effectively achieve the goals of the comprehensive plan.
The Knox Christmas tree lighting ceremony is on Sunday, November 27th.
Prior to the tree lighting, the Knox-Center Township Fire Department will be sponsoring a Christmas Parade. The fire trucks will leave the South Side Fire Station at approximately 4:30 p.m. and travel north on Main Street to the Starke County Courthouse in the downtown area. The firemen will be delivering Santa Claus to the tree lighting ceremony on the Courthouse Square at 5:00 p.m.
The Singing Hoosiers show choir will perform in concert in Winamac at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 13th at the Winamac Community High School Socialtorium. Several Winamac High School singers are, or have been, a member of this choir. The Singing Hoosiers have a 60 year history and the group has appeared with such legendary entertainers as Bob Hope, Alan Sherman, Red Buttons, Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, and Indiana’s favorite son Hoagy Charmichael.
Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 6th, at 2:00 a.m. You will need to set your clock back one hour before you go bed tonight (Saturday) or at 2:00 a.m. prevailing time Sunday morning.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 marks the change in the observance of Daylight Saving Time. It officially begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Here is just some of the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
Paul Paul Kosta, of Rensselaer, died after he was injured in an accident where Marilyn Stellingwerf pulled into the path of a vehicle driven by Vaid Robinson, of Hamlet, at the intersection of State Road 8 and U.S. 35 north of Knox on Saturday, October 29th. Continue reading
The case against Stacie Brown continues with a plea deadline extension that was accepted by the Starke Circuit Court. Judge Kim Hall granted an extension to December 1st at 8:00 a.m. to allow Brown’s attorney, Timothy Lemon, to finish the discovery of the case and speak to some of the state’s witnesses. Lemon says the discovery is going well, but because expert witnesses are involved, he would like more time in order to speak to each of them.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a break-in incident in Walkerton.
A man wearing a ninja costume broke into a home in the 19000 block of 4B Road. According to the police report, as the homeowner was on the phone with police after hearing noises outside the home, an unknown man broke in through a kitchen window. The man entered the master bedroom where the caller was on the phone with police, turned around and left the residence. Nothing was stolen and no one was injured.
