Starke County Emergency Personnel Responds to Three Vehicle Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County emergency personnel were called to a three vehicle accident at the intersection of State Road 8 and U.S. 35 Saturday.

Marilyn Stellingwerf, 83, of Demotte, was at the intersection when she pulled onto U.S. 35 and into the path of a vehicle driven by Vaid Robinson, 74, of Hamlet. Robinson hit the passenger side of Stellingwerf’s vehicle, causing it to spin into the southbound lane of U.S. 35. Robinson’s vehicle was struck by a southbound vehicle driven by Brandon Brammer, 27, of Knox.

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Starke County Jail Commitee Meets

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Jail

The Starke County Jail Committee met Friday afternoon at the Starke County Courthouse. The committee has been assembled to look at options for building a new, or renovate, the troubled Starke County Jail.

The committee concentrated on the Needs Assessment Study on Friday and were left with assignments to complete before the next meeting on November 14th.

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Meet the Candidates for North Judson Town Board in Ward 3

Posted on Author WKVI

North Judson Town Board President Dan Anderson, a Democrat, is running against Republican Tim Cummins for a seat on the Board in the November 8th election.

Anderson lives in North Judson, where he is also the Town Superintendent. He has been involved with waste water utilities for 23 years and law enforcement for 10 years. He is a father of four, and grandfather of three.

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Parents Vote to Continue with Music Programs at West Central

Posted on Author WKVI

The results of the West Central Elementary School parent surveys regarding music programs are in.

Elementary School Principal, Tony Brose, told the School Board that the surveys show that the parents are in favor keeping the music programs. A Kindergarten through fifth grade Christmas program will be held on December 20th, the third grade students will hold a March concert with recorders and the second graders will do a vocal concert in March. The fourth and fifth grade students will perform a recorder program in the spring.

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Starke County Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner Held Saturday

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Democrats gathered at the Knox Community Center Saturday night for the annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner.

Those present heard from Congressman Joe Donnelly, Senator Jim Arnold and State Representative Nancy Dembowski. They also heard from Brendon Mullen for the first time who is the party’s 2nd District Congressional candidate scheduled to take on Republican Jackie Walorski in the 2012 election.

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Giant Pumpkin Drop at Hensler’s!

Posted on Author WKVI
These are two of the pumpkins that will be featured during today's pumpkin drop!

The WKVI Giant Pumpkin Drop is today from Noon-2:00 p.m. CT at Hensler Nursery in Hamlet.

Two giant pumpkins will be dropped from a crane. One pumpkin weighs 700 pounds and a 1,100 pound pumpkin will be dropped onto a panel van! Smaller pumpkins will be launched out of a cannon by the Fahrfunflinger group out of Illinois. There could be a 1,200 pound watermelon dropped as well.

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Week in Review for October 24th-28th, 2011

Posted on Author WKVI

Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:

Shelby Thomas

Shelby Thomas plead not guilty in Starke Circuit court on Friday to three counts of Attempted Murder, four counts of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon and three counts of Resisting Law Enforcement with a Deadly Weapon. He was arrested October 16th after an incident in Knox where he allegedly threatened a Knox man and three police officers.

IU Health Starke Hospital CEO Linda Satkoski said that the $2 million that will be used in a capital spending request approved by the Starke County Council will consist of making immediate needs of the hospital. Those needs include improving the overall look of the facility. Continue reading →

Donald Humphrey Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Donald Humphrey

Donald Humphrey was sentenced Wednesday in the Starke Circuit Court for Harassment as a Class D misdemeanor, Intimidation as a Class D felony, and two charges of Intimidation as a Class C felony.

During the sentencing hearing, the victim, David Palm, gave a brief statement to the court requesting the maximum sentence for Humphrey, saying he’ll “never change.” He also requested three days of pay that he had lost to come to court, for a total of $250.

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Meet the Candidates for Knox City Council District 1

Posted on Author WKVI

Knox City Council President Ed Blue will be stepping down from his council seat at the end of the year. Republican Thom Morin and Democrat Donald Kring are vying for the District 1 seat in the November 8th election.

Republican Morin was asked why he decided to run for the position.

“When you love a city and you see the things that you don’t feel are right, you want to do something,” said Morin. “We have a growing drug problem in the City of Knox and there are so many other areas of the city that need to be fixed and need attention. We have a growing senior citizen population in this city so we need to be able to address those issues. That’s why I’m running for City Council because I feel that’s where I can help and be a value to my community.”

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Wanatah Woman Jailed on 20 Counts of Child Molestation

Posted on Author WKVI

A Wanatah woman was arrested Thursday on 20 Class B Felony counts of Child Molestation.

An ongoing criminal investigation by the Indiana State Police found that Tara Tryon, 21, allegedly molested a three-year-old child.  The Indiana State Department of Child Services and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department reportedly received this information which initiated the investigation.

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Indiana Court of Appeals Upholds Conviction of Gerald Broude

Posted on Author WKVI
Gerald Broude
Gerald Broude

The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of Gerald Broude. Broude was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court in December of 2010 to 50 years on each of the three Class A Felony counts of Child Molestation, and eight years on one count of Child Molestation, a Class C Felony. The sentences were ordered to be run concurrently to total 50 years.

A jury found him guilty on four counts of Child Molestation after deliberating less than 30 minutes on December 1st.

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Sentences Given in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Facing two separate criminal cases in the Starke Circuit Court, 41-year-old Mark Wilson of Grovertown was present for his plea and sentencing hearing before Judge Kim Hall.

In his first case, Wilson was charged with Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony. As part of a plea agreement, other charges against him, Possession of Precursors and Possession of Marijuana, were dismissed.

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Knox Man Arrested after Barging into Ex-Girlfriend’s Residence

Posted on Author WKVI
Anthony Rose II

A Knox man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly barged into his ex-girlfriend’s home and threatened to take items from the residence.

Police were called to a home on Ruthie Drive after a woman called to report that her ex-boyfriend, Anthony Rose II, barged into her apartment after he she opened the door to him. The victim told police that he wasn’t supposed to be there and while inside, he told her he was going to take the couch. When she told him he couldn’t have the couch, he threatened to take a video recorder. She told Rose that nothing was leaving the apartment and she called police. After the police were called, Rose allegedly starting hitting himself in the face and told her that he would tell police that she hit him.

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Helping Hands Program Helps Students at Eastern Pulaski Schools

Posted on Author WKVI

Even though we think of public education as being free, there are books, supplies, and meals that students need to fund. If a family has a number of children, those expenses can add up fast. At Eastern Pulaski schools, Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman says a Helping Hands program has been established to help those children whose families find it difficult to fund their needs.

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Starke Circuit Court Judge Denies Request for Special Prosecutor

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall has denied a request from Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff to appoint a special prosecutor to go forward in prosecuting Kenneth Wallace and Ryan Taylor in their upcoming court hearings.

In the request to the court, Bourff suggests that since the defendant’s father helped him in his election effort, a special prosecutor should be appointed.

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Knox City Council Approves Transfer of Funds to Pay for Health Insurance Premiums

Posted on Author WKVI

The Knox City Council learned this week that the General Fund does not have enough money to pay the health premiums through the end of the year. The Council members had to allow a $70,500 transfer from the city’s EDIT fund into the General Fund.

Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston talked about one of the reasons the premium costs have escalated.

“We’ve added several new members to the plan and just by adding one employee and a spouse results in an almost $18,000 increase per year,” reported Houston.

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Absentee Voting Begins Saturday

Posted on Author WKVI

Absentee voting begins this Saturday, October 29th in Starke County. Voting will be conducted on the voting machines for the races in the City of Knox and the towns of North Judson and Hamlet in the Starke County Courthouse.

Voting will be from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, and Monday through Saturday next week. Absentee voting will also be available from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Monday, November 7th and Thursday, November 3rd from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and from 5:00-9:00 p.m.

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Meet the Candidates for Hamlet Clerk-Treasurer

Posted on Author WKVI

Voters in the town of Hamlet will be electing a new Clerk-Treasurer on November 8th. Current Hamlet Town Clerk-Treasurer, Neva Johnson, has decided to step down, and both the Democrats and Republicans have selected candidates who are working hard to fill the position.

Democrat Christy Pitts is one of those candidates and she has lived in Hamlet for 10 years. She’s married and has three children in the Oregon-Davis School system. She told WKVI news that she loves the community and is anxious to serve.

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