The 2nd Annual WKVI/Five Star Food Drive was a success Saturday! Several carts of food were donated from patrons in the community who helped make the holidays a little better for those in need this season. Food and cash donations were accepted and totals will be announced next week. Thank you to all who contributed and Happy Thanksgiving! Continue reading
Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
The Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office has filed two counts of Theft against Jennifer A. Wallace who was recently arrested after allegedly stealing tanning product inventory and cash from Ladybug Laundry and Tan in Winamac.
Dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and surrounding departments encourage you to remove batteries from old cell phones before giving them to children to play. This will help reduce accidental calls to 9-1-1 centers. Continue reading
Republican Donna Henry increased her victory margin to six in the North Judson Municipal Election for Clerk-Treasurer today. The provisional votes were inspected and of the four votes examined, two were approved and two were rejected. The two votes for Henry gave her a 223-217 victory over Connie Miller, the Democrat Incumbent.
Also picking up two votes was Tim Cummins, Republican, for the Town Council Ward 3 race. His new vote total is 278. The vote total for his opponent, Democrat Daniel Anderson, stayed the same at 162.
Officers from the Plymouth Police Department are investigating burglaries that occurred at the Remembrance Center and New Attitudes Hair Salon on North Michigan Street in Plymouth. Police say that unknown suspect(s) had made forced entry into the two businesses in the overnight hours of November 18th and removed a large television and an undisclosed amount of money. These two businesses had also been burglarized on November 9th. Anyone with information regarding these burglaries should contact the Plymouth Police Department at (574) 936-2126.
Heather Wilson was arrested by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday after she allegedly filed a false police report.
On November 11th, Wilson reportedly told police that a male subject asked her for jewelry and other items. She said that he came into the house, grabbed her, hit her in the face, and held up a knife to her before taking prescription medication that belonged to her mother. Wilson gave police a description of the suspect and said that he left the scene on foot. Wilson was later taken by ambulance to IU Health Starke Hospital for having a panic attack.
The Provisional Board will meet this morning at 10:00 a.m. in the Starke County Clerk’s office to determine if provisional ballots in the North Judson Municipal election will be allowed. Four votes were deemed provisional in the election, which is the number of votes that separates the outcome of the Clerk-Treasurer’s race between Republican Donna Henry and Incumbent Democrat Connie Miller. Henry won the election by a vote of 221 to 217.
A Starke County jury found Fred Boggess II guilty of all five counts filed against him. The jury found him guilty of Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors with the Intent to Manufacture, Driving While Suspended and False Informing.
The two-day trial had several witnesses called to the stand in Starke Circuit Court, including an Indiana State Police officer who specializes in Clandestine Lab Team investigations.
The sewer separation project is nearing an end in the Town of Winamac.
Clerk-Treasurer Judy Heater told us that three-quarters of the paving is done and all streets affected with the project should be finished today. The Town’s fall paving schedule was combined with the project’s paving schedule so more could be done and the work is being handled by E&B Paving and Central Paving. Heater said the businesses have been very cooperative during this long process.
The Starke United/WKVI Radio Auction is two weeks from today.
Julie Dessauer, the Executive Director of Starke United, tells us about the event.
“The Radio Auction will be on WKVI K99.3 FM on Friday, December 2nd, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT,” stated Dessauer. “Auction services will be donated by Osinski Auction Service and communications and space are donated by CenturyLink. It is at the CenturyLink warehouse which is on the corner of John and Pearl Streets. Our viewing times are Thursday, December 1st from 4:00-7:00 p.m. and Friday morning from 9:00-10:00 a.m. and then the auction starts at 10:00 a.m.”
Education in Indiana in the 21st Century is not the satisfying profession it was 25 years ago according to Dennis Norman, the Area 1 Director of the Indiana Retired Teachers Association. Norman visits with retired and current teachers and administrators as he travels throughout his nine county area and he tells us what they’ve been telling him about what they’re feeling today.
During yesterday’s national observation of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, Porter-Starke Services implemented its organization-wide tobacco free policy.
The policy took effect at all Porter-Starke offices in Knox, Valparaiso and Portage. Porter-Starke implemented a tobacco-free policy among its employees in 2007 and the clients of the Inpatient Care Center in 2009. While there will be no tobacco use allowed on Porter-Starke property, the organization will provide healthy alternatives to tobacco use on-site, including nicotine replacement options, tobacco cessation resources and healthy alternatives in its ongoing programming.
Starke County Chamber members will be hearing today about another successful year. Chamber Executive Director, Debbie Mix, told us what she will be telling the membership.
“I do the highlights of the year which include the different events that we had,” said Mix. “I will mention the Schricker Award, the AM Starke Counties that we’ve had, the fundraisers which include the Mint Festival booth and our Business Expo, and then I’ll mention the upcoming Shop Local event.” Continue reading
Ron Henningsmith, Director of the Starke County CASA organization, is announcing that a new class of CASA volunteers will be sworn in by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall on Monday, November 21st, at 4:00 p.m.
CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, is a nationwide organization that acts on behalf of children in court cases.
According to the CASA website, 71 of Indiana’s 92 counties have CASA organizations. There are almost 3,000 volunteers statewide.
Workers for the City of Knox are being forewarned that their uniforms that they wear at work might be taxed as a fringe benefit in the near future.
Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston told Mayor Rick Chambers and City Council members of the possibility at the most recent City Council meeting.
“That looks like the way that the Department of Revenue says that we may be going,” said Houston. “There may be a way around that. We might have to pass an ordinance saying that that’s required for the city employees and they may have to take those uniforms off at work.”
The Indiana Retired Teachers Association members in Starke and Pulaski counties recently met and those who attended the meeting had an opportunity to hear Lynn Johnson, Superintendent of the North Judson-San Pierre School system, talk about the state of education in Indiana today.
Dennis Norman, the Area 1 Director for the Association, said the Association was established 61 years ago to work for retired teachers pensions. He explains how the pension plan was funded.
A jury of nine men and three women were seated yesterday in the trial of Fred Boggess II in Starke Circuit Court. The trial then began where the State called four witnesses. The fourth witness was an Indiana State Police Lab Team officer and he will resume with testimony this morning when the court convenes at 9:00 a.m.
Five people were arrested after a drug raid in LaPorte County.
Investigators from the Metro Operations Unit and detectives from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office conducted surveillance in the 300 block of State Street in LaPorte for drug activity. When officers saw a suspect enter the area, officers approached him and he fled. Michael Mikowski, of LaPorte, was quickly apprehended and a K9 found crack cocaine in his possession. He was arrested on preliminary charges of Dealing Cocaine and Resisting Law Enforcement.
The wind turbine project at the West Central School Corporation is moving along schedule.
“Sometime soon here in November, we will start having equipment coming in as far as the tower itself being erected,” said Superintendent Charles Mellon. “The cement base has been poured and it’s going through the curing process. Once the curing process ends in December, they will begin getting the wiring set up and doing all their testing. They still say that we would be functioning by the first week in January. I hope we stay on that schedule.”
The man who initiated the talks on revitalizing downtown Knox was at last week’s Knox City Council meeting to listen to a plan of action to get the ball rolling. Gene Blastic was given the assignment to gauge interest from city officials and business owners in putting together a comprehensive plan that would address the deficiencies in the downtown area.
One of those deficiencies is the Starke County Economic Development building at the corner of Lake and Main Streets. The Foundation is considering plans to remodel or raze the century-old building at 2 North Main Street. Remodeling the building could cost in the range of $350,000 and that might not be in the best interest for the organization.
The 2nd Annual WKVI/Five Star Food Drive will be held Saturday, November 19th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Five Star in Knox.
We will be broadcasting live during that time and we will be accepting donations for the Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry. Five Star has some good deals this week so stop in the store and buy a couple of extra items and donate them to the food pantry. You may also make cash donations.
