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.
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.
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.
Residents in Knox are being asked to do a better job of recycling. Kevin Boyce, of Waste Management, appeared before the Knox City Council this week to talk about a new five year contract. In the course of the presentation, Boyce talked about landfill tons collected, in comparison to recycle tons.
Boyce said he would like to see more people participating in recycling, hopefully getting the percentage of landfill waste to recycle items to around 30%.
Students and staff with the Starke County Youth Club will be participating in the Lights On Afterschool program tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at the Knox Elementary School Cafeteria. Lawmakers, parents, school administrators and you are invited to attend this special event.
“The big purpose is for us to draw attention to the need after school,” said Melissa Smith, Starke County Youth Club Program Director. “Without the right kind of funding, programs like ours can be closed and we want to keep kids safe and learning after school. Lights on sends that message and our kids are happy to celebrate and encourage people to come and learn about the importance of keeping buildings like ours and programs like ours open after school.”
The Knox Community School Board recognized Kindergarten student, Jack Guzman, for his efforts in helping the local Fraternal Order of Police.
“Jack took it upon himself to go out and raise money on his own so he could donate funds to the FOP,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “He wanted to help out the FOP because they help out students in their Shop with a Cop program. That got his attention and he just wanted to contribute to that.”
A fire consumed the home of Elizabeth Sallee at 1520 E. 100 S. in Knox last night.
When firefighters arrived at the home shortly before 10:00 p.m. last night, the fire was fully engulfed at the east end of the home. High winds caused the fire to spread quickly throughout the structure and soon it was fully engulfed. Elizabeth Sallee was not home at the time of the fire, but her daughter and two-year-old son escaped the home without injury.
Taylor Wagers, of Knox, was recently sentenced in U.S. District Court in South Bend on a charge of a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He plead guilty to the federal charge and he was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release.
He will serve 12 months on home detention and fined $100. Wagers was charged in Starke County in December of 2010 after police found that he was on probation on a felony sentence for maintaining a common nuisance and that he in possession of a variety of firearms while living at his residence.
A new comprehensive plan for the town of Culver may be in the works to replace their current, 12-year-old plan. According to Kevin Berger, President of Easterday Construction Co., the town is eligible for an OCRA Planning Grant, which can provide the town with up to $50,000 for compiling this comprehensive plan. The grant allows a portion of the funds to go toward grant administration, which allows the town to hire an outside firm to work on it.
Larry Clemons, of North Judson, was arrested on drug charges on Monday evening.
North Judson police officers, along with the officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, were called to Judson Express after they received a call that a wanted person was at the business. The person whom they were looking for was not there, but they spotted Larry Clemons who was wanted on a Starke Circuit Court warrant. Officers conducted a search of his person and allegedly found him to be in possession of drugs.
The Salvation Army is looking for someone to help coordinate the Christmas donation effort in Starke County. Salvation Army Major, Gerald Smelser, encourages anyone who can, to volunteer:
“We need to get someone to coordinate and call the different groups and organizations and set that up for the bell ringing time and hopefully we can find someone who would be interested in helping us,” said Major Smelser. “It’s basically about six weeks. A couple of weeks will be needed to line it up and then having the bell ringing. Volunteers only ring here on Fridays and Saturdays.”
Two people were arrested in Pulaski County on drug charges after a short investigation on Thursday, October 20th.
Police were traveling on 60 West off of State Road 14 when police reportedly observed a vehicle traveling off the roadway, according to the police report. Police turned around to investigate and when they caught up to the vehicle the driver had stopped and pulled off to the side of the roadway. The passenger, Paul Hudson, of Logansport, was on his knees reportedly looking for an earring. Police were given permission to search the vehicle by the driver, Kaley Deford, of Kewanna, and police allegedly found marijuana, and prescription medication without a prescription in the vehicle. Kaley Deford allegedly admitted to police that a pipe found in a hat was hers as well as the pills. Hudson reportedly admitted that the marijuana found in the vehicle was his.
The Knox Community School Board reviewed the Public Law 221 plans that were submitted by all of the building principals.
“Public Law 221 is the basic education law that governs schools in improvement and professional development,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “Schools need to have three year plans to designate what their goals are for those three years and how they plan to implement their improvement strategies.”
The Kankakee Valley REMC presented an Operation Roundup grant check to Bella Vita Pregnancy Resource Center in Knox yesterday for $3,500.00. Amanda Steeb of Kankakee Valley REMC was on hand to give the check to Susanne Lange, the center’s Executive Director.
“We’re really excited about what they’re going to be able to use the money for and that is baby items to assist individuals as they visit this organization,” said Amanda Steeb.
Pulaski County United Fund, Inc. is pleased to announce participation in an Indiana Association of United Ways/Funds matching grant opportunity.
“Indiana United Ways/Funds have had a tough fund raising environment since 2008 and we wanted to provide an incentive program to attract new giving,” according to Roger L. Frick laUW President.
Support from Lilly Endowment created this opportunity for United Way and Funds in Indiana to rebuild and recover and find new donors. Donors who have decreased giving or had a temporary halt in giving can help their community claim the match by resuming support. New donors to the campaign will also qualify United Fund for the match. The grant will provide Pulaski County United Fund, Inc. with up to $3,122 in funding by matching any increase or new donation made towards this year’s Fall Campaign 2012. Grant funds received will be used to provide utility deposits for those seeking assistance through the Energy Assistance Program.
What is now Pulaski County was ceded by the Pottawatomie Indians to the United States on October 26th, 1832 near Rochester. Chief Aubbeenaubee represented the Indians and John Davis represented the government.
Starke County Councilwoman, Judy Benninghoff, still believes that the errors reported in the Treasurer’s office by the State Board of Accounts are actually errors in the Auditor’s office. In a release to WKVI, Benninghoff said that is backed up by an official in the State Board of Accounts.
“I called the State Board of Accounts and I spoke to Debbie Gibson, and she told me that the paragraph that was inserted in the Treasurer’s audit had nothing to do with the Treasurer,” said Benninghoff. “That pertained only to the Auditor. So, where it says that ‘beginning in March 2010 and continuing through 2011, there was a failure to post the entries pertaining to the remittance of various payroll withholdings’, that was true. That withholding fund is with the Auditor’s office, not in the Treasurer’s office.”
To school systems around the state, the Average Daily Membership (ADM) figures are important because enrollment is a factor in how much money schools get in their funding.
The Knox Community Elementary School recently held parent/teacher conferences and during that time, parents were asked to go through the Palmer Wing.
“The administrators from the Elementary School invited members and parents in to look at Palmer Wing at the Elementary School just to show some of the needs that might be necessary,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “Our maintenance people do a great job of maintaining things, but that building is nearing 60 years old so some things are going to need to be taken care of. Six or seven parents each night did take advantage and looked at the Palmer Wing and pretty much the comments were unanimous. There is going to have to be something done sometime in the near future.”
A Ladies Car Care Clinic begins tonight at the SCILL Center in Knox.
“Rod Dawson and Mark Anderson had initiated that a number of years ago and we’re expanding it just a tad bit this year,” said SCILL Center Director Jerry Gurrado. “We’re going to be holding it evenings on October 25th and then a follow-up on November 8th, both from 6:00-8:00 p.m. There’s only a $5.00 donation for that.”
