Rooster Rumblers Receive Eight-Day Plea Deadline Extension

Posted on Author WKVI
Gilberto Navarro
Salvador Reyes
Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Arnoldo Perez

With the case at its six-month mark since their arrest, four individuals allegedly involved in an animal fighting contest in February have been given another week for their attorney, Doug Shaw from Crown Point, to work with Starke County Prosecutor Nick Bourff to formulate an acceptable plea agreement. A request for change of venue by the defense was also denied. The defendants, Gilberto Narravo, Salvador Reyes, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, and Arnoldo Perez, were present in the Starke Cirtcuit courtroom with their wives acting as translators.

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Knox Man Arrested on Residential Entry, Drug Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Jason Sims

Knox City Police Officers arrested a man after he was found to be in a residence he was kicked out of and in possession of drug paraphernalia.

Joseph Johnson told police that he and his girlfriend left the house and when they returned, they heard someone in the bathroom. They found out that is was Jason Sims, who was asked to leave the residence the evening prior to this incident. Sims reportedly locked himself in the bathroom and Johnson called the police department. When officers arrived, they were able to gain access into the bathroom and take Sims into custody. Sims reportedly told police that someone let him into the home, but no one else lives at the residence and nobody else was at the residence to let him in.

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iPads are a Plus, says Culver Community Schools

Posted on Author WKVI

After the students at Culver Community High School have had time to adjust to the new devices they’ve been gifted with, the school is proud to say things are moving along smoothly. At the beginning of this school year, students were presented with their very own Apple iPad to use for the duration of the school year. These devices can be taken home and used to do homework, research, talk with other students, read their textbooks on the device, and perform countless other helpful tasks. Unfortunately, they also open the door to new levels of procrastination, because students now have in their hands a device that they can choose to use for either school work or entertainment.

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Greenspace Winamac Report Given to Winamac Town Board

Posted on Author WKVI

The Winamac Town Board heard from Fred Zarht from the Greenspace Winamac organization.

The organization applied for a grant called “Make Your Trees Count Grant Program” and in 2009, they were selected to receive the grant to pay for trees on the streets. The inventory was completed this year and only 437 vacancies remain where trees could be planted and they’re working on closing that gap. 282 trees were planted this spring.

The street trees that they have are valued at nearly $2 million. The annual benefits of street tress are valued at $192,649 or approximately $119 per tree. The trees absorb 2,528,527 gallons of water which saves the town $68,528 in sewer fees.

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Week 5 Football Picks

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Harold’s Picks: (14-8)

Bremen-32  Culver-14

John Glenn-55  Triton-7

Knox-34  LaVille-0

Wheeler-48  South Central-7

South Newton-28  West Central-21

Winamac-34  Tri-County-7

Pioneer-21  NJSP-14

Nathan’s Picks: (17-5)

Culver-20  Bremen-14

John Glenn-50  Triton-0

Knox-35  LaVille-7

South Central-28  Wheeler-21

West Central-42  South Newton-14

Tri-County-14  Winamac-13

NJSP-24  Pioneer-20

F.B.I. Arrests Two at Bass Lake

Posted on Author WKVI
Heather Wilson
Michael Simpson

An F.B.I. Task Force officer arrested two people at Bass Lake Tuesday evening. Police were alerted that 44-year-old Michael Simpson had escaped from a jail in Kentucky, where he was jailed on a sex crime, and may be in the Starke County. An F.B.I. Task Force officer stopped the suspect’s vehicle at County Road 600 East and State Road 10 where he found Simpson and 23-year-old Heather Wilson, both from Louisville, Kentucky. A two-year-old child was also in the vehicle.

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Knox City Council Weighs Options on Building in Downtown Area

Posted on Author WKVI
This is the location of the old Everett's Drug Store/movie theater

Gene Blastic, a Board member on the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, came before the Knox City Council this week to discuss options concerning the old Everett’s Drug Store. The building, at the corner of Lake and Main Street, was for a short time a movie theater, and is owned by the Economic Development Foundation.

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Winamac Town Board Discussed Sewer Separation Project

Posted on Author WKVI

The Winamac Town Board discussed the sewer separation project at their meeting this week.

The Board heard that the wastewater piping had been fixed and the sewer separation was now being done on Riverside Drive between Rowan and 13th streets. The Board opened bids for the paving part of the project and pending further review of the specs from the Board Attorney, the lowest bid will be approved and that came from Central Paving at $53,545. Part of Washington Street will be paved in addition to this project. The Board hopes the entire project can be completed by the end of November or before the weather prohibits the application of asphalt.

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Starke County Election Board Sets Absentee Voting Hours

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Election Board set absentee voting times for the November Municipal General Election yesterday. Absentee voting will be available Saturday, October 29th and Monday, October 31st through Saturday, November 5th from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in the Starke County Courthouse. On Thursday, November 3rd, the hours will be from 1:00-4:00 and from 5:00-9:00 p.m.
The Travel Board will start collecting votes beginning October 20th.

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Knox City Council Passes 2012 Budget

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council #2
Back Row: Mayor Rick Chambers, Ed Blue, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, Greg Matt and Attorney David Matsey. Front Row: Linda Berndt, Jeff Berg and Ron Parker

The Knox City Council members, on the recommendation of Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, passed the budget during their meeting this week. The budget is for $3.1 million and includes a 2% across-the-board raise for employees and officials.

Houston gave the Council some advice before the vote.

“At this point, once it’s been advertised, you guys can vote. Either accept it the way it is or you can cut, but you can not add anything to the budget at this point. You can’t go above what’s been advertised,” said Houston.

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Starke County Health Department to Hold Flu Clinics Soon

Posted on Author WKVI

We’re entering into the fall season and there has been a lot of information about the flu as we get into the flu season.

Starke County Health Nurse Frank Lynch told WKVI that he is ordering flu shot supplies and he will hold evening flu clinics so you can get your flu shot for the season. When he gets the supply, he will also be able to administer flu shots during immunization hours on Tuesdays by appointment.

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Homecoming Activities Begin Today in Winamac

Posted on Author WKVI

Homecoming activities begin today in Winamac.

“We’ll be playing Tri-County on Friday,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Klitzman. “We have all of the traditional festivities. We’ll have our homecoming on Thursday. After the parade, we’ll end up at the football field and we’ll have a community pep rally where our school and community get together with one focus. We’ll try and generate enough excitement and enthusiasm for our students and players to have a really good showing at our football game Friday night.”

Winamac Town Board Receives Grants, Hold Public Hearing for Budget

Posted on Author WKVI
Winamac Town Hall

The Winamac Town Board members held a Public Hearing for the proposed 2012 budget at their meeting Monday night. No comments were made during the hearing. The total of all funds proposed for 2012 is $1,470,882.

The Town Board also learned that the Town is the recipient of a fully-funded Safe Routes to School Green 3 grant worth $75,000. The Safe Routes to School grant allows a study to be done to see how students travel to school and, if needed, to provide a sidewalk or other gateway for children to safely travel to school. The Town will put up the money immediately and it will be paid back in full.

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Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership Finishes Blitz, Another Set for Next Week

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership recently participated in an Operation Pull Over Enforcement and gave out 11 speeding warnings, 45 equipment violation warnings, 1 open container ticket, 13 speeding citations, 5 Driving While Intoxicated arrests and 1 warrant arrest. This blitz was in accordance with the Indiana Governor’s Council on Impaired or Dangerous Driving.

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Nathan VanDerAa’s Court Dates Postponed in U.S. District Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Nathan VanDerAa

Nathan VanDerAa’s plea agreement deadline date, as well as his trial date, have been postponed in U.S. District Court. No dates have been released from the U.S. Attorney’s Office but it is believed that his trial date has been moved to November.

VanDerAa has plead not guilty in federal court to two counts of Unlawful User of Controlled Substances in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition and one count of Manufacture of a Controlled Substance.

Kersting’s Cycle Center Holds Annual Fundraiser

Posted on Author WKVI

Kersting’s Cycle Center presented it’s 9th annual charity event Saturday. Jason Kersting said the Motorcycle, Music and Memories event was a success.

“It’s a big festival that we put on here at the shop and it’s only for one day,” said Kersting. “We have the food vendors come in, we had four live bands and the actual motorcycle ride took off at 1:00 p.m. ET and that ride collects donations to the MDA and it’s in memory of Nella Kersting. That raised $1,090 just from a few guys getting together to go for a ride. I know that my mother would be really honored to know that event is taking place in her name.”

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Knox Community School Board Honors Retirees

Posted on Author WKVI
Gary Dulin, Jerry Fletcher, Harold Welter, Mary Lynn Ritchie, Kirk Bennett, Nathan Marcum, Mike Yankauskas, Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board members honored the recent retirees at their meeting Wednesday night.

“Any year in which we have school personnel retire, we try to honor them for their years of service to the Knox Community School Corporation,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “At the conclusion of the 2010-2011 school year, we had five retirees. They included Shilla Cornelius, Elementary Treasurer; Nadean Emigh, Paraprofessional at the Elementary School; Jerry Slauter, Industrial Tech teacher at the Middle School; Marilyn Wagner, a 5th grade teacher at the Knox Elementary School; and Steve Cronk, Middle School Principal.”

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Plymouth Bodybuilder Striving to Earn Professional Title

Posted on Author WKVI
Eric Keen

Since his first contest in 2010, Eric Keen, of Plymouth, has been collecting titles, trophies, and awards from his successes in the sport of bodybuilding. Currently named Mr. Wisconsin and previously Mr. Indiana and Mr. Florida for bodybuilding, Keen has been dedicated to his passion for bodybuilding for over six years. Capable of benching 300 lbs and currently fifth in the country for his class, Keen has done all this without the use of his legs.

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