Chief Warrant Officer, Andy Howes, returns to Knox today 41 years after being killed in action during the Vietnam War.
His remains were positively identified by a DNA match with family members.
He is the final member of a four-man helicopter crew to be returned for burial. After services here tomorrow, the remains will be flown to Arlington National Cemetery to his final resting place.
An investigation into a call received by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department regarding a sexual assault turned up enough evidence to arrest Brett Kersey for several charges including rape. At about 4 p.m. on July 28, the SCSD was informed that a victim of sexual assault was at I.U. Health Starke Hospital, and an investigation returned enough information for a search warrant to be granted for the residence of 0440 N. 700 E. in Knox.
Katlynn Surfus, a 16-year-old Knox High School Junior, was selected Saturday as the Hiss Harvest Days Queen.
“I’m very surprised,” she laughed. “I look forward to looking at all of the stuff with a new perspective now. I look forward to the bike contest every year. It’s always fun.”
“This is the second time I’ve been in this contest. I was first runner up last year and this year I got it.” Continue reading
The National Night Out event is on Tuesday, August 2nd, but the City of Knox has postponed its observation until Monday, August 8th at 7:00 p.m. Greg Matt from the Knox Neighborhood Watch organization said he didn’t want to interfere with Andy Howes Memorial Service which is scheduled for the same evening.
Cecilia Torres, Services Coordinator at Community Services of Starke County, says the community has stepped up to the plate with donations to the Food Pantry.
Only three weeks ago, we were reporting that the Food Pantry had no food on the shelves and only one package of hot dogs was in the meat section.
Torres especially wanted to thank officials of the Starke County 4-H Fair Livestock Auction for directing bidders to the food pantry. A number of the winning bidders gave their purchases to the Food Pantry.
Cecilia said the bidders had turkeys, ducks and chickens dressed for distribution.
The Knox Redskin Brigade is in the middle of its summer camp and band members have been busy preparing for the fall marching season. Director Craige Phipps invites you to a community performance of the show “By the Water’s Edge” on Thursday, August 4th at 8:45 p.m. at the High School.
This year’s show tells the story of a watering hole that has been touched by man, infiltrated by man and then creating balance between man and beast in the environment.
This week is World Breast Feeding Week and Sharon Berry, OB Nurse Manager at Pulaski Memorial Hospital, says the Hospital staff is encouraging the public to be aware of this healthy choice.
“Here at Pulaski Memorial Hospital, we are very proud to be working at a Hospital that recognizes the importance breast feeding has on the health of our community,” said Berry. “Our OB Department has started the pathway to becoming a baby friendly hospital. The baby friendly hospital initiative assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to be successful at breast feeding.”
The 5th Annual Knox Cruise Night is set for this Saturday, August 6th. Registration and instructions will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Sandy Acres Park and the cruise begins at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m.
The route this year will take hot rods, motorcycles, custom and classic cars and trucks from Sandy Acres Park, north down Main Street, around the Starke County Courthouse and back down Main Street to Sandy Acres Park.
The Bass Lake Summer Splash Festival was held over the weekend and officials are calling the event a huge success. The Bass Lake Summer Splash parade was held Sunday and George Mammarella was the emcee. Enjoy these pictures from the parade! The photos were provided. Continue reading
Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
Gabriel French, Elizabeth Boyd and Joshua Givens were arrested Saturday after officers conducted a search warrant at a residence in Knox and found active methamphetamine labs.
Brian Ball of Bass Lake suffered a concussion after a tree fell on him while he was putting up a tent in his yard. Ball’s neighbor, Jim O’Hara, found him unconscious and performed CPR on Ball when he couldn’t find a pulse. Continue reading
Federal charges have been filed against Nathan VanDerAa of Star City.
On June 3rd, VanDerAa was arrested on a charge of Possession of Methamphetamine after a traffic stop and a few days later, Starke County officers arrived at his home in Star City and found that he was in the presence of a meth lab, firearms and ammunition. Pulaski County Prosecutor, Stacey Mrak, filed methamphetamine related charges against him and the ATF was expected to file a federal charge for a firearm possession. Mrak recently dismissed the County’s charges against VanDerAa and they were transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Bend. VanDerAa had his initial hearing in federal court in South Bend on July 6th.
The Starke County Election Board met Wednesday morning where the Board discussed consolidating voting precincts beginning with the 2012 Primary Election.
Several precinct voting locations would change for the Primary Election in May.
Potential candidates wanting to file for a Clerk-Treasurer or Town Board position in the towns of North Judson, Hamlet, Winamac, Monterey, Francesville or Medaryville have until Monday, August 1st at Noon to file.
So far, the towns of Hamlet, Winamac, Francesville and Medaryville will be conducting Town Conventions. A Town Convention is held when there is competition between candidates in the same political party for any town office. In the Town of Hamlet, there is a race on the Republican ticket for Clerk-Treasurer and two Town Council seats are contested on the Democrat ticket. In Winamac, there is a race for Clerk-Treasurer on the Republican ticket. In Francesville, there are four people seeking a seat on the Town Council and only three seats are available so one candidate will be eliminated in that Town Convention. In Medaryville, four Democrats filed for a seat on the Town Council and a Town Convention will determine the candidate for that party for the General Election.
Several plea agreements were rejected by the Starke Circuit Court as Judge Kim Hall turned down submitted agreements from Richard Wilbert, Allen Krock, and Richard Longacre.
A plea agreement was submitted for Krock, charged with Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury as a Class C Felony. The agreement would have sentenced Krock to four years in the Department of Corrections with one year suspended. One year of probation would follow his release, and he would be required to complete alcohol and substance abuse programs.
Starke County Police officers arrested James Campbell, 43, of Knox early Thursday morning after he failed to comply with police when officers ordered him to get out of his vehicle and away from loaded weapons.
Police were called to a church on Toto Road after a citizen reported a male subject acting suspiciously on the property. When police arrived, the reporting officer found James Campbell in his vehicle. The officer got out of his vehicle and approached Campbell’s vehicle and asked him to step out of the truck. Campbell ignored the officer. Campbell was asked several more times to exit the vehicle. The reporting officer noted in his report that he asked Campbell to show him his hands and Campbell reportedly started to fidget with something underneath his seat. The officer drew his weapon and told Campbell to show him his hands. He did show his hands and had nothing in them at the time.
The Town of Culver will be applying for a grant for a water utility study to locate and resolve issues in their water system. A total of at least eight letters have been received by the town council regarding water issues, and a water utility study would allow the town to identify and fix any problems with the water.
WKVI has learned some of the details of the services for Chief Warrant Officer Andy Howes, a Knox native whose remains are being transported from Hawaii to Indianapolis on Monday. He was lost 41 years ago in a helicopter crash in Vietnam, and although his remains were sent to Hawaii in 1988, they were only recently identified through DNA analysis.
Services will be held in Knox on Tuesday, and then the body will be sent to its final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery on August 5th. Services are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tuesday night, with calling after 5:00 p.m. at the Knox Community Center.
The Miss Harvest Fest Pageant is tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. at the Knox Middle School. Last year’s Miss Harvest Fest Queen, Kayla Bailey, says there are three categories in this year’s pageant:
“We have Tiny Miss, which is for ages 5-8, Little Miss Harvest for girls ages 9-13, and the Miss candidates are for ages 14-19,” said Bailey. “The contestants will be judged on interviews, summer wear, on-stage question, and evening gowns. All contestants are girls that live, work or attend school in Starke County.”
The winner of the Miss Harvest Fest Pageant will have a free entry into the Miss Kankakee Valley Pageant this fall.
The annual Bass Lake Summer Splash begins today with a fishing derby that starts at 8:00 a.m. To enter, go to 3612 South County Road 210.
The Splash lasts through the weekend so grab a flyer and attend as many activities as possible or go click here.
Classmates from as far as Florida, New York and Delaware and throughout Indiana are coming to Knox for memorial services for Chief Warrant Officer, Andy Howes. Many of his Knox High School classmates have MIA bracelets that they wore for a number of years, or put away in a known chest awaiting his return. The family has invited all who have bracelets to put them in the casket with the remains.
Howes will be returning to Knox on Monday, with a Patriot Guard escort, and memorial services will be held at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Knox Community Center.
