In the Democrat Caucus held at North Judson last night, Dan Anderson defeated Guy Gardin 49-33 and Jane Ellen Felchuk defeated Mandy Brewer 43-39.
Pulaski County Commissioners Discuss Water Problem at Courthouse
The Pulaski County Commissioners heard from Courthouse and Justice Center Maintenance Director, Morry Demarco, about the water problem in the basement of the Courthouse.
Demarco said that the water wasn’t coming into the basement because of the foundation. The water was not being directed away from the building and the drains were full of pine needles and other debris which caused the water to overflow and seep into the Courthouse. Demarco had gotten quotes from two companies who could fix the problem for $4,100 to $5,500. He went in and installed some piping around the Courthouse that is now directing the water from the Courthouse structure to the street. The cost to fix that problem was only $80.
North Judson Fire Department Working on 1st Responder Certifications
At the recent meeting of the North Judson Town Board, Fire Chief Joe Leszek told the council that the several members of the department are currently working on becoming certified 1st Responders. Leszek said that when they do become certified, they will need to get a new firetruck because the current truck only seats three people.
Leszek told the council that he estimates a used truck would cost about $50,000, but said he will check with the township to see if they can possibly contribute any funds to its purchase. A decision will be made on the matter in the future.
Joe Donnelly Hopeful for Economic Improvement
Why can’t the nation’s unemployment rate improve? In July, the rate did dip slightly from 9.2% to 9.1% but the number of unemployed people is still 139,000.
One person who is encouraged is Second District Representative Joe Donnelly who sees the economy ready to take off again soon. He spoke with WKVI News about his take on the recent economy.
Starke County Police Remove 12 Dogs from Knox Residence
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an incident involving alleged neglected dogs.
According to officials at the Sheriff’s Department, a resident called police on Friday to report that her neighbor is neglecting her dogs. There were dogs inside the residence and no one had been around for days. A couple of days later, police received a call from a resident stating that her dog had been stolen and she believed her neighbor took the dog and sold it in Chicago. On Sunday, police went to the residence at 2230 East and 150 South in Knox, owned by Joanne Coronado. Officers obtained a search warrant and found 12 dogs inside the residence. They were removed from the premises and were released to the custody of the Starke County Humane Society. The health department was also called to the scene and after an investigation, condemned the residence.
Former WKVI On-Air Personality Tom Belcher Passes Away
We received word that former WKVI morning on-air personality, Tom Belcher, passed away early Tuesday morning. His health had been failing in recent months and was just transferred to Golden Living Center in Knox this week and he passed away at IU Health Starke Hospital.
Tom graduated from Knox High School in 1987 and began as the morning DJ at WKVI in the mid-1990s. He had a great talent for music, singing, dancing and entertaining the residents in the Kankakee Valley. He was 42 years old.
Funeral services are pending with the Braman and Son Memorial Chapel in Knox.
Concert Attendee Describes Grisly Scene at State Fair
Memorial services were held yesterday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for those who lost their lives or were injured in the tragic event Saturday night at the Sugarland concert. Among those at the memorial was Dianne Semento of Kouts who was there to honor the memory of one of her best friends, Tammy Vandam of Wanatah. Vandam was one of five people who lost their lives. She leaves behind a 17-year-old South Central student, Courtney Vandam.
Yesterday, Tom Berg spoke with a person who attended the concert. Nicki Frazier was leaving the concert when the stage collapsed.
“We had gotten up to leave because we knew it was going to rain, but we heard the stage collapse and we just saw everybody running and screaming and yelling,” Frazier said.
Although she and her husband Bill did not see the stage came down, she heard it.
“We heard it. We were still in the stadium and heard everything fall but we didn’t actually witness it. I actually thought there was a tornado coming. It was just chaos, everybody was running and screaming and yelling and just trying to get out of the way. People were frantic on their cell phones, looking for family members or friends that they had gone to the concert with,” said Frazier.
Ted Hayes joined Tom on the air and asked Nicki how close to the stage their seats were.
“We were the sixth row in the stands,” said Frazier.
Frazier was asked if there was any warning before the storm hit.
“No, one of the radio stations employees came out and said if the weather got bad, everybody would be moved to the coliseum, and that’s actually when we were getting up from our seats. It wasn’t even windy at that point, and by the time I had gotten down the steps to the front of the stadium, the wind was just blowing and there was trash blowing and the dirt was blowing. You couldn’t keep your eyes open long enough to see anything because the dirt was so bad,” said Frazier.
Bomb Sniffing War Hero Laid to Rest in Knox
Eight days after Andy Howes was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetary another hero went to her final resting place in Knox. Mira, a retired bomb sniffing dog was laid to rest at the Knox VFW Post with full military honors Saturday. Mira had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan for 8 years. She served her country with great honor before being returned home in 2009.
She was adopted by Don Thomas and retired to his farm near Grovertown. There she lived in peace and tranquility until her passing on June 30 at the age of 12.
Before her death, she was inducted as a full member of the Knox VFW Post #728 and the Hamlet American Legion. Thomas reported that he was told that Mira was shot twice and wounded once in a bomb blast.
We at WKVI salute Mira, and are proud to have her final resting place here in Starke County.
Class Ring Returns to Owner After More Than 10 Years
More than 10 years ago, Cheryl Runkle lost her class ring. Thanks to a Facebook Group called “If you grew up in Knox, IN, you remember when,” the ring has been returned, after traveling all the way from Indiana to Florida and back again.
An employee of a gas station in Hamlet found a ring during one of the festival weekends, and turned the ring in to Maxine Rowe, who was the manager of the gas station at the time. The ring was kept in a drawer until its rightful owner could be found, but several months later, all hope was lost. Rowe took the ring home and has been trying to find its true owner ever since.
“Every time I’d look at it, it was like, ‘Man I really need to find out who owns this ring, but how am I gonna do this?’ Then I saw those people on there and I thought somebody has to know somebody that lost a ring that graduated in that year. She just happened to be on there,” said Rowe.
Rowe had posted a comment on the Facebook group, asking if anyone from the Knox High School graduating class of 1985 had lost a class ring. Coincidentally enough, Runkle was the first person to reply to the post, less than ten minutes later. After describing the ring to Rowe, Runkle’s hopes were confirmed after she received a picture of the ring online.
“It was like winning something, you know. It was just like, what? Is it mine? Is it me? That’s the way I felt, is it me? I can’t really describe how it felt. It was great. Then there was the whole suspense, because she didn’t comment right away, and then she said she believed it could be. I think the most exciting thing was that everybody else was so excited too,” said Runkle.
The entire conversation between Rowe and Runkle concerning the ring caught the attention of many members of the group. Several people also replied to the post, saying they were engrossed in the unfolding of the event, sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to learn if the ring had finally come home.
“It was meant to go home, and I put a little note in there: ‘I’m finally home,’ with the ring. I put on a little stickie note and put it on there,” said Rowe.
Runkle has received the ring and confirms it is hers. After more than 10 years on the lam, the ring has returned halfway across the country to its proper owner.
Pulaski County Commissioners Receive Complaints About Irrigation Sprayers
The Pulaski County Commissioners discussed agricultural irrigation during their recent meeting.
Commissioner Kenneth Boswell commented that he has gotten several complaints from drivers and motorcyclists about irrigation spraying ditch water into the roadway. They are complaining that it’s stagnant ditch water and that it’s being sprayed into their vehicles if the windows are down and the slick road conditions could cause an accident. Commission President Michael Tiede was asked to comment on the discussion after the meeting:
“I personally got calls about it from people riding motorcycles to new cars, you know, getting the stinky water on their cars or people having their T-tops open. Kevin Tankerslee, the county attorney, is thinking there might be a state law. He’s going to look into it and try to find out what can be done because this seems like a big concern,” said Tiede.
Jack Haut Faces Sentencing Tomorrow for Reckless Homicide
More than a year after the incident, Jack Haut is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow. On July 22, Haut was found guilty of Reckless Homicide, a Class C felony after his truck struck the motorcycle of Tom White on July 2, 2010, killing him in the crash. The crash occurred on U.S. 35.
In the state’s argument, Bourff said that Haut was driving recklessly, forcing drivers off the road, speeding, and driving in the opposite lane of traffic. After Haut passed two vehicles on U.S. 35, he pulled back into his normal lane of travel, but veered back to the opposite lane where he struck the motorcycle of Tom White. No brake lights were seen by witnesses, and there was no testimony that would indicate why Haut did not recall anything from the accident or afterward.
For the defense, they said that this was a tragic accident. Haut’s speed could not be determined by the state crash reconstructionist, and the coroner said that the injuries were consistent with highway speeds. They argued that the medication in Haut’s system, including Dilata, Oxycodone, and Xanax, were not abused, but were in fact within the therapeutic range prescribed by a physician. No alcohol was involved in the accident.
Haut will be sentenced tomorrow in the Starke Circuit Court at 11 a.m.
Culver Academies and Bike Barn Hosting Historical Bike Tour
Culver Academies is teaming up with the Bike Barn in Culver to present another in the BB’s ongoing series of Culver history bike tours on Saturday, August 20th starting at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The tour will begin at the Bike Barn, 103 East Lake Shore Drive, and journey just down the street to the Culver Academies Museum and Gift Shop for an introductory tour of the museum and opening remarks by museum curator Jeff Kenney.
Following that will be an historic tour of Culver Academies, the hidden gem of architectural and aesthetic charm that it is.
The total distance of the tour will be five miles and is open to the public. Riders will need to bring their own bicycles, and use of helmets is strongly encouraged. All riders ride at their own risk.
Anyone who would like to gain a sense of what Culver is like, or what it was was like in the past is encouraged to attend. That’s 9:30 a.m. at the Bike Barn in Culver.
Hamlet Democrat Caucus Held Last Night
The Hamlet Democrat Caucus was held last night, and Dean Goble, and Frank Lonigro, Junior won the two town council nominations.
Dean Goble defeated Kerry Stone, 22-14; and Frank Lonigtro, Jr. beat Bob Yung, 26-14.
2011-2012 What To Look For
With the 2011-2012 season upon us, the thought of who to watch comes up. In football the #1 team to watch will be the John Glenn Falcons. The big name of course for Glenn is Josh Anderson, one of the best football players in our area. Josh rushed for over 1,600 yards as a junior last year and has much of his supporting cast back off of last year’s 9-3 team.
Culver suffered huge losses due to graduation last year, but with starting quarterback Colin Stevens (who accounted for over 1,500 yards of offense last year) running the offense once again, you can be sure the Cavaliers will be competitive in every game.
Knox was able to gain much experience last season and will look to be more consistent from start to finish behind quarterback Nevin Miller (last year’s team offensive MVP), offensive lineman Logan Short, and all-conference linebacker Hunter McClellan. Don’t be surprised if the Redskins roll into the sectional with a winning record.
The future is now with the North Judson Blue Jays. Although they only have 3 seniors, the Jays return a lot of experience from last year’s team. Sophomore quarterback Caston Sanchez will be at the helm of an offense which returns senior running back Kendall Hochstedler and senior offensive lineman Dustin Knapp.
When it comes to South Central football one name that is known very well is Ethan Biggs. He’s the school’s all-time leading rusher heading into his senior year and will be the main focus of the offense under new head coach Mel Hay. The Satellites will also be aided by the return of senior lineman Dalton Moore.
West Central’s offense will also be paced by one of the area’s best football players, Spencer Dobson. At 6’2 200lbs, Spencer is the perfect blend of speed and physicality. Running behind fellow seniors Jordan Culp and Bryce Tanner, look for the Trojans to collect quite a few rushing yards this season.
According to Winamac head coach Tim Roth, a name to remember for this season is Alex Gudas. Alex has played the previous three seasons behind Winamac’s all-time leading rusher Eric Sass. Roth feels though that Gudas will make a great name for himself this season as the Warriors’ feature back. Behind junior quarterback Zach Shidler, Gudas has a great opportunity to emerge as one of our area’s best runners.
In volleyball the two big teams last season were Knox and Winamac. Both teams suffered tremendous losses due to graduation, but both Coach Skelly (Knox) and Coach DeFries (Winamac) feel that their programs are set, and expect nothing less than another Sectional Championship. Both teams will be led by phenomenal senior athletes. Knox’s Hannah Folkers will lead the charge to win the school’s third consecutive sectional title, while Sarah Redweik of Winamac will be looked to lead the Lady Warriors to their fourth consecutive championship.
Be sure to keep up with our area schools in all sports all season long on WKVI FM (99.3), WKVI AM (1520), and on the web at wkvi.com!
Clerk’s Office Conducting Food Drive for Starke County Food Pantry
Knox City Clerk-Treasurer, Jeff Houston, and the staff at the Clerk’s Office is conducting a food drive for the Starke County Food Pantry:
“We just thought that this would be a good thing to do for the community and we hope that we get a lot of support from the community. People physically come into the city hall to pay their water bill and their sewer bill and they’ll see this and we hope that people will be generous,” said Houston.
Houston is looking for these items to be brought into the Clerk’s Office at City Hall:
“All kinds of canned vegetables, cereal, canned soup, pastas like macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles. The food pantry was asking for tuna, oatmeal, and those kind of things. So just about anything that’s edible,” said Houston.
Wind Turbine Proposal for Marshall County Faces Opposition
A crowd of 300-400 people attended a presentation at the Culver Elementary Gymnasium Saturday to listen to an Iowa State professor. In his presentation Roger McEowen talked about the impact of large scale wind power stations on adjacent landowners. The session was of interest to those that attended because of the possibility of 40-70 wind turbines being constructed in the Culver-Argos
area. A company called Next Era Resources is the driving force in placing these turbines in an area of 17,000 acres.
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Shop with a Cop Event Held Yesterday in Knox
Officers from the Kankakee Valley Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #129 participated in a Shop with a Cop event yesterday at ALCO in Knox. Chris Kisela, Knox City Police Officer and FOP President, talked about yesterday’s event:
“We’ve been doing fundraisers over the summer. We’ve raised over $2000 so far. We’ll take that $2000 and spend it on school clothes. The kids will have $100 each to buy school clothes for the upcoming school year,” said Kisela.
Pulaski County Health Department Offering Walk-In Clinic Today
Today, the Pulaski County Health Department will be offering a walk-in clinic for school children who need their immunizations for school.
The walk-in clinic is open today from 3 – 7 p.m. ET at the Health Department for children in Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Health Department is charging $8.00 per shot. If you are on Medicaid, you will need your Medicaid card and the Health Department will bill Medicaid directly. Parents should also present immunization cards when at the clinic.
Knox Board of Public Works Approves Bid for Storm Water Project
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers announced that the Knox Board of Public Works approved the lowest conforming bid for the upcoming storm water project.
“H & G Underground Services from Laporte, Indiana, their bid for $688,977 was the lowest bid and that was taken under advisement until that could be checked by Territorial Engineering and the City of Knox attorney,” said Chambers.
Pulaski County Jail Impresses State Inspectors
The Pulaski County Jail underwent an inspection last week by an inspector from the Indiana Department of Corrections.
In his report, Lee Hoard said that Sheriff Michael Gayer, Commander Phillip Cherry and the staff are to be commended on the maintenance of the jail. The jail is clean and the staff are professional and receptive to suggestions and recommendations. The offenders were interviewed and stated that the felt safe in the facility, the food was good and the staff treated them well. The only recommendation made was to provide two dates on leftover food: date in and date out.
