The Hamlet Water and Wastewater Operator, John Goble, has put in a request to the Hamlet Town Board to order equipment so the department can test for E. Coli. Goble currently takes water samples to LaPorte several times a month and the tests are run there. The Town pays $30 for the testing fee, plus mileage and labor. The Board will look into the request.
The North Judson Town Clerk-Treasurer, Connie Miller, is expected to meet with the Department of Local Government Finance to go over the proposed 2012 budget. Miller told WKVI that the State has allowed the Town to increase its General Fund by 2.9% which will amount to approximately $17,000. The proposed General Fund budget, with the increase, is $618,610. The entire proposed budget, including the General Fund, Local Roads and Streets, Motor Vehicle Highway, Parks, CCI and CCD will total approximately $795,630.
Jack Haut will appear in Starke Circuit Court this morning for a status hearing. Haut is charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death and Reckless Homicide.
In July 2010, it is alleged that Jack Haut was driving his pickup truck on US 35 north of Knox when he swerved into the other lane and struck Thomas White of Knox head-on. White was riding a motorcycle at the time of the accident and died at the scene.
His jury trial has been scheduled for July 20th at 9:00 a.m.
Even though almost 60,000 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War, it was always shocking when a hometown boy was lost.
“July 8th, 1969, was a sad day in Knox. Bob Hanselman, 20, son of Helen and Harley Hanselman was buried,” said Ted Hayes. “Bob Hanselman was part of the 26th Engineering Battalion serving in Vietnam. He was killed on June 17th, 1969, and his body was flown back and he was buried on this date in 1969. Although I did not know Bob Hanselman, to his friends he will always remain 20 years old.”
Violinist Adrienne Geisler visited the WKVI studios to perform part of a song that will be featured during her concert on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CT at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Knox. Adrienne recently played in Carnegie Hall with the Albany Symphony Orchestra.
In 2009, she received her Masters in Violin Performance from the Peabody Institute of Music. Peabody is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University.
Firefighters from the Hamlet Fire Department were called to a structure fire at the corner of Davis and Main Streets in Hamlet shortly after 1:00 this morning.
It is not known at this time what caused the fire in the vacant building, but officials at the scene said no injuries were reported. An investigation is pending. The Koontz Lake and Knox-Center Township Fire Departments were called to the scene for mutual aid.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Grovertown man Tuesday afternoon after officers located meth labs on his property.
A search warrant was executed at 1820 N. 1100 E. in Grovertown and the officers found several meth labs inside the residence. Officers also reportedly found precursors used to make methamphetamine.
Starke County EMS Director, Lisa Burger, informed county officials this week that the ambulances were recently re-certified by the state. In an inspection, the trucks are gone over and the paperwork is audited.
Burger told the Commissioners that in the future the state will be doing random inspections, so their number could be drawn in six months, or maybe not again for three years.
WKVI News is revisiting a story we had earlier in the week about the eligibility of two Park Board members. Because we used the phrase “not qualified”, some in our audience thought we meant the two members in question were not competent to sit on the Board. That is not correct, as the members Irene Szakonyi and Kurt Snearly are eminently qualified. Park Board President, Chris Marshall, called them very valuable, and we concur.
In a normal year Jim Wallace would have the right credentials to be Governor of the state. This isn’t a normal year, and the Republicans have an anointed candidate, Congressman Mike Pence. That, though, hasn’t stopped Wallace from campaigning hard for the Republican nomination. Wallace joined other Republicans in the Pulaski County 4-H Parade this week in Winamac.
“I grew up here in north-central Indiana,” he said. I went to Kankakee Valley High School. I was Senator Lugar’s first appointee at West Point and for nine years I was a combat pilot in the Army. I came back here the first chance I had and I’ve done a lot of stuff in local municipal politics.”
Jackie is giving it another run for a U.S. Congressional seat in 2012, but this time she’s running in a reconfigured district that favors a Republican candidate.
Walorski narrowly lost to Representative Joe Donnelly in the 2010 election, but it won’t be a rematch in 2012 as Donnelly has announced that he running for the U.S. Senate.
Arrowhead Engineering has closed its doors! That was the news story we led with back in 1977 on this date. Precision pulleys for the auto industry were manufactured at Arrowhead Engineering. Although the shutdown was initially for a two week period, the workers were not optimistic. It eventually closed its doors for good putting 100 workers out of work.
The Starke County jail has been identified as the second oldest jail in the state and it is getting some attention by the County Commissioners. Commissioners Dan Bridegroom, Jennifer Davis and Kathy Norem toured two jails in surrounding counties to gain information on how they might configure a new jail in Starke County. The Commissioners visited the Marshall and Fulton County jails yesterday.
High grass is soon to be a thing of the past for the Pulaski County Recycling Center. The County Commissioners will be reviewing two bids for zero-turn radius mowers, one from Gilsinger’s and one from Bill’s Circle Mowers in Francesville. The Commissioners will decide which mower is best for the center, and a decision is expected to be made before their next meeting.
Under almost ideal conditions, the 2011 Pualski County 4-H Fair Parade was held last night in Winamac.
“The most exciting thing in 4-H is not the projects or winning a trophy, it’s meeting other people and stepping out and showing other people what you can do and what your talents are,” said 4-H Achievement Royalty winner, Erica Putt.
“I’m in Junior Leaders and we take a lot of trips and meet a lot of people and I’m also a Camp Counselor so I can be a model for younger children,” said Veronica Leman, also a part of this year’s 4-H Royalty. “I also won Showman last year which is also a very big accomplishment.” Continue reading
The Starke County Commissioners accepted the Property and Casualty and Workers Compensation Insurance policies as presented by First Source Insurance Agent, Bridget Markin yesterday. Markin said the loss ratio of 48% for the Property and Casualty was very good, but there would be an overall increase to the County of $12,017 in premiums because the company paid out $27,000 more in Workers Compensation claims than the cost of the insurance. The policies begin in July.
Formal charges are pending against a Knox resident who reportedly left her two dogs in a hot car and one expired due to the heat.
The Knox City Police Department were called to IU Health Starke Hospital where a citizen called to report that two dogs were left in a car on a hot summer day and did not look well. Officers arrived and noticed a little crack in the window, but the dogs were panting heavily. One was laying down and was drooling due to being hot and dehydrated. The dog did expire due to the heat. The dog owner was not arrested at the scene, but police continue to investigate this incident.
Starke County Commission President, Dan Bridegroom told Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall that, “It’s been a mystery to me how some farmers can plant their last row right up to the roadway.” Bridegroom told Siddall that the crews need to be out cutting down the intersections. Corn crops are a danger when its planted too close to the road. Many drivers in cars and trucks have to “nose” out into an intersection to see if all is clear.
North Judson Town Marshal Doug Vessely reports that the North Judson Police Department received 361 incident calls in the month of June. There were 44 citizen assist calls, 71 traffic stops, 9 animal control calls, 20 theft-conversion calls, 21 juvenile-family disturbance calls, 12 mischief-vandalism calls, and 8 assaults, battery and/or fighting calls.
Two members of the Knox Park Board are not eligible to serve. According to Knox City Council Attorney, David Matsey, the Ex-Officio members of the Board, Irene Szakonyi and Kurt Snearly, are not members of the Boards that named them to the Park Board.
By definition, an Ex-Officio member of a board is there by virtue of holding another office. The Ex-Officio members of the Park Board were named by the Starke County Library Board and the Knox Community School Board. Since neither are part of those Boards, they are not eligible to serve.
