Knox Community School Board Approves Amended 2011-2012 School Calendar

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 approved an amended 2011-2012 school calendar during its Monday night meeting. The Board had asked Superintendent A.J. Gappa to work with all entities involved to push back the start of the school year. The preliminary calendar had students starting on August 10th and the Board felt that start date was too early. The amended calendar has the students beginning the next school year on August 16th with the last student day on May 24th. Spring break would be March 26th-30th with commencement on June 1st.

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A Clean Air Filter Increases Gas Mileage

Posted on Author WKVI

Looking for ways to save at the pump? Rod Dawson, instructor at the SCILL Center in Knox, says that a clean air filter can increase your gas mileage.

“This is the time of year when we’re starting to get a lot of bugs, farmers are out in the fields and we’re going to be picking up a lot of dust and dirt and those filters will start to clog up. We start restricting the amount of air that needs to be put into that engine through that air filter,” said Dawson. “When that starts to clog up, it richens the engine up because we’re not getting the air to mix in with it. We start using a little more fuel at that point in time. We’re robbing about ten percent of the air that needs to come into it which can cost us up to about fifteen percent on fuel consumption.”

Two Starke County Residents Arrested after Traffic Stop

Posted on Author WKVI

Two Starke County residents were arrested today on felony charges after a traffic stop by Starke County police.

Officers recognized Heather Manns, 33, of North Judson traveling as a passenger in a vehicle and police stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Culver Road and US 35 in Knox. Officers took her into custody on a Failure to Appear warrant through Starke County and she was also wanted out of Pulaski County.

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Starke County Commissioners Withdraw Support for Full-Time Deputy Treasurer

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Treasurer Linda Belork

It seems the Treasurer’s office will not be getting the full-time help they’ve been requesting, after all. At the Starke County Council Meeting on April 18, the council noted that after looking at newest budget figures, they noticed that they would be short of the amount needed to transfer in order to support another full-time employee in the Treasurer’s office because some of those funds do not exist in the Treasurer’s budget.

The Commissioners agreed with the council, withdrawing their support as well because of budgetary concerns. They did not anticipate the coming year, and the Commissioners do not believe they will have the $5600 necessary to contribute that they previously believed they had. Treasurer Linda Belork was not present and could not help the Council and the Commissioners determine if the funds were available in the budget or not.

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Zhart Requests Inmates’ Assistance in Planting Trees

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

The Pulaski County Commissioners were approached at their biweekly meeting on April 18 by Fred Zhart with the Winamac Tree Committee. Zhart requested approval of the use of inmates to help him dig holes to plant 28 trees this weekend.

Zhart told the commissioners that he has enlisted the assistance of inmates before, and he reminded them that he did not allow smoking or contact with other people while the inmates were assisting him. Zhart went on to say that inmates were not only grateful to get out and work, but when the returned to work they are much easier to manage.

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Plea and Sentencing Hearing for Kevin Eggert Scheduled

Posted on Author WKVI
Kevin Eggert

A plea and sentencing hearing for Kevin Eggert is scheduled for this morning. Eggert is accused of threatening to kill Misty Ross while pointing a 12-gauge shotgun at her, and faces one count of Intimidation, a Class C Felony, and one count of Pointing a Firearm, a Class D Felony.

According to the police report, Officer Todd Keen was dispatched to a residence on Nov. 21, 2010 in reference to a male subject pointing a gun at a female. When Keen arrived, he spoke with Misty Ross, who was standing outside the residence. Ross told Keen that she and her boyfriend, Eggert, had been having some relationship problems, and had told Eggert a few days prior that she was leaving and taking their children. On Nov. 21, Ross had gone to a male friend’s house, and was getting ready to leave when Eggert pulled into the driveway, pointed the shotgun out the window, and said, “I’ll kill you and Tom.” Eggert then left.

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Mark Smith Seeking Candidacy for Mayor of Knox

Posted on Author WKVI
Mark Smith

We continue today with our interviews with the Knox city candidates for elective office in the spring Primary on May 3rd.

Mark Smith is the President of the County Council and has been coroner in the past. He is the owner of M.C. Smith Funeral Home in Knox.

Smith noted the improvements made in past administrations, including the highway project through Knox, Gateway Project, renovation of the old depot, and others. He said he feels we’re not progressing now, as we did then.

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Vote Absentee at the Starke County Courthouse

Posted on Author WKVI

Absentee voting has begun in the Starke County Courthouse for the May Primary Election. This election will feature the City of Knox candidates running for office only.

Absentee voting is available on the first floor of the Starke County Courthouse, Monday through Friday from now until Friday, April 29th from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. CT. Absentee voting will also be available on Saturday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 30th from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00-4:00 p.m. On Thursday, April 28th, absentee voting will be available from 5:00-7:00 p.m. You may vote absentee May 2nd from 8:00 a.m. to Noon. The Starke County Courthouse will be closed on Good Friday so absentee voting will not be available.

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Town of Winamac to Cease Grass Disposal; Sewer Separation Project Underway

Posted on Author WKVI
Winamac Town Hall

The Town of Winamac will not pick up bagged grass again this year. According to Town Manager, Jim Conner, the Town Board decided that residents will need to dispose of their own grass clippings. The issue was brought up last year when the Town Board and Wastewater Superintendent, Brad Zellers, expressed concern about the grass clippings in the streets and the problems they cause with the sewer system, especially during rains.

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Clean Spark Plugs Can Help Gas Mileage

Posted on Author WKVI

SCILL Center Instructor, Rod Dawson, is in this week to give us car care tips for National Car Care month. He says we can’t neglect spark plugs

“People don’t realize it, but that spark plug will fire 3 million times within a thousand miles of driving,” said Dawson. “Take a look at what that spark plug actually does. There’s a lot of heat, a lot of electrical, and chemical erosion that happens on that spark plug. It does wear down and it does need to be replaced.”

Initial Hearings Set for Those Arrested in Holloway Motel Meth Lab Bust

Posted on Author WKVI

The six individuals arrested Friday night on various methamphetamine charges will appear before Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. for their initial hearings.

Mathew Schoff, Cheryl Paschen, Kimberly Hurley, Tracey Gaideski, Timothy Clark, and Holloway Motel manager, Freeman Spelts, were arrested Friday after police found three active methamphetamine labs at the Holloway Motel on U.S. 30 in Starke County. They have charges ranging from Possession of Paraphernalia to Manufacturing Methamphetamine and Neglect of a Dependent. An 8-year-old child was taken into protective custody after the incident.

Bond has been set at $50,000 each.

Citizens Question Pulaski County Airport Expansion Project

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

Nearly 20 citizens of Pulaski County packed into the Commissioners’ meeting room to dispute the expansion of the county airport. The Pulaski County Airport Association Board has been looking into expanding their runway by 800 feet, which would allow larger corporate aircraft to land at their airport without jeopardizing their insurance, but the expansion requires the closure of road 100 West, as well as the acquisition of land from citizens. Everyone, from farmers to pilots, had something to say regarding the issue.

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Knox Mayor up for Election in City Primary Election

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers

It’s two weeks before the Primary Election in Knox. Today, we will begin a series of interviews with candidates running in contested races.

Rick Chambers is completing his first term as Mayor of Knox. The Mayor sat down with us recently to talk about that four year term.

“The first term was very exciting,” he said. “I like dealing with industry. We had industry move into our Industrial Park every year I’ve been Mayor. We added about 80 jobs, we did six tax abatements for industry that either expanded or built new. It was very exciting seeing that Industrial Park grow.”

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