A Starke County Commissioner, Kathy Norem, who is the former CEO of Starke Memorial Hospital, now known as IU Health Starke Hospital, is in today with an update on a committee’s early efforts to evaluate the possibility of upgrading the county’s ambulance service to include paramedic service, also known as Advanced Life Service.
Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski reminds residents of the City of Knox that only a few more days remain to vote an absentee ballot in the Primary Election.
“Monday, April 25th, we will be open from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and that will be daily, Monday through Saturday,” said Skronski. “Evening hours will be on April 28th from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. We will conclude our absentee early voting on May 2nd and you may vote from 8:00 a.m. until Noon.”
The deadline date for paying the first installment of personal property taxes is just two weeks away, May 10th. Starke County Treasurer, Linda Belork, says the service in her office could be more efficient in the final rush days before the deadline, but currently, most taxpayers have not been too inconvenienced by long waits.
“Right now, taxes are coming in really well for us and most taxpayers, surprisingly, are paying for the whole year,” said Belork. “We do have some lines, but again we’re still trying to work with the County Council and the Commissioners to have our second Deputy in. They verbally gave me the approval and then at the public meeting, they backed off of it. I guess that’s an issue we’ll have to take up at budget time.”
With just a few days left before the spring Primary Election in Knox, the candidates are out trying to get their message across to the voters.
Ron Parker is a Democrat City Councilman, and he stopped by WKVI recently to talk about his campaign. Parker first talked about the accomplishments of the Council.
“One of the things that we have seen is improvements in our Knox Industrial Park,” stated Parker. “With Charlie Weaver from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, we’ve seen some major moves there and we’re going to see another major move and that is J.W. Hicks. They’re going to move their Corporate Headquarters here. That’s a big deal.”
The third annual “Turkey Tracks” hunting event to be held here in Starke County is set for this weekend. Organized by the Doug Corey family, Turkey Tracks allows physically handicapped youngsters to enjoy a hunting experience. The efforts are the project designed by the Corey son, Eric, who is afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
As in earlier years, local guides have volunteered to accompany the hunters into the field. Several local landowners have offered land for the shoot. Some of the youngsters, many who have never fired a gun, will be in wheelchairs.
April has been proclaimed as Child Abuse Prevention Month for Starke County, thanks to the Commissioners and the organization Prevent Child Abuse Starke County, operating under the Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (CADA). Ruth Matsey from CADA spoke to the audience and the Commissioners in regards to their proclamation against child abuse. Mary Armstrong-Smith, Community Partners Director of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, also addressed the audience and expressed her concern of child abuse.
Auditions for the Maxinkuckee Players 2011 production of “Nunsense: The Mega-Musical” are set for Saturday, May 7th in Culver. Three sessions: 9:00 a.m. to Noon, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., and 5:00-9:00 p.m. ET are scheduled at the Culver High School choir room.
There are two female lead roles in the show, six secondary roles for either male or females and a number of people are needed for the chorus. There is a lot of singing and according to the Director, Becky Liechty, “reasonable” dancing for all. You can call Becky at (574) 941-2343 or reach her at bliechty@embarqmail,com if you have questions or need additional details.
Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:
Mathew Schoff, Cheryl Paschen, Kimberly Hurley, Freeman Spelts, Tracey Gaideski, and Timothy Clark were arrested Friday, April 15th, after police found three active methamphetamine labs run by individuals at the Holloway Motel. The six plead not guilty and sought public defenders after appearing for initial hearings this week in Starke Circuit Court. Bond has been set at $50,000 each. The Holloway Motel was condemned as a result of meth lab activity.
Work continues on the elevator in the Starke County Courthouse. Carl Goodrich told WKVI that they’re waiting for the elevator and parts to arrive so the elevator can be constructed.
The old elevator in the Courthouse needed to be modernized and brought up to code. It had not been updated since it was first installed in the Courthouse. A quote from Oracle Elevator in the amount of $62,971 was approved by the Starke County Commissioners for the purchase of a new elevator.
The North Judson Town Board members received information on implementing a 50/50 sidewalk program at their meeting on April 4th. The Board has not made a decision on whether or not to move forward with the project. The attorney will look over the proposal and other information and bring it back for discussion at the May 2nd meeting.
The Senior Volunteer of the Year and the Older Hoosier of the Year award winners were announced Thursday during a luncheon at the Bass Lake Fire Department.
“Today, we are honoring all of our volunteers for the past two years, for 2009 and 2010,” said Community Services of Starke County Director, Joan Haugh. “This is just our opportunity to give them a little credit for all of the many hours of service they’ve put in or the donations they’ve given to support our programs and the food pantry. We’re very grateful for them and if anyone out there would like to volunteer, please call me.”
We continue with our introduction of the primary candidates to you today. Clarence Marshall is a Democrat candidate for Clerk-Treasurer for the City of Knox. He’s a lifetime resident of Starke County, primarily living in Knox.
We asked him to talk about his background.
“I worked at the Rudd-Shepherd dealership for 36 years and most of those years I was the Service Department Manager,” explained Marshall. “I did leave for a couple of years. I worked at Automatic Music for a few years and also Ed’s Auto Parts.”
April is National Car Care Month. SCILL Center instructor, Mark Anderson, says that it may be a good time to check your exhaust system.
“Cars have an exhaust system underneath that is made out of aluminized metal which reacts with the salt that they put on the roads in the wintertime,” said Anderson. “At this time of the year, we see a lot of exhaust systems and mufflers laying along the side of the road, so this is a good time of the year to check your exhaust system. Just go behind the car and give your tailpipe a little bitty kick and see if anything rattles. If it does, you should take it in and get it fixed.”
A Community Good Friday Worship Service is scheduled this evening by the Starke County Ministerial Alliance. The program begins at 7 p.m. at the Knox First Christian Church, 301 South Pearl Street.
Several area pastors are participating in the service. Ed Hasnerl, pastor at the Eagle Creek Community Church will bring a short message. Special music will be provided by Sally Povalitis, Marilyn McCarty, Nancy Lerch, Diane Riddle, Doris Michael and Jeanell Quillen.
Nearly 150 Knox Elementary School third grade students visited the Starke County Museum this week to learn more of the history and the people of the area in which they live. In the annual trek to the museum at 401 South Main Street in Knox, the home of former Governor Henry F. Schricker, seven classes each spent an hour with volunteer guides and watching local history videos. Continue reading
More than 200 Knox Community Elementary School students’ original poems could be published this fall in the 2011 Young American Poetry Digest, a program of the National Schools project.
Charles Ratliff, writing teacher at the school, says nearly 800 poems were submitted to be considered for the anthology, which is a collection of writing in book form. He says the work of 50 fifth graders, 79 fourth graders,
and 70 third graders were accepted.
Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers arrested four on methamphetamine charges at a Knox residence Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading
The Knox City Police Department investigated a two vehicle accident that occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m. today at the intersection of Culver Road and US 35 in Knox.
According to City Police Officer, Chad Dulin, Sharon Button, of Winamac, was traveling southbound on US 35 when she reportedly disregarded the stoplight at the intersection and struck a vehicle driven by Dalerie Ford of Knox. Ford was traveling westbound through the intersection when the accident occurred.
