Starke County Courthouse Elevator to be Repaired

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

The Starke County Courthouse elevator is scheduled for repairs. Courthouse Custodian, Carl Goodrich, talked with the Commissioners this week about this relic. Goodrich was asked exactly what’s wrong with the elevator.

“Basically, the hydraulic system is leaking and it needs to be replaced,” replied Goodrich. “It was put in in 1956 and it needs to be reworked. We’re going to modernize it and bring it up to code. The elevator car itself is going to be there but they’re going to repair the hydraulic systems and everything that goes with the unit.” They need some hydraulic equipment from places like www.cir.net/ to repair the elevator.

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Knox City Council to Gather Bids for New Sign at Community Center

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council #2
Back Row: Mayor Rick Chambers, Ed Blue, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, Greg Matt and Attorney David Matsey. Front Row: Linda Berndt, Jeff Berg and Ron Parker

Knox City Councilman Greg Matt described the electronic sign at the Knox Community Center as a dead horse. Matt told his fellow councilmen that he had a conversation with a representative of Vanadco Signs about the condition of the unit and came away convinced that it can’t be repaired.

The sign is occasionally on, but the right message isn’t displayed and other times it’s off for no reason. A new sign with enhanced graphics, featuring 64,000 color combinations, has been priced at $14,400 for the city. This would include training for office staff who could program it from City Hall.

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Indiana Democrats Remain in Illnois

Posted on Author WKVI
State Representative Nancy Dembowski

Saying they’re not being “spoiled sports” the Indiana House Democrats are still in Urbana, Illinois asking their Republican counterparts to negotiate on some of the bills they feel strongly about. 17th District State Representative Nancy Dembowski (D-Knox) said yesterday that by staying away, the Democrats hope to slow the process down and to give the public a chance to look into some of these bills. Dembowski said she didn’t think the Republicans ran on some of the agenda items they are trying to pass.

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WKVI to Host Blood Drive Friday

Posted on Author WKVI
WKVI's Ted Hayes gives blood during a blood drive last year for the American Red Cross

WKVI will be hosting a blood drive tomorrow, March 11th.

March is Red Cross Month so it’s the perfect time to give blood.

The blood drive will be from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT on Friday, March 11th here at the WKVI Studios. The Red Cross staff will be in the Bloodmobile in our parking lot awaiting your important blood donation.

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Applications Available for Grants from Starke United

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke United

Non-profit organizations have an opportunity to apply for grant money from Starke United.

A total of fourteen organizations received grants last year from $20,000 in available funds. Applications can be found on the Starke United website, or you may pick one up at the office at 52 W. Lake Street in Knox. Applications must be returned to Starke United no later than March 28th, 2011.

For more information, contact Executive Director, Julie Dessauer, at (574) 772-7506.

Knox Middle School Students to Job Shadow Friday

Posted on Author WKVI
Chris Ross

115 Knox 7th grade students will be job shadowing Friday.

Middle School Guidance Counselor, Chris Ross, explains what kind of jobs the students will be learning about tomorrow.

“Health care jobs from Starke County, the Plymouth hospital, Winamac hospital, Starke County Library, several educational institutions, several local schools – Plymouth, Walkerton, North Judson, and our high school as well as the Elementary, and several vet clinics,” Ross said. “We have a really good mix of jobs being shadowed this year.”

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Ancilla to Host Book Signing for Rev. Dr. Sam Boys

Posted on Author WKVI

Ancilla College will host a book signing on Monday, March 14th with author Dr. Rev. Sam Boys, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Ancilla.

The signing – held in Room 231 at 6:00 p.m. EST – will promote the release of his book, entitled “An Ancient Sound for the Present Moment” and is a free event open to the public.

The book explores the health benefits of breath and sound and how playing the didgeridoo can help clear the mind and relax the body.

Boys will also share methods of relaxation with those in attendance, including the use of breathing techniques to help relieve stress and facilitate wellness.

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‘Ted Hayes Remembers’ Program to Feature Broadcast Buddies

Posted on Author WKVI
Ted Hayes and Harold Welter

When two young men begin careers together they don’t always look down the road thinking they’ll work with each other almost a half century. This week’s Ted Hayes Remembers program will feature “Broadcast Buddies”, Ted Hayes and Harold Welter.

Ted and Harold have worked together at two stations over 43 years. This week they’ll remember some of their radio highlights.

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KIRPC to Manage Star City Sewer Project Grant

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

A grant in the amount of $587,253 is to be received by Pulaski County to assist in funding the construction of the Star City sewer project, a new sanitary sewer system for the unincorporated community. This project, which is funded by the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), is to come from CDBG funds that were made available for economic recovery after many areas were damaged by natural disasters in 2008.

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Lisa Owens Appears on ‘Breaking Down the Bars’ Program on OWN

Posted on Author WKVI
Lisa Owens

America got its first look at Lisa Owens behind bars Tuesday night on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).  Owens was filmed on location at the Rockville Correctional Facility as part of a series entitled “Breaking Down the Bars”.

The episode reviewed the crime that led to her incarceration at Rockville which was the shooting of her husband, Jeff, in their Knox home.  For that crime, she was sentenced to 40 years behind bars, but she is being given an early release after serving just ten years.

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Knox Community School Board President Discusses Collective Bargaining

Posted on Author WKVI
Harold Welter

House Bill 575 is one of the bills being heard in this year’s legislative session and it pertains to collective bargaining for teachers.  In this bill, teachers would be prohibited from bargaining over anything but salaries and a few basic benefits. Bargaining would last 60 days before going to arbitration. The arbitrator would have the final word. Knox Community School Board President, Harold Welter, was asked to talk about collective bargaining at the Knox Community School Corporation.

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Knox Community School Board Approves Bid for Softball Building Project

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 the bid from Hamstra Builders in Wheatfield to work on the softball building project. The bid was approved with a 5-1 vote with Board member Nathan Marcum opposed to the project. $271,900 will be transferred from the Rainy Day Fund to be used for this project.

The softball building project will include the construction of a public restroom and dressing room facility for the softball players. Water and sewer lines will be run and will be extended for a possible baseball building project and the infrastructure will allow for other projects in the future.

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Knox Soldier Honored in Wall of Honor Ceremony

Posted on Author WKVI

Published by Courier-Journal.com:

The shadowbox honoring Sgt. Joseph A. Ford was flanked by Sgt Raymond Pendleton, left, and E4 Specialist Arjan Manwani. (By Jenna Esarey, Special to the Courier-Journal)

With numerous family members and friends on hand, an Indiana National Guard soldier who died in Iraq was honored Saturday at a Wall of Honor ceremony at the New Albany National Guard Armory.

Sgt. Joseph A. Ford was 23 years old when he was killed on May 10, 2008 in a non-combat vehicle accident.

Ford’s sacrifice was recognized with the dedication of a shadowbox containing a folded American flag, Ford’s picture, biography and all of his ribbons, awards and medals from his military career. Approximately 75 people turned out for the dedication, including many members of the HQ & HQ Troop of the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment based at the armory.

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School News

Posted on Author WKVI

On Saturday March 5th, the Winamac Community High School Robotics Team won the Jay County Vex Robotics Tournament. The team finished the qualifying rounds 9-0 then won the elimination rounds. Members of the team are Eric Sass, Alex Gudas, Natasha Daugherty, Eric Newman, Brett Beach, Kohl Hoover, and Greg Zellers.

(L to R) David Elliott, Drew Shearin and Craige Pihpps. Photo provided.

Lafayette Jefferson World Premiere of “Uncertainty”, composed by Knox High School Student Andrew “Drew” Shearin, occurred on March 2nd, 2011. The Lafayette Jefferson High School Annual Concerto Concert was the forum for this special performance. Drew was represented with his plaque signifying winning the IMEA (Indiana Music Educators Association) Young Composers Competition Concert Band Class which he received at the IMEA State Convention. Drew was asked to introduce the piece that was performed by Lafayette Jefferson’s top Wind Ensemble with a short speech. “Uncertainty” was wonderfully performed and both the piece and Drew received a 2 minute standing ovation. After the concert was concluded, Drew was greeted and congratulated by many of the concert goers and the various attending directors as well as the Knox School Corporation instrumental music staff.

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North Judson Wins 20th Sectional Championship

Posted on Author Nathan
2011 Sectional Champions

The North Judson Blue Jays are Sectional Champions once again! On Tuesday the Jays defeated Hebron (13-8) in the first round 82-63, then on Friday they were victorious once again defeating Culver (14-8) 42-35, before defeating Winamac (12-11) in the championship game 64-53. Winston Yergler led the Jays in the championship with a season high 23 points as North Judson won their 20th Sectional Championship in boys basketball.

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Forensic Fluids Laboratories to Begin Conducting Drug Tests on Starke County Employees

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners ( L to R ) Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom, Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners contracted with a Kalamazoo, Michigan firm to provide drug testing of County employees. Forensic Fluids Laboratories will test all new employees and 10% of randomly selected current employees. The testing will be done with a swab of oral fluids instead of urine specimens.

Deidre Cunningham, a representative of the company, said the testing is 100% accurate.

“An oral sample equates to a blood sample and a lot of people are surprised to hear that,” said Cunningham. “Your mouth resalivates all day long through the oral glands in your oral cavity and they way it resalivates is by the blood stream mixing with the oral fluids; saliva and other fluids. By testing either blood or oral fluid, you’re getting the same information. Isn’t it wonderful to think that you can get the same information from a blood test without the needle poke or the higher price point?”

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Oprah Winfrey Network to Feature Lisa Owens in ‘Breaking Down the Bars’ Program Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI
Lisa Owens

The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will feature former Knox resident, Lisa Owens, tonight on the “Breaking Down the Bars”. The program features eight inmates incarcerated at the Rockville Correctional Center.

Owens, who is eligible for release this year because of a modification of her 40 year sentence, was convicted of shooting her husband, Jeff, while he was in the shower. The crime took place on May 18th, 2001. The case was heard before then- Starke Circuit Court Judge, David Matsey and was prosecuted by then-Starke County Prosecutor, Kim Hall. She plead guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter. The modification order was signed by Judge Richard Kickbush.

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