Starke County Ministerial Alliance’s Thanksgiving Dinner is Wednesday

The annual Starke County Ministerial Alliance community-wide Thanksgiving service has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 24th at the Knox United Methodist Church.

Pastor Art Good will present the Thanksgiving message and several musical selections will be offered by representatives of area churches.  The program begins at 7:00 p.m. CT.

The Alliance uses the love offering taken at the service to fund expenses for gasoline, food and/or lodging when needy travelers pass through the community.

Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department Receives Awards at OPO Banquet

Pulaski County Sheriff's Office

Hundreds of state and local law enforcement agencies were recently honored at the 16th Annual Operation Pull Over Awards Banquet at the Ritz Charles in Carmel, Indiana. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office was among those agencies honored, taking home the award for Operation Pull Over, OPO Small Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Office also received a $1,000 Equipment Award to be used for the purchase of law enforcement equipment of their choice. The Sheriff’s Office has received awards in three of the past four years of participation in the Operation Pull Over Enforcement Programs.

Efforts conducted through Operation Pull Over rely on a dual strategy involving high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness aimed at deterring impaired and dangerous driving and increasing seat belt use.

Turkey Facts for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Dinner

Here are a few turkey facts for this year’s Thanksgiving:

  • The largest turkey, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was 86 pounds (about the size of a large German shepherd).
  • More than 45 million turkeys will be cooked for Thanksgiving (1/6th of all turkeys eaten during the year).
  • Turkey is often cited as the reason you’ll feel sleepy after dinner. It contains L-tryptophan, an amino acid with a documented sleep inducing effect, but the real culprit is the whole meal.
  • Only wild turkeys can fly. Domesticated turkeys cannot.

Teacher Reminds us of Most Important Gift

Kyle and Jessica McCann
Kyle and Jessica McCann

Eight years ago today, a miracle happened on a basketball floor in Michigan City. Jessica (Neace) McCann, a Knox High School basketball player at the time, collapsed on the floor when her heart stopped for no reason. She would have died if it had not been for the quick action of a Michigan City coach and long time family friend, Jackie Estok. They literally brought her back to life.

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More on Agriculture

Since I grew up on Grandpa’s farm, I was destined to become a farmer, it seems. After college and the army, I joined up with Dad and we farmed the home place together for several years. I feel very lucky to have been born in Starke County, Indiana, to Russell and Edna Shilling. As I look back on those few years when Dad and I farmed together – wow. He allowed me to experiment with all sorts of innovative ideas and yet with a careful eye, guided my inexperience. There is nothing like “been there, done that”. And he let me know it in his gentle way.

The changes that we have seen in Agriculture, just in my time, have been tremendous. There have been more changes in production agriculture during the last fifty years than the 10,000 years before that. During the great depression, the average farmer was selling enough farm produce to feed 3-4 other people. During the 1950s, the average farmer in the U.S. was feeding 50 people. A tremendous increase, in just a few years. Now, the average farmer is feeding 154 people. It is estimated that by 2030, farmers around the world will have to produce 4 billion tons of food for the growing population. Upgrading one’s growing operation with a seedling planter can pay off for many growers.

Starke County is doing its part. The average farm in Starke County is only 259 acres, but those acres produce more than 81 million dollars in income for Starke County each year. That’s third, behind Manufacturing and Retail Sales. I haven’t found all of the figures of the Ag-related retail, but I know that the Farm Bureau Coop has a gross sales of more than 59 million dollars in materials to farmers. When a farmer talks about a 1″ rain as “a million dollar rain”, it is more than a figure of speech. A 1″ rain every week during June, July and August will add about 10 to 12 million dollars to the Starke County economy. Farmers are not only spending huge amounts of money on production inputs, such as implements, seed and fertilizer for their crops, but also adding to the economy by patronizing the local stores.

The next time you see a Starke County farmer, whether he farms 50 acres of vegetables or 5000 acres of corn, think about the food he helps grow and the part he plays in the local economy.

A good site to learn more about Indiana agriculture is:
http://www.farmersfeedus.org/in/corn/10

Jim Shilling
Starke County Historical Society

http://www.starkehistory.com
http://www.scpl.lib.in.us/historical/

Eastern Pulaski School Students in Top 25

Dr. Robert Klitzman
Dr. Robert Klitzman

Eastern Pulaski School Superintendent, Dr. Robert Klitzman, told the Board of a great achievement by the students and teachers at the Corporation.

“I received an email from the [Department of Education] that our School Corporation was going to be recognized in Indianapolis at a press conference as on of the top 25 School Corporations in the whole state in terms of growth on the Language Arts-Reading portion of the I-STEP and Math,” said Dr. Klitzman.
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Maxinkuckee Players Looking to 2011

The Maxinkuckee Players are already making plans for the 2011 summer presentation.  A meeting is scheduled in Culver early next month to elect officers.

If you have a suggestion for a possible musical production for the Players 2011 season you may contact Charlie Weaver at 574-772-5000 in Knox,  who is a member of the selection committee. That committee will make several suggestions to the Players members who, in  turn, will  make the final selection at a meeting in January or early February.
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Tuesday Night Men’s League 11/19/10

Team Standings:

  1. Quarter’s 60.0-17.0;
  2. Konrad Cabinets 50.0-27.0;
  3. Sandbar 42.0-35.0;
  4. Marks Body Shop 39.0-38.0;
  5. 1st Choice Pawn 39.0-38.0;
  6. Half Track 39.0-38.0;
  7. WKVI 39.0-38.0;
  8. Bowlaway Lanes 37.0-40.0;
  9. Hensleys 34.0-43.0;
  10. Fishers 34.0-43.0;
  11. Time Out 25.0-52.0;
  12. Simonis 24.0-53.0;

High Scratch Team Game: Quarter’s 862; 1st Choice Pawn 810; Hensleys 804; High Team Scratch Series: Quarter’s 2459; Hensleys 2326; Bowlaway Lanes 2294; High HDCP Team Game: 1st Choice Pawn 917; Quarter’s 895; WKVI 890; High HDCP Team Series: WKVI 2564; Quarter’s 2558; Hensleys 2545; High Individual Scratch Game: Gordon Buckman 275; Josh Budka 268; Josh Nies 261; High Individual Scratch Series: Gordon Buckman 678; Rob Snowdon 669; Shawn Hale 663; High Individual HDCP Game: Josh Nies 282; Gordon Buckman 276; Josh Budka 272; High Individual HDCP Series: Rob Snowdon 735; Shawn Hale 726; Mark Hensley 720.

Kids Love Cookies and Milk and Bedtime Stories

Knox Community Elementary School students gobbled up the evening at the “Cookies & Milk & Bedtime Stories” event. As students came in they got books, and entered into a drawing for a turkey. They got to sit with their parents and get read to. Then ten lucky kids got to come down and claim a turkey. The evening’s festivities concluded in the cafeteria, where they got cookies and milk while visiting with their friends.

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Starke County Commissioners to Review Hospitalization Insurance

Starke County Commissioners ( L to R ) Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom, Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners will be meeting at 4:30 this afternoon to review health insurance plans.  The three members have divided 5 quotes from various agents for review.  The bidders are:  Key Healthy Partners, First Source Insurance, Teachers Credit Union, The Healy Group  and First Choice Insurance Services.  After comparing cost and coverage the members will meet in an open meeting to select the company that will be the health insurance provider.

St. Vincent de Paul Society in North Judson Assists 401 Residents This Year

St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of SS Cyril and Methodius Conference, has helped 401 persons in 2010 at a cost of $9,672.82. The Society serves persons in the North Judson – San Pierre area who have a need. Either financially or spiritually.

Society members provide information about services available to them and often help them through a financial crisis.

There are twenty-five members of the local society; Mary Kay Powell is President; Rich Akers, Vice President; Peg Okley, Treasurer; Joan Haugh, Secretary.

For rnore nnforrnauon on how you can help the Soclety with financial donations, please call the cell phone for St. Vincent de Paul Society, (574) 249-0162

Oregon-Davis National Honor Society is Collecting Food to Provide Thanksgiving Meals for Needy Families

Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Dinner

November 15th-19th is Hunger Awareness week and the Oregon-Davis Jr/Sr High School National Honor Society is sponsoring a food drive to help local food banks. They are asking for food to help provide Thanksgiving meals for needy families and non-perishable items for the local food banks. Canned corn, canned green beans, stuffing mix,  potatoes, sweet potatoes, noodles, boxed crackers, cord bread mix, bread, canned pumpkin, canned cranberries and juice are some of the items needed to help families enjoy their Thanksgiving meals. Monetary donations will be used to purchase a turkey and other perishable items.

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North Judson Town Board Approves Grant Match for Railroad Grant Application

North Judson Town Board
North Judson Town Board: (L to R) Dan Anderson, Jane Ellen Felchuk, Wendy Hoppe, Connie Miller (Clerk-Treasurer)

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Secretary, Mark Knebel, attended the recent North Judson Town Board meeting where he  informed the Board that the 2011 grant applications have opened and they will be applying for a $235,000 grant. The
grant match is 41% which is $96,350. Co-Alliance and the Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad have agreed to pay half of the match if the town could pick up the other half which is $48,175. The Board agreed to pay that amount. The railroad staff hopes to complete  more upgrades if awarded this grant.

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Eastern Pulaski School Board Approves Recommendation to Replace Two Utility Buses

Dr. Robert Klitzman
Dr. Robert Klitzman

The Eastern Pulaski School Transportation Department met with the Transportation Committee to discuss needs of the Department. Superintendent, Dr. Robert Klitzman, gives the details of the Committee’s recommendation that the Board approved.

“We would trade an one of our regular school buses for a new school bus and trade in two of our white utility buses. These are our 14 passenger buses that so many schools use for extra curricular activities.” said Dr. Klitzman. “We have two that We purchased in 2000 and the wear and tear and miles are to the point where we feel that we do need to replace them. We are going to advertise to replace two of our utility buses.”

Starke County Commissioners to Discuss the Creation of an Open Burn Ban Ordinance

Starke County Commissioners ( L to R ) Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom, Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners are expected to discuss the creation of an open burn ordinance at its meeting tonight.

EMA Director, Ted Bombaghetti, told WKVI that while the County’s burn ban was in effect, information was received that a lot of people were illegally burning garbage, construction materials and tires. The Commissioners want to enact an ordinance  that will ban that type of burning activity and impose fines if the ordinance is violated. The Commissioners feel that a local, county-wide burn ban will help curb that type of burning instead of waiting for action from the State.

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