
The Starke County Highway Department is working throughout the county to address pothole issues.
Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the Starke County Commissioners this week that they are trying to keep up with the potholes.
Cold and wet weather so far this year may delay spring planting a little, according to Purdue Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator Phil Woolery. “It’s certainly slowing things down,” he says. Continue reading

North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher alerted town council members that she recently completed chief school through the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
During her report Monday night, she told council members that she completed the schooling last week and was able to get some valuable information that will be beneficial to the department and town.
On a related note, she also mentioned that Officer Rico Simpson and his K9 Partner Jimy are in their final week of training at Vohne Liche Kennels. Simpson came in during Fisher’s report and provided a few details about his new K9 partner. Continue reading
The Francesville Town Council approved a new piece of equipment for the new police vehicle.
An intergovernmental agreement between the Town of Culver and the Culver Redevelopment Commission was discussed last week.
Those hoping to have a say in the May primary election must register by Monday, April 9th!
The Indiana Secretary of State’s Office issued a reminder stating that in order to be eligible to vote, you must be a citizen of the United States who is at least 18-years-old on the day of the next general, municipal or special election. Continue reading
Two Starke County residents will have to pay back thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits they fraudulently collected, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. In a press release, the department says local courts have recently found three people guilty of unemployment insurance fraud.
The Starke County Commissioners reviewed an amendment to the employee handbook pertaining to campaigning during office hours.
An amendment drafted by County Attorney Marty Lucas prohibits employees from using their county office or employment position to assist in any political campaign or coerce any other employee for political purposes. The document also suggests that it is improper to engage in any political activity during working hours.
Pulaski County is looking to get some federal help to repair flood damage. Representatives from FEMA and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security met with various local officials last week, according to Pulaski County EMA Director Sheri Gaillard. “We really don’t have any information. They couldn’t tell us if we met the threshold or not,” she told the county commissioners Monday. “They just went over our dollar amounts and praised us for our documentation. Everything was good there. The next step is to turn it over to the governor to see if the State of Indiana meets the threshold. If we’ve met the threshold, they will then give all that information to FEMA.”
An amended Owner-Engineer Agreement was presented at Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting.
CommonWealth Engineers Vice President of Business Development Vince Sommers gave members a few updates over the town’s Water Treatment Plant and Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) Improvement projects. He also submitted an amended owner-engineer agreement for their consideration. Continue reading
The Francesville Town Council members will soon be considering an ordinance that would establish a plan commission in Francesville.
The amended traffic ordinance that the Culver Town Council members apparently approved in January needs to go through the process all over again.
Knox Planning Commission members continued their discussion about the accessory building ordinance when they met Tuesday night. Continue reading
Hoosiers planning to attend college or trade school this fall have just a few more days to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It needs to be filed by Sunday, April 15 in order to qualify for both state and federal grants, scholarships, and loans. The form can be found online at www.fafsa.gov.

A Winamac man was arrested late Saturday night after officers allegedly found several one-pot meth labs inside the residence.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler met with FEMA representatives last week to discuss flood damage to the county’s roads, bridges and culverts.
Ritzler told the Starke County Commissioners Monday night that there are three categories that the county qualifies for when it comes to reimbursement funding.
Drug-related crimes kept Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies busy this past weekend, according to Sheriff Jeff Richwine. “They served some search warrants, found a pretty big meth house,” he told the county commissioners Monday. “There were like 13 what they call one-pot labs in there. It took the State Police drug team almost seven hours to clean that mess up, and they arrested one or two people out of that. And then they got another person up at Monterey that was definitely selling meth.”