North Judson-San Pierre 6th Grader Spreads Kindness with Her Award Winning Design

A North Judson-San Pierre middle school student was chosen as a finalist in a nation-wide charitable design contest. At last night’s NJSP School Board meeting, sixth grade teacher JoAnn Gappa and her student Hailey Wright spoke to board members about the Wonder Kind Project.

Mrs. Gappa told board members that her students have recently been reading and working with the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. One activity she provided to her students was to create a visual representation of kindness and inclusion for a design challenge. GAP Kids started the Choose Kind Challenge inspired by the book, which centers around a child with a Craniofacial condition.

Wright explained the challenge to the members of the board saying, “We all had to design a t-shirt and bunch of other teachers around the world did it and they only picked 8 finalists.” She said her inspiration for her design was to show how we are all different but still “fit in” Continue reading →

Pulaski County Public Library Seeks Public Input to Construct Long Range Plan

The Pulaski County Public Library serves more than 10,380 residents in several townships across the county. Currently, the library is in the preliminary stages of constructing a long-term plan that will list the goals and objectives the library hopes to achieve over the next five years. In order to continue improving their services and to ensure their plans match up with community desires, the library is seeking public input in the form of a survey.

The survey addresses the weakness and strengths of both the library and Pulaski County in general. The library officials will use the data collected to help determine the services it will prioritize and the goals it will set in the long range plan. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Holds First Reading Over Animal Ordinance

An ordinance which has resulted in quite a bit of public attention as well as council consideration received its first reading during last night’s North Judson Town Council meeting. The ordinance regulating the housing and maintenance of animals in the Town of North Judson received unanimous council approval on first reading.

The ordinance is divided into three sections. Section one provides definitions of animals such as cats, dogs, chickens, pot-bellied pigs, rabbits and swine as well as other poultry and domestic animals. It also provides the definitions of phrases such as at large, dangerous animal, feral, free-roaming, harboring, impound and housing.

Section two of the ordinance deals with the regulation of animals. This includes general care as well as registration. The ordinance specifies that individuals must annually register their animals at the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office on or prior to February 15th of the current year. Continue reading →

Knox School Board Ratifies Teacher Contract Resulting in Base Salary Increase for New & Existing Teachers

The teacher document of agreement otherwise referred to as the certified bargaining agreement between the Knox School Board and the Knox Federation of Teachers was ratified by the Knox School Board during their meeting last Tuesday.

Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart said that the decisions that were finalized during the meeting will be retroactive to the start of the 2017/18 school year. He mentioned that some of the highlights included a new teacher base salary of $34,000 and that any teachers who worked for the Knox School Corporation during the 2016/17 school year were given at least a $1,000 increase to their base salary. Continue reading →

Goal Reached for Purchase of Tasers

The goal to purchase tasers for the Knox City Police Department is complete. The 14-year-old tasers the officers are currently using can be retired to make way for updated equipment.

Knox City Police Chief Harold Smith thanks all who contributed toward the effort. He said tasers are an important tool for law enforcement as they are a non-lethal way to bring potentially violent confrontations to a relatively safe conclusion without the use of deadly force.

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North Judson-San Pierre School Board Meets Tonight

The North Judson San-Pierre School Board will meet tonight at 7 p.m. in the school corporation’s administrative office.

Items up for discussion and action include a donation from Farm Bureau, the approval of certified handbook modifications and amendments to the non-certified handbook. The approval of the teachers’ master contract and approval of advertising the tax anticipation warrant are also on the agenda for tonight.

Board members will also receive some information about the Wonder Kind Project when they meet this evening.

Here/Hear is Bringing Their Mental Illness and Mental Health Initiative to Ancilla College

Here/Hear is a nonprofit organization, based out of Plymouth, which works with a number of initiatives in order to help with mental illness. This week, the director of the organization Dr. Nate Crawford will be delivering his lecture, “Taking Care of Me: Tips for Living Well” as a part of The Lampen Lecture series at Ancilla College.

The Lampen Lecture series was named for Ancilla’s first president Sr. Joel Lampen and though it is sponsored by the college and the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, residents of surrounding communities are encouraged to attend the free lecture series any time.

On Thursday, October 19th Dr. Crawford will be speaking in Cana Hall at 12:45 p.m. (EDT). His organization creates content for the web that helps people navigate the issues surrounding mental illness and they speak with students and parents about the affliction. Their mission statement says that they believe music and the arts provide a great way to engage people in conversations about mental illness and mental health.

Man Faces Felony Charges, Following Friday Manhunt in Rural LaPorte County

Charges have been announced against a man who reportedly led police on an hours-long manhunt in rural LaPorte County Friday. Sheriff’s deputies say Charles Appleberry, 26, was captured Friday morning, after a resident reported seeing him in a field on County Road 800 West. That was nearly nine hours after a homeowner confronted Appleberry during what police are calling the burglary of a pole barn.

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Wanted Starke County Man in Custody

James Watts

A Starke County man was taken into custody Saturday after Knox City Police officers received a tip on his location.

According to Knox City Police Chief Harold Smith, officers went to a home in the 400 block of W. Lewis Drive in Knox after confirming that James Watts had several outstanding warrants in Starke County and Marshall County.

Police say Watts fled to the back of the home when officers initially made contact with him. Starke County Sheriff’s K9 Zardoz was deployed into the residence. In a search of the home, K9 Zardoz located Watts who was reportedly hiding in a crawl space. According to police, Watts initially attempted to fight with the K9 and was bitten. Watts was then placed into custody.

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Two Local Communities Receive Grant Funds for Projects

Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs recently announced $15 million in Community Development Block Grants.

Thirty-one rural communities received funds in an effort to ensure health and safety, and to improve the quality of life of citizens.

Starke County was the recipient of a $500,000 Public Facilities Program Grant. The county will use the grant funds to replace the elevator at the Starke County Courthouse. The project will help the county meet requirements put forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new elevator will assist all residents in utilizing the offices on all levels of the courthouse. Continue reading →

Smoke Detectors Available for Culver Residents

In recognition of National Fire Prevention Month, the Culver-Union Township Fire Department has smoke detectors available to those in the jurisdiction who need them. The smoke detectors are available at the Culver Town Hall or at the firehouse at 611 State Street.

Fire Chief Terry Wakefield announced that firefighters will be willing to install smoke detectors for those who are disabled or otherwise physically incapable of completing the task. Continue reading →

Starke County Council to Meet Tonight

 

The Starke County Council will meet tonight where public hearings are scheduled for the 2018 county budget as well as the 2018 budget for the Starke County Solid Waste District. The council is also expected to adopt the 2018 budget for the Starke County Airport.

The council held public hearings on these items in a prior meeting, but the hearings could not be counted as legal as a proper quorum was not in place. Three council members were physically in attendance while another was present via teleconference which didn’t count as a legal meeting.

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