The Eastern Pulaski School Corporation now has a policy in place for homeschool students who want to take part in sports or other extracurricular activities. The school board approved the homeschool participation policy Monday, in spite of opposition from members Mike Tetzloff and Deke DeMarco.
The North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department is no closer to figuring out whether it can legally administer the opioid antidote Narcan. While the fire department is getting more and more drug overdose calls, firefighters have stopped carrying Narcan, since the department is not technically licensed to carry medication.
Gas prices will drop a few cents this week thanks to lower crude oil prices last week.
Gasbuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan says there was a spike in gas prices just after the Fourth of July holiday.
“The statewide average was about $2.15 on July 4th and now it has jumped to about $2.31,” said DeHaan. “Looking a today versus a week ago prices average $2.31 a gallon today across the state. A week ago prices averaged $2.18 so we’re looking at a pretty big increase at over $.10 a gallon.”
The Culver Town Council will meet tonight. Town Manager Jonathan Leist will present his report which will include an update on the Stellar Communities Designation Program grant.
Council President Ginny Bess Munroe appeared before the Marshall County Commissioners last week where the county governing body agreed to support the town’s quest in becoming a stellar community. Munroe said the Town of Culver was looking to show a united front with the county to include in their finalist packet due by Aug. 25.
The Knox City Council has a light agenda for tonight’s meeting. No specific discussion or action items are listed, other than the usual reports from Mayor Dennis Estok and Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston.
The Knox Community School Board will hear public comment on the new school superintendent’s contract tonight.
The basic salary will be $108,000 for each year beginning in 2017 and ending in 2020. The board’s cost of health, vision and dental insurance will be $23,437 and that number is dependent on renewal rates each year. The board’s cost of long-term disability insurance is $353 while the cost of term life insurance is $468. Those amounts are also dependent on renewal rates each year of the superintendent’s contract. The board’s costs for tax sheltered annuity will be $18,840 and the required cost for Social Security is $8,262.
The Pulaski County Community Development Commission has come up with another way to fund a proposed West Side Industrial Park. CDC Executive Director Nathan Origer says the county could free up some cash by using less of its County Economic Development Income Tax Fund on jail bond payments.
The Starke County Commissioners signed grant paperwork to obtain monetary assistance for a new elevator in the Starke County Courthouse.
The commissioners will be applying for a $500,000 grant from the state through the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (K-IRPC). The county’s match is $55,560. In a previous meeting, K-IPRC representative Edwin Buswell said the grant is very competitive.
The grant proposal was submitted and the final application will be submitted in September.
The North Judson Town Council has chosen a paving contractor, but the work won’t actually be done until next year. Last week, the town council accepted a quote from Boyd Asphalt of Valparaiso for just under $167,000. That’s about $16,000 cheaper than the other quote, submitted by Town & Country Paving.
The Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center will soon get heating and cooling upgrades. The Knox Board of Works will meet in special session this morning to award a bid for a new HVAC system.
Rides, music, food, and plenty of 4-H activities will be featured, as the Starke County Fair continues through Saturday. Today’s highlights include the 4-H Club Parade at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Opening Ceremonies at 6:15. Classic Vinyl will take the stage at 8:00 p.m. with music from the ’50s and ’60s.
The annual Culver Lake Fest event is set for Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 16.
The festival opens Friday at 4 p.m. ET with craft and food booths available and the sand volleyball tournaments. Registration for the canoe, kayak and SUP Poker Run is at 5:30 p.m. with the awards at 7 p.m. The Miss Maxinkuckee Pageant kicks off at 7 p.m. at the west pavilion and talent at Lake Max is at 8 p.m.
A new town marshal in North Judson will also mean a promotion for one of the town’s police officers. Frank Thomas has been promoted to chief deputy.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler submitted projects to the commissioners for the county’s request for the state’s Community Crossings grant program.
The county is eligible for a 75/25 split for grant funding. Ritzler submitted five projects totaling just under $1.4 million. At a meeting hosted by INDOT addressing Community Crossing grant funds earlier this year, officials suggested that government entities include project plans in the $1.3 to $1.4 million range in order to capture that full $1 million.
The West Central School Board will meet in a work session yet this month to discuss school renovation plans.
The board members reviewed blueprints Thursday night presented by Adam Weesner from Barton-Coe-Vilamaa with plans to redesign the school’s entrances and rehabilitate the utilization of space. The project is planned for construction in the spring of 2018.
The Pulaski County Farmers’ Market wants a more visible location in Downtown Winamac.
The Winamac Park Board continues gathering ideas for new restrooms in the town park. Board member Jon Chapman visited Logansport this week, to take a look at restrooms the city has built in recent years.
Three people were injured in a car vs. train accident in Starke County just after 3 p.m. on Thursday.
According to Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin, the driver of a minivan reportedly failed to yield to the right of way of a westbound CF&E train on 1100 East just south of U.S. 30. When officers arrived at the scene they found the minivan on the north side of the railroad tracks in a deep ditch.
