Set yourself apart from the crowd by gaining leadership skills that will assist you in the future. Leadership Starke County is recruiting members for their third leadership class . They are hoping to get 12 adults and three high school students for the 2014-2015 class. Continue reading
Ancilla College will soon have a new president. This is Dr. Ron May’s last day. He’s retiring after eight years at the private, two-year school. He says Ancilla fills an important niche for students by giving them the foundation to either continue their education at a four-year institution like IU or Purdue or succeed in the workforce after they graduate. Continue reading
Summer temperatures continue to soar, and although it may seem like common sense to never keep your child in a parked car, over the past 16 years more than 600 children have died of heatstroke due to being left unattended in a vehicle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on a 60 degree day, temperatures inside a car can reach well above 110 degrees quickly.
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The Starke County Historical Society Museum celebrated their 40 year anniversary yesterday. On June 27, 1974 a group of citizens concerned about the preservation of history in the community joined together and began the Historical Society.
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A recent survey of one-thousand parents revealed that only one in three read with their child every night and half admitted that their children spend more time with TV or video games than with books. As daunting as those statistics may be, the staff at Henry F. Shricker Library in Knox is doing their part to get kids excited about reading.
The head of the children’s department at the library Janine Tuttle-Gassere warns of the dangers of going a whole summer without reading.
Youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 and their parents will have a chance to see firsthand the consequences of continued delinquent behavior as part of an upcoming program offered by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Participants in the two-hour “Think Before You Act” program will get a guided tour of Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall’s courtroom and have a chance to talk to him about the problems they are experiencing.
The fireworks celebration hosted by the city of Knox is scheduled for July 5 at the Starke County Airport.
A recent fundraiser at Downtown Depot raised $1,562 and business donations have totaled $1,976 so far. Another fundraiser is scheduled for this Friday, June 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT at the Knox Moose Family Center. The Starke County Commissioners personally donated money toward the event as well as the town of Hamlet and the town of North Judson.
A group of individuals from the Starke County Pride and Leadership Task Force and Moving Starke County Forward are in the early stages of planning a community family fun day. Right now they are still looking for volunteers willing to help out with the planning process. Some of the ideas that have been brainstormed so far are a scavenger hunt, various pre-approved, family-friendly musical acts and some other outside-the-box ideas that combine learning and fun. Continue reading
The recent rains aren’t causing widespread problems yet for local farmers, according to Purdue Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator Chad Rushing.
The Oregon-Davis School Board members decided to advertise for bids for gasoline and diesel fuel for the 2014-2015 school year.
Superintendent Greg Briles said they will be looking for fuel bids and another aspect after experiencing problems at the school’s campus this winter.
Plans are coming along for The Crossing alternative school in Starke County.
According to Jena Bontrager from The Crossing’s corporate office, a local board has been formed with Mark Bailey as the president of that board.
A building for classes has been secured. The Starke County Crossing will be holding classes in the old Sears building in the Mint Leaf Plaza. Bontrager said there will be some remodeling inside the building to create walls and different areas that would help in the education process.
Starke County’s annual Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society gets under way today at noon at the Hamlet Fairgrounds. Organizers of the 18-hour event hope to raise $67,000 this year. Ericka Taylor-Joseph is in charge of fundraising. She says Starke County’s event consistently raises more money than those held in larger communities. Teams range in size from just a few members to 30 or more. Taylor-Joseph says while organizers would like each team to have a participant on the track at all times, it’s not a requirement. Continue reading
Organizers of the annual Starke County Relay for Life hope to raise $67,000 for the American Cancer Society during this year’s event. It starts tomorrow at noon at the Hamlet Fairgrounds and continues until 6 a.m. Sunday. Fundraising chair Ericka Taylor-Joseph says all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to help cancer patients in need.
“It may be getting them back and forth to their treatments. It may be buying a wig for somebody who has lost their hair. Support services – Hope Lodge if they have long-term treatments that they need to have, they can stay in the Hope Lodge with their families. It also goes to cancer research. Besides the United States government, the American Cancer Society is the number one fundraiser for cancer research in America,” she said. Continue reading
Starke County Road 700 East north of State Road 8 should be open again to traffic by mid-August. That’s the time frame outlined by Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler. He presented plans for what he calls a “pretty straightforward fix” to the bridge damaged earlier this year by a tree floating down the river that struck the supports. Continue reading
Starke County will soon have a new EMS director. The county commissioners last night accepted Paul Matthewson’s resignation from that job, effective July 1st. He plans to remain with the county as a part-time paramedic. Continue reading
Starke County Republican Party Chairperson, Brenda Stanojevic, has several positions to fill for the November General Election ballot.
According to Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski, the vacancies include the clerk; auditor; recorder; coroner; assessor; commissioner district 2; trustee positions in California Township, Center Township, Davis Township, Jackson Township, Oregon Township, Railroad Township and Wayne Township; plus advisory board candidates for California 1, Center 2, Davis 1, Jackson 3, North Bend 1, Oregon 2, Railroad 1, Washington 1 and Wayne 2. These positions need to be filled by noon on June 30. The only exception is the Railroad Township Trustee due to a withdrawn candidate. That vacancy needs to be filled by June 18.
The Oregon-Davis School Board will meet with several items up for discussion this evening.
The board members will consider several employment changes, transfers, renewals, non-renewals, and resignations. Also up for consideration is the advertisement of bids to purchase gasoline and diesel fuel for the next school year, a one-time stipend of 1.9 percent of current salaries for the 2013-2014 teachers and the approval of the 2015 budget calendar. There is time for public comment if any patrons have any concerns to bring before the school board members.
WKVI morning show host Tom Berg and sports director Nathan Welter answered their cold water challenge Thursday afternoon in the radio station parking lot. They were called out by news director Mary Perren to either donate $10 to the Hoosier Burn Camp and get wet or stay dry and write a $100 check. The guys decided to play along, so members of the Bass Lake Fire Department brought their dump tank to our parking lot and filled it with water. Several listeners also stopped by with extra ice and donations to really help the guys chill out. Another Step Forward Walking Challenge Coordinator Ryan Greer had also been called out previously, as had fire chief Les Jensen. They took the plunge as well. So did Knox High School Band Director Craige Phipps, who opted not to prolong his torture when Nathan called him out. WKVI raised $200 in donations for the Hoosier Burn Camp, thanks to the generosity of the listeners who donated and the staff for being such good sports.
The Moving Starke County Forward Coalition wants input from the entire community about how to best address addiction issues. They are hosting a community discussion on addiction and recovery tomorrow evening at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in downtown Knox. Board member Jordan Morris from Starke County Community Corrections hopes people from all walks of life will come be part of the dialogue and not worry about being profiled or judged. She says although people who have struggled with addiction will speak, the event is not limited to that population. Morris adds the entire community has been touched by the issue as taxpayers, business owners, health care providers, farmers and teachers. Continue reading
