Demotte State Bank Plans Relay for Life Golf Outing

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Golfers can take to the links for a good cause Saturday. The Demotte State Bank Relay for Life team is hosting a golf outing at Chesapeake Run Golf Course. There’s still time to sign up or sponsor a hole. All proceeds go to Starke County Relay for Life. Candice Miller says golfers will also have a shot at a large prize. Cambe Chevrolet has donated a new car, and the first golfer to hit a hole-in-one will win it.

The Demotte State Bank team is one of several taking part in the Starke County Relay for Life on June 21 and 22nd at the Hamlet Fairgrounds. Miller says it’s a very family-oriented event that raises money for and awareness of cancer research. She adds it’s special to her for personal reasons because a lot of her family members have been affected by or lost their lives to cancer. Miller is also a cancer survivor. She calls Relay for Life a “really excellent organization” and says she tries to promote it in any way she can.

Stop by Demotte State Bank to sign up for Saturday’s Relay for Life Golf Tournament or to get more information about hole sponsorship opportunities.

 

 

Starke County Election Board to Tackle Complaints from Primary Election

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Starke County Election Board members will meet today at 9 a.m. to go over several complaints issued during the Primary Election.

The board members will discuss complaints from the poll workers, from candidates and supporter and about the food vendor. Remedies will be considered for the General Election.

A candidate has withdrawn and more information will be available during the meeting.

The Starke County Election Board will meet in the second floor meeting room in the Starke County Courthouse.

Fletcher Cemetery Association Raising Money to Restore Veterans Monument

Posted on Author WKVI
The Fletcher Cemetery Association is raising money to restore this veterans monument.
The Fletcher Cemetery Association is raising money to restore this veterans monument.

Members of the Fletcher Cemetery Association want to restore and expand the monument there dedicated to the memory of local men and women who served in our nation’s armed forces. The statue dates to the 1950s, and there is no more room to add names to it. Fletcher Cemetery Association Board Member Hobart Martin says the foundation is also giving way. The board hopes to raise enough money through private donations to move the monument east of its current location, pour a new foundation and add commemorative bricks nearby with more names. Fletcher Cemetery is located at the intersection of County Road 400 North and County Road 700 East. Martin says the cemetery gets no funds from the federal, state or local government. All maintenance and upkeep is done through lot sales and donations. Any business or individual who gives at least $500 to the monument restoration will have a commemorative block engraved to acknowledge their support. However Martin says gifts in any amount are welcome. The Hamlet American Legion and several local businesses have already contributed to the project. Click here Fletcher Cemetery Association to read more about how you can contribute to the monument restoration.

Move “Another Step Forward” During This Summer’s Walking Challenge

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Starke County residents are encouraged to take “another step forward” this summer. That’s the name of the second annual “Moving Starke County Forward” walking challenge. Last year 250 residents collectively walked 27,000 miles between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That’s enough to lap the globe three times. This year’s goal is a more ambitious 50,000 miles. Coordinator Ryan Greer hopes 500 people will sign up. He adds miles don’t have to be earned by walking. Other types of physical activity like swimming, bicycle riding and jogging can also be logged toward the total. A kickoff event will take place Saturday, May 31 at 10 a.m. at Wythogen Park in Knox. If you can’t make it, registration sheets are available at local libraries, city and town halls and can be picked up throughout the summer. More information about this year’s walking challenge and other initiatives is also available on the Moving Starke County Forward Facebook page.

Starke County Unemployment Rate Explained

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The unemployment rate for the state and for individual counties was released this week.

The rate in Starke County dropped a point, according to the April statistics. The rate is 6.9 percent which is a 1.3 percent decrease. Starke County still ranks in the top ten in unemployment. All 92 counties reported a decrease in the unemployment rate.

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Mobile Food Pantry Servicing Starke County Residents

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Are you having trouble making ends meet? No need to worry about affording groceries this week because representatives from the Food Bank of Northern Indiana will be making rounds in the area providing food to less fortunate Indiana residents.

This Mobile Food Pantry works on a first come, first served basis. The only requirements needed are a valid Indiana driver’s license or ID and bags or boxes to carry your food.

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Oregon-Davis High School Stages Mock Car Crash

Posted on Author WKVI
O-D students staged a mock fatality crash to underscore the consequences of drunk driving.
O-D students staged a mock fatality crash to underscore the consequences of drunk driving.

The Oregon-Davis High School’s Student’s Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organization teamed up with the school’s two resource officers to make the consequences of drunk driving eminent to students who will be attending prom this weekend.

They staged a two-vehicle crash with a fatality and multiple injuries in the school parking lot Friday afternoon. Some of the students wore prom dresses and were made up to replicate real car crash victims. Empty beer cans were also scattered across the cars and outside of the vehicles to imply the drivers were intoxicated.

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Starke County Crossing School on Track to Open Aug. 1

Posted on Author WKVI

The CrossingThe Crossing accredited alternative school in Starke County is moving along, according to Executive Director Rob Staley.

He told WKVI News that several community meetings have been held and he’s encouraged about seeing the leaders that are jumping on board in support of the school. He noted that there is a great need in the community to help educate students who may have been expelled, dropped out or home-schooled.

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Starke County Humane Society Staying Put

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Humane SocietyThe Starke County Humane Society is still open for business six days a week. Longtime employee Shanna Lloyd was named the director last week after Suzanne Crider resigned and says it’s business as usual.

“We’re still here for the animals that need a place to stay. We’re still going to remain a nonprofit. We are privately funded. We are not supported by any government funding, so we still need those donations coming in to help us keep the doors open and keep us running so we can take care of all the stray dogs and cats in our area and even outside our area,” Lloyd told WKVI News.

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Hamlet Juvenile Charged in LaPorte County

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A teenage boy from Hamlet was cited for a curfew violation early Wednesday morning by LaPorte Police.

They responded just after 3 a.m. to a report of suspicious activity at vacant home in the 1600 block of Stone Lake Drive. A witness told police a black vehicle with several young people in it had just left the area, but others were still nearby. Officers searched the adjacent wooded area, according to a news release, and found a bottle of cola and a bottle of alcohol. They also reportedly saw several juveniles walking nearby and found three 17-year-old boys and a 20-year-old woman hiding behind a shed in the back yard of a home in the 1500 block of Weller Avenue.

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Starke County Humane Society Board Names New Director

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Humane SocietyThe Starke County Humane Society has a new director.

Shanna Lloyd took over that role on May 6 after longtime director Suzanne Crider resigned the previous day. Lloyd has been an employee of the shelter since 2009 and a volunteer since 1998. The board also reorganized last week and elected new officers. R.J. Howard is now the president. Tom O’Day is the vice-president, and Amanda Pollard is the secretary.

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Suspected Car Thief Arrested in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI
A suspected car thief allegedly set this car on fire
A suspected car thief allegedly set this car on fire

A suspect in several burglaries, thefts and auto thefts in Marshall County and in St. Joseph County was taken into custody in Starke County Monday morning.

According to Hamlet police, officers were dispatched to 504 North Starke St. Lot 14 after receiving information about a stolen 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix. Upon arrival, a Hamlet officer noticed another vehicle in the area which wasn’t recognized as belonging to any residents in the neighborhood. After further investigation, it was identified as a stolen vehicle from Marshall County.

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Bridge to Be Named for Medal of Honor Recipient

Posted on Author WKVI
U.S. Army PFC Frank Ono
U.S. Army PFC Frank Ono

The new bridge on U.S. 35 just south of U.S. 30 will soon be named in honor of Starke County’s most decorated veteran. State Senator Jim Arnold sponsored a resolution to name the structure after PFC Frank Ono, who distinguished himself as a member of the U.S. Army’s Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. During a July 4, 1944 battle near Castellina, Italy, Ono advanced ahead of his unit and single-handedly defended his position against an enemy counter-attack. He then braved intense hostile fire to aide two wounded comrades and voluntarily covered his unit’s withdrawal when retreat became necessary. Ono was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic actions. During the 1990s, a review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross led to Ono’s award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. President Bill Clinton presented the award to his surviving family members during a White House ceremony on June 21, 2000. Continue reading →

Starke County Residents Urged to Take “Another Step Forward”

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Last year Starke County residents logged enough miles from Memorial Day to Labor Day to lap the globe three times as part of the Moving Starke County Forward Walking Challenge. This year they are encouraged to take “Another Step Forward.” Ryan Greer is heading up this year’s effort and has set a goal of walking a collective 50,000 miles as a county during the same time period. Last year’s original goal was 3,000 collective miles, which is the equivalent of a trek from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge. That goal was quickly met and exceeded nine times over, with 27,000 total miles walked. Continue reading →

Local Cops to Wait Tables for Charity

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

If you’ve ever wanted to give orders to a cop, you’ll have a chance Monday night.

Several members of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 128 will be waiting tables at the Knox Pizza Hut from 4 until 8 p.m.

Be sure to tip generously, though. Proceeds from the Tip A Cop Fundraiser will be used to help local youngsters in need buy school supplies as part of the Shop With a Cop program before school starts in August.

IU Health Offers Discounted Mammograms in May

Posted on Author WKVI

Breast Cancer Pink RibbonGive Mom, or any special woman in your life the gift of peace of mind this Mother’s Day. Encourage them to take advantage of the discounted mammograms IU Health Starke Hospital is offering this month. Josephine Klicek is the director of diagnostic imaging. She says women can get their mammogram and reading for $95, and mo doctor’s order is needed if it’s just a screening test.

Women should get their first mammogram when they turn 40, unless they develop problems like a lump, redness or inflammation sooner. Also, if there is a family history of breast cancer, women are urged to get a mammogram 10 years before that woman was diagnosed. For instance, if the diagnosis was made at age 44, get a mammogram when you are 34.  Continue reading →

Wreck Sends Driver to IU Health Starke Hospital

Posted on Author WKVI

A two-vehicle wreck just before 11 a.m. on U.S. 35 just south of U.S. 30 sent the driver of one of the cars to the hospital. According to witnesses, the driver of the green Pontiac Sunfire did not stop when she came off the ramp from U.S. 30 onto U.S. 35. Her car hit the left side of a Chrysler Town and Country minivan owned by Braman and Son Memorial Chapel. It was northbound on 35 when the crash occurred. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Hamlet Police Department and Indiana State Police all responded. The driver of the Pontiac was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital by ambulance. There’s no word yet on the extent of her injuries or her name.

The Pontiac struck the left side of the minivan, which was northbound on U.S. 35.
The Pontiac struck the left side of the minivan, which was northbound on U.S. 35.
Witnesses say the driver of the Pontiac made no attempt to stop when she came off the eastbound exit ramp from U.S. 30 onto U.S. 35.
Witnesses say the driver of the Pontiac did not stop or yield.

 

7th Annual Starke County Youth Club WKVI Radiothon Begins Today

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Starke County Youth Club participants, volunteers, members and community leaders will take over the WKVI airwaves today to share information about and raise money for the nonprofit organization. The club provides enrichment programs for local youngsters. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says they are tied to the state’s curriculum standards. and lesson plans accompany every activity. They stress Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, STEM for short, activities in a outside-the-box type of way.

“It’s everything from science experiments like you might remember from middle school, to teaching kids, even young ones, what engineering is about. How do you engineer a bridge? What kind of materials can you use? What’s stronger, this material or that material? All of those skills help prepare the next workforce.”

Szakonyi says careers in STEM fields are the wave of the future and adds its an exciting time to be teaching youngsters about math and science concepts. Continue reading →