Oregon-Davis School Board to Discuss Vocational Programs

Posted on Author WKVI
Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka. (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai
Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka. (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai

The Oregon-Davis School Board will consider vocational programs when they meet tonight.

The approval of programs is contingent on the number of students enrolled in the classes for the next school year. Those classes include Auto Tech 2, Cosmetology II, Criminal Justice 4, Early Childhood Ed 1, Graphic Imaging 3, Health Science I, Precision Machining 2, and Welding I and II.

The board will also consider awarding scholarships and Academic Honors Diplomas and the use of TMS-Engineering through Five-Star Technology Solutions. Changes in the handbook will also be reviewed.

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Hamlet Town Council Discusses Downtown Revitalization

Posted on Author WKVI

Hamlet Town HallDowntown revitalization plans were discussed at Wednesday’s meeting of the Hamlet Town Board. After reviewing a proposal for work required before installing new street lights the Board took it under advisement.

Written reports of the Street Department and the Police Department were submitted. The replacement costs of body armor for police officers discussed. A citizen appeared to review the cost of water and sewer bills. It was discovered that there had not been a credit issued for an earlier adjustment to the bills. The credit was approved.

Prior to the Board meeting, the Zoning Board met to approve several building permits.

O-D Stages Mock Crash, Teachers Talk Candidly About Drunk Driving

Posted on Author WKVI
Oregon-Davis teacher and coach Wes Radke was the first to arrive at the site of the mock crash staged in the high school parking lot.
Oregon-Davis teacher and coach Wes Radke was the first to arrive at the site of the mock crash staged in the high school parking lot.

You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of those choices. That’s the message Oregon-Davis Middle School language arts teacher Angie Radke shared with high school students there after a mock drunk driving crash in the school parking lot. Radke’s best friend, Brooklyn Boo, was killed by a drunk driver in 1998, a week after their junior prom at North Judson-San Pierre High School. Continue reading →

Know Local Requirements before Scheduling Yard Sales

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Many residents will be shopping at their neighbor’s homes for deals when the yard sale season gets underway this summer.

The City of Knox requires residents to apply for a permit before hosting a sale. According to the ordinance, which can be found on the city’s website, a fee of $5 will be assessed for a one or two-day permit and $10 for a three or four-day permit. Four city-issued signs will be given with the permit. Any items not sold in the sale will need to be removed from the property. The only time the permit requirement and fee are waived is in the case of the city-wide yard sale. It is scheduled for the third weekend in May.

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Local Grower Places Hopes in Hops

Posted on Author WKVI

HopsStarke County is generally known for growing three crops: corn. soybeans and peppermint. A local man plans to join a dozen or so other Hoosier farmers that are now planting hops – a main ingredient in beer that could become a major local crop.

Typically grown in the Pacific Northwest, there are half-a-dozen varieties adapting to Hoosier weather.  Hops are essentially flowers that grow on a vine. The crop requires a tall trellis system about 20 feet tall and then every year you have to tie strings to the top of the trellis and anchor them down. Continue reading →

Hamlet Town Council Accepts Sidewalk Bid

Posted on Author WKVI

Hamlet Town HallA bid of $13,100 was accepted by the Hamlet Town Board last night to complete six improvements in Hamlet’s 2015 50-50 sidewalk replacement project. There was also discussion with engineer Lee Nagai about installing new street lights and sidewalks in a possible downtown revitalization project.

Another improvement under consideration includes solving the standing water problem at a street intersection near the Lutheran Church.  Continue reading →

Starke County Commissioners Reiterate Support for Veteran Grave Flags, Markers

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Starke County Commissioners want to make sure every veteran who is buried in the county has an American flag and grave marker for Memorial Day. They’ve agreed pay for both if the American Legion posts in Knox, North Judson and Hamlet will take care of placing the orders and putting them on graves. Commissioner Don Binkley has tried without success to reach the commander of the Knox American Legion to discuss the process and find out how many flags and markers need to be ordered. Auditor Kay Chaffins says she’s spoken with officials in North Judson, and their order has been placed. Hamlet officials have yet to place theirs. Continue reading →

Indiana State Fire Marshal Determines Fire Cause in Hamlet

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Indiana State Fire Marshal has determined that the fire at a Hamlet business early Monday morning was accidental.

The Hamlet Fire Department arrived at the building on the northeast corner of Plymouth and Starke Streets around 3 a.m. Monday and called for assistance from the Koontz Lake Fire Department and the Knox-Center Township Fire Department. The firefighters remained at the scene for about three hours.

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Hamlet-Davis Township Fire Station Nearing Completion

Posted on Author WKVI
The new fire station will be built between the Starke County Fairgrounds and the Wayne Apartments in Hamlet.
The new fire station will be built between the Starke County Fairgrounds and the Wayne Apartments in Hamlet.

Davis Township Trustee Robin Latimer met with the Hamlet Town Board last night
to discuss details of the new firehouse, currently under construction east of the County Fairgrounds. A completion date of the end of May is expected, with focus on electrical and gas connections next week.  Continue reading →

Candidates for Town Offices May File until August

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Candidates may continue to file for office in the municipal election.

The filing deadline for the Knox City Council, mayor, judge and clerk-treasurer candidate positions has expired with the primary election set for Tuesday, May 5.

Candidates seeking office in towns with a population less than 3,500 can file until Monday, Aug. 3. If there is more than one party candidate running for a seat, a town convention will be held to determine the party candidate on the General Election ballot in November.

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Smoke Detectors Available from Community Services of Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI

Smoke DetectorA local nonprofit agency has smoke detectors available for families in need of the potentially life-saving devices. Community Services of Starke County Executive Director Joan Haugh says a couple of recent fire fatalities got her to thinking.

“I just felt we could save a life or two if we made sure every home had a smoke alarm – a working smoke alarm or sometimes two. So we applied to State Farm because they had a safety grant, and they awarded me some funds to purchase smoke detectors,” Haugh said. Continue reading →

Starke County K9 Performs Routine Sweep at Local School

Posted on Author WKVI
K9 handler Rob Olejniczak and Terror perform a search
K9 handler Rob Olejniczak and Terror perform a search

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department K9 did a routine sweep at the Oregon-Davis School Corporation on Thursday morning.

Handler Rob Olejniczak took K9 Terror around the corporation to search for possible drugs in lockers and the parking lot. No evidence of any illegal drugs was found.

Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin and the officers are appreciative of the school’s effort to keep Starke County a safe environment. Principal Tim Pletcher and School Resource Officer Frank Lonigro were also recognized for their efforts.

Photo provided.

Hamlet Residents Encouraged to Apply for Sidewalk Program

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Hamlet Town Board members renewed the annual 50/50 sidewalk improvement program when they met for a regular session meeting this week. Residents may register for the program or get additional information at the Town Hall. The application deadline is April 8.

A town-wide yard sale has been approved in Hamlet for the first week in May.

The melting snow is aggravating sewers and drains. The board continues to discuss and examine those issues.

The Hamlet Park Board met prior to the Town Board meeting with no news to report.

Hamlet Man Charged in Accidental Shooting

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A Hamlet man was booked into the Marshall County Jail on Sunday after an accidental shooting incident in Marshall County at the end of January.

According to court documents, David J. Paulson, 35, and a four-year-old child were in a vehicle traveling west on U.S. 30 and Beech Road in Bourbon on Jan. 31 when the child allegedly picked up a loaded .40 caliber handgun from a pocket Paulson’s coveralls in the backseat of the vehicle. The handgun discharged, and Paulson suffered a wound to the back of his right upper arm.

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Oregon-Davis School Board to Consider Calendar for Next School Year

Posted on Author WKVI
Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka. (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai
Oregon-Davis School Board members (seated) Andrea McIntosh, Shirley Budka. (standing) Christopher Lawrence, Kurt Hayes, Lee Nagai

The Oregon-Davis School Board members will take action on several agenda items when they meet tonight.

The Board will consider the adoption of a calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. The board held previous discussion on a balanced calendar to be in line with other area schools considering the move from a traditional school calendar. The board will also decide make-up days for students for school missed due to snow. Feb. 13, April 3, May 1 and May 29 will be considered as make-up days.

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Hamlet Police Department Deploys Military Vehicle to Assist Stranded Motorists

Posted on Author WKVI

Officers from the Hamlet Police Department responded to several calls of slide-offs and stranded motorists. Due to the conditions, deputies put the department-issued Humvee to work.

Extreme winds, snow and cold, made roads impassable in Starke County. Motorists were stranded and desperate for help. The hummer was deployed around noon on Saturday and officers were able to rescue 18 people from stranded cars along U.S. 30 and U.S. 35 along with others stuck on many county roads, according to a news release.

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