Hundreds are without power, as high winds continue to blow across the area. NIPSCO and Kankakee Valley REMC were both reporting widespread outages Sunday, with about 700 customers without power in Plymouth alone.
Continue readingDowned Trees Close Roads, Residents Warned to Avoid Fallen Power Lines
The local area is cleaning up after Monday’s storm. The Marshall County Emergency Management Agency is warning motorists not to drive around barricades and road closed signs. Residents are also asked not to try to remove limbs with power lines in them, due to the risk of electrocution.
Continue readingVeterans Memorial Crowdfunding Campaign Almost Halfway to Goal
The new Starke County Veterans Memorial is almost halfway to its crowdfunding goal. If the effort raises $50,000 by July 21, that amount will be doubled by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Almost $22,000 has been raised so far.
Continue readingFood Pantries Get Financial Boost Thanks to Kankakee Valley REMC
Kankakee Valley REMC’s Operation Round Up Trust organization recently donated $2,000 to area food pantries to help stock the shelves to fight against hunger during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue readingStarke County Park Board Approves Documents for Veteran’s Memorial Project
Several preliminary steps for the new Starke County Veteran’s Memorial were approved by the county park board Tuesday. The memorial will be placed on the southeast corner of the courthouse square. It will include the names of those killed in action in wars and conflicts dating back to the Civil War, etched in a black granite stone.
Continue readingFire Departments Called to Bass Lake Following Report of Lightning Striking a Home
Local fire department units were called to a house in the Bass Lake area Sunday morning after it was reportedly struck by lightning.
Continue readingOregon-Davis Parents Suggest Partnering with Businesses to Save Money on Facilities Upgrades
As the Oregon-Davis School Corporation considers potential facilities upgrades, some parents are thinking outside the box, to find ways to keep costs down. During a facilities tour Wednesday, Superintendent Dr. Don Harman noted that the baseball field could use a new press box, as well as some other improvements, while the bleachers at the track need a new foundation to help with drainage issues.
Continue readingCommunity-Wide Matching Efforts Help Secure Next Level Funding for Prairie Trails Club
Members of the Prairie Trails Club gathered together Thursday night to celebrate receiving a Next Level Trails grant that’s going to help extend the Erie Trail.
Continue readingPorter-Starke Services Awarded $5,000 Grant to Help Starke County Residents Access Health Care
Porter-Starke Services hopes to make it easier for people with opioid use disorder to get the health care they need. The mental health organization recently got a $5,000 grant through Kankakee Valley REMC’s Operation Round Up program. It plans to use that money specifically in Starke County.
Continue readingKankakee Valley REMC, Jasper County REMC Decide Not to Consolidate
Kankakee Valley REMC will not be merging with Jasper County REMC. The two cooperatives’ boards of directors have decided to end consolidation talks, according to a press release.
EZ Blockchain to Build Data Center in Hamlet
An EZ Blockchain data center will be built on 500 N. in Hamlet, next to the Kankakee Valley REMC substation.
Starke County Park Board Denied Operation Round Up Grant for Bass Lake Beach Improvements
As the Starke County Park Board works to raise the necessary funds for improvements to the Bass Lake Beach, another one of its grant applications has come up short.
Kankakee Valley REMC Annual Meeting of the Membership to be Held Tomorrow
At the Kankakee Valley REMC Annual Meeting of the Membership, the company will be celebrating 79 years of providing safe, reliable electric power to rural Northwestern Indiana with a night of family-friendly fun open to all members.
The meeting will take place tomorrow, on Tuesday, April 10th, at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the business portion of the meeting will commence at 6:30 p.m.
A high voltage safety demonstration will be presented and members will have a chance to win prizes. The grand prize of the evening will be a $4,000 vacation voucher. Continue reading
Starke County Community Foundation Presents $20,000 in Grants to Starke County Park Board
The Starke County Forest will get $15,000 worth of improvements this spring, thanks to a grant from the Hardesty Memorial Endowment Fund. The funding was formally presented to the Starke County Park Board Tuesday by Starke County Community Foundation Director of Development Sarah Origer and Northern Indiana Community Foundation Executive Director Jay Albright.
Starke County Park Board to Get Updates on Grant Applications
The Starke County Park Board will get updates on some grant applications tonight. The park board has already been awarded $5,000 from the Starke County Community Foundation to help prevent and repair erosion at the Bass Lake Beach. Starke County is also seeking funding from Arrowhead Country Resource Conservation and Development and Kankakee Valley REMC’s Operation Round Up program.
Starke County Park Board Gets $5,000 Grant for Bass Lake Beach Erosion Prevention Project
Efforts to prevent and repair erosion at the Bass Lake Beach have gotten a financial boost from the Starke County Community Foundation. The Starke County Park Board announced Tuesday that it was recently awarded a $5,000 Community Support Grant for the installation of glacial stone, as well as additional sand.
Kankakee Valley REMC, Jasper County REMC Looking into Consolidation
Two neighboring not-for-profit electric cooperatives are looking to join forces to benefit cooperative memberships, the employees and the communities they serve.
Kankakee Valley REMC and Jasper County REMC have worked successfully together for a number of years and the boards of directors are conducting a thorough financial evaluation before coming to a possible agreement, according to REMC officials.
Starke County Council Creates Fund for Park Donations
You can now make a donation to the Starke County Park Board. While the park board oversees a few different facilities, including the Bass Lake Beach and Campground and the Starke County Forest, it does not have a dedicated funding source from the county government. However, the county council last week created a “special non-reverting park and recreation fund,” designed to let the park board accept “gifts, donations, and subsidies.”
Kid’s Closet Ministry Pack-a-Backpack Event a Success
The volunteers behind the Pack-a-Backpack event call Saturday’s school supply drive a success. School supplies were purchased from members of the community to help students in need through the Kid’s Closet Ministry at the North Judson United Methodist Church at 210 Central Ave.
Any Starke County student in kindergarten through 12th grade who qualifies for free or reduced lunch is welcome to attend the 5th annual Kid’s Closet Pack-a-Backpack on Monday, July 31 and Tuesday, Aug. 1. School supplies may be chosen at that time. The child must be present and the parent must have proper identification.
Two Starke County Organizations Receive Operation Round up Grants
Two Starke County organizations have been awarded grant funds from the Kankakee Valley REMC Operation Round Up program.
Community Services of Starke County received $3,300 grant to help purchase a computer system that will better serve the organization’s needs and the needs of clients. The organization helps low-income, elderly and disabled citizens in Starke County. Community Services hosts a food pantry, senior activities, meal assistance, and transportation assistance.
