River otters are thriving a little too well in Indiana nearly 20 years after their successful reintroduction into the state. Last year biologists with the division of fish and wildlife received 86 complaints of river otters eating fish from private ponds and commercial hatcheries or destroying private property. That’s up from 69 complaints in 2012. Also the number of control permits issued or renewed nearly doubled from 11 in 2012 to 21 in 2013. Continue reading
WKVI Staff Collecting Donations for Local Food Pantries
If you’re out grocery shopping today, stop and see members of the WKVI staff. The station’s fifth annual food drive will take place from 10 a.m. until noon Central today at Five Star in the Knox Mall and Sanders in the Winamac Plaza. Shoppers can donate non-perishable food or cash to help local families in need. Continue reading
Walorski Staffer to Hold Local Office Hours
A representative from U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski’s office will be in Starke and Pulaski Counties next week to help local constituents who need to access federal government services. A member of her staff will be at the Starke County Courthouse in the commissioner’s office on the first floor of the courthouse on Monday, Nov. 24 from 8 until 11 a.m. CST. Continue reading
Alco Stores Closing
A discount store chain with locations in Starke and Pulaski Counties is going out of business. Alco Stores is closing all of its 198 locations. The Coppell, Texas-based company filed for bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas on Oct. 12 with the help of a bankruptcy attorney. Continue reading
Hamilton Southeastern Courts Former Knox Superintendent
A former Knox Community School Corporation administrator is being wooed by a suburban Indianapolis school district. “The Indianapolis Star” reports Hamilton Southeastern Schools officials will recommend Dr. Allen Bourff for the superintendent job there when they meet on Dec. 2. Bourff’s career started at Knox High School as an English teacher in 1978. Continue reading
Knox Comprehensive Plan Draft Expected in January
Knox City officials will have a better idea after the first of the year how a five year downtown revitalization plan will look. A second public meeting was held last night to gather information from residents, merchants, community leaders and others about a vision for the comprehensive plan. Continue reading
Fifth Annual WKVI Food Drives Scheduled Tomorrow
The fifth annual WKVI Food Drive will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at two local grocery stores. Members of the radio station staff will be broadcasting live from Five Star in the Knox Mall and Sanders in the Winamac Plaza from 10 a.m. until noon CST, encouraging shoppers to stop by and donate non-perishable food or cash to help local families in need. Continue reading
Sysco Merger Could Put Starke County Site Back in Play
Houston, Texas-based Sysco Corporation’s planned merger with Rosemont, Ill.-based U.S. Foods could bode well for Starke County. Sysco bought 320 acres of land south of U.S. 30 in 2007 after announcing plans to build a redistribution center near Hamlet. At the time the company said the expansion would create 500 local jobs. The project stalled in 2009 due to the weak national economy. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver told the county council this week Sysco still plans to develop the site but has not announced a timeline for doing so. Continue reading
MDwise and Starke County Public Library Schedule Affordable Care Act Forum
Health care industry experts will be available Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Starke County Public Library to answer questions about the Affordable Care Act. Representatives from the nonprofit health insurance company MDwise will offer a presentation about the health insurance marketplace at 2 p.m. CST. Continue reading
Knox School Renovation Plans Move Forward
The Knox Middle School Building Corporation Committee, at a public hearing last night, reviewed, approved, and sent to the School Board, a number of resolutions to move along the construction and renovation of a portion of the elementary building. No citizens attended the hearing.
Later at the School Board meeting, a public hearing was held on details of the project. Again, no member of the public appeared to comment. Continue reading
Knox Police Investigating Another Church Burglary
The Knox City Police Department is investigating another church burglary.
According to police, the United Methodist Church at 201 S. Shield Street was broken into Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Electronic equipment was stolen and the building suffered a lot of damage.
Knox officers believe that two suspects forced entry to building. The incident remains under investigation.
Knox School Board Spotlights Tech Tribe
Members of the Knox Elementary School’s “Tech Tribe” were in the “Spotlight” portion of the agenda at Monday’s Knox School Board meeting. The students, under the direction of Laura Barnes, who meet in weekly after school sessions, displayed their work in video production, showed board members and the Superintendent one of 13 that they have produced. Continue reading
Knox Police Department Investigating Battery Incident
The Knox City Police Department is investigating an alleged battery incident at the Knox Middle School.
The incident occurred on Nov. 6 where a child was chasing another student around a table inside the classroom. The teacher stepped in to stop the action and pushed the student into a counter, according to a police report. The parents of the child called the police department to file a report. Continue reading
Starke County Schools Considering Balanced Calendar
The Knox and Oregon-Davis School Boards could vote tonight to adopt a balanced school calendar for the 2015-2016 school year, and the North Judson-San Pierre School Board will consider one when they meet tomorrow. A balanced calendar still features the state-mandated 180 classroom days. The school year starts earlier in August and includes longer breaks in the fall and spring. They can be used for either remediation for students who are struggling or enrichment for higher-achieving pupils. Continue reading
Dial Before You Dig
Knox officials remind residents to call 811 before beginning any digging projects. If you are planning a home improvement job, planting trees, installing a fence, deck or mailbox, it is the law that you call 811 at least two days before work begins. The depth of utility lines varies, and there may be multiple lines in common areas of your property. Continue reading
Knox City Council Blesses Downtown Project
A Knox Community High School class has the city council’s enthusiastic blessing to beautify the vacant lot at the corner of Lake and Main Streets. English Department Chair John Poindexter says 33 of his senior students are taking part in the career readiness curriculum and want to put the paperwork and planning into action.
“What we’d like to do is go in and put up either a gazebo or a pergola, one of the two, and have two picnic tables or benches for people to sit in, do some landscaping and put in a brick walkway,” Poindexter told the city council. Continue reading
Washington Township School Reduced To Rubble
The former Washington Township School on State Road 23 next to the fire station is a pile of bricks, boards and broken glass. Chris Loehmer from Monterey-based Chris Loehmer Excavating is demolishing the building free of charge for the township. The school opened in 1959 and closed when Knox Community School Corporation folded the township schools into one site. Continue reading
Knox Officials Still Researching Dumpster Regulations
The Knox City Council is still gathering information about dumpster regulations before drafting an ordinance to govern their placement within the city limits. City attorney David Matsey gave the council copies of policies from other communities to review. He says the goal is to keep dumpsters from being placed indefinitely in front of homes or other structures. Continue reading
Local Pop Warner Cheerleading Squad Advances to National Competition
The Knox Pop Warner Junior Redskin cheerleaders competed this past weekend after making it to regionals in DeKalb, Ill. Two squads were put together for traveling and non-traveling opportunities. The Knox Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee non traveling squad received first place in their division at regionals. Head coach Melissa Fairchild and assistant coach Amber Rinard lead 16 girls in 3rd and 4th grades to their first competition.
Church Meals at Dembowski Center on Hold
The Knox City Council is prepared to sign a memorandum of understanding for free use by local churches of the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center to serve weekly community meals there. However the person spearheading that effort is still seeking commitments from churches to do so. Deb McIntire told City Attorney David Matsey she wants to have at least eight churches on board before proceeding.
