A woman who is reportedly connected with a Monday night battery incident in Wythogan Park in Knox was in Starke Circuit Court for her initial hearing Friday morning.
Samantha Smith, 19, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assisting a criminal, a Level 6 felony. Smith was reportedly in a car that left the scene of a battery incident in Wythogan Park. Timothy Lemon was appointed as her attorney.
School starts in a few weeks, and that has many parents scrambling to make sure their children’s immunizations are up to date. IU Health Starke Hospital Director of Patient Services Janet Gillon encourages them to take advantage of the services HealthLink has to offer. Adult patients who need a primary care provider can visit Dr. Nabil Abdo at Dr. Browne’s office. He also has a nurse practitioner on staff who can assist patients of all ages with their health care needs. A nurse practitioner is also available at HealthLinc. Visit http://iuhealth.org/starke/ for more information.
A Starke County girl received a new award for outstanding gardening skills at the 4-H Fair. Knox resident Ashlie Fields was named the 4-H grand prize gardening winner. In addition, she was recognized by the fair as the Top Green Leaf 4-H Garden Award winner.
Starke County Sheriff’s deputies have found Joshua Simpkins, 32, of Knox.
Simpkins went missing from a residence on 500 East and State Road 8 in Knox.
Community members and personnel from the sheriff’s department searched the area and he was safely located, according to officials from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.
Ashlie Fields – Blue Honor
Grand Champion – Ashlie Fields
Division 1
Madeline Hewlett – Blue Honor
Mckenzie McIntire – Blue Honor
Division Champion – Mackenzie McIntire
Division Reserve Champion – Madeline Hewlett
Grand Champion – Mackenzie McIntire
Reserve Grand Champion – Madeline Hewlett
Another arrest has been made in the Monday night battery incident at Wythogan Park in Knox.
Samantha Smith, 19, was arrested Tuesday night for her alleged involvement in the incident. She was reportedly in a car during the altercation.
The battery occurred Monday night inside Wythogan Park. A juvenile boy was struck in the head by another juvenile. The force resulted in the victim falling to the ground where his head hit the cement walkway. Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and transported the boy to IU Health Starke Hospital. The victim was then airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers informed the city council this week that a new crossing guard is needed for the new school year. It’s a part time position and the candidate will be required to assist children in the morning and in the afternoon at the intersection at Main Street and Culver Road all school year. Any interested candidates can call the mayor’s office at 772-4553.
Back to school season is upon us.
Teachers are prepping their lessons and classrooms for their incoming students, students are choosing new school ensembles as well as the best supplies to buy and administrators are settling in to their new positions. The Knox Community School Corporation has shuffled around their principals and added on a new member.
Starke County’s newest school is set to open on Friday, Aug. 1. The Crossing has leased the old Sears retail location south of Knox on U.S. 35 for it’s alternative school. The mission statement on the Goshen-based nonprofit organization’s website says The Crossing believes in “empowering struggling students to become contributing members of their communities through academics, job training and faith-based mentoring.” Continue reading
The Knox City Council held more discussion on the 2015 salary ordinance during their meeting this week.
Councilman Don Kring had concerns about the budget and making cuts to the budget. He expressed that he wants to see a raise for the employees but he would hate to see things in the budget that would have to be cut because of the raise.
The winners of last weekend’s Bass Lake Festival Pageant walked away cash prizes as well as other gifts. Friends and family gathered at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association building over the weekend to witness this year’s Bass Lake Festival Pageant.
The title of Little Miss Bass Lake went to 4-year-old Leah Novotney. Her mini escort was 4-year-old Isaiah Allsop who was granted the title of Little Mister Bass Lake. Both lucky little winners received $50 each. Stephanie Thompson was the pageant coordinator for the 3 to 6 category.
The Starke County Commissioners are going to offer the owner of the former county landfill site what they believe is a fair price for the 22-acre property. The landfill on 750 East just north of State Road 10 has been closed for several years but is still subject to Indiana Department of Environmental Management monitoring to ensure levels of methane gas are in compliance. Continue reading
The tall grass ordinance was approved on the third and final reading by the Knox City Council members Tuesday night.
There was no further discussion. The minimum height any grass or rank vegetation may reach before being subject to an ordinance violation is eight inches. If there is a violation, the penalty will be $75. Any ignorance of the warnings given will result in a contractor mowing the property and a tax lien filed against the property owner.
Kankakee Valley REMC is committed to serving their community. They provide electric services to approximately 18,000 individuals in Starke, Pulaski, Porter, Lake, Marshall, St. Joseph and La Porte counties.
The Knox City Police Department is investigating the battery of a 14-year-old boy in Wythogan park on Monday night.
According to witness statements given to a Knox officer, a male juvenile had approached the victim in the park and struck him on the head. The victim fell and struck his head on the concrete walkway. The suspect, later identified as a Knox resident, was in a gold-colored passenger car with four other people that left the scene.
Starke County now has a parks and recreation board. The Starke County Council established the body to oversee amenities like the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, Starke County Forest and other county-owned recreational areas. Continue reading
A LaPorte-based contractor will begin repairs on the bridge over the Yellow River on County Road 700 East today. It’s been closed since a tree floating down the river struck one of the bridge supports earlier this year, rendering the structure unstable. Continue reading
The Knox City Council will meet tonight where more discussion will be held concerning two ordinances.
The tall grass ordinance is expected to be passed on third and final reading. At the last council meeting, the council members agreed to change the height from six to eight inches as the benchmark for needing to mow grass or rank vegetation. The other change the council members approved was an additional penalty. The current ordinance has a fine of $25 for any person who violates the ordinance. The members approved an increase to $75 for the violation.
The Knox Community School Board is doing things a little differently this time around and is holding their second bi-monthly meeting on a Tuesday. Tonight the board will meet at 6:30 p.m in the administrative office in the Palmer wing of the Knox Community Elementary School.
