A Knox man was sentenced to 15 years in the Department of Corrections in a sentencing hearing in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday morning.
Clinton Wilcox, 21 of Knox, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of burglary as a Class B felony, receiving stolen property as a Class D felony and theft as a Class D felony. He also admitted in open court that he violated probation of which he had three counts.
Starke County Highway Department crews are ready to begin chip sealing roads. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners they will start in the Koontz Lake. He says they’ve made more than 6,000 tons of asphalt and more than 445 tons of patching material. Continue reading
The Knox City Council learned this week of ongoing vandalism at Wythogan Park.
Park Superintendent George Byer has informed authorities that there is some form of vandalism at the park on a constant basis. Recently a picnic table was thrown into the river, a toilet was blown up by a firecracker, two fountains were destroyed and the cannon in the park has also suffered damage from vandals.
Summer unfortunately can’t last all year. School resumes in August and the Knox Community School Board approved the dates and times for freshman orientation and back to school nights at their Monday evening board meeting. Continue reading
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall sentenced defendants in court Thursday after conducting several hearings.
Joshua Hansen, of Hamlet, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of dealing in methamphetamine as a Class B felony and maintaining a common nuisance as a Class D felony. Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and Hansen was sentenced per the terms of that agreement. Hansen will serve eight years in the department of corrections with two years of the sentence suspended on the charge of dealing in methamphetamine and 18 months with no part of the sentence suspended on the charge of maintaining a common nuisance. He will serve two years on probation. If he successfully completes the CLIFF or GRIP program or other purposeful incarceration, he may petition the court for a modification of his sentence.
Citizens who require wheelchair access to their homes can now get a ramp by calling Joan Haugh at the Starke County Community Services office.
Three juveniles were taken into police custody at 4:30 a.m. CT Tuesday after an alleged attempted burglary was reported in the Parkview area in Knox.
The caller witnessed a boy and two girls attempting to break into a vacant residence on North Clark Street, according to a release from the Knox City Police Department.
Motorists who need to get around the construction on State Road 8 at County Road 300 East leading to the Knox Industrial Park can take Range Road south to 50 South and back west to 300 East. That’s the official detour for the project. The intersection will be closed for about a month in order to widen the road. After it reopens work will continue in that area through November. Continue reading
Bids to replace two bridges in Starke County are officially under advisement after they came in considerably higher than expected. LaPorte-based JCI Bridge Group and LaPorte Construction Company both bid on the replacement of bridges on 900 south just west of 100 West over Bogus Run and on 800 East over Eagle Creek, just north of 50 South. The base bids for the 800 East bridge were $323,121 from JCI and $307,099.42 from LaPorte Construction. JCI bid $318,110.76 for the bridge replacement on 900 South, and LaPorte Construction bid $308,018.84 for the work.
The Knox City Council members discussed, at length, the 2015 salary ordinance during their regular meeting on Tuesday night.
As promised, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston provided the city council members with a total cost of what a three percent salary increase would look like. The cost came to $43,642 for all employees. Houston explained that the cost of living increase was determined to be 1.5 percent and a 6.5 increase in insurance is expected for next year. The proposed salary increase would likely cover those statistics.
The deadline to apply for this year’s Richard Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series is Friday, August 1st. The program was started in the year 1990 with the mission to increase the number and influence of Republican women in elected and appointed government positions at local, state, and federal levels. Continue reading
A Saturday morning fire at a vacant home northeast of Knox was deliberately set, according to fire investigators.
The Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department was called to an unoccupied home at 8875 East 25 North in Knox just after 5 a.m. and remained on the scene for nearly two hours. They called in an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office to check things out as well.
The Knox City Council approved the second reading of an ordinance regarding the removal of weeds and other rank vegetation but not before approving some changes.
The issue of how tall grass and rank vegetation has to be before a notice is sent to the property owner was discussed. The previously discussed height was six inches, but the council members ultimately increased the height requirement to eight inches. If a property is not maintained with this mandate, the city will send a notice and if it is not taken care of within five days the city will send a contractor to the home and mow the property. A bill will be sent to the property owner for the cost of the maintenance. If the bill is not paid, a lien will be placed on the owner’s property taxes to recoup the cost. An additional administrative cost of $15 will be assessed.
A Knox clinic has been given the distinction as a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) provider.
Healthlinc, Inc. received the highest level of recognition just recently by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. According to Healthlinc, Inc. CEO Beth Wrobel, this designation certifies that the health care organization puts patients first in every aspect of its operations. The staff at Healthlinc, Inc. coordinates care with other qualified professionals and caregivers, ensures patient safety and increases access to care.
Don’t miss your chance to compete in one of this year’s Bass Lake Festival pageants! The registration deadline is Thursday, July 10th. Continue reading
Despite what Alice Cooper may have said, school is not out forever. Registration dates and times for the 2014-2015 school year have been approved by the Knox Community School Board. Continue reading
The lone bid to fix the bridge on Starke County Road 700 East over the Yellow River came in significantly higher than county officials had anticipated. LaPorte Construction bid $106,872 for the emergency repair. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says that figure is between $50,000 and $60,000 more than he had budgeted for the work. As a result, repairs that were to begin today and be finished by Aug. 15 have been delayed indefinitely. Continue reading
The Knox City Council will meet tonight to talk more about two ordinances that were approved on the first reading during their last meeting.
The council members will discuss the tall grass ordinance. They had a question about the penalties involved with the non-removal of rank vegetation so that issue will be tackled tonight. Another issue will be the number of days that would be allowed before the city would go in and mow the property. The second reading on that ordinance is on the agenda tonight.
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office will be in Starke County today to determine the origin and cause of a Saturday morning house fire. The Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department was called to an unoccupied home at 8875 East 25 North in Knox just after 5 a.m. and remained on the scene for nearly two hours.
The weather is just right for riding motorcycles. If you’re riding anyways, why not do so for a good cause? Chapter 1326 of the Kankakee Valley Harley Owners Group is teaming up with Kersting’s Cycle Center to host their annual ride for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Saturday, July 12th. Continue reading
