The approval of two resolutions by North Judson Town Council members Monday night will allow the town to be reimbursed for expenditures made toward the water and sewer projects prior to the completion of the bonding process. Continue reading
Movies in the Park at Norwayne Field Kicks-Off Tomorrow
The new Norwayne Field stage cover will get some use this Saturday at the first North Judson Movies in the Park event of the season.
The movie being shown this month is Justice League and the screening will begin around dusk. Continue reading
NJ Town Council Considers Request from Local Independent Filmmaker Seeking Facility for Indoor Scenes
A local independent filmmaker came before the North Judson Town Council last Monday, seeking permission to utilize a building in town for an upcoming movie he plans to make. Jacob Dessauer told council members that he is seeking a facility to utilize where he can construct disposable sets for indoor scenes.
“I’m filming an independent movie around North Judson and my property out in English Lake.” He went on, “I was wondering if the Town owned or knew of any spaces roughly 18×12 foot with a 9-foot ceiling just as a minimum that they would be able to donate or loan for a certain period of time.” Continue reading
Several Local Officials Attend Starke County Economic Development Foundation’s Community Retreat
A variety of local representatives gathered Tuesday morning to learn more about development opportunities during the Starke County Economic Development Foundation’s Community Retreat.
Those in attendance included members of the Starke County Chamber of Commerce as well as local officials from the communities of Bass Lake, Hamlet, Knox and North Judson. Continue reading
Permit Question Brought Before the North Judson Town Council
With this weekend’s pleasant weather, you may have noticed ice cream trucks making their first rounds of the season. A citizen of North Judson submitted a question to town council members Monday night, about a truck he saw driving around town over the weekend.
He asked what kind of permit is required for those drivers to sell their wares. Town Council President Wendy Hoppe responded that they need a peddler’s permit to legally sell the treats within the town limits. Continue reading
Updates at Norwayne Field Discussed During North Judson Town Council Meeting
Big changes are happening at Norwayne Field in North Judson.
At last night’s town council meeting Park Board representative Nick Radke informed members that the band shell has been fully assembled. He added that additional lighting and stonework is pending. He also thanked Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann and members of the utility department for all their assistance with the assembly.
Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe stated that once the remainder of the work is finished, an event will be held with community members and local officials to commemorate its completion.
In other news, Schambers Masonry completed the repair work that needed to be done to the brick wall that runs along highway 10. Continue reading
Highland Cemetery Concern Brought Before North Judson Town Council
Some concerns about the Highland Cemetery were brought to the attention of the North Judson Town Council Members when they met Monday night.
Resident Vicki Richey informed members that she was speaking on behalf of everyone who has a loved one buried in the cemetery.
She stated that she used to own a tree-service company and recently looked over the land at Highland and found about 45 tree stumps. She added that there is also split tree that should be taken care of because if it falls it runs the risk of damaging some headstones. Continue reading
North Judson Police Department Plans Future Events
The North Judson Town Council members heard some future event suggestions from Town Marshal Kelly Fisher during their meeting last week.
Fisher said they’re considering a “Canine Mud Run” as a potential summertime fundraiser. She said it would be like any other mud run but they would invite individuals to bring their dogs along.
She said the police department plans to team up with the park board to have community-centered events every month. Continue reading
Norwayne Field Amphitheater Was Delivered and is Being Stored Temporarily
The amphitheater for Norwayne Field in North Judson has been delivered and its size called for alternative storage options to be utilized.
Initially, the plan was to temporarily store it in the park garage, but at Monday’s town council meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe stated that it was a bit too big for that. Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann said they were able to store part of it where they originally planned and another portion is being stored in a building out on Railroad Street. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre to Host 2nd Annual Blue Jay Show Case Tomorrow, Residents Invited to Share Their Stories
North Judson-San Pierre will be hosting the second annual Blue Jay Showcase during Friday night’s girls’ basketball game versus Triton at the Jr/Sr High School.
Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin invites all community members to come out and see the various things that NJSP students have been working on this year.
“It’s an opportunity for our students and teachers to display or demonstrate student work and programs.” Zupin explained, “So in the cafeteria, during the ball game, we will have just a variety of student work and programs.” Continue reading
North Judson Town Council Scheduled to Hold Special Session Prior to Regular Meeting
Before their regular meeting tonight, the North Judson Town Council members will meet in a special session to discuss the town’s 2018 salary ordinance.
Another topic up for discussion during the special session will be the approval of a bond counsel engagement letter. The special session will start at 6 p.m. tonight.
There is a light agenda for the regular session which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Time will be allotted for public presentations, department head reports and council items. Continue reading
Michigan City Man Arrested After Reportedly Robbing North Judson Gas Station
A Michigan City man was arrested Friday evening after reportedly robbing the Marathon Gas Station at 303 W Talmer Avenue in North Judson.
A press release from the North Judson Police Department indicates that the gas station was robbed at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Friday, January 5th. Continue reading
North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Alerts Town Council Members of $6,000 Insurance Policy Premium Increase
When the North Judson Town Council met Tuesday evening, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe alerted town council members that the town’s insurance policy premium increased from $56,000 in 2017 to about $62,000 for this year.
Rowe said he has recently been working with Christin Romine, an insurance accountant executive with 1st Source Bank in order to familiarize himself with the town’s history and current policy. He explained that after talking with her, he found that a large factor for the increase is the amount of claims that the town filed over the last few years.
Council President Wendy Hoppe recalled that in 2015, within the span of a few months they lost three police vehicles, including a Dodge Charger and two Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council Members Make Additional Appointments and Agree to Advertise for Open Positions
North Judson Town Council members voted unanimously to retain Wendy Hoppe as the town council president when they met Tuesday night.
As a part of their new bylaws, members also needed to establish a vice president. Councilman John Rowe was nominated and council members collectively agreed to appoint him to the position. Members also voted to retain Justin Schramm as their town attorney.
Additionally, members discussed remaining appointments. Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe will serve as the town representative for Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission and Wendy Hoppe volunteered to serve on the Rail Road Committee. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council Members Meet Tonight
The North Judson Town Council members will make an appointment to the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission and discuss the Starke County Economic Development Foundation appointment when they meet tonight.
Department heads will deliver updates to the council members and there will be some time allotted for public presentations and recognition of guests.
The meeting will take place in North Judson Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
North Judson Town Council Approves Encumbrance for Norwayne Field Wall Repairs
North Judson Town Council members encumbered funds for repairs to the wall at Norwayne Field when they met Tuesday night. Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe explained that the wall that runs along Highway 10 is missing stones in some spots and there are places where it is crumbling.
A total of $4,400 that was left over from building improvements was encumbered to pay Schamber Masonry for work on the Norwayne Field wall. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council Members Address Appointments at Year-End Meeting
North Judson Town Council members appointed Councilman James Young as the council representative of the Starke County Economic Development Board, at their meeting Tuesday night.
Town Council president Wendy Hoppe also asked if any members were willing to volunteer as the representative for KIRPC or the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission. Councilwoman Jane Ellen Felchuck added that they could nominate a citizen, if no members are interested in filling the position. Since Councilman John Rowe wasn’t present during last night’s meeting, they decided to table that appointment until their meeting on January 2nd. Continue reading
North Judson Code Enforcement Officer Provides Update to Town Council, Suggests Removing Outdated Ordinances
North Judson Code Enforcement Officer Joe Leszek provided an update about the code enforcement program that was implemented in mid-July.
Leszek said that they’ve seen good results and they continue to make improvements. He alerted council members that Town Marshal Kelly Fisher is currently working on a procedure to “put a little more teeth” into the abandoned vehicle policy.
He also mentioned that for the first few months, they were being more lenient by giving warnings and allowing people a few weeks to deal with citations. However, he said now that they’re more than six months into the code enforcement program, they’ll cut that down to 48 hour warnings and then ticketing if the issue is not handled.
North Judson’s town photographer Peggy Bohac presented a concern that she received from a fixed-income resident who was worried that stricter code enforcement could result in fines that would potentially be unmanageable.
Marshal Fisher responded, saying as long as citizens are making a noticeable effort to correct the violation, then they will not be continuously fined. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council Members Receive Update About Addition to Norwayne Field
The ball is rolling on a new addition to Norwayne Field, according to North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe.
Prior to her resignations, former Clerk-Treasurer Alicia Collins alerted town council members that the $12,000 raised by the community center committee would go toward a cover for the stage at Norwayne Field.
During the clerk-treasurer’s report at Monday’s town council meeting, Rowe explained that he received the preliminary plans for the stage cover and now the North Judson Park Board will be working with them to finalize decisions. Continue reading
Salvation Army Bell Ringers Needed!
Salvation Army Bell Ringers are still needed in Starke County! Starke County Bell Ringer coordinator Joe Lopez stressed the fact that funds collected at the local collection centers remain in the area.
Lopez explained, “The money does not go out of the county, all the money collected is spent here in Starke County and it helps a lot of people that need help during the holiday so we really appreciate any help we can get.”
The two Starke County Bell Ringer locations are Bailey’s Discount Center in North Judson and Five Star in Knox. Lopez mentioned that there is a special perk to working these spots.
“I know that a lot of people watch the Salvation Army Bell Ringers out in the cold,” he said, “we’re fortunate to have Bailey’s indoors and Five Star also indoors so you’re not standing out in the weather freezing.” Continue reading
