Wesley Joseph Hurley, of North Judson, pleaded guilty to two counts in a plea hearing and was sentenced in Pulaski Circuit Court on Wednesday.
He pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child, a Class D Felony. A Class C Felony count of Criminal Confinement and a misdemeanor charge of Interference with Reporting a Crime were dismissed.
Ten counts have been filed in the Starke Circuit Court against former North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Connie Miller. The charges, which were filed Aug. 22, allege that Miller took unauthorized control over cemetery lot sales, utility receipts, and other deposits and payments from the town during her time as clerk-treasurer.
The charges stem from a special report for the Town of North Judson filed by the State Board of Accounts earlier this year citing alleged financial discrepancies totaling $74,408.67 during the period of time between Jan. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2011. Miller was asked to reimburse the town for the alleged discrepancies.
Special Deputy Prosecutor Michael P. Krebes filed the charges against Miller, which consist of nine counts of Theft and one count of Official Misconduct as Class D felonies. The counts of Theft allege Miller kept money from equipment purchases, employee reimbursements, police department receipts, ordinance violation payments, utility customer deposits, and a number of other receipts from the town of North Judson.
Miller’s initial hearing is set for Aug. 31 at 9 a.m. in the Starke Circuit Court.
The North Judson Town Council this week continued discussion regarding the proposed golf cart ordinance. According to Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry, the town board is still researching a sample ordinance from the state governing golf carts, and she says the council will likely have an ordinance drafted by the next meeting for review.
The town is currently considering the idea of joining several counties, cities, and towns throughout the state that have adopted ordinances regulating where golf carts can and cannot be driven. Henry says that as of right now, the council is unsure as to whether or not golf carts are regulated in North Judson, but this ordinance would rectify that and define clear requirements for their use.
The North Judson Town Council at their meeting Monday night held the first and second readings of their no-tobacco ordinance. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the council will likely hold the final reading on the ordinance at their next meeting on Sept. 4.
The ordinance prohibits not only smoking, but the use of any tobacco – including chewing tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, and other methods of tobacco use – and applies to all municipal property. This includes buildings, places of employment, and parks. Henry says this ordinance prohibits smoking and tobacco use “inside” all municipal buildings, and within 8 feet of municipal buildings. Ordinance prohibits smoking and tobacco use “inside” park shelters, and within 15 feet of the shelters.
The ordinance is more restrictive than the state’s Smoke Free Air Law, but only applies to municipal properties.
Henry says the next meeting of the town council is on Tuesday, Sept. 4, because the regularly scheduled meeting date of Sept. 3 falls on the Labor Day holiday.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-established Kemin Industries facility in North Judson drew an unexpectedly large crowd as more than 50 people turned up to celebrate the new industry brought to the town.
Kemin is an innovative bioscience company dedicated to manufacturing ingredients that provide nutrition and health benefits for humans and animals alike. Through their commitment to feed and food safety, the company manufactures more than 500 specialty ingredients for the global feed and food industries as well as the health, nutrition, and beauty markets.
Go back in time at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson this weekend and experience the huge impact railroading had on the Civil War.
On Saturday, Aug. 18, residents are encouraged to wander through the Civil War encampment and experience the life of early soldiers. Among the reenactors will be the Indiana 20th Volunteers Division, including their leader, Col. John Wheeler – a soldier from Crown Point who was killed near Devil’s Den during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Approximately 200 eighth, ninth, and tenth grade band students participated in the INPact Indiana’s Future All-Star Band for the Drum Corps International championships this weekend.
The event, which took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Aug. 10 and 11, featured musicians from the West Point Academy, speakers by the Blue Man Group, and entertainment from Sean Cannon from American Idol Season 7 – and when they weren’t being entertained, the students spent their time rehearsing.
On Aug. 11, the INPact Band performed to begin the DCI Parade near the war memorial, and then finished out the evening with a performance with Sean Cannon in front of 10,000 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium to begin the evening’s DCI Championships. North Judson-San Pierre Band Director Matthew Hibbets was one of the instructors while percussionist Robert Miller and Caitlyn Barnes on clarinet participated.
The town of North Judson is considering the idea of joining several counties, cities, and towns throughout Indiana that have adopted ordinances regulating where golf carts can and cannot be driven. According to Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry, the town board is reviewing a sample ordinance governing golf carts to determine whether or not they want to draft an ordinance based around those recommendations.
Henry says the council is unsure as to whether or not an ordinance is currently in effect regulating golf carts, but she says it’s more likely that the board has mentioned something in the meeting minutes prohibiting golf carts from operating on town roads. However, if that is the case, the board would like to have something more concrete on record specifying requirements for golf cart operation – such as an operator’s license, insurance on the vehicle, registration, or other necessities.
The board also discussed their no-tobacco ordinance, and have sent it to be publicized. Henry says once it has been advertised in the paper, the board can move forward with the first reading of the ordinance and proceed with its enactment.
The town of North Judson will be home to another new business.
Kemin, a global bioscience company, will process a variety of spearmint with both flavoring and preservation properties for use in the health, food, companion animal and personal care industries.
Robert Stomp, Kemin’s Director of Operations, said they chose to house this facility in North Judson as farmers in the area have the most knowledge of mint farming. Kemin will be working with the Lambert family to grow and harvest Kemin spearmint on the Lambert family farm.
The North Judson Town Council this week discussed what some council members are referring to as the “urban chicken” issue. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry explained that because the town does not have an ordinance regulating farm animals within town limits, the council will be reviewing information concerning domestic and farm animals in the town. The town currently has an ordinance for domestic animals, and Henry said they may revise the ordinance to regulate urban farm animals as well.
An alleged battery incident occurred yesterday in the North Judson area.
Angela Schwei and another woman were reportedly engaged in a verbal argument in the Burger King restaurant on Talmer Avenue and were told to leave. They went out in the parking lot and the argument escalated. Schwei allegedly got out a sharp object and slashed the victim on the leg, causing a gash.
A North Judson man was arrested Tuesday on an arrest warrant after he reportedly failed to appear in Starke Circuit Court for a court date.
Bradley White’s charges stem from a battery incident involving his live-in girlfriend and a person who had visited his home on February 27.
During the course of the investigation, police learned that he might be harboring stolen property. A search warrant was obtained by North Judson police and White’s Franklin Street apartment was searched and stolen property was reportedly recovered.
White faces charges of Strangulation, Theft, Possession of Stolen Property, and two counts of Battery.
The Agricultural Systems Division of Chester, Inc. will be locating to the North Judson area.
Chester has added an additional structure in North Judson which is housing a growing inventory of parts needed because of the large number of irrigation systems serviced by Chester.
The Agricultural Systems Division of Chester was established in 1970 when Chester first added center-pivot irrigation systems to their line of products and services. This division now services over 1500 irrigation systems, mostly center-pivot systems, and they also service grain dryers and drying bins.
School Choice Indiana representatives will be hosting an information session to inform North Judson parents and families of educational options for their children through the state’s school voucher program, tax credit scholarships, tax deductions, and other forms of school choice. The session will be held at St. Peter Lutheran School on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board discussed the budget outlook for the next two years and Superintendent Lynn Johnson said the school will take a major budget hit in 2012 and 2013.
“Close to one million dollars,” said Johnson. “One of the things we lost was the restoration grant and the small schools grant. Those two losses did come up to about a million dollars. Of course, it depends on enrollment. If we have an increase in enrollment, of course that will help us. There’s a lot of variables we have to look at, but right now we are looking at decreased revenue and I’m sure we’re not the only school corporation.”
On top of the budget cut, Johnson says they are also suffering from a decrease in enrollment.
One North Judson resident had to deal with a smelly situation Sunday night after a lift station pump plugged up, causing sewage to seep up into their home. North Judson Town Council President Wendy Hoppe commended Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann and his three-man crew for their quick response and diligent effort in rectifying the situation, which was reportedly caused by a North Judson resident who had flushed an item down the toilet that had clogged up the sewer system.
The lift station pump was permanently damaged from the clog, and Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry emphasized the fact that nothing should be flushed down the toilet except for human waste and toilet paper. She says that while an item may be labeled as “flushable,” that’s not always the case. The item may flush down the toilet, but it’s not unlikely that it will get stuck in the sewer system and cause further problems down the line.
Tom Berg is entering into the final hours before he sets a Guiness World Record! Tom was surprised by a flash mob yesterday. Several students from the Backstage Studio of Dance performed an impromptu routine as part of Tom’s show to help keep the spirit alive during this world record attempt. Continue reading
A special meeting was held at the North Judson Community Center last week regarding the industrial park, and while nothing definite was decided, the meeting brought together members of the community to share ideas and gather information.
The industrial park has been dormant for quite some time, and the Starke County Economic Development Foundation wanted to work with the North Judson Town Council to put their heads together and come up with some potential possibilities for the development of the park. The meeting also reviewed any current issues with the park.
A North Judson man was arrested Wednesday after a theft investigation.
On Monday, July 9, Rebecca Brown told Starke County police that an air compressor was stolen from a pole barn on her property at 1417 W. 400 S. in North Judson. She went to the pawn shop on Tuesday, July 10 and found the air compressor. After an investigation, police found that the air compressor was pawned by Michael Tolson well before she discovered it was missing. Stealing someone’s air compressor is a surprising thing especially today when there are a lot of affordable yet great options on https://occupythefarm.org/how-to-refill-co2-tank-with-air-compressor or with any local hardware stores.
Tolson, 22, was arrested on a preliminary charge of Theft. He is in the Starke County jail with no bond.
The ISTEP scores at the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation improved overall this year, according to Superintendent Lynn Johnson.
“This year’s results were very good,” said Johnson. “Our three-year trend has shown some significant gains. Our fourth graders scored 86 percent in math and the fifth graders had 91 percent.”
Johnson said the results show in the corporation’s analysis of the three-year trend.
