The 2nd Annual WKVI/Five Star Food Drive will be held Saturday, November 19th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Five Star in Knox.
We will be broadcasting live during that time and we will be accepting donations for the Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry. Five Star has some good deals this week so stop in the store and buy a couple of extra items and donate them to the food pantry. You may also make cash donations.
The recent municipal election in North Judson had Republican Donna Henry defeating incumbent Democrat Connie Miller for Clerk-Treasurer by four votes. Even though it would be a very slim chance, that specific election could end up tied because there are still four provisional votes out.
“Provisional ballots are going to be looked at at 10:00 a.m. on Friday which is the ten day deadline to come up to the Clerk’s Office and show us your ID, or if it’s a voting line problem, then we would determine that also,” said Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski. “There’s four provisional ballots in North Judson and one provisional in Knox.”
The Municipal Election results from Starke County show that it was a breakthrough for the Republicans in the Democrat stronghold of North Judson and a new City Councilman in Knox was elected.
In the most thrilling race of the night, Republican Donna Henry defeated Incumbent Democrat Connie Miller for the North Judson Town Clerk-Treasurer position with a vote of 221 to 217. Henry waged a vigorous door-to-door campaign, visiting many of the homes numerous times. She was asked what did it for her.
Today is Election Day! Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. prevailing time today.
Knox residents will be voting at the Knox Community Center, North Judson residents will vote at the North Judson Community Building (the old firehouse) and Hamlet residents will be voting at the Hamlet Fire Station.
Comedian Jeff Allen is coming to Starke County.
He is bringing his critically acclaimed “Apostles of Comedy” tour to the North Judson-San Pierre High School, on Friday, November 11th at 7:00 p.m. You may have seen him on Comedy Central, VH-1, Showtime, TBN, Family Net or other networks. He has performed for our troops on aircraft carriers and ships in the Indian Ocean and he has been featured at the National Prayer Brakfast in Washington, D.C. and performed for George W. Bush’s Inaugural in 2005.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and emergency personnel were called to a personal injury accident on Saturday afternoon.
The accident occurred on Highway 421 south of San Pierre by the south junction of State Road 10. Carey Foley, 56, of Demotte, was traveling in that area when for some unknown reason, he passed out, left the roadway, hit a tree, hit a utility pole and then hit another tree and came to rest. Foley was pinned in the vehicle and the San Pierre and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments were called to the scene to assist with extrication. Foley was airlifted from the scene to Memorial Hospital in South Bend and his condition is unknown at this time.
Only five contested races on the ballots could mean a low turnout in next Tuesday’s municipal elections in Starke County.
Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski was asked how the absentee balloting was going.
“We’ve had three full days and 21 hours and we’ve had 25 voters so it’s slow,” she said.
Winamac teenager was arrested by North Judson police after reportedly charging items on a credit card without the owner’s knowledge.
Nick Rudd, 18, allegedly took a credit card belonging to James Dolezal from his unlocked pick-up truck and bought items from gas stations and eateries that totaled approximately $158.00 from purchases made over a two-day period. Rudd told officers that he was given that card to use.
The Starke County Economic Development Foundation will be holding it’s “Prospectus and Achievements Night” next Thursday evening, November 10th.
Several awards will be given out that night. For the very first time, the Foundation is recognizing those industries which have been actively involved in business within the county for 50 years or more.
Executive Director, Charles Weaver, says the first to be recognized is almost 100 years old.
Two well-known people are squaring off for the North Judson Clerk-Treasurer’s position in the General Election on November 8th. Republican Donna Henry is challenging Incumbent Democrat Connie Miller.
Donna enters the race after a 38 year career in banking. She’s married and the mother of three children, plus she is a lifelong resident of North Judson. We asked Donna about plans if she is elected.
The Starke County Economic Development Foundation will play host to its “Prospectus and Achievements Night” on Thursday, November 10th at 5:30 p.m. CT at the Knox Community Center.
Several awards will be given that night, and over the next few days, Charles Weaver, the Executive Director of the Development Foundation, will announce the recipients.
Four industries will be getting expansion awards.
The Starke County Traffic Safety Partnership will be conducting a Safe Family Travel patrol November 11th through November 27th.
This blitz is a grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and will focus on impaired drivers and seat belt enforcement.
North Judson Town Board President Dan Anderson, a Democrat, is running against Republican Tim Cummins for a seat on the Board in the November 8th election.
Anderson lives in North Judson, where he is also the Town Superintendent. He has been involved with waste water utilities for 23 years and law enforcement for 10 years. He is a father of four, and grandfather of three.
Larry Clemons, of North Judson, was arrested on drug charges on Monday evening.
North Judson police officers, along with the officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, were called to Judson Express after they received a call that a wanted person was at the business. The person whom they were looking for was not there, but they spotted Larry Clemons who was wanted on a Starke Circuit Court warrant. Officers conducted a search of his person and allegedly found him to be in possession of drugs.
The North Judson Town Board approved a request by the Cross-Town Collision band to host a concert and get-together at the North Judson Community Building after Trick-or-Treat.
The band will provide music to the kids and several door prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. Trick-or-Treat in North Judson is on Monday, October 31st from 5:00-6:30 p.m. CT.
In Knox, the Friends of the park will sponsor costume judging and refreshments at the Knox Community Center after Trick-or-Treat on Monday, October 31st. Trick-or-Treat in Knox is from 5:30-7:00 p.m. CT on Monday.
Shelby Thomas appeared in Starke Circuit Court on Friday where he plead not guilty to three counts of Attempted Murder, four counts of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon and three counts of Resisting Law Enforcement with a Deadly Weapon.
Thomas, of North Judson, was arrested on Sunday, October 16th after he allegedly threatened to kill a Knox man in the 1400 block of west 400 S. in Knox as he held a knife up against his throat. The man got away and Thomas was later questioned about the incident. When officers from the Knox City Police Department and the Starke County Sheriff’s Department asked Thomas to place his hands behind his back, his demeanor reportedly turned to anger. He then reached behind his back to remove a knife from his pants line and threatened the lives of two of the officers trying to place him into custody. The blade on the knife was 10 to 12 inches in length and Thomas reportedly began swinging the knife at the three officers and telling them, “I’m not going back to prison. You’ll have to kill me first.” Thomas was then tasered and officers were able to free the knife from Thomas’ hands. Thomas was tasered twice before he released the knife that he reportedly swung at the officers.
The North Judson Town Board approved the expenditure of an additional $2,900 for repairs done to the Main Street railroad crossing. The Board approved the work to be done for $4,875 but the an error was made in the coverage area. Town and Country Paving found that more work needed to be done at that location and the Board agreed to pay the extra money for the repairs.
The North Judson Town Board members approved the 2012 budget this week. All funds, including the general fund, local roads and streets, motor vehicle highway, parks, cumulative capital improvements, and cumulative capital development funds total $785,360.
The North Judson Town Board members held a lengthy discussion about safety at their meeting this week.
A picture of a utility employee hanging by his feet off a backhoe sparked the discussion as some thought a safety violation had occurred. WKVI learned that the owner of American Oak had requested the assistance of the North Judson Utility Department to help unclog a sewer line that his contractor could not successfully complete. It was found that a root ball was clogging the line. Due to the compact sewer area and the success of a previous similar issue, an employee of the department volunteered to be strapped to a strap by his feet suspended by a backhoe and he was lowered approximately 16″ into the four-and-a-half foot manhole to retrieve the root ball. There was no sewage in that area at the time and it had been vacuumed and cleared at the time. The employee successfully retrieved the obstruction within a matter of seconds and no injuries were reported.
Starke County has lost a sports icon. Gene Marks, of North Judson, passed away Monday at the age of 80. Marks was an official of several sports but the one he is most famous for is basketball.
WKVI’s Harold Welter was an admirer of Gene Marks. He was asked yesterday what he remembered most about the famous official.
“Gene Marks was one of the greatest promoters of high school sports, ever,” said Welter. “He loved to work with kids and he loved to support kids. It was just a big part of his life.”
