Plymouth police officers were flagged down by a citizen saying that a man was outside the Brass Rail in downtown Plymouth and brandished a pair of brass knuckles, lifted his shirt and asked for food.
Five NASCAR Drivers to Drive Modifieds at Plymouth Speedway
It’ll be an ordinary night of racing but with a bunch of extraordinary drivers.
On June 15 at Plymouth Speedway, NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace, South Bend native David Stremme, Ken Schrader, David Reutimann and Justin Allgaier will be driving their modified machines around the fastest dirt track in northern Indiana.
Knox Man Killed in Marshall County Crash
A single-vehicle crash in Marshall County Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of a Knox man. It happened on State Road 17 near the intersection of 10B road south of Plymouth. Manis Stacy, Jr., 57, had just left work and was southbound on 17 when a piece of metal from a northbound trailer came loose and crashed through the windshield of his truck, according to Marshall County Coroner Bill Cleavenger. Stacy drove off the road into a field and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers from the Marshall County Police Department and Plymouth Fire and EMS responded. Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen notified Stacy’s family.
Whitley Products Purchased by Michigan Plant
The Whitley Products plant in Plymouth has a new owner.
Marshall County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Jay Bahr told WKVI that Whitley has closed on a deal with Aggressive Manufacturing Innovations and more information on that deal will be released yet this week.
Officials Complete Plymouth House Fire Investigation
Wednesday’s fire that destroyed a home on Pretty Lake Road in Plymouth owned by two doctors was caused by an electrical malfunction. Plymouth Fire Chief Rod Miller says the fire started in a basement storage room at Doctors Jeff and Jan Anthony Starr’s home. The residence was unoccupied at the time. Firefighters from numerous departments spent several hours bringing the blaze under control. The Plymouth Fire Department, state fire marshal’s office and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms completed the fire investigation. Monetary loss of the building and its contents is estimated at $1.1 million.
Plymouth Woman Charged with Assisting a Criminal
Officers from the Plymouth Police Department arrived at 1509 Harrison St. to serve an arrest warrant for felon Otis Young. Tara Lee, who lives at the residence and saw police arrive, ran into the home and allegedly warned Young of the presence of police.
Three Injured in Marshall County Crash
Three people were injured after a two vehicle accident Thursday morning on Lincoln Highway west of Pioneer Drive in Marshall County.
Marshall County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to the area where they found 30-year-old Cordelia Baxter trapped in her vehicle. She had to be extricated from her vehicle by the Plymouth Fire Department. Her two-year-old daughter received a laceration to her forehead. They were transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend to receive treatment.
Seven Arrested after Month-long Investigation
Seven people were arrested Tuesday morning after an arrest warrant was executed at 713 Oakhill Avenue, located just north of Menominee Elementary School in Plymouth. The arrests come after a month-long investigation by the Indiana State Police Suppression Unit.
Plymouth Firefighters Battle Blaze at Dentist’s Lakefront Home
Multiple fire departments responded to a house fire on Pretty Lake Road in Marshall County this morning. Dispatchers with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office say they were called to a home at 16598 Pretty Lake Road. A check of property tax records confirms the home belongs to Dr. Jeffrey Starr, who is a dentist in Plymouth. The property carries an assessed value of $602,000. The state fire marshal’s office has been contacted, and an investigator will be in Marshall County tomorrow.
Property Owners Will Repay City of Plymouth for Meth Lab Clean-Up
Plymouth Building Commissioner Keith Hammonds said this is the first instance in which the city has given notice to a land owner to clean up a dwelling due to a meth lab. The property in question is on West Washington Street in Plymouth. The property was sold under a land contract and the city notified those involved that clean-up has to occur.
Lieutenant Governor Underscores Commitment to Boosting Hoosier Economy
Gov. Mike Pence has set an ambitious goal of creating more jobs than ever in Indiana by 2016. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellsperman says her personal goal is to bring jobs to rural communities during that time. Speaking last night at the Marshall County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner, Ellsperman acknowledged not all young people are four-year college material and encouraged students to pursue two-year technical degrees. She says employers are also looking for qualified technical school graduates and adds that many of those jobs pay really well.
Ellsperman also notes the legislature and administration passed a couple of key pieces of legislation aimed at job creation during the recent session. These include the Indiana Regional Works Councils, which will regionally allow us to bring business and education together regionally to look at the needs of the workforce.
“The Speaker of the House and Minority Leader of the House sponsored legislation for Indiana Careers Council, which will put the governor at the chair, I’ll be vice chair, the superintendent of public instruction, the commissioner of higher education, the department of workforce development all coming around the table to say ‘where are the gaps in education and preparing that workforce for the future?’,” Ellsperman added. She grew up in a small town in southern Indiana and says she’s sensitive to the “brain drain” issue that occurs when young people go away to college and don’t return. She adds she wants to make sure all of Indiana thrives.
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Autopsy Reveals Marshall County Inmate’s Cause of Death
An investigation into the death of an inmate at the Marshall County Jail found that Kerry Alan Pinder, 44, died of natural causes.
Pinder was arrested April 6 on a charge Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and was awaiting his release from jail when the jail staff found him unresponsive in his cell the next morning.
Plymouth Police Investigating Alleged Battery Incident
Plymouth police are looking for suspects involved in an alleged battery incident in Centennial Park Wednesday morning.
The female victim told police that she was walking along Greenways Trail in the park and was approached by four Caucasian men in their 20s. They had walked up behind her and one suspect battered her. When she fell to the ground, the suspects then attempted to steal items from her pockets. They then left and the victim was able to escape and call police.
Earl Gaerte Classic This Saturday at Plymouth Speedway
It’s one of the biggest races of the season at Plymouth Speedway and it’s happening on Saturday night.
The Engine Pro presented by Fel-Pro Gaskets Earl Gaerte Classic will feature the Sprints on Dirt Saturday night.
Earl Gaerte was an innovator in short track engines and he designed engines that have been in Indianapolis 500 cars and in the cars that are raced on racetracks each Saturday night across America. He passed away in August 2011, but his memory and innovations live on.
Plymouth Speedway Director of Racing, Matthew Schwartz, indicated that it will be an exciting night of racing.
“The Sprints on Dirt, which we call SOD sprints, are a touring series and they race all over Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and even into Canada,” said Schwartz. “The cars from all of those states plus Illinois and maybe some from Tennessee will come race with the sprint cars. These are the fastest things on dirt! They have big wings, 900 hp and they’ll hit over 100 mph every lap.”
Sprint car driver, Shane Stewart, was at Plymouth Speedway Wednesday night for a media event and had a chance to look things over for this weekend’s race.
Stewart is a native of Oklahoma but has since moved to Indiana to continue his career in the sprint car series. He’s quite accomplished having many feature wins under his belt as well as a American Sprint Car Association Championship.
Stewart doesn’t run with a particular sprint car series full-time but he does occasionally race in the esteemed World of Outlaws series. He will be driving a brand new sprint car this weekend under the ownership of Joe Gaerte. Stewart said it was fitting that he participate in the Earl Gaerte Classic with Gaerte Engines out of Rochester as a sponsor. Watch for the number 3G as it makes circuits around the track.
Stewart is pretty impressed with Plymouth Speedway’s new dirt surface.
‘They’ve done a great job with the dirt. They’re working hard. I know and I’ve seen the amount of work that actually goes into preparing a racetrack for a Saturday night,” said Stewart.
He expects to be part of some great racing Saturday night.
“If the track’s right, it’s wide enough to see two or three-wide racing. The best thing that you could hope for as a dirt track guy is if you can get two grooves. That’s the most important thing. If they can make that happen, I think you’re going to see a really good race!”
Modifieds and the USAC 600 sprints will also be racing to round out the exciting night of racing.
The gates will open at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 7 p.m. ET. For ticket and pit pass information, visit www.plymouthspeedway.net.
Receiver Seeks Buyer for Whitley Products
Marshall County’s new economic development director is cautiously optimistic a deal can be finalized to keep a local factory in business. Jay Bahr tells “The South Bend Tribune” the receiver in charge of Whitley Products is trying to find another buyer for the financially strapped business. A deal fell apart Friday because the two sides were too far apart on price, forcing the embattled Plymouth plant to close its doors. About 40 people are without jobs as a result. Whitley Products makes fabricated tubular products for agriculture and off-road heavy equipment. The company’s fate has been uncertain for the past several months. It first closed in January, citing financial problems, but reopened a week later. Whitley Products officials then sent a WARN notice to the state advising it “would likely permanently cease all its operations” in Warsaw and Plymouth and all employees would be terminated between April 22 and May 6.
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Plymouth Farmer Dies in Field Accident
A Plymouth farmer died Monday when his clothing got caught in a shaft connecting an engine and a pump on an irrigation device in one of his fields west of LaPaz. Rick Pertics, 61, of Plymouth told his wife he would be tending to his irrigation equipment overnight, according to Marshall County Deputy Coroner Les Trump. Family members went to the farm Monday when they couldn’t reach Pertics by telephone and found his body next to the irrigation equipment. Trump says the time of death is uncertain but confirms that Pertis died of severe internal injuries. Final autopsy results will be ready in about six weeks.
Whitney Products Likely to Close Permanently
A deal to keep a Plymouth manufacturing plant open has apparently fallen through. WSBT-TV reports that negotiations between AMI Incorporated and Whitney Products have fallen through because the sides are too far apart. Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter tells the TV station AMI officials notified him on Friday that they couldn’t reach an agreement. This latest development likely means Whitney is closing its Marshall County plant for good. About 50 people work there. The company sent WARN notices to employees earlier this year alerting them to the possible closing. The Warsaw-based company makes precision tubular products for diesel engines, agricultural equipment, off-highway, construction equipment and HVAC markets.
Plymouth Plan Commission Approves “Shell” Building Plat Changes
City of Plymouth May Soon Update Comprehensive Plan
Comprehensive plans are used to guide the city for the future, pushing them in the right direction for development, targeting areas that may need redevelopment and helping the city to plan for growth socially and economically.
Plymouth School Board Approves $500,000 for Summer Projects
The Plymouth School Board this week unanimously approved several summer maintenance projects with a total cost of $585,369.49, and Maintenance Director Dave Schoof said most of the expenses will be taken out of a refunding bond for the school. The projects include renovating Lincoln Junior High and Riverside Intermediate to allow the accommodation of the new Innovation Academy, and the refinancing of the bonds has made these renovations possible. The Media Centers at both schools will be converted into space to allow project-based learning.
