Earl Gaerte Classic This Saturday at Plymouth Speedway

Posted on Author WKVI
Shane Stewart will be driving his sprint car in the Earl Gaerte Classic at Plymouth Speedway Saturday night
Shane Stewart will be driving his sprint car in the Earl Gaerte Classic at Plymouth Speedway Saturday night

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.”

DSC00097

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 http://www.plymouthspeedway.net.

Receiver Seeks Buyer for Whitley Products

Posted on Author WKVI

 

Whitley Products
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.

 

###

Plymouth Farmer Dies in Field Accident

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

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

Posted on Author WKVI
Whitley Products
Whitley Products

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

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
In an effort to attract new investment into its industrial area, the city of Plymouth is moving forward with its manufacturing shell building project on the city’s northwest side. The Plymouth Plan Commission recently voted in favor of making some modification to the plat of land proposed for the building along Pioneer Drive near the corner of Commerce Street to improve access.

Continue reading →

City of Plymouth May Soon Update Comprehensive Plan

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
After roughly 10 years without an update, the city of Plymouth may soon be toting a new comprehensive plan – this after the Plymouth Plan Commission heard a final presentation by Jackie Turner of Ratio Architects, who has been working on the plan with local business leaders, citizens, and city officials to develop an update on the 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.

Continue reading →

Plymouth School Board Approves $500,000 for Summer Projects

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

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.

Continue reading →

Plymouth Woman Arrested on Battery, Neglect Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Diana Turner
Diana Turner

An 18-year-old Plymouth woman was arrested early Thursday morning after an investigation into a battery incident.

Plymouth emergency personnel were called to a home in the 200 block of East Lake Street in Plymouth on a report that a one-month-old infant was having difficulty breathing. The infant was later transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.

Plymouth police conducted an investigation and found that the infant’s mother, Diana Turner, caused the baby’s serious injuries two hours prior to the medical call.

Continue reading →

Wilma F. Wagoner Renforth

Posted on Author WKVI

Funeral services for Wilma F. Wagoner Renforth, 88, of Plymouth are Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. at the Evangelical Covenant Church. Visitation is Friday, May 10 from 4-8 p.m. at Van Gilder Funeral Home in Plymouth.

Houin Arrested on Active Warrant and a Felony Charge

Posted on Author WKVI
Seth Houin
Seth Houin

Marshall County deputies arrested a man wanted on a warrant out of Fulton County late Tuesday night.

Officers were responding to a call of a suspicious vehicle that was parked in the parking lot area of the Marathon Station located near the intersection of Queen Road and U.S. 30. Deputies identified Seth Houin and he had an active arrest warrant out of Fulton County. As police were searching his vehicle for impound purposes, they found controlled substances in the car.

Continue reading →

Relaunched Restaurant Opens at Swan Lake Resort

Posted on Author WKVI
Officials cut the ribbon to open the newly remodeled Swan Lake Resort Restaurant, now known as Dickies.
Officials cut the ribbon to open the newly remodeled Swan Lake Resort Restaurant, now known as Dickie’s.

Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter, Swan Lake Resort General Manager Geoff Payne, Swan Lake Resort President Pam Smith and others cut the ribbon to officially open the newly remodeled restaurant at Swan Lake Resort on Plymouth-LaPorte Trail. Dickie’s offers updated versions of American classics like buffalo macaroni and cheese and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Join them for the Mother’s Day buffet.

PHS, John Glenn Named Among Top Schools in State

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
An area school has been named one of the top schools in the state by the U.S. News and World Report, ranking in the top 50 best high schools in the state for 2013. John Glenn High School in Walkerton came in at number 21 in the state while Plymouth High School ranked number 26 for the state, following U.S. News’s review of 21,035 United States public schools.

Only 105 Hoosier schools made it into the running. With more than 1000 students and 51 teachers, PHS boasts a larger enrollment than most schools in Indiana. John Glenn High School has 605 students and 32 teachers, ranking 1576th in the nation.

Continue reading →

Plymouth Police Department Adds New Officers

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Plymouth Police Department’s ranks are growing, with the addition of three new academy-trained officers to the force. Jeremy Enyart previously worked for the Argos Police Department. Matt Emenhiser was an officer with the Marion P.D., and Ben McIntire received his training while he worked for the Bourbon Police Department. Plymouth Clerk-Treasurer Toni Hutchings administered their oaths of office Monday morning. All three were offered conditional employment in January by then-Chief Jim Cox, who noted the department received more than a dozen applications for the three openings. They have since completed the testing process and pension board approval. They will complete the department’s field training process by working with other officers before taking to the road on their own.

Marshall County Officials Prepare for Potential Flooding

Posted on Author WKVI
Watch for signs like these in the area in the next few days
Watch for signs like these in the area in the next few days

Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery and Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter are preparing for potential flooding issues in Marshall County and in Plymouth.

Avery told WKVI that they are preparing to monitor several areas for flooding in low-lying areas, agriculture areas and in residential areas. Avery encourages you to take all precautions necessary for potential flooding, whether that be moving to higher ground or sandbagging. Sand and sand bags are available at the old EMA office north of the highway department.

Continue reading →

Rain Delays Start to Racing Season at Plymouth Speedway

Posted on Author WKVI

plymouth_sign_01Rain has hindered the start of the dirt track season at Plymouth Speedway.

Rain canceled the Cabin Fever event and now it’s caused the cancellation of the first race of the season. The start of the season has been pushed back to Saturday, April 27.

The track is simply too wet and will not provide an ideal racing surface for the drivers. Track owner, Ed Kennedy, also kept the fans in the forefront of this decision as he wants to ensure the fans a good opening night.

Continue reading →