Pulaski County Commissioners plan to interview candidates for the vacant highway superintendent and maintenance supervisor positions Friday. They ratified the terminations of highway manager Kenny Becker and maintenance supervisor Morry DeMarco during a tense public meeting last night. Both were fired during an executive session a week ago. That action has raised questions about whether open meetings law violations occurred. Formal complaints filed by outraged citizens are still pending before Indiana Public Access Counselor Joe Hoage. Additionally, Becker has filed a $500,000 notice of tort claim against the commissioners, county attorney and auditor. They were all served copies of the proceeding prior to the start of last night’s meeting and now have 90 days to respond. Stay tuned to WKVI throughout the day for more on this story, and watch for updates on our website at www.wkvi.com.
Winamac Man Soon to Be Proud Recipient of H.J. Halleck Award
A Winamac man will soon be the honored recipient of the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce’s H.J. Halleck Community Service Award. The award is presented in honor of an individual’s selfless donation of time, energy, and hard work in an effort to make their community a better place for everyone to live, and this year, David W. Barr will be presented with the award on March 8 at 6 p.m. at the event center in Winamac.
Winter storm watch issued for WKVI listening area
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the WKVI listening area from Tuesday morning through Tuesday night. Forecasters say light snow will develop early tomorrow with minimal accumulations through sunrise. The snow will increase in coverage and intensity through the day tomorrow, with the heaviest snow expected tomorrow afternoon through tomorrow evening. Accumulations of between 4 and 8 inches are possible by late Tuesday night, and some sleet may also mix in with the snow tomorrow morning, especially south of U.S. 30. As always, we’ll bring you the very latest on the weather and any school or business closings, delays or early dismissals on the air and online at www.wkvi.com as well as on our Facebook page.
Pulaski County Commissioners to Ratify Terminations
Safe Server Class Scheduled at Winamac VFW
Coordinator Teri Terry noted that ATC-certified trainers will be available to assist bartenders and servers of alcohol receive their certification. The certification, which is required by state law, is good for three years for servers and five years for bartenders.
Summer Festival Being Organized in Pulaski County
Indiana Author Releases First Kids’ Book Nationwide
Dulin said that as a children’s book, the story is simple, but it leaves the reader with a question that leads into her next book, which continues Wilma’s story.
Pre-construction Meeting Scheduled for Monterey Bridge Project
Jeff Larrison of United Consulting, the company involved in the engineering and planning for the project, said a pre-construction meeting with the Indiana Department of Transportation is set for Thursday, March 7 to discuss details of the project and set a start date. All of the paperwork has been submitted and contracts have been signed for the construction. A start date is the only issue left to be decided.
A new bridge will be constructed adjacent to the old bridge in Monterey. Bridge 291 has been deemed a historic structure so the new bridge will not be demolished. Larrison will report a construction date when it is decided next week.
Pat Smith Retiring Today from Pulaski Memorial Hospital
Pat Smith has not only held the role of director of media marketing; she has also been the director of volunteer services and the director of the volunteer chaplain’s program.
Pulaski County Commissioners Face Open Meetings Law Violations
Locally-Filmed Horror Flick to Premiere This Weekend in Winamac
The movie will be shown twice at the Isis Theater in Winamac on March 2: once at noon and again at 10 p.m. The cast and crew will host a question-and-answer session at the first showing of the movie, which Murphy said has not been rated.
Pulaski County Health Dept. to Purchase Mobile Cooling Centers
Fagner said the health department has to justify the purchase in order to obtain the grant, and said they justified the purchase by stating that it could be employed in a possible distribution site for medical countermeasures. That is, if the department ever offered a drive-through or a walk-through, the cooling centers would be useful.
Free Tax Prep Services Offered in Knox, Winamac
Pulaski Memorial Hospital Expands Oncology Coverage
Pulaski Memorial Hospital has begun expanding their oncology coverage to three Fridays each month in an effort to provide the community with quicker and more convenient medical oncology appointments at a location not too far from home.
Former highway superintendent files notice of tort claim against Pulaski County Commissioners
The notice contends he has been damaged in the sum of $500,000 by their actions, which began with his Jan. 22 suspension with pay after unspecified accusations of wrongdoing. Becker immediately retained Valparaiso attorney Steven Bush, who sent a letter to county attorney Kevin Tankersley on Feb. 1 asking for the allegations against his client and the names of his accusers. Tankersley refused, and three days later Becker was demoted to the position of “county highway manager” during a commissioners meeting. Bush was there and was told by Tankersley that he could not question the commissioners.
“It is clear by the way in which the entire situation was handled that Tracey Shorter, Larry Brady, Shelia Garling and Kevin Tankersley conspired together to damage the reputation and name of Kenneth Becker by leaving a cloud of suspicion with the public as to what acts or misdeeds may or may not have been committed by Kenneth Becker to justify his demotion; by suggesting criminal activity in the form of infractions, and by jointly refusing to provide any information whatsoever regarding the allegations, accusations and accusers;” the complaint reads. It also contends that Becker’s name, reputation and character were slandered and his civil and constitutional rights were violated by the refusal to provide him the names of his accusers, what their accusations were and what proof they had as to those accusations.
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Attorney Anticipates Filing Tort Claim Notice Against Pulaski County Officials
Pulaski Memorial Hospital Raises $350 for Cancer Survivor
A fundraiser at Pulaski Memorial Hospital culminated in the presentation of a check for $350 to Christina Pugh to go toward a $5000 goal pledged to Riley Children’s Foundation in Indianapolis by Emily Larkin. Larkin pledged the goal in honor of her sister, Christina Pugh, a cancer survivor. The $350 check had been raised by hospital employees during a “pizza and jeans day” fundraiser.
Get Tickets Now for Halleck Award Banquet
Tickets for the Halleck Award Banquet are still available.
The event is set for Friday, March 8 beginning with a social gathering at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., the annual meeting and organization of the year for the Pulaski County Chamber at 7:15 p.m. and the Halleck Award Program at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Starke/Pulaski Habitat for Humanity Preparing to Build Fifth Home
The Starke/Pulaski Habitat for Humanity organization is gearing up to start construction on their fifth house, but first they must complete one very crucial step: choosing a lucky family in need to live in the home. Steve Morrison, president of Starke/Pulaski Habitat for Humanity, said they held two meetings last week to discuss the effort and allow interested families to take applications for the Habitat home.
Attorney from Pulaski County faces disciplinary charges
A Pulaski County attorney is accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a defendant she represented. Lisa Traylor-Wolff has 20 days to answer the disciplinary charges filed by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications.
They stem fro
m a physically intimate relationship she reportedly developed with a 26-year-old male client identified in the complaint as S.W. Traylor-Wolff was appointed his public defender in September of 2011. He pleaded guilty a month later and was sentenced in January of 2012 to 30 years in prison. Traylor-Wolff was appointed S.W.’s public defender for his appeal. He even worked as a Manassas criminal defense lawyer for a number of years, and therefore, has quite a lot of experience under his belt.
