Polls Open For 2012 General Election Today

Posted on Author WKVI

It’s Election Day! Make sure to make the effort to vote in this important election. Every vote counts, and with more than 2500 absentee votes filed in Pulaski and Starke counties, votes are already being made.

According to Pulaski County Clerk Tasha Foerg, 846 total absentee votes were filed in Pulaski County this election. In Starke County, more than 1800 absentee votes were tallied, including 1399 in-office absentee votes, 39 votes through the travel board, and 393 votes were mailed in.

The polls are open today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. We will have Pulaski and Marshall County results for you live tonight shortly after 5 p.m. CT. Starke County results will be given after 6 p.m. CT. Election night coverage is brought you exclusively by Zingo Express and the newly re-opened station at Koontz Lake.

Pulaski Commissioners Green-light Halted Bell Tower Repairs

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

A very frustrated Jim Kuiper, president of Kuiper Masonry, Inc., vehemently assured the county commissioners last night that he is using the correct mix of mortar to repair the crumbling bell tower according to specifications for historic buildings.

County Maintenance Director Morry DeMarco had put a halt on the work being performed by Kuiper because of what he called a number of “red flags.” DeMarco said the first indicator that something was amiss with the repairs when he noticed Kuiper hauling mortar up to the tower, and when DeMarco asked for a sample of the mortar, DeMarco said Kuiper told him that the mix was not ready and he would bring DeMarco an appropriate sample. Further, DeMarco said he was uneasy with the repairs because Kuiper refused to grind out old mortar from several sections of wall in the bell tower that DeMarco felt needed to be replaced.

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West Central Superintendent Responds to State Grades

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board discussed the building grades recently distributed by the state. West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon had given out preliminary grades in September and they stayed the same despite being reviewed.

“The high school is at an A, the middle school a C and the elementary school is at a D,” said Mellon. “At the elementary school just a couple of years ago, we were an exemplary school so we knew that there was work to be done there. I think we have to concentrate on some of our specific population.”

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Pulaski Drug Free Council Accepting Grant Applications

Posted on Author WKVI

Grant applications are now being accepted for those organizations that address marijuana and alcohol abuse through treatment, prevention and enforcement in Pulaski County.

The Pulaski County Drug Free Council has grant money available that is gathered through the collection of drug interdiction fees from those convicted of substance abuse offenses. This money is distributed as grants to various agencies that addresses substance abuse issues in Pulaski County.

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General Election Tomorrow; School Board Races Competitive

Posted on Author WKVI

It’s almost here! The 2012 General Election is tomorrow and millions of Americans will head to the polls to elect their leaders and representatives and make their voices heard.

A number of local school board races are contested and the voters will make their choices tomorrow. The Eastern Pulaski School Board has four candidates vying for three open positions in Monroe and Jefferson townships: Larry L. Beach, Deke A. DeMarco, Kevin Tankerslee and Rhonda L. Heims. Terri A. Johnston is running unopposed for Van Buren Township’s seat.

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West Central Honored with North Central Accreditation

Posted on Author WKVI
West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The co-chairs of the North Central AdvancED Accreditation for the West Central School Corporation, Don Street and Marci Kennedy, presented the West Central School Board this week with a banner and a plaque they received at a conference as the corporation was one of nine schools in the state that received the District Accreditation.

Superintendent Charles Mellon said it’s important to be accredited in some form.

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Francesville Man Arrested On Child Pornography Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Christopher Adam Wilhite

A Francesville man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possession of child pornography.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department conducted an investigation and confiscated computers belonging to 32-year-old Christopher Adam Wilhite. An initial forensic examination of those computers showed incriminating evidence of child pornography. This violates the terms of his probation as a convicted sex offender.

Wilhite was placed on the Sex Offender Registry on Nov. 7, 2011 and that probation runs until November 2021.

Wilhite was arrested on a preliminary charge of Possession of Child Pornography. This case has been forwarded to the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office for further review.

District 2 Task Force Lends Helping Hand in New York

Posted on Author WKVI

Members of the Incident Management Team from the Indiana District 2 Task Force, which includes volunteers from Starke and Pulaski Counties, were redeployed to the Long Island, New York area this week to assist in recovery efforts. Public Information Officer, Al Kirsits, said they will start work this morning and will join forces with Indiana District 7 Task Force in recovery efforts. They will remain there for at least a week.

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Pulaski County Economic Development Board Discusses Upcoming Plans

Posted on Author WKVI

The Pulaski County Economic Development Board earlier this month discussed upcoming events and priorities for economic expansion in Pulaski County. Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer explained to the board that he will be joining his counterparts from Newton and Starke Counties to meet with representatives from the Northwest Indiana Forum and Ivy Tech Northwest to discuss the relationship between Ivy Tech Northwest and four rural counties in the region.

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Tippecanoe River State Park to Be Closed to Allow Hunting Operation

Posted on Author WKVI

Over a dozen state parks in Indiana will be temporarily closing their gates to visitors in November to allow hunters to take out deer threatening native plant life. Every year, state wildlife biologists evaluate state parks and determine which of them are in need of a deer population reduction, based on previous deer-killing rates and each park’s habitat.

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Indiana School Grades Announced By Department of Education

Posted on Author WKVI

The grades are in and looking good for the majority of Hoosier schools. According to the Department of Education, more than 61 percent of schools in Indiana received A or B letter grades for the 2011-2012 school year.

Department of Education Superintendent Tony Bennett announced that 40.9 percent of schools earned A’s, 20.1 percent of schools earned B’s, and 20.3 percent of schools earned C’s. He said only 18.6 percent of schools earned a D or lower, similar to last year’s percentage. Fortunately, this is lower than in the 2009–2010 school year, and 207 schools received A’s for the first time this year.

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Medaryville Man Sentenced For Stalking, D Felony

Posted on Author WKVI
Pulaski County Courthouse

A Medaryville man was sentenced on an amended charge of Stalking as a Class D Felony in Pulaski Circuit Court on Monday.

Matthew Sizemore pleaded guilty to the charge and Judge Michael Shurn sentenced Sizemore to 18 months in the Pulaski County Jail. Six months of the sentence shall be executed on home detention through the Cass/Pulaski Community Corrections Program as long as Sizemore is eligible for the program. Twelve months of the sentence will then be suspended. He was given credit for 103 days served. He was initially arrested on this charge in July.

As part of his sentence, Sizemore will need to complete an inpatient or outpatient evaluation and was recommended to seek treatment at the Duluth Model Domestic Violence Treatment as directed by probation. A no-contact order remains with the victim in this case. Another count of stalking was dismissed as part of the plea agreement with the state.

Pulaski County Man Arrested On Possession, Residential Entry Charges

Posted on Author WKVI

A Pulaski County man was arrested Tuesday after he reportedly broke into a home in North Judson.

A North Judson police officer followed a suspicious vehicle and it stopped at a trailer on Airstream Drive in North Judson. Police asked the suspect, Daniel Allen, why he was at the trailer and he said he had just gotten done fishing and he was going to his brother’s home that was next door. Allen was asked if he had permission to be in the home. Allen told police that the home is owned by the family and he was in there because it was windy and waiting for a ride. The officer was aware that the home belonged to a person incarcerated in the Starke County Jail. Police called the jail and asked the homeowner if Allen was allowed in the home and the inmate said no.

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District 2 Incident Management Team Completes Mission; Awaits Redeployment

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County EMA Director Ted Bombagetti (L) and Sheri Gaillard assist other responders in the command center in Baltimore

The District 2 Incident Management Team’s mission in the City of Baltimore is complete. Starke County EMA Director Ted Bombagetti reported that the emergency responders will now report to a local National Guard Base where they might be redeployed to another area. Bombagetti indicated that they might go to New York to support efforts in flood ravaged areas, or to Western Maryland to help in emergency services due to blizzard conditions. Continue reading →