A special executive meeting was held Friday for the Pulaski County Commissioners to discuss policy violations with two department heads that have not been following the employee handbook.
Both elected and appointed department heads have not been following the handbook, which outlines rules and procedures for employees to follow, providing across-the-board rules that apply to all employees.
The 35th annual Northern Indiana Power from the Past begins next week, a celebration which will feature Ford and Fordson Tractors.
The preview night is set for Wednesday, July 18 with HAP’S Chicken Bash from 4:30 to 7 p.m. ET, sponsored by the Boy Scout Troop 229. The headline event for this year’s Power Show is a performance by Nashville Country Recording Artist Levi Riggs.
A “Bike Rodeo” is scheduled at the Winamac Town Park as part of the Kiwanis Club’s annual Kid’s Day on Tuesday, July 24. Area children are invited to bring their bicycle from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and promote safe bicycling riding habits in an effort to reduce accidents involving children.
The event will feature a course with safety stations where riders will learn proper riding skills and habits, as well as how to better control the bicycle and general road rules. Through bicycle and helmet inspections will be offered by Zac See of Breakaway Bikes and Fitness in Peru, and children that complete the safety course will be eligible for prizes including helmets, horns, and handlebar streamers.
This event is organized by the Winamac Safe Routes Task Force, a diverse team of local business leaders, educators, local government, health professionals and private citizens, and is funded by a Safe Routes to School grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Despite the controversy regarding Pulaski and Starke counties’ recent decisions to rescind their burn bans, no fires were reported on Fourth of July in either county.
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department reports that while they had no fire calls on the holiday, they did receive a number of noise complaints because of the fireworks. Overall, it was a safe Fourth of July for the county. No fires and no serious injuries were reported, and the Starke County fireworks celebration went off without a hitch.
Today is the last day of the Pulaski County 4-H Fair.
The County Official Breakfast is today from 7 to 8 a.m., the Ultimate Showman Contest is at 10 a.m., the 4-H and open class exhibits will be released at 4 p.m. and the 4-H Auction will begin at 6 p.m. ET. The auction order will be sheep, goats, rabbits, poultry, swine, then cattle.
The Starke County 4-H Fair will officially begin Monday, July 16.
Jim McDaniels of the Arens Field Airport told the commissioners this week that the runway is in need of maintenance. He says that Broken Arrow usually performs the work but when McDaniels asked for an estimate, he says the cost was extremely high. He approached the commissioners in search of a solution.
One recommendation was to have the county highway department rent a piece of equipment called an asphalt tar kettle, which is used to resurface roads and runways. Unfortunately, the question remains: who’s going to pay for it?
The Pulaski County 4-H Fair continues today!
Don’t miss the Pedal Tractor Pull at 1 p.m. ET, the 4-H Olympics at 2 p.m., the talent show at 5 p.m., and the fireworks show at dusk.
The 4-H Fair continues through Friday, July 6 and it is located in the Winamac Town Park.
The Starke County Commissioners approved a motion repealing the county-wide burn ban on Monday, putting an end to the ban that lasted three weeks, from June 18 to July 2. Storms that had tore through the area last weekend had brought moisture back to the parched summer weather, alleviating some concern of fires caused by the dry conditions.
North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Chief Joe Leszek discouraged the commissioners from lifting the ban so soon, but the commissioners were also pressured by others to lift the ban in light of the recent rains. A motion was approved to lift the ban with the possibility of reinstatement in the future, and Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem says they will carefully monitor the situation in case conditions worsen.
The Pulaski County Commissioners received an update yesterday regarding the status of the Bridge 291 project. Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners that the right-of-ways have been cleared through INDOT, and the necessary documents have been submitted, however, INDOT has pushed several projects back to October.
Larrison said that the county has met all the deadlines, but they have to play by INDOT’s rules – which means opening bids for construction of the new bridge will not take place until October, setting them back several months. Larrison explained that after the bid is let, there is a 30 – 45 day period to choose a winning bid, which means construction could be delayed to as late as November.
Because of this delay, Larrison says a minimal amount of construction will take place before winter, but the majority of the work will take place come spring.
Pulaski County police were called to the Good Oil Company in Winamac on Tuesday, June 26 on a complaint of a possibly intoxicated driver. The vehicle had been parked at a gas pump for nearly an hour. An employee told police that the driver nearly fell asleep while talking to her at the register.
When police arrived on scene, officers found the driver, 21-year-old Caitlin Shidler of Winamac, and a passenger inside the vehicle with two small children in the back seat. The officers noted in the report that they appeared to be asleep. Police asked Shidler what she was doing and if she needed medical attention and she said no. She told police that she was getting gas. She was asked to exit the vehicle where she was given sobriety tests and reportedly failed all of the tests given to her. She allegedly admitted to shooting prescription medication as did her passenger, 25-year-old Steven Decker of Winamac. Police reportedly found controlled substances during a search of the vehicle.
The Department of Child Services was called to the scene to take custody of the two children. Caitlin J. Shidler and Steven Decker were arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Neglect of a Dependent, Possession of Paraphernalia and Public Intoxication.
It wasn’t a tornado went through the area on Friday, but strong straight-line winds that caused power outages across the listening area and extensive damage to homes and boats at Bass Lake and several other locations.
If you sustained damage caused by severe weather Friday or Sunday, report it to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security by going online to www.myoracle.in.gov/hs/damage. If you don’t have internet access, contact a friend or neighbor for help, or go to the local library and someone can help you with you in this process.
Two Lake County residents were arrested by Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday, June 26 after a call came in about a suspicious man in a kayak on the Tippecanoe River.
A man yelled at police for help, and he told them that he was kayaking with his girlfriend and she was ahead of him and disappeared around a bend in the river. When he came around the bend, he saw her kayak up against the river bank and she was nowhere to be found. Pulaski County EMS, Fire, Sheriff’s boats and Indiana Conservation Officers were called to the scene.
Stefanie McGovern was crowned Miss Pulaski County in ceremonies Sunday night. She is the daughter of Michael and Cheryle McGovern in Winamac. Stefanie is a 2012 graduate of Winamac Community High School and she is planning to attend Ivy Tech this fall then transfer to IUPUI in Indianapolis to study nursing.
The Pulaski County 4-H Fair is underway!
More 4-H entries are coming in today and open class exhibits are expected as well. The 4-H Recognition Program is set for 3 p.m. ET today and Earth Day activities are scheduled for 3-7 p.m. ET. The truck and tractor pull gets underway at 6 p.m. tonight. Admission is $7, but children under the age of six get in free.
Tomorrow, the Fair Association’s Hog Roast is at 10:30 a.m., the bed race begins at 2 p.m. and the Miss Pulaski County Pageant is at 8 p.m.
The Pulaski County 4-H Fair continues through Friday, July 6.
A 50-year member of two organizations and a prominent community member passed away this week at the age of 90.
Alladean L. Clouser of Medaryville passed away on Wednesday, June 27. Clouser was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Winamac, and a 50-year member of OES Tippecanoe Chapter #96, having served as a matron for the organization three times. She was also a Rainbow Mother Advisor.
Clouser was also a member of the Home Demonstration Clubs for 50 years in addition to being a member of the Pulaski County REACT. She also served as a 4-H leader, Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader, and a choir mom.
A storm tore through the Kankakee Valley on Friday, cutting off power to thousands and causing a number of roads to be closed. The storm also caused at least two injuries, as two boys were injured when a tree fell on them near Bass Lake and were transported to IU Health Starke Hospital for treatment.
The Bass Lake area suffered a large amount of damage from the storm. Boats were reportedly flipped over in the water or even flung up on shore, and several piers were reported to have been broken or missing entirely.
The Pulaski County 4-H Fair begins today!
Several 4-H entries are due at the fairgrounds throughout the day and commercial exhibits and vendors will be moving into the fairgrounds today.
The Garden Tractor Pull begins tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
The Pulaski County Community Development Commission is sponsoring an Economic Summit Thursday, June 28 at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Medaryville Lions Club.
CDC Executive Director Nathan Origer explained the summit will include a presentation and discussion regarding business life in Pulaski County.
“We’re going to have our State of the County Economy Address and a panel of entrepreneurs will talk about what it’s like to start to run a business in Pulaski County, where they’ve succeeded in their market, where the county or local government has been an aid or hindrance, and their vision of the county’s economy in their own business future,” Origer explained.
The Pulaski County Commissioners have continued the burn ban for another seven days in light of continued drought conditions and a lack of rain in the forecast.
The ban has been in place since noon on Monday, June 18, and it will remain in effect until noon on July 2, when it will once again be reevaluated. The commissioners enacted the ban because of the dry conditions of this summer, and they feel the county is at risk of a widespread fire hazard. Open burning of any kind using conventional fuel such as wood or other combustible materials is prohibited, with the exception of grills. Also prohibited is the burning of debris such as timber of vegetation, and recreational campfires – unless enclosed – are prohibited as well.
Pulaski County residents are also strongly discouraged from discharging fireworks.
Starke County’s burn ban is also still in effect until July 2, when they will also reevaluate the ban and decide whether or not to allow it to expire. Marshall County residents are also under burning restrictions.
Two people were arrested Friday after a traffic stop that almost injured an officer.
A vehicle driven by Dana Candlish of Kokomo was stopped by an officer from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department because she was following a car too closely. As the officer approached the car, he reportedly saw the passenger, Paul Burke of Royal Center, open the door, bend over in his seat, sit back upright and close the door. The officer asked for identification and Burke told the officer he didn’t know if he had his ID.
