The Pulaski County Council discussed Monday night, at length, the number of military vehicles in possession in the county and their use.
Sheriff Michael Gayer was asked about the county highway department’s use of dump trucks acquired from the military. Sheriff Gayer said it’s not illegal for the county highway to use those trucks after two years of acquisition.
Members of the Eastern Pulaski School Board did not reach a definite decision Monday evening about whether to allow firearms on school property. Last year a change in Indiana law allowed concealed weapons with a permit to be in locked cars on school property. This prompted school boards all over the state to consider whether weapons should be allowed within the schools. The policy would not apply to students, just to a designated group of faculty members who would have to undergo training and psychological evaluation.
Superintendent Dan Foster offered his opinion to the board. Continue reading
Winamac Municipal Utilities customers will soon see a new charge on their water bills. The town council adopted a Public Fire Protection Surcharge to offset the cost of maintaining the hydrants and ensuring adequate water pressure. Eric Walsh with accounting firm Umbaugh and Associates says it will allow the town to shift the cost from property taxes to a user fee of $6.65 per month for residential customers. Industrial customers with larger water meters would pay more. Continue reading
One piece of good news that parents and students will like for the next school year at West Central schools is the book rental prices at the corporation will not increase.
The board also discussed summer school for this year and Superintendent Charles Mellon said those classes are mainly for elementary school students.
The Pulaski County Council approved, by a majority vote of 6 to 1, Sheriff Michael Gayer’s request to transfer funds to pay for the two K9s at a cost of $25,165.38.
The payment of the K9s had to be done a different way than initially proposed but Auditor Shelia Garling, the sheriff and representatives from the State Board of accounts told the council that they could take the money out of the user fee of the law enforcement continuous education fund to the continuing education fund.
The dogs are in service with one officer and K9 working the day shift and the other officer and the K9on the night shift to give 24 hours of continuing coverage.
The Winamac Town Council has put off a decision on building a new town swimming pool for at least another month. The necessary repairs to bring the existing pool at the Pulaski County Family YMCA up to code were deemed too expensive for such an old structure. Continue reading
One of the projects that the staff at the West Central School Corporation hopes to accomplish this summer is the improvements to security at the school.
Superintendent Charles Mellon said the project has been delayed due in part in not being able to retrieve the Secured School Safety Grant money to finish the project.
In honor of the upcoming retirement of West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon, an open house is planned for next week.
Help the West Central School Corporation staff and students celebrate his career as an educator on Tuesday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET at the West Central School Corporation Office at 117 E. Montgomery Street in Francesville.
Mellon will leave as the superintendent of West Central Schools on Monday, June 30. High School Principal Don Street will be taking over in that position on July 1. Patrick Culp, a 1995 graduate of West Central High School, will fill Street’s position as high school principal.
The Eastern Pulaski Community School Board will discuss the possession of firearms on school property when they meet this evening at 5:30 p.m. EDT in the Distance Learning Lab. Last week the West Central School Board discussed allowing faculty members to posses weapons while at work. Continue reading
The 17 most recent graduates of the Ancilla College nursing program were honored recently at a pinning ceremony on the Donaldson campus. Division of Nursing and Health Sciences Director Ann Fitzgerald says it’s a special and very symbolic celebration.
“You will receive as a student who is going to graduate a nursing pin that is exclusive to that nursing school. So Ancilla College Nursing has its own exclusive pin. Those are not given until the students graduate and complete all the requisites for their area of study. In this case it’s the Associate of Science in Nursing.”
Taking the lead out of your foot when you drive will put more pennies in your pocket. GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan says slowing down is one of the best ways to avoid having to fill up as often.
“Driving behavior is probably the number one potential for savings when it comes to the pump. You can certainly get your car to go longer more on a tank of gas if you’re just driving less aggressively,” DeHaan said.
He admits that’s easier said than done but says it’s best to maintain a steady speed whenever possible. Continue reading
Don’t let summer turn tragic in your own front yard. More than 2,400 driveway accidents involving young children happen each year in the United States. Remember, young children are short, and they like to play. If they are very close to your vehicle, you won’t be able to see them. The Indiana State Police offer the following tips to help keep summer as safe as possible:
Set rules with your children. No matter what their age, designate unwavering rules without options. Teach your children to watch for the white rear lights that illuminate when a car is in reverse. Tell your children when they see a car approaching the driveway or when a car is moving in the driveway, they all have to meet up in the yard or on the porch.
It was a very successful day for our area boys golfers in Sectional play yesterday. The John Glenn Falcons placed 3rd as a team at the South Bend Riley Sectional which advances them to next week’s Regional. Tyler Prentkowski was the meets medalist shooting a 68. The Falcons finished just 3-strokes behind Penn High School for 2nd place overall. In other sectional golf action Adam Gruenig led the Winamac Warriors to a 4th place finish in the Logansport Sectional. While the Warriors did not advance as a team, Gruenig was the medalist for the meet shooting a 78. At the LaPorte Sectional, Austin Howell of South Central was the leader for the 7th place finishing Satellites. Howell shot an 82 which was good enough to advance him as an individual to the Regional round.
The golf Regional rounds will be played next Thursday and Friday. Adam Gruenig and Austin Howell will be competing at Lafayette Jefferson, while the John Glenn Falcons will be at Warsaw. Both of those Regional rounds will be played on Thursday, June 12th.
The maintenance staff at the West Central School Corporation will have their hands full with several projects this summer.
Superintendent Charles Mellon said a new telephone system is one of the larger, more expensive projects this summer. The old system is too antiquated to gather parts to fix so a new system will be installed. He added that the last phase of the football field lighting system will be complete this summer. Other smaller projects are also planned.
Indiana Conservation officers have not been able to locate Ron Wood, Jr. who went missing in Lake Michigan Saturday night.
Sgt. Shawn D. Brown from the DNR Law Enforcement Division said the United States Coast Guard and DNR officers responded to the an a mile off the shore of Mount Baldy in the Valparaiso area after a report came in of struggling swimmers. Knox High School graduate, Ron Wood, Jr., 29, jumped into Lake Michigan after some swimmers became separated from the boat and were struggling to stay afloat. A nearby boat came to help as well as members of the Coast Guard who were able to save all swimmers with the exception of Wood, Jr.
The Pulaski County EMA Director Larry Hoover gave the commissioners an update on the relocation of the county’s repeater.
A repeater is a device that receives radio signals and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power so that the signal can cover longer distances. The repeater is located where the old county highway department building was on the west wide of Winamac on 60 S. That building has since been demolished but the repeater remains there. It was proposed that the repeater be moved to the Pulaski County Justice center to be more centrally located, but as Hoover pointed out to the commissioners the task is a little complicated, lengthy and expensive.
This weekend only, Hoosiers have the opportunity to fish without a fishing license. The Department of Natural Resources has declared all Indiana waters okay to fish in with no license on June 7 and 8. To celebrate free fishing weekend Tippecanoe River State Park in Winamac is hosting a plethora of special events. Continue reading
A Winamac man faces multiple charges after police say he beat up his girlfriend and wreaked havoc in the emergency room at Pulaski Memorial Hospital. Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a home in the 600 block of 300 West Monday night by neighbors. When they arrived, they found Guy Harlan, 24, covered in blood splatter standing in the yard, waving his arms and screaming at his girlfriend. According to the police report, Harlan beat and strangled her in front of their young children. She and the kids escaped and ran to the neighbor’s house. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Commissioners will hold off on a decision regarding a new method of capturing payroll information.
Auditor Shelia Garling told Commissioners Larry Brady and Terry Young that she’s done a lot of research with outsourcing the payroll. In talking with other auditors, she’s found that it could be a bigger hassle than needed.
The West Central School Board will meet in regular session tonight where Superintendent Charles Mellon will attend his last regular meeting of the board as superintendent.
Mellon is retiring at the end of the month after many years in the position. High School Principal Don Street will be taking over as superintendent on July 1.
The board members will discuss annual routine items such as book rental fees for the next school year and summer school programs. A discussion on possession of firearms on school property is also on the agenda.
The board will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on at the central office building in downtown Francesville.
