Planting season means it’s time for motorists and farm machinery to share the road. Motorists are reminded to be alert for slow moving farm implements that can turn unexpectedly from a field or driveway onto a public road. Tractors and other farm machinery travels slower than other traffic, often at speeds of 25 miles-per-hour or less. These vehicles are required to display a slow-moving vehicle emblem on the back and make sure all lights are in working order. Whenever possible, slow moving vehicles are required to pull off to the right when three or more vehicles are blocked and can’t pass on the left. Some farm machinery may take up more than half of the road in order to avoid road signs and other obstacles. Continue reading
Pulaski County Commissioners Set to Interview Job Applicants
The Pulaski County Commissioners will meet tomorrow in executive session to interview five candidates for the assistant EMS director job. The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. EDT at the courthouse. EMS Director Nikki Lowry asked the commissioners to conduct the interviews so she can avoid the appearance of favoritism, since she knows each of the five applicants personally. If the commissioners do the hiring, they must do so during a public meeting.
Services Scheduled for Winamac Soldier Killed In Germany
Funeral services for a local soldier killed last week in Germany are this weekend in his home town. Army Spc. Ryan P. Grandstaff of Winamac, died in a single-vehicle accident in Ansbach, Germany last Wednesday morning at 4:45 a.m. He was 24. Grandstaff graduated from Winamac Community High School in 2009, where he ran track and was a co-record holder on the four by 100 relay team. He loved playing football and continued his career at Anderson University. Grandstaff then attended Vincennes University and studied aviation technology. He worked for Plymouth Tube and the Braun Corporation before joining the Army on Oct. 2, 2012. Grandstaff became a crew chief on a Blackhawk Medivac Helicopter. He was stationed to Ansbach, Germany on April 27, 2013. Continue reading
Volunteers Needed to Spruce Up Tippecanoe River State Park
If the brutal winter has you itching to get outdoors, head to Tippecanoe River State Park this weekend for the third annual volunteer day. Assistant manager Jason Hickman says gate fees will be waived for anyone who comes out to lend a hand. Volunteer activities will start at 10 a.m. EDT at the Nature Center. The big goal is to build a second scenic overlook. The Friends of Tippecanoe River State Park nonprofit organization replaced one last year after securing donations and volunteers to do so. Hickman says they’ve secured money for the other one. Weather permitting he says the goal is to get it framed and decked out. That’s the main project for the weekend, but Hickman says it’s not the only one. Volunteers are also needed to clean and spruce up the Nature Center and remove invasive plants and some small trees from the waterfowl dam. Bird feeders also need to be hung up. Volunteers are asked to bring gloves and cordless drills, if possible, and wear long pants and sturdy shoes.
Severe Thunderstorms Possible This Evening
Parts of the WKVI listening area may be in for severe thunderstorms this evening. The National Weather Service reports a slight risk of severe storms south of U.S. 30. The main threats are large hail and damaging winds, and an isolated tornado may form. Listen to WKVI for the latest on any severe weather that may develop. Should the National Weather Service issue a watch, it just means conditions are favorable for a weather outbreak. A warning means that weather is here, and you should take shelter immediately. If you don’t have a basement, go to an interior room in your house that does not have windows until the storm passes. Check your flashlights and make sure the batteries work, charge your cell phone and keep a battery-operated radio handy just in case. More thunderstorms are possible tomorrow, including an isolated severe thunderstorm tomorrow evening. The threat of severe weather lessens as the week goes on, but rain is in the forecast through early next week.
Last Week to Vote Absentee for May Primary Election
This is the last full week in which you may vote absentee in the May 6 Primary Election.
Absentee voting in Starke County is available today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Starke County Courthouse will be open Tuesday and Thursday night for voting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT. Voting will take place on the second floor of the courthouse. As of Thursday, 293 absentee ballots have been filed in Starke County.
Food Finders Mobile Food Pantry Distribution Planned in Monterey
The Food Finders Mobile Food Pantry returns to Pulaski County later this week. The truck will be at the Monterey United Methodist Church on Main Street Friday, May 2 at 11 a.m. EDT. Items are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis to individuals who meet income guidelines and may include frozen meat, baked goods, vegetables, beverages, snacks and cereal. Participants are asked to bring a laundry basket or box to carry the food home. Continue reading
Program Scheduled to Inform Pulaski County Veterans of Services Available
A program to inform all military veterans in Pulaski County about programs and services available to them will be held Friday, May 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET at the VFW Post #1728-1066 on U.S. 35 south in Winamac.
Representatives from the Northwest Indiana Community Action, North Central Action and Pulaski County Human Services, Inc. will inform veterans about assistance programs, older Americans services, transportation, veterans services, employment services, and nutrition services.
Winamac Soldier Killed In Car Crash in Germany
A local soldier was killed early Wednesday morning in a single-car accident near his military base in Germany. Spc. Ryan P. Grandstaff, 24, of Winamac, was en route from Katterbach Army Airfield in Ansbach, Germany to an appointment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center when his vehicle left the road and hit a tree, according to a spokesman for the Army’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. German emergency medical responders pronounced Grandstaff dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation. Continue reading
U.S. News Awards Medals to Several Area Schools
The Kankakee Valley boasts some of the best high schools in the state, according to recent rankings by a national publication. John Glenn High School in Walkerton ranks 17th on the 2014 U.S. News and World Report list. The magazine awarded the school silver medal. Students there have an opportunity to take advanced placement tests, and 36 percent do. Of the school’s 611 students, 85 percent are proficient in English and 84 percent are proficient in math. Knox Community High School earned a bronze medal from U.S. News and World Report. The publication notes 25 percent of the 606 students enrolled take AP courses and tests, 77 percent are proficient in English and 69 percent are proficient in Algebra. Continue reading
Turkey Tracks Event Begins Tonight
The annual Turkey Tracks event is this weekend.
Forty-two physically disabled hunters and their guides will be hunting for turkeys this Saturday beginning at 4:30 a.m. and a full weekend is planned. Hunters can also visit https://ballachy.com/hunting/ for all their equipment.
The festivities begin at 5 p.m. tonight with a taco bar and then it’s up early on Saturday for the big hunt. On Saturday evening, once the hunters return from their quest, a buffet dinner will be featured along with many fundraising activities. This year’s event will end on Sunday around noon. All activities will be held in the Washington Township Community Building.
Pulaski County EMS In Limbo Waiting On Insurance Adjuster
Pulaski County EMS is down one ambulance until one damaged during a recent fire can be either certified and put back into service or totaled and replaced.
Director Nikki Lowry told the county commissioners Monday that the county’s insurance adjuster asked her to inspect the truck. Lowry said she’s not qualified to do anything more than determine whether it’s clean. The vendor from whom the county bought the most recent ambulance is willing to help if the county will bring the truck to Iowa.
Fire Destroys Rural Winamac Home, Cause Under Investigation
Firefighters from three departments spent four-and-a-half hours battling a house fire southwest of Winamac Tuesday afternoon. A neighbor called 911 at 3:30 p.m. and told dispatchers the home at 7948 South 475 West was fully engulfed. The Star City Volunteer Fire Department responded and requested tanker support from the Winamac and Buffalo Fire Departments. They ended up filling their trucks at the boat launch in Pulaski in order to more quickly get water to the scene. Pulaski County REACT also assisted by directing traffic. There’s no word yet on a cause. No injuries were reported. The firefighters left the residence at 8 p.m.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Searching for Stolen Truck
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a truck from a property west of Winamac. A bronze 1994 three-quarter ton Chevrolet truck was stolen from the area of State Road 14 and 400 West sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. Monday, according to a news release. The truck has tube step sides, a sticker on the tailgate that reads “Get Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs” and a Bass Master sticker in the window. The truck’s license plate number is TK181MCC. If you see the truck, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office at 574-946-3341 or contact the closest law enforcement agency.
Absentee Voting Still Going Strong
The May 6 Primary Election is in less than two weeks. If you cannot make it to the polls on election day, you have the option of completing an absentee ballot.
Absentee voting in Starke County is available today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Starke County Courthouse will be open this Thursday night for absentee voting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT. Evening hours will be available Tuesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Voting will take place on the second floor of the courthouse. So far, 245 absentee ballots have been filed in Starke County.
Area Principal to Head Vocational Cooperative
An area high school will soon be looking for a new principal.
“The Culver Citizen” reports Culver Community High School Principal Albert Hanselman is leaving at the end of the school year. He’s not going far, though. Hanselman will take over as director of the North Central Area Vocational Cooperative on July 1st. Jerry Hollenbaugh is retiring from that position.
Additional Heating Help Available for Pulaski County Residents
Money is still available to help low income Pulaski County residents pay their winter heating bills.
The Energy Assistance Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to households that have not applied for aid yet during this heating season.
Funding is limited, and applications are taken by appointment only at the Pulaski County Human Services office. Call 574-946-6500, email pulaskipchs@embarqmail.com or stop by the office at 115 W. Pearl St. in Winamac to schedule an appointment or to obtain additional information.
Medaryville Clerk-Treasurer Swears in New Council Member
The Town of Medaryville has a new council member. Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood swore Corrie Hauptli in this morning. She was appointed by the Pulaski County Democratic Party Chairman to replace longtime council president Gene Payne, who recently stepped down. Derrick Stalbaum was recently elected president and was present at the swearing-in ceremony. Carolyn Hagar will serve as vice-president. The appointment was made in accordance with state law. All three Medaryville council seats are up for reelection in 2015.
Local Detour Available to Bypass U.S. 35 Construction
Motorists traveling between Knox and Winamac on U.S. 35 can avoid taking the long way around during the next few weeks of road work. INDOT has closed the highway from 850 S. to the Starke/Pulaski County line in order to replace a culvert. The state’s marked detour sends drivers west on 10, south on 39 and back east on 14 because INDOT can only use roads maintained by the state to divert traffic. Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says drivers heading south on 35 can turn left on 800 S., right on 600 East and right on 900 S. to get past the construction and back to U.S. 35. Northbound motorists can follow that route in reverse. Ritzler says those roads are paved and are more suited to heavy traffic. He says several drivers have used 850 S. and 400 E. to get around the construction. Those roads are gravel and are becoming rutted. The project should wrap up by the end of the month, weather permitting.
ISP and DEA Drug Take Back Event This Saturday
The Indiana State Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency will be collecting unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs at any state police post on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The state police toll road post will not be able to accept these items.
