The Pulaski County Coordinated Local Assistance Service Project is getting ready to make the holiday season merry for families in need throughout the community. It includes area churches, service organizations, individuals, schools, law enforcement agencies and businesses who head up the annual toy store, clothing and food box distribution through Pulaski County Human Services. Right now they’re looking for donations of new toys and clothing and items for the holiday food baskets. Volunteers are also needed. Call 574-946-6500 and ask for Midge or Jacki if you would like to help out. Registration is also open for anyone who would like to receive food, toys and clothing this holiday season. Sign up through Dec. 4 at Pulaski County Human Services, 115 W. Pearl St. in Winamac.
Food Donations are Accepted for Holiday Food Bags at PCHS
Officials with the annual Coordinated Local Assistance Service Project, or CLASP, is asking for your help in assisting your neighbors in need this holiday season.
The collection of specific food items to place in holiday food bags is going on now. If you wish to donate food for the holiday food bags, you may drop off instant potatoes, stuffing, cake mix, pudding green beans, mushroom soup, rolls and hams at the Pulaski County Human Services (PCHS) building in Winamac. Food donations should be made by Dec. 10 so all food items are available for distribution the week of Dec. 10.
Tippecanoe River State Park Prepares for Halloween Activities
Ghouls and goblins will take over Tippecanoe River State Park tomorrow for the annual trick-or-treat celebration in the family campground. Each year the families who camp there decorate their campsites and hand out candy to area children. New this year is a costume contest at the park’s Nature Center at 6 p.m. EDT. The facility will also be decorated for Halloween, thanks to volunteers from the Friends of Tippecanoe River State Park nonprofit organization. The actual trick-or-treating starts at 6:30 in the campground and is scheduled to go on until 8:30. Parking for both the costume contest and trick-or-treat will be in the Nature Center parking lot, and entry fees into the park four miles north of Winamac on U.S. 35 still apply.
Pulaski County Surveyor Not in Favor of Move
Pulaski County Surveyor Jenny Keller appeared before the commissioners Monday night to discuss the move to the highway garage.
Keller told WKVI that she wanted the commissioners to know her feelings and the feelings of those in the office about the idea of moving from their space in the courthouse out to the county highway garage. She is not in favor of the move and had expressed that opinion to the commissioners in previous talks on the issue.
Panhandle Pathway Peninsula Prairie Remnant Dedicated
A remnant of Indiana’s earliest settlers is now preserved along the Panhandle Pathway recreational trail south of Winamac along U.S. 35.
The 3.5 acre portion of the original Prairie Peninsula starts at County Road 400 South and goes north for 6/10 of a mile. The spot will serve as an informational and educational habitat along the trail, which sits in the bed of the former Pennsylvania Railroad. The spot was covered by railroad beds in the 1860s but has been reclaimed by nature in the decade since the railway has been vacated. The ability of the native vegetation to grow and tolerate harsh conditions, combined with their deep root system, have allowed them to thrive once again. The small area contains more than 38 species of native plants. They tend to protect the ecosystem by keeping soil from eroding and filtering water which flows into streams and rivers from silt deposits and pesticides. They also provide a habitat for birds, butterflies and wildlife.
National Radon Action Week, Get Your Home Tested
The American Lung Association, Centers for Disease Control, and the National Cancer Institute encourage radon testing during the observation of National Radon Week.
All this week through Oct. 27, health agencies in the country have joined forces to promote awareness of the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.
Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Polling Place Changes
Polling places for voters in Pulaski County will be streamlined during the upcoming election following action by the county commissioners. They adopted the election commission’s recommendation to make the county highway garage on U.S. 35 north of downtown Winamac the polling place for all four Monroe Township precincts. The commissioners also combined the Indian Creek, Harrison and Van Buren Township precincts into one location. Residents of all three will vote in Star City at the community center. The voting machines purchased by the county several years ago will easily accommodate this consolidation, as they can be set for each individual voter. The consolidation also means the county will need fewer Election Day poll workers. Continue reading
State Superintendent Files Lawsuit Against State Board of Education
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz has filed a lawsuit against the members of the State Board of Education.
The lawsuit alleges that the members of the state board violated the state’s Open Door Law by taking action in secret by drafting, or directing the drafting of, a letter sent to President Pro Tempore Long and Speaker Brian Bosma on Oct. 16.
Security Plan to be Developed for Pulaski County Courthouse
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn discussed the development of a security plan for the safety of those in the courthouse during business hours.
It has been suggested that a security plan be put in place. Judge Shurn told the commissioners that he will soon be putting together a plan in order to not only keep his court secure, but protect the visiting citizens as well.
Keep Children Safe This Halloween, Check Sex Offender Registry
Help keep your children safe this Halloween by using online tools to learn the location and identity of registered sex offenders in an area where you plan to take your children trick-or-treating.
Go to www.indianasheriffs.org to search for registered sex offenders in a two-mile radius of a location entered into the database. A list of offenders, including their pictures, offenses and physical descriptions, is available. You may search any county to learn of any registered sex offenders in proximity to your home.
An online sex offender registry is available for residents of LaPorte County. There are currently 190 registered sex offenders in LaPorte County. 50 of those registered are sexually violent predators and 59 are classified as offenders against children. Visit www.laportecountysheriff.com to search through the database. 14,300 people have visited the site to date and all at the sheriff’s office encourages you to help ensure the safety of children this Halloween.
The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department and all sheriffs in the state utilize “OffenderWatch” Sex Offender Management System to manage and monitor registered sex offenders.
Winamac Man Arrested after 101 Marijuana Plants Found
A Winamac man was arrested Sunday after Pulaski County deputies reportedly found a marijuana growing operation on his property.
A deputy was checking the area of 625 North and 800 West as he received an anonymous call of suspicious activity in the area. The officer got out of his car at a location where he saw a home ruined by a fire and two outbuildings. He approached a shed and was greeted by a man later identified as Rodger Birnbaum, 57, of Winamac. He had been carrying an electric screw driver and set it down to talk to the officer. The officer reportedly smelled a strong marijuana smell and asked to search the shed. Birnbaum asked the officer why he would do that and the officer explained that he could smell marijuana coming from the shed and he observed Birnbaum acting suspiciously.
Drug Take Back Event This Saturday
The Indiana State Police is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in a drug take back event.
You are encouraged to take your unwanted, expired and unused prescription medication to any Indiana State Police Post (except for the Toll Road Post in Bristol, IN) for proper disposal. There will be a designated receptacle for you to drop off your medication and no questions will be asked.
National Weather Service Issues Freeze Watch
You may wake up to frost on the pumpkin tomorrow morning, so plan accordingly if you have outdoor plants. The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for the entire WKVI listening area through early tomorrow morning. Overnight temperatures in the 29 to 32-degree range are predicted. This could kill vegetation.
Winamac Coil Spring Needs New Transformer for Expansion
The town of Winamac recently reviewed a quote regarding a new factory that’s looking to expand in Winamac and is in need of electric service. Town Manager Jim Conner explained the work should take place within the next few weeks – an “exciting” prospect, he said.
Winamac Coil Spring company is seeking electric service to expand in Winamac, and Conner said the quote came in around $74,815. Some of that, he said, will be the town’s expense, and the remaining portion will be covered by the company itself.
Conner said the cost is for a new transformer, as the current one isn’t large enough to serve the company’s estimated load. As a result, a new primary feed will also need to be installed, and a fee will be charged to connect existing service to the new transfer. Conner said the work itself should take roughly a week.
Town of Winamac to See Reduced Transfer Station Fees
Winamac Town Board Receives Estimate on Pool Repair
Coordinated Local Assistance Project Distribution Set for December
Town of Winamac Reviewing Waste Collection Bids
Eastern Pulaski School Corporation Sees an Increase in Enrollment
The Eastern Pulaski School Board learned that the official Average Daily Membership student count was 1,233. That is an increase of 43 students to the corporation. The board was happy to hear that statistic as state funding follows the student and the corporation will be getting some extra operating funds this year.
Pulaski County Human Services Recruiting Tax Prep Volunteer
With tax season coming up soon, Northwest Indiana Community Action is looking to once again hold their Asset Building Campaign, a program aiming to help prepare and file taxes for low-income families. Jackie Frain with Pulaski County Human Services explained the program not only benefits the low-income families by helping them afford winter coats, pay utility bills and even save for homeownership, it also benefits the community as a whole.
