Trial Continued For Man Charged With Rape

Posted on Author WKVI
Christopher Stonebraker

A Starke Circuit Court jury trial has been continued in the case of Christopher Stonebraker, who has been charged with Rape as a Class B Felony and Domestic Battery, a Class D Felony.

Stonebraker was arrested on Nov. 28, 2011, and it is alleged that he raped his ex-wife and pushed her head into a wall, causing her tooth to chip. The probable cause affidavit stated that he also scratched her back in the presence of two children. Stonebraker was arrested by an officer from the Indiana State Police and taken to the Starke County Jail.

There were some issues with the discovery documents and the defense requested the continuance. The case will be tried in Starke Circuit court in October.

Wythogan Park Still Too Dangerous For Visitors

Posted on Author WKVI
Many branches like this one are dangling dangerously above, presenting a serious hazard to visitors.

Uprooted trees, downed power lines, fences torn asunder – this is just some of the damage at Wythogan Park in the wake of the July 24 storms.

The park has been closed as a result of the devastation, and Park Superintendent George Byer urges residents to stay away. He says the risk of injury is too great to enter the park, because there are a lot of branches dangling by a thread that could fall at any moment.

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Starke County Airport Limping Along After Storms

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Airport is back in working condition, but Airport Manager Pam Beharry says the airport has been crippled. The main hangar door is still damaged and the roof is unstable, and she says they still need to repair their fence as well. Further, she says the destroyed tee hangars prevent them from making money by housing planes, and the only source of income is the sale of fuel.

“I mean, the revenues have stopped. Now our jet fuel is the only revenue coming in right now,” said Beharry. “Oh well – just be thankful nobody got hurt, that’s the main thing.”

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More Than $20,000 Approved For Knox Housing Improvement Project

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council at their meeting this week approved the city’s match for the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission’s housing improvement project grant. The match for the grant is roughly 10 percent of the $200,000 total, coming out to $22,500 that the city must provide to improve housing for the 12 eligible households that have applied.

A motion was made and approved for their 10 percent share, and a motion was also made and approved to accept the 12 applicants into the housing improvement project.

The council also discussed their appointment to the Knox Planning Commission. This nine-member board consists of two appointments by the county commissioners, four citizens appointed by the mayor, and three appointments from the city council. The three appointments from the council need to be either city officials or employees, and Mayor Rick Chambers said he will go through their list of employees and see if anyone is interested in the position.

Last Public Meeting Tonight For Starke County Jail Project

Posted on Author WKVI

The last in a series of public meetings concerning the Starke County Jail project is tonight at 6 p.m. CT at the North Judson-San Pierre High School Auditorium.

The DLZ Corporation will provide construction options and Umbaugh and Associates will discuss the financing options.

In the first meeting, DLZ presented the jail committee and those in attendance with the proposal for a new 32,406 square foot jail facility that could be built on a site of anywhere from four to 10 acres, at an estimated cost of $14 million. Umbaugh and Associates revealed that in order to fund this project, the county would issue bonds with a 20 year maturity at $1.18 million annually. Income taxes would finance these bonds with an increase of 0.65 percent of adjusted gross income.

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Local Scrap Yard Under Fire For Numerous Violations

Posted on Author WKVI

A local scrap yard is under fire for allegedly committing numerous Indiana Department of Environmental Management violations, and a hearing was held yesterday in the Starke Circuit Court regarding the allegations. Attorney Steve Dodge appeared in court with Starke County Zoning Administrator Bruce Williams, who presented evidence of numerous violations committed by C&C Salvage, located near the intersection of U.S. 35 and Toto Road.

According to a summary letter of an inspection conducted at the site by IDEM on May 21, there are locations where it is evident that fluids such as oil had been released onto the ground, and at least one location has several vehicle motors sitting on the ground with evidence of standing around them. Further, there are burned trees at the back of the property from a fire, and C&C Salvage Manager Jose Delgado reportedly said a pile of scrap had caught fire. There is also a small pond on the property that is full of debris including railroad ties, tires, trash, and scrap materials.

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Public Hearings Held By Knox City Council

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

Several public hearings were held during yesterday’s meeting of the Knox City Council for a number of proposed ordinances.

The first public hearing held was in regards to the reestablishment of the cumulative capital fund, something Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston says they tried several years ago but it was never passed. No public comment was heard, and a motion was made to approve the ordinance on the first reading. This motion was passed, and another motion was made and approved to suspend the rules. Finally, a motion was made to approve the ordinance on its second and third readings, which was passed.

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Five Horses Seized In Starke County After Numerous Complaints

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Sheriff's Department

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department this weekend responded to a complaint about neglected horses in the roadway.

On Sunday, officers received a call from a resident informing them that horses were in the roadway on Range Road south of Toto Road, and police noted that this was approximately the 10th call they had received in the last month concerning these horses in the roadway. The complainant told police that the horses appeared emaciated and unkempt, and said they were obviously not being fed and taken care of properly.

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Shop With A Cop Event To Be Held In August

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Conservation Officer Keith Wildeman, Jeremiah Patrick, Harold Smith, James Upsall, Rob Olejniczack, Rich Gast, Caitlyn Hinshaw, Melissa Osburn, Sandy Binkley, Hugo Reese, Chris Kisela, and Bob Leffert participated in last year's Shop with a Cop event.

The Kankakee Valley Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #129 will be holding the second annual Shop with a Cop event on Sunday, August 5 at the ALCO store in Knox.

F.O.P. President Chris Kisela talks about the event.

“We get names of children that might need assistance and we take them shopping,” said Kisela. “We spend an average of $100 to $150 per child. This year, we’re hoping to help 40 children.”

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Last Day For Art Exhibit At Henry F. Schricker Public Library

Posted on Author WKVI
Dolinski and Mirza stand near what Dolinski described as one of his most important pieces.

Today is the last day to check out the art exhibit being held at the Henry F. Schricker Public Library in Knox. The exhibit has been on display since July 9, and was collected and put up by artists Wesley Dolinski and Darius Mirza.

Sculptures, photographs, and paintings are on display at the library. Dolinski explained that most of the work was done by he and Mirza, but three or four pieces on display were purchased from art teachers of his past. More than 40 pieces are being displayed.

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Harvest Fest to Be Moved From Devastated Wythogan Park

Posted on Author WKVI
Wythogan Park suffered a lot of damage from the storms.

Park crews continue to clean up after last week’s storms that caused damage to Wythogan Park as well as the Starke County Airport, the Starke County Courthouse, and the Starke County Sheriff’s Department dispatch tower.

There is such destruction at the park that Knox Park Board President Kurt Snearly says the Harvest Fest will need to be moved elsewhere.

“We met with the Harvest Festival Committee Chairman, Michelle Bechtel, and she had as much concern about holding it in the park as we did,” explained Snearly. “Due to safety concerns, we’re just not so sure we can even have it at the park.”

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Knox City Council To Hold Two Public Hearings Tonight

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council

The destructive storm on July 24 caused massive amounts of damage throughout Starke County, especially Knox. More than 80,000 people were without power at one time, including most of the city of Knox. As a result, a number of events were canceled and rescheduled, and the Knox City Council meeting was one such event.

As a result, the meeting has been rescheduled for tonight at 7 p.m., and two public hearings will be heard. One hearing is in regard to reestablishing the cumulative capital fund, and the other concerns changes to the city’s water and storm water rates. The council will also hold the second readings of the water rate ordinance and the sewer and storm water rate ordinance.

Discussion of three salary ordinances for appointed employees, the clerk-treasurer’s office, and elected officials is also on the agenda, and they will discuss their appointment to the planning commission.

Starke County Jail Committee Answers Questions From the Community

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Jail

Thursday’s public information meeting regarding the progress of the Starke County Jail Committee answered a number of questions from the community.

One question asked was whether or not prisoners could be used to clean up roads and do other work for the county, and committee member Dave Pearman said that is one possibility that is being considered. However, Pearman pointed out that prisoners need to be supervised at all times, and they also have to factor in the cost of transportation and the chance of escape.

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Community Services of Starke County Will Not Replace Program Coordinator

Posted on Author WKVI
Community Services of Starke County
Community Services of Starke County

With the retirement of former Community Services of Starke County Program Coordinator Cecilia Torres-Bowman, the organization has been getting by but Executive Director Joan Haugh says it hasn’t been easy.

She says Torres-Bowman will not be replaced, and instead, her responsibilities have been divided up amongst other employees. Coordination of the resource manual, health equipment loan program, quality program, medicaid billing and prior authorization, and many duties of the food pantry have been pushed onto other employees. Haugh says they are fortunate to have an intern from Ivy Tech who has been putting forth a lot of effort with the organization.

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Washington Township Delays Destruction of Elementary School

Posted on Author WKVI

The Washington Township Board members recently conducted a meeting to open bids for the demolition of the Washington Township Elementary School, but it was decided to hold off on accepting bids.

Washington Township Trustee Shelly Kemble said the board wants to make sure all of the paperwork is in compliance with the Department of Natural Resources requirements concerning debris removal. An attorney will be hired to make sure that paperwork is in place.

The board voted to demolish the old Washington Township Elementary School due to safety reasons. When the project is complete, there are plans to create a use for the space but no specific plans have been approved.

Bass Lake Summer Splash Continues With Volleyball Tournament

Posted on Author WKVI

The Bass Lake Summer Splash continues today with their 40th anniversary celebration, featuring a water volleyball tournament at 10 a.m. at The Shore Club. Six-person co-ed teams will compete in the tournament.

The 5K run and walk will take place at 7:30 a.m. after the 6:15 a.m. registration at the Lion’s Club Building on the east side of the lake, and arts and crafts will be available near the Bass Lake Marina at the south end of the lake from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Wythogan Park Suffers Extreme Damage From Storms

Posted on Author WKVI
The 70 mph winds bent this tree in half and uprooted others.

Wythogan Park sustained an extreme amount of damage during Tuesday morning’s storms. Park Board President Kurt Snearly talks about the destruction.

“We had six utility poles that had to be replaced and NIPSCO did a fantastic job,” explained Snearly. “They worked extremely hard for four straight days to get that cleaned up. There was fencing damage to the tennis court and our brand new $12,000 slide was damaged. The playground equipment like the spring toys, the curly slide, the climbing equipment and swings were all damaged. The shelters and fields did make it…somehow. The amount of trees that are down in the park right now is staggering.”

The three-man park crew have been cleaning up the smaller debris, but it’s going to take much more to clean-up the park.

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Public Meeting Brings Community Up to Date On Starke County Jail Project

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Jail

The first of three public information meetings regarding the construction of a new Starke County jail facility was held yesterday at the Knox Middle School, presenting those present with an idea of the progress of the committee and the findings of the DLZ Corporation and Umbaugh and Associates.

According to the information presented, the previously-mentioned option of doing nothing and maintaining the current facility as-is was found to be insufficient, as the current facility cannot maintain its current population and, with an increasing population trend, the overcrowding situation would only get worse. Additionally, remodeling an existing building to suit the needs of a modern jail is also not cost-sufficient, and would prove financially difficult for the county. Further, state statute prohibits the county from leasing a facility from a private organization, so that option is out as well.

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San Pierre Home Destroyed From Fire Shortly After Storms

Posted on Author WKVI

The San Pierre Fire Department responded to a house fire Tuesday morning, just two hours after the storms rolled through the area. The home was on State Road 10 west of the town of San Pierre.

San Pierre Fire Department Investigator Andy Tilleraas said that a large tree fell on electric wires by the residence and pulled the wires from the meter box, causing the fire. When firefighters arrived on scene, the house was fully engulfed and it was a total loss.

The fire does remain under investigation.

Starke County Public Library Expansion Project Suffers Delay

Posted on Author WKVI
Sheila Urwiler

The Starke County Public Library expansion project is at a bit of a standstill, but Library Director Sheila Urwiler says they should be requesting bids come September. She says there was a bit of a mix-up last spring when they requested bids which put a bit of a delay on their plans, but she’s confident they’ll soon be back on track.

Urwiler says the library has been keeping busy, particularly with the Summer Reading Program which will come to a close on Saturday. She says they’re still looking for people to participate in the literacy program that they’ve been running, and she encourages anyone interested in participating in the program to call (574) 772-7323 or stop by any Starke County Library branch.

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