Yesterday was a special day for Paul Gougeon, who found himself in the North Judson Mint Festival Parade as the 2012 Grandfather of the Year.
Gougeon says he felt honored when he was nominated by his granddaughter, Kaeleigh Higgins.
“I’m not only honored to have been selected, but honored that my granddaughter wrote the winning entry,” Gougeon said.
Tom Berg, Jerry Curtis, Lenny Dessauer and Anita Goodan from WKVI were at the Melody Drive-In at Bass Lake last night to help promote the premiere of the movie Rock of Ages.
Music from the 1980s “hair band” era was featured live on K99.3 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and the crew gave away movie posters, Indiana Beach tickets and more. Fans from the rock era also came by the WKVI broadcast area and talked about their rock band experiences. Some visitors saw Rock of Ages, the Broadway musical, and were excited to compare the stage production to the screen production.
The movie, which starred Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough and Catherine Zeta-Jones, had some great highlights, including great music from the hair band era. The movie will be shown at the Melody Drive-In all weekend into next week.
Thank you to the Heise family for being such great hosts and for letting us put on such a great event. We hope to do another event in the future.
With the new statewide smoking ban taking effect July 1, many people are confused about what the law covers and where smoking is prohibited or allowed. To alleviate this confusion, a countywide town hall meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, June 21 at 6 p.m. at the Bass Lake Community Center.
The meeting will provide important information concerning the new law and how it affects businesses and organizations, as well as information on what the law covers, who to contact with questions and complaints, and who enforces the law.
One of the most frequently asked questions is where smoking is prohibited under the new law. According to a release from the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, smoking is prohibited in and within eight feet of most public places and places of employment. Smoking is also prohibited in state-owned vehicles and school buses under certain circumstances.
Today is the last day for the Starke County Environmental District’s 2012 Environmental Collection Event, and it’s also the day they will be accepting household hazardous waste such as chemicals, batteries, flammable liquids, acids, aerosol cans, motor oil, and other items; as well as batteries, fluorescent lamps, PCB ballasts, and medications.
The district will also accept up to five tires for free, appliances, and computers. Of the five free tires to be accepted, only one may be a farm tractor tire. Televisions will be accepted for $10 per TV.
A leadership class has been announced for Starke County, giving residents the opportunity to learn about the county and what “out of the box” thinking has done for the community. The program is designed to provide trained, committed, and confident leaders for the county, and Joan Haugh of Community Services of Starke County says the program will help identify new, emerging leaders and help individuals get involved in their community and its future.
Fifteen to 20 local citizens will be able to participate in a nine-month training program, with each session focusing on topics relevant to Starke County. The sessions will take place on the first Friday of each month from September through May, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sessions will take place at various locations throughout the county, and are taught by local leaders.
The Starke County Youth Club has announced the appointment of Melissa Smith to the position of program director for the organization. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi said that the combination of SCYC’s growth and Smith’s skills make this the perfect time for such a change at the club.
“Over the past five years, SCYC has increased our scope of service nearly twofold,” said Szakonyi. “We have increased the amount of time we are available, the types of programming have been expanded, and our staff and number of students served have grown. These fantastic changes have been wonderful for our organization and families, but have tested the limits of our human resources. Fortunately, we have an exception asset in Melissa, who brings over 20 years of experience with children and educators to her work with the club. I’m delighted for this change in our organization and look forward to continuing our work together.”
For the second time, the Knox City Council tabled a request to approve tax abatement forms for Hoosier Custom Plastics. The council again noted that the company is in compliance to the terms of the abatement, but Council Attorney David Matsey questioned some of the dates and other pertinent information on the forms.
A Starke County man was arrested Monday on an active arrest warrant for Auto Theft.
The charge stems from an incident on May 3, when Phillip Frazier reported to Starke County police that a black pickup truck parked in front of his residence was stolen. The vehicle had a flat rear tire and the motor was blown. Frazier said that he had not been at the residence and didn’t witness who might have taken the vehicle.
The suspect, David Whitfield, and his brother, Joshua Whitfield, had reportedly gone to the property on 300 East in Knox and hooked the black pickup truck to the back of the red pickup they were driving and drove away with it. Since the rear tire was flat, a rut was created in the asphalt so the responding officer followed the rut to trace the location of the truck.
The North Judson Mint Festival begins today!
The carnival opens at 5 p.m. and fair-goers can enjoy music from the band 30 South from 5 to 7 p.m. at Norwayne Field. The winner of the Father and Grandfather of the Year awards will be announced at 7 p.m. at Norwayne Field, and music from Half Track will follow that ceremony.
The Mint Idol Contest and the Guitar Hero contest have been canceled this year. Look for those features in next year’s festival.
Plenty of other activities are scheduled during the three-day festival. We’ll highlight more events in tomorrow’s news.
The Knox City Council responded to a request from Community Services of Starke County for $500. The organization told the council that the money would be used to provide services for senior and low income families within the city.
Although it’s been dry in the Knox area, Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost says his department hasn’t been called out to too many brush fires.
“We’ve been fortunate,” commented Pfost. “We’ve only had a couple of brush fires, but there have been several more throughout the county. It hasn’t been too much of a problem yet and hopefully the residents of Starke County can help keep it under control.”
Pfost urges you to not burn anything during this drought, but if you have to, he offers these suggestions.
“The biggest thing is to use common sense,” said Pfost. “I prefer that you don’t burn at all. If it is necessary, keep it attended. If you can, have water present, like a garden hose. If nothing else, keep the grass wet around the fire. It seems like a lot of people wait until the windiest day of the year to burn. Burn on a calm day if you have to burn. Try to do it during the daylight hours and don’t burn anything you can’t manage.”
Be careful about that friendly puppy you pet, the purring cat you stroke, or anyone who wants to shake your hand after coming inside from a walk in the woods. You could be in for a case of poison ivy if you come in contact with pets, people, or your own touching of the plant.
Dr. Almuhannad Alfrhan at I.U. Health-Starke Hospital explained that there are some creams that can prevent getting poison ivy rash.
“There are some topical creams that help in prevention. They are only partially effective though, and they need to be applied every three hours to have a reasonable response,” Alfrhan said.
Poison ivy afflicts 55 million Americans each year. For severe cases, a trip to the doctor is necessary for a cortisone shot. Smoke from burning poison ivy can affect your lungs and cover your face and lungs. Fortunately, itching skin can be soothed with calamine lotion.
Alfrhan explained what to do if you realize you have been in contact with poison ivy.
“Take your clothes off that were in direct contact, and wash the skin. You will need to do this within ten minutes to give yourself a chance of not being affected,” he said.
When you rinse an exposed area, use cold water as hot water can open your pores and let the bad oil in. Finally, remember to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while in the woods or gardening.
Alfran said some people don’t develop the rash right away.
“That’s the tricky part,” Alfran noted. “Most people don’t develop the reaction immediately afterwords. Some people will take a few days to three weeks before it develops. It’s really hard to connect the dots to know where you got the exposure from.”
The Board of Directors of the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation has welcomed Charles W. Weaver, executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, as a member of the board. Weaver will also serve as Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the Foundation.
Weaver has served as executive director of the SCEDF since August 2005, after he spent several years serving on the board not only as its president, but also as an unpaid attorney for the organization as far back as its founding in 1985. In addition, he serves on the Managing Board and Executive Committee of the Northwest Indiana Forum, and as Chair of the Forum’s Economic Development Committee. Twice he has been honored by the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana for various projects involving the SCEDF.
The Board of Directors for the Foundation is made up of active members from various industry and economic development organizations, and supports educational opportunities for economic developers to attend training and develop professionally.
The Knox City Police Department and the Knox-Center Township Fire Department were called to a vehicle fire at Carl Manns’ residence at 503 S. Heaton Street late Tuesday night.
When officials arrived on scene, they found two vehicles on fire. After the fires were extinguished, the State Fire Marshal’s Office was notified and an investigator helped process the evidence. The evidence led the investigator and Knox police officers to the conclusion that the fires were acts of arson.
Last week, Knox City Police officers and members of the fire department were called to a suspicious fire outside of a vacant home next to the residence of Carl Manns. A small amount of siding and a shutter were damaged in that incident, but luckily, the neighbors who called in the incident had the fire out before officials arrived on scene.
Detectives are asking that if you have any information about either incident, call the Knox City Police Department at 772-4122.
Joshua Hunnicutt appeared in the Starke Circuit Court for his initial hearing yesterday, where he charges of Escape as a Class C felony and Conspiracy to Commit Escape as a Class C felony. Hunnicutt was appointed attorney Richard Ballard as pauper council.
Hunnicutt had been on the run since climbing a razor-wire wall in the recreation area of the Starke County Jail on May 23 and fleeing from police for five days. He said he turned himself back in because he realized he had made a poor decision in escaping, and said he doesn’t have any recollection of what took place prior to his escape.
May the Force be with you during the North Judson Mint Festival!
This Saturday and Sunday, Star Wars characters from the the Dark Side and the Rebel Alliance will be at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, signing autographs and taking photos with fans.
Six trains will be operating this weekend with round-trip train rides available to English Lake and LaCrosse. These trains take you through the scenic countryside and allow you to relax on a short trip. Several pieces of equipment will also be on display, including the massive C&O No. 2789 locomotive, plus other pieces under restoration.
The Museum will also be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is free admission to the museum, but there is a fee for train rides. For more information, visit www.hoosiervalley.org.
The Knox City Council faced a roomful of concerned women this week at its regular meeting. The women were part of an exercise group that had used the Knox Community Center since 1998 twice a week at no charge, but recently, they were asked to move to the Girl Scout Cabin in order to keep their “no charge” status.
The sessions were conducted by Virginia Wireman-Duncan who read a prepared statement.
“We would like to know who decided to evict us from the community center and why. The exercise
class has met at the community center since Sept. 30, 1998. There has never been a charge for those
attending the classes,” said Wireman-Duncan. “During the 14 years we met we were not charged because we were recognized as a community service for the city of Knox. There are now 55 members; thirty or more attend each class. So they wanted to know, first of all, why we were evicted from it, and second who initiated that we be removed from the community center.”
The Starke County PETA BOA Board has scheduled an organizational meeting on June 25, and they expect to hear a number of appeals regarding assessments that the board has set on real estate. The meeting will start at 9 a.m., and each appeal will be given roughly an hour to be discussed.
While the board expects to hear anywhere from five to eight appeals at the meeting, Starke County Assessor Rhonda Milner says they don’t necessarily make a decision immediately. She says that in some instances, the board may need to review documents and send the taxpayer paperwork afterward with their decision on the appeal.
In some cases, an inspection must be completed before the board can make their decision, but Milner says that the decision is usually made within a month.
The Starke County Environmental Management District is sponsoring the Environmental Collection Event tomorrow and Saturday, June 15 and 16, at the Starke County Highway Garage. Tomorrow’s event will be from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday’s event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT. You must have an environmental coupon which was included in your 2012 Environmental Assessment Invoice. This is open to Starke County residents only.
A limit of five tires will be accepted, of which one may be a tractor tire. If you have more than five tires, there will be a charge of $2 for car tires, $4 for semi tires and $20 for farm tractor tires.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day.
Unfortunately for one Bass Lake resident, Flag Day is going to be a bit dismal this year. Since Memorial Day, Ken Myers’ flag pole at Bass Lake has been bare – that was the day someone stole not only his American flag on a 30-foot pole, but his Vietnam POW flag and his Marine flag.
“On Memorial Day, I was flying my American flag at half-staff. My wife was out watering her flowers and some people stopped by and asked why we weren’t flying my flag – it’s like a monument out here – and she looked up and all three flags were gone,” Myers said.
