The SCILL Center Director Jerry Gurrado announced this week that a literacy program is coming to Starke County. Gurrado talked about the program’s focus.
“We had a training session at the library in Knox, and we had four volunteers that were trained,” explained Gurrado. “If anyone is in need of getting training in basic reading or math skills, the courses are taught in a one-on-one situation instead of in a big classroom.”
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall set a $15,000 bond for Knox Community School swim coach Robert R. Corbin, who is charged with two counts of Attempted Child Seduction as Class D felonies. Corbin, 27, is also prohibited from making any contact with the victim.
In the affidavit in support of probable cause filed today in circuit court by Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff and prepared by Knox City Police Department Detective David Combs, it is alleged that on Wednesday, March 28, Knox Police Department Officer Chad Keen responded to a call and went to a residence in Knox. He was informed by the victim’s father that his sixteen-year-old daughter had been receiving inappropriate messages from a Knox teacher, and Officer Keen took printed pages of Facebook messages between his daughter and Corbin.
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EMS Director Paul Mathewson appeared before the Starke County Commissioners yesterday and shared a story that points out the advantages of moving to Advanced Life Service here. On March 23rd, the ambulance crew was called out to a case where a television fell on a five year old girl from a dresser. Mathewson was on the run and reported that the likelihood of recovery initially looked gloomy, but because of the advanced training, the crew was able to begin treatment and take her into IU Health Starke Hospital. Once there, the girl was stabilized and a Med Flight helicopter was called in to get her to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis as quickly as possible.
The Starke County Commissioners yesterday tabled a request by the County Auditor, Kay Chaffins, and Interim Treasurer, Kasey Clark, for new financial software. George Zeltner, of Low Associates of South Bend, answered questions about how the system could streamline both offices, including the providing of information between the two governmental entities.
The DNR Division of Forestry is asking for your help in identifying suspicious-looking trees.
Information about these trees is wanted in connection with the 2012 “Invasion of the Weird Trees” – an online publication that identifies the weirdest trees for each county based on your submissions. The publication is updated every four years.
The trees can be any species and size. The only requirement is that they be weird and be a living tree.
Past entries in “Invasion of the Weird Trees” have included trees that swallowed signs, trees grown together like conjoined twins and trees with trunks twisted like a snail shell.
The Knox City Police Department continues to investigate an alleged improper internet contact incident between a Knox High School gym teacher and a student.
Police investigated a complaint last week where a parent reported the act. Robert “Ryan” Corbin, 27, of Knox, was arrested Sunday as a result of the preliminary investigation. He faces preliminary charges of Child Seduction and Attempted Child Seduction, both Class D Felonies. He is being held in the Starke County Jail under no bond.
John Goble, Sr., former Street Superintendent for the Town of Hamlet, was recently arrested on a warrant for theft.
Police say that in January, Goble and his son, John Goble, Jr., resigned their positions with the street department after a disagreement with the Hamlet Town Board and the Board appointed Town Marshal Frank Lonigro III as the temporary Street Superintendent until a full-time replacement was found.
Lonigro was told by the Town Board members to conduct an inventory of all town equipment with the Street Department. Lonigro could not find a current equipment inventory list so he contacted Smith Farm Store, where most of the town’s equipment is purchased, to get a list of receipts for 2011. Lonigro reportedly found that equipment purchased and was signed for by John Goble, Sr. was unaccounted for in an inventory check. Alleged items that have not been accounted for totals $1,358.65.
The back and forth argument over the placement of a structure in rural Grovertown might come before the Starke County Board of Commissioners today. Betty and George Dotlich have fought the issuance of a permit to Julia Ford since it was reissued in January. At the last Commissioners meeting, the pair asked the Board of Review to examine the BZA ruling that would allow the unit to stay on it’s location.
Frustrated with gasoline prices? Don Good, a gasoline distributor in Winamac Indiana talks about where gas prices are going.
“The general wisdom is that we are going to see it up for a little while longer,” Good replied. “We are, though, approaching the top. There is not only a demand degradation here, but China is starting to slow down also. So it kind of appears that we are approaching the top.”
Anger, suspicion and frustration are only three of the words used to describe the public’s reaction to the gasoline prices.
“Everybody is frustrated with it. An up market just absolutely kills everyone. You just can’t move it to the street fast enough when it moves like this. We’re seeing 10-15 cent jumps a night with no reason,” Good said.
He’s said it before, and he’ll say it again, if we could only get the speculators out of the market we could stabilize these prices.
“Here’s the thing. We’ve been pushing the oversight on the commodities market for several years. We’re trying to get the speculation slowed down. Here’s something to consider: there is at least 56 cents a gallon minimum in speculation.”
Good said don’t be surprised that when the market breaks, prices will go down rapidly.
Today is National Autism Awareness Day.
Autism rates have skyrocketed with one in 88 children falling on the autism spectrum. This study comes as a professional group is considering changing the diagnosis criteria, which could bring another overhaul of the statistics related to autism.
A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal, found that one in 88 eight-year-olds in 2008 were diagnosed with autism, a 23 percent increase from 2006.
Experts remain divided on the cause of the increase. Some say it stems from better surveillance and diagnosis. Others point to environmental factors.
Autism Speaks, a national advocacy and research funding agency, said the figures mean the U.S. needs to take immediate action to help families and children on the spectrum and invest in research to help explain why the numbers are rising so rapidly.
To be diagnosed with autism, a child must have deficits in three areas: communication, social skills and the ability to shift focus.
The state’s top climate expert says warm weather should continue for the next three months. However, with the warm weather comes a risk of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
Dev Niyogi says we can expect cold weather to pop up every now and then and that could threaten flowers and trees that are in bloom.
A full four-year Starke County Lily Endowment scholarship winner has been announced.
Katelyn Schwenk, an Oregon-Davis Senior, will receive full tuition to the Indiana college of her choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.
Katelyn is the daughter of David and Bonnie Schwenk and she plans to pursue a degree as an Addictions Counselor. She is President of her class and the National Honor Society and she was also the captain of the Lady Bobcats Varsity Girls Basketball team, plus many other activities.
A Knox man was arrested on Wednesday after Knox City Police and a Starke County Sheriff’s Department officer found drug-related items in his possession.
Police were called to the Super Value Inn in reference to a wanted person. Police saw the suspect, Matthew Hamilton, peeking out of a window at them from a room at the motel and asked him to open the door. He did and police ordered him to the ground. Police swept the room and found a bag of pills, a burnt spoon and hypodermic needles. Officers also found items reportedly used in the use of methamphetamine.
Hamilton, 22, was arrested on four active arrest warrants through Marshalll County and additional preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a Family Housing Complex and Reckless Possession of Paraphernalia.
A Knox man was arrested after allegedly stealing sandals from Dollar General in Knox.
A Knox City Police officer was dispatched to Dollar General where an employee reported that a man, later identified as Lolus Johnson, had stolen a pair of shoes. He had left his old shoes in the store.
When police were enroute to the store, Johnson was spotted in the alley between Heaton Street and Pearl Street. The officer approached Johnson and Johnson reportedly stepped out of his sandals he was wearing and started walking barefoot. The officer asked about the shoes and Johnson allegedly admitted to police that he did take the shoes because he didn’t have any money.
Lolus Johnson, 51, was detained and while police conducted a routine pat-down they allegedly found a marijuana cigarette and controlled substances. He was arrested on preliminary charges of Theft, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Yesterday was Doctor’s Day throughout the country, and Dr. Almuhammad Alfran, a Hospitalist at IU Health Starke Hospital, explained a bit about the gratification he gets from being a physician.
“I appreciate Doctor’s Day because I get the impression that people really appreciate what we do. I tell you the biggest reward for a doctor though is when they see the patient improve, or you see a look of satisfaction in the eyes of a patient. I think this is the greatest reward we can get as physicians,” Alfran said.
Alfran explained what the duties of a hospitalist are.
“A hospitalist is a specialist of hospital medicine. A physician who specializes in treating patients in the hospital, as compared to an outpatient physician who spends most of the time in the clinic. When they have free time they can stop by the hospital and check on their patients. For the hospitalist this is a physician who dedicates the entire day to working in the hospital. So when the patient is in the hospital the hospitalist is there, and the primary care physician is there when the patient needs him or her,” Alfran said.
Jennie Carter appeared for her initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court this morning. Charged with a felony count of theft, Carter pleaded not guilty to Judge Kim Hall. She is currently out on $5,000 cash bond.
Carter requested a court appointed lawyer, but under questioning by the judge, she said that she was gainfully employed, and paid $2,600 a month. When asked if she had anything of value that could be sold to pay a lawyer, she said she had a four-year-old television and a 2007 Ford Taurus that she was making payments on. Her on-hand cash was listed as $200.00, and she said her $5,000 bond money was borrowed.
Clayton Reiss was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court this week.
Reiss pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to charges of Dealing in Schedule I, II, or III Controlled Substance as a Class B Felony and Dealing in Schedule IV Controlled Substance as a Class C Felony in one cause heard before Judge Kim Hall. He pleaded guilty in a plea agreement in a separate cause to Theft as a Class D Felony.
Judge Hall sentenced Reiss to six years each on both Dealing in Controlled Substance charges. Those sentences will run concurrently and shall run consecutively to a sentence of 12 months on the Theft charge. No part of the sentences were suspended. Reiss will serve those sentences in the Indiana Department of Corrections.
E-Books and E-Audio Books have come to the Starke County Library system. Library Director, Sheila Urwiler, talks about the service.
“You get to check them out for one to two weeks, and at the end of the period the title just expires. So there are no late fees, you can’t be charged for anything. It’s a free service. We think people will really enjoy it.” Urwiler said.
We asked Sheila how many books are available.
“Oh, several thousand, and its growing rapidly. We’re part of a consortium, with other Northern Indiana libraries. Because of that, we are able to offer a lot more titles than we could if we just had to build the collection on our own. It’s both E-Books and E-Audio Books where you can download a book and listen to it.”
Governor Mitch Daniels recently signed into law Senate Enrolled Act 1 which specifies that a person may use reasonable force against any other person in certain circumstances, including police officers.
You may prevent or terminate an officer’s unlawful entry into your home or the officer’s criminal interference with property lawfully in the person’s possession. Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer says there are a few instances were police entry is justified.
Traci Jacobs received her sentence in the Starke Circuit Court yesterday. Jacobs pleaded guilty to Operating an Illegal Drug Lab as a Class D felony, and was sentenced to 12 months in the Department of Corrections with none of that sentence suspended. In a separate case, Jacobs pleaded guilty to Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B felony and received a ten-year sentence in the Department of Corrections, with two of those years suspended. Two years of her executed sentence will be allowed to be served on home detention.
Those sentences will run consecutively. Upon her sentencing, one cause was dismissed in which she was charged with Theft as a Class D felony, and Trespassing as a Class A misdemeanor, and another case in Knox City Court was dismissed as well.
Jacobs was arrested on active arrest warrants and on preliminary charges of Manufacturing Methamphetamine with Intent to Deal, Possession of Precursors, Illegal Drug Lab, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Paraphernalia on Thursday, November 17th.
