SCILL Center Director, Jerry Gurrado, says four computer classes will be offered this month.
“There’s a great need for it and we got the opportunity to put them together and we’re very excited,” said Gurrado. “A lady by the name of Janet Stout is going to be the instructor. She’s instructed for us before and she’s just absolutely fabulous.”
Advanced Life Support service has come to Starke County. EMS Director Paul Mathewson said the service began at 7:00 a.m. Thursday morning and it has already been used to deliver patients.
“For now we have our system that we have set and running,” said Mathewson. “We’ll continue to improve each day and strive to be the best ALS service we can be.”
We asked Mathewson how they know if a call is for basic or advanced support.
Salyersville, Kentucky residents have had a strong relationship with Starke County over the past 70 years with many people from there migrating here to work in the Ordinance Plant at Kingsbury during the Second World War.
Many of the transplants from Salyersville stayed after the war, making Starke County their home.
It was with sorrow that many of those heard of the news Saturday that a tornado ripped through the town Friday night destroying 15 businesses and numerous homes.
A Knox woman was arrested Thursday after she allegedly threatened to kill someone.
Starke County Police were called to a residence in reference to an intimidation incident. Samantha Hansel told police that Shelly Ziemba invited her over to her house where she reportedly proceeded to display unusual behavior and act inappropriately toward her. Hansel told police that Ziemba tried to force her to drink an entire bottle of alcohol and she tried on more than one occasion to leave the residence but was not successful. When she did finally leave the residence, Ziemba allegedly ran after her and threatened to kill her. She ran back to her friend’s home and the police were notified and told of the incident.
Over 400 people turned out Saturday to support the Eric Corey Foundation in its Turkey Tracks fundraiser at the Washington Township Community Center. With many of the physically handicapped turkey hunters in attendance, the event raised money for 35 individuals to go hunting with guides in April.
The event was the brainchild of the late Eric Corey who wanted to “play-forward” the experience of hunting that he had been given before he passed away of the ALS disease at the age of 25.
Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 11th, at 2:00 a.m. prevailing time. You will need to set your clock ahead one hour before you go bed Saturday night or at 2:00 a.m. prevailing time Sunday morning.
Everyone in the Kankakee Valley changes clocks. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 marks the change in the observance of Daylight Saving Time. It officially begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
James Ritenour III is being held in the Starke County Jail under $100,000 bond in a case that involves his mother. Jayne Ritenour told police that her son battered her and threatened her life last Sunday evening. The incident happened, according to the mother, in her home at 5620 S. 700 E. in Knox.
The mother and son were involved in an altercation that stemmed from a malfunctioning microwave oven. Jayne Ritenour said when she returned home from church she noticed the microwave was in her words “messed up”. When she questioned her son he reportedly put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her.
The moving truck was in downtown Knox yesterday removing the furniture from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation office. Director Charles Weaver and his staff will be moving to 1915 Heaton Street in the strip mall by Christos Restaurant. The move is being made to give the Foundation more room, but what will happen to the building on Main Street that is over 100 years old?
The United States Postal System recently announced the consolidation of mail processing centers in several locations in the state, including Northern Indiana.
“These included moving the mail processing operations from South Bend to Fort Wayne, also moving the operations in Gary to the South Suburban facility in Illinois,” said Mary Dando, spokesperson for the United States Postal System in the Greater Indiana District.
Dando was asked when this will take effect.
The most recent session of the Indiana Legislature could be coming to an end sooner than it’s cut-off date, according to Democrat State Senator Jim Arnold, of LaPorte.
“We are required to be out of session by March 14th,” stated Senator Arnold. “The strong rumors and all indications are they are going to shoot to be out of here no later than March 9th which would be a week from Friday. There are still plenty of work to be done and a lot of issues to be discussed and voted on. I think it’s a real probability and most of us are hoping that’s the case.”
Senator Arnold was asked if the right to work measure was too time consuming and pushed back many important pieces of legislation.
The Starke County Community Foundation is announcing three new scholarship opportunities for high school seniors. Added this year are the Altman Family Scholarship for students at North Judson-San Pierre High School, the James and Carris Lucas Scholarship for Knox High School students, and the Physicians Hospital System Visionary Scholarship which will provide one scholarship for a Starke County student and also one for a Marshall County student.
A plea agreement was thrown out of court yesterday for Jenny Keeton, charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor as a Class C Felony and Dealing in a Scheduled II Controlled Substance as a Class A felony.
The agreement requested Keeton serve four years in the Department of Corrections with two of those years suspended, to be served on home detention followed by probation. The Class A Felony, which carries a minimum sentence of 20 years, would be dismissed. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall rejected the agreement, saying he has no reason to accept an agreement with probation because he believes her extensive past, including 16 prior charges with several violations of probation, disqualifies her for the privilege.
A status hearing was set for March 9 to allow Keeton’s attorney, Richard Ballard, to form a new plea agreement with Prosecutor Nick Bourff that would appease Judge Hall.
Keeton admitted in court to encouraging her niece to take methadone, a controlled substance, while she stayed at her home. Keeton said she told the girl to take the medication because she was suffering of pain—but Judge Hall said he didn’t buy her version of the story.
Don Good from the Good Oil Company in Winamac has said this week that you can forget what you may have read about the laws of supply and demand when it comes to gasoline prices. The supply of oil and gasoline is higher today than it was three years ago when a gallon of gasoline sold for $1.90.
There is a culprit – Wall Street speculators. A decade ago they controlled 30% of the oil futures market. Today they control 80%.
Troopers from the Indiana State Police, Lowell District will be participating in a drunk driving blitz beginning tomorrow.
Through Sunday, March 18th, officers will work overtime to conduct high-visibility enforcement activities designed specifically to identify impaired drivers. You will see an increased number of officers patrolling for aggressive drivers and unrestrained motorists during the 17-day mobilization.
Eric Corey’s spirit will be alive Saturday night at the Washington Township Building in Starke County.
Eric was the inspiration for the Turkey Tracks annual hunt in Starke County in which physically challenged youngsters go into the woods to try to bag a turkey. 22 guides and volunteers met this week to map out the April event and prepare for the Saturday night fish fry and stage show.
How many remember the fire in June of 1998 at the Starke County Annex?
It was on this date in 1999 that the Starke County Government Building was formally opened for business. The re-dedication services gave government officials a chance to thank those who helped contain the fire and those who helped restore it to its present condition.
Also in 1999, Dan Frain and Bob Curtis asked the Winamac Town Board’s approval to seek Lilly Endowment grant money to build a “Y” in Winamac next to the town swimming pool.
It was on this date in 1995 that Red Carpet and Furniture in Winamac burned to the ground.
In 1999, long-time Winamac resident Bill Russell, passed away. Russell, along with brothers Joe and Fred, plus brother-in-law Don Bome, ran Russell’s Trading Post in Winamac.
A suspect who had remained at-large since December 20th in the Knox CVS armed robbery incident, is now in the Starke County Jail. Jonathan Hummel is facing charges of Dealing a Narcotic Drug, two counts of Armed Robbery, Resisting Law Enforcement, Criminal Mischief, Forgery, Attempted Forgery, and Theft. He is being held under a $500,000 surety bond. The other suspect, Nathan Hummel, was arrested at the Raymond Hummel residence on Union Road in Marshall County after the incident occurred.
It is alleged that on Tuesday, December 20th, Jonathan Hummel, along with Nathan Hummel, entered the CVS store wearing disguises and held one store employee at knife-point and the other demanded prescriptions from the pharmacist at knife-point. The pharmacist ran to the back of the store and the suspect reportedly jumped over the counter and removed several thousand dollars worth of prescription drugs from the pharmacy. The suspects then left the store and the employees called 911.
Starke County emergency personnel were called to an accident yesterday afternoon where two vehicles burst into flames.
When officers arrived at the scene at U.S. 421 in San Pierre, they found a semi and a car fully engulfed in flames. Both drivers had been pulled from the wreckage. Officers determined that the driver of the passenger vehicle crossed the center line causing the accident. The semi was hauling mattresses which took firefighters nearly three hours to extinguish.
The Indiana State Police have informed Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff that claims of impropriety have been brought against Sheriff Oscar Cowen by former deputy, Don Ferguson.
Because he works closely with the Starke County Police, Prosecutor Bourff petitioned for a special prosecutor to handle the claims. Also issuing an Order of Recusal and Assignment of Special Judge was Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall. The Special Judge assigned to the case is the Honorable Jeffrey Thode of Porter Superior Court #6 located in Portage, Indiana. This Judge will conduct all future proceedings including a ruling on the pending Petition for a Special Prosecutor.
The Starke County Environmental Management District recently filed actions in Small Claims Court for collection of about 150 past-due solid water assessments. If you are among those who receive notice of one of these small claims, you may receive correspondence from an attorney or law office suggesting that bankruptcy is an option.
