The Knox Planning Commission will conduct a hearing this evening on a zoning request for a parcel of property in the Knox Industrial Park. Traffic Control Specialists wants to build a new facility on 16 acres of land at the corner of 250 East and 50 South/Pacific Avenue. The land is currently zoned residential and must be rezoned to Mechanical/M1 in order to establish an economic revitalization area at the corner. The city council will consider that request next week. Continue reading
Election Board Finalizes Names, Debates Logistics of Voting Day
The Starke County Election Board has finalized the ballots for November’s General Election.
During their Monday morning meeting, the names slated to appear on the ballots were reviewed for Knox, North Judson, and Hamlet. Correct spelling was the primary concern, but the way in which the names appeared was also a concern for the board.
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Walorski Looks at North Judson-San Pierre to Learn How to Help Students Graduate
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski is taking a look at local schools in her district, to see what steps they are taking to increase graduation. One of her stops Monday was at North Judson-San Pierre High School. Continue reading
Moving Starke County Forward Hosts Overdose Awareness Service
Community members paused last night at Wythogan Park to celebrate the 61 Starke County lives lost to drug overdoses over the past seven years as well as those who are in long-term recovery. Aaron Kochar is the director of prevention and education at Porter-Starke Services. He says people are now more likely to die from a fatal overdose than from a car accident.
“Up until last year, if you died in an accident it was some sort of motor vehicle accident. Now it’s overdose. Another statistic that is concerning is the fact that while a number of people will die in overdose from heroin, in fact we’ve got about three times the number who will die from a prescription opioid overdose.” Continue reading
Starke County Prosecutor Warns of Sexting Perils
The photos you post online or the text messages you send can haunt you for years to come. That’s the message prosecuting attorneys across Indiana are sharing with young people. Starke County Prosecutor Nick Bourff says so-called sexting — the sending and posting of inappropriate images — can get you in a lot of trouble. Continue reading
Starke Election Board Reviewing November Ballot Prior to Adoption
Grant Applications Now Being Accepted for Hometown Collaboration Initiative
Applications are now open for grants serving communities with a population under 25-thousand.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, or OCRA, says applications may be submitted online for their Hometown Collaboration Initiative. The grants can be used for the development of local leaders, economic development, or improving quality of place in local communities.
BMV Announces Labor Day Closure
If you have business with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, keep in mind they will be closed for a couple of days in observance of Labor Day. Continue reading
Substance Abuse Counselor Discusses Overdose Epidemic
Advocates and community members will pause tomorrow evening to remember the 61 lives lost to drug overdoses in the past seven years in Starke County. Aaron Kochar is a substance abuse counselor at Porter-Starke Services. He says methamphetamine used to be the biggest drug problem locally, but opioids and heroin have caught up.
Kochar says drug use is a significant problem. Continue reading
Healthy Snacks Featured at WoodStarke
The second annual WoodStarke starts at 10 a.m. today at Wythogan Park in Knox. Continue reading
Pulaski County Farm Recognized for 100 Years in Operation
67 families from around the Hoosier state were presented with awards during the Indiana State Fair this month.
Those families were recognized with the Hoosier Homestead Awards. The awards have been ongoing for the past 40 years in Indiana and are a product of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
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Doctor Starts Knox Practice
A new doctor is opening a practice in Knox. Dr. Sabrina Beecham is a primary care doctor, who will be part of IU Health. Continue reading
Kankakee Valley REMC Equips Students for School
Students in Starke, LaPorte and Porter Counties went back to school with new supplies thanks to Kankakee Valley REMC’s second annual Pack a Backpack program. Members purchased supplies or made monetary donations to help provide for students in need. Continue reading
Knox Street Paving to Start Monday
The City of Knox will start street paving on Monday. The project list includes Lake Street from Prettyman to McGill Streets, East Street from Water Street to the dead end at the railroad tracks, Myrtle Court and Potter Street from U.S. 35 to Main Street. Residents who live in those areas are asked to move all vehicles from those streets until the work is completed.
Chavez Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court
Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall sentenced the Knox man convicted last month of murdering his estranged wife, kidnapping an employee from Mark Bailey’s Discount Center and carjacking an English Lake couple last June to 105 years in prison with no time suspended. Continue reading
Sunday Vigil to Mark International Overdose Awareness Day
Moving Starke County Forward is trying to take the stigma out of drug overdoses with a Sunday evening event at Wythogan Park in Knox. Advocates and community members will remember the 61 lives lost in Starke County with a candlelight vigil and share information about the perils and pitfalls of drug use. Jordan Morris from Starke County Community Corrections says people who use drugs are less likely to be aware of the potential consequences of their actions. She says common rationalizations include “I know my limit” or “I always test what I get first, so I know the strength of it.” She adds mixing different types of drugs can often prove fatal. Continue reading
Surveyor Says Drainage Board Maintains Jurisdiction Over Starke County Forest Issue
The Starke County Surveyor says he will not be responding to a letter asking that a Drainage Board decision be halted for further consideration.
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WoodStarke to Feature Local Artists and Musicians
The second annual WoodStarke will be taking place in Wythogan Park in Knox tomorrow. Continue reading
Moving Starke County Forward Healthy Challenge Series Wraps Up
The checkered flag will drop on the annual Moving Starke County Forward fitness challenge tomorrow. Team and individual awards will be presented at 2 p.m. during the WoodStarke festival at Wythogan Park in Knox. Continue reading
Chavez Sentencing Scheduled Today
The Knox man convicted last month of murdering his estranged wife, kidnapping an employee from Mark Bailey’s Discount Center and carjacking an English Lake couple last June will learn his fate today. Gary Chavez is due in Starke Circuit Court for a sentencing hearing this morning. A jury of eight men and four women returned guilty verdicts after about 90 minutes of deliberations. Defense attorney David Welter argued unsuccessfully for a conviction of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Kimberly Chavez of Portage and of auto theft instead of carjacking. Continue reading
