Watch for Rising Water Levels

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Rapid melting of snow could lead to minor flooding issues as temperatures warm up this week.

Snow melt and frozen ground will prevent the water from being absorbed. The National Weather Service says this combination will result in flooding of low lying areas, ponding on roads, and a rise in water levels in ditches, creeks and retention ponds.

Weather officials believe that river flooding will not be a concern at this time.

Marshall County EMA Director Clyde Avery said that no flood watches or warnings have been issued. He does encourage those who live in flood-prone areas to take precautions to prevent flooding. Never allow children to play near flooded areas. Do not drive around barricades that are blocking roads that are flooded. Road beds may be washed out by flood waters.

 

Starke County Commissioners Maintain Annual Golf Cart Inspections

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Owners of golf carts who want to operate them on Starke County roads will still need to have them inspected annually. The county commissioners last week briefly discussed changing the inspection requirement to every two or even three years. A golf cart owner raised the issue, noting the carts have to be loaded onto a trailer and taken to the sheriff’s department. Continue reading →

Sunday Time Change Brings Recommendation To Change Batteries

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Daylight savings time will begin Sunday, and area emergency management agencies are asking residents to make changes to more than just their household clocks.

The time change officially occurs at 2:00 a.m. when clocks will move ahead by one hour. Emergency Managers from Indiana’s various counties are also advising that residents use the occasion to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors.
Continue reading →

Starke County EMS Car to Be Repainted

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The county-owned Dodge Charger used by Starke County EMS Director Keith Emigh will soon be repainted. The former sheriff’s department patrol vehicle is currently a two-tone tan with a light bar on the top. Commissioner Don Binkley has asked repeatedly if it can be returned to a solid color so it is not as easily mistaken for a law enforcement car. Continue reading →

SCILL Center Instructors Honor Students of the Month

Posted on Author WKVI

SCILLSeveral Knox Community High School students were honored recently by their SCILL Center welding program instructors. They pick students of the month based on test scores, class participation, attitude, attendance and initiative in the shop. Recent honorees include Brock Majchrzak in January; Jonathan Rowe and Logan Schwenk in February; and Aidan Hollingshead and Nick Runkle in March. Continue reading →

Starke County Highway Superintendent Makes Case for Additional Mechanic

Posted on Author WKVI

starke-county-courthouseStarke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler has the blessing of the county commissioners to seek funds for a third mechanic. Right now the two mechanics maintain 106 county-owned vehicles and pieces of equipment, with top priority given to those used by EMS and the sheriff’s department. Highway vehicles are third on the list, and those used by other departments are fourth. All of the money for repairs comes from the highway department’s budget. The mechanics are also responsible for completing all of the necessary paperwork. Continue reading →

Starke County EMS Anticipates Significant Savings With New Oxygen Vendor

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A change of oxygen vendors is expected to save Starke County EMS a significant amount of money. Director Keith Emigh told the county commissioners Monday he’s been comparison shopping from several suppliers. The county presently uses Praxair from South Bend for tank rentals and refills. However, Emigh says Plymouth-based American Welding charges quite a bit less for the same supplies. The county will save $225 per month on portable oxygen tank rentals and will also realize a savings on M and K tanks. Over the course of a year the savings will total nearly $3,000. Continue reading →

Local Student to Compete in National Geographic State Bee

Posted on Author WKVI

National Geographic BeeA North Judson-San Pierre Middle School student is a semifinalist in the 2015 Indiana National Geographic State Bee. Eighth-grader Cameron Kolasa finished first in the school level competition. School bees took place at schools with 4th through 8th grade students. Winners at the school level took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. Up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories were invited to compete in the state bees. Indiana’s will take place Friday, March 27 in Indianapolis. Continue reading →

Home Detention Ordered in Custody Interference Case

Posted on Author WKVI

A woman accused of interfering with a custody exchange will spend the next 12 months on home detention through Starke County Community Corrections. Amy Lowe pleaded guilty to the felony offense this week in Starke Circuit Court. Judge Kim Hall sentenced her to 12 months in the Department of Correction with none of the time suspended. However, she will be allowed to serve it on home detention with electronic monitoring.

Starke County Highway Department Adds Four-Way Stop

Posted on Author WKVI

4-way_stop_signStarke County has a new four-way stop. County highway crews added stop signs at all four corners of the intersection of 350 South and 200 East this week. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says they’ve also installed “new traffic pattern ahead” signs about 200 feet before the four approaches as well. The additional stop signs were added after a Purdue University engineering study found a need for a four-way stop due to safety concerns and traffic counts.