Jacob Hanselman

Two plea agreements were rejected in the Starke Circuit Court on Thursday.

A plea agreement was rejected for Jacob Hanselman, who would have pleaded guilty to Trafficking with an Inmate as a Class C felony and two counts of Theft as Class D felonies. The court would have sentenced Hanselman to two years in the Department of Corrections, and he would have been required to pay restitution for damages and items that were stolen and not returned.

Judge Kim Hall rejected the agreement and a jury trial will take place on August 1 at 9 a.m. A pretrial motions and instructions hearing is set for July 31 at 1 p.m., with a jury status hearing on July 20 at 9 a.m. Hanselman has until July 19 to file an acceptable plea agreement.

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The Lowell District of the Indiana State Police has announced plans to conduct a sobriety checkpoint during the late evening hours in Jasper County on Wednesday, May 23. Drivers who encounter the checkpoint will be required to produce a valid license and registration, and if all information is correct and officers find no reason for detainment, they will be released. Motorists that are not impaired can expect short delays of two to three minutes while passing through the checkpoint.

Troopers encourage all motorists to call 911 or the closest Indiana State Police Post when they observe a driver that they feel maybe be impaired. Be prepared to give a description of the vehicle, location, and direction of travel.

The Indiana State Police is committed to traffic safety and they have announced they will continue saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints in an effort to apprehend impaired drivers and deter others from drinking and driving.

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West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon

The West Central School Board looked to the future at their meeting this week as they approved the student insurance renewal for the next school year. Superintendent Charles Mellon explained that the cost did increase, but the price is still worth it.

“That has gone up fifteen percent, but I think that’s probably the trend for insurance,” said Mellon. “The good thing is that parents can still have their child covered while at school for $16.00 which is still very worthwhile.”

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Thousands of Indiana University Health employees helped build the framing for more than 20 homes yesterday. IU Health Starke County employees were building framing for Henryville while IU Health La Porte built framing for a home in Kingsford Heights.

The employees were assisted by volunteers and local Habitat for Humanity members. The work was done during the hospital’s Day of Service commitment.

Habitat for Humanity officials say this one day of work goes a long way toward improving the lives of more than two dozen Hoosier families in need of their own space.

IU Health was named among the “Best Hospitals in America” by U.S. News and World Report. The hospital system has received the award for 14 straight years.

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NIPSCO has announced plans to release new technologies in preparation for storm season. Nationwide, weather-related problems are the top cause of power outages, and the company plans to improve customer communication and field crew response time in hopes in increasing their response time to outages.

NIPSCO will utilize two new channels to enhance existing communications activities around power outages: mobile web and social media. Electric customers can quickly inform the company of outages and view the latest restoration updates with the added power outage tracking and reporting feature, and the company has also added a Twitter page which will be used to communicate major electric outage information.

They have also announced that NIPSCO crews will be put on alert when a major storm is in the forecast, and their new automated callout and scheduling tool will allow them to get Operations Teams working as quickly as possible to mobilize crews and equipment to restore power.

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Max Frain

A former President of the Indiana Funeral Director’s Association has passed away at the Pulaski Health Care Center in Winamac. Max Frain, 84, was the president of the association in 1978. His sons, Dan and Sam Frain, followed their dad as president, making them the first family to produce three presidents of the association.

Frain and his wife Jean purchased the Fry and Lange Funeral Home in 1969 and, in 1976, changed the name to Frain Mortuary.

During his lifetime, he was also a 12-year member of the Winamac Schools and Eastern Pulaski School Corporations. He was Pulaski County Coroner for several years and a proud member of the Republican political party.

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A new Mint Festival Queen will be crowned Sunday evening at 6 p.m. at the North Judson-San Pierre Cafetorium.

Kersting’s Cycle Center Train Adventure Ride will take place at noon today, with the group ride leaving the center followed by a one-hour scenic country motorcycle ride, followed by lunch and a 45-minute train ride. The cost is $15 per rider, and that includes the motorcycle ride, lunch, and the train ride.

There will also be a Relay for Life of Starke County Fishing Tournament from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. CT at Bass Lake. There is an entry fee and prizes will be awarded. All proceeds will go to the Starke County Relay for Life on June 8 and 9.

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Here is a look at some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week:

Members of the Starke County Council and Commissioners met in a public hearing to discuss authorizing the use of up to $50,000 in Save the hospital funds to be used to hire a consultant to evaluate IU Health Starke Hospital’s real and personal property in a possible hospital sale. A motion was made to allow that money to be spent on a consultant to evaluate the property, building and equipment as well as offer various options for the sale, but the motion died. The Council members will discuss the issue again during their regular meeting on May 21st at 5:00 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »

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A lack of recycling could force the city of Knox to increase garbage fees. According to Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, the recycling rate was down five percent last year.

This decrease in recycling efforts could impact garbage fees because the less that residents recycle, more garbage is collected. The garbage pick-up days are Monday and Thursday, and Houston said there is usually a full truck on both days. If it gets to the point that a second truck has to be sent out to finish a route, that would lead to increased fees.

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The Hamlet Police Department has received a unique addition to its fleet of police vehicles.

A Humvee from the U.S. Government was recently acquired, free of charge, by the department and Hamlet Town Marshall, Frank Lonigro III, says the vehicle will be used for community events and to better serve the community in the winter months when regular police vehicles can not maneuver as well in the snow. Labor, paint and decals for this vehicle were donated by the generosity of the Hamlet police officers.

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It’s the big cleanup weekend in the City of Knox.

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers announced this week that two dumpsters will be in the parking lot at Knox City Hall and you may dispose of large, bulky items in these dumpsters and Waste Management will have a truck to collect electronics at no charge. Shred documents for free tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. To Noon.

Two yard sale events are scheduled for this weekend in the Starke County area. The Hamlet town-wide yard sale is today and tomorrow. Sales begin at 8:00 a.m. both days.

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Selected areas of Bass Lake will be treated with an EPA-registered aquatic herbicide on or after May 21. The herbicide is being applied for the control of Invasive Eurasian Water Milfoil.

The treatment is being funded by the Bass Lake Conservancy District under an IDNR permit, and according to a news release, there are no restrictions on fish consumption or body contact.

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A stone mason adds Tauteris' name to the War Memorial

The first Starke County casualty of the war in Afghanistan will have his name enshrined on the courthouse war monument. A stone mason was working on the Afghanistan portion of the granite monument yesterday.

Specialist Robert Tauteris, Jr., 44, of Hamlet died in Afghanistan on January 5 after his truck was struck by a roadside bomb.

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Rosie Heise

“If it wasn’t that I had strep throat, I never would have gotten the job,” said Rosie Heise, who was recently promoted to the position of Vice President of Business Improvements for both IU Health La Porte and Starke hospitals.

In an interview with WKVI News, Heise said that while visiting her local physician, Dr. Walter Fritz, for strep throat four years ago, she learned that Starke Memorial Hospital was looking for a controller. She applied, was hired, and the rest is history.

Since being employed, Starke Memorial has become IU Health Starke Hospital, and Heise has been an integral part of the operation.

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