Here is just some of the news that made the news in the Kankakee Valley this week.

Eric Corey

Funeral services for the creator of the popular Turkey Tracks hunt for disabled hunters, Eric Corey, were held Sunday at the Knox Community Center. Hundreds attended the service.

Welding classes could be offered soon at the Knox Middle School. Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa is discussing the project with representatives from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, SCILL Center, and the North Central Area Vocational program. Read the rest of this entry »

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Heather VanDusen

Julius Novitzke

Two Grovertown residents were arrested Wednesday after a search warrant was executed at their residence.

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police conducted a drug investigation at 10195 E. Francis Street in Grovertown. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall approved a search warrant for the property and officers from Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police and the Plymouth K9 unit executed the search warrant early Wednesday morning. Officers located several items commonly used the manufacture of methamphetamine, discarded methamphetamine labs, the finished product and other controlled substances.

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Indiana Statehouse

The right to work bill passed the Indiana House Wednesday and the debate on the bill lasted five hours. Democrat State Representative Nancy Dembowski said it was grueling.

“It was one of the worst things I’ve ever been through,” she said. “They’ve got all of the people demonstrating in the hallways and they shut off the speakers so the people out there can’t hear what’s being said. We insisted that they have a right to hear and we demanded they open the doors because the Constitution says that you have to have the doors open unless you want to do something in secrecy. Our people were trying to open the doors and they instructed the police to stop us. People have no idea what it was like. Person after person after person just pleaded with them that it was going to hurt the common working man and stop and they stuck together and they got it accomplished.”

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(Left to right) Robert "Bob" Kolanowski, John Norem, Republican Chairman Brenda Stanojevich, Don White, Dorene Matzat, Don Johnson and Kathy Norem

Several Republican candidates filed for office yesterday in the Starke County Clerk’s Office.

Those candidates include Robert “Bob” Kolanowski, Don White, Don Johnson, Dorene Matzat and John Norem who filed for Precinct Committeeman positions. Don Johnson and Don White also filed for State Convention Delegate.

Kathy Norem filed for County Commissioner in District 1. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cheryl Paschen

Cheryl Paschen was sentenced yesterday in Starke Circuit Court.

She pleaded guilty in plea agreement to two counts filed against her: Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Syringe.

Judge Kim Hall sentenced her to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with 6 months suspended on both charges. Both sentences will run concurrently and on home detention through Starke County Community Corrections. As a term of her probation, she will be entering into a drug rehabilitation program and she will need to complete treatment.

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Waylon Anderson

Waylon Anderson of Knox was sentenced Thursday to a total of ten years to be served in the Department of Corrections for one count of Burglary as a Class B felony. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall accepted the proposed plea agreement after a victim impact statement was read aloud by Prosecutor Nick Bourff from the victim of the burglary, Winston Martin.

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Culver Community School Board Members (from left, clockwise): Jack Jones, Ryan Seiber, Marilyn Swanson, Brad Schuldt, Eugene Baker, Jim Wentzel, Ed Behnke, Ken VanDePutte

Culver Community School Corporation’s One-to-One Technology Initiative is receiving some positive attention, and Principals Albert Hanselman and Julie Berndt informed the board this week of an upcoming presentation hosted by Apple to allow visitors from other school corporations to see the iPad initiative in action. According to Superintendent Brad Schuldt, the event will give visitors a chance to talk to Apple representatives regarding products, services, and their costs, as well as speak to Culver employees regarding the use of the technology and get an idea of the major successes and problems with the program.

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Earl Beem, Jr.

Earl Beem, Jr., of Knox was convicted of Possession of Methamphetamine Under Three Grams as a Class C felony in the Starke Circuit Court Thursday after previously pleading guilty as part of a plea agreement. Beem was sentenced to a total of 62 months in the Department of Corrections, making this his third trip to prison after he was convicted of a Probation Violation and Dealing A Legend Drug in the past.

Beem will serve four years for the felony, but will be serving an additional 14 months for violating his probation. In addition, the court recommended that he complete the CLIFF program.

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Back Row: Greg Matt, Mayor Rick Chambers, Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston, Donald Kring, City Attorney David Matsey. Front Row: Linda Berndt, Jeff Berg and Ron Parker

The Knox City Council approved the purchase of a property in the Parkview Heights area.

The Council purchased property at 404 Giles Court. On the property is a 1950′s-type trailer, and the owner, James Landrum, offered to sell it to the city for $2,000.00. Mayor Rick Chambers said on top of the purchase price the council would need to figure the cost of cleaning up the property.

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Indiana Statehouse

The right to work bill passed the Indiana House yesterday.

The final vote was 54-44. The bill gives workers the freedom to choose whether or not to financially support a union. It states that an employee cannot be forced to join to financially support a union in order to get or keep a job.

House Bill 1001 was heard on third reading yesterday after the majority of the Democrat Caucus boycotted the first few weeks of session by failing to show up to work. Members of the House Republicans attempted to address right to work last session, however the Democrats denied the House a quorum by fleeing to Illinois for five weeks. The issue was tabled and further studied in the Interim Study Committee on Employment this summer.

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