Knox City Police Continue to Investigate Five Star Burglary

The Knox City Police Department continues to investigate the burglary at Five Star.

Police say they are looking for two male suspects who are approximately six feet tall. The vehicle used by the suspects is said to be a gold, late 1990s model Chevy Caprice with dark tinted windows. Detectives say that they have been receiving tips from the security footage that was posted on this website and are following up on the information given to them. Evidence was collected at the scene and is being analyzed by the Indiana State Police Crime Lab.

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Local Principal Named District 2 Principal of the Year

Greg Briles

Greg Briles, Principal at Oregon-Davis High School, has been named the District 2 Principal of the Year. Briles said representing Oregon-Davis High School every day is an even greater honor than the award.

“It doesn’t come without hard work from the students, the parents, the community, the teachers that are around me and it takes those people to make this honor possible,” commented Briles.

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Local Marching Bands to Perform in Semi-State Competition

The Knox Redskin Brigade performs during Regional compeition at Chesterton

The Knox Redskin Brigade and the John Glenn Marching Band will be performing in the Semi-State Marching Band competition in Class C tomorrow at Decatur High School in Indianapolis.

John Glenn will perform at 5:20 p.m. ET and the Knox Redskin Brigade will perform at 5:46 p.m. ET. Awards for all of Class C, which contains 20 bands, will be at approximately 6:12 p.m. ET. 10 bands will advance to the State Finals which will be on Saturday, October 29th, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Starke County Treasurer’s Books almost Balanced

Linda Belork

The discrepancies in the Treasurer’s office have almost been solved. It was reported at this week’s Starke County Commissioners meeting that the Treasurer’s balance, and bank balance were in sync within pennies. The figures came from the monthly 47TR report given to the commissioners.

“The 47TR form is basically the form that compares our Treasurer’s balance to the bank balance to the Auditor’s balance,” explained Commission President, Dan Bridegroom. “The Auditor’s balance will be somewhat different than the Treasurer’s because of how the funds are received. In the bottom line, that form out of the Treasurer’s Office should balance with our bank. That is where we had the huge discrepancy of almost $900,000 and that’s what led us to where we are today. As of Tuesday of last week, the Auditor, Kay Chaffins, and Casey in the Treasurer’s Office have got that down to somewhere around $.33 and they will find that portion of that also.”

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North Judson Town Board Discusses Safety

North Judson Town Board: Dan Anderson, Wendy Hoppe, Jane Ellen Felchuk, Attorney Cassie Hine and Clerk-Treasurer Connie Miller

The North Judson Town Board members held a lengthy discussion about safety at their meeting this week.

A picture of a utility employee hanging by his feet off a backhoe sparked the discussion as some thought a safety violation had occurred. WKVI learned that the owner of American Oak had requested the assistance of the North Judson Utility Department to help unclog a sewer line that his contractor could not successfully complete. It was found that a root ball was clogging the line. Due to the compact sewer area and the success of a previous similar issue, an employee of the department volunteered to be strapped to a strap by his feet suspended by a backhoe and he was lowered approximately 16″ into the four-and-a-half foot manhole to retrieve the root ball. There was no sewage in that area at the time and it had been vacuumed and cleared at the time. The employee successfully retrieved the obstruction within a matter of seconds and no injuries were reported.

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Pulaski County Commissioners Sign Grant Application for Narrow-Band EMA Radios

Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

Pulaski County EMA Director Larry Hoover was given confirmation by the county commissioners to go ahead with the application process for their narrow-band radio grant.

According to Hoover, the EMA has been on this grant for over a month and they’re still in the application stage. Signatures are required by the commissioners in order to ensure the grant, which involves a 50/50 match by the county, will be paid for.

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Free Seminar for Women this Saturday

Danny Russo

A free seminar for women will be presented on Saturday at the New Millennium in downtown Knox at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday’s instructor, Danny Russo, a certified master trainer, will be giving women advice on how to naturally become stronger, firmer, healthier, happier and look great. You will learn how to flatten lower abs and how to firm thighs and to answer the question of whether or not your medications and foods you eat are helping or hurting you.

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Donations Needed for Pulaski County Shop with a Cop Program

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department will be hosting a “Shop with a Cop” program this year during the holiday season.

An account has been established for families needing assistance at the Alliance Bank branches in Winamac and Francesville. Donations to the “Shop with a Cop” fund will be used by officers to help others less fortunate with clothing and toys for children this Christmas. Individuals, businesses and clubs are encouraged to donate.

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Economic Summit to be Held in Winamac Today

The second in a series of economic summits for Pulaski County is scheduled for today. With a focus on “Branding Your Business,” the economic summit will be held today at 11:30 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Winamac.

Marketing Consultant Jim Walton of Brand Acceleration from Indianapolis will be present to make a presentation and explain how businesses can improve their image, and keep their current clientele while expanding to new clients as well.

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Starke County Council Approves IU Health Starke Hospital’s Capital Spending Request

IU Health Starke Hospital

A capital spending request presented by officials from IU Health Starke Hospital to the Starke County Council was approved Monday night, but it didn’t exactly turn out the way the hospital administrators present wanted it to. The administrators wanted a straight approval on the $2,001,776 request, but the council put a restriction on the $250,000 contingency part of the petition.

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Francesville Woman Injured after being Hit by Car

A Francesville resident was injured last week after she was accidentally hit by a car.

Francesville Town Marshal, Jose Miramontes, told WKVI that Sandra Waibel was walking on James Street last Wednesday morning with her mother, sister and two children between Brown and State Street when Ronald Hooker, 80, hit her with his pick-up. Hooker said he did not see them. Waibel told emergency responders that she had a head injury and was pregnant. After examining the situation, she was airlifted from the scene to South Bend Memorial Hospital.

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Starke County EMA Recognized for Improvement

Ted Bombagetti

Starke County has been recognized as showing the greatest improvement in the EMA Office in the state. EMA Director, Ted Bombagetti, received the award in Indianapolis recently.

“All of the Directors of the EMAs throughout the state work off the state’s rating system where we do specific projects for our county, classroom participation and a host of other items,” said Bombagetti. “We get a report card on it at the end of the year and fortunately, my department was able to score enough points and we received an award from the state for the most improved county.”

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North Judson Sports Official Passes Away

Starke County has lost a sports icon. Gene Marks, of North Judson, passed away Monday at the age of 80. Marks was an official of several sports but the one he is most famous for is basketball.

WKVI’s Harold Welter was an admirer of Gene Marks. He was asked yesterday what he remembered most about the famous official.

“Gene Marks was one of the greatest promoters of high school sports, ever,” said Welter. “He loved to work with kids and he loved to support kids. It was just a big part of his life.”

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Washington Township Community Center Open House this Sunday

An Open House is scheduled for Sunday, October 23rd from 2:00-5:00 p.m. CT at the Washington Township Community Building. Township Trustee, Shelly Kemble said the Open House is an opportunity for you to see all of the improvements.

“We want to show the public what’s been going on,” said Kemble. “If anyone has any old pictures of the Washington Township building when it was being built, the firehouse, or the old Washington Township Elementary School, we would like to make copies of those, enlarge those, and put those as a permanent fixture in the building. We would like to have a new area in ‘new’ building and a new atmosphere.”

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SCILL Center to Hold Coat Drive

SCILL Center

The SCILL Center is hosting a coat drive. Director Jerry Gurrado, said drop off sites are at the Oregon-Davis High School, Ray’s Super Foods in North Judson, Pioneer Florist in North Judson, Five Star in Knox, Key Bank in Knox, and Baileys.

“We’re still in the process of organizing the event, but people from Love, INC and a couple of other organizations are helping to work with us on maybe getting some church organizations, or volunteers from the community, to wash the coats and then we’ll have distribution sites. There will be no questions asked, whether it be children’s coats or adult coats. Come pick them up and take them. We’re happy to be able to help in any way we can,” said Gurrado.

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Starke County Prosecutor Given Permission to Hire Intern

The Starke County Council has given permission to Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff to hire a part-time intern.  Autumn Ferch is being considered for the position.  She is currently a law school graduate waiting to pass the bar exam.

When hired, Autumn Ferch will be assigned to meet with defendants, prepare files, do preliminary case work, and work closely with the child support office.

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Four Arrested after Fight in Downtown Knox

Paul Bottomley
Christopher Bradley
Natasha Piper
Brian Greene

Four people were arrested in downtown Knox on Saturday after an alleged fight in front of O’s Tap.

Police were called to a fight where guns were reportedly involved. When officers from the Knox City Police Department arrived on scene, Christopher Bradley was ordered to the ground and he presented a full magazine clip for a semi automatic weapon and handed it over to police. The rest of the gun was removed from his waistband. Bradley told police he took the gun from Paul Bottomley who allegedly hit his sister, Natasha Piper, in the head with the gun. Piper was bleeding from wounds received in the incident. She was transported to IU Health Starke Hospital.

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