A new Veterans Therapeutic Center will be opening in Plymouth this summer.
The center will be housed in a 10,000 square foot facility at 2112 Jim Neu Drive and it will be available as a therapeutic outlet for area veterans. Active military guard and reserve members and their immediate families in Starke, Marshall and surrounding areas will be able to utilize the services.
A Plymouth man who lead police on a pursuit in Mishawaka and South Bend Tuesday will be in court today to face several charges.
Duane Longacre, 27, has been charged with two counts of Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of Precursors, Possession of Two or More Precursors, Motor Vehicle Theft and Carrying a Handgun without a Permit. He has two $5,000 bonds and he is in the St. Joseph County Jail.
He will appear in court this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET in South Bend to enter a plea on those charges.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed the right to work bill into law yesterday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. ET.
The bill was passed after 40 hours of testimony, debate and discussion over House Bill 1001. The law prohibits a business and a union from agreeing to charge fees to nonunion employees for union-provided representation and grievance services. Governor Daniels said the bill will bring jobs and opportunity for the young citizens of the state and for all of those looking for a better life.
A tax levy referendum will appear on the May Primary ballot for voters in the Oregon and Davis Townships in Starke County.
The referendum is asking voters to approve a property tax rate increase to help create more funds to keep the school corporation operating the way it is now. The increase will not exceed $.19 on each $100 of assessed valuation and it will be in addition to all other property tax levies imposed by the School Corporation.
Changes in state funded vaccines has changed operations at the Starke County Health Department.
Health Nurse Frank Lynch says that as of February 1st, the Health Department will no longer be able to provide vaccinations for those who have private insurance that covers vaccines.
Golf Carts Midwest, formerly Windy City Golf Carts, is moving out of Knox after being a viable business for over 30 years. Owner, Ed Arnold, talks about the departure of the business.
You have until Tuesday, February 14th to register your landline or cell phone numbers on Indiana’s Do Not Call list.
If you sign up before the deadline, you should see a reduction in calls or texts on April 1.
If you have already registered, you do not need to re-register. To sign up or to confirm a number is already on the list, visit this website or call (888) 834-9969.
The North Judson-San Pierre High School Drama Department is looking for you to participate in this month’s production of Les Miserables.
Choir Director, Donna Ness, is looking for singers of all ages to participate in the Les Miserable chorus. Sign-up will be on Thursday, February 16th at 5:00 p.m. You will be required to give information about yourself and pay $10 for a cast t-shirt. Rehearsal that night will be from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. You will need to attend additional rehearsals February 21st-23rd from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
A Plymouth man is in jail after he led police on a wild chase in South Bend and Mishawaka yesterday.
South Bend police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 27-year-old Duane Longacre at 25th Street and Mishawaka Avenue in South Bend.
South Bend Police said they recognized the car as a stolen vehicle out of Marshall County. Police also found that he was wanted in Marshall County for two stolen cars and a handgun. Longacre didn’t stop and led police on a short police chase.
The Right to Work Bill has come down to one last vote to take place today, and the outcome is all but certain. If the bill is passed, Indiana will be the only state in the industrial Midwest with this kind of law.
The bill, House Bill 1001, is almost guaranteed to pass on Wednesday, since an identical bill was approved by the Senate earlier this year, 28-22, and Senate President Pro Tem David Long is confident he has the votes necessary for the bill to pass.
A Knox man was arrested after a search warrant was conducted at his home Monday.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a call Sunday about a burglary incident in the east 100 block of 400 South. The victim told police that a gun, a television and prescription medication were stolen.
After an investigation, detectives from the Sheriff’s Department applied for a search warrant for Jacob Hanselman’s residence at 309 Ruthie Dr. Apt. A-1 in Knox. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall approved the search warrant. On Monday, officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Knox City Police Department executed the search warrant where they reportedly found items that had been reported stolen.
Facing eleven charges, four of which are Class A felonies, Shelby Thomas appeared in the Starke Circuit Court for a plea hearing. Defense Attorney Richard Ballard and Prosecutor Nick Bourff previously told the court that they plan to resolve the matter without the need of a jury trial, which was set for February 8th.
The deadline to file for the May Spring Primary Election is February 10th. A few races have already developed in Starke and Pulaski Counties.
Democrats Linda Belork and Kasey Clark have filed for Starke County Treasurer. For Starke County Commissioner District 3, a race has developed between Democrats Dan Bridegroom and Joseph Woods.
The days of students lugging backpacks stuffed full of books and folders may soon be at an end, thanks to the recent movement from traditional hardback textbooks to electronic books. Culver Community Schools Superintendent Brad Schuldt recently told WKVI that Apple has recently begun providing textbooks for the iPad, and as of last week, two textbooks that the high school currently uses have been ported to the iPad.
Schuldt said that they are very interested in gradually moving into the digital age with most, if not all, of their textbooks on the iPad, but it remains to be seen how fast book providers will release their books digitally.
Democrat State Senator Jim Arnold, of LaPorte, authored three bills that have been approved by the full Senate.
Senate Bill 193 improves local government transparency through public financial disclosures. This will requires any candidate running for a local or school board office to file a statement of economic interest. This will disclose personal or professional ties to businesses.
Senate Bill 11 curtails animal fighting contests by imposing greater penalties on spectators. The bill would raise the penalty for attending an animal fighting contest from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony.
Starke County Prosecuting Attorney Nick Bourff has moved to dismiss the charges against John Clemons due to a lack of evidence. Clemons was previously charged with Theft as a Class D felony after he was arrested on Sept. 10 for attempting to steal various scrap metal items from a residence in Knox.
The Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry considers itself blessed by all the generous donations from the community, but Director Joan Haugh says keeping the pantry stocked with food is an ongoing struggle and, as always, they need donations of paper products, dish soap, laundry detergent, and shampoo– things that cannot be purchased with food stamps.
