Week in Review for March 19th-23rd, 2012

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

Monterey Elementary School

Monterey Town Board President, Jim Fleury, asked the Culver Community School Board about what to do about the items on display at the Monterey Elementary School. A committee will tour the school and bring a list of items to be removed to the School Board for approval.

The Knox City Council is considering a request by Knox Mayor Rick Chambers to install security cameras at City Hall.

Oregon-Davis Jr./Sr. High School

A public informational meeting was held at the Oregon-Davis High School on Tuesday to discuss the proposed tax levy question on the May Primary Ballot.

Ron Patrick and Sheri Gaillard of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department and Sherry Fagner, Pulaski County Preparedness Coordinator and Environmental Health Specialist, returned from a nine-day deployment to the tornado ravaged area of Clark County last week. They are part of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security District 2 All Hazards Incident Management Team.

Reduction in Force notices may soon be sent out to staff members at the West Central School Corporation. The Corporation has experienced a sharp decline in revenue and enrollment which has left the Board with the decision of whether or not to cut staff.

The disagreement between Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen and Merit Board President Ken Arnett was resolved in a special mediation session held on Friday, March 16th. Former Starke Circuit Court Judge Marvin McLaughlin conducted the session where staggered terms were decided and all of the actions taken by the board since 1971 were legitimized.

A young child was flown to Memorial Hospital in South Bend yesterday after he was found unresponsive in a small pond in the North 600 block of State Road 23 in Starke County.

The Starke County Council and the Commissioners were approached by Starke County Tourism President Julie Dessauer asking that the funds for the tourism board be released so normal operations can resume.

Starke County Jail

A needs assessment of the Starke County Jail will be completed by DLZ Corporation and most of the work will be done by Paul Downing, Criminal Justice Planning Specialist and Criminal Justice Systems Analyst. If a new jail is built, Downing said the current jail facility could be used for a community corrections work release program. He would not recommend that it be used as a juvenile detention center.

Pending County Attorney Kevin Tankerslee’s approval, Cathy Fritz will conduct drug testing for the employees of Pulaski County.

The Winamac Town Board agreed to purchase an additional insurance for Arens Field. A $5 million Public Officials Liability Insurance policy will be purchased at a cost of $450 now and a renewal in September at a cost of $1,344.

An investigation into the September death of Marshall County inmate Georgia Onofre has found that she died of an enlarged heart.

The Starke County Council may need to have a Super Majority Vote with the County Commissioners if the entities need to use money from the Save the Hospital Fund to hire a consultant to determine the worth of IU Health Starke Hospital. The sale of the hospital to IU Health LaPorte Hospital is still on the table and an overall assessment of the property in Starke County needs to be done.

When questioned, Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall explained to the Commissioners and to Auditor Kay Chaffins that he is using a revenue form submitted by the State Board of Accounts to use rather than the county’s form for cash and all money. He was asked to submit that form to the Auditor.

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