The Bass Lake Summer Splash begins Friday, July 27 for a three-day run.
The Miss Teen Bass Lake and the Little Miss and Mr. Bass Lake contests are tomorrow, July 21, at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association Building.
The Little Miss and Mr. Bass Lake contest begins at 4 p.m., followed by the Miss Teen Bass Lake at 6 p.m. There is a $2 admission charge.
Knox High School Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff was recently named to the Indiana State School Music Association Board.
“This group does support marching band competitions, solo and ensemble, jazz band, orchestra – all of those different competitive events that our kids in Knox flourish at,” said Ratliff. “This is the board that helps to organize those events and manage them.”
Ratliff explains how she was chosen for the position on the board.
Preparations are being done for the start of the school year at the Knox Community School Corporation. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the school year begins Aug. 14.
“Schools are getting in condition,” said Gappa. “The maintenance people are refinishing floors and we have a couple of parking lots that are going to be resealed before school starts and then lines lines repainted on those.”
He says that while the maintenance crew is hard at work, the administration is looking into filling all available staff positions.
“All of the staffing positions have not been filled so the administrators in each of the buildings are working on that and planning to have staff members in place by the time school starts,” said Gappa.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers is asking residents to take measures to conserve water in light of worsening drought conditions that have placed the entire state under a water shortage warning.
Chambers said the average daily water use for the city is about 350,000 gallons, but for the past several weeks, over 550,000 gallons of water per day have been used. The aquifer from which three deep pumps draw water is about two feet lower than average. Chambers urges citizens to do what they can to conserve water. Residents are encouraged to restrain from watering lawns or flowers as often, and to change shower or bath habits to reduce water usage.
If adequate rainfall does not occur within the next couple of weeks, the mayor may need to restrict water usage.
The Starke County Commissioners this week accepted a bid from LaPorte Construction to perform the replacement of Bridge 51.
The highest bid received was from Yates Construction, Inc., for $325,445.33, while the lowest bid presented was from LaPorte Construction Company, Inc. for $224,328.25.
Five other bids were presented from companies throughout Indiana and Michigan, which the commissioners took under advisement to give Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall time to review the bids and decide which bid he would recommend.
The Pulaski County Commissioners approved a number of departmental expenses this week.
Ed Fleury of the Veteran Service Office requested the commissioners sign a lease for a Xerox ColorQube 8700 – a multifunction printer that he says his office requires. On average, Fleury says his office needs to make at least 500 copies per month, and because they currently have no copier, he has been going to the Health Department to use their equipment. However, Fleury says sometimes the office is closed and he is out of luck.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Board discussed the budget outlook for the next two years and Superintendent Lynn Johnson said the school will take a major budget hit in 2012 and 2013.
“Close to one million dollars,” said Johnson. “One of the things we lost was the restoration grant and the small schools grant. Those two losses did come up to about a million dollars. Of course, it depends on enrollment. If we have an increase in enrollment, of course that will help us. There’s a lot of variables we have to look at, but right now we are looking at decreased revenue and I’m sure we’re not the only school corporation.”
On top of the budget cut, Johnson says they are also suffering from a decrease in enrollment.
A Winamac man was arrested early Wednesday after a brief police pursuit.
Pulaski County officers were following a vehicle on County Road 175 North near 1100 West and when they ran vehicle’s information through the system, they found that the owner, 22-year-old Kit Matthes, is a Habitual Traffic Violator. Police attempted to pull over the vehicle, but Matthes did not stop.
Four people were arrested Tuesday after a traffic stop in Starke County.
A deputy from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop on State Road 23 near 950 East and the officer was granted permission to search the vehicle. Several items used to manufacture and package methamphetamine as well as the finished product were found in the vehicle.
The 35th annual Northern Indiana Power From the Past kicks off today! Their preview night, featuring HAP’s Chicken Bash, took place yesterday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. ET, sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 229.
Headlining this year’s show is Nashville Country Recording Artist Levi Riggs, and the event features Ford and Fordson tractors and will also exhibit motorcycles from the World of Motorcycles Museum, Inc., in North Judson.
The Knox Community School Board discussed ISTEP results Monday night. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said the scores have declined.
“Our administrators are looking into possible reasons why they think they might have declined,” said Gappa. “We have given other tests in both buildings, like the NWEA test, that does show growth in some areas, but the administrators are looking into that and plan to come back with an action plan for the upcoming school year.”
Two Rensselaer residents have been indicted on drug charges in Hammond Federal Court.
31-year-old Amin Guillermo Velazquez and 28-year-old Johana Jatzhiry Velazquez were charged with conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute four kilos or more of cocaine and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Illinois State Police.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that the pair are innocent until proven guilty.
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With record-breaking highs yesterday, many communities in the area established cooling centers to provide citizens with a place to cool off. Visitors to the Starke County 4-H Fair had to tolerate high 90-degree temperatures that felt hotter than 101 degrees with the humidity.
Fortunately, IU Health Starke Hospital put its Health Mobile to good use providing visitors with a place to go to get out of the sweltering heat and take a break. Hospital Interim President David Hyatt said the Health Mobile will help stave off heat exhaustion for fair-goers.
A LaPorte County woman was injured and her ex-husband was later found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department officers were called to a residence in Coolspring Township on Monday on a call that shots were fired. A 41-year-old female was found at the scene with a soft tissue injury to her back and side. The victim had been shot at while inside the home. The suspect reportedly fired at her and barely missed her. Police believe that the victim was injured by glass fragments and window fragments caused by the bullet that went through the window.
No action was taken by the Marshall County Commissioners concerning the proposed golf cart ordinance.
The commissioners held a public hearing during their regular meeting Monday morning and several residents were in attendance, some of which were for and others against golf carts on all county roads.
The Winamac Town Board is in the discussion stages of enacting a golf cart ordinance.
The golf cart ordinance would need to have safety issues spelled out – specifically lighting requirements and the necessity of a licensed driver. Insurance must also be taken out on the cart and the operator is to obey all traffic laws. There is a state law concerning golf carts and the police department indicated that the town law will be upheld along with the state law, and citations will be given if an offense occurs.
The board members would like to include that children under 48 pounds would need to be restrained in a car seat.
The ordinance will be discussed again during the board’s next meeting on Aug. 13.
The entire state of Indiana is under severe drought conditions and the Indiana State Police would like to remind Hoosiers that most of the counties are under burn bans, including Marshall and Starke counties.
The state police warns that if a driver throws a lit cigarette, cigar, match or other burning material from a moving vehicle, they will face a Class A Infraction. Those objects can start a large fire if thrown from a vehicle while traveling, especially in these drought conditions. A littering infraction may also be issued.
Troopers will be looking for this type of activity while out on routine patrol. They ask that drivers take these statutes under consideration while on the highways and county roads.
One North Judson resident had to deal with a smelly situation Sunday night after a lift station pump plugged up, causing sewage to seep up into their home. North Judson Town Council President Wendy Hoppe commended Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann and his three-man crew for their quick response and diligent effort in rectifying the situation, which was reportedly caused by a North Judson resident who had flushed an item down the toilet that had clogged up the sewer system.
The lift station pump was permanently damaged from the clog, and Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry emphasized the fact that nothing should be flushed down the toilet except for human waste and toilet paper. She says that while an item may be labeled as “flushable,” that’s not always the case. The item may flush down the toilet, but it’s not unlikely that it will get stuck in the sewer system and cause further problems down the line.
The steps around the Pulaski County Courthouse will soon be a bit safer, thanks to a motion by the Pulaski County Commissioners to replace 420 square feet of sidewalk at a cost of $3345.
County Maintenance Director Morry Demarco presented the commissioners this week with three bids to replace the approaches around the courthouse. He had contacted five contractors requesting bids for the work, but only three returned bids. He says the work is necessary because the sidewalk and steps are not level, creating a tripping hazard for visitors. In fact, the steps are so hazardous in the winter, that Demarco says he had to block some entrances last winter to prevent people from tripping.
