Pulaski County Auditor’s Office May Switch To New Time-Tracking Software

Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

As part of their ongoing effort to make things a bit less hectic in what they described as the “busiest office in the courthouse,” the Pulaski County Commissioners this week heard a presentation from Bill Ryerson of Harris Bank regarding a new program that could be implemented in the office to track employees’ work hours.

Ryerson explained that a time-in-attendance system would greatly help the office, and he said he had shown it to Auditor Shelia Garling and she said it would work well for the office. Commissioner Ken Boswell said the goal of the commissioners is to make the auditor’s job easier, and as long as she is comfortable using this new program, he’s fine with it.

Continue reading

Community Choir To Present Christmas Cantata Sunday

The Community Choir will present the 15th Annual Christmas Cantata this Sunday, Dec. 9 with two performances at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Knox United Methodist Church.

Choir member Ken Whiles tells us what kind of music we can expect to enjoy.

“Most of them are new songs, but there are two or three of them that do include some familiar songs,” said Ken Whiles. “They’re primarily new songs that fit into the theme of Christmas.”

Continue reading

BMV Launches myBMV App

A new Bureau of Motor Vehicles app is available for Apple and Android users.

The BMV app can be downloaded for free from the app store on those mobile devices using, “myBMV,” as search words.

You will be able to renew registrations and plates with the use of this app. You may also search for branch locations if you need to see a customer representative. The search will give you the nearest branch and hours of operation.

Culver Shooting Remains Under Investigation

Stephen Suthard

The Culver Police Department has not released any more details in the shooting incident in Culver late Wednesday night.

44-year-old Michael Price and 16-year-old Culver High School Sophomore Stephen Suthard were found dead in a home at 419 W. Madison Street with apparent gunshot wounds. Price’s wife found the bodies when she came home late Wednesday night.

The Culver Police Department is working with Indiana State Police Crime Scene Technicians in finding out what led up to the incident. Evidence was collected at the scene and interviews are ongoing.

Continue reading

Fire Destroys Bass Lake Sandbar

The Sandbar at Bass Lake was destroyed by a fire yesterday morning. The Bass Lake Fire Department was called to the scene around 4:26 a.m. when a resident drove by the business and saw smoke and fire.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen said the building is a total loss, and his crew responded within eight minutes of the initial call. It took over three hours to contain the fire. As the firefighters were attempting to put out the blaze, part of the roof fell in. Jensen would not provide a preliminary cause of the fire.

State Fire Marshall Fred Sumpter was on the scene yesterday afternoon conducting an investigation and helping with cleanup efforts.

The Bass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Knox-Center Township, North Judson-Wayne Township, Washington Township and Hamlet Fire Departments.

The fire is still under investigation and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

[showtime width=420]

Town of Winamac Continues ADA Compliance Efforts

The town of Winamac is continuing its efforts to become ADA compliant, and Town Manager Jim Conner said they’ve still got a few steps to go on the long road to compliance. The town held a public meeting earlier this week to get the public informed about the plan and hear any ideas that residents may have.

Conner said they’ve still got inventory work to do for sidewalks and curb ramps to get an idea of which areas need to be reworked to ensure compliance. On top of that, the town will soon be installing truncated domes at the end of crosswalks to ensure the visually-impaired know they are approaching a street crosswalk.

Continue reading

Two Arrested after Pursuit Incident with Hamlet Police

Two people were arrested Saturday night after a pursuit incident with Hamlet police.

A Hamlet police officer was parked at the intersection of Starke and Indiana Streets when a person driving a motorcycle disregarded the stop sign and continued to travel through the intersection at a high rate of speed. The officer pulled into the intersection and a second motorcycle skidded to a stop at the intersection. The officer spoke to the subject and asked him to stay where he was and took off in pursuit of the other motorcycle driver.

Continue reading

Knox School Board To Hold Project Hearing Tonight

Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board will have a project hearing and a preliminary determination hearing regarding the elementary school project tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Administration Office. During this hearing, public comments will be heard.

The board will be discussing a possible referendum for an elementary school building project during that meeting.

Continue reading

Oregon-Davis Student Council Sponsors Food Drive

Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney

The Oregon-Davis Student Council is sponsoring a food drive through December 14. Student Council members Abby Gregory and Alivia Jensen are looking for your help.

“You can help our needy families by bringing in non-perishable food items, toiletries and coats,” said Abby Gregory.

“When you come to a ballgame or student event, bring a can of food,” encouraged Alivia Jensen.

Continue reading

Bass Lake Bar Destroyed after Fire

Firefighters assess the damage at the Sand Bar

The Sand Bar at Bass Lake was destroyed by an early morning fire on Sunday.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen told WKVI that the firefighters were called to the scene at aproximately 4:26 a.m. The structure is a total loss and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office is on the scene investigating what caused the fire.

No one was in the bar at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. Fire crews battled the blaze for three hours.

The Bass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Knox-Center Township, Washington Township, Hamlet, and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments.

Photo by Denice Daggett.

Winter Wonderland in Winamac!

“This weather sure isn’t very festive for a winter wonderland, but the spirit is here!” That was said by a woman attending the Winter Wonderland festivities in downtown Winamac Saturday. The event, sponsored by the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, featured children’s activities, horse and buggy rides, craft and business booths, Christmas displays and the excitement of the season. WKVI’s Anita Goodan had a chance to walk around the area and her heart swelled with the Christmas spirit from seeing the smiles and the fun everyone was having. Enjoy these pictures she took while attending the event! Continue reading

Benefit Being Held Today For A Young Starke County Girl Battling Cancer

Korie Howard

A nine-year-old Starke County girl is staying strong as she battles one of the biggest fights of her life. Korie Howard was diagnosed in October with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer to her right lower femur after her mother, Amber Howard, took her to the emergency room because she was limping and suffering from knee pain.

An x-ray was performed at the hospital which found something that Amber said looked “off”- either a mass or an infection, and they were referred to a specialist at Riley’s Children’s Hospital. There, an MRI was performed, followed immediately by a biopsy. Howard said the specialist knew immediately what her daughter was suffering from, and the long fight she had in her future, but the results didn’t come in for another seven days.

Continue reading

Two Arrested After Search Turns Up Slew Of Precursors, Drugs

Starke County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two county residents on Wednesday after responding to a residence under the suspicion that a person at the residence had a warrant out for his arrest.

Two officers arrived at 11220 E. 875 N. around 9:50 a.m. One officer covered the rear entrance while the other stayed at the front door, but before long, the officer who had traveled to the rear of the home located a zip-lock baggie containing a light blue substance that he suspected to be organic solvent, an ingredient used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Continue reading

Starke County Man Sentenced To 13 Years in DOC

A Starke County man was sentenced to 13 years in the Department of Corrections for manufacturing methamphetamine at the Super Value Inn in Knox. According to the criminal information filed in the court, Lolus Johnson was charged with Theft and Possession of a Controlled Substance as Class D felonies and Possession of Marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor on March 30 after he stole shoes from Dollar General and was arrested. Police then found oxycodone, a controlled substance, on his person along with marijuana.

Continue reading

Officials Awaiting Autopsy Results For Culver Shooting Victims

Stephen Suthard

Police have yet to release any additional information on the shooting deaths of two Culver residents on Wednesday night. Officials are still investigating the incident, conducting interviews, and awaiting the autopsy results for 16-year-old Stephen Suthard and Michael Price, 44.

The two deceased are not related, but sources say the pair are close family friends. While few details have been released about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, officials have stated that a gun was found inside the home with one of the victims. There were no signs of forced entry.

Continue reading

Plymouth Man Arrested On Battery Charges

A Plymouth man was arrested after allegedly battering his girlfriend.

Plymouth police were called to a residence in the 300 block of East Garro Street where the victim told police she had been battered. After an investigation, police found there was enough evidence to arrest the suspect, Kelton Washington.

Washington was arrested at the residence and taken to the Marshall County Jail. He was preliminary charges of Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child and Interference with Reporting a Crime.

This case has been forwarded to the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office for formal charges.

Man Racks Up Collection of Charges After Fleeing Off-Road

A traffic stop early Friday morning came to a close after a driver tried fleeing police by heading off-road through farm fields and yards.

An Indiana State Police trooper was traveling east on State Road 10 near County Road 500 East around 7:30 a.m. this morning when he noticed 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pickup drive off the road. The trooper activated his emergency lights, and rather than stop, the pickup accelerated and cut through a yard onto County Road 600 East before proceeding into a farm field, where he made a U-turn.

Continue reading

Week in Review for Nov. 26-30, 2012

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

Stephen Suthard

No details have been released by police as to what led to the deaths of two Culver residents Wednesday night. 44-year-old Michael Price and 16-year-old Culver High School Sophomore Stephen Suthard were found dead in a home at 419 W. Madison Street by Price’s wife. They died from apparent gunshot wounds. Crime Scene Technicians assisted in the investigation led by the Culver Police Department and Chief Wayne Bean. Autopsies on the pair will be conducted by Forensic Pathologist Dr. Joseph Pralow on Monday. A community gathered together last night at the Wesley United Methodist Church to offer support. Continue reading