Pulaski County Fair Still Set For Fairgrounds in Spite of Rain

 
 

The Pulaski County Fair is set to go on as scheduled at the fairgrounds at the back of the Winamac Town Park. Natalie Federer with Purdue Extension Pulaski County says they’re keeping an eye on the Tippecanoe as areas upriver got significant amounts of rainfall yesterday. All of the projects are in place and will be moved to safety if water levels start to rise. The fair starts this weekend, and Federer says fairgoers should be cautious about parking so they don’t get stuck in the mud. Also as a precaution no livestock trailers will be left at the fairgrounds. Tomorrow night’s tractor pull has been postponed and will be rescheduled sometime this fall. Purdue Extension and fair board officials are working closely with the town of Winamac to ensure everyone’s safety, but as of right now everything else will go on at the fairgrounds as scheduled.

Electrical Problem Blamed for Deadly Union Mills Explosion

An electrical problem is likely to blame for sparking Monday’s deadly grain elevator explosion in Union Mills, according to fire investigators. Two motors apparently overheated and caused the silo to blow up, killing 67-year-old James Swank, who was at the top of the structure when it blew Monday afternoon and fell to his death. The fire was contained to the silo, and no other injuries were reported. The fire rekindled Tuesday night, and some grain was still smoldering Wednesday. Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and State Fire Marshal’s Office were called in to investigate.

Indiana State Fire Marshal to Investigate House Fire

 
 
A representative from the state fire marshal’s office will investigate the cause of a fire that started in the basement in a Starke County home Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters from Washington Township, Knox-Center Township and Hamlet fire departments were called to 9515 E. 100 N. at about 1:36 p.m. after the residents reported a fire. Firefighters were quick in using strategic fire suppression which left minimal structural damage.

Investigators with the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office will be at the residence at 8 a.m. today to determine what caused the fire.

Demolition Project Bid Opening on Hold

Knox Board of Public Works
Knox Board of Public Works

The Knox Board of Public Works was to approve bids Wednesday morning for the demolition of the old Knox theater and the former office of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation in the downtown area, but that process was put on hold.

A representative of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs was at the meeting Wednesday morning and informed the board members that since asbestos was found in the two buildings, the federal wage will have to be used by bidders. The representative informed Territorial Engineers, who then informed the four bidders that their bids would not be submitted as the wage system will have to reflect the federal Davis-Bacon wage system.

The entire process will be re-advertised with a pre-bid meeting set for July 12 at 9:30 a.m. and bids will be opened during the Board of Public Works’ next meeting on July 24.

Two Arrested after Suspicious Person Complaint

 
 
A man and a woman were arrested in the overnight hours on Monday after Marshall County police responded to a suspicious person complaint.

The officer arrived in the area of Upas Road and 12th Road where he found a man he recognized leaning into a vehicle at a residence west of the intersection. The officer knew that that suspect, Pedro Pinion, did not live at the residence.

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Medaryville Town Council to Discuss Mowing Ordinance Compliance Tonight

  
 
The town of Medaryville’s mowing ordinance is once again up for discussion as the town council will meet tonight to discuss a resident’s compliance issues. Resident Brian Capouch previously claimed that the town failed to inform him specifically of what his violations were and also asserted that the town’s ordinance was defective and in violation of state code.

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LaPorte Man Arrested on Freon Thefts

 
 
A LaPorte man was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly stealing Freon from two businesses.

A witness at a business on E. Lincolnway told police that a man was messing around with the air conditioning units outside the building. The witness told police that the suspect was lying between the air conditioning units next to the building. As other employees were arriving to work, the suspect was seen messing with the air units. He was told to leave the property.

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Knox City Council Discusses Building Permit Fee

Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council this week discussed building permit fees after a resident left paperwork with Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explaining he felt he was overcharged when he bought a permit to add an addition to a pole barn. The resident explained he was issued a building permit for a 24-foot-by-40-foot addition to an existing pole barn and was charged $192, though he thought the accessory building permit should have only been $75.

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Man Arrested After Ramming Vehicle

Joshua Creed
Joshua Creed

A LaPorte man was arrested Sunday after a hit-and-run accident.

The victim told police that she and her boyfriend, 31-year-old Joshua Creed, had an argument while driving home. She exited the vehicle and called her male friend to pick her up. When the man came to pick her up, she saw Creed sitting in his vehicle across the street.

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Swine Flu Detected in Indiana

 
 
With the county fair season approaching, state health officials are encouraging you to take steps to protect yourself against the swine flu at county and 4-H fairs around the state.

Four cases of variant influenza A (H3N2), or swine flu, were found in fair-goers after the Grant County Agricultural Fair earlier this month. The Indiana State Department of Health and the Grant County Health Department are investigating these cases.

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Fire Rekindles at Union Mills Explosion Site

A Monday afternoon explosion destroyed the upper half of this grain silo.
A Monday afternoon explosion destroyed the upper half of this grain silo.

Firefighters were called back to the site of a grain elevator explosion in Union Mills last night after a hot spot apparently rekindled. Smoke was spotted billowing from the silo at the Union Mills Co-Op around 8 last night. It exploded around 1:30 Monday afternoon, killing 67-year-old James Swank, who lived nearby. He was on top of the silo at the time, according to the LaPorte County coroner, who says he fell to his death. Federal, state and local investigators are still trying to determine the ignition source of the blast. That has proved challenging, as the structure is not yet safe for them to enter. Early indications are that the explosion took place near the top of the 175 foot tall structure.

 

Price of Gas Continues to Fall, But For How Long?

 
 

The retail price of gasoline throughout the state of Indiana continues to decline at a rapid pace, having dropped from an average of $4.20 on June 6 to $3.57 on June 25, but how long can we expect these prices to continue to fall? According to Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, prices should continue to drop for a few weeks, but he said with hurricane season approaching, weather could become a problem.

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Pulaski County Pageant Sign-up Deadline Approaching

  
 

The deadline to sign up as a contestant in this year’s Little Miss and Mister Pulaski County Pageant is quickly approaching. Friday is the last day registrations will be accepted, and entry forms can be picked up at Hickory Creek at Winamac until the day they are due. Contestants must be at least 5 years old by the July 1 and no older than 8 years old, and must be a resident or semi-resident of Pulaski County.

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BraunAbility Introduces Wheelchair Accessible SUV

Braun Ability SUV
Braun Ability SUV

The company that pioneered the wheelchair-accessible minivan is rolling out a new product. BraunAbility officials unveiled their newest vehicle – a mobility SUV – during an event in Clearwater, Fla. The Winamac-based company partnered with West Coast Customs on the design of the tricked-out Ford Explorer. It is designed to be an improved option to the standard wheelchair accessible mini-van. The concept mobility SUV was presented to Wounded Warrior Veteran Lance Corporal Mike DeLancey, who was paralyzed by a sniper’s bullehttp://www.wkvi.com/wp-admin/post-new.php#t in Iraq in 2006.

Culver Superintendent to Retire at End of December

Culver Community School Superintendent Brad Schuldt
Culver Community School Superintendent Brad Schuldt
The Culver Community School Corporation will soon begin the hunt for a new superintendent as the current superintendent, Brad Schuldt, announced that he will be retiring at the end of December. Schuldt and School Board President Ryan Sieber recently discussed what tasks need to be done to replace Schuldt and the pair explained new state laws regarding approval of a superintendent’s contract.

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Goal Shattered in Walking Challenge

 
 

The goal for the Moving Starke County Forward walking challenge has been shattered, according to IU Health Starke Hospital Wellness Specialist Heather Skelly.

The goal was to walk from the Statue of Liberty in New York to the Golden Gate Bridge in California. So far, participants have walked all the way from the Statue of Liberty to Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Melody Drive-In Theater Screen One Replaced

Wind from this month's storm reduced screen one at the Melody Drive-In to a pile of rubble.
Wind from this month’s storm reduced screen one at the Melody Drive-In to a pile of rubble.

The Melody Drive-In Theater will be back to normal operations this weekend, weather permitting, after running with only one screen in operation following the destruction of the first screen by strong winds that toppled the screen and caused extensive damage to the ticket booth. The first screen was destroyed earlier this month and owner Fred Heise said the replacement was a huge expense to the business.

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Culver’s Comprehensive Plan Meeting Didn’t Draw the Crowd Expected

culver town hall
 

Last night’s vision meeting regarding Culver’s comprehensive plan project didn’t have the turnout that Town Manager David Schoeff was expecting, but he said it was still a fun and productive meeting. Schoeff explained that about 25 people showed up to discuss the comprehensive plan to allow officials to get an idea of where the residents of the town see their community developing towards the future. Residents identified places in and around town that can be developed and gave their insight on what residential areas, commercial areas, or infrastructure aspects could be improved.

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Knox City Council Passes Salary Ordinance on Second Reading

Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The new salary ordinance for the city of Knox is one step closer to being adopted, as the city council this week approved the ordinance on its seconded reading. The salary ordinance includes raises for all elected officials and salaried employees. Mayor Rick Chambers explained that a few corrections needed to be reflected in the ordinance before it was passed on its second reading, and those changes were reflected in the reading passed unanimously by the council last night.

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