Winamac Council Approves Tax Abatement for Standard Integrated Solutions

Standard Integrated Solutions has gotten an incentive from the Town of Winamac to upgrade its equipment. A ten-year tax abatement was approved by the town council last week. The company says that will help them invest about $1.7 million in industrial equipment, like liquid ring vacuum pumps, and create 10 more jobs, if they can find workers to fill them.

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Masks to Be Optional at North Judson-San Pierre Schools under Certain Conditions

North Judson-San Pierre school officials discuss updates to the school corporation’s mask protocols during Tuesday’s meeting.

Masks will once again be optional at the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation, but they could become mandatory if student quarantines start creeping back up. Under a measure approved by the school board Tuesday, masks will be optional starting Monday. But if the percentage of students in quarantine reaches 15 in a specific school building, a two-week mask mandate would be put in place for that school.

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Pulaski County Attorney Working to Straighten Out Misdirected Funds following Email Hack

Pulaski County continues to try to straighten out an email hack that reportedly resulted in thousands of dollars in county funds being intercepted. “Back in May, if you don’t remember, we were the victim of a hack, of an email hack that caused two payments to be misdirected to the hacker, totaling about $22,000,” County Attorney Kevin Tankersley told the county council and commissioners last week.

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Starke County Commissioners Deny Request to Open More Land to Solar Development

The Starke County Commissioners denied a request Monday to make more land available for the Mammoth Solar Project near Bass Lake. A petition to rezone the Redlin property south of U.S. 35 was denied by a vote of two-to-one, with Mark Gourley opposing the motion. Rezoning the land from Commercial to Agriculture would have allowed for the placement of solar panels.

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Knox BZA Grants Special Use Permit for Starke County Resource Center Thrift Store

A nonprofit group aiming to address housing insecurity may proceed with its plans for a thrift store in Knox. The city’s board of zoning appeals Monday approved the Starke County Resource Center’s special use request for the former Knights of Columbus building at 503 East Lake Street, with the explicit stipulation that the property shall not be used as a homeless shelter.

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North Judson-San Pierre School Board to Consider Update to Continuous Learning Plan

North Judson San Pierre School Board (photo provided by North Judson-San Pierre School Corp.)

The North Judson-San Pierre School Board will be asked to approve an update to the continuous learning plan today. Modifications to the handbook for non-certified staff will also be up for approval, along with some policy updates recommended by policy consultant NEOLA.

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Starke County Commissioners to Revisit Solar Rezoning Request Today

Starke County Commissioners Bryan Cavender, Charles Chesak, Mark Gourley

Days after ground was broken on the Mammoth Solar Project, the Starke County Commissioners will consider zoning permission for some affected parcels south of Bass Lake. Earlier this month, the commissioners agreed to rezone the Rentka property west of U.S. 35 to Agriculture, but tabled a decision on the nearby Redlin property. Among other things, Agricultural zoning allows for the installation of solar panels.

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Governor Says Local Residents ‘Should Be Front and Center’ in Solar Project Discussions

While dignitaries from around the world converged on Starke County last week to kick off construction on one of the country’s largest solar farms, the reaction from local landowners has been mixed. Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s groundbreaking, Governor Eric Holcomb said he welcomes the input, when it comes to projects on an unprecedented scale.

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