Democrat members of the Starke County Council banded together and elected a new president during a special-called organizational meeting. Freddie Baker replaces Republican Dave Pearman in that role. Councilman Bob Sims nominated Baker, and recently elected Democrat members Jennifer Davis and Pam Stalbaum voted for him. Councilman Bryan Cavender nominated Pearman, but nobody stepped forward to second his motion. Pearman was elected vice-president of the council. Continue reading
He had a bill prepared, but 16th District State Representative Doug Gutwein says he is just as pleased with a new resource for female veterans in Indiana.
There are 38-thousand vets in the state who also happen to be women.
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The West Central School Board closed out the 2014 books and looked at the budget for this year when the members met this week. Superintendent Don Street said the board won’t be making any big changes to the budget.
“There were no big cuts,” said Street. “We anticipated where we would be in our annual budget. Our assessed evaluation has increased for our school district from last year which has reduced, just slightly, the amount of taxes that will be charged for each individual.”
As temperatures continue to fall, anglers of all ages may find themselves with the opportunity to ice-fish.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says thousands of Hoosiers go ice-fishing each year and are offering some tips to ensure safety.
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The Plymouth Public Library is sponsoring a special program for children on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
The “Dogs at the Library” program is planned where children can read books to dogs. The members of the Marshall County 4-H Dog Club will have their dogs at the library for this event. The gentle, trained dogs will sit and listen to any story that a child would like to read aloud.
Parents can take pictures during the event and children of all ages are welcome to attend.
The “Dogs at the Library” event begins at 6:30 p.m. ET in the children’s room at the Plymouth Public Library. It will last about an hour. This program is available again on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET. For more information, call (574) 936-2324.
Marshall County is now under an orange level travel watch. That means only essential travel is recommended. Starke, LaPorte and Pulaski Counties are still under yellow level travel advisories, meaning routine travel may be restricted because roads are hazardous in places. Find more information at http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/. Continue reading
Winter has finally arrived, and it is keeping the Starke County Highway Department extremely busy. Crews have been spreading salt and plowing roads for the past week. In spite of the uptick in activity, highway superintendent Rik Ritzler says the county’s snow removal costs remain significantly lower than last year’s at the same time. He told the commissioners yesterday the department is still working on its first load of salt and has only used 200 tons. By this time last year, Ritzler says they had already used more than 1,000 tons of salt. Continue reading
While most schools in the area call for two hour delays when weather plays a factor in traveling safely to school, North Judson-San Pierre schools operate on a 90-minute delay.
Superintendent Lynn Johnson explains that at least six times each semester, Bluejay Collaboration Time takes place the first 90 minutes of the school day. This is a chance for teachers to take time to analyze data and form Response to Instruction Groups. Continue reading
The lower price of unleaded gasoline has relieved a pinch from consumer pocketbooks, but some retailers have dropped the price too low for a profit margin. GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan said that has caused prices to spike.
“What you’re seeing with the big spike is essentially gas stations losing 20 or 25 cents a gallon and raising their price back up to where they’re making about 15 or 20 cents a gallon. Obviously, you have a 40 cent a gallon difference between a station losing 20 cents and making 20 cents and that’s where these big spikes come from. The good news is that prices are already coming back down,” said DeHaan.
Legislation was recently filed in Indianapolis that could have implications for Pulaski County.
Senate Bill 58, if signed into law, would eliminate the Pulaski County Superior Court by January 1st, 2019. The bill would also remove certain appointment privileges in other counties. Continue reading
Bids for the courtroom build-out at the Starke County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center are under advisement. The county commissioners opened eight bids for general trades and four each for mechanical and electrical work. The project design engineer is reviewing all to make sure they meet specifications prior to a special-called Starke County Building Corporation meeting on Monday, Jan. 19. The building corporation will make formal recommendations to the Starke County Commissioners, who are also scheduled to meet that evening. Continue reading
Pulaski County Auditor Shelia Garling informed the commissioners this week that The budget order from the state has returned. Over $48,000 needs to be further cut from the budget as well as $153,000 in the highway budget. She said several errors were made when putting the budget together in some line items. It is the hope that additional appropriations won’t have to be made unless necessary.
Dave Bennett from Bennett Insurance gave the commissioners some good news. The county will be getting a refund of $205,499 as claims were down in 2014. Garling said that refund will come in three installments with the first payment already received in December.
NIPSCO says they will begin construction this summer on a project that has been in the works for a couple of years.
The Reynolds-Topeka Electric Transmission Line hopes to improve reliability and lower costs for NIPSCO customers. Representatives of the company have held meetings with the public to better plan the line’s route.
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Concentrating on a two-year state budget in Indiana will be the primary focus in Indianapolis, but state Senate Democrats have a few items they plan to support this session.
According to a press release, 8th District state Senator Jim Arnold and other state Democrats intend to propose raising the minimum wage in Indiana to $10.10 an hour.
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A South Bend man with a lengthy criminal history can add another sentence to his record. Tony Glover Jr., 29, pleaded guilty to a felony and a misdemeanor theft charge during an appearance in Starke Circuit Court yesterday. Both offenses occurred in September, according to court records. Glover admitted stealing electronics and knives from his mother and stepfather on Sept. 17 with intent to pawn them. Earlier that day he also stole power tools, clothing and other items valued at $886 from two Knox men. Continue reading
The Starke County and Marshall County Commissioners and EMA directors have implemented an advisory level travel restriction.
The advisory level is the lowest level when talking about travel restrictions. The advisory level means that routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation. Individuals should use caution or avoid those areas. Continue reading
A disabled or stranded vehicle could potentially be a life or death situation due to cold temperatures and extended response times for police and tow truck drivers. If you do venture out, let someone know your route of travel, and keep your gas tank full when driving in cold weather. Pack a winter survival kit of blankets, extra warm clothes, a flashlight and extra batteries, a brightly-colored cloth to tie on your antenna for visibility, sand or a bag of cat litter to use for traction, a shovel, candles and matches, non-perishable, high-calorie foods like nuts, raisins and protein or energy bars, newspapers for insulation, a first aid kit and jumper cables. Continue reading
The Town of Winamac has issued a freeze warning for municipal utility customers. All residential and commercial water and sewer customers are recommended to leave an indoor cold water faucet running in a stream the size of a toothpick until further notice. Continue reading
The jury trial for a Denham man accused of killing his live-in girlfriend has been pushed back until spring. Pulaski Circuit Judge Michael Shurn set Paul Katschke’s proceeding for May 4. Continue reading
20th District State Representative Tom Dermody says he is still evaluating a bill that could affect consumers in Indiana.
House Bill 1026 would allow for those with a proper permit to sell alcoholic beverages for carryout on Sundays in the state. The bill, filed this week in Indianapolis, has not been presented to Representative Dermody – who chairs the often controversial Public Policy Committee.
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