La Porte County Sheriff’s Office to Host 54th Annual Children’s Christmas Show this Saturday

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the 54th Annual Children’s Christmas Show this Saturday!

The show will be at Boston Middle School in La Porte.  People who cannot witness the event can watch it through Zoom magic shows. Doors will open at 9 a.m. and the show will start at 10 o’clock sharp. The program will feature a magic show performed by magician Matt Kalita and a balloon artist will be on hand crafting balloon art for kids. Check out the Boston landmarks to visit, you will never get bored.

Children will have a chance to meet with Santa and Mrs. Claus and will every child will receive a gift and candy. Captain Michael Kellems said that last year 250 deserving children from throughout La Porte County attended the show and received snacks, gifts and candy. Unclaimed gifts were distributed to local churches and charitable organizations to ensure that others in need could benefit as well. Continue reading →

Mayor Dennis Estok Discusses Peppermint Parade, Knox Holiday Decorating Contest Winners Announced

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

At the Knox City Council meeting this week, Mayor Dennis Estok discussed the success of the Peppermint Parade, stating that this year’s attendance numbers doubled from last year.

The mayor also gave a special thanks to Sherry Cowen who donated cookies, oranges and other goodies to the city’s snack supply. For the first time this year, the parade submissions were judged. Continue reading →

Lockdown at Winamac High School has been Lifted According to Superintendent Dan Foster

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Eastern Pulaski Community Schools Superintendent Dan Foster announced that the lockdown that was in place at Winamac High School has now been lifted.

Superintendent Foster explained that the lockdown was called because staff had reason to believe that inappropriate items were on the school’s campus. He said the officers from the Winamac Police Department and the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office were called in to do a sweep with K-9 officers. School officials decided to call a lockdown so the K-9 officers could conduct a search without any disruption. Continue reading →

House Fire Claims One Life

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

One person could not be saved after resuscitation efforts were attempted in the middle of a house fire in La Porte this morning.

Emergency responders and firefighters were called to 111 Maple Drive just after 7 a.m. CT after a neighbor reporting seeing smoke coming from the residence.

La Porte City firefighters arrived on the scene and found flames coming from the two-story home with heavy smoke, according to the report. The same report indicates that firefighters made their way into the home and discovered a man laying approximately 10 feet from the doorway. The firefighters attempted resuscitation efforts, but were not successful. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim’s identity has not been released pending family notification.

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Starke County Park Board Considers Splitting Up Bass Lake Beach and Campground Operations

Posted on Author Michael Gallenberger

Potential changes to the Bass Lake Beach and campground’s operations were discussed by the Starke County Park Board Tuesday. Operator Callahan Development, LLC plans to extend its lease with the county through April of 2028. But the company said it’s willing to consider turning over the less profitable areas of the facility back to the county, while it would continue to run the campground and pier slots.

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator Construction Pushed Back to March

Posted on Author Michael Gallenberger

The replacement of the elevator at the Pulaski County Courthouse has been delayed slightly. “Because we got no bids on the elevator project, we had to push the date back for construction,” Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county council and commissioners Monday. “With pushing it back to March, we were able to get three interested parties.”

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Indiana Schools to Receive Less Tuition Support

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

In his report to the school board last week, West Central School Superintendent Don Street said the Indiana Department of Education notified school districts that tuition support monthly payments will be less.

“The Indiana State Budget for education is less than the total tuition support payments for the schools that have reported,” said Street. “So, we’ll see how that continues with our state legislature.”

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Fall Break Extended for Eastern Pulaski Students in Board Approved 2018-19 School Calendar

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Eastern Pulaski School Board members approved the 2018-2019 school calendar when they met Monday night.

Superintendent Dan Foster said it is fairly similar to this year’s calendar with the one big difference being the length of fall break. Foster explained that in the past, for fall break in the month of October they only allowed for Monday and Friday off. Adjustments were made to the 18-19 calendar and now there is a week-long break in October. Continue reading →

Knox City Council Members Receive Update About Starke County Humane Society Agreement

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Mayor Dennis Estok updated Knox City Council members about the agreement between the Starke County Humane Society and the city when they met Tuesday night.

He said the agreement still has some minor changes that need to be made before it will become before the council for approval. He added that the Humane Society Board is currently looking over the document as well.

Mayor Estok said the agreement states that the city will be charged $15 per cat and $20 for every dog that is brought into the shelter by city officials. He added that if Humane Society staff needs to do a pick-up on dangerous animals it will be the regular fee plus an additional $75 charge. Continue reading →

Winamac Town Council Members Pass Amended Salary Ordinance

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Holding a valid journeyman card will result in a higher starting pay for employees hired onto the Winamac Electric Department, following a decision made by the town council members Monday night.

Council members voted unanimously to pass an amended salary ordinance which specifies that an electric department employee who is a licensed journeyman can be hired at an hourly rate of $23.55. Continue reading →

Knox High School Senior Named Recipient of 2018 Lilly Endowment Scholarship

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
SCCF 2018 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar Elizabeth McEntee

This year’s Starke County Community Foundation 2018 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar is Knox High School senior Elizabeth McEntee.

McEntee is a varsity softball player and she is also a member of the speech team where she was a state qualifier in discussion. She was a freshman mentor and participates in National Honor Society and Science Club and tutors elementary school students.

The Starke County Community Foundation Scholarship Committee selected Elizabeth, the daughter of Alan and Connie McEntee, for this prestigious distinction from a field of twenty-nine applicants.

During the application process the identities of the applicants are removed. The Scholarship Committee scores applicants on academic performance, volunteer and paid work, school activities and honors as well as essays. Continue reading →

Purdue Extension to Host Local Government Finance Workshop

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Purdue Extension Community Development Program is hosting a local government finance workshop for economic development professionals, community leaders and  local elected and appointed officials.

The workshop will be held at the Plymouth Public Library from 1p.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Friday, December 15th. It is geared toward community members from a number of counties including Marshall, Pulaski and Starke.

The program will dig deeper into data from our counties and the region in general. Presenters will also highlight how Indiana’s property tax system functions and provide information about how tax caps work. Continue reading →

Starke County Park Board Looking to Replace Bass Lake Beach Gatehouse, Following Accident

Posted on Author Michael Gallenberger

The Starke County Park Board may be looking at replacing one of the structures at the Bass Lake Beach, after it was seriously damaged in an accident last month. Park board member Roger Chaffins explains that a pickup truck apparently backed itself into the gatehouse, “The guy was deer hunting over there, had a new vehicle, didn’t realize that he didn’t have it fully in park, and the vehicle ran over him and then ran into the building.”

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Starke County Election Board to Enforce Deadlines on Candidate Financial Statements

Posted on Author Michael Gallenberger

The Starke County Election Board is cracking down on candidates who don’t turn in their financial statements on time. “They have to close out their candidacy by preparing the forms according to the deadlines,” Election Board President Peg Brettin explained during last week’s meeting. “If they don’t, the way the law is set up, the county election boards throughout the State of Indiana can have a hearing for them, can bring them before the board, can assess them.”

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