The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the man killed in a LaPorte house fire Thursday morning. Charles Mares, 67, is believed to have died of smoke inhalation, according to LaPorte County Coroner Bob Cutler.
Lockdown at Winamac High School has been Lifted According to Superintendent Dan Foster
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
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.
Starke County Park Board Considers Splitting Up Bass Lake Beach and Campground Operations
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.
Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator Construction Pushed Back to March
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.”
Starke County Election Board To Meet Today to Consider 2018 Meeting Schedule
Culver Considers Consultant for Stellar Projects
The Culver Town Council members considered a proposal from Mike Reese with the Troyer Group to assist the town in the many aspects required within the town’s designation as a Stellar Community.
Reese said there are a lot of components to the grant and other requirements to be considered.
Culvert Upgrades to Begin Soon, Ahead of Starke Street Project
Preliminary work is set to get underway for Hamlet’s Starke Street improvement project. Engineer Lee Nagai gave an update to the town council Wednesday. He’s been working with Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase to extend the culvert at Benninghoff Ditch. Continue reading
Oregon-Davis School Board Updated on Curriculum Maps
The Oregon-Davis School Corporation continues to try to strengthen its curriculum. The school board got an update Monday on the Junior/Senior High School’s new curriculum maps, according to Superintendent Dr. Don Harman. Continue reading
Indiana Schools to Receive Less Tuition Support
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.”
Fall Break Extended for Eastern Pulaski Students in Board Approved 2018-19 School Calendar
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
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
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
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
Two Winamac Park Board Members Up for Reappointment
Purdue Extension to Host Local Government Finance Workshop
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
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.”
Starke County Election Board to Enforce Deadlines on Candidate Financial Statements
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.”
Eastern Pulaski Community School Board Considers Project to Address Traffic Flow at Drop-Off Locations
At the Eastern Pulaski School Board meeting Monday evening, board members discussed and considered information pertaining to proposed paving and concrete projects.
Superintendent Dan Foster explained that there are some safety concerns with the current drop-off locations at the schools. Foster said, “The afternoon pick-up procedures aren’t too bad but the morning drop-off procedures, we’ve really struggled with coming up with a good way to do that with the layout of our campus. So we’ve had a committee working this fall.” Continue reading
Knox City Council Members Start Process to Revamp Side Walk Obstruction Ordinance
Knox City Council members reviewed changes to the city’s sidewalk obstruction ordinance when they met Tuesday night.
Mayor Dennis Estok stated that no official action would be taken on the ordinance last night, but he wanted to submit it to council members prior to first reading incase they had any suggestions.
Issues with vehicles parking on sidewalks and large vehicles blocking the roadways have been brought up as council items during various meetings over the past few months. Councilman Jeff Berg recently showed fellow members that a sidewalk obstruction ordinance is on the books for the City of Knox.
However, the ordinance only covered structures and didn’t directly address vehicles. Council members agreed to amend the existing ordinance to cover the topics that have been discussed. Continue reading