Emergency Management Officials Coordinate Response Efforts For Residents Affected by the Floods

As the flood waters start receding, emergency management officials are beginning to plan out ways to assist those most severely impacted by the recent floods.

The Salvation Army recently delivered a few clean-up kits to emergency management officials in both Starke and Pulaski County. Starke County EMA Director J. Nier and Pulaski County EMA Director Sheri Gaillard said they will be handing those out to the citizens who need them in the near future.

They also said they’ll be conducting more thorough damage assessments once the water recedes more. However, residents are still reminded to fill out damage assessment reports through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to assist with relief efforts. Only uninsured property damage should be reported. Continue reading

Starke County Surveyor Warns Residents to Be Aware of Scams

Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase is warning residents to be aware of potential scammers looking to take advantage of people during flood recovery.

Last Friday, the surveyor’s office received a call from an individual reporting that two men in a U-Haul truck drove up to his residence and told him they were from the county surveyor’s office.

They reportedly said they were replacing a culvert nearby and told the resident he needed to write them a check since it was on his property. Continue reading

Pulaski County Commissioners Open Lawn Care and Snow Removal Bids

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

Pulaski County officials continue to consider whether to hire an outside company to mow the lawn and remove snow at various county properties. The idea was raised several months ago, as a cheaper alternative to upgrading the county’s equipment. Last week, the county commissioners opened bids from six companies interested in the lawn care work, but few of them submitted a price for snow removal.

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Medaryville Council Approves Engineering Contract for Upcoming Community Crossings Project

The Town of Medaryville is getting ready for its summer street paving project. Last week, the town council approved a contract with McMahon Associates for engineering work, according to Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood. She says the project will include the reconstruction of Main Street and a couple other roads in town.

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One Seat was Filled and Another Opened Up at Last Night’s Knox Park Board Meeting

During Monday night’s Knox Park Board meeting, it was announced that Mayor Dennis Estok has appointed Glenn Barnes to fill Dave Comb’s seat.

Barnes is the Principal of Knox Elementary School. His perspective as someone who has hands-on, daily experience with the youth of our community will be a helpful addition to the board. Continue reading

Starke County Park Board to Discuss Bass Lake Beach Grant

Potential upgrades to the Bass Lake Beach will be discussed during tonight’s Starke County Park Board meeting. According to the advance agenda, board members will discuss a grant received for the beach project. The park board has been working on plans to restore the sand, and install glacial stone to prevent future erosion, as well as damage to the seawall.

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Judge Rejects Jason Cooke’s Second Plea Agreement

Another plea agreement from Jason Cooke has been rejected in Starke Circuit Court. He’s charged with the October 2015 robbery of Sescoe Wireman. Cooke is accused of hitting Wireman in the head, and taking money, prescription medication, an Indiana ID card, and multiple credit cards from him. Wireman died a few days later, but a murder count against Cooke was dropped last February.

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State Senator and Representative Meet with County Officials About Flooding

On Sunday afternoon, Starke County officials met with State Representative Jim Pressel (District 20) and State Senator Mike Bohacek (District 8) to discuss the recent devastation caused by flooding and what steps to take next.

Local officials who were present included Starke County EMA Director J. Nier, Surveyor Bill Crase and Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler as well as Engineer Lee Nagai and County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Donnie Binkley and Charles Chesak. Continue reading

Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Updated EMS Policies, at Request of Billing Company

Pulaski County Emergency Medical Services continues to see success with an outside billing company, according to EMS Director Bryan Corn. “Last month, they deposited $31,509.50, and that’s still them kind of working on some of our older reports,” he told the county commissioners last week. They haven’t even kind of hit a lot of our new stuff yet.”

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