North Judson Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann informed town council members about the projected cost for repairs on the utility tractor during their meeting Monday night. Continue reading
Culver Community Schools Superintendent Establishes Policy Review Timeline
Culver Community Schools Superintendent Karen Shuman established a timeline for policy review during Monday night’s school board meeting.
Superintendent Shuman explained that the school board members are currently going through Culver’s code book in order to make sure all the rules are up-to-date. Continue reading
Starke County Jail Offers Green Thumb Gardening Class as a Part of F.A.R.M Program
According to Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin, more than 30 jail inmates recently started a gardening class instructed by Starke County Purdue Extension Educator Phil Woolery.
Sheriff Dulin shared that a total of 32 inmates will be attending the month-long class where Woolery will teach lessons about agriculture, horticulture and other skills related to botany.
He said the “green thumb” gardening class is a part of a Starke County Jail program called F.A.R.M., which is an acronym that stands for Focusing A Recovery Mindset. Continue reading
Pulaski County EMA Director Updates Commissioners on Flood Response
The Pulaski County Emergency Management Agency is assessing damage and helping residents clean up from recent flooding. EMA Director Sheri Gaillard gave an update to the county commissioners Monday. “I gave out 3,250 sandbags to the Pulaski County citizens,” she said. “Both the gauges are finally down into minor flooding stage, but damage assessment is still ongoing because there were a lot of places that we couldn’t get to still, at least 10 that I can think of off the top of my head.”
Starke County Surveyor Thanks Local Farmers For Stepping Up to Help Out With Flood Response
According to Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase, four breached levees in the Starke County and La Porte County areas have recently been fixed, while work on one site is being postponed due to the current levels of the Kankakee River.
Surveyor Crase explained that while working on the final section of a levee, workers realized that the river wasn’t dropping. He said if they sealed it up, the pressure would have caused the water to burst out elsewhere so they weren’t able to fix it just yet. While they have slowed the breach down a bit, Crase said crews continue to monitor the spot and are waiting for the river to drop before patching it up any further. Continue reading
Possible Impact Flooding Could Have on Agriculture
Though much of the high water we were seeing last week has receded, you may have noticed that there are still several fields that are looking more like lakes recently.
Depending on when these flood waters clear up completely, Hoosier farmers may run into some issues this farm season.
Purdue Extension Agriculture Educator Phil Woolery mentioned that the severity of impact will depend on how long a farmers’ field stays underwater. He said fields that dried up rather quickly probably won’t have any issues, while those that are having trouble draining may run into some problems down the line. Continue reading
Residents Warned to Beware of Flood Restoration Scams
The possibility of scammers targeting flood victims has led to warnings from local law enforcement. Marshall County Sheriff Matt Hassel says unfortunately, disaster areas tend to attract scammers looking to take advantage of victims.
Starke County Commissioners Approve Emergency Purchase for EMS
The Starke County Commissioners approved the emergency purchase of two cardiac monitors for two of the county’s ambulances.
Starke County EMS Director Travis Clary explained that two monitors went down in the past couple of weeks and left the county with no backup devices. He mentioned the monitors that no longer work are approximately 30 years old and were recently checked for service and passed. Since the county provides paramedic service, cardiac monitors are required to be equipped on each ambulance.
Knox City Council Votes to Establish Ordinance Defining the Official Duties of Council Members
Knox City Council members voted to move forward with establishing an ordinance that would define the official duties of city council members when they met last week.
Up until now, the duties of a council member have been implied but unspecified. This proposed ordinance would establish expectations and responsibilities for council members, including things such as attendance and constituent representation. Continue reading
More Unsafe Properties Identified in Knox
Paperwork will begin on the legal process on unsafe properties identified in the Parkview Heights area in Knox and in the downtown area.
West Central to Utilize eLearning Days if Weather Closes School
West Central students will be utilizing eLearning days if the weather forces the cancellation of any more classroom instruction this school year.
Superintendent Don Street reminded the school board of that policy last week.
North Judson Town Council Approves Amended Salary Ordinance
An amended salary ordinance passed on second reading and was adopted during Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting.
At the last meeting, Town Attorney Justin Schramm explained that the initial salary ordinance, which included a 3 percent raise for various department heads and the town council members, was adopted on January 2nd of 2018.
He said the State Board of Accounts could potentially have a problem with council members receiving raises in the same year they’re approved, so to be on the safe side, the salary ordinance was rewritten to remove the council members from the list of individuals who received a 3 percent raise in 2018. Continue reading
Winamac Park Board Approves Plans for Landscaping Updates at Pulaski County Fairgrounds
The Pulaski County Fairgrounds will soon get a couple of upgrades. Last week, the Winamac Park Board authorized the Pulaski County Jr. Leaders club to replace the sign that stands at the entrance to the fairgrounds from the rest of the Town Park.
Department of Revenue Warns Parents to Guard their Children’s Personal Information
As odd as it may sound, the Indiana Department of Revenue is asking individuals to check their children’s credit reports, regardless of their age.
Identity thieves are always looking for identities that can be used for many years which is why children are typically seen as apt targets since thieves can to use their information unnoticed for a while.
Often times the theft is not discovered until the child grows up and applies for a student loan or a credit card and gets denied for having large amounts of debt or bad credit; it is only then that they realize their identity has been stolen and used for several years. Continue reading
Request for Proposals for Bass Lake Beach Operations Generates One Response
The Starke County Park Board’s proposal to split operations of the Bass Lake Beach and Campground has gotten a response. The entire beach and campground is currently operated by Callahan Development, LLC, which leases it from Starke County. But the company said it may be willing to give up control of the beach itself, to allow it to focus on the profitable campground and pier slots.
Hamlet Council Updated on Starke Street Improvement Plans
Hamlet’s plans to rebuild a portion of Starke Street this month are largely dependent on the weather. Plans call for the road to be rebuilt from Plymouth Street north to U.S. 30, with drainage improvements and a new sidewalk along the west side of the road. Continue reading
Knox Schools Superintendent Thanks Staff, Community Members for Flood Response Efforts
When recent floods threatened to force Knox residents out of their homes, school staff and local community members came together to make sure everyone had a safe place to stay. Knox Community Schools Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart issued a letter last week, publicly thanking those who helped with the schools’ flood response.
West Central Projects to Begin Soon
Work will begin soon on part of the secure entrance and utilization project at the West Central School Corporation. Superintendent Don Street anticipates that the bond closing will occur this month and pre-construction meetings will begin soon.
Street said one project is expected to begin this month.
Updates Given on Unsafe Properties
The Knox Board of Works members got an update on the renovation efforts on two identified unsafe structures.
Knox Planning Administrator and Director of Building and Code Compliance Kenny Pfost said Lucia Valladares hasn’t gotten any work done for a couple of months. She told Pfost that she hopes to resume efforts in March. The construction permit expires May 22. The board approved a motion to request for her to appear at the next meeting on Wednesday, March 28. She also owns property on Bender Street that needs renovation work.
Culver Town Council to Hold Public Hearing on PUD
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 for the proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) at 17664 State Road 17 and 19456 State Road 10 in Culver owned by Thomas Beste.
Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist said the plan commission approved the primary plans for Culver Meadows by a vote of 5-2. Those plans will come before the Culver Town Council in a public hearing setting on Tuesday, March 13.
