A La Paz man was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 21 following a report of domestic battery.
Deputies from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office say they were notified of the alleged incident around 5 p.m. Deputies and troopers from the Indiana State Police responded to a residence in the 200 block of Vandalia Avenue in La Paz after receiving the call.
A medical issue may have caused a single-vehicle accident in Marshall County Sunday afternoon.
According to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, Michael Lynn Andrus, of Anson, Texas, was traveling west on U.S. 6 just east of Elm Road when he suffered a medical issue. Police say Andrus’ vehicle ran off of U.S. 6 on the south side and struck a tree.
The Plymouth City Council members are expected to discuss water and sewer rate increases when they meet tonight at 6:30 p.m.
A public hearing is set to gather public comment on the matter.
During a special meeting held Monday, Oct. 30, the city council learned that with Bay Valley Foods and Del Monte closing at the end of year water and wastewater treatment revenue losses are imminent. To help bridge the gap, an ordinance outlining a one-time raise in the water rate of 12 percent to begin Jan. 1, 2018, was proposed. In addition, an ordinance detailing a three-phase wastewater rate increase was proposed. It would allow for a 10 percent increase in wastewater rates beginning Jan. 1, 2018, with another 10 percent increase on Sept. 2, 2018, and a third 10 percent increase in March of 2019.
Jason Durr from the Christopher Burke Engineering firm in South Bend requested GIS information on behalf of the Kankakee River Basin Commission.
Durr told the Marshall County Commissioners last week that the information will be used as a preliminary evaluation on basin assessment areas. He requested parcel data for the whole county, but the parcels directly affected by the Kankakee River Basin Commission may only be analyzed.
Marshall County Promise will take part in this year’s Giving Tuesday event through the Marshall County Community Foundation.
Marshall County Promise is a program that helps youth in the county’s school systems dream about future careers and save for education beyond high school. Donations will be used to help local youth open CollegeChoice 539 accounts with an initial $25 deposit.
An Elkhart man died as a result of injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident Friday morning, according to a report released by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.
Police say 63-year-old Walter Lee Conner was traveling on U.S. 6 east of Jarrah Road when his van left went off the south side of the road, struck a fence and a mailbox, and continued into a 10-foot ditch. Conner died at the scene due to his injuries, according to police.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, along with officers from the Plymouth Police Department, Bremen Police Department and Bourbon Police Department are out in force this holiday weekend to spot violations to Indiana’s seat belt and impaired driving laws.
Random patrols are expected along with saturation patrols and checkpoints. This overtime enforcement is supported with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). Continue reading
The City of Plymouth lighted holiday parade and Christmas tree lighting event is set for Saturday at 6 p.m.
Santa will lead the parade down Michigan Street in a Plymouth fire truck and get in place for the Christmas tree lighting and the unveiling of the park department’s light show at River Park Square.
Prior to this event, shop small business Saturday! Shop the downtown merchants where you will have a chance to win a $250 voucher to be used to purchase items at the downtown businesses. Win the voucher by checking off all of the items on your scavenger hunt list. Items pertaining to the Rees Theater can be found at participating stores. Find those items and check them off on your list. The scavenger hunt ends at 4 p.m. Continue reading
The Marshall County Commissioners discussed a few items Monday.
Highway Superintendent Jason Peters will work with a property owner on 2B Road concerning a drainage issue off the road. An investigation will be held into who is responsible for replacing the tile in that area as it appears to have failed. Further discussion will be held during the commissioners’ next meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.
The commissioners approved a grant request from Marshall County Community Corrections Director Ward Byers to apply for grant funds for Fiscal Year 2019. He said the budget of around $403,100 is for the jail treatment program, community corrections and the prosecutor’s felony diversion program. The council also previously approved this request.
The Salvation Army needs bell ringers to help collect funds to help neighbors in need.
Salvation Army Major Gerald Smelser said volunteers are on site for about two hours at a time, but can donate more time based on personal preference. Kettles are stationed Walmart and Kroger in Plymouth, Five Star in Knox, Bailey’s Discount Center in Knox, and additional sites in Bremen and Culver.
Members from church organizations, residents, business organizations, or school groups are welcome to participate. Bell ringers can volunteer from Saturday, Nov. 25 to Sunday, Dec. 24 in two hour shifts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at a certain location. Hours during the weekend usually need filled, but if there are more volunteers, time slots may open during the week.
All Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches are closed today due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but those facilities that normally operate on Saturdays will reopen on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The Plymouth BMV branch will be open tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET while the La Porte and Valparaiso branches will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT.
The Knox, Walkerton and Winamac branches will conduct business during regular hours next week.
The Marshall County Commissioners considered a zoning ordinance amendment to change the zoning from an agricultural to a commercial zone at 12131 U.S. 6 adjacent to the La Paz Sewer Plant.
Marshall County Plan Director Ralph Booker said the property is located just south of U.S. 6 and west of U.S. 31 owned by Donald Abbott.
Marshall County Economic Development Corporation Director and CEO Jerry Chavez said this is a step in an economic strategic plan by La Paz officials. The town council there could decide to annex that property for tax purposes some time down the line.
Marshall County Highway Supervisor Jason Peters told the commissioners Monday morning that crews are working on transitioning equipment to tackle winter weather.
He said tandems will be moved over and will limit the amount of work that can be done.
The John Glenn School Board unanimously approved early graduation requests for two high school seniors.
Jamie Freeman is planning to go to IUSB in the January semester for equestrian chiropractic or equestrian dentistry studies. Dakota Grossman will be attending Ivy Tech in the fall of 2018 to study physical therapy.
Communication upgrades are coming down the line for Marshall County REMC members.
REMC officials told the county commissioners on Monday morning that they are making efforts to bring fiber optic cable to the meter points at their substations so they can do automated switching and voltage reads in a more secure, quicker fashion. This will also increase the time in meter reading.
The driver involved in a Sunday morning accident fled the scene on foot and left the passenger in the car.
According to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, a 2005 Acura was traveling westbound on Plymouth-Goshen Trail just east of Randolph Street shortly after 6 a.m. when it left the north side of the road for an unknown reason. The report states that a vehicle struck a utility pole and caused power lines to fall on the ground. The vehicle continued a short distance into a field where it came to a stop.
Marshall County Attorney Jim Clevenger notified the commissioners on Monday morning that former Highway Superintendent Neal Haeck filed a motion recently for the return of his restitution.
Haeck was accused of stealing money from the sale of scrap metal while acting in his position held in the county in 2012 and 2013. Haeck maintained his innocence throughout the time he was accused of the action in 2014 and during his subsequent trial. He was found guilty on one count of theft during a two-day trial in March of 2016 in the matter. He was sentenced to serve one year on home detention and complete 200 hours of community service. Two years of his sentence was suspended with reporting probation. He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $12,358.41, which was paid in full to the county, plus court costs and fines. Continue reading
The Marshall County Commissioners took action Monday morning to advertise the open position of Marshall County Highway Administrator.
Laurie Baker announced her resignation from the position earlier this month. Her last day will be Dec. 29.
Commissioner Kurt Garner said he read the job description and noticed that the candidate could hold an engineer’s license. Commissioner Kevin Overmyer and Commissioner Mike Delp both agreed that hiring an engineer is not necessary.
The Marshall County Commissioners decided keep the requirement in the current golf cart ordinance that requires them to be operated only on roads that have a 35 mph speed limit or less.
Michelle Bachtel and her husband previously asked the commissioners to rescind the speed limit requirement and allow them to be driven on all roads. During that same meeting, the commissioners discussed that the speed limit was included in the ordinance for safety purposes. The initial thought was to keep the slow moving vehicles off of roads that have increased speed as a safety precaution.
The John Glenn School Board members will consider approval of early graduation for two seniors when they meet tonight. While the board members had the requests during their last meeting, the pair was not present. The board asked High School Principal William Morton to notify the students that they must appear at a board meeting to be considered for early graduation. Three similar requests were approved when students met the board earlier this month.
