Marshall County Emergency Management representatives issued a Winter Storm Warning for Starke, Marshall, Elkhart and Kosiusko counties this morning. The warning will be in effect from 7 a.m EST today until 7 p.m. Monday, December 25th. They’re predicting 5 to 8 inches of total snow & strong winds may cause travel issues. Continue reading
All posts by Jacque Ryan
Marshall County Highway Department Warns Motorists to Prepare for Snowy Weather
Marshall County Highway Department reps want to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas. They say drivers should be prepared since it’s looking like it’s going to be a white one.
Due to information received about tomorrow’s snowy forecast, Marshall County Highway Department crews plan to start around 1pm tomorrow afternoon. They intend to plow and treat as many roads as possible based on amount of snow fall. Continue reading
Attorney Representing Co-Defendant in Costello Murder Case Files Plea Agreement with Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office
A plea agreement has been executed between the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office and Attorney June Bules who is representing Maeson Coffin, the co-defendant in the Richard “Paul” Costello murder case. Coffin will submit an official guilty plea to the charges of burglary, theft and auto theft in January, with the charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder dismissed.
In a statement released to the media, Marshall County Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman explained that filing a plea agreement is different than submitting a plea. He said typically, the terms of plea agreements are not made public until presented in open court at the time the defendant pleads guilty.
However, due to the “understandable intense public interest in this horrific crime,” Chipman chose to make an exception to the rule of non-disclosure of the terms after thoroughly consulting with the victim’s family about major case developments. Continue reading
Helpful Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe This Holiday Season
The holidays are a time of social gatherings with lots of decadent foods and elaborate decorations. However, what seems like a winter wonderland to humans can actually cause pets a plethora of problems.
Dr. Sandra Norman, a veterinarian with the Indiana Board of Animal Health has a few helpful tips to keep in mind this holiday season to ensure your four-legged friends stay as safe as possible. Continue reading
Culver Community School Board Members Approve Field Trip Requests
The Culver Community School Board members approved a few different field trip requests when they met earlier this week. Superintendent Karen Shuman stated that one of the requested field trips will be funded by the Parent Teacher Organization.
Shuman said, “Our PTO provides behavior incentive trips to multiple students throughout the school year and one that’s coming up at the end of January is a trip to Plymouth for our 6th graders to go bowling as a reward for them doing what they’re supposed to do in school.” Continue reading
This Special Holiday Tracker Allows Hoosiers to Keep Up With Santa’s Travels
If you and your kiddos want to keep any eye on when old St. Nick will be visiting the Hoosier state this holiday, INDOT has the perfect option for you. The organization brought back their annual “Santa Tracker” which can be accessed through certain social media sights.
This Christmas Eve, you can witness Santa stop by some Indiana landmarks, visit with INDOT staff and help spread the word about safe driving and travel tips
Local Fire Departments Team Up to Battle House Fire Near Tippecanoe Thursday Morning
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch Center confirmed that a fire broke out at a home in the 4000 block of 7B Road early Thursday morning. Tippecanoe Fire Firefighters were dispatched to the scene around 8:25 a.m.
The Argos, Bourbon and Mentone Fire Departments assisted with the incident. Mentone PD stated that their fire department responded to the call at 8:30 a.m. and cleared the scene a few hours later around 11 a.m. Continue reading
Cold Weather Preparation Tips from Plymouth Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson
Today is officially the first day of winter and as temperatures are expected to dip below freezing in the coming weeks, home owners need to take necessary precautions to avoid frozen pipes.
Plymouth Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson has a few helpful tips to help protect homes this winter season. Superintendent Davidson reported that most incidents happen at the beginning of the season since people don’t take these simple steps before the cold weather hits.
His first tip was to be sure that all hoses are disconnected and outdoor faucets are turned off. He also stressed the importance of making sure that crawlspace doors and other openings are securely shut to keep drafts from entering the home and cooling the water pipes. Continue reading
Culver Community Schools Implement New System for Assigning Substitute Teachers
A new substitute management system for staff members was recently implemented at Culver Community Schools.
Superintendent Karen Shuman told school board members Monday that the automated program has been in use for about two weeks with good results so far. Continue reading
Bus-Load of Donations Collected at Plymouth Bus Drivers’ Food Drive
When Bus Drivers for Plymouth Community Schools held their first-ever “Stuff-a-Bus” Food Drive last Saturday, it garnered great results.
At the end of the three hour food drive, the bus stationed in the parking lot of Wal-Mart had every seat filled with non-perishable goods. Additionally, $200 in cash was donated as well. All the donations were split in half and then delivered to the Bread of Life Food Pantry and the Marshall County Neighborhood Center.
Assistant Director of Transportation Brandon Berger said that Bus Driver Mark Harder proposed the unique food drive idea and served as one of the main organizers. Berger stated that due to this year’s success, they hope to make the Stuff-a-Bus non-perishable food drive an annual event.
Walkerton Substitute Teacher Charged with Sexual Misconduct with Middle School Student
According to information provided by St. Joseph County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer McKinney, 20-year-old Austin Kipp, also known as Austin Csenar, was recently charged with the Level 5 Felony of sexual misconduct with a minor.
The minor, who is at least 14 years of age but less than 16 years of age, is referred to as child victim in all the official documentation and certain information was withheld from reference to protect their anonymity.
Detective Jeremy Wright with the South Bend Police Department was assigned to the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit to investigate allegations of a substitute teacher at a Walkerton middle School engaging in sexual behavior with a student. Continue reading
Governor Eric Holcomb Responds to Resignation Letter from Department of Child Services Director
On Friday, Governor Eric Holcomb’s press secretary released a statement regarding the resignation of Department of Child Services Director Mary Beth Bonaventura. However, another statement was sent out on Monday, following the release of Bonaventura’s resignation letter.
In his initial statement, Governor Holcomb announced that after learning of her resignation, he started the search for the next leader of the ‘critical state agency.’ He also commented saying how grateful he was to Bonaventura for her five years of service and unwavering commitment to the safety of Hoosier children in the midst of a growing opoid epidemic that has impacted so many families.
In her resignation letter, Bonaventura charges that the administration has systematically slashed funding to the agency as well as damaged relationships with foster parents, placement agencies and treatment centers, according to a report by Network Indiana’s John Herrick. Continue reading
Marshall County Students Recognized as Rising Stars for Outstanding Academic Achievement
A number of students from Marshall County schools made their way onto the Indiana Association of School Principals’ list of the Rising Stars of Indiana Class of 2019.
School officials from all across the state were encouraged to nominate up to four students currently in 11th grade based on academic achievement. Juniors from Argos, Bremen, Triton and Plymouth high schools were recognized for their hard work and dedication.
At Argos Sr. High School Brock Bucker, Kalei Carlton, Kendall Carnes and Alison Overmyer were nominated. Bremen Sr. High School nominated Jackson Barnes, Kaitlyn Cullers, Evan Manges and Kaelyn Shively to represent their school corporation. In Bourbon at Triton Sr. High School, juniors recognized for their academic performance included Thomas Arndt, Kathryn Nelson, Jenna Swihart and Joshua Taylor. Continue reading
Triton School Board Grants Permission to Advertise Bids for Building Project
The Triton Schools’ building project is getting closer to the construction phase. Triton School Board members granted permission to advertise bids for the project when they met last Tuesday night.
Superintendent Donna Burroughs estimated when some of the work would be started. She stated that the heating and cooling at the elementary probably won’t begin until the summer since they will still be in session. Continue reading
Triton School Board Receives Review of 2016-2017 School Year
Triton School Board members received a review of the 2016-2017 school year from Superintendent Donna Burroughs during a meeting Tuesday night.
Burroughs explained that with the annual “scorecard presentation” she provides some information about academics, attendance and some additional scholastic details from the school year.
Triton School Board Members Approve Bid for Administration Building Carpet Project
Triton School Board members approved a bid from J. Lane Flooring and Design for a proposed carpet project in the administration building when they met Tuesday night.
The approved bid was for $7,116.25. Superintendent Donna Burroughs said the next step in the process will be to have someone from J. Lane come in and present the board members with various carpeting options. Continue reading
Triton School Board Wishes Donna Burroughs a Happy Retirement at Final School Board Meeting of the Year
Tuesday night marked Donna Burroughs’ final school board meeting as superintendent of Triton Schools.
Burroughs alerted board members of her retirement back in September and they appointed Elementary School Principal Jeremy Riffle to the position during a November board meeting. Continue reading
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, local elected and appointed officials and community leaders.
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. Continue reading
Gauvin Monaghan Sentenced to 65 Years for Murder of Paul Costello
In a Wednesday sentencing hearing in Marshall County Superior Court No.1 , Judge Robert O. Bowen sentenced 19-year-old Gauvin Monaghan to the maximum allowable sentence of 65 years for the October 2016 murder of 78-year-old Richard “Paul” Costello.
After the hearing, Marshall County Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman commented on the totality of the circumstances of the offense and the background of the defendant saying Gauvin Monaghan was a serial killer who fortunately got caught after his first murder.
According to information released by the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office, Monaghan read aloud from a letter, asking the victim’s family for forgiveness. Costello’s friends and family members filled the spectator section of the courtroom and intensely watched the proceedings.
Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman attempted to seek some kind of explanation from Monaghan of why he beat an elderly man to death, inquiring as to whether anger, money or revenge played a factor. Monaghan reportedly could only answer that he did not know why.
No other live testimony was provided by either side. Instead, the state of Indiana submitted numerous photographs depicting the viciousness of the crime and the extent of the victim’s injuries and relied upon the Victim Impact letters provided by family members and some of Paul’s friends. Continue reading
Narcotics Discovered During K-9 Sweep at Bremen High School
Narcotics were found during a K-9 search at Bremen High School earlier today. Bremen Police Department Officers teamed up with officers from the Indiana State Police and Plymouth Police department to conduct a K-9 sweep of the school’s campus.
According to representatives of the Bremen Police Department, during the course of the search, K-9s indicated on a vehicle in the high school parking lot where illegal narcotics were discovered. Continue reading
