Authorities in Marshall County are investigating a crash involving two cars and a tractor-trailer that saw two people airlifted to hospitals in South Bend. It happened around 9 p.m. last night on State Road 10 at U.S. 31, according to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV. A third person was transferred by ground to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth. The semi driver refused medical treatment.
All posts by Lenny Dessauer
Absentee Voting Turnout Strong
The first week of absentee voting saw quite a few voters filling out ballots for the General Election.
The Marshall County Clerk’s office had 129 absentee walk-in voters.
Absentee voting in Marshall County will be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. until Friday, Oct. 31. The clerk’s office will be open on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
The last opportunity to vote absentee in all counties is Monday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon local time.
Marshall County Council to Meet Today
The Marshall County Council members will consider several additional appropriations in their monthly meeting today.
Marshall County Superior Court No. 2 Judge Dean Colvin will request $30,000 in an additional appropriation for pauper council while Sheriff Tom Chamberlin will discuss a $3,000 request for overtime.
A request for $250,000 from the Rainy Day Fund to cover the cost of the Metronet project is on the agenda. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center recently paid that for their cost of the project which was placed into the Rainy Day Fund. The council members will now take out that money to complete payment on the project.
Marshall County EMA Director to Apply for Grant
Marshall County EMA Director Clyde Avery told the commissioners this week that the county is eligible for the Emergency Management Performance Competitive Grant, but the equipment requested in the grant may not be approved by the state.
Avery explained that he would like to reevaluate the use of the grant if the state will not approve recording equipment that Avery feels is necessary for the Emergency Operations Unit.
“The recording equipment that I had requested to purchase off this grant is apparently is not on the approved equipment list so I’m waiting to see if Indianapolis will approve that,” said Avery. “If they will not approve it, I would like to adjust the projects I’d like to do with the funding – primarily an EOC functional exercise for next year. We can test our plan to see if it’s going to work the way that we hope it’ll work if we activate the Emergency Operations Center.”
Ancilla Officials Set to Rededicate Nursing Lab
Officials with the Ancilla College nursing program will rededicate their recently overhauled clinical lab this evening. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center donated funds for the lab 10 years ago. Director Ann Fitzgerald says the school got a grant from Lilly and used the money to spruce it up.
She says they replaced the existing beds and mannequins, added another one, restocked their supplies, bought new linens and repainted. Continue reading
Burglary Incident under Investigation
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a burglary that occurred Friday morning in the 7000 block or Redwood Road.
Police say some unknown person(s) used a small metal tabled to break a window in order to get into the residence. The suspect(s) reportedly stole a 32” television and a mount for the television. No other items were missing, but it appeared the suspect(s) went through drawers in the kitchen and in the bedroom, according to a news release.
If you know anything about this incident, call the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 936-3187.
Marshall County Commissioners Approve 2015 Schedules
The Marshall County Commissioners approved the 2015 pay schedule and the 2015 holiday schedule.
Auditor Penny Lukenbill explained that the year is unique in that there are 27 pays for the year and budgets had to be moved around to accommodate that extra expense. The pay schedule begins Jan. 2.
The holiday schedule was also approved in which the county offices will be closed on Jan. 1, Jan. 19, Apr. 3, May 5, May 25, July 3, Sept. 7, Nov. 3, Nov. 11, Nov 26, Nov. 27, Dec. 24, Dec. 25. Lukenbill stated that the county will follow the state’s holiday schedule.
Jail Bond Refinancing to Save Marshall County over $630,000
The Marshall County Commissioners received some good news this week.
County Attorney Jim Clevenger told the board members that the prospective sale of the jail bonds to refinance the previous bonds went really well. Lower rates and hard work by Umbaugh and Associates and County Auditor Penny Lukenbill helped save the county $639,000.
Clevenger reminded the commissioners that they weren’t going to go through with refinancing unless the county realized a savings of at least $350,000.
Mother and Son Sentenced in Methamphetamine Case
A mother and son were sentenced in Marshall County Superior Court No. 1 on Thursday for their involvement in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Denise Dalton, 49, of Akron and her son, Keith Dalton, 22, admitted in open court that they conspired with each other and two other suspects to purchase methamphetamine precursors for a meth lab.
They were arrested in October of 2013 after purchasing pseuoephedrine and other items including Drano, ammonium nitrate in cold pack form at Walgreens and at Dollar General in Plymouth and being unwanted guests at a local hotel. Keith Dalton attempted to purchase syringes but the clerk at the pharmacy told him that syringes were only available for patients who need insulin. He then inquired about the price of insulin. He was denied the purchase as he did not have a valid prescription.
The pair pleaded guilty in identical plea agreements with the state to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. Their plea agreements called for a 10 year prison sentence with four years of the sentence suspended. Both Denise Dalton and Keith Dalton were given the opportunity to participate in intensive drug rehabilitation through the purposeful incarceration program while incarcerated. Upon their release from prison, they will be on reporting probation for one year.
Ancilla College Offers Basic Nurse Aid Course
The next basic nurse aid class at Ancilla College starts Monday. Director of Nursing Ann Fitzgerald says students will learn to work with people and take care of their daily activities, including bathing, eating and dressing. She adds a high school diploma or GED is recommended but not required. Students should be at least 18. Even though there’s no state minimum age to work as a nurse aid, Fitzgerald says many employers will not hire anyone under 18. The ability to read and write in English and basic math skills are also required. The course wraps up Nov. 22. From there Fitzgerald says students can take their certified nurse aid test. Once they pass, they can work in home health, a long-term care facility or elsewhere. Find more information online at www.ancilla.edu.
BMV Branches Will be Closed for Columbus Day Holiday
All Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches in the state will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 11 and Monday, Oct. 13 for the Columbus Day holiday.
All license branches will resume business hours on Tuesday, Oct. 14, according to Don Snemis, Commissioner of the BMV.
For a complete list of branch locations and hours, visit mybmv.com.
Marshall County Police Investigating Vehicle Theft
Authorities in Marshall County are searching for a stolen vehicle. It was taken just after 5 p.m. last night from a home in the 500 block of Thorn Road. The red 1998 Chevrolet Suburban bears the registration VPR565. It has some rusting on the back end and underneath the rear doors and a white fish symbol on the rear window. Additionally a hole in the floorboard is covered with a piece of wood. Anyone with information about the vehicle’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Marshall County Police Department at 574-936-3187.
Marshall County Commissioners Receive Update on Projects
The Marshall County commissioners received an update on the 7th Road project and the Metronet project Monday morning.
USI Consultant’s Bart Trester is the project manager and said the 7th Road project is moving along.
“The contractor has begun the soil stabilization of the sub-grade and should finish from Linden Trail to Seltenright Ditch by the end of the week. This will actually allow them to put in under drains and hopefully begin paving toward the end of the week. They won’t put surface down this year. Traffic has been running on a temporary lane allowing the contractor to construct phase two of the roundabout on Michigan Road. Traffic will be switched to phase three at the end of this week or early next week. They will be running through the center of the roundabout at this time allowing them to construct phase three which is the east side up to Zimmer Ditch,” said Trester.
BMV Mails Excise Tax Refund Notices
Some Hoosiers who have registered vehicles with the state will be getting excise tax refund notices in the mail from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles within the next 30 days. The refunds date back to 2004 and are estimated at $29 million plus interest. Continue reading
Early Morning Traffic Stop Leads to Four Arrests
An early morning traffic stop at the intersection of U.S. 31 and U.S. 30 in Marshall County landed four people in jail on drug charges. An officer with the Marshall County Police Department pulled a vehicle driven by Jerald Standifer of Bremen over for an equipment violation around 1:45 a.m. A news release indicates he was driving on a suspended ID card only. Officers also found items associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine inside the vehicle, according to the news release, and arrested Standifer and three passengers. Standifer, Caleb Z. Hollett, Ethan S. Hollett and Samantha E. Personette, all of Argos, face charges of dealing/delivering/manufacturing methamphetamine and possession of precursors. Bond is pending judicial review.
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Culver Town Council Accepts Town Manager’s Resignation
The Culver Town Council met in a special session on Monday to accept the resignation of the town manager. Dave Schoeff resigned last week and will finish his duties as manager on Oct. 17th. The council is going to advertise the position in hopes of getting someone to start at the beginning of 2015.
In other business, the Lions Club wants to lease the Vandalia Railroad Station next to the town park. The lease is up next year and the club wanted to discuss that with the board.
Speed Limit Changes Approved for Two Roads in Marshall County
The Marshall County Commissioners approved two speed limit ordinance amendments on second and final readings Monday morning.
Lincoln Highway West in Plymouth from the city limits to Pioneer Drive will be reduced to 45 mph. Safety was the driving force behind the change. The same idea was behind the reduction of the speed limit on 3B Road between Birch and Beech Roads.
The commissioners suspended the rules and adopted those ordinances. The highway department was notified to change the signs as soon as possible.
Marshall County Community Foundation Receives Lilly Endowment, Inc. Grant
The Marshall County Community Foundation has received a substantial grant for the sixth phase of the Endowment’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative.
Lilly Endowment, Inc. awarded the community foundation with a $500,000 grant that can be used for endowment building, operating support, college scholarships, special charitable and educational projects and programs, fundraising capacity building, and convening and technical assistance.
NIPSCO Projects Lower Winter Heating Bills
NIPSCO gas customers can expect to pay less to heat their homes this winter, according to the utility company’s forecast for home heating bills. Projections indicate they will be four percent lower than last year. That means an average savings of $22 over the winter heating season for residential customers. Continue reading
Absentee Voting Now Open for General Election
Voters can now vote absentee in a county clerk’s office for the November General Election.
Absentee voting in Marshall County will be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. until Friday, Oct. 31. The clerk’s office will be open on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
The last opportunity to vote absentee is Monday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon local time.
