Hamlet Man Charged in Accidental Shooting

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

A Hamlet man was booked into the Marshall County Jail on Sunday after an accidental shooting incident in Marshall County at the end of January.

According to court documents, David J. Paulson, 35, and a four-year-old child were in a vehicle traveling west on U.S. 30 and Beech Road in Bourbon on Jan. 31 when the child allegedly picked up a loaded .40 caliber handgun from a pocket Paulson’s coveralls in the backseat of the vehicle. The handgun discharged and Paulson suffered a wound to the back of his right upper arm.

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Marshall County Commissioners to Meet Today

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The Marshall County Commissioners will meet today with a full agenda.

Plymouth Airport Director Dave Lattimer will present the airport board’s capital improvement plan while Superior Court II Judge Dean Colvin will appear with a video arraignment discussion. Clerk Deb Vandemark will discuss the KnoxInk E-pollbook with the commissioners.

County Attorney Jim Clevenger will present an ordinance and a resolution for approval. The final reading of the pre-pay ordinance will be considered. A tax certificate sale is expected to be signed. The tax certificate sale is scheduled for this spring.

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Ancilla College Officials Finalizing Residence Hall Construction Plans

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

Ancilla College officials hope to break ground on the school’s first residence hall within the next three to four weeks. Vice President of Development Todd Zeltwanger says the school’s board of trustees approved the construction late last year.

“By August we hope to have a three-story residence hall with about 96 beds ready for occupancy for students from all over the area to come and live on campus and experience Ancilla College in a whole new way,” Zeltwanger said. Continue reading →

Presidents’ Day May Affect Government Operations

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

Today is Presidents’ Day. Presidents’ Day is set aside to honor George Washington. The holiday was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday on Feb. 22, but the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February on Jan. 1, 1971 by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

The United States Postal Service will not be processing or delivering mail today. The Pulaski County Courthouse and government offices will be closed to observe the federal holiday. Starke County and Marshall County government offices will be open.

Some schools are using this day as a make-up day for instruction missed due to inclement weather.

Hazardous Weather Snarls Traffic

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

Lake effect snow had a bad effect on travel this weekend.

Emergency personnel responded to several slide-offs and many couldn’t get to their targets due to heavy blowing and drifting snow. Many deputies responding to accidents had zero visibility as they attempted to help motorists. Starke and Marshall County Emergency Management Agencies had to confer with county officials to enact travel status advisories.

As of Sunday afternoon, Marshall County officials have downgraded the travel advisory to an advisory level which means routine travel or activities may be hazardous and individuals should use caution.

Travelers along U.S. 2 in LaPorte County were stranded and were led to the New Prairie High School for shelter.

Travel Advisory Initiated in Marshall County

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The Marshall County Commissioners have initiated a warning level travel advisory, which is the highest level of local travel advisory. During a warning level travel advisory, travel is restricted to emergency personnel only.

Individuals are directed to refrain from all travel, comply with necessary emergency measures, cooperate with public officials and disaster services force in executing emergency operations plans, and obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

Winter Weather Advisory in Effect

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

Marshall and Starke Counties are under a winter weather advisory until 7 a.m. ET Sunday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting snow accumulation between one and four inches, but due to the nature of lake effect snow those totals may vary. Snow bands may set up and create further accumulations. Northwest winds could gust as high as 45 mph that will result in significant blowing and drifting snow with reduced visibilities. Wind chills will drop to dangerous levels below zero.

Officials are urging motorists to take extreme caution when traveling today.

Culver Wind Ordinance Tabled Amid Uncertain Language

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The matter was heard on first reading when they last met, but the Culver Town Council ran into additional problems with their wind energy ordinance when it came back for a vote.

The Town has been working to craft an amendment to the zoning ordinance focusing on Wind Energy Conversion Systems for some time. The proposal has run into problems with residents on a consistent basis.
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Culver Winter Fest Continues Today

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

snowflakesCulver residents are welcoming neighbors into town this weekend for the Culver Winter Fest.

Start things off this morning with the Lion’s Club pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., an ice carving demonstration is at noon and a free ice fishing camp for kids is at 1 p.m.

Tomorrow, the NAIFC Ice Fishing Tournament begins at 8 a.m. Weigh-in is at 2 p.m. The Lion’s Club will have lunch available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Culver Beard Club Polar Plunge is at 3 p.m.

Sledding and ice skating is free all weekend long.

If you need more information, call 1-800-626-5353 or visit www.culverchamber.com.

State Revenue Sources Fall Short, Wagering Beats Estimates

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The state of Indiana has gained a bit of revenue for January compared to the previous year, but fell short of revised estimates.

According to the monthly revenue report from the State Budget Agency, General Fund revenues were $1.3-billion in January. That’s 2.4-percentage points above revenue collected for the same period last year. Those figures are still below estimates for the 2015 fiscal year published in December.
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State Parks Seeking Volunteer Campground Hosts

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

Enjoy free camping at Indiana state parks and reservoir properties in exchange for doing volunteer work. Hosts work a minimum of 20 hours per week and do tasks like cleaning fire rings and restrooms, painting signs, picking up trash and welcoming and assisting campers. Volunteer periods vary at sites based on the number of applicants and amount and type of work needed. Continue reading →

IDEM Offers Free Earth Day Presentations For Schools

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

Hoosier schools can celebrate Earth Day by scheduling a presenter from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to visit with their students. They will talk about their careers and share lessons about air, land and water quality. The interactive presentations are between 30 and 50 minutes long and include interactive activities like building an edible landfill or “Environmental Jeopardy.” They will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis from April 6-17. Each school may request up to four presentations.

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K9 Assisted Drug Investigation Leads to Two Arrests

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer
Tiffany Frazier
Tiffany Frazier
Jeffery Dickson
Jeffery Dickson

A man and a woman face numerous drug charges after officers from the Hamlet Police Department and Starke County Sheriff’s Department reportedly found a one-pot meth lab and more inside their residence Wednesday afternoon. They were investigating a report of drug activity at the Hamlet Apartments at 205 South Main Street, according to officials with the Hamlet P.D. They say the residents agreed to a search of the apartment, and Starke County Sheriff’s Department K9 Terror indicated narcotics were present. The officers reportedly found a one-pot meth lab, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, drug precursors and paraphernalia. Continue reading →

Marshall County Council Approves Chief Deputy Coroner Job Description

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The Marshall County Council approved a recommendation from the personnel committee to include a job description for the chief deputy coroner in the handbook, a task that has been pending for a long time.

The position description submitted includes duties, job requirements, responsibilities, and physical effort. The chief deputy coroner is a part-time position and is appointed by the coroner. The appointee is responsible for assisting in investigating and certifying cause and manner of death in any suspicious, unusual or unnatural human death.

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Prosecuting Attorneys Support Amendment to Meth Bill

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

There is support for an amendment to a bill that would help prosecutors attack the epidemic of methamphetamine labs and the dangers that meth production impose on residents.

The amendment to Senate Bill 536 sponsored by Senator Brent Steele targets meth production by making ephedrine and pseudoephedrine schedule IV controlled substances. The pills would only be available by a doctor’s prescription.

Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold told the Indiana Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law this week that the production of meth is a greater issue to law enforcement and the public. According to statistics in an Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council press release, it takes an Indiana State Police mobile lab eight hours to dispose of a lab at a cost of $160,000. The local fire department is usually on standby in case the volatile chemicals explode. If a meth lab is in a rented house or apartment, the dwelling must be decontaminated. It could be too costly for the landlord to clean up so then the structure would be deemed a blighted property.

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Riverside Intermediate Students Teach Others about Climates

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The sixth-grade students at Riverside Intermediate School in Plymouth presented information about different climates in the world Thursday afternoon. The students set up different stations in three different rooms to tell fellow students, parents and teachers about their specific knowledge about the region.

Zane Cooper, a Project Based Learning (PBL) educator at the school, said the students set up the areas just like the regions they are studying.

“They’re explaining the colder sections of the world like the tundra icecaps, a Mediterranean climate, and some of the warmer areas like the desert,” said Cooper. “We’re really focusing on all of those different climate regions of the world. We’ve separated it by classroom to make it a progression as you go from one room to the other.”

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Triton School Board Discusses Additional Preschool Program, Combining Services

Posted on Author Lenny Dessauer

The Triton School Board learned this week that two students wish to start a peer helper program as a service project. The board appreciated the presentation and were proud of the leadership initiative, according to Superintendent Donna Burroughs.

Burroughs told MAX 98.3 FM News that the board is considering the addition of a preschool program next school year. The program would be shared with the other schools who participate in the special education program.

Burroughs also commented that the board will be looking to share services with other corporations to help with the lack of funding. The Corporation hosted a presentation on the lack of funding for schools late last year. She stated in a previous interview that the biggest catalyst in the lack of funding is the state takeover of the General Fund, which pays salaries, insurance, and operating costs. Burroughs said the Triton School Corporation is receiving $1.7 million less than it did ten years ago.

No decisions were made at this week’s meeting.