A Knox woman was flown to a South Bend hospital Thursday night after a head-on collision in Marshall County. It happened on 9th Road west of Sycamore Road just before 10 p.m. EDT. Police say a vehicle driven by Brittany Roxey, 26, of Knox was eastbound behind a car driven by Brittany Orr, 26, of Grovertown, pulled out to pass and hit a sport-utility vehicle driven by David Holdread, 51, of Knox, head-on. Continue reading
Plymouth Woman Arrested on Theft, Fraud Charges
A Plymouth woman was arrested this week after an investigation into an unauthorized use of a credit card.
The investigation started on Thursday, Oct. 9 when Plymouth Police Department officers received a call from the victim who told police that transactions in excess of $1,000 were charged to the victim’s debit/credit card in a three month period.
Kristen Hayes, 42, was questioned about the alleged transactions on Oct. 22. She was subsequently arrested on preliminary charges of credit card fraud and theft.
She was booked into the Marshall County Jail with a $1,500 cash bond.
Metronet Project Nearly Finished, Jail Bond Paperwork Finalized
Marshall County Attorney Jim Clevenger told the commissioners this week that the paperwork for the Metronet project is complete.
There were some endorsements and fees that were added to the paperwork that couldn’t be avoided. The conduit installation is nearly finished.
The bonds for the jail project were closed on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The lease amendment was recorded and sent to the state.
Clevenger told the board members at the last meeting that the prospective sale of the jail bonds to refinance the previous bonds found lower rates. Umbaugh and Associates predicted a possible $500,000 in payments, but the bond refinancing helped save the county $639,000.
Marshall County Highway Department Crews Busy this Summer
The Marshall County Highway Department was busy this summer with the road program.
Supervisor of County Highways Jason Peters told the commissioners Monday morning that crews were able to chip and seal 38 to 40 miles of roads this year.
“We pugged right around five-and-a-half miles, we paved a little over two-and-a-half miles. We used about 2,000 tons of milling for paving. We used about 1,500 ton of that for miscellaneous patching here and there. Roughly 1,000 to 1,500 ton we used for patching which offsets a tremendous amount of money in years to come as far as buying cold mix,” said Peters.
Culver Community Schools Applies for State Grant
The Culver Community School Corporation is seeking a $52,747 grant from the state for retention incentives for highly effective teachers. The purpose of the state grant is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and districts improve teacher and principal quality and effectiveness. Evaluations of the teachers determine who receives part of the grant as a bonus. Director of Operations Chuck Kitchell says if the grant is received, a portion of the grant will be set aside.
“About $6,000 of that money we would like to set aside to help with professional development activities for our teachers,” said Kitchell.
Recovering Addict Shares Story With Local Students
With sobriety, anything is possible. That’s the message addict turned triathlete Todd Crandell is sharing with students in Starke and Marshall Counties during Red Ribbon Week. He first tried alcohol when he was 13. Crandall says his life was” normal on the outside” but he was pretty emotionally distraught due to his Mom’s suicide 10 years earlier due to her struggles with addiction.
“I had a giant void that I was looking for something to fill it with, and unfortunately trying alcohol at age 13 was the catalyst for the next 13 years of destruction,” Crandall said.
He says he used “anything I could get my hands on” to try to numb the pain. Continue reading
Marshall County Museum and Weidner School of Inquiry Honor Local Veterans
The Marshall County Museum and the Weidner School of Inquiry recently teamed up to digitally record stories of World War II veterans. The Museum staff contacted nearly 40 known veterans and high school students to schedule face to face interviews. The students generated questions from researching the era and videotaped the conversations. A composite DVD of the interviews was produced by the students to give to each interviewee and to also become part of the Museum’s military exhibit. Executive Director Linda Rippy says the students got into the project and bonded really well with the veterans.
Suspicious Backpack Leads to Warrant Arrest
A man was arrested on a warrant for attempted manufacture of methamphetamine after a suspicious backpack was found in his car after an accident.
Brandon Adkins, 29, was injured in the accident on Michigan Road near 3rd Road on Sunday afternoon and was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for treatment.
Marshall County deputies conducted a routine search of his vehicle and they found a suspicious backpack, according to a news release. The Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Suppression Team was called to process the contents of the backpack. Marshall County Superior Court No. 1 Judge Robert O. Bowen reviewed a probable cause affidavit and a warrant was issued for Adkins’ arrest.
Commissioners Approve and Adopt Road Vacation Ordinance
The Marshall County Commissioners held a public hearing Monday morning concerning the vacation of a portion of 3B Road between Quince and Olive Roads.
Plan Director Ralph Booker explained that the request went before the plan commission at their recent meeting. The members of the plan commission found findings of fact that the conditions have changed in order to defeat the original purpose of the road, there is a public interest to vacate the road and the value of the road will not be diminished with the vacation of the road.
The road is grass-covered, not paved, and is surrounded by farm land and timber. The road is maintained by the adjoining landowners.
Booker said the request was brought forth by the Daniel and Beth Cashen who own property along a portion of the road.
“The request was to vacate from Quince Road all the way to the east end of the Cashens’ property,” said Booker. “At the east end, the deal was that the Cashens’ would give a portion of ground for a 120 foot cul-de-sac in which 3rd Road would truncate. The Cashens are in the process and have received a building permit for a new home so we’ve given it an address of 14755 3B Road.”
There was one opposition to the road vacation and a letter was submitted to the plan commission by Pike Lumber that summarized their opinion. The company has access from Quince Road going east along 3B Road. The access road is used by employees to inspect forest land, harvest timber and to control the deer population with deer reduction events. Officials believe that access to this road would be restricted if the commissioners would approve the road vacation request.
The plan commission approved an ordinance that only allows the vacation of the road along the Cashens’ property. The commissioners also approved that ordinance. The rules were suspended and the ordinance was approved on all three readings to adopt the ordinance.
Balanced Calendar Public Forum Set for Culver Community Schools
Culver Community Schools will host a public forum on Nov. 3rd at 6 p.m. ET to discuss the pros and cons of a balanced calendar. Rochester School Corporation Superintendent Janna Vance, plus a principal and a teacher from the school will be at the Culver High School auditorium to talk about the balanced schedule.
The board will then meet afterward to decide whether or not to switch to balanced calendar.
A balanced calendar still provides the state-mandated 180 days of classroom instruction. School would start about a week or a week-and-a-half earlier than it does now and end at the beginning of June. The schedule would also feature two-week breaks for remediation and vacation in the fall and spring.
Check Addresses of Sex Offenders before Halloween
Parents should be aware of who is living in the area before taking children trick-or-treating.
Online tools are available to learn the location of sex offenders in a certain area.
There are currently 35 registered sex offenders in Starke County, 21 sex offenders listed in Pulaski County, 88 offenders in Marshall County and 183 sex offenders in LaPorte County.
Learn the addresses of these offenders before children go out to avoid these homes.
Jefferson Street Bridge Rehabilitation Continues
The repairs to the Jefferson Street Bridge in Plymouth are on schedule.
Supervisor of County Highways Jason Peters told the Marshall County Commissioners on Monday morning that work is nearly done on the west side of the bridge.
“They’re actually hoping to have that end of the bridge done by Friday. Of course it will be closed for probably a week before that end will all be said and done. Then, they’ll start on the east end. On the east end, they do have the sidewalk off. I think, in previous years, they must have actually cut a hole in the cement and filled it with cement and it actually ran down on the gas line,” Peters said.
State Awards Grant to Culver Town Council
The town of Culver is the recipient of a sizeable grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The $500,000 grant will go toward the town’s proposed new water treatment plant. Continue reading
Area Hospitals Prepared for Ebola Virus
Hospital officials are taking steps to ensure they can fight the Ebola virus if it enters the area.
The Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, with hospitals in Mishawaka and Plymouth, released a statement where they assured the residents that they are prepared to respond to the Ebola virus with care.
According to a statement on their website, SJRMC officials they say that clinicians are well trained to identify, to care for and to monitor potentially high-risk patients and provide treatment in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s infectious disease procedures.
2015 Distinguished Young Woman Named
Kylie Mason has been named the 2015 Distinguished Young Woman of Triton.
Kylie was crowned on Saturday night, October 18th. Award winners pictured are: 1st runner-up Makayla Musilli, 2nd runner-up Arianna Nelson, 3rd runner-up Rachael Chickering, Spirit of Junior Miss Award winner Kayla Burkett.
The talent award winner was Rachael Chickering. The Fitness Award winner was Makayla Musilli and Scholastic Achievement award winner was Lillie Berger. Self-expression award winner was Makayla Musilli.
Traffic Stop Leads to Warrant Arrest
A Friday night traffic stop in Marshall County for an equipment violation ended with a trip to jail after officers learned the driver was wanted in another county. A Marshall County Police Patrolman pulled a vehicle driven by Preston Smith over on Lincoln Highway near Tulip Road at 7:19 p.m. Smith was driving without having received a license, according to a police department news release. He was also wanted on a St. Joseph County warrant for sexual misconduct.
Absentee Voting Picking up for General Election
Absentee voting is still available to those who will not be available to go to the polls on Election Day.
Marshall County has recorded a total of 353 of absentee votes so far.
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 Commissioners to Meet Today
The Marshall County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a vacation of part of a road when they meet at 9:30 a.m. ET today.
A portion of roadway on 3B between Olive and Quince is being considered for vacation. A petition has been completed and sent to the landowners for approval by the plan commission. The plan commission drew up an ordinance pertaining to this property which will be up for the public hearing this morning.
The commissioners will also hear a quarterly update from Building Inspector Chuck DeWitt and reports from Highway Administrator Laurie Baker and County Attorney Jim Clevenger.
Ancilla College to Offer Valedictorian-Salutatorian Scholarship in 2015
Ancilla College is rewarding students who finish at the top of their class.
Beginning in 2015, Ancilla college will be offering free tuition scholarships to top graduates from Marshall, Fulton, Porter, Pulaski, Jasper, Starke, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties.
President Ken Zirkle said top students can get their college journey started with the Valedictorian-Salutatorian Scholarship. The college will offer as much as $13,500 each year to local graduates who graduated at the top of their high school class and commit to attend Ancilla College. Local salutatorians will be offered up to $10,000 in free tuition.
Burning Leaves? Use Caution
With the arrival of fall, leaves are starting to gather in yards and it’s time for the removal of those leaves.
Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost asks you to be cautious if you plan to burn leaves on your property.
“First of all, try not to burn on a windy day,” said Pfost. “It seems like that’s when we have the most fires is when it’s really windy. Choose a calm day. Also, make sure you’re compliant with local ordinances. Have a water source and try not to burn outside of what you can handle. Don’t burn after dark.”
