FAFSA Forms Now Available

January 4, 2016AuthorMichael Gallenberger

 

Students interested in going to college this fall can start applying for financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for next school year is now available.

Ancilla College Director of Financial Aid Marcy Hopple says there’s no obligation to attend college but students who may be thinking about it need to start filling out the form soon to be eligible for the most money if they decide to go. “They need to be completing it by the March 10 deadline, which is the Indiana state filing deadline and they need to include at least one Indiana school on their application in order to be considered for Indiana grants,” she says.

She recommends that all prospective college students file the FAFSA, whether they think they need financial aid or not, “The form is free to file. You’re still eligible for aid. There is aid available for students that don’t have need. That would be available in the form of a student loan or a parent loan. So there are other resources that are available for those that think their income’s too high.”

In order to fill out the form, students and their families should have their financial information and tax forms ready, or they can complete the FAFSA by estimating what their income is going to be. To fill out the FAFSA or to find more information, visit fafsa.gov.

Additionally, Hopple says Ancilla is planning a few events to provide additional information to prospective students, “On Wednesday, January 20, we will be at Knox High School starting at 6 p.m. Central Time. We will be giving a more in-depth presentation. And again in March, we will have the FAFSA Filing Workshops free on-campus. We will post those on our website.”

For more information on those events, visit Ancilla.edu.

1/12/2016 Magical Moments with Tabitha

Painting fun on an 8x10 canvas for $10. Fee includes all materials, instruction and light refreshments. 

The 2nd Tuesday of each month, 6-8 p.m. CST. 

RSVP to the North Judson-Wayne Township Public Library at 574-896-2841 or call Tabitha Dillner at 219-314-2030. 

Class size is limited.

Quote of the Month - January 2016

North Judson Council Makes Board Appointments

December 24, 2015AuthorMichael Gallenberger

The North Judson Town Council took steps Monday to decide which of its members will represent the town on various boards.

Wendy Hoppe has been reappointed as the council’s representative on the Starke County Economic Development Foundation Board of Directors. The council also plans to appoint newly-elected member Nathan Bradley to the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission but tabled the discussion until he officially takes office.

North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the town has also had its budget approved by the Department of Local Government Finance, although transfers to the town’s Rainy Day Fund still need approval.

The town council will meet one final time in 2015 on Wednesday morning at 8:00 to close the books on the year.

Congratulations to Debbie Bolen!

Coroner Space Scrapped from Old Jail Renovatoins

December 23, 2015AuthorMary Perren, WKVI 

The extensive renovations of the old Starke County Jail in downtown Knox will not include space for the coroner. The county council and commissioners made that decision Monday night when they formally agreed to proceed with reconfiguring that building for the probation department and Starke County Community Corrections.

Money left over from building the new jail will be used for the project, along with $100,000 from community corrections. Those funds were offered on the condition that the existing sally port space will be turned into a conference room. That area was being eyed as a permanent location for the coroner.

County officials had discussed enclosing the recreation area at the jail for use by the coroner, but scrapped that idea due to the expense. No final decisions have been made about where to put an office and body storage and viewing area, but the possibility of building a pole barn-type structure on the 22-acre jail site east of Knox was discussed. County officials agreed that could be done fairly quickly and inexpensively by a local contractor or contractors.

Work on the old jail renovations is expected to start in the spring. The commissioners told coroner Dannie Hoffer the sally port upgrades can be done closer to the end in hopes they won’t have to relocate his department.

Historically one of the county’s funeral directors has served as the coroner and used his own facilities, so the need for morgue space only became an issue recently.

North Judson Moves Ahead with Water Tower Project

December 23, 2015AuthorMichael Gallenberger

The Town of North Judson is moving ahead with efforts to rehabilitate its two water towers. The Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission had determined the town was eligible to receive grant funding for the work.

Last week, representatives from KIRPC and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs visited North Judson to review the terms of the potential grant. Now, the next step is to choose an engineering firm to do the work. Clerk-Treasurer Donna Henry says the town had gotten six proposals by Monday’s deadline. During its meeting Monday, the town council formed a committee to review the proposals and recommend an engineering firm. That committee will consist of council members Jane Ellen Felchuk and Justin Davis, as well as town superintendent Marshall Horstmann.

Starke County Council Approves Budget Cuts

December 22, 2015AuthorMary Perren, WKVI 

Starke County’s 2016 budget is in balance after action by the council during a special-called Monday afternoon meeting. They found out last week the state slashed their submitted budget by more than half a million dollars.

Prior to the meeting, Auditor Kay Chaffins compared each department’s proposed 2016 spending with their 2015 actual expenditures and came up with a list of potential cuts. They ranged from lows of $1,000 each for the recorder and auditor’s offices to almost $122,000 slashed from the commissioners budget. Most of that cut was due to a one-time reduction in health insurance premium costs.

Council members reluctantly shifted some of the general fund operating expenses for the jail to the dedicated county economic development income tax raised to pay for the new building. The council noted this is not a long-term solution, as that money will run out once the jail bond is paid off and the tax sunsets in 2033.

The council cut a total of $566,541 from the general fund budget. That’s a reduction of almost 9 percent. Additional cuts were made to the reassessment, cumulative bridge, health department and cumulative capital development funds, for a total overall budget reduction of more than $806,000.

Knox BZA Clears Way for Tractor Supply

December 22, 2015AuthorWKVI

Tractor Supply Company was granted a special use variance by the City of Knox Board of Zoning Appeals Monday night. The company plans to occupy the portion of the building in the Knox Mall that formerly housed Alco.   On a unanimous vote the board granted the variance so Tractor Supply Company could use outdoor storage and sales displays beyond what the current ordinance allows.

David Howicz, president of Legend Realty Services Inc., represented the company at the meeting and said the Tractor Supply Company would be adding 15,000 square feet of outside storage and sales displays on the south end of the building. Another 1,000 square feet will be used in front of the building, and 3,000 square feet will be used in the parking lot. Small pull behind trailers will be stored in the parking lot space. The 15,000 square feet will be fully paved and fenced in with a chain link fence.

Marcy Wood, vice president of CBRE Brokerage Services represented the Knox Mall at the public hearing.

No objections to the request were heard from the public. Former businessman Jerry Cole stated that he was pleased to see Tractor Supply Company come to the community. “I feel that it will benefit all of us, and be a real benefit to Knox,” he said. Attorney Steve Dodge also offered his support for the request.

Tractor Supply Company has stores in Plymouth, Valparaiso and La Porte in the immediate area.

Christmas Cartoon