Elkhart County

The Indiana State Dept. of Health has announced that aerial mosquito spraying is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday after a human case of EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis) has been diagnosed in an individual in LaPorte County. Cases among horses have been reported in LaGrange, LaPorte and Kosciusko counties. 

(You can read more below from the ISDH release on the aerial spraying plans.) 

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The National Weather Service out of North Webster, Indiana, has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down Monday night. Both were category EF-1 tornadoes. One touchdown occured six miles southwest of Wakarusa with maximum wind speeds of 110 miles per hour. The other touched down one mile north of North Webster with maximum winds of 90 miles per hour. 

The Superintendent of Elkhart Community Schools shared with staff late Thursday that he was on a call with other Elkhart County school superintendents and the Elkhart County Health Officer, Dr. Mertz.

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. (AP) — Fire officials say a fire that swept through an Amish family's livestock barn in northern Indiana killed more than 200 calves. Middlebury Fire Chief Jeff Wogoman says the barn's owner and his children were inside the barn when the fire started Wednesday afternoon, but all of them escaped without injury. Wogoman says crews brought the fire under control in about 30 minutes, but only 29 of the 270 calves that were inside the barn survived the fire. Fire officials continue investigating the cause of the barn fire in Middlebury.

Beginning Tuesday, ISDH will be offering free testing this week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the following area counties: Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange and Marshall.

The Elkhart County Health Officer has just issued new guidance on reopening schools. She is recommending that schools can offer an option to reopen for in-person instruction. In addition, Dr. Lydia Mertz will also announce today that Elkhart County will move to Stage 4.5 with the rest of the state in reopening the economy. Elkhart County had been "paused" at Stage 4 behind the rest of the state due to earlier surging COVID-19 case numbers.

This weekend Concord Schools has announced that football workouts are suspended until July 27 after a coaching staff member tested positive for the coronavirus.

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The Indiana State Dept. of Health announced it would offer more free COVID-19 testing next week in Elkhart County. Elkhart County will remain in Stage 4 through July 17 as the rest of the state moves to Stage 4.5 of the 'Back on Track' plan to reopen Indiana's economy. 

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According to the latest figures released by the Indiana State Dept. of Health on Wed., June 24 Elkhart County saw a day that tied its second highest yet for new COVID-19 cases. The county reported 101 new cases. That ties the case count on June 12.  June 17 remains the day the county saw its highest case count yet, with 112 new cases on that day. 

During Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb's regularly scheduled COVID-19 news conference Wednesday, one of the first topics addressed was the surge of COVID-19 cases being experienced in Elkhart and LaGrange Counties.

A building at Bonneyville Mill County Park in Elkhart County is framed by blossoming tree branches in WVPE's latest Photo of the Week.    

Thanks to Candice Parker of Granger  for this submission. 

The  photo was taken on Candice's drive home from work in Shipshewana on May 15th. 

Bonneyville is home to Indiana's oldest continuously operating grist mill that still produces stone-ground flour.  

Are you capturing images of spring and nature in bloom or of area landmarks? 

Email photos to wvpe@wvpe.org. 

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana man faces welfare fraud and other charges alleging that he hid his father’s body for two years so that he could cash his benefit checks.

Irvin Nicholson Jr. was charged Tuesday with three counts of felony welfare fraud and one misdemeanor count of failure to report a dead body.

Normally around this time of year, you would expect to start seeing garage sales. Warm weather is right around the corner and many people have more time to clean out their homes with the shelter in-place order.

THE LATEST: 

On the afternoon of Sunday, March 22, the Indiana State Dept. of Health announced two more coronavirus deaths in the state.

The Goshen News is reporting that Goshen Health has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Saturday Elkhart County announced its first case of the disease. Indiana State Health Dept. data so far does not reflect the additional cases in Elkhart County.

Meantime, St. Joseph County Sheriff William Redman announced on social media Sunday that, "My department is complying with Governor Eric J. Holcomb's Executive Order suspending all eviction and residential foreclosure proceedings during this state of emergency." 

Indiana Public Broadcasting has learned that a press briefing has been scheduled by the Indiana Governor's Office for Monday at noon.  The Governor's briefing will be about 15 minutes in length and will emanate from a location in front of his office doors.

A northern Indiana woman has pleaded guilty in the fatal 2018 shooting of a man whose body was dumped in a wooded area.

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Today the St. Joseph Co. Prosecutor's office released new information in the pursuit and fatal crash from Friday that followed a police chase. The driver police were chasing is still at large and has not been named, but some of the others who were riding with him have been charged. Charging documents provide some more clues as to why police may have been chasing the vehicle in the first place. The documents indicate that those who have been arrested are accused of having a role in setting up a meeting with a victim by using Tinder with a plan to to lure the victim in with the promise of exchanging sex for money, but once the victim gave over the money, to run away with it before any sexual activity took place. The victim told police he dove from his own moving vehicle for fear of being murdered. 

Indiana State Police responded to a Toll Road crash in Elkhart County on New Year's Eve morning that left a semi dangling after the cab of the truck fell onto railroad tracks below.

The Elkhart County Sheriff's Office released information via Facebook on a Christmas Day dog attack.