Trash

GOSHEN - 2 workers at a well-known Goshen kids consignment store had to be taken to the hospital because of some suspicious trash dumped behind their building. Shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, police were called to 4024 Elkhart Rd behind Once Upon A Child. That's where officers found items in the trash that were used to make methamphetamine. The State Police Meth cleanup team was called into action. 2 Once Upon A Child employees went to the hospital to be checked out. No suspects are in custody.

MISHAWAKA — Candlewood Apartment complex avoided a citation this morning after trash that had accumulated in Dumpsters for more than a week was collected. The complex was at risk of being cited by Mishawaka Code Enforcement because of the trash situation. George Obren, Code Enforcement director, said that after inspecting the property Thursday morning, he was pleased with the cleanup and did not have to write a citation. Waste Management, the company hired to pick up trash at the apartments, emptied trash receptacles Wednesday afternoon.

ELKHART — The manager of a car wash made an interesting discovery in a trash can at the business. There were $250 worth of counterfeit bills, primarily ones and fives, in the trash at Super Wash, 25062 County Road 6, according to a news release from the Elkhart Police Department. The paper was of a low quality, the release states, and many of the serial numbers on the bills were the same. Police issued a warning to businesses to ensure they check all bills they accept.

A place meant to be a donation center has turned into an illegal dumping hot spot, and the Salvation Army is stuck footing the bill. It's the Salvation Army donation bin in the 2900 block of 11th Street in Niles. Even though it is a high-traffic area, Salvation Army officials say people have been dumping more trash than treasure. "A lot of trash. People dumping their junk, unused stuff out here that should go to the landfill," said Niles resident John Crull as he offloaded a truck full of legitimate donations.

NORTH WEBSTER - A Warsaw man was seriously hurt Wednesday while he was trying to burn some trash. Kosciusko County police say 31-year-old Toby Jackson was using gasoline to attempt to burn the trash when fire exploded back to the gas can and then onto him. Jackson told police he was at a home somewhere on Backwater Road near North Webster and was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw by his mother. He was then moved to the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center in Fort Wayne where he was in serious condition with 2 nd degree burns to his arms and neck and 3 rd degree burns to his hands.

The homeowner thought a trash fire was out and he went inside his home late Wednesday afternoon. A short time later he went outside and discovered the grass on fire. When firefighters arrived about 4:30 p.m., the fire had spread to a garage and the house in the 71000 block of Tharp Lake Road. Despite the fact several departments battled the fire for roughly two hours, the house and garage were a complete loss, Michael Holdeman, Southeast Public Safety Authority chief, told WSBT.

Fire caused roughly $11,000 to a vacant house in the 500 block of West Carlton Avenue Sunday evening. An Elkhart Fire Department report indicates firefighters were called at 8:04 p.m. and 12 minutes later, the fire was under control. Fire investigator Kent Stouder reported a pile of trash and clothing were set on fire on a den floor on the house’s first floor. The back door to the house was found standing open by firefighters. The house had been vacant about two years, Stouder’s report noted, and the city’s Code Enforcement had cited the property several times.

SOUTH BEND — Behind Barbara Brown’s tidy backyard is a giant pile of trash, left behind by strangers apparently too lazy to go to the dump. The debris includes a full-size sofa, ceiling tiles, window blinds, countertop pieces, and cardboard tubing. The items were dumped near Brown’s back alley. But Brown’s not just angry at those who dumped the trash. She’s also mad that the city of South Bend might charge her to have the heap taken away. “Why should I have to pay for this?

SOUTH BEND — To Barbara Brown's relief, the City of South Bend picked up a pile of debris outside her backyard for no charge Tuesday. In a March 24 Tribune story, Brown complained that the city might charge her to haul away the heap, which was dumped in her yard by strangers. The pile included a full-size sofa, window blinds, cardboard tubing, countertop pieces, ceiling tiles and other items. The Department of Solid Waste offers one free large-item pick-up per month per resident.

FORT WAYNE - A major Indiana highway shutdown for more than eight hours after a truck that police say was carrying meth-trash rolled over. A company that contracts with state police to handle meth materials was headed south on I-69 near Fort Wayne to dispose of the trash when the driver lost control, slid off the road, and rolled his truck spilling the cargo all over the road. The meth trash was in 181 buckets. Only two broke open, but the contents were sealed.

MICHIGAN CITY-- Recent rains have created an emergency situation at Karwick Nature Preserve in Michigan City. This area you see used to be a city dump.    The heavy rainfall has eroded parts of the bank and you now see garbage along Trail Creek.  Now,  crews from the Sanitary District of Michigan City are working to fortify the banks in an effort to keep trash from falling into the creek and later, into Lake Michigan. Crews worked Sunday and Monday to address the problem but there is still more to be done.    The sanitary district and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources don't believe any trash has polluted Trail Creek but they are working on a more long-term solution to make sure it stays that way. From a canoe you can get an up close look at what crews are doing to stop dump debris from getting into Trail Creek.    Nets along the edge are designed to catch any loose trash while piles of rocks create a barrier between the bank and the water.

NORTH WEBSTER - Police say a Warsaw man who told them he was seriously hurt Wednesday while trying to burn some trash was actually injured when a meth lab exploded. Kosciusko County police responded to the emergency room at Kosciusko Community Hospital after 31-year-old Toby Jackson was driven there by his mother with severe burns. Jackson told police he was using gasoline to attempt to burn the trash when fire exploded back to the gas can and then onto him. Jackson was reluctant to give them an exact location where the accident happened, say police.

NORTH WEBSTER - A Warsaw man was seriously hurt Wednesday while he was trying to burn some trash. Kosciusko County police say 31-year-old Toby Jackson was using gasoline to attempt to burn the trash when fire exploded back to the gas can and then onto him. Jackson told police he was at a home somewhere on Backwater Road near North Webster and was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw by his mother. He was then moved to the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center in Fort Wayne where he was in serious condition with 2 nd degree burns to his arms and neck and 3 rd degree burns to his hands.

GOSHEN - 2 workers at a well-known Goshen kids consignment store had to be taken to the hospital because of some suspicious trash dumped behind their building. Shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, police were called to 4024 Elkhart Rd behind Once Upon A Child. That's where officers found items in the trash that were used to make methamphetamine. The State Police Meth cleanup team was called into action. 2 Once Upon A Child employees went to the hospital to be checked out. No suspects are in custody.

ELKHART -- There were some tense moments for a trash truck driver in Elkhart early Monday morning. According to police, the sanitation worker was emptying a dumpster in the 2700 block of Emerson Drive just after 6 a.m. That's when the worker noticed a person, who was reportedly sleeping in the dumpster, was dumped into the trash truck. Emergency responders were called to the scene to check over the person who was dumped into the truck, but the person reportedly did not suffer any injuries.

ELKHART - The city of Elkhart is in for some deep budget cuts, which include keeping police and firefighters at home -  unpaid. Next year's controversial spending plan still has to pass the Common Council, but it looks like these reductions will become a reality. It's a tough reality for that community, which has pitted Mayor Dick Moore against some members of the council. Both say these cuts could've been avoided. The news is just sinking in on Main St. where folks are learning of the mayor's plan to keep some first responders at home unpaid as a way to save money.

ELKHART - The first step in making residents pay for trash collection has been taken in Elkhart. The mayor is proposing the fee to help balance the budget. It would mean residents would pay $11.35 a month, starting in January for trash pickup. The City Council heard the plan on first reading Monday night. A public meeting is now in the works, and the issue could come up for a vote at the next regular council meeting in two weeks. The move is in response to a large drop in property tax revenue in the city.

SOUTH BEND - South Bend police are investigating a string of trash fires on the city's west side. Most happened in a pair of alleys in the 500 blocks of  Meade and Kaley Streets late Saturday night. They started one after another, damaging property, indicating it may have been arson. Most of the fires were put out quickly. WSBT spoke with a neighbor who said a police officer told him they were investigating several incidents of trash piles or plastic city trash containers that were set on fire.