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Saturday, January 10, 2015
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Bureau County State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann resigns
Church Women United gives back
County board chairman to choose his replacement
Gray: ‘We are so thankful to be able to reach out’
By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — For 16 years, Patrick Herrmann has served as the Bureau County’s State’s Attorney. But as the calendar turns from 2014 to 2015, things change. With significant experience in the office, Herrmann is resigning from his job as Bureau County State’s Attorney. “I just want to thank the public for their trust in me for the last 16 years,” said Herrmann. “I hope I’ve honored their trust.” On Thursday, Herrmann sent his letter of resignation to the Bureau County Board and to the Bureau County Clerk. Herrmann explained he will be stepping down as state’s attorney at the end of this month and entering into a private practice. “I’m venturing into a new territory for me,” he said. The open door interactions of the Bureau County State Attorney’s office is one thing Herrmann said he will definitely miss. The days where he thought there was not much to do, said Herrmann, wound up being his busiest. He never really knew who was going to walk into the office, whether it was going to be police officers, civilians or small town newspaper reporters. Herrmann will continue to practice law in the area. How-
By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
County Clerk’s office confirmed the next state’s attorney must be of Herrmann’s political party, which is Democrat. “I’ve enjoyed my time as state’s attorney,” said Herrmann, “It’s not an easy job;
PRINCETON — The Church Women United (CWU) of the Princeton Area gathered on Wednesday morning at The Princeton Closet resale shop to distribute its annual fund donations for 2014. The group was able to donate $122,000 to 30 local schools and organizations. The money donated was from profits raised throughout the year at the North Main Street resale shop. “The many volunteers and generous donations keep the expenses down and allow us to help others in our community in various ways,” said Pamela Gray, president of the Princeton Area CWU. “We thank God for his guidance and pray that he will continue to lead us in ways to help others.” From 2002 to 2012, the Princeton Area CWU was able to give back a total of $1 million to the community. The group is now working hard toward its next goal — $2 million. For more than 40 years, CWU of Princeton has been blessed with excess funds. The group is pleased to make donations to local organizations to further their work in the community.
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Women United Page 4
BCR photo/Zita Henneberry
Bureau County State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann sits at his desk in the Bureau County Courthouse. After 16 years as the Bureau County State’s Attorney, Patrick Herrmann handed in his letter of resignation Thursday morning. Herrmann said he will miss the regular day-to-day interactions of the office, but he looks forward to his next step into new territory. ever, he said the private practice he will be transferring to has yet to be announced. The new Bureau County State’s Attorney, said Herrmann, could be decided as early as the county board meeting next week. While Herrmann has made his suggestion as to
whom he believes should fill the position, the decision will fall to the county board chairman. With the help and consent of the county board, Chairman Dale Anderson is expected to be making the appointment this month. However, the Bureau
What a year it’s been at the Bureau County Food Pantry Increased needs expected in 2015 By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Last year, 2014, was a busy one for the Bureau County Food Pantry. On top of the day-to-day work of providing emergency food assistance to those in need, the food pantry took on several projects throughout the year to go above and beyond meeting the basic needs of individuals throughout the county. Bureau County Food Pantry Manager Vanessa Hoffeditz Year 169 No. 5 One Section - 16 Pages
© Bureau County Republican
released an annual report showing the various service projects taken on in the last year and the numbers to prove the impact of those of you who took part in the projects. “As in past years, I am thankful for the tremendous support from the communities that we service. Without the partnerships and support of the local community, we would not be able to meet the ongoing needs,” she said. “As we move forward into the new year, we hope that we will continue to meet the ever-growing needs of our community and that we will maintain and develop new partnerships to meet those needs.” In March, the food pantry
distributed 104 Easter baskets to individuals and households. Donations from the community — financial or actual food — assisted with the cost of this distribution, said Hoffeditz. During the spring and summer months, the food pantry was fortunate to have fresh produce provided by Master Gardeners, local farmers and individual “green thumbers.” “Our customers greatly appreciated these donations,” Hoffeditz said. During the weeks of July 21 and Aug. 4, the annual School Supply Distribution was held. A total of 47 bags were distributed
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Bureau County Food Pantry 2014 stats Households served: 2,023 (An increase of 143 households from 2013). Individuals served: 5,256 (An increase of 487 individuals from 2013). Breaking down those stats: Elderly: 499 individuals (65 and older) — 10 percent of total individuals served. Disabled: 1,042 individuals — 20 percent of total individuals served. Children: 1,590 (17 years
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and younger) — 30 percent of total individuals served. New, unduplicated households: 200 — 10 percent of households served. Received at the Bureau County Food Pantry in 2014: Food donations received: 29,676.5 pounds (food that was weighed) Volunteer hours: 821.50 hours Pounds of food given out: 131,400
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