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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Thursday, January 28, 2016
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Keeping the conversation going PES Board to rely on community input for future direction By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton Elementary School Board met Monday, Jan. 25, to discuss its ever-evolving finan-
Bring it on Bureau Valley is eager for more competition
cial responsibilities to each student and to dissect how they can further involve the community in such affairs. Superintendent Tim Smith said as of Dec. 31 — 50 percent of the way
through the fiscal school year — the district had $2,868,789 in the bank, as opposed to $4,055,657 at the same time in 2014. On the revenue side of the budget, the district has received 53.69 percent of
the funds allotted to them, compared to 64.78 percent as of Dec. 31, 2014. Smith said the discrepancy is primarily due to the fact the district has yet to deposit the bond issue of $2,995,000 approved
at the December board meeting. The deposit will have been made by the January meeting, which will narrow the discrepancy significantly. Otherwise the funds are similar to last year, he said.
Seeing red ...
Year 170 No. 12 One Section - 20 Pages
© Bureau County Republican
Cleaning up a confrontation By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com
grapp@bcrnews.com
Competition Page 4
Board Page 3
Wyanet Police Chief updates the situation
By G oldie R app PRINCETON — Bureau Valley wants stronger competition for its junior high students. At the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan 26, an agenda item referring to possibly merging the junior high extracurricular programs was brought to light. Board president Rick Cernovich said he asked to put the item on the agenda following discussions he heard from staff, the booster club and other community members. He said the topic was put on the agenda to give the board a heads up about the discussions in the community and provide an opportunity to discuss the idea. Board vice president Don King and board member Don DeWaele were both quick to say they weren’t ready to talk about merging the junior high extracurricular activities while not knowing the direction the schools would be going in the future. However, King brought up the issue of needing to look into possibly putting BV’s junior highs in a new, more competitive conference. King brought up scores he recently had been tracking, which showed BV beating other teams in the area with scores of 55 to 2 and 47 to 9. “My proposal would be to get our athletic directors to look into what we can do to improve the quality of play we have in all extracurricular activities,” he said.
On the expense side of the budget, Smith said they’ve used 46.35 percent of their funds, as of Dec. 31, compared to 47.80 percent the previous fiscal year.
he Northern Cardinal, the official state bird of Illinois, can be clearly seen at this time of the year, especially T with a freshly-fallen snow cover on the ground. One of America’s favorite birds, it’s distinctive color and wellknown song is clearly recognizable in one’s backyard. Illinois school children selected the cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) as the State Bird of Illinois, made official in 1929 by the Illinois General Assembly.
WYANET — In an effort to ease the minds of concerned residents, Wyanet Police Chief Todd Marquez provided an update on the situation involving a Wyanet male being sent to the hospital from injuries sustained in a confrontation. On Monday, Jan. 18, a Wyanet male was approached by three subjects with bandanas on their faces while at his residence. The subjects confronted the victim, leaving him with injuries to his head and face that required medical attention at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton and then OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Marquez had previously shared that multiple individuals have been arrested in relation to the case, and he wanted to reiterate more charges are pending as the case remains under investigation. “On Tuesday, Jan. 26, a 17-year-old juvenile was taken into custody and charged with his alleged part in the incident,” Marquez said. “There was also a warrant issued for another juvenile that was picked up last night, Jan. 26, and also charged with his alleged part in the incident.” Marquez said with great sincerity he really appreciates the patience of not only the citizens of Wyanet but also the victim and his family, as investigations like this take a lot of time to resolve. He reported he’s received several phone calls with pertinent information in reference to witnesses and so forth.
Confrontation Page 2