1 Front
Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
NEWSSTAND PRICE 75¢
Weathering the weather Mother Nature dumps 15 inches in Bureau County By Zita Henneberry G oldie Currie
and
news@bcrnews.com
At 15 inches, Princeton had its largest snowfall since the 17-inch storm in February 2011, said Bob Byrne, who is with the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program. The weekend storm hit Bureau County late Saturday, Jan. 31, with light rain drizzle that eventually turned into heavy wet snowflakes. The snow continued to fall through the night and heavy into Sunday evening — putting a damper on many area Super Bowl parties. The severe winter weather created power outages throughout various parts of the county. Cornbelt Energy continued to update its Facebook page throughout the storm. Around midnight Sunday, Feb. 1, they reported about 208 co-op members were without power in Annawan, Arlington, Buda, Granville, Hennepin, Magnolia, Manlius, Marseilles, McNabb, Mineral, Oglesby, Ottawa, Sheffield, Utica and Walnut. The winter storm also forced schools, local businesses, roads and the Bureau County Courthouse to close Monday, Feb. 2. In Bureau County, Route 89 from Arlington to LaMoille, Route 92 from
Weather Page 4
BCR photo/Mike Vaughn
It was clearly a winter wonderland for some Sunday, Feb. 1, as snow began to fall Saturday, Jan. 31 and didn’t end until later Sunday evening. Fifteen inches were reported, however, drifting in some areas caused piles of snow that were much higher. With blowing snow all around, the wintry weather didn’t seem to bother these two folks traveling down the middle of South Main Street in Princeton.
Too free with freedom ... Bureau County officials oppose FOIA misuse By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
What if you were arrested on a traffic offense and suddenly a convicted murderer could access all your information? What if you were a small town police officer and that same criminal had your name and home address? What if your 18-year-old daughter was arrested on trespassing chargers and suddenly her picture and phone number were in the hands of that murderer? Would you really want your sheriff giving all that information out? Under the current Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), he would have to. The federal law enacted in the 1980s intended to make government more transparent. However, local officials say transparency can be dangerous when too much information is available to anyone. When Sheriff Jim Reed was sworn into his office, he took an oath to protect the people of Bureau County. Now, however, he is being asked to send out
people’s personal information including, names, addresses, phone numbers and pictures of Bureau County females to a convicted murderer. By law, he has to comply. Former Sheriff John Thompson fought the same requests before he left office in November of last year. After being forced to comply by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Thompson took the matter to former Gov. Pat Quinn. No action was taken to right the FOIA wrongs Thompson and Reed believe are taking place. Reed said he fully intends to continue with Thompson’s fight. Reed, Bureau County Chief Deputy Bret Taylor, Princeton Chief of Police Tom Root, Bureau County Deputy Jim Shipp and Bureau County Administrative Lt. Tim Trevier are taking a stand against what they say has become a ridiculous, and at times, dangerous policy in Illinois. The FOIA states anything that comes through the sheriff’s office, including text messages, emails, arrest or book-
FOIA Page 3
From the Ground Up! Local food initiative takes off
By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
TISKILWA — Individuals from all parts of Bureau and Putnam counties gathered last week at Menno Haven Camp for the first program presented by the Bureau/Putnam County Health Department’s new initiative, From the Ground Up! The What’s Working? local foods conference brought together area farmers, growers, master gardeners, food pantry directors, meat producers, marketers, representatives from University of Illinois Extension Office and more as each talked about the programs or farms they represent, and what they could do to help strengthen the local food system. As previously reported, From the Ground Up! is a new initiative that focuses on healthy, local and sustainable grown agricultural products in Bureau and Putnam counties to increase access; promotion and marketing; quantity; and improving quality and domestic consumption. Following the Wednesday, Jan. 27
program, Joy Kauffman, who is spearheading the new initiative, said she was thrilled with the response of the day-long event. “My only regret is that we didn’t record the day in its entirety to share more broadly,” she said. “I guess that just means that we need to hit the Bureau and Putnam county road and get this message out to as many places as will host us.” In talking about the highlights of the event, Kauffman mentioned the amount of diversity the program t together. “The group was composed of people with many gifts, but gathering with the same spirit of seeking to be part of a movement of local, healthy food for local, healthy people,” she said. “We had people seeking to impact the lives of pregnant women, young children, teens, men, families and our wonderful gray-haired gifts of wisdom.” Kauffman added she is thrilled the University of Illinois Extension, 4-H, Farm Bureau, nursing homes, school,
Ground Up! Page 4
Year 169 No. 15 One Section - 16 Pages
Our new hours beginning February 1, 2015 Lobby Mon-Fri 8:30 to 5PM, Saturday 8:30 to Noon Drive Up Mon-Thurs 7:30 to 5PM, Friday 7:30 to 6PM, Saturday 7:30 to Noon
© Bureau County Republican