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Thursday, February 5, 2015
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No marijuana for Bureau County
Medical marijuana cultivation site will be in Oglesby By Ken Schroeder Shaw Media Services
Bureau County missed the brass ring on the medical marijuana merry-go-round. The contract for the medical marijuana cultivation facility for Illinois State Police District 17 went to GTI Clinic Holding LLC, the parent company of Green Thumb Industries (GTI). GTI’s proposed production site is directly south of the Love’s Travel Stop and Country Store truck stop on Interstate 39 in Oglesby. Contracts were awarded by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday, Feb. 2. Bureau County residents’ closest dispensary will be run
by Pharmacann LLC in Ottawa. Princeton Mayor Keith Cain was disappointed with the decision but still optimistic. “You always take a chance with things like this,” Cain said. “It would have been nice to have it here, but it’s still close enough to have an impact on the market.” “I think anything that takes place regionally is good for everybody,” Spring Valley Mayor Walt Marini said. “Anything that happens in the Illinois Valley is good for all the communities.” Twenty-one cultivation center permits will be awarded — one for each Illinois State Police District, with the exception of District 15, which patrols the state’s tollways. Fifty-two of the allowed 60 dispensary permits were awarded also Monday night. While cultivation center districts were divvied up by ISP districts, dispensary districts were charted by
population size. Although eventually all locations will become known, a provision in the state’s Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (Section 145) requires, among other things, the addresses of the dispensaries be kept confidential. Rauner’s office released a list only of the ISP districts in which dispensaries and cultivation centers will be located. Rauner’s decision to issue licenses early Monday evening was a welcome surprise for supporters of medical marijuana in Illinois. Former Gov. Pat Quinn supported medical marijuana but left office earlier this month without issuing licenses by the self-proclaimed deadline of Dec. 31. His exit left the task up to Rauner, a Republican, who had voiced
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BCR photos/Zita Henneberry
Snow + kids = tons of fun At left, James McInnes, 3, of Princeton helps his sister (not pictured) shovel the sidewalk outside their home. At right, sisters McKenzie Stage, 12, and Neveah Briddick, 8, both of Princeton have fun with their own personal Frosty, which they built after school on Tuesday.
A pipeline debate for Princeton By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The brief Monday, Feb. 2, Princeton City Council meeting provoked community participation, while conducting many groundwork agreements. Princeton resident Mike Eggers, former Princeton water department superintendent, and Paul Hanson, a regional engineer for Indiana’s Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association, attended the city council meeting. They advised council members against passing the ordinance to authorize the use of new materials in the construction of water mains. “I am concerned because use of PVC Year 169 No. 16 Two Sections - 24 Pages
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will negatively impact the reliability and integrity of the Princeton water system as well as increasing costs,” said Eggers. Eggers provided the council with an extensive list of concerns. He highlighted the various differences in the two materials, demonstrating the superior area and situational suitability of ductile iron. However, the first reading of the ordinance amending the Princeton city code to allow for the use of PVC in the construction of water mains was accepted by the council. Princeton City Commissioner Joel Quiram explained the current ordinance pertains to the construction of all future
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Water/sewer projects in SV By Goldie C urrie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — It has been an active time for the water and sewer department, according to Spring Valley Alderman Tom Nesti. At the Monday, Feb. 2 Spring Valley City Council meeting, Nesti, who is chairman of the Water and Sewer Committee, gave a brief report about the ongoing water and sewer projects happening throughout the city. Plans on the new wastewater treatment plant were discussed. Nesti said the design phase is 100 percent complete; the drawing phase is 75 percent complete; and specs are 60 percent
complete. The city of Spring Valley may have to add another construction project to the new wastewater treatment plant plans, however. Spring Valley City Engineer Larry Good talked about the east and west interceptors at the plant and explained how some of the parts may need to be replaced. He said the matter of including the project or not in the new wastewater treatment plans is a matter of financial capability. The issue is because of existing construction and condition of the metal
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