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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
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Report: Arlington animals Appeal time is running short By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The appeal process time is running out for an Arlington man to try to reclaim his animals.
At last week’s meeting of the Bureau County Board, State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann said no appeal has been filed yet, as of Thursday, and the appeal time is running short for Dan Labounty, who had 13 beagles and seven horses placed in the county’s care in February after he
did not address alleged concerns about the care of the animals. In midMarch, a judge with the Illinois Department of Agriculture ruled the animals should be kept impounded by the county with Labounty having 35 days to appeal from the date of notice. If no appeal is filed, the
animals would be forfeited to the county, Herrmann told the county board. Bureau County Animal Control Officer Scott Robbins is making sure the animals are being cared for, board member Marshann Entwhistle said. He’s made arrangements for the
beagles to be cared for by Beagle Rescue, and the dogs are all out of the county. Once the appeal period is completed and Labounty has given them up, Beagle Rescue will make sure the dogs are in good homes outside of the county area, Entwhistle said.
The horses remain on the Labounty property, but Robbins is watching them, Entwhistle said. An eye infection in one of the horses has been treated and is cleared up. Two of the mares are with foal, she said.
See Arlington Page 4
Turning back time at Dixon Refuge By Ken Schroeder news@bcrnews.com
HENNEPIN — The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) will be kicking off a project in July on the Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge which will restore a rare oak savanna and more than double the existing hiking trail, which will allow hikers to explore the interior of the nearly four-square-mile site for the first time. The Oak Ridge Trail and Restoration project will take more than two years to complete, with the estimated conclusion of the project in October 2016. A 70-acre section of high-quality savanna, marsh, prairie and sedge meadow located between Hennepin and Hopper lakes — often referred to as the island by TWI — will be restored through the project. TWI has received $50,000 in federal funding through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants Program. “Oak Ridge is one of the few remaining areas at the Refuge where intensive ecological restoration has not taken place over the past 13 years,” TWI senior ecologist Gary Sullivan said. “The area is already characterized by its many bur oaks including some very old trees, but the understory is not diverse and is dominated by invasive species. We’ll be managing those
See Refuge Page 4
BCR photo/Goldie Currie
It’s National Library Week! Deb Roush, librarian at Princeton Public Library, checks in library books at the front desk Monday morning. This week, libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide will take part in celebrating their importance to communities — big and small — all around.
Turn off the TV, open a book
It’s National Library Week! By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — Libraries all over the country are taking time this week to highlight their importance and the opportunities they bring to their communities. It’s National Library Week — a time to spotlight the significance of libraries, librarians and library workers.
This year’s theme is “Lives Change @ Your Library.” Popular children’s and young adult author Judy Blume serves as this year’s honorary chair for the week long event.
So, where did National Library Week come from? Using the American Library Association’s (ALA) website, Barb White, head librarian at Richard A. Mautino Memorial Library in Spring Valley, explained in the mid 1950s, research began showing Americans spending less on books and more on radios, televisions
and musical instruments. Concerned with this research, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizen’s organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. The first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme “Wake Up and Read!”
See Library Week Page 4
For breaking news, sports and current weather conditions, go to bcrnews.com Year 168 No. 45 One Section - 20 Pages
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