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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
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Bzzz ... Mosquitoes are back! By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Bureau/Putnam County Health Department says it’s not too soon to be thinking about mosquitoes and West Nile Virus.
Hiking more than the football at Hall Struna recommends fee increases By Becky Kramer news@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY – The cost to attend classes at Hall High School is on the rise. Superintendent Mike Struna made the recommendation that fees be increased for next school year. Fees were last increased three years ago. The increases in fees are projected to bring an additional $30,000 to Hall. This is part of Struna’s deficit reduction plan. Registration fees will be increased from $110 to $130 and technology and book fees from $20 to $70 for a total registration cost of $200. Sport fees are also increasing from $50-$75 per sport with an individual student limit of $150 or a total family limit of $300. Driver’s education is being raised from $75 to $125. Other increases include gym locks now costing $7, parking stickers $20, student lunches $3, and adult lunches $3.25. Also at the Hall Board’s recent meeting, Struna introduced a new social probation policy. Students will be placed under social probation for accumulating three or more in-school suspensions in the same school year, for accumulating two or more out of school suspensions in the same school year, or by receiving one out of school suspension of more than five days.
Hall Page 4 Year 168 No. 60 One Section - 16 Pages
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Kurt Kuchle, director of health protection for the two-county health department, said the health department has begun its surveillance program to detect possible West Nile Virus (WNV) activity in the local area. The surveillance program consists of
testing mosquitoes collected from traps and also submitting dead birds for testing at the state lab. The mosquito traps are placed each year in the vicinity of public access/ gathering areas in both Bureau and Putnam counties. The health depart-
ment has four traps, with typically three of those traps placed in Bureau County and one trap in Putnam County. Each county is allowed five birds for testing this year, Kuchle said. The state of Illinois has directed local health depart-
ments that they may begin collecting birds. The public is encouraged to help locate birds that may have died from West Nile Virus. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, birds that can be submitted for WNV testing must have been dead
Honoring all veterans on Memorial Day Ray Larson of the Princeton American Legion holds the American flag as the Princeton Veterans Group gets ready to perform Memorial Day services at Oakland Cemetery. Below, the Princeton Veterans Group fires a salute during the service. The group also held a ceremony at Elm Lawn Cemetery in Princeton as well as the cemeteries in Dover and Malden, followed by a Princeton parade and service at Soldiers and Sailors Park. Nearly every town and village in Bureau County and beyond held Memorial Day services on Monday to honor all veterans from all branches of the service and every war and conflict. Taps could be heard echoing throughout the county, as military groups paid their respect. BCR photos/Terri Simon
less than 12 hours and the carcass must not have obvious signs of trauma, such as being struck by a vehicle, window or animal attack. The carcass must not show any decay or have a strong odor. Birds
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Our Table: Serving more than just food Organization to celebrate third anniversary By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — For the past 156 Mondays in a row, Our Table has been serving up meals and developing friendships. On Thursday, Our Table organizer Jim Miller said the community meal outreach hasn’t ever cancelled or missed a Monday evening since the program began in May 2011, even when Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fell on a Monday as it did this past year. Of course, the Memorial Day holiday always falls on a Monday, but those meals go on as planned, he said. Our Table was started as an outreach of the First United Methodist Church in Princeton for people who may be facing tough financial times or who may simply be lonely and wanting to eat a meal with others, Miller said. There is absolutely no cost and no suggested donations for the meal. Miller described Our Table as a safe place to come, where people are served a great meal, feel welcomed and not judged, have a social time with others and hopefully see the love of Jesus in action. Typically, Our Table serves 140-175 people each week, he said. Today, there are now 12 other churches, plus some civic groups, who have joined with the First United Methodist Church in providing Our Table
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