1 front
Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Saturday, May 30, 2015
NEWSSTAND PRICE 75¢
Public divided on BV option By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
Editor’s note: This is the second part in a two-part series on the Bureau Valley School Board meeting held Tuesday, May 26. MANLIUS — The Bureau Valley Board accepted Option 6 of the Farnsworth Group facilities study at its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 26. Option 6 is to consolidate the junior high school at the high school in Manlius, keep prekindergarten through fifth grade in Walnut and build a prekindergarten through fifth-grade school somewhere in the south portion of the district. The board voted 6-1 to accept the option with board member Bill Gebeck being the single no vote. Tuesday’s meeting drew many community members from the public. So many, in fact, the meeting had to be moved from the administration office to the high school auditorium. Many of the attendees had comments they had prepared to make to the board regarding the action on the options for the district. While the public comment period was orig-
inally listed as the last item on the agenda before adjournment, board member Kent Siltman motioned to move comment period before the board acted on the facilities options and the resolution that directed Superintendent Steve Endress to prepare for the attendance of all sixth- through eighthgrade students at the high school campus. This gave attendees the chance to express their opinions to the board before they acted on the resolution and options. Many members of the public spoke against the junior high consolidation at the high school, while others spoke in favor of the consolidation. Other members questioned the board’s rush in moving ahead with the resolution and options before even canvassing the public about the final three options on the table. Brian Smith of Walnut, who is also president of the Walnut Chamber of Commerce, read a statement on behalf of the Chamber board. “The Walnut Chamber Board is completely opposed to the proposed resolution for preparing to bring the junior high students to the central location, most notable
BV Page 4
A word from Superintendent Steve Endress ... By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
With the board’s acceptance of Option 6, there have been many questions about what that means for the district and what’s going to happen next. On Thursday, May 28, Superintendent Steve Endress said this vote about the new south campus is the beginning. “The way I look at it, this is to officially set Option 6 as the one the board will further investigate. Until we have drawings decided and a closer analysis of the cost of that project, the path of referendum, financing, etc. will remain undecided,” he said. “The goal of canvassing the public is to determine whether they support the board’s conclusion to have two prekindergarten through fifth-grade campuses, or some other configuration.” Further, he said, “The resolution regarding the sixth-eighth students and addition allows us to move forward with that project immediately while we take a little more time to decide exactly how to proceed on the PreK-5.” Year 169 No. 65 One Section - 20 Pages
© Bureau County Republican
BCR photo/Goldie Currie
Princeton Police Chief Tom Root investigates the robbery that occurred in the afternoon hours at Centrue Bank Thursday, May 28.
Photos contributed
The suspects can be seen inside Centrue Bank.
Armed robbery in Princeton Suspects believed to be traveling east on Route 34 By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton Police Department is on the hunt for suspects involved in the Centrue Bank robbery that occurred in the afternoon hours on Thursday, May 28. Princeton Police Chief Tom Root, who is leading the investigation, said officers got a call around 2:10 p.m. of a hold-up at the bank by two male, black subjects.
The suspects entered the front door of the bank and appeared to be armed. They demanded money and then fled the scene out of the back door of the bank with an undetermined amount of currency. Officers were able to capture video of the suspects from a security camera inside the bank. Subject No. 1 has no facial hair, was wearing dark clothing with a navy ball cap with gold embroidery. Subject No. 2 has dread-
locks down to the jawline, and was wearing a dark colored hoodie and pants. Both subjects are approximately between 6-foot, 1-inch, to 6-foot-2 inches in height, and both have medium builds. Footage of a possible suspect vehicle was caught on a security camera at a neighboring Main Street business. Root said the vehicle is a dark-colored suburban with tinted windows and a missing hubcap. The vehicle was driven by a black female. Root said the suspects left a lot of fingerprints at the scene, and the police department is working with the FBI and Illinois State Police Crime Scene
investigators to get them processed and in the database to see if there are any possible matches. On Friday, Root said police have received several calls regarding the case. Root said police believe the suspects were the same men who entered a bank in Monmouth around noon. Root said the men “hee hawed around” before leaving the bank. He said the time they left Monmouth to the time the men entered the bank in Princeton matches up. Root said it’s believed the suspects are traveling
Robbery Page 2