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Tuesday, June 23, 2015
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Bank robberies on Princeton’s radar Centrue initial investigation completed By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The initial investigation into the Thursday, May 28, armed bank robbery at Centrue Bank is completed.
“The community has been great,” said Princeton Police Chief Tom Root. “We’ve gotten lots of leads that we followed up on and everything else. Now it’s just getting them identified.” Currently the Princeton Police Department is waiting for fingerprint results from the crime lab in Morton. Root said the lab had contacted him on Friday informing him they were working on the Centrue bank fingerprint analysis. He expects the results to be
in very soon. “What we’re doing now is we’re waiting for the fingerprints to come back through Avis and then see if there’s a match. And then, hopefully there’s a criminal record on these individuals, so that we’ll get the names and really be able to identify them,” Root said. Also helping the investigation are the very clear photographs of the two Centrue Bank robbers received from a Monmouth
bank. It’s believed the robbers stopped to consider the Monmouth bank as a potential target before traveling Route 34 to Princeton, Root said. “Apparently they went into the Heartland Bank, both of them; one of them went up to the window and wanted to open up an account. And obviously they were stalling doing that because they were looking around to see what it would take to do the robbery there. And then, all of a sud-
den, they didn’t finish; the teller came back and they were gone. “ After this transaction the robbers crossed the street to their eventual target, Centrue Bank, Root said. There, the two men stole the entire contents of the bank’s drawer, approximately $1,700. While $1,700 does not seem a hefty theft, Root said the Princeton Police Department is
Robbery Page 3
Ready, set ... run Walnut 5K registration underway
By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
WALNUT — Registration is underway for the Saturday, July 4, Walnut 5K. Runners will be ready and set to run at 8 a.m. sharp that Saturday morning outside Bureau Valley North Junior High. “This race is not just about raising money; the support of bringing the families together is also important and helpful,” said the race director, Julie Von Holten. A blast from a Walnut firetruck horn will send feet flying and the wheels of strollers and wheelchairs rolling, all in support of research for ALS. All Walnut 5K proceeds will be donated to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research. “I have talked a lot about the ALS support, and it is very much appreciated,” said Von Holten. Von Holten has worked to organize the Walnut race for the last five years, and she continues to promote community excellence with this long-time run. As a Rock River Road Runners Circuit event, the Walnut 5K brings people together, she said. For more than 20 years now, Walnut has hosted a run/walk community feature. People travel from all over to come participate and spend time in Walnut, said Von Holten. “We usually have 360-400 participants which is awesome for a small town like Walnut,” she said. However, as many as 100 runners have registered the day of the race, she added. Runners are welcome to check in and/or register between 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. the day of the race. The race entry fee is $15 if received by Friday, June 26. After that, said Von Holten, the race fee will jump up to $20. Von Holten encouraged same-
Walnut 5K Page 4 Year 169 No. 75 One Section - 20 Pages
© Bureau County Republican
BCR photo/Becky Kramer
Where’s the beef? Finding the beef wasn’t difficult this past weekend, as the area celebrated Beef and Ag Days, where event-goers could get a great rib eye fresh off the grill. The annual event also included a concert at Soldier and Sailors Park, a tractor show, a petting zoo and more. See more photos from the weekend events on Pages 2-3.
Frozen nostalgia Tastee-Freez celebrates 65th anniversary By Dave Cook dcook@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY— The name Tastee-Freez conjures up feelings of nostalgia when thinking of childhood memories involving ice cream, especially for those in the Midwest. The glory days of the iconic little buildings may have passed,
but the neon ice cream cone sign still glows in Spring Valley and has for 65 years, enticing those passing by to stop in and indulge in a frozen treat. In 1950, Leo Moranz of Joliet invented a new soft-serve pump and freezer which revolutionized the industry and far surpassed the equipment of the day. His invention allowed for faster service and a better quality ice cream. He formed a partnership with entrepreneur Harry Axene and together they marketed what was destined to
Tastee-Freez Page 4
BCR photo/Dave Cook
For 65 years, generations of Spring Valley residents have approached the window of the Tastee-Freez, located on Route 6, to get an ice cream cone while enjoying a beautiful summer day in Illinois.