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Tuesday, June 24, 2014
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Illinois flat-lines at No. 2 Study says Illinois is the flattest in the land, surpassed only by Florida By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
The state of Illinois has the distinction of being the second flattest state in the country, surpassed in flatness only by the state of Florida.
University of Kansas geologist Jerome Dobson and Joshua Campbell completed the recent study, which included a survey asking Americans which state they thought was the flattest state in the country. Thirty-three percent of those sur-
veyed chose Kansas as the flattest state, followed by 23 percent choosing Florida as the flattest state. The study addresses the question as to why a state like Kansas appears to be flatter than Illinois. Could it be that drivers traveling east-to-west can get across Illinois faster than Kansas, since Illinois is longer north-to-south? Since Kansas is more wide
than long, it appears to have more flat land, the study states. As reported in the study, a detailed calculation system was used to determine the percentage of land mass in each state in the flat, flatter and flattest categories. Florida has 52 percent of its land categorized in the flat, flatter and flattest levels. Illinois followed close
behind at 50 percent. Rounding out the Top 5 were North Dakota at 49 percent; Louisiana at 47 percent; and Minnesota at 47 percent. Kansas came in as No. 7, having 44 percent of its land determined in some level of flatness. In an interview with the Bureau County Republican, study co-author Jerry Dobson said he predicted Florida would be the flat-
test state in the country and that Kansas would not be in the Top 5. He also predicted the coastal states, with only a corner in the mountains, like South Carolina, would rank high. “I sort of predicted Illinois would rank No. 2. What I actually said was ‘Central Illinois is the flat-
Topography Page 3
Summer Solstice A hot time in Princeton to celebrate the season By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Summer officially began last Saturday, and the Princeton Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with the Bureau County Republican this year to put on this season’s popular shopping event — Summer Solstice. Grab a friend or plan a group outing for this occasion, set for Friday, June 27. Chamber of Commerce Director Kim Frey said due to the success of last year’s event, they’ve decided to make it an annual summer affair. “Generally people are looking forward to kicking off the start of summer, this year more than ever. Our goal is to bring adventure seekers from near and far to our Main Street to enjoy an evening of wine and food tasting while shopping,” she said. More than 25 Chamber businesses will keep their doors open past normal business hours to provide participants a chance to shop great deals, try new wines and foods, and provide a chance for shoppers to win a Chamber gift card. This year’s event will feature new participating businesses including HC Craft Mall and Antiques, Juniper & Mae and Custom Threads. There will also be long-time favorite Princeton businesses new to the event including Guys and Gals Salon and Lodestone.
Summer Solstice Page 4 Year 168 No. 75 One Section - 20 Pages
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BCR photos/Becky Kramer
Beef and Ag Days ‘mooooooo-ves’ into town What Beef and Ag Day festival would be complete without a visit from its namesake? This cow was a popular attraction at the Friday evening activities. Other fun-filled events included musical entertainment, food, an awards ceremony, a tractor ride/ show and more. See more photos from Beef and Ag Days on Page 2. See award winners on Page 3.
‘Love First, Ask Questions Later’ Buda man interns in Iraq By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
BUDA — A Bureau County man is experiencing a different side of Iraq than just the military and political unrest often seen and chronicled on American television.
Dane Barnett, 21, of Buda is spending two months this summer in Iraq, serving an internship with the Preemptive Love Coalition, an organization that provides heart surgeries to Iraqi children. A 2010 graduate of Bureau Valley High School in Manlius, Barnett became involved with the
Preemptive Love Coalition as a sophomore at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. Barnett sat on the committee in charge of fundraising for the organization by the Cedarville study body. Though he can’t give specifics, Barnett did say he is located in northwestern Iraq, having arrived about four weeks ago and scheduled to leave on July 24.
As an intern, his duties are to write and edit newsletters for the Preemptive Love Coalition and to create a system which organizes donors in a way so the organization can stay more connected with them in the future, Barnett said. The interns also build relationships with the Kurds to enhance the interns’ cultural experience.
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