1 Front
Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Thursday, July 25, 2013
‘It should be a partnership’
NEWSSTAND PRICE 75¢
Too wet ... now too dry? Bureau County crops holding their own in spite of the weather
By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — A Tiskilwa resident has asked the Princeton Elementary School Board to involve parents and the community before making any decision to close Reagan Middle School in Tiskilwa. At Monday’s board meeting, Vanessa Hoffeditz said the board needs input from the parents and community before making its decision. “It should be a partnership, so the decisions you are making are done with us as parents and not to us as parents ... The decisions you are making should be done with the community, not to the community,” Hoffeditz said. The issue is much broader than just closing Reagan, but also involves a discussion to not replace 12 certified teachers and four non-certified teachers in the next three years, Hoffeditz said. Fewer teachers mean larger class sizes. In the long run, the issue is really about the quality of education that PES students are receiving, she said. In her opinion, the changes the board are considering in its three-year plan are just a Band-aid for the more long-term problem of getting more revenue into the district. There needs to be more long-term funding streams to consider with an increase of taxes as one option, she said. Hoffeditz said the school board also needs to realize its decisions will affect the community at large. She believes people come to the community because they want jobs and a good education for their children. “You as the elementary school district are not in a vacuum,” Hoffeditz said. “You are part of this community, and the decisions you make affect the community at large.” In summary, Hoffeditz said she is willing to help in anyway she can, and she thinks there are other parents who would help as well.
See PES Page 4 Year 167 No. 89 Two Sections - 32 Pages
98213 00012 1 7 © Bureau County Republican
By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The hot and dry weather conditions this summer haven’t been too hard on Bureau County crops so far, but it would be nice to give them a good drink of water, according to Ag View FS staff agronomist Ben Johnson.
Johnson said Bureau County is sitting in a good place compared to other parts of the Midwest with local farmers able to get their crops in the field in a more timely fashion than in other areas. Though Bureau County was wet with its spring rains, that early moisture is what has carried the crops through to this point. But, it would be nice to get a good rain shower
before long, he said. Bureau County did get some rain on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning, but that rain totaled only about 0.07 inch, according to records kept at the Princeton Water Treatment Plant. The crops could still use another bigger drink of water, Johnson said Wednesday morning.
See Weather Page 4
BCR photo/Goldie Currie
Corry Engelbrecht, who is a domestic violence advocate at Freedom House in Princeton, picks green beans in the garden she started at the Freedom House facility for clients and their children to take part in and enjoy throughout the spring and summer. The first year with the garden project has been a success, and Engelbrecht already has plans in the works for another garden next year.
The ‘freedom’ of gardening A place to ‘de-stress, be calm and bond’ By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON – Corry Engelbrecht, a domestic violence advocate at Freedom House in Princeton, went out on a limb this spring and decided to plant a garden at the Freedom House facility to give clients and their children an activity to enjoy and take part in together. “I personally find gardening to be very therapeutic, and it’s been something that when I’m upset calms me,” she said. “I thought it might be a good way for the clients to de-stress, be calm and bond.”
The garden has grown into a popular activity for the clients to engage in and is packed with a variety of vegetables and plants they chose to planted. Sunflowers, tomatoes, jalapeno, green beans, peas, carrots, radishes, zucchini and lemon basil plants are just a few that pack the space. Engelbrecht said clients have enjoyed being able to help with the garden and see the vegetables they planted grow into something. Their children have also enjoyed learning about the process of planting, maintaining and harvesting. “They get really excited when they find
out that there are things here they can eat,” she said. So far, clients have been able to sample cucumbers, radishes, beans and zucchini and are getting anxious for the big harvest, which is expected to happen soon. “We have a few things, but we’ve got about a million tomatoes that we are about to start swimming in,” she said. The garden is maintained by Engelbrecht and the clients. “Some of the clients work and don’t have as much time, so I come out,” she said. “It works well because even though they can’t always be out here to do 100 percent
See Garden Page 4
For breaking news, sports and current weather conditions, go to bcrnews.com
Planning A Vacation? Let us Help! We have respite stays for the loved one you care for.
Vacation with peace of mind that your loved one will have three meals a day, assistance with showers, medication reminders and laundry services. Daily scheduled activities. 24-hour assistance for all their needs and peace of mind for you. Just give us a call!
Liberty Village www.simplythefinest.net Not-for-Profit Provider
140 N. 6th St., Princeton • 815-875-6600 3230 Becker Drive, Peru • 815-224-2200