BCR-07-30-2013

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Serving Bureau County Since 1847

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Quinn OKs online registration Hieronymus: The issue is getting voters to vote By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com

PRINCETON — The state of Illinois has become the 18th state in the country to approve online voter registration, but the issue is bigger than just getting more people registered to vote, said to Bureau County Clerk Kami Hieronymus. On Saturday, Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation revising the Illinois Election Code to give residents the ability to register to vote online. The new registration system is to be in place by July 2014. In making his announcement, Quinn said democracy works best when as many voters as possible raise their voices at the ballot box. “Online voter registration will encourage more people to fulfill their civic duty by making that first step of registering to vote easier and more accessible,” Quinn said. “This new law will boost registration rates, cut costs and move Illinois’ democratic process into the 21st century.” On Monday, Hieronymus said the concept behind the new legislation is good, to make it more convenient for people to get registered to vote. “But that’s not really the problem or the bigger issue,” Hieronymus said. “Somehow the focus needs to be more on voter turnout, getting people to actually vote once they are registered. That’s where the issue is.” As reported earlier in the Bureau County Republican, Hieronymus said there are already several registration options available for people, including county clerks’ offices, driver’s license facilities, and some high schools. Though opportunities for

See Registration Page 4 Year 167 No. 91 One Section - 24 Pages

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Coyotes in our town? Animals appear to be getting braver By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com

PRINCETON — Coyotes may not be getting more aggressive, but they do appear to be getting braver and heading closer to residential areas. In recent weeks, WQAD News 8 reporter Chris Minor reported on two separate incidents in Rock Island in which neighbor-

hood dogs were attacked by coyotes. The Chicago Tribune has reported more than 2,000 coyotes live in Cook County with some of those living near neighborhoods and industrial facilities. On Monday, Bureau County Animal Control Officer Scott Robbins said he wouldn’t say there are more coyote sightings this year than in other years in Bureau County, but coyotes do seem to be

getting braver and coming closer to more residential areas. He has received several calls from concerned residents from all around the county, mostly from people living on the edge of communities. As far as the safety of family pets, Robbins said cats and kittens are the easiest prey for coyotes, as well as very small dogs. Coyotes are not aggressive to people and try to stay away from them.

See Coyotes Page 3

BCR photo/Becky Kramer

Remembering the olden days and ways Area residents Gerald Linker (left) and Paul Hamrick take a look at one of several antique tractors displayed at Saturday’s Mingle on Main event in Malden. The all-day event was organized and hosted by The Feed Store and its owner Janice Woodford and also included an antique car and bike show, children’s activities, music and several food options. Proceeds from the annual event will benefit St. Jude’s.

The hold up on Habanero’s Healing an eyesore on Main Street By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com

PRINCETON – It’s been almost five months since a fire engulfed Habanero’s Mexican Grill and Cantina in downtown Princeton, yet charred portions of the building continue to be left untouched and in shambles at its location on South Main Street. On Friday, insurance agent Pete Mangold of Princeton Insurance Group, confirmed the clean-up is slowly progressing. The hold-up has been the common wall located between

Habanero’s and Tank’s Pet Store. He said the wall experienced structural damage during the fire, and a concern with engineers has been that the wall will collapse or cave into the pet store if any more of the Habanero’s building is torn down and removed. The unstable wall has caused a drawn-out battle between the business’ insurance companies regarding who is responsible to pay to have the wall stabilized. “Everyone wants to get this done and cleaned up, and that’s what the intentions have been this whole time,” said Mangold,

who is the insurance agent for both Tank’s Pet Store and Habanero’s. Shortly after the fire, a plywood fence was constructed in the front of the restaurant as a safety precaution. Workers recently removed the fence in time for the annual Beef & Ag Days celebration. Mayor Keith Cain confirmed the front area of the restaurant was safe even though the fencing had been taken down. In early May, crews attempted to clean-up the remains of the building when they discovered the unstable common wall and were

See Habanero’s Page 2

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