Serving Bureau County Since 1847
September 2, 2014
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What will this winter bring? By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
Keep your fingers crossed … Bureau County may not have a repeat of last winter’s extreme cold and snow. Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel has announced the NOAA Climate Predication Center’s winter outlook shows equal chances of above,
below or near average temperatures, as well as below-average precipitation for Illinois and the Great Lakes region. In other words, it looks like they are not expecting a repeat of last winter for Illinois with its extremely cold temperatures and snowy weather, Angel said. Last year, the Quad Cities area, which includes Bureau County, had its
second snowiest and its fifth coldest winter on record. WQAD News 8 meteorologist James Zahara said he agrees with NOAA’s outlook for the coming winter. “Given the trends we’ve seen, though considered early, it would be quite surprising to experience the same if not worse conditions like we encountered last winter,” Zahara
said. “I don’t believe it will come close to the second snowiest winter like we had last year where snow amounts were just over 60 inches. The normal is about 32 inches. So, above normal snowfall is likely, though just over 40 is a good target for now.” Even temperatures are
projected to be not as fierce this winter, Zahara said. Right now, the trend is showing temperatures to be about just 3 degrees below the winter average. “But keep in mind, there are a lot more variables that we’ll be analyzing the next few months that will go into the winter forecast equation,” Zahara said. “This is something we’ll definitely keep an eye on. Time will tell.”
As far as weather for the more immediate fall, Angel said both September and the rest of the fall shows an equal chance of above, below, nearaverage temperature and precipitation for Illinois. The north-central United States is not expected to have below-average temperatures, like it did this summer, he said. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
DePue School responsible for $243,000
Don’t shoot!
Officials still attempting to dispute the charge
IDNR adds three to state-protected animal list
By Goldie Currie
By Donna Barker
gcurrie@bcrnews.com
DEPUE — The DePue School District has been deemed responsible to repay $243,000 for allegedly misusing the funds from its $4.7 million SIG grant, which was awarded to the district in 2010. As previously reported, DePue was one of five schools in the state to receive the grant. The monies were disbursed over a three-year course. When the state terminated the grant in 2012, they claimed the district had misused the funds. State auditors discovered the district had used grant monies for educational purposes on junior high and elementary school teachers, when it fact, the grant was only meant to be used for the high school. The district has tried to dispute the allegations, saying the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS), who was a lead partner with the grant, is partly responsible because they had approved list item budgets the district had submitted to them during the time of the SIG grant. On Wednesday, DePue Superintendent Randy Otto said the district is still in negotiations with representatives from the IARSS on whether they will pay for some, if not all of the amount, the state has requested.
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dbarker@bcrnews.com
BCR photo/Amelia Bystry
Taking the challenge at Hall High School No ... it wasn’t another rainy day which caused Hall High School students to get drenched Friday on the school’s softball field. Instead, Hall High School senior Josie Wales organized an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and invited her classmates and friends to participate in the popular fundraiser. The Spring Valley Fire Department helped by agreeing to spray the students with water. Have you or someone you known taken the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? If so, send the BCR your photo along with information on who is in the photo, when and where to news@bcrnews.com.
Illinois has placed three more wild animals on its list of state-protected animals, with all of those animals reportedly having made appearances in Bureau County. The American black bear, gray wolf and cougars/ mountain lions will soon be included in the list of stateprotected animals in Illinois. In a statement issued Thursday, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Director Marc Miller said a new law, signed by Gov. Pat Quinn and becoming effective Jan. 1, gives the IDNR the authority to manage these species for the protection of both wildlife and the public. An animal under the protection of the state means residents can’t kill the animal unless there is an immediate threat to lives and property. Miller said the gray wolf, American black bear and cougars/mountain lions were present in the state when the settlers arrived, but were all but gone from the state by the mid-1800s. Due to improved legal protections and habitat restoration, these species are returning to some of their former ranges. “Wolves, mountain lions and black bears have been absent from Illinois for more than 150 years. As the populations of these animals continue to grow, we expect to see occasional individuals dispersing from their current ranges into Illinois,” Miller said.
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