1A Front
Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Do you have an emergency plan? September is National Preparedness Month By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Emergency situations can happen in different forms — flooding, forest fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, to name just a few, according to Lori Compton, director of the American Red Cross of Bureau County. On Monday, Compton said the time to prepare for an emergency is before it happens. “Having a game plan in place is essential for all households, so everyone knows what they should do when an emergency occurs,” Compton said. “September is National Preparedness Month, which makes it a perfect time for families to create or update their emergency plan.” Compton said it’s important everyone in the household helps put the emergency plan together, and each person should know what he/she should do if something occurs. Household members may not be together when a disaster happens, but may be at work or school if the emergency happens during the day. Looking at some of the details of that plan, Compton said any emergency plan should include decisions about where family members would go if ordered to evacuate and what route they would take to get there. It’s a good idea to include alternate routes in case roads are closed, she said. Also, if pets are part of the household, make sure to include plans for them such as pet-friendly hotels and animal shelters along the evacuation route. Compton said the American Red Cross will be quick to respond to emergencies when they happen.
See Plan Page 4A Year 167 No. 112 Two Sections - 28 Pages
98213 00012 1 7 © Bureau County Republican
NEWSSTAND PRICE 75¢
Heartland closes DePue branch By Terri Simon tsimon@bcrnews.com
DEPUE — Heartland Bank and Trust has decided to close its DePue branch. The four employees of the Heartland Bank and Trust branch were notified Monday the bank will shutter the doors of the DePue banking facility on Sept. 30. Letters were set to go out today (Tuesday) to notify customers. A press release issued by the bank late Monday afternoon said “a decline in customers visiting the branch due to the convenience of electronic banking services” is the reason for Heartland’s decision to close the DePue facility. “In doing the research and looking at the traffic patterns of that facility, it just didn’t warrant the branch in DePue,” said Heartland Vice President/Retail Director Paula Mitchell. “We just can’t sustain the branch
itself in that location.” The release also said Heartland wants “to continue serving the DePue community through nearby branches in Spring Valley, Peru, Oglesby, Henry and Princeton.” The DePue branch will continue to serve customers until 3 p.m. Sept. 30. Those wishing to stay with Heartland will not need to take any action on their accounts. Safe deposit boxes will physically be moved to the Spring Valley location. The four DePue employees will remain employed at other Heartland branches. Heartland CEO Fred Drake said the bank will continue to support the Young Men’s Club, Christmas Committee and DePue school sponsorships for 2014. On Monday afternoon, lifelong DePue resident Tom Dobrich was unaware of the closing. “For many people, having a bank in town allows them to take care of their money without having to travel,” he said, expressing
concerns about older residents. “There are also a large number of Hispanic people in the community who do a lot of banking in DePue, and the Heartland people have done a good job with their needs. It’s unfortunate,” he said. No other local Heartland branches are being considered for closure. On Nov. 2, 2013, the former Citizens First National Bank was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. The FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Heartland Bank and Trust of Bloomington to assume all the deposits of Citizens and its customers, which included the DePue bank. BCR Staff Writer Goldie Currie contributed to this story. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews. com.
BCR photo/Mike Vaughn
For many, the South Shore Drill team is one of the highlights of the annual Homestead Festival parade, which stepped off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The parade, which was approximately 90 minutes, encompassed more than 120 entries from near and far. For more Homestead photos, see Pages 1-2B.
Homestead brings in 1,000s Event deemed a success, despite a rainy Sunday By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — An estimated 18,000 people lined Princeton’s Main Street on Saturday for the 43rd annual Homestead Festival Parade. On Monday, Steering Committee member Bill Nelson said it was a great weekend with something for everyone. The turnout was tremendous, especially for Friday and Saturday events. The rainy and cooler weather did hinder Sunday activities, though the car show did go on as scheduled, just with fewer cars, he said.
Looking back on the weekend, Nelson said the Friday evening events brought out a lot of families. “Those Funny Little People” and The Generics band were great entertainment. Among the other highlights adding to Friday’s entertainment were the Bureau County Community Choir, horse-drawn wagon rides and the pulled pork barbecue dinners and ice cream social. Of course, Saturday’s highlight for many people was the parade, which lasted about 90 minutes, but there were also a lot of other Saturday events, Nelson said. Some of those other events included
the skate park competition, children’s fun fair, Pork Producers pork sandwiches, the craft show and the Saturday evening’s Homestead Talent Showcase. This year’s talent for the showcase was tremendous and very well received, Nelson said. As a steering committee member, Nelson said the highlight of the weekend was seeing so many people in town and having something fun for all of them to do. Another highlight of the weekend was the annual 50/50 raffle hosted, which was won this year by a Princeton woman. On Monday, 50/50 Committee Chairman Scott Wallis said $12,660 worth of
See Homestead Page 3A
For breaking news, sports and current weather conditions, go to bcrnews.com