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Thursday, November 21, 2013
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Help headed to Washington Bureau County opens its heart, wallets By BCR Staff news@bcrnews.com
About 60 miles northwest of the tornado-struck Washington area, Bureau County residents, businesses, schools, churches and groups are organizing collection drives to gather needed items for the storm victims. An estimated 1,000 homes were damaged, and many were destroyed during Sunday’s
storm, which recorded several tornado touchdowns and winds reaching into the 190 miles per hour range. Clean-up efforts have begun as residents were allowed back into their neighborhoods on Tuesday to begin searching through the debris to see if they could find anything salvageable from their homes. On Sunday, Lindsay Ponsetti of Simply Fresh in Spring Valley put a request on her store’s Facebook page for collections of clothing and other items for the victims of Sunday’s tornado in Washington. “My friends and customers have brought in items like
toiletries and clothing,” she said. “I have some family and friends who live there. None of them lost their homes, but it is a devastating situation.” Ponsetti intends to take the items she has collected and transport them to Washington, to take to the three designated drop-off points in the town. “I thought it was a good idea to get donations together,” she added, indicating she has collected about three boxes full of items and 5-10 garbage bags full of clothes. Ponsetti said she will accept
See Washington Page 4
BCR photo/Goldie Currie
Cody Masters of Kramer’s Kitchen assists Kirsten Burgh of Ottawa to load donated supplies into the back of the Kramer’s Kitchen catering van for the victims of the Washington tornado disaster. Employees of Kramer’s spent Tuesday collecting whatever type of donations people were willing to drop off for the families in Washington. The van was making a trip to Washington on Wednesday morning and has plans to make a second trip to Pekin on Friday.
A vision for DePue NCICG hosts public comprehensive planning meeting By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
BCR photo/Goldie Currie
Members of the St. Thomas More parish in Dalzell gathered Wednesday morning to prepare tortellini for the church’s ongoing fundraiser, which is geared to raise funds to help keep the church open past July 2014. The church is expected to close and merge with Holy Trinity parish in Cherry. Pictured (left to right) JoAnne Young, Judy Szymovicz and Linda Micheli, all of Dalzell.
Saving St. Thomas More Church hosts tortellini fundraiser By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
DALZELL — Members of St. Thomas More parish in Dalzell are
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hard at work with another tortellini fundraiser to help finance a way for the church to remain open past July 2014. While the church is on the verge of being closed and merged with Holy Trinity parish in Cherry, it was given a chance to stay open. As previously reported in
You don’t have to wish any longer.
the Bureau County Republican, the Rev. Patrick Fixsen said if the Catholic parish doubled its weekly collection and found a way to fill its pews during Mass, it might have a chance. Since then, members of the
See Tortellini Page 2
DEPUE — Ten DePue residents, along with Mayor Eric Bryant, gathered Monday evening at the VFW with representatives from North Central Illinois Council of Governments (NCICG) to discuss community goals and aspirations for future development throughout the village. DePue received a grant in 2008 from Hurricane Ike relief funds. The grant is currently funding a comprehensive plan for the village. At Monday’s planning session, residents broke into small groups with large maps of the village. Stickers were given out to represent improvements for things like streets and curbs, commercial business, manufacturing and senior housing. Residents placed stickers upon the maps in places where they believed the village needs certain improvements. After small group discussions, residents gathered at each map to discuss their proposals for land use, community issues, natural resource preservation and economic development. While each group dis-
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played similar aspirations, many focused on the idea of turning the former zinc plant property into a manufacturing area once the Superfund site was cleaned-up. Other plans discussed included bike paths running through the village, bringing in bed and breakfasts around the lake front, cleaning up the downtown and filling storefronts with businesses and the possibility of moving the school to a higher location, where it would avoid the rising floodplain. There was also discussion on making improvements to the lake once the Superfund site was cleared. Discussion of bringing in a marina and boat slips was discussed, as well as the pros and cons of building a permanent dam where DePue Lake and the Illinois River meet. Street improvements throughout the village were highlighted. All residents agreed sidewalks need to be built along East Street, and curbing improvements are in dire need along the Lake Park. One resident pointed out the need to improve Marquette Street that runs by
See DePue Page 4
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