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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
SV works on Safe Routes SVE has concerns about route By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — The Spring Valley City Council has been working on a plan for the Safe Routes to School Program, which the city became a part of about three years ago. The program is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and works to build safe and easy routes to better promote students walking and biking to and from elementary schools. Mayor Walt Marini has been working with city engineer Larry Good in the planning of the routes and incorporating studies completed on traffic patterns throughout the city that help determine the safest route. Marini said the city’s current plan is estimated to cost around $500,000, which will be covered entirely by IDOT. The cost includes the price of sidewalks and a traffic signal light, which will be installed at a necessary location. While the planning is an ongoing process, the routes will not be installed until two years down the road, according to Marini. In October, the council held a public hearing to discuss plans to date. It was discussed that a traffic light should be installed at the intersection of Strong Street and U.S. Route 6. The light would also serve as a school crossing with a crossing guard for the elementary school students. On Monday, Marini said studies completed by IDOT showed building a sidewalk on the west side of Strong Street for students to walk on would be the safest route because of the limited amount of driveways near the intersection. He confirmed the only conflict would be the nearby entrance into the soon-to-be Sullivan’s Foods grocery store and the Casey’s General Store.
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Black Friday in Bureau County, beyond National Retail Federation: Record set on number of Thanksgiving Day shoppers By BCR Staff news@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Bureau County shoppers were among the 141 million shoppers who hit the stores and retailers websites from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday. One year ago, that number was 139 million shoppers for the same time period.
Among the crowds of shoppers were Amy Johnson and Gina Nelson, both of Princeton. The shopping duo set out late Thursday night and shopped until Friday morning. “We slept a few hours, then we went back out once the sun was up on Black Friday,” Johnson said. According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 45 million people hit the stores on
Thanksgiving Day for some early Christmas shopping. That number sets a record shopping high for Thanksgiving Day. One year ago, that Thanksgiving Day shopping number was at 35 million. Though Black Friday remains the largest shopping day of the year, with more than 92 million shoppers hitting the stores last Friday, the National Retail Federation group stated the heavy Thanksgiving Day shopping was no doubt responsible for the smaller than expected number of Black Friday shoppers.
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BCR photo/Becky Kramer
Cheers for the holiday! Cheerleaders from Lincoln Junior High School in LaSalle join the festivities Sunday for the “Christmas in Cherry” celebration. The Lincoln Lynx cheerleaders were one of several area school groups walking in Sunday’s parade in Cherry. The festivities also included several shopping options, a petting zoo and activities for the children, and of course, a visit from Santa Claus.
Needs rising at Princeton Food Pantry People of all ages needing the pantry’s services By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — With Bureau County residents in the swing for Christmas shopping and giving, Vanessa Hoffeditz is asking people to remember their local food pantries. As director of the Tri-Counties Opportunities Council food pantry in Princeton, Hoffeditz said the number of families and individuals using the Princeton Food Pantry continues to rise.
In November, the food pantry served 169 households, representing 457 individuals. That number compares to 160 households served in October and 158 households served In September. She expects the December numbers to at least meet and probably surpass the November numbers. This year, the food pantry distributed 170 Thanksgiving food baskets, which is 31 more than distributed last year, she said. Overall, the food pantry averages 20-25 new families a month — people who have
never needed the food pantry before. “I have been tracking those numbers of new families because that tells the real story,” she said. Some of those new people are people who are still looking for jobs; or maybe they’ve found a job, but it’s at minimum wage with part-time hours, Hoffeditz said. It’s hard to support a family like that, she added. There’s also an increase in the number of senior citizens using the food pantry, Hoffeditz said. Those seniors have worked
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