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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Saturday, December 28, 2013
More new laws for 2014 By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Whether or not they know it, Bureau County residents, along with the rest of the residents throughout Illinois, are starting the 2014 year with more than 200 new laws on the books. Becoming informed on those laws can be a rather large undertaking. On Tuesday, Bureau County State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann said the media does a great job of informing citizens of the new laws which would have a broad impact and affect a lot of people, like the new speed limit laws. There are also websites which provide information on the new laws. Concerning the more specialized laws, which deal with specific areas, agencies or groups, there are professional associations through which that information is gained by those people, Herrmann said. For instance, he’s a member of the Illinois State’s Attorney Association, which would keep members apprised of legal proceedings and new laws as they are passed. Other professional associations would include groups like the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Illinois Association of School Boards, Herrmann said. Associations may even sponsor bills or propose acts and would follow those bills as they are considered, he said. Several of the new laws on the books for 2014 deal with children and teens, identity protection, and stiffer penalties for people convicted of certain crimes. In the area of civil law, parental rights are now taken away from fathers when the child is conceived by sexual assault. Felons who have threatened or harmed minors are prohibited from becoming the guardians of disabled people. The statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases is now eliminated concerning the awarding of damages.
See Laws Page 3
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Siren project complete in DePue By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
DEPUE — DePue can now put a check mark next to its sirens project, which had been an ongoing deal for years. Mayor Eric Bryant confirmed on Thursday, despite a few minor kinks which are currently being worked out, the sirens are in the ground and have already been through their first testing. Village residents might have even heard the first tests on Sunday, when the sirens rang out for several minutes.
Bryant explained the new sirens are a benefit for the village, as they serve as a protection against disasters. “They will be able to alert people and get them in the proper places when tornadoes or other disasters might strike,” he said. The village was awarded a $100,000 grant from a capital funding bill more than three years ago for the purchase of new sirens. The money was a fortunate opportunity, since DePue’s sirens hadn’t seen any updates in around 20 years. The village had big concerns about their sirens because there was a dead spot in the park district, and there was no
siren in the Oak Brook neighborhood. Bryant said when the sirens were first installed, the neighborhood didn’t exist at the time. “We’re just fortunate we’ve been able to take care of that part of town. We feel a lot better knowing there’s now an alert up there for them, “ Bryant said. The village’s outdated sirens had operated on a phone circuit. The new sirens are now operating on a radio system, which is more dependable if the phone lines happen to come down during a storm or disaster.
See DePue Page 3
Looking back on 2013 Story compiled by Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
Editor’s note: The following is another segment in an ongoing series as the Bureau County Republican looks back on some of the headlines from 2013.
BCR photo/Lyle Ganther
Tiskilwa Library construction Donny Paul of Hein Construction Co. of Peoria works on the ceiling grid for the new Tiskilwa Library currently under construction on Main Street. Ground-breaking ceremonies were held July 19 on a $1 million project to renovate the current library into a community room and construct a 3,800-square-foot addition to house the library’s books, DVDs and audios. The project was awarded a $504,241.40 grant from the state library.
April 2: Princeton corn and soybean farmer Jim Rapp donates signs from his farm for the new American Experience agriculture exhibition set to open in May 2015 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Tiskilwa farmers Jim and Sharon Covert host Smithsonian curators for a tour of area farms, so they could learn about farming in Illinois and see what items could be included in the American Experience exhibit. April 4: The Manlius Village Board looks at the expense of moving playground equipment from the Bureau Valley School District into the village. With the lack of volunteerism and the extent of the project, the village board agrees to bid out the project. If the school can work with the village on an extended time, and if the village decides the cost of moving the equipment will be worth it, then the village anticipates the start date of the project to be in July or August. April 6: Princeton Mayor Keith Cain and the Youth Service Bureau of Illinois Valley join efforts to proclaim April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The majority of child abuse cases stem from situations and conditions that are preventable, Cain says. Child abuse and neglect not only harm the child, but also increases the likelihood of criminal behavior, substance abuse and health problems, the mayor says. April 9: Bureau County taxpayers will pay tens of thousands of dollars for today’s consolidated election, according to Bureau County Clerk Kami Hieronymus. Election supplies and programs, set-up costs, machine programming and election judges are some of the expenses. About 200 different ballot styles are needed, plus additional hours for her staff in preparing for the election and then on election day itself, Hieronymus says.
See 2013 Page 3
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