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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
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A knock on the door could save lives American Red Cross installing smoke detectors this weekend and offering educational advice By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — American Red Cross chapters all over the country are on a mission to equip homes with smoke alarms to reduce the high number of fire-related deaths and injuries. That mission will be hitting the streets of Princeton this Saturday as volunteers with the American Red Cross of Northwest Illinois, along with first responders from the Princeton Fire Department, will be going door-to-door throughout neighborhoods in town to offer free installation of smoke alarms to homeowners along with some education on fire safety. The neighborhoods are yet to be determined. Check Thursday’s edition of the Bureau County Republican for the routes volunteers will be taking. Lori Compton, director of the Bureau County Amer-
ican Red Cross, has been working with the Home Fire Campaign during the last year throughout the nine other counties served by the American Red Cross of Northwest Illinois. She has seen hundreds of smoke alarms installed throughout this time. She said in the Northwest Illinois chapter alone, there have been 15 fire-related deaths in the last 10 months. She said the number of fire fatalities have increased throughout the last five years, most likely because of the poor economy and people using additional heat sources to warm their homes during the winter time — whether it be from an older home’s electrical issue or a fireplace that wasn’t cleaned. Compton said if a home doesn’t have the adequate preparedness during the time of a fire, the chance of getting out of the home or surviving the emergency is
Install & test smoke alarms The American Red Cross is asking every household to take simple steps that can help prevent home fires and save lives. People should install and test smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half: • Place smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms. • Test smoke alarms once a month. • Change the batteries at least once a year – if your model requires it. • Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
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Freedom House to host Fall Family Fun Fest October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com
237th best city for Illinois homeowners out of the 259 studied. With an aim to find the best places to be a homeowner, 15 data points from six sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau; the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the Illinois Department of
PRINCETON — Freedom House has planned a new community event this year to celebrate and recognize October as being National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The agency will host a Fall Family Fun Fest this Saturday at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. The event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will promote safe, happy and healthy families while giving the community an opportunity to learn about the Freedom House shelter and services it offers. Staff from the shelter will also be on site to meet families. The Fall Fest will offer a variety of family-friendly activities including carnival games, a scavenger hunt, face painting clown, a fortune teller booth, bake walk, photo booth and refreshments. This year, Freedom House has also partnered with area groups including Bikers against Child Abuse (BACA), Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) and the Princeton Junior Woman’s Club for the event. As previously reported in the BCR, Amber Killian, a shelter advocate at Freedom House, said the shelter is always looking to get the community involved, so they are aware they can be part of the solution and help families in need. “We also want victims in our area
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BCR photo/Mike Vaughn
Oktoberfest celebrated on Princeton’s Main Street There was no shortage of Bavarian fun Saturday evening, as Princeton’s Main Street was transformed into a German festival, complete with beverages, Oktoberfest cuisine and the Heidelberg German Band, who performed for the crowd who gathered to experience the final street concert for the season. See more photos on Page 2.
The best Illinois cities for homeowners Princeton ranks 237th out of 259 studied
By D ave Cook dcook@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — A recent study completed by ValuePenguin, a company designed to help consumers understand financial topics by providing a free source of information with objective analysis, recently ranked Princeton as the
Year 170 No. 125 One Section - 20 Pages
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Economical lab services and diagnostic testing, including digital x-rays, are also offered on-site. These services are available to anyone, regardless of your doctor’s practice or hospital affiliation.
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