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The Putnam County
Volume 146 No. 19
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Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
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Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Axline Pharmacy opens in Granville By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE — The new year brings a pharmacy back to Granville. Axline Pharmacy officially opened its doors at 328 S. McCoy St. on Jan. 2 after months of work and preparation. And while the store is new, the faces inside will be familiar.
Toni Lawley has returned to become head pharmacist with assistance from long-time Granville Drug owner Dave Thompson. “I started out working at Granville Drug in high school and came back about eight years ago,” Lawley said. “Last year, I needed to make a little change and started
with Axline, and really enjoyed the ownership and management at Axline.” The store manager is another former Granville resident. Rob Bean has been with the Axline Pharmacy in Bloomington for several years, and when he heard Granville was without a drugstore, he knew the moment
was right for expansion. “This brings me full circle, really. Out of high school, I worked for Dave Thompson at Granville Drug while I was at IVCC after school, and when I went to pharmacy school, he’d put me to work during the summer and sort of mentor me,” Bean said. “It’s exciting to be back.”
“When Toni (Lawley) left Granville Drug, she took a consulting job with us, and when we learned that Granville Drug was closing, our owner Troy Williams thought it’d be a great fit for us,” Bean said. “I didn’t push for it, but Troy was excited about the idea.” “It was kinda dicey
Bill Ellena does! By Ken Schroeder
By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE – The year 1962 was extraordinary for several reasons. It was the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis; John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth; and Johnny Carson took over the “Tonight Show.” Coincidentally, Granville’s Bill Ellena started collecting political buttons that year, a hobby that’s kept him busy ever since. “I was sitting at the kitchen table in Jeff Jeppson’s kitchen having coffee, and we were talking about election buttons,” Ellena said. “He said, ‘I’ve got a collection; would you like to see it?’ So he showed me part of his collection and a little later, he said, ‘This is a nice hobby, and it’s not very expensive to start. Would you like to try it?’ So he went to the closet and brought me five or six nice buttons and said, ‘Here, get started,’ and I was hooked.” Ellena has pins starting at the last election and continuing back from there with pins from the Teddy Roosevelt and William H. Taft campaigns in his collection. Along the way, he’s picked up not only buttons but other memorabilia as well. A set of pins sits in a section by themselves. Looking at them from different directions presents different images on each pin. “Those are flasher pins. These are the most
Editor’s note: This is the first segment in a two-part series. SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Police announced they are opening the Firearm Concealed Carry Act application process to certified firearms instructors. This will give those instructors the access to apply for their concealed carry license in advance of Jan. 5 deadline. The law requires certified firearms instructors be qualified for a concealed carry license. Currently there are nearly 2,000 certified firearms instructors listed on the Illinois State Police Concealed Carry website. State officials believe instructor applications will serve as a test of the website capabilities. With over 400,000 applications expected during the first year, state officials want to make sure the system works properly. Jeremiah Brown is already certified to instruct applicants for a concealed carry, but he also had a leg-up. Brown and the six instructors working with him at the Buffalo Range Shooting Park in Ottawa are law enforcement officials with a total of 70 years of experience between them. They’ve been busy. Putnam County Record photos/Ken Schroeder
Bill Ellena poses with part of his political button collection.
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Vol. 146 No. 19 One Section - 12 Pages The Putnam County
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See Axline Page 2
Button, button, who’s got the button?
The process begins with concealed carry
See Firearms Page 3
because Rob and I both have a personal stake in the community, yet we are loyal to our employer,” Lawley said. “But I think we all knew that it was going to be a good match; the community needed it, and we were hoping to open up very soon.”
The story of MagnoliaSwaney See Page 3
‘If I can do it ...’ See Page 4
Ellena has several old pins and some flasher buttons that change according to the direction a viewer sees them from. expensive ones,” Ellena said. “One, I think the last time I looked, was worth $75. They don’t make those anymore. Too expensive.” Ellena said he has more than a thousand pins in his collection, mostly from national election, with some state and local buttons as well. Most of his collection was gathered in the early days of the hobby, but it’s not growing as fast as it used to. “They’re getting difficult to find. People are not putting money into buttons now. The majority of the money today goes into television advertising,” Ellena said. “They find they can reach more people, especially in the state and national level. Locally, you still find some.” One of the prizes in Ellena’s collection comes from the Teddy Roosevelt
See Ellena Page 2