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Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Granville OKs another police officer By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE — Granville will soon have another full-time policeman. After a long discussion, the Granville Village Board voted four to one to add a third full-time policeman to the roster at its meeting Jan. 6. The
move came at the request of Police Chief Kevin Moore. “We’ve had such a high turnover of part-time guys; the community doesn’t even know who the cops are anymore,” Moore said. “Every time they look in the squad car, there’s someone else.” Moore blamed the turnover on part-time
officers moving on to full-time jobs because they were not making enough money. He said he has at least two officers who would be interested in the position and would likely stay, since they have strong ties to the community. “You all know that I’ve gone not quite back and forth on this, and
I’ve been digging in my heels,” board member Randy Borio said. “After talking to some people, getting a little more input, I think this is it. I’m willing to look at this on an experimental basis.” The lone “no” vote came from board member Jim Pettit, whose objection was predominately due to the timing
of the request. “I’m not totally in favor of this. I think it all should have been brought out in the budget planning process,” Pettit said. “You throw it in the middle of the year; I don’t think that’s right. It’s going to cost us more money. I just don’t think this is the time for that.” “This is the perfect time
to do it,” board member Sean Coleman said. “We have two local ties. I don’t see any real problem here.” “We’ve been training three new guys a year for the last six years,” Moore said. “My pool of applications is next to nothing. I don’t think I have three
Granville Page 3
Brutal temps hit the area But will they be ones for the record books? By Goldie Currie Shaw Media Service
Brutal wind chill temperatures and 5 inches of snow across the Illinois Valley has turned the area into a winter wonderland ... by some people’s standards. But will 2015 be one for the record book? All we have to do is look at last year, if we want to see a record-setting winter. The year 2014 is going into the books as being the fourth coldest year on record for Illinois. The Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute released its data earlier this week, showing the statewide average temperature for 2014 to be 49.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2.9 degrees below average. The year was tied with 1912 and 1979 for fourth place, according to Illinois State Climatologist
Jim Angel. The coldest year on record since 1895 was 1917 with an average of 48.3 degrees Fahrenheit. “Although 2014 was a cold year for Illinois, the effect was largely confined to the Midwest and was not global, and it does not reflect the long-term temperature trend in Illinois,” Angel said. With these low temperatures, strangely enough, the temperatures recorded in December 2014 turned out to be above average. The Illinois State Survey showed the mild average temperature in December to be 33.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 3.5 degrees above average. Those readings rank the month as being the 29th warmest December on record. Snowfall was also especially light in
PCR photo/Dixie Schroeder
It’s here! Jeff Palmeri of McNabb shovels out his driveway last week after the first major snow of the season. With subzero temperatures, Putnam County schools were closed, and many area residents struggled to get to work.
Weather Page 3
Politics plays into pot Medical marijuana program is behind schedule By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
December 2014 has come and gone and already the state’s Compassionate Use of Medical Vol. 147 No. 20 One Section - 12 Pages
© The Putnam County Record
Cannabis Pilot Program Act is behind schedule. The 22 centers — one for each State Police district — were to be announced during December, but so far, the 159 applicants are waiting and hoping their
application will be picked with no word from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which is charged with selecting the producers. It appears as if finger pointing has already begun ... Apparently, many of the cultivation center applicants have voiced fears of cronyism playing a part in
the selection process and have wondered whether the closed process will favor those who are politically connected. The current laws for application selection protects the names of applicants from being shared or discussed in public medium. Governor-elect Bruce Rauner has also demanded transparency from
Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration and the selection process. Rauner pointed to former Quinn Chief of Staff Jack Lavin, who is representing one of the medical marijuana applicants, as having an unfair advantage. David Rosen, former finance officer for Hillary Clinton, is another key Democratic figure among those vying for a
license. However, across the aisle are two individuals who represent financial institutions who are backing prospective medical marijuana facilities. Steve Denari and Tom Cronin are helping with the financing of two separate applicants. Denari and
Pot Page 3