Record 1 Front
The Putnam County
Volume 146 No. 27
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
“PRSRT STD.” US Postage Paid No. 486 SHAW MEDIA POSTAL PATRON LOCAL R.R. BOXHOLDER CARRIER ROUTE PRESORT
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The high price of propane By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn has recently announced some emergency actions to help fix the shortened supply and high prices of liquefied propane gas and heating in Illinois. These actions are aimed at making it quicker to transport the fuels from other states into Illinois, yet keep safety at a top level during this process.
Quinn has issued a disaster proclamation that would give licensed Illinois truckers the ability to drive through other states to obtain said fuels and bring them back to the state of Illinois without having to stop and apply for additional licenses. This declaration will also allow drivers to remain behind the wheel longer in order to pick up and deliver the fuels back to the state. It will also increase the num-
ber of drivers that would be able and available to bring propane back into the state of Illinois. Taxes that are usually levied on out-of-state trucks are being temporarily suspended by the Illinois Department of Revenue for trucks that bring in heating fuels to Illinois. The U.S. Department of Transportation has also issued emergency declarations that provided for federal regulatory relief for motor
vehicles delivering LP gas and heating fuels to affected areas. The much colder than normal winter has caused a shortage in LP gas and heating fuels throughout the Midwest. This shortage has caused prices to take a hike that has placed an extreme burden on the consumer in heating costs this winter. Sarah Stockton-Brown of Airgas Co. in LaSalle talked about the current situation.
“Airgas distributes propane primarily for industrial use, such as forklift fuel and cutting applications. In certain parts of the country, Airgas also distributes some propane for residential use, including home heating. Overall, propane represents a relatively small portion of our total gas sales. Airgas purchases its propane from suppliers, some of whom are currently experiencing shortages in various regions of the country,
including the Midwest. We are actively working with our suppliers to manage through any regional shortages and meet our customers’ needs,” StocktonBrown said. According to a Jan. 28 article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the United States has larger supplies of propane, but it is in the wrong place. The Midwest has been shorted due to a wet drying season this past fall.
See Propane Page 3
2014 deer permits may decrease By Donna Barker Shaw Media Service
HENNEPIN — Putnam County deer hunters, as well as those in 40 other Illinois counties, could see a decrease in the number of deer hunting permits granted for the 2014-15 year by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). IDNR Director Marc Miller said the possible decrease in the number of granted deer permits would reflect a revision of deer population objectives for the state. The revision follows a two-year review of Illinois deer management efforts, taking into account such factors as automobile/car crashes and hunting statistics, he said. “The IDNR manages deer by county and state population goals, and as a result of our two-year review, we’re making changes for many counties. In these counties our strategy is shifting from deer herd reduction to maintaining or increasing deer populations,” Miller said. Natural resource biologists have determined deer population goals can now be increased in those affected counties, while still keeping the overall numbers at levels which will reduce conflicts between deer
See Permits Page 3 Vol. 146 No. 27 One Section - 16 Pages The Putnam County
Record Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
© The Putnam County Record
Putnam County Record photos/Ken Schroeder
Peggy Smith of Magnolia has a collection of more than 200 tins, some that were given to her and others she’s acquired throughout the years. Smith said she’s never spent more than $5 for a single tin.
Collect-tin started at an early age Peggy Smith has collected more than 200 tins By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
MAGNOLIA — A trip to an auction for a young kid led to a lifelong hobby for Peggy Smith of Magnolia. “I was probably 13 or 14 when I went to went to my first auction, and I got my Premium crackers tin,” Smith said. “That’s the one that stands out because it was my grandma’s. I got it at her estate sale.”
From there, the collection has blossomed into more than 200 tins of various sizes and brands. The tins range from the large pretzel and popcorn containers to the old Velvet tobacco tins — with all sorts of shapes and sizes in between. Tins first came into use as containers for perishable goods during the 14th century, and some products are still packed in tins today. Because of the nearly continuous usage, the
price for collectible tins has never been very high. For instance, a 100-year-old Prince Albert tobacco tin sells for about $10 on eBay. “I have never spent more than $5 for a single tin. A lot of them were given to me as gifts. ‘Oh, Peggy likes tins; let’s send her one.’ But most I got from auctions and sales,” Smith said. “They all have a story though. There’s a couple that were my grandma’s or great-grandma’s. “My dad would get them for me. He’d go to auctions and buy
a box of junk just because it had a tin for me,” Smith said. Many collections start for a reason, but Smith isn’t quite sure where hers originated from. “I don’t know why I did it,” she said. “I just started at an auction, and I would pick them up. When my brothers would see them, they’d get some for me.” Smith hopes to pass the collection on to her children, although she’s not sure they’ll stay in the family. “They’ll probably end up in a garage sale someday,” she said.