Single Copy Cost 50¢ Volume 147 No. 36
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Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Sandy Creek facility beached for now By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
WENONA — The building of the controversial hog confinement facility has started, with ground being broken in March. However, that’s where work has stalled out with only a silt fence and two large piles of dirt visible from the road to mark the beginning.
That start was enough to start another flurry of problems for the facility and the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Local citizens who are opposed to the hog confinement complex formed a group known as Save Our Sandy (SOS). They recently filed a lawsuit naming the IDOA, acting Director of IDOA Philip Nelson, VMC Management Corporation and
Sandy Creek Lane LLC as defendants. SOS spokesperson Leslie Smith said the groundbreaking was done without any local permits and before the land was actually owned by VMC. That does not conform to local regulations, which the IDOA told the company they had to follow. Smith also alleges she contacted the IDOA when the illegal ground-break-
ing started but received no reply. Marshall County engineer Pat Sloan confirmed the work began without the proper paperwork. The final complete paperwork was submitted on April 9 with the permit issued April 10. The suit alleges Sandy Creek Lane LLC violated three sections of the Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA).
The suit charges VMC did not properly follow regulations on soil and aquifer testing, and failed to design its waste handling facility according to environmental laws. It also contends the facility does not meet the eight sitting criteria of the LMFA. The Sandy Creek Lane LLC hog facility was green-lighted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture on Nov. 1, 2014,
over the objection of local residents and the Marshall County Board. The board had voted 11-1 on May 8, 2014, to recommend against the project, adding they were “adamantly opposed.” Plans were first announced for the facility at the March 13, 2014, meeting of the county board when project
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Taking a gamble Let it roll
By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord. com
This is the final story in a three-part series on video gaming in Illinois; how it works, where the money goes and who can benefit from allowing video gaming in their establishments. With more than $8 billion played in video gaming terminals during 2014, there’s a large number of people trying their luck at the slots. Although there are currently no figures available for the number of players, the number of terminals in the state has leveled off and is currently hovering at 19,000 for the last six months. In January of 2014, there were 14,426 slots statewide. 2014 was the year video gaming truly took off. Estimated money played for both 2012 and 2013 amounted to $2.6 billion with a state share of $77 million. This year also looks like a busy year for the terminals, with February 2015 setting a record of more than $851 million played at an average of $30.4 million a day. There’s no single demographic as far as age, sex or income that indicates who is more likely to play, but the typical reason is fun and optimism. Andrea (not her real name) is playing the slots on a terminal in a Granville tavern. She started playing when they came
Gamble Page 3 Vol. 147 No. 36 One Section - 16 Pages
© The Putnam County Record
PCR photo/Dixie Schroeder
Putnam County School Board swears in members Putnam County Superintendent Jay McCracken (center back row) leads Putnam County School Board members during the swearing in ceremony held Saturday, April 25. The board congratulated newly re-elected members Rollie Copeland, Jim Gibson and Laurie Glenn during the meeting. Vicky Nauman was elected president of the board, while Gibson was elected vice president. School board members were appointed to various standing committees in the district at the meeting. The board also authorized McCracken to look into diversifying investments with the upcoming certificate of deposit that is coming due in May.
Illinois property taxes among the highest By Ken Schroeder
kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
As Illinois residents are getting ready to write out the check for their first property tax payment, they can take some comfort that they don’t live in New Jersey. By almost all criteria, the Pelican State has the highest real
estate property taxes in the country. That’s probably the only good news, depending on which method used. For instance, Wallethub.com performed a comparison of all 50 states and the District of Columbia to find the nine states with the highest real estate property taxes. The average Ameri-
can surrenders $2,089 in real estate property taxes. Wallethub arrived at this figure by averaging all home-owners nationwide. At the top of the website’s list is New Jersey, with an average homeowner shelling out $3,971 in taxes. The No. 2 state was not far behind at $3,939. That state is Illinois.
Another point of consolation resides in the fact Illinois is one of 24 states that does not charge a property tax on vehicles. If those numbers are added to each state’s property taxes, Illinois drops down to the No. 3 slot. Third place New Hampshire jumps up to first place with a combined real estate/vehicle tax of
$4,062, a $413 jump from its real estate tax of $3,649. According to The Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the added burden of a less-wealthy middle class. Between 2010 and 2013, the median income for Illinois’ middle class dropped 12 percent to $56,210.
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