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Record The Putnam County
Volume 146 No. 8
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Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
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Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Revisiting recycling in Granville Board hears residents’ concerns By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE — Recycling was the topic of the evening at the Granville Village Board meeting on Oct. 15. Residents came forward
to find out what steps they could take, since the village shut down the recycling program two weeks ago. Through negotiations with Waste Management, the board will be instituting a new program.
Curbside recycling is expected to roll out for Granville residents shortly after the first of the year. Under the program, residents will receive a blue container for recycling and a green container for regular refuse. Recyclables will be picked up every other
week; schedules will be sent to all residents. Curbside recycling will offer residents a discount from their current services. Residents who have been using Waste Management’s program for regular refuse have done so for a monthly charge of $3.50. With
the new program, residents will be charged just $2.50 for both containers. While participation in the program is optional, all residents will be charged for the service. “Since you’re gonna get charged for it, you might as well recycle,”
board member Randy Borio said. Businesses who do not subscribe to Waste Management services can also receive a recyclables container for $2.50 a month. The problem with the old recycling program
See Recycling Page 2
Looking for answers? Health department can help with the Affordable Care Act By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was signed into law in March 2010, and Oct. 1 marked the beginning of enrollment into the plan. However, a major percentage of people still don’t understand how this will affect them and what they should do. Fortunately, there’s someone locally who can help with the process. Dan Eiten is an inperson counselor at the Bureau and Putnam County Health Department. He’s studied the Affordable Care Act enough to help discuss options and learn how the act will affect the public. “We are happy to go into the community to get the people the help that they need and answer questions,” Eiten said. “The most important thing that people need to know is Oct. 1 was the starting date; there is no hurry. You can sign up today or next week, or in November or even the first two weeks of December. As long as you get enrolled by Dec. 15, your benefits start Jan. 1.” Open enrollment for the plan is open through March 15. Enrollment during the first half of a month will start the
insurance the following month, while sign-up after the 15th will push the beginning of insurance coverage to the next following month. So far, the Affordable Care Act website, www.healthcare.gov, has been plagued with glitches, making sign-up a long and arduous task for some. “At this point, we’re kind of sitting back and not worrying about healthcare.gov and focusing our efforts on community outreach letting the community know we’re here to help them sign up,” Eiten said. There’s also been a lot of confusion about who has to sign up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act and how it affects them. “There are a notable number of misconceptions about the Affordable Care Act,” Eiten said. “I think a lot of people get caught up in the political hullabaloo about it, and I’ve heard people say, ‘Even Obama won’t sign up, and he won’t sign his family up.’ People forget they already comply with the law. They’ve got insurance. The part is having insurance. If you have it, the law’s satisfied. “Perhaps one of the most important parts is the expansion of Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid
See Answers Page 3
Putnam County Record photo/Dixie Schroeder
C & P Pony Rides have been around the area for quite some time. Edith Passini is shown here with one of her horses.
The Illinois Valley’s Dr. Doolittle Passini family brings their animals to you By Dixie Schroeder dschroeder@putnam county record.com
GRANVILLE – Horses, goats and chickens ... oh, my! While you won’t find any lions, tigers and bears at the Passini farm, you will find a host of other furry friends that have become friends to many in the area. Mix those horses, goats and chickens with wild turkeys, an alpaca and more, and you have the making for a great petting zoo and some funfilled pony rides. Edith and Adam Passini have raised a variety of animals throughout the years at their farm, and they have enjoyed the challenges it brings. “The animals eat before we do,” Edith Passini said. “This was a third generation dairy for years.” The Passini family has been known around the area for Circle
P Pony rides, and the idea of the petting zoo grew out of that first business. A friend asked them to do the pony rides at the local orchard, and they soon realized they could book their animal farm every weekend from May to November. The family not only appears at the local orchard, but it also does birthday parties and local town events. “I would watch as the kids would get antsy while waiting in long lines for the pony rides,” Edith said. “So I thought of the idea of bringing in other animals for the kids to pet and look at while they were waiting for the rides.” With the idea of adding the petting zoo came the challenge of adding animals unique enough to become a draw for the business. The Passini family gets many of their animals as babies and has
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Helping out
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to bottle feed those who need it. Edith said she even has a video on her computer at home of her lambs inside their home. “They had to be bottle fed every two hours when they were young, so instead of going back to the barn, I just put in them in a pet taxi for a big animal and left them in the house,” she said. “It was so cute. The very first night I got them, just a couple days old, my little hair lambs and Oliver, who was a wool lamb ... liked each other so much they played ring-around-the-rosy around my recliner.” Traditional roles you would expect of some animals are not what happen when you visit the family farm. “I have wild turkeys that will come up and follow you like a dog would and an attack duck that chases after you and gets
See Passini Page 5