1 Front Volume 141 No. 3
Friday, March 14, 2014
The Tonica News
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TVFD receives Small Equipment Grant $12,860 headed to department for equipment By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — The Tonica Volunteer Fire Department was one of 193 fire departments statewide receiving a Small Equipment Grant from the Illinois State Fire Mar-
shal and Gov. Pat Quinn. TVFD received $12,860 in grant monies. In making the grant announcement, Quinn said the fire departments are receiving a total of $4 million to help purchase safety equipment, protective clothing, breath-
ing apparatus and other tools for firefighters. These grants are supported by a small percentage of the sales of all fire insurance sold in Illinois. The departments were eligible for grants up to $26,000. “The heroic firefighters across the state deserve all the help they can get to keep all Illinois residents safe,” Quinn said. “These investments can help make
the difference in life and death situations in communities throughout Illinois.” “With the Small Equipment Grant, we’ll be purchasing 10 new portable radios for squad members and six flashlights,” Tonica Fire Chief Al Stremlau said. “The flashlights are heavyduty, fire-rated models designed for use in search and rescue operations.
“The radios will give us enhanced communications during fires, and search and rescue situations,” Stremlau said. “That all comes back to safety and accountability on the ground.” TVFD received another grant this past fall from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The grant was a 50/50 grant for $9,900. With it, the
department was able to purchase wildland fire gear for all of the current members. Wildland gear is lighter weight and used for field fires and rescue operations where the bulkier gear would be impractical. “These types of grants are super beneficial to us, since we rely on donations and not tax money to operate our fire department,” Stremlau said.
Kreiser: ‘A bigger piece of the puzzle’ By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
Editor’s note: This is another story in a series, as the Tonica News talks with members of the boards in the Tonica area and gets their views on what is going on in their communities. TONICA — Monica Kreiser may be new to the Tonica Village Board, having been elected last spring; however, she’s no stranger to public service. Kreiser has been a secretary at Tonica Grade School for seven years and has recently joined the Tonica Volunteer Fire Department and is in the process of taking EMT courses. Why did she run for the village board? “I just wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Kreiser said. “Why not give back? Just to have a voice, an opinion, to be heard. To be a bigger piece of the puzzle.” Like the other board members, Kreiser sees the biggest item in the village’s future as the sewer plant which was mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s not her only goal, however. “I’d like to see the ball diamond fixed up. I’d like to see two, and see more of a way to develop it,” Kreiser said. “Maybe if
See Kreiser Page 3
Tonica News photos/Ken Schroeder
Caden Mertes of the Lostant Leaders 4-H Club explains the diorama of the country of Peru he built for the 4-H International Day at Illinois Valley Community College on March 22. At right, adult advisor Tracy Ritko (left) supervises as Meleah Mertes and Mikayla Ritko work on a photo collage for their project.
Lostant Leaders learn about Peru By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — The Lostant Leaders 4-H Club gathered at Blue Giggles Sweet Shoppe on March 8, but it wasn’t for the food. The 4-Hers were putting the finishing touches on their display for the 4-H International Day from 3 to 6 p.m. on March 22 in the Peter Miller Community Technology Center at Illinois Valley Community College. “IVCC is having an International Day, and they’re allowing the 4-H groups in the area from LaSalle, Marshall and Putnam counties
to come,” Lostant Leader adult volunteer Tracy Ritko said. “There’s going to be 19 groups there, and each of them have a foreign country. Our group voted and decided on Peru.” “We were given a list that had different foreign exchange students on it, and the group really enjoyed the idea of Peru because we’re so close to the town; and they happened to have an exchange student, so it worked out really well,” President Taylor Urbanowski said. “We voted, and it was either this or Egypt; but someone already took Egypt.”
Inside
Vol. 141 No. 3 One Section - 8 Pages
Charity basketball game planned © The Tonica News
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Match game See Page 4
Among the displays the members were working on were dioramas, a fold-out stand of the flag of Peru and a photo collage. In addition, the group’s adult volunteers will be making desserts native to Peru for sampling during the event. The members have enjoyed creating their project and learning about the country of Peru. “I did Peru flowers and the culture,” member Meleah Mertes said. “There are lots of different kinds of flowers that are native to the country.”