Volume 141 No. 17
Friday, April 3, 2015
Single Copy Cost 50¢
State school funding late By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
The Illinois State Board of Education said Illinois school district finances continue to show the strain of decreased funding from federal, state and local resources. Districts projected to deficit spend this school year have increased by 64.2; a total of 550 out of the 857 Illinois school districts. “Our Financial Profile data shows that while our schools continue to cut costs and stretch shrinking financial resources, many still must borrow or dip into their reserves in order to stay in the black,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. The Illinois State Board of Education has recently asked for an additional
$729.9 million in education funding from the current year to fully fund General State Aid. Tonica Grade School is feeling the pinch, and it appears it’s going to be worse for the next school year. At its March school board meeting, a lengthy discussion was held about the fate of the school’s preschool program, which lost more than $37,000 during the last school year. Despite the deficit spending on the prekindergarten program, School Superintendent John Suarez said there was still a possibility the school would operate in the black for this season, although he said that is despite the state funding tardiness. “In general state aid, they’re spot on, but the state is always behind on
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Music in the wind Native American flutist plays at TUMC By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — People attending Tonica United Methodist Church Sunday, March 22, were treated to music normally not found in traditional houses of worship. Nationally-known Native American flute artist Jonny Lipford stopped in to play for worship services as he passed through from a tour date in Chicago, which might seem like an odd stop for a touring musician. Church members can thank the Rev. Mark Nowakowski, church pastor, for Lipford’s presence, since the two are friends who met through their mutual interest in music. “One child of a lady in one of my congregations is very connected in the music industry, and she began to introduce me to not only some pretty big names, but I also had the opportunity to play with them,” Nowakowski said.
“She introduced me to some folks in the Native American community, particularly the instrumentalists. One thing leads to another to another and to another. I was looking for some Native American flute and maybe some opportunities to play because I play myself. I found him, and I absolutely fell in love with him. He’s a really good musician.” Lipford is not a Native American, but he was drawn to the music when he was 13 while he was watching cartoons. “I found the flute about 13 years ago when I was watching a cartoon,” Lipford said. “I was flipping through cartoon channels, finding this character playing a brown flute. Later, I realized it was the South American pan flute that I was hearing, but it was portrayed as an end-blown flute. Then I came across a video of a guy playing a
TUMC Page 2
Shaw Media Service photo/Mike Vaughn
Easter blessings ... The Easter holiday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is Sunday, April 5. Churches in the area will hold celebrations, which include special services, brunches and more. In conjunction with the religious aspect of Easter, additional customs include Easter egg hunts, the Easter Bunny and the Easter lily, a symbol of resurrection, which traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day. The Tonica News wishes you a Happy Easter.
April begins tornado season in Illinois By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
April is here, and that means warmer temperatures and light showers. It also means tornadoes in Illinois. Of the average 54 tornadoes Illinois receives in a year, 13 of them usually make their appearance in April,
according to the National Weather Service. Historically, only May breeds more twisters (an average of 16 per year) in the Land of Lincoln. More tornadoes also means more severe thunderstorms with winds and hail that can also cause damage and injuries to the unwary. According to Victor Gensini, assistant
professor of meteorology at the College of DuPage, this spring is going to be active. “Usually by now, we’ve had a dozen or so tornado advisories. So far this year, we’ve had zero, and that has never happened in the history since we started recording tornadoes,” Gensini said. “However, you look at the upcom-
Tornado Page 2
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ing forecasts, April looks like it’s going to be a busy month. It usually starts off in Texas and Oklahoma, but by May and June, it should be up to us.” Gensini said usually by the end of March there have been about 250 tornadoes nationwide. The total so far this year is 37
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