Volume 143 No. 20
Friday, April 21, 2017
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Setting limits Legislation proposal would limit school board members to two terms By Dave Cook
news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — A recent proposal from the Illinois legislature would place term limits on school board members. A concern of this proposal is how it could affect small school districts in rural areas where finding interested and qualified candidates could be a challenge. The synopsis for IL-HB476, sponsored by Representative Thaddeus Jones of the 29th District, states the proposal “Amends the School Code and the Public Community College Act. With respect to school boards of school districts and boards of trustees of community college districts, provides that a person may not serve as a board member for more than 2 terms of office that begin on or
after the effective date of the amendatory Act.” Currently, the proposed legislation has been referred back to the Rules Committee for further review after it was assigned to the Executive Committee. “I see no reason to amend the current system. I see no benefits to a two-term system,” said Tonica Superintendent Jim Whitmore. “In my experience, newly-elected board members need the guidance and wisdom of members who have served for many years. The best outcomes for children occur when the board comprises a diverse population of men and women willing to serve children,” Lostant Superintendent Sandra Malahy. Putnam County Superintendent Carl Carlson said the impact it could have on small, rural districts is there may
not be the same level of interested candidates as there would be in larger, more populated areas. He added though that having a larger number of interested candidates doesn’t mean they would be better. “If the proposed legislation is passed, it would mean new faces and perhaps new perspectives would rotate through the cycle. The key would be to hopefully make sure everyone on the board does not end their terms in the same year. It would be critical to try and offset the terms so some continuity could still exist,” Carlson said. He added his experience with the school board members he’s known and worked with have been terrific and that focusing on the success of the students is what’s
Term limits Page 2
Emotional well-being and the modern world Arukah Institute of Healing launched with help from Marquis Energy By Dave Cook
news@tonicanews.com
Tonica News photo/Kevin Hieronymus
A shadow of a doubt The Putnam County Panthers boys’ and girls’ track teams cast a shadow on the competition in Saturday’s Rollie Morris Invitational track and field meet at Hall High School in Spring Valley. Bureau Valley won the 14-team girls’ field, with St. Bede coming out on top in the 10-team boys’ field.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources newsbits Youth Turkey Record: Youth turkey hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 1,541 birds during the 2017 Illinois Youth Turkey Season. The dates for this year’s season were March 25-26 and April 1-2. This was the first year two youth turkey hunting weekends were open for the entire state. Previously, there was one weekend dedicated for the South Zone and one for the North Zone. In 2016, a total of 1,058 turkeys were harvested, combining both seasons and zones. The previous youth season record harvest was in 2012, when 1,300 birds were taken. For a list of county harvest totals for the Youth Turkey Season, Vol. 143 No. 20 One Section - 8 Pages
check the IDNR website at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/ news/Documents/IDNR-YouthTurkeyHarvest2017.pdf 2017 Licenses: The new license year in Illinois has begun, as of April 1. Illinois fishing, hunting and sportsman’s combination licenses and stamps for 2017 are available from DNR Direct license and permit vendors, online through the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov or by calling 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648). The 2017 licenses and stamps are valid through March 31, 2018,
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PRINCETON — While our world seems more connected than ever, many feel alone and isolated, lost in the rush of the digital age. A new non-profit has been formed to help — The Arukah Institute of Healing. For whatever reason, the people of the Illinois Valley are particularly struggling with emotional health, as data shows this area has dramatically higher rates of mental health challenges, self-harm, drug overdoses and suicide. According to public health statistics, suicide rates are two times higher in the Illinois Valley than in Cook County, the largest urban county in the state. Putnam County has the highest suicide rate in the state, and self-inflicted injuries requiring treatment at a hospital are three times higher in the Illinois Valley than in Cook County In the last two years, drug overdose deaths in this area are more than 30 percent higher than in Cook County. “The Illinois Valley is federally under-served with regards to mental health. While there are a few options, we’ve noticed a lack of long-term, low-to-no cost, holistic therapies. We want to journey with our clients long term to provide life-changing results and provide multiple types of therapies because we don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to healing,” Sarah Scruggs, founder and executive director of the Arukah Institute, said. Incorporated as a non-profit in December, the Arukah Institute will be taking a different approach to mental health than traditional counseling. Using art, nature, exercise and the benefit of new relationships, they’ll be seeking to help restore the broken connections existing within our communities through different approaches and the acceptance of multiple beliefs. Scruggs also said she feels a decentralized model of program implementation is going to benefit everyone by eliminating the barrier of access. “We want to be accessible, approachable and for our programs to be able to be held anywhere, designed and adaptable to the assets of our different communities. We want to provide what the residents want and need,” Scruggs said.
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