TON-04-26-2013

1 Front Volume 140 No. 9

Friday, April 26, 2013

The Tonica News

Single Copy Cost 50¢

Tonica News photo/Elin Arnold

The Casey’s store intersection on Route 251 was closed in Tonica on April 18 due to flooding conditions. Life-long resident Dion Christman, who was helping a neighbor get a pump going, said he hadn’t seen Bailey Creek backed up this far in a long time. “The only time I remember it worse than this was when I was 5 years old,” Christman said. “Marv Folty was out in a boat picking up his lumber that had floated away.” Folty lives behind Casey’s right in the middle of the flooded area.

A river runs through it ...

April showers bring ... a torrent of problems

By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com

Rain-gorged ground couldn’t take any more rain April 18, and roads and ditches flooded to dangerous levels throughout the morning in LaSalle County.

Schools closed as many highways and secondary roads were flooded. The National Weather Service reported about 5 inches of rain had fallen during the previous 24 hours. The state declared the Illinois Valley a disaster area.

“It’s really bad out there,” said LaSalle County

Emergency Management Deputy Director Fred Moore.

“I wasn’t in the field back during the flood of 2008, but I traveled with our photographer who was. This is a lot worse.”

The flood waters caused the closing of Casey’s in Tonica.

By midday April 19, almost all roads between Tonica and LaSalle were closed due to flooding or mudslides with the only open road being Interstate 39.

“The worst areas are Marseilles and Utica,” Moore said. “It could take a while before the problems there get straightened out.”

No estimate is available yet for the amount of property damage due to the flooding, but the resulting soil erosion following last year’s drought is not going to be good news for local farmers.

Bussing questions in Tonica news@tonicanews.com

TONICA — Top of the agenda on the Tonica Board meeting on April 18 was reviewing the issue of leasing contracts for its school buses.

Midwest Bus Sales of Princeton brought a new school bus for the school board to review. The school district is currently leasing its buses from Midwest Transit and is

unhappy with the current leasing situation.

Midwest Bus Sales features Thomas-built buses. The board learned of the differences in costs and maintenance of leasing a 65-passenger bus or a smaller bus to carry handicapped students.

The district currently has one disabled student who would need wheelchair access to the bus. Discussion was held on the combination of buses to

select.

The second problem with getting a longer passenger bus is the school building that houses the buses. If the district were to go with a longer passenger bus, like the 71-passenger bus, a new garage door would need to be put on the building due to the length and height of the bus.

It was decided to get

See Tonica Page 3

By Barb Kromphardt bkromphardt@tonicanews.com

Three area fire departments have received grants from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office. These grants are given to fire departments so that they may purchase equipment like breathing apparatus, protective clothing and other items that are needed for fighting fires.

Lostant received $21,990. The money will be used to update the suits the department volunteers wear when fighting a fire. The amount will

Inside

Vol. 140 No. 9 One Section - 8 Pages

It’s that time of year See Page 2 © The Tonica News

MEREDOSIA – Gov. Pat Quinn has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with damage assessments in several Illinois counties devastated by flooding and severe storms. The assessments, which will begin on April 29, will provide the documentation necessary to support a request for federal assistance.

“We have seen some of the worst flooding

See Flood Page 3

Area fire departments get $60,000 in grants

Board looks at Pre-Primary Keys Program

By Dixie Schroeder

Quinn requests FEMA help with flood damage assessments

First person See Page 5

allow the purchase of 10 complete sets of suits and helmets.

Other area departments that received grants included Cedar Point, which received $25,200, and Leonore, which received $13,380.

The announcement of the grants was made April 16. A total of 96 fire departments across the state will share $2 million in Small Equipment Grants, which are funded through a percentage of all fire insurance sold in Illinois.

See Fire grants Page 3

2 Local 2 • The Tonica News • Friday, April 26, 2013

Seeking Sources The Tonica News is looking for area individuals to help us with stories we are pursuing. If you or someone you know would be willing to share your stories, please give us a call at 815-442-8419 or email us at news@ tonicanews.com. We are seeking sources for: • Someone who owns a train or railroad collection.

• Someone who has a kite collection or who flies kites every spring/ summer.

• An individual or family who has a passion for roughing it and camping.

The Tonica News P.O. Box 86, Tonica, IL 61370 (USPS 633340) Published every Friday at Tonica, IL 61370 Entered at Tonica Post Office as Periodical Mail $22 In LaSalle County $25 Outside of LaSalle County

Contact Publisher Sam Fisher sfisher@tonicanews.com Editor Terri Simon tsimon@tonicanews.com Managing Editor Barb Kromphardt bkromphardt@tonicanews.com

Submit

The Tonica News encourages readers to submit news for publication in our paper. Special events, weddings, births, awards and honors, anniversaries, promotions, etc. are welcome items for the paper. Some fees may apply.

Schools, businesses, organizations and groups are encouraged to send information on activities and events. If you have attended a function or event and have a photo and/or news, please submit them.

Email to:

news@tonicanews.com.

Photos should be sent as an attachment.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Tonica News P.O. Box 86,Tonica, IL 61370

Spring gardening time has arrived Ready to put out your vegetable/flower garden?

By Dixie Schroeder news@tonicanews.com

TONICA — It finally is starting to look like spring in the Illinois Valley, and many of you may have gotten the itch to go “dig dirt.” In other words, it is time to start working on your garden. Now this could be a simple vegetable garden or a very large one. It could be flower beds all around your home and yard. Whatever the occasion, spring brings out that “itch” in people to go out and garden.

There are many types of gardens in the world.

Each style takes hours of hard work to become successful. And the weather can be a constant challenge to a local gardener.

This year, Illinois weather has been especially challenging.

Lisa Barton of The Corner Garden in Tonica knows this. She said she has taken many of her plants out of the greenhouses and then turned right around and put them back in when the weather looked inclement. Growing plants to arrive at one date and

then the weather messing plans up are a constant challenge, Barton said.

‘I am just a farm kid,” said Barton. “I worked for Phyllis at Tonica Floral for years. So many of my plants I use time-release fertilizer in them, so they get nice and big and are pretty for the whole season.”

Barton said she takes some of her heartier plants – like petunias – and starts them from seed. Her mixture of soil has the appropriate part of fertilizer in the dirt.

Some of her more challenging plants she starts from other starts and clippings from bigger plants.

Every type of plant has to be watered on a regular schedule, and the timing of the growing is always to be at their fullest in early April when their season starts. With the weather, however, Barton has had to clip back plants to have them rebloom as they open again.

Barton is a fountain of knowledge for the new flower or vegetable gardener. She can recommend a specific flower for

Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder

Lisa Barton of The Corner Garden, located just outside of Tonica, inspects a King Tut plant in her greenhouse. a specific area of a perBarton and many other when putting in your first son’s yard. She has her experts recommend fer- garden. New gardeners favorites as far as what is tilizer to help any kind can get overwhelmed by easiest to grow, or of the of garden. Keeping weeds the time commitment more unique plants she out of gardens is a chal- involved, and it can burn sells. lenge, but it is also very out first-time gardeners “Petunias are a good helpful to your plants. If quickly. Another idea is starting point,” she says. you have wild animals to drive around the area “They take the heat, the that come for a visit in and talk to those who cold – in other words, your garden, there are do have very well-mainthey take the crazy Illi- many methods that can tained gardens … the nois weather. More com- be used to keep animals knowledge they have has plex flowers include the out of gardens, wheth- been gained from experiKing Tut, which eventu- er they are vegetable or ence, and veteran garally can grow to 6- to flower-based. deners are usually very 7-foot tall. The blooms Many gardening experts glad to pass along their are 10 inches wide.” recommend starting small knowledge.

Tonica Volunteer Fire Department meets in April TONICA – The Tonica Volunteer Fire Department met in April with 25 members present.

The department responded to two accidents and sent the ambulance out five times. The year to date total calls are now at 36 through March 31.

It was reported by Second Lt. Jim Breit that all S.C.B.A. units and P.A.S.S. devices have been checked by an authorized testing service and re-certified.

Breit and Alec McCleary were thanked for assisted Air Pack with testing these units. Bill Gray also completed the air quality test on the breathing air compressor in the fire station.

Monthly expenses for the department were $5,797.76. Guest applicant for the department was Terry Chambers, while Blake Billig was accepted as a probationary junior firefighter. New mutual aid box alarm cards were sent to TVFD by the Grand Ridge Fire Department.

See us at tonicanews.com.

TVFD approved the purchase of six long tables and thanks was given to Sue Huss for labeling the new flashlights and McCleary for installing them on each S.C.B.A. unit.

In the area of fundraising, Tina Gray announced the annual spring garage sale will be May 3-4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mary Kay Keutzer handed out tickets to be sold and a prize list of businesses to be contacted for prize donations for the fun-

draiser drawdown on June 8.

In monthly fire and rescue training classes, Rick Turri attended a program that covered an overview of the Corp of Engineers activities and responsibilities as they pertained to Super Storm Sandy responses. A firefighter safety class was attended by 13 members and one applicant.

Chief Todd Anderson also attended a student behavioral threat assessment class. Turri was at the class for

pipeline safety awareness and emergency response program for 2013.

Kevin Grieve and Breit attended storm spotter classes at IVCC, and a new member orientation class was led

by Anderson and Turri for Billig and Vinny Gray. Bernie Trudeau attended a traffic incident management awareness level training class. Eleven members and one applicant attended the emergency scene lighting equipment class.

A class called “Duty, Pride, Tradition” was attended by Anderson, Brad Keutzer, Alex McCleary, Terry McCleary, Trudeau and Turri. An EMS training class was attended by eight EMTs. The topic was trauma with scenarios.

Lawn maintenance bids were received with Turf Tamers submitting the lowest bid.

Anderson also requested to replace the Illinois and fire flags as they have become tattered.

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3 Obit Records Friday, April 26, 2013 • The Tonica News • 3

Lostant School Board member resigns

By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com

LOSTANT – The April 17 meeting of the Lostant Grade School Board got off to a rocky start when one of the newly-elected members resigned. Brad Lindstrom, the write-in candidate for the two-year trustee position, is also a member of the Marshall County Board, and legal counsel advised him that would be a conflict of interest. The board will now have to pick a replacement for Lindstrom’s position.

The board will re-organize at a special meeting on May 6 to swear in the newly-elected officials. One of the new board’s first duties will be to work on a collective bargaining team for upcoming contract negotiations.

In other action, the board: • Was told by Superintendent Sandra Malahy there was no cut in transportation funding expected from the state this year.

• Set graduation at 7 p.m. May 23.

• Approved hiring someone to assist in summer facility work.

• Approved the posting of an opening for a parttime physical education instructor for the junior high.

Peru Police PERU — Peru Police have reported that Linda S. Swartz, 42, of 206 W. First St. in Lostant was treated and released at Illinois Valley Community Hospital.

According to Peru Police, Swartz allegedly passed out, and her car struck a utility pole at 3:37 p.m. on April 18 in the 1600 block of Midtown Road, Peru.

Flood

From Page 1 damage to neighborhoods and homes across our state in Illinois history,” Quinn said. “The state will continue to take every step to secure assistance from the federal government that will help our communities recover.”

Since Thursday, Quinn has surveyed damage on the ground and from the air and met with local officials in some of the hardest hit communities, including Marseilles, Ottawa and North Utica.

Personnel from FEMA, IEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration and local emergency management agencies will begin assessing damage to homes and businesses in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties on April 29.

The teams will move to other affected counties as floodwaters recede so they are able to accurately assess

Letters to the Editor The Tonica News encourages your Letters to the Editor.

Letters should not exceed 500 words in length and should focus on a single topic. For more information or questions about submitting a letter, contact Tonica News Managing Editor Barb Kromphardt at bkromphardt@tonicanews.com.

the damage.

Quinn has declared a total of 44 counties state disaster areas. Counties included in the state disaster declaration are Adams, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Mercer, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Stark, Tazewell, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford.

The state disaster declaration makes available a wide variety of state resources that can help affected communities respond and recover from flooding.

It came after assessments by emergency officials and the governor, and begins the process of securing federal relief.

Raymond J. Suges

Velora A. Schroeder

WHEATFIELD, Ind. — Raymond J. Suges, 83, of Wheatfield, Ind., passed away Sunday, April 21, 2013, at St. Anthony Hospital in Crown Point, Ind. He was born Aug. 9, 1928, in Chicago to Joseph Raymond and Adele Rose (Petrauskis) Suges, both deceased.

Raymond was a 1946 graduate of Gage Park High School and proudly served in the U.S. Army. On Dec. 31, 1950, he married Dolores Rita Kovalcik, who passed away April 11, 2010. He worked for 37 years for the Bell System. He also served as the Thorton Township Highway Commissioner and was a Cook County Building inspector. He was a member of Wheatfield American Legion Post 406, the Montgomery County Veteran Post and the Sorrowful Mother Catholic Church.

Raymond is survived by his loving children, Raymond J Suges Jr. of Chicago, Rita (Gary) Ford of Tonica, Rock E. Suges of Oxford, N.C., Ralph (Rose) Suges of Wheatfield, Ind., and Rebecca Suges of Nashville, Tenn.; a son-in-law, Bruce Beide of Jefferson City, Mo.; a brother, Phillip (Donna) Suges of California; 18 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; one daughter, Regina Marie Beide; and a brother, Dr. Donald Suges, DDS. A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be made to the Sorrowful Mother Catholic Church, P.O. Box 243, Wheatfield, IN 46392.

The Jackson Funeral Service in DeMotte, Ind., was in charge of arrangements. See www.jacksonfuneral. com.

TONICA — Velora A. Schroeder, 99, of rural Tonica died at 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.

Velora was born July 4, 1913, in Vermillion Township to John H. and Caroline (Shawback) Rose. She married Elmer F. Schroeder Velora on March 15, 1934, in the Richland E.U.B. Church, now Richland United Methodist Schroeder Church.

They attended the Richland Church their entire married life and she is still a member. She never missed church until her health failed. She taught both children and adult Sunday school classes. Velora was a member of the Women’s Guild of the church and lived her entire life in Vermillion and Richland townships. She attended Brown’s Grade School and graduated from Tonica High School in 1931.

Her husband farmed all of their married life and she worked right along her husband’s side. They had beef and milk cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, and vegetable and flower gardens. They raised corn, soybeans, oats and hay. Her hobby was quilting. Of the many quilts that she made, she has given to family members. She enjoyed having company and watching TV game shows, the news and working crossword puzzles. She was a caring and generous person.

She remembered family and friends and sent cards for all occasions. Until recently she lived on the farm and home that she and her husband built over 60 years ago. She took great pride in working outside with her flowers, baking cookies for company, taking care of her home and she was loved by all who knew her.

Velora is survived by four generations of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband on Jan. 2, 1988, and her siblings, Harvey, Royale and Harold Rose, Verna Straughn, Elma Hiltabrand and June Jaeger.

Funeral services were held April 20 in the Hurst Funeral Home in Tonica with the Rev. Mark Nowakowski officiating. Burial was in Richland United Methodist Cemetery in Leonore.

Memorials may be directed to Tonica Fire and Ambulance Departments, Horizon House or the donor’s choice.

Jeff Gerrard LOVELAND, Colo. — Jeff Gerrard, 52, of Loveland, Colo., passed away Friday, April 5, 2013, from complications while being treated for leukemia.

Jeff was born June 12, 1960, in Spring Valley to Donette (Siemers) and James Gerrard. He attended Tonica Grade School until he was 11 when the family moved to Colorado.

Jeff worked as a fine finish carpenter in Colorado and Wyoming. He had also worked on pit crews for a variety of race teams with NASCAR. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Terri Gerrard; one daughter, Sara Warnick; two sons, Jimmy Coleman and Jason (Jennifer) Mathews; three grandchildren; his mother, Donette (Lee) Norris; and one sister, Dawn (Jim) Winters-Castell.

He was preceded in death by his father, James Gerrard; an infant brother; his maternal grandparents, Don and Ruby Siemers; and his paternal grandparents, Charles and Cora Gerrard.

Memorials may be directed to Black Dog Rescue (www.bdar.org) or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org/#/somedayistoday).

Tonica From Page 1 a full quote on a minibus; on a 71-passenger bus with wheelchair capabilities; and what it would cost to put in new garage door before proceeding with the choice of buses. The issue was tabled until the April 30 meeting.

Page Wright of the LaSalle County L.E.A.S.E. program introduced the Pre-Primary Keys Program, which is a special education class for pre-school-aged children ages 3 to 5 years of age. The program is for pre-

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From Page 1 “Having the right equipment and tools is essential for first responders,” Illinois State Fire Marshal Larry Matkaitis said.

“With shrinking municipal budgets, the Small Equipment Grant Program has evolved into a critical resource to

primary age students who show more severe learning disabilities.

Wright proposed this program be moved to Tonica Grade School.

The board was receptive to the idea of hosting the program at Tonica Grade School and instructed Tonica Superintendent/Principal John Suarez to put it on the April 30 meeting agenda as an action item, so it may be voted upon.

Suarez also discussed his proposed changes for the last week of school. He wanted to change dismissal times on May 20 and 21 to 3 p.m. due to various activities and field trips at the school.

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Fire grants

assist local fire departments to acquire basic equipment that meets current safety standards.”

The fire marshal’s office received 271 applications requesting a total of $5,581,522 in grant money during this application period, almost three times the amount of grant funding available this year.

May 22, 23 and 24 will have the traditional 2 p.m. dismissal time.

May 28 will be teacher institute day, and May 29 will be report card day with an 11:45 a.m. dismissal time. The board approved the revised end of the year calendar.

In other business, the board: • Approved student registration fees for the 2013-14 school year.

• Approved the purchase of the Accelerated Reading program for the 2013-14 school year.

• Hired Kirsten Augspols for the summer school teacher position and media sponsor.

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4 Biz Ag 4 • The Tonica News • Friday, April 26, 2013

Business&Ag Peru’s Liberty Village wins three awards PERU — Liberty Village of Peru, a not-for-profit organization, was a recent recipient of three awards at a recent annual awards banquet. Liberty Village Retirement Community includes all levels of care for seniors including Manor Court Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation specializing in the Bounce Back Program.

Manor Court of Peru received a five star rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for its overall quality care. Five stars is the highest rating possible. The five star rating system was created by Medicare to help consumers, families and caregivers compare nursing homes based on specific standards.

Nursing homes are rated on the following three criteria: health inspections, staffing and quality measures.

Liberty Village Campus as a whole was awarded staff stability and AJ’S Fitness Award. Staff stability is awarded to facilities that have the lowest staff turnover rate throughout the corporation. AJ’s Fitness Award recognizes a facility with the highest number of tenants that attend AJ’s on campus fitness center.

Liberty Village, located on 31st Street and Becker Drive in Peru, consists of Liberty Estates Retirement Apartments, Hawthorne Inn Assisted Living, Manor Court Skilled Nursing, Garden Court Alzheimer’s/ Dementia Care, and its Bounce Back rehabilitation program.

Farmers: Regulations are biggest threat to profitability CHICAGO — Delegates and attendees at the 2012 Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting rated government over-regulation as the biggest threat to the profitability of Illinois agriculture in the next 10 years. The answer was in response to a survey of 399 delegates, alternates and other Farm Bureau members attending the meeting Dec. 1-4 in Chicago.

In all, 58 percent of respondents who answered the open-ended question named regulations, governmental entities and/or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the biggest threat to profitability. This was the second consecutive year that regulations were the most-often cited response to the open-ended question.

In addition, respondents also mentioned taxes (16 percent), input costs (14 percent), high cash rents and land prices (7 percent) and grain prices (7 percent) as concerns.

In response to an open-ended question about the 2012 drought and what changes they will make to their farming operations in 2013 as a result, 48 percent of respondents who answered the question said they had no significant changes planned. Eleven percent said they will make different planting decisions, including less corn-on-corn, switching from corn to soybeans, planting more wheat in the fall or devoting more acres to hay. Seven percent said they would irrigate more land. Four percent said they would increase the use of minimal tillage. Two percent said they would pray for rain.

When asked about their corn planting intentions for next year, 66 percent who answered the question indicated their corn acreage would remain the same.

Eighteen percent said they plan to plant more corn; 16 percent said they would plant fewer corn acres.

Forty-nine percent of respondents self-identified as livestock producers. Of those, 64 percent said they do not plan on expanding herd size in the next five years.

The most commonly cited reasons include no room to expand (29 percent), retirement or advancing age (26 percent), difficulty in finding qualified workers (10 percent), and high input costs (9 percent).

Sixty-six percent of corn growers indicated they plan to increase their corn acreage over the next five years.

Among those not planning to expand, the most common reasons given were lack of available land and farm size (28 percent) while 14 percent cited high cash rents and land purchase costs.

Those surveyed were asked whether they purchased crop insurance in 2012. Eighty-four percent indicated that they had. Eighty-seven percent said they plan to purchase it for 2013. When asked if they filed a claim, 84 percent who answered the questions said they did. A large number of claims are expected to be filed in regions throughout the country as a result of the drought.

The survey also gauged Farm Bureau members’ opinions on two tax-related questions. When asked whether they had used the Section 179 small business expensing option in the past 10 years, 71 percent of those answered said that they had.

Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code allows taxpayers to expense, or deduct as a current expense rather than a capital expense, up to $125,000 of the total cost of a new or used qualified depreciable item they buy and place in service in the current year. Each year, farmers make large capital purchases in the form of equipment and are often able to utilize Section 179 in their operations.

Arkels is state winner in national corn yield contest ST. LOUIS – An area corn grower has been honored as a state winner in the 2012 National Corn Yield Contest, sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association.

Dan Arkels of Peru placed first in the state in the AA Non-Irrigated Class with a yield of 277.3091 bushels per acre. The hybrid used in the winning field was Pioneer P1339AM1.

Arkels was one of 421 state winners nationwide. The 2012 contest has 8,263 entries from 46 states. Of the state winners, 18 growers – three from each of six classes – were named national winners, representing 13 states.

The average yield among national winners was 316.3 bushels per acre – greater than the 2012 U.S. average of 122.3 bushels per acre. Nine of the national winners recorded yields of 300 bushels or more per acre.

“Despite the fact that 2012 was a challenging production year, individual growers continued to provide a showcase for American production agriculture,” said NCGA Chairman Garry Niemeyer. “While the national corn yield average declined more than 24 bushels per acre in 2012, the average yield in this year’s contest actually increased by more than three bushels per acre as compared to 2011.

“That’s why this contest and its focus on safe, advanced corn production methods are so important,” Niemeyer continued. “The top yield in this year’s contest – a tremendous 384.4 bushels per acre achieved by David Hula of Charles City, Va. – is a testament to these efforts.”

Farmers are encouraged through the contest to utilize new, efficient production techniques. Agronomic data gleaned from the contest reveal: • Average planting population for the national winners was 37,941 seeds per acres, compared to 33,532 for all entrants.

• National winners applied an average of 273 pounds of nitrogen, 82 pounds of phosphorus and 115 pounds of potassium per acre.

• Average commercial nitrogen use per bushel of yield was 0.87 pounds for the national winners and 0.90 pounds for all entrants.

• Fifty percent of the national winners applied trace minerals, compared to 36 percent of all entrants.

• Use of manure as a fertilizer was consistent. Seventeen percent of national winners applied manure, compared to 16 percent of all entrants.

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The National Corn Yield Contest began in 1965 with 20 entries from three states. The highest overall yield was 218.9 bushels per acre, while the national yield average was in the mid-60 bushel-per-acre range.

The winners were recognized March 1 at the 2013

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Photo contributed

Brandon Hunnicutt (left), chairman of the National Corn Growers Association Grower Services Action Team, presents a trophy to Dan Arkels of Peru, who placed first in the state in the AA Non-Irrigated Class with a yield of 277.3091 bushels per acre.

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5 Perspective Friday, April 26, 2013 • The Tonica News • 5

The Editorial Page The Tonica News Sam R Fisher

Terri Simon

Publisher

Editor

Letters to the Editor should not be more than 500 words in length. Only one person can sign a Letter to the Editor.

The author of the letter must include his/her name, hometown and telephone number. The author’s name and hometown will be published, however, the telephone number is only used to verify the authenticity of the author’s signature and will not be published. Unsigned letters are never read or published. No letter will be published until The Tonica News contacts the author of the letter to verify the signature. The Tonica News reserves the right to edit or refuse any Letter to the Editor.

From Harvard to home I remember glancing at my phone at 1:56 p.m. on Monday, April 15. I was walking in Copley Square with another marathon volunteer, trying to find an entrance to the subway. We had both been stationed at the starting line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass., earlier that morning and had taken a bus back to Boston after our shift was over. I had agreed COMMENTARY to babysit for one of my professors at 3 p.m., and I knew it would take me at least a half hour to walk there from Harvard Square, so I began to move a little faster.

However, as we attempted to make our way through the human maze, we stopped momentarily to take in the surroundings. Hundreds of exhilarated runners crossing the finish line, receiving blankets, water and food to begin replenishing their exhausted bodies.

Some of them had just finished their first marathon, and some had completed their 20th. We saw kids running to hug their dads, husbands embracing their wives; everyone celebrating one of the greatest physical endeavors of our time.

I finally found the Arlington Street subway entrance, made my way back on the crowded train, and arrived on campus at about 2:30 p.m. I ran back to my room, grabbed a sweatshirt and a bottle of water, and headed back out to make the two-mile trek to my professor’s house. On the way, a friend texted me, asking if I was at the finish line yet. Oh no! I thought, I had completely forgotten to tell him I wasn’t going to have enough time to stay and watch our friends finish. I quickly replied, apologizing and saying I was back on campus.

“Gunshots,” he replied at 2:52 p.m. What? Dismissing it as an iPhone autocorrect, I ignored it for a few minutes while I entered the house, said hello to the morning babysitting, and starting getting a board game out to play with the little boy. I picked up my phone again, vaguely wondering what he had actually meant; I typed a question mark, to which he answered, “Two explosions at the finish line. Have you heard from Heidi?”

That was when my panic mode began. I tried to contact all my friends I knew who were running or watching. I called my professor to let her know I was there and that everything was OK. She had no idea what was going on, but she turned on the radio in her office, and I could hear the blaring sirens over the phone.

For the next two straight hours, I responded to e-mails, Facebook posts, and text messages, all from people checking to make sure I was safe. Parents, grandparents, cousins, bosses, even my Princeton “Hallmark moms.” coaches, teachers and a few classmates from high school who said they had immediately thought of me when they heard the news. I even received text messages from numbers I did not recognize. Though it was stressful trying to make sure I replied to each and every one, I cannot explain the gratitude I felt for the outpouring of love and support.

People really care.

In a perfect world, there would be no violence, no bombs, no blood. It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy, but it is times like these that make me truly realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by family and friends who truly care. I have lived here for the greater part of two years, and I am proud to call this city my home. With the outpouring of support from around the world, Boston will bounce back and be stronger for it. Though someone may set off a bomb, stopping the race and killing an 8-year-old boy, there will always be someone who finishes the race, runs to Massachusetts General Hospital, and asks to give blood. We decide when our marathon ends.

I thank all of you back home for your concern, love and support. Please continue to pray for the victims and families affected by these tragic events.

Haley Adams, a Princeton High School graduate, is a sophomore at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. She can be reached at haleyadams@college. harvard.edu.

Haley Adams

Kim Higgins City: Tonica.

Where did you grow up: Hamburg, N.Y. Family: Husband, Richard Higgins; two stepsons, two daughters-in-law; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; three sisters; four nieces; and three nephews.

Occupation: Office manager at Northern Partners.

First Person What is the last TV show you watched: “Downton Abbey” on Masterpiece Theater.

What is the last song you listened to: “Crazy” by Patsy Cline.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have just one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be: New York strip steak.

What is the last book you read: “Cold Mountain.”

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing

with you, what would it be: My husband, Rich.

What is your favorite local restaurant: Cracker Barrel.

If someone handed you a million dollars, how would you spend it?

Give to missions, family and then travel.

People would be surprised to know that you: Like to hunt.

What is your favorite thing about the city you live in: The baseball park.

If you could change one thing about your town, what would it be: More businesses.

‘Whoa I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain.’

It’s really not a surprise to me when you Google “global warming” that the first two categories underneath are “global warming facts” followed by “global warming hoax.” I don’t want to cast doubt on one or the other, but the top entries in “facts” came from the New York Times and National Geographic. Under “hoaxes,” it’s Rush Limbaugh. You can draw your own conclusions.

While there’s a debate about whether global warming is manmade or if it’s just a natural product of time, the fact remains the global temperature has risen a full degree since 1900. That may not seem like much, but that silly little measurement of temperature is the difference between the amount of ice at the poles then and the amount we have now ... and that’s a pretty big amount.

One thing that can be agreed upon is, weather has gotten extreme in the last few years.

While we’re up to our sandbags in Illinois River water now, a mere year ago rain was a precious commodity. This past winter came late, but still hasn’t necessarily

Ken Schroeder COMMENTARY left. The previous year’s winter was more of a week or two of flakes than a season.

Right now, China is coming out of its worst winter in 30 years, and Russian temperatures in the east reached 50 degrees below zero.

Brazil? Record heat wave.

Last year was the hottest year on record for the United States ever recorded. Two years ago, Japan had its worst tsunami, which almost caused a nuclear disaster.

So what’s the cure? Or is there one?

Beats me. If I knew, I’d have a Nobel Prize sitting next to my sword collection, which would look pretty neat, but isn’t very likely. My only answer is the same that we’ve heard for years: Use less fossil fuels, walk or bicycle when you can, and grow your own garden.

That’s probably not quite enough. While you’re trying to leave that small carbon footprint, the Environmental Protection Agency is powerless in the face of Washington-backed big business (or is it big business-backed Washington?). The United States is estimated to have cranked out almost 5.5 million tons of CO2 in 2010. How much is that? Grind up 2,000,000 SUVs and toss the dust in the air. The United States isn’t the worst either; we’re only No. 2.

China gave us almost 8.5 million tons of CO2 at the same time.

In other words, throw in another 3,000,000 ground-up Mustangs, and you’re pretty close.

So what can you do? Well, you can write your congressman, but he’s probably got a ton of mail from British Petroleum he’ll get to before you. You can write to Shell Oil and appeal to the company’s sense of responsibility, but you can guess where that’ll get you.

Me? I’m buying stock in Visine.

Tonica News/Putnam County Record staff writer Ken Schroeder can be reached at kschroeder@ putnamcountyrecord.com.

6 Life 6 • The Tonica News • Friday, April 26, 2013

Community Blood drive on April 29 TONICA – A Red Cross blood drive will be from 2:30 to 5:45 p.m. April 29 at the United Methodist Church in Tonica. Donors are needed. For questions, or to make an appointment, contact Mary Kay at 815-481-2601.

Spring book sale LOSTANT – The Lostant Library will hold its spring book sale from 9 a.m. to noon April 27 at the American Legion Hall on Main Street in conjunction with the Lostant village-wide garage sales. Most hardcovers are $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents. There is a large selection of children’s books.

Quilter’s Guild to meet HENRY – The Marshall-Putnam Quilter’s Guild will meet at noon May 8 at the Henry Presbyterian Church on Wirt Street in Henry. This will be the last meeting of the year.

There will be a potluck at noon, and the meeting will begin at 1 p.m. At the meeting there will be the installation of next year’s officers, distribution of the brown bag challenge quilts and discussion of the programs for next year.

The next meeting will be Sept. 11. The group meets on the second Wednesday of the month with workshops in the morning from 9 a.m. to noon and meetings and programs from 1 to 3 p.m. New members are welcome.

Dues are $15 a year, and guests are welcome for a $3 fee.

Flower and plant sale LASALLE – A flower and plant sale fundraiser will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 3 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4 at the Grace United Methodist Church, 1345 Chartres St., LaSalle. Proceeds from the event will go to the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living and Grace United Methodist Church.

Plants and flowers are from Mid-American Growers of Granville and Hornbaker Gardens of Princeton. Paul Barrett, master gardener coordinator for the University of Illinois Extension office in LaSalle County, will be on hand to help with garden planning.

Heidi Fleig baptized Heidi Fleig, the daughter of Tech. Sgt. Daniel Fleig and Senior Airman Alexandra Fleig, currently stationed at the Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, was baptized April 14 in the United Methodist Church in Tonica by the Rev. Mark Nowakoski.

Twenty-two family members from Illinois, Connecticut and Florida were present for the occasion, along with Rodica Turean, Heidi’s grandmother from Romania. Heidi is the fifth great-grandchild of Beulah Brady.

Library Corner LaSalle Public Library — April 30 — 11:45 a.m., “Storytime Express! ... Fun on the Run!” (ages 3-5 and their grownups.)

Lostant Public Library — April 30 — 10:30 a.m., Library Time, birth through preschool age.

Lostant eighth-graders become miners

By Megan Decker Special to the Tonica News

LOSTANT – The eighth-grade students at Lostant Grade School have been studying the processes that affect the Earth’s land. Recently, they completed a science activity where they learned about mining.

The students were able to apply their knowledge in a chocolate chip cookie mining activity.

The students took on different roles in the activity. There were bankers who took control of all of the money.

They handed out the cookies the miners wanted to purchase, were in charge of paying the miners for their time on the job and number of chips mined, and also keeping track of the final profit each miner earned.

There were Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials who were the “bosses” of the mining operations.

They were responsible for handing out mining tools and making sure the miners were following all of the safety rules.

For example, the min-

ers were only supposed to use their mining tools to mine the chips; they were not allowed to use their fingers or hands in any way. The EPA officials were also responsible for counting the number of chocolate chips mined and making sure the miner’s land areas were cleaned up and returned to their beginning state (reclamation).

Finally, the miners were responsible for mining the chocolate chips and making economic decisions on their mining time. They learned to spend their allotted money in the most profitable way by purchasing cookies (mines) and mining tools (toothpicks and paper clips) and making sure they used their mining time and tools wisely.

Miners had to pay for their time in the mine and for the time it took them to clean up their mining mess (reclamation). They were paid for the number of chips they mined and also for the “minutes” they worked.

The miners were subject to receiving fines as

Photo contributed

Lostant student Rachel Maggio carefully mines the chocolate chips from a cookie during a recent school science activity. well. They had to pay for the “land” they made a mess of during the activity and were not able to clean up in a timely fashion. If they broke a tool in the process of mining, they were no longer

able to use it and had to purchase another one.

All students learned new science and economic processes during this activity and were able to enjoy their resources (cookies) in the end!

IVCC releases fall honor rolls Editor’s note: Information provided by Illinois Valley Community College on its fall honor rolls to the Tonica News, which ran March 22, was incorrect. Following are the correct lists: OGLESBY – For the Fall 2012 semester, more than 195 students were named to the presidential honors list at Illinois Valley Community College.

Students who have earned a grade point average of 3.75 to 4.0 in 12 or more semester hours, listed by hometown, are: Lostant — Kelsey Casolari, Mary Hartenbower and Steffen O’Brien.

Tonica — Dolores Zens.

For the Fall 2012 semester, more than 725 students were named to the academic honors list.

Students who have earned a

grade point average of 3.25 to 3.74 in six or more semester hours, listed by hometown, are: Cedar Point — Joshua Doerle and Jennifer Johnson.

Lostant — Benjamin Arnold, Cody Guynn and Dusty Kuykendall.

Tonica — Lauren Blauvelt, Lisa Burgett, Jessica Gray, Amy Hiester and Casey Swift.

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7 Life Friday, April 26, 2013 • The Tonica News • 7

Area college students ‘Pay It Forward’ Every year during spring break an organization called “Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF)” sends charter buses full of college students cross country to participate in service projects called the “Pay It Forward Tour.”

Three area students – Jordan Arkels, Steffen O’Brien and Tara Ferrari – were participants of this year’s spring break tour. Arkels and Ferrari attended Tonica Grade School, while O’Brien attended Lostant Grade School.

This was Arkels’ second tour as last year’s tour ended up being so gratifying that she became one of the five core leaders of this year’s tour. Arkels and four other college students worked together to create this year’s trip by planning, organizing and attending retreats since September 2012.

On March 8, 45 students gathered outside the Bone Student Center at Illinois State University and got onto a bus that was headed west. On the first day, they stopped in St. Louis to eat lunch under the Gateway Arch and then spent the night in Branson, Mo., to

volunteer at Camp Kanukuk where the students painted, picked up sticks and debris, and pulled weeds in order to get the camp ready for children in the summertime.

They then traveled to Oklahoma and visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial and participated in packing boxes of food and necessities for those in need at the “Feed the Children” organization.

On the third day, the students volunteered at Lake Meredith in Texas where they weeded and gathered tumbleweeds in the national park and were treated to a hike up the Stairway to Heaven to see ancient mesas.

On the fourth day, the student volunteers went further west to Santa Fe, N.M., to stay at one of the oldest adobe churches in the country. They spent the next day volunteering at the Community Farm of Santa Fe helping them get ready for their planting season in which they grow organic food for the people who are homeless in their area.

On the sixth day, they stopped at Pecos National

Tony Galindo, Aiden Greenwalt, Sam Obermiller, Cade Ploch, Joshua Sensible, Hayley Soria, Owen Wolfe and Colten Yeruski.

Seventh grade — Angela Bernardoni, Madison Freeman, Justin Greenwalt, David Hillyear, Matthew Huska, Angela Huss, Taylor Kennedy, Tyler Marcinkus, Hailey Maurice, Lindsey Rimes and Adia Sherbeyn.

Semi-Dwarf Potted Fruit Trees Now Available!

The Tonica Nurseries, Inc. Box 157 • Tonica, IL 61370 (815) 442-3176

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How about some lower calorie recipes to get you in shape for the warm weather months?

Veggie Party Pizza

Photo contributed

Tara Ferrari (from left), Jordan Arkels and Steffen O’Brien participated in a recent “Pay It Forward” service project.

Historical Park to visit the ruins of ancient pueblos and adobes, and upon arriving at Pueblo, Colo., they participated in a service project that involved mulching and raking at a recreational park. They then took a hike at the “Garden of the Gods” in the Rocky Mountains and finished the trip with a two-day celebration in Denver, meeting up with several other tour buses.

This trip is based on paying it forward through volunteering and building relationships with the other students and those

affected throughout the tour. The main focus is to help students see and feel the impact that they are capable of having on others through selflessness and ambition to help change the world.

The students on this trip were able to contribute physical labor during volunteering, step outside of their comfort zone while meeting new people and participating in group activities, while also finding their vulnerable side in order to trust one another and build lasting friendships and relationships.

Tonica Grade School releases honor roll lists TONICA – Tonica Grade School has announced its honor roll list for the third quarter of the 2012-13 school year.

To reach the high honor roll, a student must have a 3.5-4.0 grade point average. Students included on the high honor roll were: Sixth grade — Emily Anderson, Janell Bernardoni, Matthew Carmean, Corey Eilers, Maryn Ellis,

Recipe Corner

Eighth grade — Kyle Christman, Janelle Foltynewicz, Will Hocking, Rachel Huska, Taylor Johnson, Tea Lamboley, Amy Lund, Noah Rimes, Amber Schiffbauer, Reilly Sluder and Lexi Verda To achieve honor roll status, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.0-3.49. Students named to the honor roll were: Sixth grade — Sheri-

dan Blauvelt, Klyer Boaz, Maryn Brown and Patrick Zimbelman.

Seventh grade — Isabel Bangert, Nick Foltynewicz, Michael Lock, Nick McGee, Grace Rutgens, Nakieta Urgan, Makayla Whipple and Kendall Yeruski.

Eighth grade — Avery Beasley, Hope Bernardoni, Isbella Brooker, Tatum Doll, Ryan Stevens and Seth Struck.

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup fat free milk 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided Topping 3 cups 2% cottage cheese 1 envelope Ranch salad dressing mix 1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise or salad dressing 1/4 cup fat free milk 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli 1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/3 cup shredded carrot 1/4 cup chopped onion 2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese Sliced ripe or stuffed olives For crust, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and 1/4 cup oil. Mix well.

Shape into a ball, knead 10 times. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 15-by10-inch baking pan.

Prick with a fork, brush with remaining oil. Bake at 425° for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool. In a mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, Ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise and milk. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with vegetables and cheese.

Garnish with olives.

Refrigerate until ready

Judy Dyke GRANDMA JUDY’S CAFE to serve. Serves 14. 234 calories, 11 grams fat, 21 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams protein.

Cucumber Salsa 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro or additional parsley 1/2 teaspoon dill weed 1/2 teaspoon salt Baked tortilla chips In a bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 4 cups.

This recipe will compliment about anything you choose to serve it with. 1/4 cup equals 11 calories, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber.

Do you have a low calorie recipe you’d like to share with other readers? Email it to me at judyd2313@frontier. com. Please remember to include your name, address and telephone number (telephone number won’t be published). Happy Healthy Eating!

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8 History/Class 8 • The Tonica News • Friday, April 26, 2013

History ... according to The Tonica News 10 years ago On Good Friday, April 18, the Tonica United Methodist Church hosted a cantata. The cantata was written and composed

by Pepper Choplin and was titled “Once Upon a Tree.” It was directed by Danira Parra. Participants included Dan Hartenbower, Jennifer Hartenbower, Matt Valle, Joey Beavers and Mary Jane Stevens.

Tonica Grade School announced honor rolls.

Students earning this honor were A.J. Koudelka, Megan Moore, Randi Watland, Beth Prostko, Nick Burgett, Tyler Alleman, Kevin Milner, Jessica Schiffbauer, Steven Becker, Kaitlyn Trumpinski, Kari Breckenridge, Jenny Wiesbrock, Joe Micheli, Andy Schmidt, Joey Goskusky, Rachel Micheli, Claire Lemrise, Evy Galilik, Roy Martinez, Cameron Puetz, Brittany Janz and Paige McVey. During April, woodcarvings by Elmer Tarr of Leonore were on display at the Reddick Library in Ottawa.

20 years ago Mike Beenenga, local artist from Tonica, created a logo for “The Crawdaddie Bar and

Grill” which was at the Harbour House Restaurant, formerly known in the area as “The Kickapoo Klub” at the Starved Rock Marina. Terry Cross and John Riley, cooperators of the Starved Rock Lodge, were opening the “Harbour House Restaurant” in late April. A new logo was needed for the new bar and grill and they contacted Mike Beenenga who had done the graphic design on a booklet about Starved Rock a year ago.

Janelle Ernat of Tonica was among many students from St. Bede Academy who participated in Global Fest ’93, a statewide festival for students and teachers of foreign language and international studies. The conference was held March 19-20 at University High School in Normal. Fifteen hundred students from 75 schools across the state met at the festival to participate in activities ranging from language immersion rooms to an international academic bowl.

The Lostant High School Alumni Banquet and Dance were held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Streator on March 13 with 180 members and guests present. The Class of 1968 was in charge

and had 11 of the 14 living members present for their 25th reunion. Esther Linder was introduced, and she presented a plan for creating a Lostant Alumni Memory Book.

This book would include a short history and pictures of all the graduates of Lostant High School. The cost of the book would be $20 each. Folks who were interested signed up to receive their copy upon completion of the book.

“Southern Breeze” provided music for dancing.

The Tonica PTC held a Ladies Euchre/Bunco Night on April 1. It was held in the old gym at the school. A silent auction was held during the evening for craft items and baked goods.

Tonica baseball sign-up was March 27 at the Tonica Town Hall for T-ball, minor league, little league, little girls and big girls softball from 10 to noon.

Bob and Duonna (Hughes) Morse of Lostant celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with an open house on April 4 at Trinity New Life Fellowship in Indiantown Road in Henry. Bob and Duonna were married in Putnam Christian Church on April 5, 1953. They have five children and 12

grandchildren.

Janelle Ernat of Tonica received an outstanding award for Safe Milk and Adam Ford of Tonica received a first-place award for Light Effects at the Science Fair held at St. Bede Academy. The fair featured work of biology, chemistry and physics students. Students receiving the top awards were now eligible to compete at the Region 5 Science Fair to be held April 3 at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

The Tonica Grade School Board met on March 17. The future of the Quonset building was discussed with the public, only two people showed up. No conclusions were reached. Following the discussion with the public, the regular board meeting convened. Mike Napp, superintendent, was authorized to put ads in the local papers offering the Quonset for sale at a minimum of $1.00 with the building to be removed from the site

by Aug. 6, 1993. In other action the board voted to withdraw Tonica from the Tri-County Conference as of June 1, 1993 and to join the Vermillion Athletic Conference on July 1, 1993.

Tonica Grade School held its first Discovery Day on March 16, 1993.

The theme for the day was discovering “Facts about the 1800s.”

Lois Swift entertained the Tonica Club in her home on April 1. A White Elephant sale was featured.

Tickets were on sale beginning March 29 for the fourth production of Stage 212’s anniversary season. The show was a comedy titled “Luv.” George Ferroni of Oglesby was the show’s director.

Keith Schroeder, 72, of Hemet, Calif., died on March 15, 1993, at Hemet Valley Hospital. He was born May 25, 1920 in Streator, he was the son of Charles and Ella Schroeder. He married Norma Aley on Sept. 1, 1948, in Aurora. Lois Chambers and Elaine Barr of Lostant were his sisters. He was preceded in death by sisters Arlene Rose of Tonica and Bernice in infancy.

30 years ago David Comisky, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Comisky of Lostant, had been selected to attend the Illinois Ninth Statewide Young Authors Conference.

Mr. and Mrs. John Goskusky and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Goskusky of Tonica True Value Hardware

attended a unique manufacturing and distribution facility Open House Celebration at Harvard, Ill. Jeff Dillard of Tonica was one of six art students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale who shared the yearly RickertZiebold Award.

Dr. Sydney Wilson had received her degree of Doctor of Chiropractic during March commencement exercises at Palmer College of Chiropractic College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Bockman of Tonica had a new grandson, Mark Thomas, born March 1 to Mr. and Mrs. Scott Fulkerson of Cornell.

A magic show was given at the editor’s home in celebration of her birthday. Matthew Arnold mystified the crowd that had gathered for the festivities.

A family dinner honored Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cave on their 69th wedding anniversary.

Airman Cory Zimmerman completed the Aircraft Environmental Systems Mechanical Technical Training School at Chanute Air Force Base.

Lostant Community High School presented Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical comedy “Cinderella’ on March 25 and 26.

Putting a Starved Rock Spin on the Amazing Race UTICA — Starved Rock Lodge will put its own twist on the Amazing Race this summer.

Fans of reality television are probably familiar with the format of the “Amazing Race,” but Starved Rock Lodge has taken that format and given it its own touch by integrating the historic charm of Starved Rock State Park, the lodge and the surrounding area.

Participants will enjoy the

opportunity to work as a team to solve what the activities director, Edna Daugherty describes as “devious puzzles.” Daugherty’s inspiration for The Amazing Race – Starved Rock Style comes, of course, from the television show but also from her own experience as a racer during a recent vacation.

“Using the lodge, park and surrounding communities as the setting for the race allows us to

capitalize on all that is Starved Rock,” Daugherty said.

Teams will compete in pairs and will need a vehicle for at least one leg of the race. Participants will be provided with a Starved Rock backpack, bottle of water, a snack and at the end, a complimentary beverage.

Without giving away too much information about the race, Daugherty assures participants of a great day outdoors with

physical and puzzle-solving challenges for all. This one-day race is most appropriate for participants over the age of 8, so moms and dads can choose this event as something to look forward to on a summer Sunday afternoon.

The Amazing Race – Starved Rock Style is just one of many new events and activities offered at the lodge for Summer 2013.

Visit www.starvedrocklodge. com) for more information.

The Amazing Race – Starved Rock Style will be run on select Sundays from May through September. Choose from May 26, June 2 or 23, July 7 or 21, Aug. 4 or 25, and Sept. 1 or 15 as your race date. Advance reservations are required for the race, and an overnight stay package is also available. Racers should contact the Activities Department at 815-220-7386 to book their team’s place in the race.

–––––––––– Classifieds / Legals –––––––––– ANNUAL TREASURER’S REPORT HOPE TOWNSHIP FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2013 REVENUE SUMMARY: LaSalle County Property Taxes $61,471.29; Replacement Tax $2,377.53; Interest $178.17 EXPENDITURE SUMMARY: Federal Income tax & Social Security deposits $6,824.90; Salaries from $0.00 to $25,000.00 Ronald Judd, Jerome Comisky, Ralph Mertes, Othmar Salz, Robert

Lenhausen, Jerald Neilson, Terry Chambers; Total Compensation $26,499.97; TORIMA Insurance $4,329.00 and all other expenditures less than $2500.00 each $6,818.42.

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF CONDITIONS TOWN GENERAL ASSISTANCE Beginning Balance $88,115.23 $10,207.71 Revenues $64,004.88 $22.11 Expenditures $43,887.29 $585.00

ANNUAL TREASURER’S REPORT HOPE TOWNSHIP ROAD DISTRICT FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2013 REVENUE SUMMARY: LaSalle County Property Taxes $82,395.60; Replacement Tax $3,496.77; Interest $140.40; TORIMA Insurance Refund $1,088.00; Fines $4,677.75.

EXPENDITURE SUMMARY: TORIMA Insurance $3,266.00; Russell Wright $3,388.79; Illini State Bank $11,061.95; Toedter Oil Co. $3,815.91; Putnam Co. Painting $2,972.50; Martin Equipment $3,497.78;Thomas Zackery $9,769.19; Riverstone Group $15,848.30 and all other expenditures less than $2500.00 each $8,054.10.

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF CONDITIONS ROAD & PERMANENT JOINT EQUIPMENT BRIDGE ROAD BRIDGE & BUILDING Beg. Balance $38,338.97 $35,095.76 $7,257.51 $7,517.99 Revenues $48,734.95 $28,811.67 $8,378.68 $5,873.22 Expenditures $33,708.25 $25,617.49 $2,348.78 $0.00 Ending Balance $53,365.67 $38,289.94 $13,287.41 $13,391.21 Subscribed and sworn to this 14th day of April 2013. /s/ Ralph Mertes, Supervisor I, Jerome Comisky, Town Clerk of Hope Township, LaSalle County, Illinois do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the Annual Treasurer’s Report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. /s/ Jeroma Comisky, Clerk Published in the Tonica News April 26, 2013.

Ending Balance $108,232.82 $9,644.82 Subscribed and sworn to this 14th day of April 2013. /s/ Ralph Mertes, Supervisor I, Jerome Comisky, Town Clerk of Hope Township, LaSalle County, Illinois do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the Annual Treasurer’s Report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. /s/ Jeroma Comisky, Clerk Published in the Tonica News April 26, 2013.

Classified Advertising for all items valued under $1,000!

E-mail items for sale to: classified@ bcrnews.com

Friday April 26, 2013 10:00am-2:00pm

Located at our Oglesby location: 31 Marquette Street Oglesby, IL 61348

CES Empties Processors, 1st shift:

We’re Taking

Free

JOB FAIR IN OGLESBY!

$9.00 hire rate Responsible for the breakdown of pallets and un-boxing of empty cartridges

CES Empties Specialists, 1st shift: $9.50 hire rate

DETASSELERS NEEDED THIS SUMMER

DuPont Pioneer and its Contractor/Leaders are looking for detasselers. Competitive wages paid. Work is typically for 3-4 weeks during July. Minimum age: 13 years old.

Tonica, Granville, Mark & Hennepin areas.

Contact: Nick Heuser - 309-532-3552 njheuser@hotmail.com DuPont Pioneer Princeton Production Plant (815) 875-2845 EOE

Responsible for sorting, grading and the put away of empty cartridges.

Previous computer experience preferred

Picker/Packer, 1st shift: $10.00 hire rate

Responsible for picking out and packaging orders for shipment Previous picking experience preferred

**Progressive pay scales during the first 3 years of employment** **Full Benefits Package available after Introductory Period** Applicants meeting the above criteria are encouraged to attend the Oglesby Job Fair.

No phone calls please. EOE Due to limited time constraints we respectfully request that previous applicants not reapply.