Volume 141 No. 19
Friday, July 4, 2014
The Tonica News
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Winter’s sting still felt at TGS 2013-14 budget falls into the red By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — The extremely brutal winter of 201314 made a big impact on the Tonica Grade School
budget. At a budget hearing before the grade school board meeting June 26, Tonica Grade School Superintendent John Suarez informed the board the district ended the year $22,000 over budget. “If I had known it was going to be ‘Why has God forsaken us’ so cold, I could have budgeted for it. We went over budget there nearly $16,000,” Suarez said. “We got hit pretty
good. We also had to make repairs to the boiler and had some issues with pipes.” An unexpected unemployment claim and staff overtime also contributed to the overage. After discussion, the board accepted the revised budget unanimously. The board also approved the appointment of Shannon Marcinkus and Melissa Cassidy as co-head teachers for the faculty. Suarez
told the board both teachers were full of ideas and had agreed to split the position and stipend. “Ms. Cassidy has a Type 75 (General Administrative Certification), so she can step up if something happens to me,” Suarez said. In other action, the board: • Hired Sarah Shumway as speech language pathologist for the 2014-15 school year. Shumway has
performed the duties during the summer for some time. Suarez said hiring her would save the district $7,000. • Approved hiring Lauren Brooke as fifth-grade teacher. Brooke is currently a teacher’s aide at Milton Pope School. This will be her first year teaching. Brooke was selected out of 40 candidates who filed for the position. • Accepted the resig-
nations of four teachers, including science teacher Elizabeth Wiegers, fifthgrade teacher Amy Cacciatori, autism teacher Amy Weinreich and music/band teacher Alex Teater. • Granted approval for Suarez to continue spending district revenue as needed into the next school year, which starts on July 1. The approval stands until the 2014-15 budget is approved.
Summer safety for Fido and Fluffy Keep dogs, cats safe as the temps rise By Goldie Currie Shaw Media Service
PRINCETON — Summer is the time to kick back, relax and enjoy the outdoors. But for pets, it can be a time of danger if proper care is not taken. Pets need more attention in the humid, hot temperatures, as they are more susceptible to overheating. To help keep all furry friends safe this season, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has provided a list of hot weather tips for owners to read and consider. Take these five safety tips into consideration as the temperatures continue to rise: 1. Travel in style Traveling can be highly stressful for pets. If planning a road trip, prep pets in advance by taking short rides in the car and getting them used to riding in a crate or car harness. Dr. Louis Murray, vice president of the ASPCA Animal Hospital, reminds pet owners they should never leave their animals unattended in a parked vehicle “Parked cars, even with windows open, become very hot in a short amount of time, and this can lead to heatstroke or death,” he said If traveling by air, putting pets in the cargo area isn’t ideal. If this is unavoidable, take great care to purchase the required crate and tell airline employees about the animal to avoid them being
left on the tarmac or outside during extreme weather. 2. Keep cool Dogs and cats can become dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of water when the weather is hot. Make sure pets have a shady place to escape the sun, and don’t let dogs linger outdoors. Being so close to the ground, the dog’s body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can get burned. 3. Watch what they eat Summertime can be perfect for backyard barbecues or parties, but remember the food and drink served to guests may be poisonous to pets. Keep alcoholic beverages away from pets, and remember the snacks served to friends should not be treats for pets. Any change of diet may give dogs or cats severe digestive ailments. Make sure to avoid raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and products with the sweetener xylitol, since these are poisonous to pets. 4. Beware of “high-rise syndrome” During warmer months, many animal hospitals and veterinarians see an increase in injured animals as a result of “High-Rise Syndrome,” which is when pets fall or jump out of windows and are seriously or fatally injured. Keep all unscreened windows in the home closed and make sure screens are tightly secured. 5. Love the leash Warm weather can inspire longer walks, but while this is exciting for both dog and owner, it’s important that dogs are always kept on leashes — with collars and up-to-date ID tags — to protect them from getting loose and injuring themselves or others.
Kay Corredato
Postmistress retires in Lostant
First class ending
By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — A familiar face will be leaving the Lostant Post Office soon. Kay Corredato will be retiring after 37 years in the U.S. Postal Service, 21 of those as Lostant postmistress. “I started in March of 1977 as PTF (part-time flexible) clerk in Tonica,” Corredato said. “Wink Marshall hired me. I will be forever grateful to him
for that because it has led into a good career. I have enjoyed this job, I’d say, 99 percent of the time.” During those 37 years, Corredato has seen a lot of changes in the way the USPS works. Some were good, but others were less than helpful. “When I started, everything was hand-sorted. Now everything is automated. Unfortunately, the volume of mail has changed. The advent of the Internet has had a big impact,” Corredato said. “Sometimes the new changes that they throw us in ... are a lot of work. They come so rapidly. “I’ll miss my customers the most,” Corredato
said. “There’s something to be said about working in a small office because you get that personal touch with them. When I started here in ‘93, I was waiting on kids, and now I’m waiting on their kids ... It just feels like a big family. I’m going to miss that contact. “I’m also going to miss my fellow employees,” Corredato said. “I’ve had some really good workers over the years that made my job very easy, and I really appreciated the effort and dedication to the job they did.” Corredato said she and her husband are looking forward to traveling after her retirement. “We’ve got some trips
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planned. I’m going to get some projects done at home, hopefully,” Corredato said. “I’m sure I won’t have any problem filling up my time.” Corredato started in her hometown of Tonica. While she was there, she was also named officer in charge in Wenona, Granville and Oglesby. She was named postmaster of Cedar Point in 1984 before moving to the Lostant office. “If I hadn’t had my mom pushing me to take the exam, or Wink who gave me a chance even though I was barely out of high school, who knows what I would have been doing,” Corredato said.
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