Volume 141 No. 37
Friday, August 21, 2015
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Tonica looks at tiles Sluder sees potential in new plan
By Zachary J. Pratt news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — A trio of guests visited the Tonica Village Board meeting Monday, Aug. 17, to discuss ongoing tile removal plans. Neil Goskusky, his father Bill Goskusky, and new village resident Jake Graham sat at the meeting to discuss how tile removal will affect Neil Goskusky’s yard and to look into alternative plans. Bob Folty clarified the situation. The property in question was bought because the younger Goskusky liked the land, and tearing it up to remove the tile might negatively affect its desirability. Discussions regarding options led to a new proposal, which involves a new path and doesn’t require removal of the old tile. “I ended up drawing up a plan for him of the way he wanted it,” Folty said. Kevin Sluder, village president, when asked about floodwater, explained the purpose of the new tile. “The biggest thing we are doing when we put that tile in is getting rid of that water faster,” Sluder said. Sluder saw potential in the newly-proposed plan. “Putting a new tile in instead of tearing out the old one would be cheaper,” Sluder said. “If we can get away without digging out the old one, that’d be great.” At the close of the discussion, no definite conclusion had been reached, but the new plan seemed favorable.
“I hope that eases some of your concern or answers your questions,” Sluder said. In other action, Heather Sherman, village clerk, presented an update on water bills. There is one person whose bills haven’t been all paid. “I’m going to send him one more letter here and see if anything happens,” Sherman said. Aside from that, everything seems to be in order. “Otherwise we don’t have any issues that I know of,” Sherman said. Jessica Schneider, village treasurer, talked briefly about tax payments. “I’m also going to start shopping for some new software,” Schneider said. Tonica Police Chief Dave Woolford has been working on the new squad car. The vehicle’s design is planned to match the school’s color scheme. When asked about the form of bumpers he intends to use, Woolford related the fate of the previous car’s bumpers. “Lost it on a raccoon. The raccoon took the bottom of the bumper out. It was a raccoon that did that,” Woolford said. The matter of unexplained noises, referred to as explosions, was also discussed. Nobody had any information to present. “It’s a mystery,” Sherman said. Sluder held the role of reporting briefly on the pothole situation. Marc Lemrise, who usually provides these updates, could not attend the meeting. “Marc is not here,” Sluder said. “He was in the midst of repairing a water main.” Jack Kusek, village engineer, explained that the lift station and force main project should be ready for early October. “We should be fine with time,” Kusek said.
Tonica Page 2
Tonica News photos/Dave Cook
Above: Lostant’s family bluegrass band The Templetons are Albert (from left), Andy, Michael, Olivia and Lidia. The family has recently released their second CD titled “Cherry Mine” which contains 7 original songs. Below: No matter where you look in the Templeton household there are signs of a musically creative and gifted family.
Homegrown harmonies Templeton family rooted in bluegrass By Dave Cook
news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — It doesn’t happen often, but it’s always enjoyable to see a talent which runs through an entire family. For the Templetons, it’s an ability to teach themselves how to play multiple musical instruments. This family also seems to share the trait of having extremely nimble and fast fingers, a trait which becomes apparent when they begin to tear into a hard driving bluegrass tune or Celtic reel. Several years ago, Mike and Lisa Templeton took their family to see folk singer Mark Dvorak play
a concert in a local park. Little did they imagine it would be the beginning of a new direction for their family. Mike bought a banjo
and began to teach himself how to play with books, DVDs and slowed down YouTube videos. More instruments followed.
“Dad would get a new instrument and learn how to play it, and then one of the kids would take it. He
Templeton Page 2
Birds test positive for WNV in LaSalle County OTTAWA — The LaSalle County Health Department has received confirmation that two birds have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) by the Illinois Department of Agriculture Laboratory in Vol. 141 No. 37 One Section - 8 Pages
© The Tonica News
Galesburg. A crow was collected from Mendota on Aug. 3, and a grackle was collected from Marseilles on Aug. 4. In July, mosquitoes that were collected in Ottawa tested positive for WNV. To date,
LaSalle County has not documented any human cases of WNV. WNV is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Common
symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. However, four out of five people infected will not show any symptoms. In rare cases,
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