1 Front Volume 140 No. 28
Friday, September 6, 2013
The Tonica News
Single Copy Cost 50¢
What’s it going to take? Meeting’s focus was on job creation, growth in the Illinois Valley By Lyle Ganther Shaw Media Service
PERU — A regional effort is needed to create jobs in the Illinois Valley area. That was the message given Aug. 29 at a meeting of leaders of businesses, cities, industrial companies and financial institutions held at St. Bede Academy. The meeting’s purpose
was to identify all possibilities to revitalize the Illinois Valley region and to establish jobs for the geographic area, just a little beyond the boundaries of Illinois Valley Community College. Everett Solon, president of Centrue Bank, acted as chairman of the meeting. He said about eight people gathered in January to discuss the region’s economy and what needs to be done to create jobs. “We felt at that meet-
ing we had a problem of maintaining young people in our communities, mainly because of not enough good-paying jobs,” said Solon. “Our goal is to assist local economic development area serviced by IVCC, an area that has about 150,000 people.” Solon said it is better to market the area, not individual communities. LaSalle, Putnam and Bureau counties have a good, quality workforce; good educational system and quality health care, reported Solon.
“We need to capitalize on those assets,” he said. “We spend about $10,000 a year on each student going through our schools. We graduate about 2,000 seniors a year and have spent $260 million on their education.” Solon said there needs to be a push to keep those graduates in the area because businesses are spending that money on their education and not getting their investment of tax dollars back if they leave the area for better-paying jobs else-
where. Peter Limberger, an entrepreneur and husband of Inga Carus of Carus Corporation of Peru, told people assembled that he has started new businesses and bought existing companies around the world during his career. He said many communities try to attract one business employing 1,000 people, which rarely happens. He suggested it would be better for communities to financially help entrepreneurs create 100 companies
employing two to five people each, a method that is more stable than attracting larger companies. Limberger said that if 2 percent of the students in the area are aided in starting new businesses, that would mean the creation of 500 jobs. “Any kind of business means higher quality of services and better downtown areas by encouraging new and unusual ideas from the younger generation,” he said.
See Meeting Page 3
More schools are operating in the red Chico: ‘Schools are in free fall’ By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@tonicanews.com
TONICA — During the Tonica School District’s August meeting, the board heard the results of the 2012-13 audit. The audit was presented by Joel Hopkins of Hopkins and Associates, and the news wasn’t all good. The budget audit showed the state owed the school district $50,665 as of June 30. While that money is less than the amount owed the previous year, the stalemate on pension reform in Springfield does not indicate things will change anytime soon. Tonica ended up with a deficit balance of $193,657 for the 2012-13 school year. “The total cash balance for the year for the district on June 30, was $1,470,711, down $194,000 from the prior year,” Hopkins said. “If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. All of the schools I’ve audited this year are operating in the red.” According to Illinois State Board of Education Chairman Gery Chico, a growing number of schools are being forced into debt while the state tries to contain the pension debt and spending
less money elsewhere. Chico outlined the problem in an appearance before the Illinois Senate in April. “Our schools are in free fall right now,” Chico said. “The number of districts deficit spending will increase to 573, or two-thirds, of our school districts. That compares with only 415, or less than 50 percent, just the previous year.” According to Illinois State Board of Education figures, the state failed to deliver approximately $518 million to school districts last year alone, bringing the total deficit to Illinois school districts to $756 million, an average of $1,100 per student since 2010. Gov. Pat Quinn has told school districts that unless things change, that figure could rise another $400 million by 2014. Locally, the situation is not quite so bleak, according to Hopkins. “The state is catching up on its obligations,” Hopkins said. “Payments are notoriously slow in the transportation and special education funding, but the state owes local schools less money than it did last year. It’s doing so by cutting back on other funding.”
Tonica News photo/Ken Schroeder
About 40 farmers from Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala stopped at the Ford farm south of Tonica.
A look at U.S. farming Foreign farmers visit Ford Farm B y Ken Schroeder kschroeder@tonicanews.com
TONICA — About 40 farmers from Central and South America recently came to the United States to learn about American farming techniques and operations. They visited the Ford farm south of Tonica on Aug. 29 to see the differences
between their operations and those in the United States. The trip was sponsored by the international organization Communicating for Agriculture Education Programs (CAEP) and Bayer CropScience and was locally organized by Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Develop-
Vol. 140 No. 28
ment (IVAC) representative Marci Duro. “The way I understand it is they wanted to see a farm and a river terminal, and they called Marci and kinda dumped it in her lap,” said Gary Ford, the main owner and operator at Ford Farms. “She knows Gary Andersen, who’s the manager of Northern Partners and asked him what to do.” “I called Gary, and
I asked him to tell the names of some good farms,” said Duro. “He gave me a couple names; Gary was the first one I called, and he said, ‘Definitely, yes.’” Ford is a sixth-generation farmer, and he operates the Ford farm with the help of his son, Adam, who is part owner of the enterprise,
See Farm visit Page 4
Serving the Illinois Valley for Over 90 Years
One Section - 8 Pages
Factory authorized Bryant dealer
Plumbing • Heating • Electrical © The Tonica News
815-442-3415
www.towncountryservices.com
24 Hours A DAy / 7 DAys A Week • AlWAys free EstimatEs