Volume 141 No. 38
Friday, November 21, 2014
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Weathering ‘storms’ in Lostant
Happy Thanksgiving!
Village could be in line for state grant money By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — It was a night of blues and bad news for the Lostant Village Board at its monthly meeting Nov. 10. The only potential good news came in the opening moments of the meeting. Lostant is eligible for grant money from Illinois due to damages suffered during the wave of bad weather from 2011 to 2013, according to North Central Illinois Council of Governments Executive Director Nora Fesco. “The state received $10 million in federal funds and has decided to send $7 million of that into the state’s infrastructure,” Fesco said. “Your town, especially in light of the continuing problems with flooding since April 2013, is eligible.”
The grant is a competitive grant, and the conditions and requirements have not yet been established. However, Fesco said it would be a good idea for the village to start a plan for application and use of any funding. In response to a query from village board member Jack Immel, she added contacting local state legislators to receive their backing would be a great idea. Fesco told the board she would keep them apprised of the details as they became available. Village President Fred Hartenbower told the board some of the possible pressure has already been released. Lostant was among several village and county governments named in a lawsuit by Farmer’s Insurance Group as a result of the April 2013
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TVFD hosts live firefighting training TONICA — A unique training experience was held in rural Tonica at 1735 E. Third Road by the Tonica Volunteer Fire Department (TVFD) on Nov. 15. The TVFD hosted a live fire training. This involved the burning of an existing farmhouse and out-building. Area fire department volunteers from Tonica Fire Department, Lostant Fire Department, Cedar Point Fire Department, Oglesby Fire Department and Peru Fire Departments trained in a realtime environment. The volunteers learned firefighting skills, including fire suppression, overhaul, forcible entry, Vol. 141 No. 38 One Section - 8 Pages
© The Tonica News
thermal imaging, search and rescue and ventilation activities. Firefighters also performed various ground ladder and exterior fire attack exercises. The incident command and accountability systems which were used supported the safe operation of all personnel on the fire ground area. Water supply, pumper, tender operations, fire streams, which included the operation of various hand lines and master stream devices, were all part of this level of firefighter training. Certified local instructors and instructors from the Illinois Fire Service Institute were on hand to teach and monitor the volunteer firefighters. Instructors also included ones from the Chicago Fire Department. Some of the practical skills meet objectives of OSHA respiratory protection “Two in and two out”
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Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder
Tiffany Winebrinner (left) and daughter Sophia Winebrinner enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at the school last week. The annual event held at Tonica Grade School feeds more than 400 people each year.
Turkey, Thanksgiving and traditions TGS celebrates Thanksgiving with community dinner By Dixie Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Small towns are unique for many reasons. You will often find strong family ties and traditions in a small town. In November, traditions become more important as Thanksgiving draws near. Tonica Grade School hosts a unique event every November where students can invite their family to attend a full Thanksgiving dinner. At the event, attendees will find the full Thanksgiving dinner served to them with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, bread, fruit, dessert and drink. Tonica has a population of 750 residents. The school’s dinner will host a little more than 400 of them, served in three lunch shifts. Moms and Dads attend. Grandparents attend. A big brother or sister can attend. Adults go through the
lunch line with their student and eat. If the family has more than one child attending Tonica Grade School, the guest will go through the line and sit with their second child while they have dinner. To get to the point of serving Thanksgiving dinner, the cafeteria staff works all week. The day of the dinner Tonica Grade School Student Council members assist with serving. The students will help hand out parts of the meal including dessert, and they’ll serve drinks and help clean up. Several older members of Student Council noted they like to help serve because they then get to eat leftovers. Michelle Carmean is the head cook of the lunch program at Tonica Grade School. “My favorite part of the event is watching the kids. When they saw our turkey yesterday, they started jumping up and down and yelling ‘Yeah, turkey dinner,’” Carmean said.
Ava Engels, a firstgrade student at Tonica Grade School, loves having her parents enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with her at school. Engels’ friend, Holly Gingerich, had her grandmother, Shirley Gingerich, enjoy the meal with her. “I think it’s nice to have my mom and dad have lunch with me,” Engels said. “It is nice to have two turkey dinners this month.” “My grandma is here because my mom and dad work,” Holly Gingerich said. “I like the dessert best.” Some students had their entire family on hand with them. Parents Justin and Katelyn Carrier enjoyed lunch with daughter, Sophia, and son, Landon Carrier. Sophia is a kindergarten student at Tonica Grade School. “My dad had been in North Carolina and drove here. My favorite part of the meal is the butter,” Sophia said. “It’s just awesome to be here and be fully integrated with the kid’s school and schedule. This is really great,” Justin Carrier said.
Superintendent/Principal John Suarez said traditions play a very important role with any community’s school, and Tonica Grade School is no different. “I just think this is a very wonderful event the school puts on. I think that again this is another way that the school and community come together. It is a longtime tradition at the school, and we are very happy to open our doors always, but especially at Thanksgiving. We should be very grateful to the community and the people that have long since been gone from the area and still do nice things for the school,” Suarez said. “We are able to do great things because so many people have been good to us over the years. We are very grateful for that.” Suarez commends the staff for their hard work to put on the meal. “I really want to commend the lunch ladies. They do a great job for us every year with this. They take very good care of us and the community, so we are very thankful to them,” he said.