Thursday Oct. 15, 2015 Vol. 3, No. 32
The Weekly Post
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History of Cramer shows a community built on farming By CARLA S. DOUBET
CRAMER – Have you ever known a community built by farming? Have you ever heard of a community that at its most thriving had almost as many businesses as homes? Cramer is such a place. The tiny town sits about a mile off Illinois Route 116 and roughly 20 miles west of Peoria. From its inception in the 1800s, Cramer was a community that served neighbors’ livelihoods in the agriculture industry. From the inception of the platting of Cramer, agriculture factored heavily into its foundation and served as its cornerFor The Weekly Post
Book talk as Billtown board meets
stone. As part of the town’s depot, stockyards sat alongside the railroad tracks where livestock was loaded and hauled to destinations beyond. Nearby, the Schmidt Brothers’ store evolved into Tuttle’s General Store, a two-story building on the southeast corner of the community. It provided the opportunity for the residents in this farming community the convenience of having a local general store. Anyone who shopped in Cramer will remember hearing the sound of a cow bell announcing your entrance as you opened the heavy, glassed door of the grocery store.
Peoria County Board OK’s development By BILL KNIGHT For The Weekly Post
The shuttered Cramer Elevator will see more activity under the ownership of Akron Services. Photo by Jeff Lampe.
In addition to groceries, fresh meat and hardware, the Tuttles expanded into carrying appli-
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After serving 28 years as a State Representative, David Leitch will not seek re-election in 2016 after completing his current term. His legislative career dates back to 1989 and spans the terms of six governors.
For The Weekly Post
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ances and lawn-care equipment in a metal building to the north.
LONG-TIME LEGISLATOR
By BILL KNIGHT
WILLIAMSFIELD – Some buzz in Billtown was about books, but despite questions about improper disposal of texts, answers from the administration weren’t controversial. Two residents during the Public Comment portion of Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting read lengthy statements criticizing the administration and Board for “misappropriating public property” by discarding books. Superintendent Tim Farquer offered an explanation as to what happened. “If the concern is going digital: Our primary role is college and career readiness. Materials are increasingly digital,” he told The Weekly Post. “If the concern is using OER [Open Educational Resources], we are committed to providing our kids access to the best learning resources available in the most efficient way. Leveraging OER allows us to stretch tax dollars farther and increase access for our kids.
Leitch will not seek re-election By BILL KNIGHT
As State Rep. David Leitch winds down a 28-year career as a lawmaker, the former banker and newspaperman reflected on changes that have hurt rural areas but also legislative work that’s helped people. “I do think the decline of smaller communities and their reduced population has hurt them,” Leitch told The Weekly Post the day after he announced he’d retire next year. “The problem is reflected by legislative districts so large downstate that southern Illinois is virtually disenfranchised. “Also, ag programs and priorities have been under siege for some time,” he continFor The Weekly Post
Akron Services’ request for rezoning and special use for a development on a 19.89-acre tract in Cramer was OK’d by the Peoria County Board in a vote on Thursday (Oct. 8). Board members Mary Ardapple (R-District 11), Lynn Scott Pearson (D-Dist. 3) and Junior Watson (D-Dist. 2), voted against the proposal. Brian Elsasser (R-Dist. 14) abstained, Allen Mayer (D-Dist. 6) and Carol Trumpe (R- Dist. 15) were absent, and the remainder of the 18-member board supported it. The requests were previously approved 5-2 by the County’s Zoning Board of Appeals upon a recommendation by the County Planning and Zoning Department. Kris Potter Percy, one of the owners of the adjacent Sun-Dappled Farm, which raises fruit, vegetables and livestock without chemicals, was disappointed. “We believe that Akron’s proposal to build an industrial facility of unlimited size immediately adjacent to homes presents significant risks to our health and to our business, and clear degradation of our property values and our quality of life,” she said. “We will continue to oppose their building here.” Akron asked for the land to be rezoned from Light Industrial to Agricultural Preservation and for special use to operate a business there offering chemicals and seed, storage and warehousing, and to renovate the shuttered Cramer Elevator to store and dry harvested crops in new grain bins.
ued. “Think 4-H, County Extension, [and] Soil and Water Districts as examples.” Leitch, the Republican representing the 73rd House District encompassing much of The Weekly Post area, on Thursday (Oct. 8) said he’ll complete his current term but won’t seek re-election in 2016. He’s been a Representative since 1989 and also a State Senator in 1986-87, when he was appointed to finish the term after Prescott Bloom died in a house fire. The longest-serving member of the Illinois House Republican caucus, Leitch has been on the House Republican Leadership Team under three GOP Leaders and has served in Continued on Page 2