Thursday October 2, 2014 Vol. 2, No. 32
The Weekly Post
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‘Winter is Coming’ – Road salt: A Game of Loans? By BILL KNIGHT
After one of the worst winters in recent memory, charging higher prices to help people get around is rubbing salt in the wounds. Or, on the roads. Last winter was colder and snowier than expected, and local governments used up a lot of rock salt as they plowed roads. There was no shortage of salt then or now, however, but prices nevertheless went up For The Weekly Post
considerably, arguably because salt is priced at what the market will bear. Orders are up. Budgets will be stretched. Some towns and townships may have to borrow from different funds to pay for prices more than double what was anticipated. “After the last winter we had, there is a heightened awareness of the need for a reliable supply of salt,” said Peoria County Engineer Amy McLaren. “Many agencies were ‘cut off’ late in
the last season, and their 20142015 orders reflect a considerable increase from previous year’s request. “There are some agencies state-wide that are going to pay over $100 per ton for salt,” she added. “The price for rock salt is up more than 80 percent in the last six years, nationwide.” U.S. production of rock salt was up more than 10 percent last year and Morton Salt, a major supplier, sold more than Continued on Page 7
Peoria County Engineer Amy McLaren stands in the County' s road salt storage bin off Plank Road. The remaining salt is all that’s left from last winter, and the County expects its order for this season in the next few weeks. Photo by Bill Knight.
Foliage, food highlights of scenic drives
FARMINGTON HONOR FLIGHT
By BILL KNIGHT
There’s tasty food and changing foliage aplenty along the 47th annual Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive and the 37th annual Knox County Scenic Drive, both being held this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 4-5) and again on Oct. 11-12. The annual road tours offer snacks and side dishes, entrees and sandwiches, desserts and more, all to make the most antiqueaverse spouse quit complaining about crafts booths and start planning for the next stop on one 100-mile-plus route or the other. “We have about 450 vendors this year,” Robbin Kost, Secretary of the Spoon River Scenic Drive Associates, told The Weekly Post. “We’re looking forward to Vermont re-joining the drive, and I know people always look forward to seeing different faces. “But every stop you make will be great food,” she continues. “You can eat your way along the drive.” That includes two local stops on the Spoon River Drive in Elmwood and Farmington, both of which will see some changes this year. Elmwood is in its third year on the drive and has expanded beyond its Central Park loFor The Weekly Post
Seven residents of Farmington Manor completed an Honor Flight trip on Sept. 23, including a visit to the World War II monument, where they are pictured above. They are: Cpl. Donald Robbins, U.S. Army 1942-47; Cpl. Earl McMullen, U.S. Army 1952-54; T/Sgt. Emmett Clark, U.S. Army 1943-46; Gunnery Sgt. Raymond Krey, U.S. Marines 1942-46; 1st Class Ordinance, Robert Siedel, U.S. Navy 1943-46; Airman 1st Class, Edwin Frankforth, U.S. Air Force 1954-1963; Sgt. Don Elliott, U.S. Army 1944-46. Photo by Crystal Prahl.
Second suit filed in ongoing Rosefield dispute By BILL KNIGHT
ROSEFIELD – A second lawsuit tied to a long-running dispute in Rosefield Township was filed last week, this one by former Road Commissioner Mark Vicary and his wife Megan Miller Vicary. Like a lawsuit filed the previous For The Weekly Post
week by property owner Brad and Sylvia Badgerow, it names the Township and current Road Commissioner Matt Windish, but it also sues former Township Supervisor Steve Davis and three others who’ve done work for the Township: John Forney, Robbie LaFollett and Kevin Windish.
Also, in addition to claims like the Badgerows’ – about right-of-way, trespassing and property-damage claims – the new suit accuses the defendants of invasion of privacy, civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, slander, and harassment. Continued on Page 8
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