The Weekly Post
Thursday November 9, 2017 Vol. 5, No. 36 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
“We Cover The News of West-Central Illinois With A Passion” Serving the fine communities of Brimfield, Dahinda, Douglas, Duncan, Edwards, Elmore, Elmwood, Farmington, Kickapoo, Laura, Monica, Oak Hill, Princeville, Williamsfield and Yates City
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Bank mergers impact local branches By JEFF LAMPE
Consolidations and mergers have been a fact of the national banking industry ever since the 2008 banking crisis. And that’s as true on the local level as the national level. In the past few weeks, two acquisitions were announced that have local ties. The Bank of Farmington and Laura State Bank on Nov. 2 announced that the companies have agreed to merge Laura State Bank Weekly Post Staff Writer
into the Bank of Farmington. Also last week, the State Bank of Speer announced it will merge with Morton Community Bank in the first quarter next year. The Bank of Farmington announcement was made in Farmington by Joseph L. Higgs, President of the Bank of Farmington, and in Williamsfield by Mary Thompson, CEO of Laura State Bank. “This represents a unique opportunity to expand our market through joining with a well-established fi-
Some gains significant for PARCC
nancial institution with a strong presence in Williamsfield,” Higgs said. “This location is a natural fit with our strategy of operating a community bank focused on meeting local needs.” Laura State Bank’s Williamsfield office will become a Bank of Farmington branch and retain all current employees, Higgs added, noting that Laura State Bank has loyal customers and a reputation for excellent service and solid earnings. Continued on Page 9
Laura State Bank’s Williamsfield office (above) will become a branch of the Bank of Farmington in the first quarter next year thanks to a recent merger between those banks. Photo by Jeff Lampe.
Elmwood OKs 25% tax hike
NEW CHILDREN’S AREA
By BILL KNIGHT
As The Weekly Post reported last week, educators, parents and students can see significant and legitimate improvements in assessment results released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), with some challenges ahead in a few grades and subjects. Princeville District No. 326 made big gains in its PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) composite (up 4 to 52 percent “meeting or exceeding expectations”), and smaller improvements in the composite numbers were logged at Brimfield (+1), Elmwood (+2) and Williamsfield (+7), while Farmington held steady (at 30 percent). See details on Page 7. Apart from scores on English language arts and math, plus a nod to students who plan to embark on careers not requiring college degrees, Illinois’ 852 school districts overall showed progress in areas concerning college preparation and enrollContinued on Page 7
By BILL KNIGHT
For The Weekly Post
ELMWOOD – Property owners in the City of Elmwood next year will pay about 25 percent more in the City’s portion of real-estate tax bills, as the City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new tax levy after an 85-minute public hearing featuring a presentation by City attorney Bob Potts. Potts explained the taxation limits that the City faces, ranging from maximum permissible tax rates for some funds, to a quirky state law that withholds levied street tax revenues from the City based on Township Road & Bridge levies mandated for transfer to the City. The increase – which affects only the City’s tax levy, not other taxing bodies such as the County or School District 332 – was necessary for several reasons, according to Potts and Mayor Bryan Davis, including years of inadequately funding insurance costs and projected declines in income-tax revenue from the state. The result for property with a Fair Continued on Page 2 For The Weekly Post
A recent addition to Lillie M. Evans Library in Princeville has enabled the library to expand its children and youth spaces. Photo by Nancy Davis.
Library adds to Princeville
By NANCY DAVIS
PRINCEVILLE – According to R. David Lankes, winner of the 2016 American Library Association’s award for promoting librarianship, “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great liFor The Weekly Post
braries build communities.” Princeville’s Lillie M. Evans library has taken this to heart with a recent expansion that has enabled the library to enlarge its children’s area and add space for an additional community meeting room. This dedication to building the
community is part of the library’s mission of “support[ing] an environment for life-long learning and ... making the Princeville community an attractive place in which to live, visit, and work.” The first Princeville library was established in Continued on Page 8