Thursday December 11, 2014 Vol. 2, No. 42
The Weekly Post
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Williamsfield EMS gives up transport license By BILL KNIGHT
WILLIAMSFIELD – The local Fire Protection District is trying to turn adversity into opportunity, and invites area residents at least 16 years old who are interested in joining its volunteer force to contact EMT Jodi Goodwin to apply to help. Goodwin’s phone number is (309) 231-4210. The move comes as the ambulance service temporarily went out of service last week; the District proposed to the Illinois Department of Public Health For The Weekly Post
Elmwood board OKs Ent. Zone
(IDPH) an interim step of surrendering its license to transport patients; a handful of Oak Run residents continues to complain; IDPH continues to refuse to talk; and two area legislators are increasingly angry about that lack of state cooperation. Despite IDPH inMoffitt specting and passing Williamsfield’s system twice a year for more than a decade, the agency has threatened the District and its ambu-
lance service with a $90,000 fine and revocation of the license to operate after a complaint that requirements concerning oxygen tanks weren’t met. Status hearings with IDPH have been repeatedly postponed. The next scheduled hearing is Dec. 23 in Springfield. After several EMTs recently resigned, the remaining five EMTs last week contacted the Trustees to say they were considering resigning, too. At a special meeting of about 15 people on Dec. 3, one EMT who declined to be identified said, “Five of us cannot run this whole system. It’s impossible.”
CHRISTMAS FUN
Goodwin added, “Right now, staffing is the issue. The state isn’t the issue.” Trustee Dan Genty responded by saying, “If you guys leave, we’re done. If you can stick it out, we can rebuild.” The district’s ambulance service, which went out of service on Dec. 2, has few options, Genty explained: hire six full-time EMTs, which is unaffordable; contract with Galesburg Hospitals’ Ambulance Service (GHAS), which responded that they can barely handle their current workload; or send ambulances with one EMT, one first responContinued on Page 10
Farmers uneasy for 2015
By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – The City Council on Thursday (Dec. 4) unanimously OK’d an intergovernmental agreement and an ordinance establishing an enterprise zone as part of the Rural Peoria Enterprise Zone application being submitted to the State of Illinois by Peoria County before Dec. 31. The application to the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) includes the cities of Elmwood and Chillicothe, the villages of Hanna City and Princeville, and Peoria County. If it’s accepted by the state, the new zone could help communities attract commercial and residential developments by offering municipal and county property tax abatements of 100 percent for three years followed by 50 percent for two years, according to Mark Rothert, Assistant Peoria County Administrator for Economic Development. If approved first by DCEO and then by a board of appointees, the application would take effect on Jan. 1, 2016, and last 15 years with an option to extend it an-
By RACHEL TORBERT
For The Weekly Post
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CHICAGO – Considering current commodity prices and farm input costs, nearly 60 percent of delegates and attendees surveyed at the 2014 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting feel less optimistic about the farm economy in the coming year. The answer was in response to a survey of 502 delegates, alternates and other Farm Bureau members attending the meeting Dec. 6-9 in Chicago. “This year, on the tails of a record-breaking crop, commodity prices also have dipped, which means farmers are more uneasy going into the year,” said IFB President Richard Guebert, Jr. “It’s going to be much more important to have a marketing plan in place to sell crops, buy inputs and plan purchases for the coming year.” In fact, nearly 70 percent of farmers responding to the survey indicated they plan to reduce inputs and/or expenses in 2015. When asked how, the For The Weekly Post
Those who attended the many Christmas walks last Saturday enjoyed decent weather and good company across the area. Scenes from Saturday’s Elmwood Christmas Walk included Santa and his elf waiting to greet youngsters, Olaf entertaining Zoe Parks and a horse and carriage available to rent for rides. Photos by Amy Davis.
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