Thursday February 5, 2015 Vol. 2, No. 48
The Weekly Post
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Elmwood firefighters get grant, still raising funds By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – When the Elmwood Fire Department this Saturday holds its 11th annual Fireman’s Dance at Maple Lane Country Club, they’ll be raising money but also celebrating. The department recently For The Weekly Post
was awarded a grant to help defray some of the costs of equipping its 25-man crew. The Illinois State Fire Marshall’s Office recently approved a $25,400 grant application from the Elmwood Fire Department, which will use the funds to buy 14 sets of turn-out gear, the protective
pants and coats they wear on emergency calls. “We were lucky. It almost didn’t happen,” said assistant fire chief Robert Tannock. “With the new governor freezing spending, we were worried that we’d have to put the brakes on it. But it was re-submitted before the deadline and
we have the check in hand. “We were pretty lucky.” The department hopes its luck holds to properly equip the rest of the volunteers before the life expectancy of its current gear expires, in about two years. They need about $12,000 to buy the remainder of the turn-
SNOW DAY = FUN DAY
out gear, Tannock said. The department for the last few weeks has sent out hundreds of flyers with free admission tickets to Saturday’s fund raiser, which starts at 8 p.m., but they hope to receive contributions to be mailed in beforehand and also to collect Continued on Page 2
Williamsfield board approves new ordinances By BILL KNIGHT
WILLIAMSFIELD – The Village Board on Monday unanimously approved changes in issues key to any local government: public safety, sanitation and streets. The board enacted a package of new city ordinances ranging from parking and animal regulations to nuisance complaints and impounding vehicles, then it approved an agreement to empower the Knox County Sheriff’s Department to enforce County laws instead of similar state statutes in Williamsfield, where local police already have that option. “It’s a choice deputies would have,” said Williamsfield Police Chief James Robertson. “If [local officers] are tied up and County responds, this gives them the option to write a County ticket.” County citations don’t go on people’s state records, and any revenue from fines would stay in the County, Robertson said. Some citizens have expressed concerns that the new ordinances are too vague, unnecessary in a small town, or just government over-regulating, but Robertson said any complaints the Village receives won’t be automatic tickets, but the start of a process to work out some resolution. “It’s a 10-day notice that the Village has the intent to take action about a problem if it exists and nothing’s done,” he said. “We’ll work with people.” Most people seem to support having local laws to address local situations. “I’ve received a lot of positive feedback,” said Board member Jolene Tucker, “especially on the [restrictions on] trash For The Weekly Post
Elmwood schools were closed Monday for a snow day and that meant a fun day – at least for the youngsters who did not have class above (left to right) Caroline Gallagher, Abi Davis and Lilly Hart. Photo by Amy Davis.
UAVs may bring significant changes to farming By WILLIAM C. BAILEY
Agriculture has always embraced technology, and there is a new technology – or at least a new approach to the use of a technology – that may provide significant changes to American farming. And it comes from the sky. As a former military pilot, I have long monitored the use of airplanes in agriculture – exporting livestock by air, crop dusting, herding livestock by helicopter in Australia, or simply flying over a farm to see crops and livestock from a different perspective than a truck. For The Weekly Post
Following the airborne thought, I know creative people see new opportunities for technology in agriculture, in this case the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). I used the term “drone” once, when first discussing this technology with an expert, and was quickly corrected that the proper name is UAV. So, we will use UAV instead of drones. UAVs have been used in agriculture for a while, but as the military has increased their use of UAVs, they have become more powerful and more sophisticated. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently issued the first permit for Continued on Page 2
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