The Weekly Post
Thursday May 16, 2013 Vol. 1, No. 13 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
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State releases Wildlife Prairie Park By JEFF LAMPE
EDWARDS – The experiment of a state-run Wildlife Prairie Park is over. The change is a welcome one in the views of many involved with the unique 2,000-acre Peoria County park. Gov. Pat Quinn was in town Saturday to sign legislation turning the park over to the Forest Park Foundation of Peoria. That ended more than 10 years of the park being run by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Transfer to the DNR had been a wish of park founder Bill Rutherford prior to his death. Weekly Post Staff Writer
But budget woes in the years since hampered DNR’s ability to maintain the park. House Bill 1292 transfers ownership to the Forest Park Foundation of Peoria, which will eventually hand the park over to the private, not-for-profit Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park. “(Private ownership means) every dollar that comes into the park stays in the park,” said Bill Cirone, president of the Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park board. That was the goal of legislation, which lawmakers have worked on for several years.
“This really has been a long time coming,” State Rep. Mike Unes, R-East Peoria said. “I think Governor Quinn recognizes that this is great news for the entire state. DNR for quite some time has been looking for more revenues, and this really takes a lot off (their) plate.” Unes and state Rep. Jehan A. Gordon-Booth co-sponsored the bill, which passed the legislature unanimously in both chambers. Said Unes, “As I look out here and think back to some of my Gov. Pat Quinn was in the area Saturday afternoon to greatest childhood memories, sign legislation turning Wildlife Prairie Park over to a prithey’re right here at this park.” vate, non-profit group. Photo by Paul McKim.
Billtown eyes school doors
PLANTERS ROLLING
By BILL KNIGHT
WILLIAMSFIELD – Fifteen exterior doors could be replaced at Williamsfield schools if the state of Illinois approves a grant for which the Billtown Board of Education OK’d applying last week. If the state approves, up to $50,000 may be granted to District 210, and the district would have to match state funds. The School Board also voted to apply for state Health Life Safety assistance in connection with the door project, which could cost an estimated $108,000, according to the school’s architect. “Since this is the second round of maintenance grants, a list of priorities will be followed – and because there is much less money available for the second round of money,” said Williamsfield Superintendent Mary Bush. “Health Life Safety projects will be listed as the second priority only after emergency projects.” The deadline for grant submissions is this month. The first round of maintenance grants had 691 districts receive funds, said Bush, who added that $9.8 million remains available for qualifying projects. If the Health Life Safety grant is approved by the state, the project would have to be finished in five years. In other business, Bush reported enrollments for fall Kindergarten and Pre-K classes, which are 23 for Kindergarten and 32 for Pre-K. “Another summer screening will occur,” Bush added. “We have morning and afternoon sessions.” Meanwhile, several coaches and sponsors were For The Weekly Post
Jeff Maher of Elmwood heads back for more seed corn Monday after planting a Peoria County field. Monday was the second day Maher had been able to plant this spring. Photo by Jeff Lampe.
Farmers planting corn ... finally By BILL KNIGHT
Hours after Monday’s frost warning expired with no apparent damage, Elmwood farmer Ted Mottaz said he was anxious to start planting corn, delayed for weeks because of wet and unseasonably cold conditions. “We haven’t put a seed in the ground yet,” said Mottaz, who’s on the board of the Illinois Corn Growers Association. “It’s still pretty wet, and when it gets ponded like this, it increases the possibility of mortality.” Peoria County harvested about 18 million bushels of corn last For The Weekly Post
year, averaging more than 161 bushels per acre, down from 168 bushels per acre in 2011. The slowest start to planting in decades could potentially affect the yield, the market and consumers’ pocketbooks. Current conditions mean just
17 percent of Illinois corn and hardly any of the state’s soybeans have been planted, according to Monday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture report. In contrast, 94 percent of corn was planted at this time last year. Since 2008, an average of 64 percent of the state’s corn and 8 percent of its soybeans would be planted by this week, according to the USDA. If corn is not planted this week, yields could be reduced by 1 percent per day during the following few weeks, agronomists say. And if planting still Continued on Page 2
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