The Weekly Post
Thursday April 11, 2013 Vol. 1, No. 8 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
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Hulslander wins Elmwood mayoral race By BILL KNIGHT
In Elmwood, one incumbent won and one lost in Tuesday’s elections. Elmwood Mayor J.D. Hulslander at press time had a 2-to-1 advantage over challenger Steve Davis, with more than 330 votes for Hulslander and about 150 for Davis, in unofficial results. “I think people see all the progress Elmwood’s been making and decided it was a great direction for the city, so why change course?” Hulslander said. “I thank all of my supporters, everyone who helped and got out and voted, and I hope we’ll keep progressing.” For The Weekly Post
Davis said he was disappointed but didn’t know what else he could have done differently in his campaign. “I walked every house in town,” he said. “Mostly, I don’t think people were unhappy with the incumbent – I wasn’t either, exactly. I just wanted to convince them I could work full-time and improve Internet tools we don’t use and better coordinate outreach and [seeking] grants. “I don’t think people read my ideas and rejected them,” Davis continued. “People don’t like change.” Meanwhile, longtime Elmwood
Township Highway Commissioner Bill Atwood was defeated by Dave Wagner, who made a campaign issue of road conditions. Wagner defeated Atwood by a 3-to-1 margin, 454 to 151. “A lot of people are disgusted with the roads,” Wagner said, “[but] it’s manageable. If I didn’t think I could do it I wouldn’t have run.” Said Atwood, “If 28 years of work isn’t enough to convince voters, it’s not worth fighting for.” In school board races, at least one new face seemed assured of taking his seat on the Elmwood Board of EducaContinued on Page 2
A steady stream of cars passed these signs at the United Methodist Church in Elmwood, where Tuesday’s voter turnout exceeded expectations.
Williamsfield faces tax losses
TRUCK ROLLOVER
By BILL KNIGHT
WILLIAMSFIELD – Williamsfield School District 210 faces a loss of $10 million in Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV), its board learned at its Monday meeting, when results from a reassessment of Oak Run and the effects of a negative multiplier were explained, Superintendent Mary Bush said. “We’d anticipated this possibility,” she said, “so we had a modest increase in the levy in December [but] the board hasn’t maximized the tax rate Stories? Ads? we’ve had for many Visit with a staffer years.” from The Weekly Post The impact will be felt Mondays from noon this year on Knox County to 1 p.m. in the Brimproperty tax bills going field Public Library’s conference room. out soon, with payments due in June and September, Bush said. In other business, the board unanimously voted to authorize the waiver of five district holidays: Martin Luther King’s birthday, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Casimir Pulaski's birthday, Columbus Day and Veteran's Day. However, next year’s school calendar will waive only Lincoln’s and Pulaski’s birthdays. “This just gives the district the ability to waive them,” Bush said. “If something real strange happens, like a dynamic speaker that can only address our teachers on one of these days, we could waive the holiday and have the program. We probably won’t use the waiver, but the possibility exists.” The board also accepted staff retirements, including PE/Health teacher Jorja Thiel – who goes to parttime on June 30, then retires June 30, 2014 – and bookkeeper Jan Gibbs, who retires in October. For The Weekly Post
A semi-tractor trailer rolled into the west ditch while heading southbound from Elmwood on Illinois Route 78 Monday morning north of Graham Chapel Road. No one was injured, but driver David E. Bohms of Erie was ticketed for improper lane usage by the Illinois State Police. Photo by Crystal Prahl.
Agriculture museum planning continues By KASEY EBERLE
KEWANEE – Organizers are moving forward with plans for the Midwest Agriculture Museum – billed as the first in Illinois and the only of its kind in the Midwest – which held its third annual banquet in Kewanee last Saturday. An array of speakers attended the museum’s dinner March 15 at the Flemish American Club in Kewanee, highlighted by a speech from Andrew Bowman, an Oneida native, agriculture businessman, For The Weekly Post
family farmer and the 2006 American Star Farmer. Bowman’s speech touched on several current agricultural issues and fell hand-in-hand with the reason for the gathering. Organizers are hoping to build the Midwest Agriculture Museum on farm ground south of Kewanee, a few miles off Illinois Route 78 and between Interstates 74 and 80. The museum’s goal is to promote awareness and preserve the impact of agricultural history on
today’s society. Organizers say that sets this museum apart from “collector” museums. To get the museum off the ground, organizers announced a $2 million fundraising campaign earlier this year and launched a Website: midwestagmuseum.com. “The Midwest Agricultural Museum is dedicated to preserving and educating the public about the history and impact of agriculture on human life,” said Chris McMillen, of Toulon, chairman of Continued on Page 6