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By BarB [email protected]
TONICA — Drivers traveling through the Bai-ley Creek Estates Sub-division in Tonica could be mistaken for thinking the subdivision has gravel roads.
Instead of a smooth, hard surface, the roads are covered with pea gravel, which has formed small mounds in the gut-ters and been scattered into yards.
Six residents of the subdivision attended the March 18 meeting of the
Tonica Village Board to express their dissatis-faction with the roads. They complained the gravel was everywhere, and children couldn’t ride their bikes on the surface.
“It’s an absolute mess,” one resident said.
“It would have been better if not done at all,”
said another resident.Village President Roger
Thompson said the dete-riorating condition of the road meant the village had to do something. Because of a shortage of available funds, the vil-lage decided to tar and chip the road rather than having it blacktopped.
Trustee Dennis Ford
said he had argued against the plan in the beginning, but Village Engineer Jack Kusek said it had been done in other parts of town.
“It doesn’t work as well as it’s supposed to,” Ford said.
Residents wanted vil-lage workers to clean up the gravel, but Thomp-
son said there are only two village employees, and the current priority is to get the well back online.
In addition, Thompson said a lot of the gravel in the yards will sink into the sod once the ground warms up.
1 Front
The Tonica NewsVolume 140 No. 4 Friday, March 22, 2013
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Vol. 140 No. 4
One Section - 8 Pages
© The Tonica News
Inside
Preschool for all
See Page 2
First PersonSee Page 5
Road woes in Tonica subdivision
Leonore goes to 9-1-1
McNabb Grain Co. celebrates 100 years
Sewer rates on the rise
By Elin [email protected]
LEONORE — Residents of Leonore are now receiving all their emergency services through the LaSalle County Enhanced 9-1-1 system, joining the villages of Tonica and Lostant who are already a part of the new technology.
The change took effect in Leonore March 20, so resi-dents can take down their 10-digit emergency number reminders and just dial 9-1-1 if they need police, fire or ambulance assistance.
“If anyone still dials the 10-digit number, it will be forwarded to 9-1-1, so we have all bases covered,” said Kevin Knecht, Leonore Fire Department secretary. “We have our own phone company in Leonore, and they have installed the new switch that makes the system work and made the change more affordable.”
The system has been a long time coming to rural America. According to the LaSalle County Emergency Telephone System’s Board website (www.lasallecounty.org/etb), it was originally in 1957 that the National Asso-ciation of Fire Chiefs recommended the use of a single number for reporting fires.
As a result, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) to find a means of establishing a uni-versal emergency number. In 1968, AT&T announced it would establish the digits 9-1-1 as the emergency code throughout the United States.
Congress backed AT&T’s proposal and passed legisla-tion allowing use of only the numbers 9-1-1 when creating a single emergency calling service, thereby making 9-1-1 a standard emergency number nationwide. In February 1968, the first 9-1-1 call was make in the United States. in Haleyville, Ala.
By BarB [email protected]
MCNABB — It was 100 years ago, on March 22, 1913, when nine local men were elected to serve as directors of the board of the new McNabb Grain Co.
The men were part of a group of farmers who worked together to have an elevator in McNabb where farmers could store their grain and borrow money against that grain for their farm-ing and living expenses.
On March 22, the
elevator will celebrate 100 years of serving the McNabb farming com-munity.
There have been a lot of changes in those hun-dred years.
“In 1913, they moved 273,000 bushels of grain and had no patronage refunds,” said Gregg Carr, one of seven men
who now make up the board of directors. “Last year, we moved 4.7 mil-lion bushels, and we gave patronage back to the customers of $543,000.”
Carr said the business has had to grow to meet customers’ needs due to increasing corn yields and more planted acres.
Carr gave much of
the credit to the good managers the elevator has had throughout the years, including current manager Bart Ericson.
Ericson said the eleva-tor has had to learn to be more efficient.
“Back in the day, there were always long lines, and now people don’t have time to sit and
wait,” he said. “There-fore we’ve had to adapt as the farmers adapted, becoming more efficient and faster at what they do.”
Carr said farmers used to come to the elevator with 200 bushels of corn in a wagon.
Tonica News photo/Barb Kromphardt
How low can she go!Students at Tonica Grade School did the limbo, hopped in sack races and passed hula hoops — all while wearing brightly-colored leis — as part of the school’s Luau Day, held March 15. The day was a reward day and part of the school’s disciplinary program Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS.)
Protecting the harvest for 100 years
See 100 years Page 4
See Roads Page 3
See Leonore Page 3
By Dixie [email protected]
OGLESBY – Two early childhood programs are available for residents of Tonica, Lostant, Deer Park, Utica and Oglesby.
The Early Childhood Program, or Preschool for All, is located at Lin-coln School in Oglesby and takes children 3 to 5 years of age. The Families First program takes chil-dren from birth through age 3. Both of these pro-grams are fully funded with grants from the Illi-nois State Board of Edu-cation and are free to the public.
The Early Childhood Program has four class-es in the morning from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and four classes in the after-noon from noon to 3 p.m. There is bus service in all the communities for those students who need it. Classes are held Mon-day through Friday, and Director Sue Massey said the students thrive on the continued time together.
“Some parents don’t think that their kids can do five days a week, but they would be surprised,” she said. “The kids prog-ress better with more consistency.”
Each class of 20 stu-dents has a certified teacher and a certified teacher’s aide. The staff works with students to assist them in developing a positive self-concept, enhance student’s cre-ativity and enrich each student’s life socially, intellectually and emo-tionally, according to the brochure from the pro-gram.
Screenings are held during the year to bring new students into the program.
Students are given the opportunity for not only school-style work, but they are also exposed to music, art and the-ater. Students work on large and small muscle activities and socializa-tion skills too. There are field trips, family activi-ties and parents’ nights.
“We are very family-oriented,” said Massey.
The classrooms have a week during the year when the family can come at any time and be special guests. There are family reading nights, a family concert and a gin-gerbread night in Decem-ber. There are both eve-ning and daytime events for the parents.
The school can have up to 160 children, and cur-rently there are 136 chil-dren daily. The school works within the state’s school standards like all other schools.
The Families First pro-gram covers the same area, but aims at serving parents and children from birth to age 3. Massey said the grant that funds the program is a parent-
ing grant. This program is held at area schools and libraries with lessons varying each time.
Massey said attendance can range from one to 25 in a group. The nighttime events have open invi-tations for the Families First participants too.
“We have a play group on Monday,” said Massey. “I do lap sits in Lostant on Tuesday, Oglesby on Wednesday and Utica on Thursday. The program
focuses on parent and child together. We have a Mommy Talk program where sometimes we have a guest speaker on topics the parents wants; sometimes we just talk while the kids play. There are nighttime par-ent education events for the younger group.”
The purpose of Fami-lies First is to help par-ents by providing guid-ance and support dur-ing the formative first
three years as parents care for their infants and/or young children. The program is designed to provide emotional, educational and social support for the partici-pants, according to the brochure the group pro-vides.
Massey said families work well in the Families First program and con-tinue onto the Preschool for All program as they grow older.
“A lot of our children from the first program go right on into Pre-school for All,” she said. “It’s really, really nice because I then know the families, and it helps make work easier for our staff.”
For more information on the Preschool for All program or the Families First Program, call the Oglesby School District at 815-883-9137 and ask for Miss Sue.
2 Local2 • The Tonica News • Friday, March 22, 2013
Seeking Sources
Where in the world is The Tonica News? Are you planning a vacation or holiday trip? Don’t forget to take along a copy of the The Tonica News. Once you get to your destination, have someone snap a photo of you holding the newspaper, and then send the photo to us along with perti-nent information about who is in the photo and where you are. Email your photo and information to [email protected]. You can also drop it by our office in Tonica.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Tonica NewsP.O. Box 86,Tonica, IL 61370
ContactPublisherSam [email protected]
EditorTerri [email protected]
Managing EditorBarb [email protected]
SubmitThe Tonica News
encourages readers to submit news for publica-tion in our paper. Special events, weddings, births, awards and honors, anni-versaries, promotions, etc. are welcome items for the paper. Some fees may apply.
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The Tonica News
P.O. Box 86, Tonica, IL 61370 (USPS 633340)
Published every Friday at Tonica, IL 61370
Entered at Tonica Post Office as Periodical Mail
$22 In LaSalle County$25 Outside of LaSalle County
Oglesby’s free preschool includes Tonica, Lostant students
Tonica News photo/Dixie SchroederKash Tomsha of Tonica, son of Jeanine and Luke Tomsha, works on his fine motor skills building blocks at Preschool For All in Oglesby. Sue Massey is the director of the program.
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In response to a ques-tion from one of the res-idents, Thompson said the village would not pay a bill for any damages the gravel might cause.
“For 40 years I had to rake stuff out of my yard,” he said. “We can’t do it right away.”
Trustee Kevin Sluder said the board members’ hands are tied. There are only a couple of compa-nies who do the tar and chip work, and because Tonica’s project was so small, it got pushed back later in the year.
He said the company didn’t show up in July, when the hot tempera-ture would have kept the oil soft enough for the gravel to be embedded in the surface. By the time the company came in September, it was already too cool for the surface to set property.
The problem dated back farther than the contractor who did the work. Thompson said the first contrac-tor didn’t do the proj-ect, so the village made an agreement with Eden Township to get a better price. That didn’t work out either, so the village had to hire its own con-tractor.
Thompson said the village was trying to save the road for a few more years before it would have to be blacktopped.
“We’re weren’t trying to give you a bum job,” he said. “We were just trying to save what you had.”
Thompson the board would look into the situ-ation and see what could
be done. However, he said the village couldn’t provide a perfect fix, and that only the gravel in the roads and along the curbs and gutters would be removed by village workers.
“We won’t go into the grass or shrubbery,” he said.
Trustee Robert Foltynewicz also had
criticisms regarding the project.
“I said it sounds like you put a J.C. Whit-ney hubcap on a Rolls Royce,” he said.
Sluder said the village only had limited funds, and it was the best repair the village could afford.
Aside from the roads, the $2.5 million new sewer plant is on the minds of the board mem-bers. Thompson said the village has already been fined by the Environ-mental Protection Agen-cy, and it’s something that has to be fixed.
Thompson said the board needed to raise sewer rates to an amount determined by the government, or Ton-ica wouldn’t be eligible to receive a grant.
Sluder said the rate should be about $40 per month, more than twice the current rate.
The board agreed to notify users the rate would be going up a small amount and that billing would switch from every two months to every month. The change will probably take effect in June.
The FCC mandated all telephone companies and county governments implement a 9-1-1 call system after Sept. 11, 2001. In response to that mandate, LaSalle County installed a “Pre-Basic” 9-1-1. The LaSal-le County Emergency Telephone System Board was established in January 2005. The main responsibility of this board was to implement the Enhanced 9-1-1 sys-tem throughout all areas of LaSalle County.
The advantage of the enhanced system ver-
sus the pre-basic system is that when calls are placed to 9-1-1 under the enhanced system, the caller’s name, address and telephone number automatically show up on the computer screen of the telecommunicator who takes the call.
“It’s a better system,” Knecht said. “Sher-iff (Tom) Templeton has really been push-ing every village in the county to do this. I think we are one of the last on the list.”
Knecht said Leonore’s system is exactly the same as Tonica’s and Lostant’s systems.
“We have pagers so
when someone calls 9-1-1 the information goes directly to our department respond-ers,” he said. “The sheriff wanted this, so the dispatchers now answer and dispatch all emergency calls in the same way for all depart-ments.”
Leonore began using the pager system last year.
“Everybody can remember to dial 9-1-1,” Knecht said. “Even little kids. It works great across the board.”
The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office is the main Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
for all residents in rural LaSalle County includ-ing Tonica, Lostant, Cedar Point and now Leonore. Other PSAPs in LaSalle County that also have Enhanced 9-1-1 are the police depart-ments in Mendota, Peru, LaSalle, Oglesby, Otta-wa, Marseilles, Seneca and Streator.
“There is some con-cern about service time with the new system, but I don’t think it will affect anything at all,” Knecht said. “A year from now, everybody will think it’s the best thing that ever hap-pened here. It’s just a good deal for everyone.”
3 Obit RecordsFriday, March 22, 2013 • The Tonica News • 3
Cargill to conduct the fifth annualFeeding The Hungry campaign
Best ways to do business with Social Security
PERU — Many peo-ple save time by going online to take care of everyday tasks. For example, they shop online to avoid going to crowded malls or stores. They pay bills and check their account balances online to save a trip to the bank.
Lonii Jones, Social Security district man-ager in Peru, said it’s true of Social Security business, too.
People can save a lot of time by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov. Here, they can handle much of their Social Security business quickly and secure-ly from their home or office computer.
At the Social Security website, users can:
• Create a my Social Security account for quick access to infor-mation.
• Get an instant, per-sonalized estimate of future Social Security benefits.
• Apply for retirement, disability, spouse’s, and Medicare benefits.
• Check the status of a benefit application.
• Change your address and phone number, if you receive monthly Social Security benefits.
• Sign-up for direct deposit of Social Secu-rity benefits.
• Use our benefit plan-ners to help you better understand your Social Security options as you plan for your financial future.
• Request a replace-
ment Medicare card.• Apply for Extra Help
with Medicare prescrip-tion drug costs.
Looking for more Social Security infor-mation? Go online to find out almost any-thing you need to know about the Social Securi-ty program. Information is available on subjects ranging from how to get a Social Security num-ber for a newborn to returning to work while receiving disability ben-efits.
And since April 22 is Earth Day, here’s another tip: Going online is good for the planet. It saves more than just time — it also saves paper, emissions and energy.
To reach the Social Security office by phone, call toll-free at 800-772-1213. All calls are treated confiden-tially.
Help regarding specif-ic questions is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Generally, there will be a shorter wait time for calls made during the week after Tuesday.
General information can be provided by automated phone ser-vice 24 hours a day.
(The automated response system can be used to inform of a new address or to request a replacement Medicare card.)
For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, call the TTY number, 800-325-0778.
HENNEPIN — Cargill has announced a program to support the needs of its communities.
The company will match donations to the food pantries/banks listed below (up to $2,000 per organization maximum) For example, if you give $100, your local Cargill
elevator will match that $100.
Donations should be made payable to one of the approved food pan-tries/food banks listed below, and sent to: Attn: Teri Allen, Cargill, P.O. Box 350, Hennepin, IL 61327.
The approved food pan-
tries/banks are: Northern Illinois Food Bank, River Bend Food Bank, We Care of Grundy County, Rochelle Christian Food Pantry, Hinckley Area Food Pantry, Bureau County Food Pantry, Lacon Koinonia, Stark County Food Pantry, Hall Township Food Pantry
and Putnam County Food Pantry.
Names may be pub-lished as donors in local newspapers. If you wish to remain anonymous, please inform Cargill of this in writing and include with your dona-tion. Deadline for dona-tions is March 31.
Doris Fern RyanTONICA — Doris Fern Ryan, 87, of Tonica died
March 13, 2013, in her home.Ryan was born in Long Point on May 2, 1925, to
Paul and Alta May (Call) Rittenhouse. She married Max Ryan on June 16, 1951.
Ryan taught kindergarten and first grade in Tonica Grade School, retiring in 1988. She gradu-ated with a master’s degree in 1947 at Illinois State University.
She was a member of the United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women, Thursday Club, and Illinois Retired Teachers Club.
Ryan is survived by three daughters, Kathleen Ryan of Tonica, Peggy (Roger) Cleland of Evanston, and Patricia (Frank) Ross of Ballyhooly, County Corke, Ireland; one son, Michael “Mick” (Becky) Ryan of Peru; one son-in-law, Mark Elston of Men-dota; 17 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and one brother, Ernie (Emily) Rittenhouse of Long Point.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Max, in 1982; one son, Terry Ryan; one daughter, Chris-tie Elston; one grandson, Andrew Ross; and two brothers, Glenn and Paul Rittenhouse.
Funeral services were at 10 a.m. March 16 in Tonica United Methodist Church with the Rev. Mark Nowakowski officiating. Burial was in Fair-view Cemetery in Tonica.
Pallbearers were her grandchildren.
Roads
Leonore
From Page 1
From Page 1
In other business, the board:• Heard the annual report from Fire
Chief Todd Anderson. Anderson said the department responded to 157 calls in 2012, exceeding the previous number by almost 30 calls.
• Heard from Anderson the department would be looking at replacing the ambu-lance in the next four to five years at an estimated cost of $125,000 to $150,000.
• Approved switching the village auditor to Hopkins and Associates of Granville at an estimated annual savings of $2,000.
• Approved submitting a pre-application for loan assistance to the EPA for the sewer project. There is no obligation with the application, but Kusek said it would put the village’s name on a list for borrow-ing the money at a rate of 1.97 percent for a period of 20 years. Thompson said he hoped the village got a grant (free money) instead of having to take out a loan. “This is a fallback, if we don’t get the free money,” Kusek said.
• Heard an update on TIF 2.• Went into closed session to hear an
update on the Village Inn property. No action was taken in open session.
Obituary
Do you have any story ideas? — Contact The Tonica News at 815-442-8419, or email the paper at [email protected].
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4 Biz Ag4 • The Tonica News • Friday, March 22, 2013
IBA offers Maralee Johnson Memorial Scholarship
Web-based anhydrous safety training available
SPRINGFIELD — The Johnson family and the Illinois Beef Association (IBA) will award one $3,000 scholarship in memory of Maralee Johnson and her commitment to the beef and agriculture industry. IBA youth can now begin the application process for this scholarship to be presented at the IBA Summer Conference in June. The application can be downloaded at www.illinoisbeef.com.
Johnson worked at the IBA for 23 years, where she served as executive vice president for 13 years.
Eligible IBA youth must be an Illinois resident from a family that is actively involved in beef production and cur-rently an IBA member, attending or planning to attend a two or four-year college majoring in agriculture, and must complete the application and write an original essay on “How I can impact the agriculture industry in the future.”
With the addition of the Maralee Johnson Memorial Scholarship, the deadline for all IBA scholarships is April 1.
SPRINGFIELD — Preventing accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia is a high pri-ority for the Illinois Department of Agricul-ture (IDOA) and Illinois agricultural organiza-tions. These accidents can not only result in the loss of valuable nitrogen fertilizer, but can also cause injury to farmers and emergency respond-ers.
“The IDOA investigates all agricultural-relate-danhydrous ammonia incidents,” Jerry Kir-bach, bureau chief of Ag Products Inspection, said. “Our investigation of incidents over the last three years shows that improper management of ammonia hoses, fail-ure to maintain safety devices on tool bars and not properly securing the tanks during high-way and field transporta-tion are among the lead-ing causes of accidents.”
The department and Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) jointly pro-vide training programs for employees of retail anhydrous ammo-nia facilities, who are required to be trained every three years. But to address the critical need to improve ammonia safety when farmers are handling the product, the department, IFCA, Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) collaborated to develop a detailed web-based training program for farmers.
IFCA submitted a grant to the newly-formed Nutrient Research and Education Council (NREC) to fund the pro-gram. IFCA and IDOA staff then developed the program content, which features video and animation of actual ammonia accidents that occurred in Illinois and detailed instructions on how they could have been prevented. The program’s five training modules cover proper-ties of ammonia, per-sonal protective equip-ment, transportation of ammonia to and from the field, the safe hook-up of ammonia tanks in the field and emer-gency response and first aid procedures. After completing the train-ing, farmers can take a knowledge assessment to determine their under-standing of the material and print a certificate of completion for their records.
“In the past we have tried various venues to
get important informa-tion to farmers about ammonia safety, includ-ing pamphlets, seminars, an awareness video and checklists for fertilizer dealers to share with farmers,” Kevin Runkle, manager of regulatory services for IFCA, said. “Unfortunately, these efforts have been insuf-ficient to convey the importance of specific preventative measures that must be understood and followed each time a farmer uses anhydrous ammonia. This web-based program is unique in its sophistication and detail. It allows the farm-er to log in and then return to the program at any time to pick up where he left off or to go back and review the safety modules.”
Thanks to funding from NREC, the pro-gram is free to farmers or anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of ammonia safety.
“When not handled properly, anhydrous ammonia can cause seri-ous injury and impact the environment,” Agri-culture Director Bob Flider said. “I encourage farmers who apply their own ammonia to use the program, take the knowledge assessment and self-certify that they are trained to safely han-dle this product.”
The program can be accessed at the following websites; specific ques-tions about the program or its features should be directed to IFCA: Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association at www.ifca.com; Illinois Corn Grow-ers Association at www.ilcorn.org; Illinois Farm Bureau at www.ilfb.org; and Illinois Department of Agriculture at www.agr.state.il.us.
Business&Ag
“I encourage farmers who
apply their own ammonia to use
the program, take the knowledge
assessment and self-certify that they are trained to safely handle this product.”
Bob Flider
“Today they’re bring-ing in 950-bushel semis or more, or wagons that are holding 1,100 bushels,” he said. “Everything is big-ger.”
Like other grain eleva-tors, the McNabb Grain Co. takes grain in and stores it on behalf of the farmer.
The farmer pulls onto the scales with a loaded semi or wagon. The grain is tested for moisture or dam-age, and then is dumped into a pit. The truck is then weighed again empty, and the farmer heads back to the fields.
“We condition that grain — basically we dry it at harvest, so it stays in good quality,” Ericson said. “We monitor that quality until the farmer decides to sell it, so we can move that grain out to the destina-tion.”
The farmer can sell the grain to the elevator imme-diately, or he can store it.
“We buy it from him eventually, but the fact that we offer storage gives him that flexibility that he can sell it at anytime he wants,” Ericson said.
Another important aspect for farmers is time.
“As the farms get bigger, time is of the essence for a lot of farmers,” Carr said. “They want to come in, weigh, dump, and get out of here in five,10 minutes.”
While most farmers are loyal to one elevator, that loyalty can be tested if the wait is too long.
“If we have a line, they might drive by, and if we’re
shut down, they might drive by and go to another elevator,” Carr said. “We don’t want that. We want them to stay local and keep the business here.”
In addition to handling more grain, the elevator has changed in other ways. One hundred years ago, the elevator also handled coal, lumber, feed and other items, but now it’s strictly a grain elevator.
Those changes haven’t always been easy.
Board President Ben Day has been on the board since 1971. He grew up in the area, and the McNabb Grain Co. has been a part of his life for a long time.
Day said the board has made a few decisions over
the years that were pretty unpopular at the time, but they needed to be made.
One of those was the closing of the feed mill after John Gorman started auditing the business.
“One of the first things he told us, he says, ‘You guys are losing $20,000 per year on that feed-mill,’” Day said. “It was definitely unpopular, but it was one of those things that needed to be done.”
Carr said doing what needs to be done is impor-tant to the board.
“When we look at a deci-sion that has to be made for this company, we’re looking at the company’s bottom-line,” he said. “It may affect us — negatively
or positively — but we’re looking at what’s best for the company.”
Another change the ele-vator has had to deal with are the high commodity prices of the last few years.
“What it does is increase everybody’s financial needs, both the custom-ers’ and the elevator itself,” Ericson said. “Prices have gone up, but so have inputs. So have cash rents. So has the cost of equipment. It kind of runs together, and it just puts a bigger need for a strong working capital and balance sheet.”
Day said when he got on the board, they would talk in terms of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Now we talk about mil-lions,” he said.
At this 100-year celebra-tion, the McNabb Grain Co. is not done growing.
“We’re looking to expand,” Carr said. “We’re looking at the possibility of another leg, another pit, another holding facility, so we can accommodate more farmers at once. When the grain’s ready to haul, there’s a time win-dow, and we want to keep farmers here and keep them happy.”
Out of the pastA brochure produced for the company’s 75th
anniversary recounts the beginning days of the McNabb Grain Co.
“In a horse trading deal, Mr. Matern was offered $6,000 for his elevator, cribs, scales and office fixtures with three days to accept. Mr. Matern held out for $7,000. The board voted no, so Mr. Matern accepted the $6,000.
“Mr. W.A. King met with the board and was hired as the first manager at $150 per month, and he was to furnish his own extra help. The new manager was authorized to make arrange-ments with the bank to borrow up to $5,000 for 60 days as working capital.
“After considerable discussion it was agreed to purchase a second elevator belonging to John McNabb for $3,000 on June 1, provided Mr. McNabb leave all equipment including the office safe.
“In addition to buying corn, oats, wheat and rye, the company sold tile, coal, coke and some feed.
“The first year of businesses showed a profit of about $2,000.”
The legs of the McNabb grain elevator tower over the heads of board mem-ber Gregg Carr (from left), manager Bart Ericson and board President Ben Day. The McNabb Grain Co. will celebrate its 100th anni-versary March 22.
Tonica News photo/Barb Kromphardt
Mark your calendarsThe McNabb Grain
Co. will celebrate its 100th anniversary in August with an appre-ciation dinner for patrons and employ-ees, past and present.
100 yearsFrom Page 1
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City: Magnolia.
Where did you grow up: Otta-wa.
Family: Husband, Pat, and two sons, (Kevin and Kerry) and two daughter-in-laws, (Jennifer and Valerie), and four grandchildren, (Ryan, 10, Katie, 8, Henry, 7, and Alice, 4.)
Occupation: Office manager.
What is the last song you listened to: “Treat Her Like a Lady.”
What is the last book you read: Sue Grafton “Seventeen.”
What is the last TV show you watched: “Hawaii Five-O.”
If you were stranded on a des-
ert island and could have just one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be: Polancic’s ten-derloins.
If you were stranded on a des-ert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be: My husband.
What is your favorite local res-taurant: LJ’s Cafe in Magnolia.
If someone handed you a mil-
lion dollars, how would you spend it: Traveling.
People would be surprised to know that you: I can be quiet at times.
What is your favorite thing about the city you live in: The friendliness.
If you could change one thing about your town, what would it be: Have a bigger fire station.
5 PerspectiveFriday, March 22, 2013 • The Tonica News • 5
The Editorial Page
Sam R FisherPublisher
Terri Simoneditor
The Tonica News
Letters to the Editor should not be more than 500 words in length. Only one person can sign a Letter to the Editor. The author of the letter must include his/her name, hometown and telephone number. The author’s name and home-town will be published, however, the telephone number is only used to verify the authenticity of the author’s signature and will not be published. Unsigned letters are never read or published. No letter will be published until The Tonica News contacts the author of the letter to verify the signature. The Tonica News reserves the right to edit or refuse any Letter to the Editor.
I want a do-over
My alarm clock malfunctioned this morning. It went downhill after that. You will soon see why.
I have become accustomed to wak-ing up at precisely 5:30 a.m. to the song “Mr. Blue Sky” performed by the Electric Light Orchestra. At 5:30 a.m. and four seconds, Chubby, our family cat, jumps up on the bed and meows at me, informing me that she would like me to wake up and tend to her needs. I spend approximately the next 36 minutes and 56 seconds ignoring her.
During that time period, I hear such songs as “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry, “Rockin’ at Midnight” by the Honeydrip-pers, “I’m Gonna Miss Her” by Brad Paisley, “Dueling Banjos” from the “Deliverance” movie soundtrack and “Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball” by Dr. Hook along with a few others.
At 6:07 a.m., “Blue Moon” by the Marcels kicks in. This is my signal that it’s time to get serious about getting out of bed. By the time that the first chorus starts, I finally prop myself up, poised to jump out of bed and get my day off to a running start. Two minutes and 20 seconds later, when “Always with Me, Always with You” by Joe Satriani starts playing, I actually get out of bed.
Chubby follows me to the bath-room and jumps up on the sink and stares at me quizzically with her head cocked to the side while I look in the mirror to make sure that I woke up with the same breathtakingly good looks that I went to sleep with just hours before. Luckily my eyesight is getting worse as I age.
By about 20-30 seconds after 6:15, I jump in the shower, so I can be done by the time my wife wants to wake up at 6:30. I’m not sure what Chubby does on the other side of the shower curtain at this time. My guess is that she grooms herself with our
toothbrushes, but that’s pure specula-tion on my part.
At about 6:26, I get out of the shower and debate on what I should do with my hair for the day. At 6:26 and seven seconds, I end up doing the same thing I’ve done for the past 47 years. It’s gotten me this far, so why change now?
As I comb my hair and put on the deodorant, I turn the water on in the sink so Chubby can get a drink. The cat likes to drink cold, running water and gets mad at me when I don’t give her that option. After a minute and a half of this, it’s time to leave the bath-room and let others in the house start preparing for their day. This is what usually happens.
As you can see, I’m on a very tight, strict morning time schedule (except maybe for that 37 minutes I spend laying in bed listening to “Dueling Banjos”). When that music didn’t start blaring at exactly 5:30 this morning, my schedule for the entire day was ruined beyond repair. Luck-ily I have a contingency plan in place, and my cellphone alarm goes off at six, but by that time, it didn’t mat-ter. The rest of the day was tainted because I didn’t have that half hour of staring at the ceiling.
My wife claims I might possibly be a creature of habit. On good days that’s what she calls it. On other days she just thinks I’m nuts. When it comes to time, I like structure. I like to do certain things, certain ways at certain times. Any disturbance in any of these rituals brings utter chaos raining down on me and those in my immediate vicinity.
If you don’t believe me, take this morning as an example. As I was making my daughter and myself
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our lunches, I accidentally used the “whipped” creamy peanut butter instead of the usual “regular” creamy peanut butter. My life had been thrown into complete disorder and confusion.
When I went to feed the goldfish, I missed the tank. (Don’t tell my wife. We’ll pretend it’s our little secret.)
I went to put a check in my wallet, and it was one of those stupid busi-ness checks that are too long to fit in your wallet without folding them in half. (I’m always worried that the bank will void the check if it’s creased in any way.) Nothing was going the way it was supposed to, and it was obviously all due to the simple fact that my alarm didn’t go off at the right time.
And it wasn’t just me. Chubby was running around like a beast pos-sessed. She tripped me three or four times, and when I would let her out the front door, 30 seconds later she was at the back door wanting back in. It was pure bedlam.
After a while, I had to sit down in my chair and take a minute to com-pose myself. I came to the realization that this was going to be a bad day, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
As I contemplated throwing in the towel and going back to bed in hopes for a better start the next day, my wife calmed me down and reassured me that the rest of the day would get better. “Everything will be just fine,” she said. “You’re just used to every-thing being done a certain way at a certain time everyday. It will be good for you to break out of your comfort zone,” she said with a sinister smile.
That was easy for her to say. She wasn’t going to be eating “whipped” creamy peanut butter in the next five hours and 42 minutes.
You can contact Wallace at [email protected]. You can follow him on his blog at http://gregwalla-ceink.blogspot.com.
My Main StreetI drive up and down Princeton’s Main Street
several times a week. I know that street like the back of my hand. I’ve been cruising Main Street for many years. I grew up here, and the street — like every Main Street in every small town, is somewhat sacred.
I have to believe it’s the same in Spring Valley, Sheffield, Tonica, Granville ... and everywhere in between. The main drag through a town or village is a landmark to those who have hung their hats there.
Driving up and down Main Street — well, in a way, it’s a history lesson from years gone by. If I look in the rear view mirror, I see a street from yesteryear that speaks of fond memo-ries, simple times, family and friends from the past. It is a street that evokes many feelings, and one that often causes my heart to skip a beat or two.
I could chug up and down a 1960s Main Street with you, where we spent Friday night parked in front of the bank to watch people walk by. It was the place to be, and everybody came to Main Street on a Friday night. It was where you learned about what was happening with your friends, neighbors. It was a place filled with peo-ple standing on the sidewalks and talking about everything from their crops, to the church sup-per, to anything out of the ordinary.
My 1970s Main Street consisted of what we called “cruising the gut,” where we’d spend entire Friday and Saturday evenings driving somebody’s parents’ car up and down Main Street, after we’d each chipped in a $1 bill for some gas. Later, it was my old, yellow Pinto that cruised the gut. It was where you fell in love, sang along to the eight-track tape in your car, and plotted and planned with your friends. It was the place where you learned every word to Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Main Street was the catalyst for future dreams of growing up and youthful memories of where you’d been. You knew every store, every storekeeper, every inch of that business district. It was your home away from home.
For me, my Main Street of the 1980s and early ‘90s was filled with bittersweet moments. Liv-ing out of state, I’d come back to visit, and the first thing I’d do was take a few trips on my well-worn Main Street path. I’d see the changes, and I’d remember what was. While I was always quick to applaud the progress, I couldn’t help but mourn the losses. My Main Street was evolv-ing, and even though I wasn’t there to see the daily changes, my heart yearned to keep close the picture I had painted of the Main Street that lived in my heart.
In the late ‘90s, I returned to the area, and while I felt like a stranger in my own land, Main Street served as a close friend, a confidant, if you will. While many of the people and the names had changed, Main Street still existed — different, yet somehow intrinsically the same. While I don’t mind admitting I longed for what was, the familiarity of Main Street welcomed me home with open arms.
Today, I try to see my Main Street with fresh eyes, yet I am steeped in several decades of memories — all which tend to run together despite my attempts to keep them separate. As an editor of the hometown newspaper, I try to look at Main Street from an economic develop-ment standpoint, however, I know that loving a place means watching it change. I see some storefronts empty of the history from my past yet filled with the promise of optimistic new endeavors. I see the storefronts that have sur-vived the test of time, and my heart smiles.
This is my Main Street, my town — and regardless of where you live, it is yours too. May the reflection you see in your rear view mirror remain in your heart, and may you embrace the future of that precious street with promise.
Tonica News Editor Terri Simon can be reached at [email protected] or fol-low her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bcrnews.tsimon.
First Person
TerriSimon
GregWallaceFROM THE SKETCHBOOK
6 Life6 • The Tonica News • Friday, March 22, 2013
Community
Births
McStoots Trevor McStoots and Paige McVey of Lostant, a
girl, March 7, Illinois Valley Community Hospital, Peru.
Elks lodges to hold clinic in Peru April 11
PERU – The Mendota Elks 1212 and Oglesby Elks 2360 Lodges, in cooperation with the Illinois Elks Children’s Care Corporation, will sponsor a free children’s orthopedic assessment clinic on April 11. The clinic is from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and is by appointment only. To make an appointment call the Illinois Elks Children’s Care office at 800-272-0074 between the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are no charges for any services at this clinic.
The Elks will hold the clinic at the Illinois Valley Community Hos-pital, 925 West St. in Peru’s first floor EKG/Pain clinic area – enter hospital from either lower level on the south side or main level on west side. Dr. Rich-ard Erickson of Carol Stream will be the clini-cian in charge.
No medical referral is necessary for the clinic, but physicians are wel-come to refer patients to the clinic for a specific reason or second opin-
ion. School nurses are welcome to refer chil-dren and families to the clinic.
The Elks Organization has been working with physically challenged children since 1928 and this is one of the 17 clinic locations through-out Illinois. The clinic is an ideal time to have a child reviewed for bone and joint development. If your child has feet pointing out or in who complains of back, knee, leg, ankle pain or has a back curvature can be seen at this clinic. There is no charge for any diagnostic services at this clinic.
The Elks will provide financial assistance to their best of their ability for children needing fur-ther treatment or spe-cialty equipment when the family lacks suffi-cient resources to do so. In the past, the Elks have purchased thera-py services, corrective shoes, braces, wheel-chairs and augmentative communication devices to help children over-come a variety of physi-cal challenges.
‘General Assembly’ passes bills in LostantBy Jill NewBold, lostaNt
seveNth-grade teacherSpecial to the Tonica News
SPRINGFIELD – The seventh-grade social stud-ies class at Lostant Grade School became the Gen-eral Assembly for a day in order to learn how a bill becomes a law. The class joined either the House of Representatives or the Senate to work on pass-ing bills to the governor. Once the students were in their respective part of the General Assembly, they worked on adopt-ing three bills. During the process, the groups had to come up with ideas, discuss the ideas, come up with reasons for their bills, designate either a speaker of the House or a president of the Senate, and then bring the bills to the governor, portrayed by Jill Newbold, social studies teacher.
Each section worked hard deciding which bills they wanted to present, along with reasons to sup-port each of the bills. New-bold said the discussions during this phase were excellent. Group mem-bers took turns explain-ing the issues they wanted to become bills and their reasoning for support of
the bills.After each house agreed
on a bill with supporting reasons, they had either the speaker or the presi-dent bring them to the gov-ernor. While in discussion, the legislators had to listen to lobbyists ask for laws to be passed that would protect their interests. The House then accepted the lobbyists’ proposals and included those in a bill brought before the gover-nor.
Once on the governor’s desk, some bills were approved by the gover-nor and became laws. Two bills which had been passed by the General Assembly were vetoed by the governor. These bills were sent back to the General Assembly which then had to pass the bills by three-fifths vote. The General Assembly inde-pendently figured out how many legislators they needed to obtain a three-fifths vote. The vetoed bills were dis-cussed and reasons given for passing them. These bills passed by the three-fifths votes to become laws.
Newbold said the experi-ence provided the students with first-hand knowledge of how bills become laws.
JudyDyke
GRANDMA JUDY’S CAFE
Recipe cornerIt’s almost Easter, and to
me, Easter always means ham. Here are a couple of ham recipes I think you’ll enjoy! It’s time to start planning your Easter din-ner and all the festivities, Easter egg hunts, church services and celebrations for family and friends.
Pineapple Ham Loaf2 eggs1/2 cup milk1 teaspoon Worcester-
shire sauce3/4 cup dry bread
crumbs1 1/2 teaspoons ground
mustard, divided1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1 pound fully cooked
ham, ground (4 cups)1 pound ground pork1 20-ounce can sliced
pineapple1/2 cup packed brown
sugarIn a bowl, combine eggs,
milk, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon mustard, salt and pepper. Add ham and pork, stir well. Shape into eight oval patties; set aside. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Place a pineapple slice between each ham patty. (Refrigerate remaining pineapple and juice for another use.) Carefully place in an ungreased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Pat patties around pineapple to form a loaf. Combine
brown sugar, remaining mustard and reserved juice. Pour a small amount over loaf. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 1/4 hours or until lightly browned and a meat ther-mometer reaches 160°, basting occasionally with remaining juice mixture.
Apricot Baked Ham1/2 fully cooked bone-
in ham (5 to 7 pounds)20 whole cloves1/2 cup apricot pre-
serves3 tablespoons ground
mustard1/2 cup packed light
brown sugarPlace ham on a rack
in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making dia-mond shapes 1/2-inch deep, insert a clove in each diamond. Combine preserves and mustard, spread over ham. Pat brown sugar into apricot mixture. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer reads 140°.
Do you have a ham recipe you’d like to share with other read-ers? Email it to me at judyd2313@front ier .com. Please remember to include your name, address and telephone number (telephone number won’t be pub-lished). Happy Easter, my friends!
Putnam County Achievement Services menu
March 25 – Seasoned chicken quarter, American fries, peas, sliced peaches, wheat bread.
March 26 – Meat loaf with ketchup, au gratin potatoes, stewed tomatoes, orange, bread.
March 27 – Cheeseburger casserole, Brussels sprouts, romaine salad with dressing, fruit cocktail, peanut butter with wheat crackers.
March 28 – Easter Party – ham with raisin sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans almondine, cinnamon applesauce, Jell-O cake, wheat roll.
March 29 – Closed for Good Friday.
LPHS band parents to hold Trivia NightBy dixie schroeder
LASALLE – The LaSalle Peru High School band parents will host a Trivia Night April 13, yet another way the group shows its support.
LPHS Band Director Kyle Adelmann said he is very happy about the support the band pro-gram receives from the band parents group.
Adelmann said the Trivia Night is one of many annual fundrais-ers held throughout the school year. The goal of the Band Parents Asso-ciation is to provide a variety of fundraisers, so the trip the band takes is more affordable.
“I am very proud to say that with our fund-raisers, many parents do not have to pay a single thing out of pocket for their child to attend our trips,” Adelmann said.
The LPHS band par-ents group also raises money by running the concession stands dur-ing the football and soccer seasons at the school. Adelmann said the parents work in groups at the games.
“I try to stop and say hi and thank everyone of them before and dur-ing the varsity football games,” he said. “Each time I stop by, they always have smiles on their faces. These band
parents are great group of people, and I am so lucky to have them sup-porting our band pro-gram.”
The LPHS band pro-gram has grown since Adelmann has started at the school. There are 75 students in band this year. Adelmann said the beginning band pro-grams are an excellent starting point for LPHS students.
“I am very happy with the steady increase in numbers since I started here. Our junior high school band feeder programs are doing a wonderful job setting up band students for success once they get here,” he said.
At LPHS, students participate in symphon-ic band, percussion ensembles, the march-ing Cavaliers and bas-ketball pep bands. Ton-ica residents currently in the band include Cory Lauer who is a junior. Lauer plays bari-sax. Andy Gray is also a junior and plays alto-sax.
The Trivia Night will be held at Celebrations 150 in LaSalle. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for food, and the trivia con-test will start at 7 p.m. There will be raffles for door prizes all evening. For tickets, contact Betsy Ferguson at 815-993-0343.
UCC to hold annual dinnerGRANVILLE — Members of the Granville United
Church of Christ are planning their annual Palm Sunday Pork Chop Dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on March 24. The dinner will be held in Bonucchi Hall at the church. Butterfly pork chops, mashed pota-toes and gravy, green beans, salad, dinner roll and homemade desserts will be served. Tickets may be purchased from any church member or at the door.
Reliance Water
Heaters
Generac
Generators
Bryant Heating& Cooling
For All Your Needs
Tonica815-442-3415
Plumbing • Heating • Electrical
Delta PlumbingFixtures
Elizabeth E. Immel
John & Lora ImmelCarol & Jerry PattersonWilliam & Kathy Immel
Grandchildren: Jaclyn, Jonathan, & Justin Immel & Jodi PattersonStep Grandchildren: Brett, Brian,
& Amy Burkiewicz
The family of Betty Immel wishes to express our grateful appreciation to our family,
dear friends, and relatives who helped in so many ways upon Betty’s death.
We appreciate the kind words, visits, prayers, flowers, food, and monetary contributions
that helped us during this most difficult time. We would like to extend a special thank you
to Pastor Ron McNeill for his help in making the service a celebration of her life.
Everyone helped us remember the precious times we spent together.
Thank you,
7 LifeFriday, March 22, 2013 • The Tonica News • 7
Tonica Grade School
Breakfast menusMarch 25 – Choice of oatmeal, cereal or yogurt, toast, milk, juice.March 26 – Choice of pancakes, cereal or yogurt, toast, milk, juice.March 27 – Choice of scrambled eggs, cereal or yogurt, toast, milk, juice.March 28 – Choice of French toast, cereal or yogurt, toast, milk, juice.March 29 – No school – spring break.LunchMarch 25 – Bosco pizza sticks, lettuce with dressings, fruit cup.March 26 – Hamburger or cheeseburger, French fries, carrots, dip, fruit cup.March 27 – Chicken nuggets, cabbage slaw, fruit cup, Jello with whipped
topping.March 28 – Hot dog on a bun, baked beans or green beans, applesauce.March 29 – No school – spring break.
Lostant Grade School
Breakfast menusMarch 25 – Oatmeal, various cold cereals.March 26 – Eggs, bacon, toast, various cold cereals.March 27 – Apple turnover, various cold cereals.March 28 – Breakfast pizza, various cold cereals.March 29 – No school – spring break.LunchMarch 25 – Taco soup, crackers, muffin, pears, milk.March 26 – Scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuit with jam, hash browns, pine-
apple, milk.March 27 – Turkey sub sandwich, chips, veggies, dip, pears, milk.March 28 – Pizza, salad, corn, mixed fruit, Bosco stick with sauce, milk.March 29 – No school – spring break.
March 28 – 2 p.m. dismissal – Begin spring break.March 29 – No school.
Tonica Grade School calendar
Two swimmers place at district championship
By Dixie [email protected]
PERU – The Illinois Valley YMCA Dolphins competed in the 2013 Northwest YMCA District Champion-ships March 2 and 3. This year the Peru YMCA hosted this event in which more than 400 swimmers competed to move on to state competition. The Dolphins placed fourth overall as a team.
Contributing to this win from the Lostant, Tonica and Wenona area were two area residents. The first was Cody Smith, 11, of Wenona who swam in the boys 11- to 12 year-old, 50-yard
freestyle event. Smith earned a sec-ond-place finish with a time of 31.67. Smith also brought home a first-place finish in 50-yard backstroke event with a time of 36.98. He also swam in the 100-yard freestyle event.
Also placing for the Dolphins was Lostant’s Keira Kiersnowski, 6. She earned a sixth-place finish in the girls 6 and under, 50-yard freestyle with a time of 56.64 and also picked up an eighth-place finish by swimming the 25-yard freestyle event in 23.38. Kiersnowski also swam in the 25-yard backstroke event.
The new season for the Dolphins will begin in September.
Lostant Grade School sets kindergarten preregistrationLOSTANT – Pre-registration information is needed for the Lostant Community
Unit School District kindergarten class of 2013-14. Parents of children living in the district who will attend kindergarten for the upcoming school year are asked to call the district at 815-368-3392 by April 5. Children must be 5 years of age on or before Sept. 1 to be able to attend kindergarten in the 2013-14 school year.
Shaw Media Service photo Lyle Ganther This photo of a bald eagle near the Hennepin Canal depicts one of the 2,325 birds surveyed in the annual Illinois Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey.
2013 Illinois midwinter bald eagle survey results
SPRINGFIELD – Statewide survey-ors counted 2,325 American bald eagles during the annual Illinois Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey, coordinat-ed by the Illinois Audubon Society. The survey was conducted between the dates of Jan. 2-16. Nationally, this effort is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The goal of the survey is to collect, analyze and maintain long-term eagle population data.
Warmer than normal temperatures were recorded throughout the tar-geted survey period in 2013. During more typical winter conditions, shal-low backwaters freeze and push most of the wintering eagle populations to open water, where they can find food.
“The better the weather, the fewer the eagles,” commented Richard Call who surveys along the Mississippi in Monroe County. However, despite the warm temperatures, the numbers were still up 173 birds from the 2,152
counted in 2012.A total of 45 routes are conducted
each year in Illinois. Twenty-nine of those routes are located on the Mis-sissippi River and nine on the Illinois River. Additional routes include Ohio and Wabash rivers, Crab Orchard Lake, Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area and Carlyle Lake.
The largest populations of the eagles spotted were counted along the Mississippi River (83 percent of the overall total), followed by 13 percent observed on the Illinois River and 4 percent sighted on the remaining routes.
The number of adults versus imma-ture eagles reported on these surveys, an important indicator of recovery and survival remains at 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
Information regarding the 2013 survey and previous year’s data can be obtained by calling the Illinois Audubon Society at 217-544-2473.
IVCC announces President’s ListOGLESBY – For the Fall 2012 semester, more than 195 students were named to
the Presidential Honors list at Illinois Valley Community College.Students who have earned a grade point average of 3.75 to 4.0 in 12 or more
semester hours, listed by hometown, are:Cedar Point: Joshua Doerle, Jennifer Johnson.Lostant: Benjamin Arnold, Cody Guynn, Dusty Kuykendall.Tonica: Lauren Blauvelt, Lisa Burgett, Jessica Gray, Amy Hiester, Casey Swift.
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8 History/Class8 • The Tonica News • Friday, March 22, 2013
Lostant Library updatesLOSTANT – The Lostant Library is
collecting books for an April 27 book sale. Hardcovers, paperbacks, non-fiction children’s titles and DVDs will be accepted. Please no encyclope-dias, textbooks or magazines. Items may be dropped off at the library.
People with disabilities can call the library at 815-368-3530 to see if pick up is possible. Volunteers are also needed for help with set-up (various times during the week) and on the sale day.
Library supporters are encouraged to mark their calenders as April 27 is also the village wide garage sale in Lostant.
Lostant Library also has new titles at the library. They include “The Husband List” by Janet Evanovich, “Private Berlin” by James Patter-son and “Until the End of Time” by Danielle Steel. The birth through pre-school program, Library Time, continues on Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.
Illinois Reading Council launches Illinois Reads
SPRINGFIELD — Illi-nois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White and the Illinois Reading Council (IRC) have formally launched Illinois Reads, the first ever statewide literacy program spanning all gen-erations.
“As a former educator and as a mom, I know how important it is to get kids excited about reading at an early age,” said Simon, a former Illinois Reading Council Legislative Award winner. “A love of reading will help ignite a desire for learning that can carry our young students into higher education and well into adulthood.”
“I have always been committed to ensuring that all Illinois citizens have access to quality lit-eracy programs that set them on the path to life-long learning,” said White, honorary chairman of Illinois Reads. “Illinois Reads is an exciting new program that will enhance our literacy efforts by encouraging all Illinoisans to read books by authors who are connected to the state of Illinois.”
As part of Illinois Reads, which will culminate in a statewide celebration of literacy during Secretary White’s Family Reading Night Nov. 21, classrooms, public and school librar-ies, community groups and community book-stores throughout the state will feature the titles of 35 books in six separate age groupings.
“These books range from read-to books for infants to read-aloud books for home-bound seniors and everything in between,” said Tammy Potts, president-elect for the IRC, who heads up the Illinois Reads campaign. “There is a pleasant mix of hard covers and paper-backs with several Span-ish-language titles and science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics (STEM)-related books.”
The eight month cam-paign will focus on reading at home and in the class-room for the remainder of the current school year as well as next fall when classes resume. Illinois Reads will also emphasize
summer reading as a way to not only bring the fam-ily closer together but also to combat what is known as “summer learning loss” in children. Residents from Rockford to Carbon-dale and from Quincy to Danville will be able to partake in Family Literacy Nights sponsored by their local IRC chapters.
The Illinois Reads web-site www.illinoisreads.org will serve as the focal point for the campaign with virtual community conversations, webinars, author interviews, book reviews, book trailers and art work. Visitors will also find the website’s market-place an intriguing desti-nation with Illinois Reads lanyards, license plate frames, tote bags, tum-blers and T-shirts avail-able for purchase.
Illinois Reads was unveiled on the steps of the Old State Capitol dur-ing the legislative recep-tion prior to the Illinois Reading Council’s 45th annual conference. At that same reception, the IRC announced Stephanie Solbrig of Lewis School in Carbondale was the recip-ient of the organization’s Obama Library Award and issued its annual Leg-islator of the Year Award to Illinois Sen. Kimberly Lightford. The Fleming Academy of Performing Art String Orchestra also performed at the recep-tion.
The Illinois State Library, the Illinois Press Association, the Illinois Broadcasters Association, Rotary Clubs of Illinois, the Illinois Education Association, Floppets toys, and independent book stores throughout Illinois are all key IRC partners in the statewide campaign.
The mission of the Illi-nois Reading Council is to provide support and leadership to educators as they promote and teach lifelong literacy. Following is a list of titles. Home-towns of current Illinois residents are noted.
Birth – 4“Favorite Nursery
Rhymes From Mother Goose” by Scott Gus-tafson of Chicago.
“1 Zany Zoo” by Lori Degman of Vernon Hills.
“My Friend Rabbit” by
Eric Rohmann of Oak Park.
“Goodnight, Good Night Construction Site” by Sherri Duskey Rinker of Chicago.
“Little Illinois” by Esther Hershenhorn of Chicago.
“Bein’ With You This Way and La Alegria de Ser Tu y Yo” by W. Nikola-Lisa of Chicago.
Grades K-2“Bugs and Us” by Patri-
cia J. Murphy of Chicago, S.T.E.M. title.
“Tooth Tales From Around the World” by Marlene Targ Brill of Wil-mette.
“Henry & the Bucca-neer Bunnies” by Carolyn Crimi of Evanston.
“Chicks and Salsa” by Aaron Reynolds of Fox River Grove.
“Another Brother” by Matthew Cordell of Gurn-ee.
“The Ugly Duckling Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Tale” by Cheryl Bardoe S.T.E.M. title.
Grades 3-5“Everything I Know
About Pirates” by Tom Lichtenheld of Geneva.
“Abraham Lincoln: 16th President, 1861-1865” by Mike Venezia.
“Secrets of the Cica-da Summer” by Andrea Beaty of Naperville.
“Lowji Discovers Amer-ica” by Candace Fleming of Oak Park.
“Shipwreck Search: Dis-covery of the H. L. Hun-ley” by Sally M. Walker of DeKalb S.T.E.M. title.
“Frindle and Fríndel” by Andrew Clements.
Grades 6-8“The Danger Box” by
Blue Balliett of Chicago.“Children of Fire” by
Harriette Gillem Robinet of Oak Park.
“The Smart Aleck’s Guide to American His-tory” by Adam Selzer of Chicago.
“Cold Fury” by T. M. Goeglein of Chicago.
“Rules of the Road” by Joan Bauer.
“Dark Life by Kat Falls” of Evanston S.T.E.M title.
Grades 9-12“Of Beetles & Angels:
A Boy’s Remarkable Jour-ney from a Refugee Camp to Harvard” by Mawi Asge-dom of Chicago.
“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green.
Library CornerLaSalle Public LibraryMarch 26 – 9:30 a.m. “Babies and Books.”10:45 a.m. “Tots and Tales.”11:45 a.m. “Storytime Express! ... Fun on the Run!”6 p.m. “Jacqueline Kennedy, Her White House Years.”Lostant Public LibraryMarch 26 — 10:30 a.m. Library Time, birth through pre-school age.
LaSalle Public Library presents ‘Jacqueline Kennedy: Her White
House Years’ on March 26LASALLE – The LaSalle
Public Library will pres-ent “Jacqueline Kennedy: Her White House Years” at 6 p.m. March 26.
It is 1964, and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is besieged by sightseers around her house in Georgetown. As she deliberates what to do next, she shares the story of her life in the White House, including her struggle to retain her family’s privacy in the face of media onslaughts, her restoration work and
her attempts to showcase the arts. She recounts her husband’s death and comes to heartfelt deci-sion about how to begin a new life for herself and her children.
History comes alive in the hands of historian Leslie Goddard who tells fascinating stories and creates vivid portraits of some of history’s most memorable women. With experience as a histori-an, actor and museum teacher, Goddard brings a unique perspective to
her history presenta-tions. This program is made possible through funds from the Alwin C. Carus Trust and is free and open to the public. For further information call the library at 815-223-2341.
The library has part-nered with the Hegeler Carus Mansion, Oglesby Public Library and the Canal Corridor Asso-ciation during National Women’s History Month to present “Women of Courage and Wisdom.”
Lostant church group meetsLOSTANT — The Ladies Evening
Circle of the Lostant United Methodist Church held its monthly meeting March 7. President Myrna Fields conducted the business meeting.
A planning discussion was held about the soup ‘n sandwich supper which took place on March 14.
The circle will sponsor the lunch stand April 27 for the townwide garage sales.
Sandy Tarr presented the lesson “The Limp and Faith, Hope and Love in Action.” Marsha Tock and Sandy Tarr were lunch hostesses.
April 11 is the next scheduled Ladies Evening Circle meeting date.
“Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles of Buffalo Grove.
“Is It Night or Day?” by Fern Schumer Chapman.
“Into the Wild Nerd Yon-der” by Julie Halpern of Gurnee.
“Divergent” by Veronica Roth of Chicago.
Adult“Playing With the
Enemy: A Baseball Prodi-gy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home” by Gary M. Moore of Bourbon-nais.
“The Hummingbird’s Daughter” by Luis Alberto Urrea of Chicago.
“Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn of Chicago.
“Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin.
“The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syn-drome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Hus-band” by David Finch.
–––––––––– Legals –––––––––
NoticeHope TownsHip
6 ton weight limits are in effect on allTownship roads until further notice.
Ron JuddRoad Commissioner
BIDS The Tonica Volunteer Fire Dept is accepting BIDS for GRASS MOWING. Proof of Insurance is needed. For more infor-mation Contact Chief Anderson 815-442-3527. Sealed bids must be returned before April 1st, to:
Chief Todd Anderson
507 N. First StreetTonica, IL 61370
Published in the Tonica News Mar. 22, 29 and Apr. 5, 2013.
BID NOTICE Tonica School District #79 Board of Education is accepting bid quota-tions for milk and bread products. For more information, contact the office (815) 442-3420 or fax (815) 442-3111. All bids are to be filed in the office by 2pm, Friday, April 5th, 2013.Published in the Tonica News Mar. 22, 2013.
notice. Any claim not filed on or before said date is barred. Copies of a claim filed with the clerk must be mailed or delivered by the claimant to the representative and to the attorney within ten (10) days after it has been filed. GIVEN this 12th day of March A.D., 2013.
JODINE SUSAN MAHONEY
EXECUTOR OF THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF
MARY LOUROSSI, DECEASED
HELMIG & HELMIG1824 FOURTH ST.PERU, ILLINOIS 61354(815) 223-0131
Executor, whose attor-neys are HELMIG & HELMIG, 1824 Fourth Street, Peru, Illinois, 61354. Claims against the Estate may be filed in the office of the Clerk, Circuit Court, in the LaSalle County Courthouse, Ottawa, Illinois 61350, or with the representatives, or both, on or before September 30, 2013, which date is not less than 6 months from date of first publication, or, if mailing or delivery of a notice from the rep-resentative is required by section 18-3 of the Probate Act of 2000, the date stated in that
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH
JUDICIAL CIRCUITLASALLE COUNTY, OTTAWA, ILLINOISPROBATE DIVISIONIN THE MATTER )OF THE ESTATE OF ) MARY LOU ROSSI, ) DECEASED. )
NO. 13-P-24 Notice is given to Creditors of the death of MARY LOU ROSSI of the City of Peru, County of LaSalle and State of Illinois, who died on January 15, 2013. Letters of Office were issued to JODINE SUSAN MAHONEY 824 Clark Street, Oglesby, Illinois on January 30, 2013, as
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