2008 ... A year in review
Jan. 1 — New state laws go into effect, including Senate Bill 500 which bans smoking within 15 feet of virtually all businesses and public places. Drivers younger than 18 will also have stricter requirements, including increased permit times from three months to nine months.
Jan. 3 — The Hall High School administration asks for public input on its proposed random drug testing policy.
Overnight temperatures reach about 16 below zero with the wind chill factor. However, temperatures in Bureau County should reach in the 50s by early next week.
Jan. 5 — Bureau County Supervisor of Assessment Tom Sweeney explains the quadrennial assessment of properties, which is done every four years. Township people look for changes in the assessed property, like a new garage or porch, shed, fence or addition.
Jan. 8 — Spring Valley residents who illegally connect their downspouts and sump pumps to the city’s sewer system could face fines for violating city codes. Mayor Jim Narczewski says eliminating the illegal hook-ups will not fix the flooding problem in parts of town.
Jeff Fiegenschuh is sworn into office as Princeton’s city manager.
Jan. 10 — Former board member George Kauffman returns to the Princeton Elementary Board to replace Eric Cain who is moving from the district. Kauffman had previously served two terms on the PES Board, leaving in 2005.
Jan. 12 — The Bureau County Jail Task Force decides to visit other jails and facilities to help determine the future of the current county jail. The task force was established in September to look at the needs of the county jail, especially in light of deficiencies cited by state inspections.
Jan. 15 — Sandy Kuhn, owner of Somewhere Else in Princeton, formerly May’s Cigar Store, continues to make adjustment to the new Illinois Smoking Ban law. If a business owner wants to have a smoke-free business, it should be the owner’s choice, not mandated by state law, Kuhn said.
Jan. 17 — Two weeks after the new law went into effect, the Princeton Police Department has received no calls on violations to the Illinois Smoking Ban, according to Chief Deputy Alan Beaber.
Jan. 19 — St. Margaret’s Health President/CEO Tim Muntz announces the hospital will move from its current 600 E. First St. location in Spring Valley to a 50-acre site at the northwest corner of Route 6 and Dalzell Road. Construction of the new hospital is estimated at $90 million.
Jan. 22 — Spring Valley resident Rita Peterson is unsuccessful in her attempt to have pit bulls and other vicious dogs banned from within the city limits. The city already has an ordinance against dogs running loose, Mayor Jim Narczewski said.
Jan. 24 — Princeton Mayor Keith Cain announces there will be no Sunday car races on a regular basis at the Bureau County Fairgrounds, in spite of rumors to the contrary. Though the fairgrounds is not within the city limits, the property could be annexed into the city limits to enforce the no-Sunday racing standard, Cain said.
Jan. 26 — Five certified nursing assistants at the Spring Valley Nursing Center brave sub-zero temperatures to protest their wages and frozen benefits. Recently hired CNAs are making more than her, one protester said.
Jan. 29 — The Bureau County Fair Board hopes to reach a decision this week as to what kind of car racing will be done at the Bureau County Fairgrounds, and on what days.
Jan. 31 — St. Louis Catholic School in Princeton celebrates Catholic Schools Week with a variety of special activities, including candy bar bingo, a pancake breakfast and a children’s Mass.
Feb. 2 — Bill Diller of Princeton is elected president of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs. Diller has served on the Bureau County Fair Board for 30 years.
Princeton Mayor Keith Cain announces an agreement is reached between the city and the Bureau County Speedway. The agreement allows for regular Friday car races, up to seven specialty car races on Saturdays, but no Sunday races.
Feb. 5 — The Princeton City Council votes unanimously to have the city join the Illinois State Police Zone 3/LaSalle Task Force. Princeton Police Chief Tom Root says the task force allows member communities to combine manpower and resources in its fight against illegal drugs.
Feb. 7 — Bureau County voters go to the primary polls, choosing Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain as their top presidential candidates. For only the second time in 20 years, more Democratic ballots were chosen in the county than Republican.
Feb. 9 — A 15-year-old Princeton girl is found safe in California after missing three days. The girl left Princeton voluntarily by train.
Feb. 12 — Bureau County Clerk Kami Hieronymus estimates the Feb. 5 primary in Bureau County cost taxpayers an estimated $80,000 for ballots and supplies, plus another $30,000 for election judges.
Feb. 14 — The Bureau County Jail Task Force approves a recommendation for the county board to spend $126,175 to fix security doors at the jail.
Feb. 16 — Bureau County families respond to the news of a shooting at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, which left six people, including the gunman, dead.
Feb. 19 — NIU faculty and staff return in preparation for the start of classes after the Feb. 14 shooting on campus.
A Habitat For Humanity representative stops by the John F. Kennedy School in Spring Valley to talk with students about their suggestions on how to make Habitat For Humanity homes more environmentally friendly.
Feb. 21 — According to the National Weather Service, flood warnings continue for the Illinois River as it flows through Bureau and LaSalle counties. Spring Valley’s Barto’s Landing is already underwater.
Feb. 23 — DePue School wins a $4,000 statewide Expanding Breakfast Award, funded by the Midwest Dairy Council and St. Louis District Dairy Council.
Princeton High School Superintendent Kirk Haring accepts a new four-year contract with the district.
Feb. 26 — The Bureau Valley School Board approves $275,000 in Life Safety bonds for asbestos removal projects at the Manlius, Bureau Valley North, and Bureau Valley South buildings.
Feb. 28 — Logan Junior High seventh-grader Kathryn Krieger wins the 2008 Bureau County Spelling Bee. Ryan Enbom, also a Logan student, places second.
The Princeton Elementary School Board decides not to buy any modular buildings to help with next year’s space issues.
March 1 — About 30 area residents attend an informational meeting on the Illinois River Road project, which covers 271 miles between Ottawa and Havana, including much of Routes 26 and 29 on either side of the Illinois River.
March 4 — The Princeton Park Board begins its review of applications for the district’s new executive director. Elaine Russell, business manager for the Bureau County Metro Center, is serving as interim director until a new director is hired.
March 6 — The Sheffield home of Brent and Becky Barnett is heavily damaged in a fire, leaving the family of eight homeless. No injuries were reported.
Circuit Judge Joseph Hettel allows a motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Bureau County Circuit Clerk Kami Hieronymus. However, Bureau County State’s Attorney will file an amended complaint on behalf of Hieronymus.
March 8 — The newly-formed Communities Against Substance Abuse Coalition meets to discuss ways to get federal grant money into the area for drug prevention programs.
Princeton Christian Academy closes its doors for two days due to the high rate of illness among students and staff.
March 11 — Bureau County residents face rising gas prices at area gas stations. In Princeton, prices were, on average, at $3.29 a gallon for unleaded regular.
The Victory Worship Center in Princeton begins the Angel Food ministry to help people provide food for their families.
March 13 — Nurse practitioner Sherry DeSalle enters a negotiated guilty plea in Bureau County Court to two counts of possessing without authority a controlled substance. Her sentence includes, in part, two and one-half years probation and payment of $1,000 in fines and costs.
March 15 — Sherry DeSalle says she entered her guilty plea because she ran out of money to keep paying her attorney fees. The medicine she picked up was delivered to the right people, she said.
March 18 — The Spring Valley City Council discusses street problems caused by the winter weather. Spring Valley has 38.5 miles of streets, and about 38 miles of those streets are bad, according to alderman Chuck Hansen.
March 20 — For the third year in a row, the Leepertown School District is named to the Illinois State Board of Education’s Spotlight Schools, which recognizes high poverty schools for their high academic performances.
March 22 — The Bureau County Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously votes against an amendment requiring the burial of transmission lines for power and communications. No one testified in favor of the amendment. The amendment would have caused problems for the proposed Walnut Ridge wind farm.
March 25 — Princeton Public Library Director Carol Bird resigns, effective June 30. The library board hopes to have her replacement named in time for Bird to help with the transition time.
Jim Shipp of rural Princeton is named president of the Illinois Valley Association of Chiefs of Police.
March 27 — The Bureau County Board unanimously approves a $1.7 million decommissioning plan with developers of the Big Sky wind farm in northern Bureau County. The letter of credit for the decommissioning plan includes an inflation clause.
March 29 — Former Princeton resident and Hollywood star Richard Widmark dies at age 93. Area residents remember him as a quiet and intelligent man.
A U.S. Census Bureau shows Bureau County’s population is rising slowly, but it is still lower than it was in 2000. Bureau County remains the 43rd most populated of Illinois’ 102 counties.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series that takes a look back at the events of 2008.
