2008 - The year in review

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Sept. 2 — A group of 30 people from across Bureau County attend a meeting called by the Bureau County Natural Resource Conservation Service to help prioritize conservation issues in the county.

Sept. 4 — Rex Conger, CEO at Perry Memorial Hospital, announces Phase 3 of the hospital’s master plan will begin this month and will include a complete facelift for public places on the ground and main floors of the hospital. Phase 3 is projected to cost $3.5 million and take 18 months to complete.

Sept. 6 — About 50 people attend a meeting of the Friends of the Hennepin Canal Parkway board to show their opposition to Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s announcement of the closing of 11 state parks, including the Hennepin Canal Parkway.

Sept. 9 — The Walnut Fire Department announces it will ask voters in November to approve the creation of the Walnut Fire Protection District in order to receive tax money.

Joni Hunt is appointed to the Princeton City Council to fill the commissioner seat vacated by Jack Pettee, who moved from the area.

Sept. 11 — A black bear that has been playing hide and seek since June 26 with western Bureau County residents makes another appearance. Ron Miller of Neponset reported he saw the large black bear on the edge of a cornfield on the Kentville Road near Neponset.

Sept. 13 — Eight area service agencies meet in Peru to discuss the combined $1.1 million in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich for their agencies. Connie Doran of Freedom House in Princeton, Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson and Jeff Dean of Gateway Services  in Princeton were among those attending. Sen. Gary Dahl, R-Granville, urged the agencies to contact the governor and their legislators.

Sept. 16 — Bureau County receives a deluge of rain during the weekend, causing the cancellation of numerous outdoor activities, including the 37th annual Homestead Festival parade in Princeton. Records kept at the Princeton Water Treatment plant recorded 8.4 inches of rainfall during the weekend. Numerous stretches of area roads were closed, and countless basements were flooded.

Sept. 18 — Ohio officials receive news the village will get a $1.1 million loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to make improvements on the village’s drinking water system. The money will be used to build an arsenic and iron removal water treatment plant, which will bring Ohio’s water system into compliance with federal requirements.

Sept. 20 — The village of Ladd receives two Governor’s Home Town Awards, for projects in the Ladd Veteran’s Park. One project was the restoration of the park’s veterans memorial monument. The second project dealt with the restoration of two adjoining monuments to be added to the park.

Sept. 23 — The Spring Valley Walleye Club signs a five-year lease with Hall Township to provide maintenance of Barto Landing along the Illinois River in Spring Valley.

Sept. 25 — Bureau County is declared a state disaster area for the second time in two months. Gov. Rod Blagojevich named Bureau as one of 10 counties extensively damaged after the Sept. 12-14 rains. Bureau County was also named a disaster area after July 22 winds crashed through the area.

Sept. 27 — Homestead Festival Committee member Stephanie Balensiefen says losses were nominal for this year’s festival, in spite of heavy rains which caused the cancellation of the festival parade and other outdoor activities. The generosity and flexibility of the Bureau County Fair Board and Bureau County Metro Center helped get some things moved inside, she said.

Sept. 30 — Representatives of the Edison Mission Group attend the Ohio High School Board meeting to present a $30,000 check to help pay for the school’s ventilation/geothermal project. An earlier school-wide project was abandoned in favor of a smaller project for the lower floor of the building.

Oct. 2 — Bureau County Associate Circuit Judge C. J. Hollerich dismisses the Duane Alexander case involving the Smoke Free Illinois Act. In his ruling, Hollerich said circuit courts have no jurisdiction to handle violations of the act.

Oct. 4 — For the second year in a row, the Hall High School Board approves a balanced budget, showing projected revenues of $5.6 million, with expenditures of $5.5 million. Princeton High School Board approves its fiscal year 2009 budget, showing a combined $462,000 deficit in all funds. However, PHS Superintendent Kirk Haring said he hopes to end the year with a balanced budget.

Oct. 7 — The Red Covered Bridge will remain closed indefinitely until repairs are made to the bridge which was damaged in the Sept. 12-14 floods. Crews from the Illinois Department of Transportation will start the Red Covered Bridge work once they finish with repairs at the Route 26/City-County Park bridge, also damaged by the flooding.

Oct. 9 — The Princeton City Council votes against installation of a cannibal/sludge system for the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The entire upgrade project would have cost $3.8 million.

Attorneys in the Austin Wells lawsuit against Bureau County are given one year to complete the discovery phase of the trial.

Oct. 11 — A group of Mineral High School graduates and supporters announce plans to create a memorial park on the site of the former Mineral High School. The project will include etched stones, two granite benches and the original 25-foot tall cast iron flag pole which stood on top of the school building.

Oct. 14 — Preliminary statistics for 2007 from the Illinois Bureau of Tourism show tourism dollars were up 9.3 percent from the previous year. Cathy Foes, coordinator for Bureau County Tourism Council, says the increased tourism is due to the hard work of Princeton and Bureau County leaders and tourism groups.

Oct. 16 — The Spring Valley City Council discusses increasing water hook-up fees for renters after four landlords say they are the ones taking the hit when renters don’t pay their water bills. Landlords also want the city to shorten renters’ delinquent payment time before shut-off, so landlords aren’t left holding larger bills. The city’s water and sewer committee will address the issue.

Oct. 18 — A group of five county jail inmates, or former inmates, file a complaint in federal court about conditions at the jail. However, four of the inmates failed to file the complaint and none paid the required filing fee or requested a waiver of fees, the judge said.

Oct. 21 — The Princeton Park Board decides to delay going out for bids on the Zearing Park expansion project for another three months, after hearing from engineer Kevin Heitz. Adjustments are being made to the plans and contractors say they’d like to wait until after the first year to get a better handle on expenses like fuel, Heitz said.

Oct. 23 — A Suzlon blade breaks off a wind turbine on the AgriWind wind farm between Tiskilwa and Buda. The blade was to have been replaced after harvest was completed in the cornfield surrounding the turbine, located on the Richard Schertz property.

Oct. 25 — More than 1,000 Bureau County residents have already gotten ballots for the U.S. presidential election. Bureau County Clerk Kami Hieronymus reports 500 people have cast early votes, and another 550 people have requested absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 election.

Oct. 28 — Judy Fiste, manager of the Bureau County Food Pantry in Princeton, says the state of the national economy is seen locally as needs at the food pantry are increasing, while donations are decreasing.

Oct. 30 — The Friends of the Hennepin Canal group encourages area residents to participate in the Pack Our Park rally on Nov. 1 to show support for keeping the Hennepin Canal State Parkway and 10 other state parks open to the public. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has announced the 11 parks will close Nov. 30 as a way to save money.

Nov. 1 — The Spring Valley City Council discusses forcibly annexing two properties into the city limits in order to make the property owners clean up their properties. The properties are completely surrounded by other properties already within the city limits.

Nov. 4 — An estimated 200 people attend the Pack Our Park rally at the Hennepin Canal State Parkway Center near Sheffield. The event was held to protest Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s decision to close 11 state parks, including the Hennepin Canal park.

Nov. 6 — About 64 percent of the county’s registered voters turnout for the U.S. presidential election, which was won by Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Obama won the majority of votes in Bureau County, carrying 24 of the county’s 50 precincts. In local referendums, Walnut voters approve establishing the Walnut Fire Protection District, and DePue voters approve making the village a home rule unit. Five new members and eight incumbents are elected to the county board.

Nov. 8 — The Princeton City Council votes 4 to 1 to issue $3.8 million in bonds to buy 133 acres for a commercial park on the northwest edge of town. Commissioner Bob Warren casts the no vote.

Nov. 11 — The Princeton Public Library Board accepts a $142,000 bid for the old Matson Public Library building. The former library building was bought at public auction by Chicago resident Bob Sash, formerly of Tiskilwa. No plans were announced for the use of the building.

Nov. 13 — The Bureau County Board votes to remove one type of wind turbine blade from an approved list, after one of those blades broke off a turbine near Buda. The list deals with seven new turbines planned for the Walnut Ridge wind farm.

Nov. 15 — Wold Architects and Engineers consultant Roger Schroepher tells the county board the cost of building a new 40-bed jail would be about $9.4 million. The cost of building a law and justice center, which would include the jail, would be about $15.5 million.

Nov. 18 — The Princeton Park Board approves issuing $1.8 million in bonds for the Zearing Park expansion project. The bonds will be repaid in 15 years at an annual interest rate of 4.6 percent.

Nov. 20 — Gov. Rod Blagojevich announces Bureau is one of nine counties approved for federal money to help recoup costs caused by heavy mid-September rains and flooding. Bureau County ESDA coordinator Kris Donarski says the federal money is directed to governmental bodies and not individual homeowners.

Nov. 22 — Chris McCloud with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announces the Hennepin Canal State Parkway will not close as previously scheduled. Gov. Rod Blagojevich reinstated money to four of the 11 state parks set to close, McCloud said.

Nov. 25 — The Spring Valley City Council begins the process to apply for a $750,000 grant to pay for infrastructure water and road work needed on the east edge of town where the new St. Margaret’s Health hospital will be built.

Nov. 27 — The black bear of western Bureau County is apparently on the prowl again. Neponset farmer Clark Currier reports seeing the bear while doing fieldwork, southeast of Neponset.

Nov. 29 — Spring Valley Park Board President Tony Mautino addresses the Spring Valley City Council to talk about upgrade projects for the city parks, with much of the work to be done at Kirby Park.

Dec. 2 — Dale Anderson of Tiskilwa is elected chairman of the Bureau County Board, and Mark Pierson of Princeton is elected vice chairman. Both men are Republicans. After November’s election, the county board now has 15 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

Dec. 4 — The Bureau County Board approves a loan up to $100,000 to the Bureau County Health Department, to cover expenses until the department receives all its late state payments.

Despite early warnings of a lean Christmas shopping season, things seem to start on a cautiously positive note, according to national reports and local business owners.

Dec. 6 — While some school districts struggle with declining enrollments, Spring Valley Elementary Superintendent Dan Marenda says his district could expect 100 more students during the next three years, a significant increase over the district’s current 759 students.

Dec. 9 — Bureau County United Way Director Michelle Lymberopoulos announces there is a shortfall of Christmas gifts so far this year for the agency’s annual gift drive for needy children and teens.

The Spring Valley City Council approves a tax levy ordinance for $990,000, or slightly less than the total real estate tax extension of the previous year.

Dec. 11 — Bureau County representatives and political leaders agree it’s not a good day in the history of Illinois, in light of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest on federal corruption charges.

Officials announce the ArcelorMittal steel finishing plant in Hennepin will close, laying off its 285 employees. Feb. 20 is expected to be the last day for production, according to Dave York, president of the United Steelworkers Local 7367.

Dec. 13 — State Rep. Don Moffitt co-sponsors a resolution to create a special committee to investigate the actions and conduct of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The committee would make a recommendation to the House of Representatives as to whether impeachment hearings should begin.

Dec. 16 — The Dalzell Police Department is one of 56 law enforcement agencies in Illinois to receive mobile data computers through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Dec. 18 — State Rep. Frank Mautino of Spring Valley will serve on the impeachment committee formed to investigate corruption charges against Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Mautino, a Democrat, is one of 12 Democrats and nine Republicans appointed to the committee.

Dec. 20 — Bureau County schools close for the first time this school year due to the ice and snow storm that hits the area. Bureau County Engineer John Gross recommends people stay off the roads as much as possible during the storms and also during the following clearing of roads.

Dec. 23 — After a weekend of subzero temperatures, WQAD meteorologist Anthony Peoples predicts Bureau County has two more winter storms on the way, carrying with them another five inches of snow, plus some freezing rain.

Dec. 25 — United Steelworkers Local 7367 Dave York, Congressman-Elect Aaron Schock, Sen. Gary Dahl, Hennepin Mayor Kevin Coleman and Putnam County Board Chairman Duane Calbow meet with ArcelorMittal officials to discuss what can be done to keep the Hennepin steel finishing plant open.

Dec. 27 — Meteorologist Anthony Peoples with the WQAD NewsChannel 8 reports December 2008 will go down in the record books. The Quad Cities area, including Bureau County, has received 10 measurable snowfalls and up to 24.8 inches of snow in December, making it the fourth snowiest December on record.

Dec. 30 — The Friends of the Hennepin Canal group learns it will receive a certificate of recognition from Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn for the group’s work to keep the Hennepin Canal open.

The 2008 Illinois Report Card shows Bureau County teachers in 11 of the county’s districts have been teaching longer than the 12.4 years that is the state average.

Editor’s note — This is the final installment in a series that takes a look back at 2008.