The Princeton High School Sportsman’s Club took its annual Canadian fishing trip June 5-14 to Black Bear Lodge at Red Lake, Ontario.

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn followed through on his promise and vetoed Senate Bill 1197 — the so-called Doomsday budget — Wednesday, allowing the state to start the new fiscal year without a budget.

PRINCETON — The management at LCN Closers in Princeton is continuing its evaluation of the Princeton plant’s operations.

SPRING VALLEY — St. Margaret’s Health, partnering with Illinois Valley Community College, will hold a free “Healthy Kids Camp” this summer at Kirby Park in Spring Valley.

Princeton resident Michelle Donarski found the perfect summer internship.

Members of Princeton Boy Scout Troop 63 and leaders work Wednesday morning to do some landscaping work at the Bureau County Courthouse in Princeton. The troop spent several hours on the project. The Bureau County Board authorized the purchase of mulch for the project, with the troop members and leaders providing the labor.

WYANET — The demolition of the old Wyanet High School building could begin by the middle of next week.

Joyce Barber of LaMoille submitted these two photos showing damage from the devastating Bureau County tornado occurring in 1945. The photo on the left was taken in the village of Arlington, and the photo on the right was taken on the Pinter farm near Arlington.

PRINCETON — The quest continues to remember and show honor to the Timothy Searl Sr. family of Searl’s Ridge.

Bureau Valley High School students Paul Elliott, Ashley Aber, Natalie Foster and Peter Elliott were named winners of the Edith I. Boyd Scholarship. Peter Elliott was awarded $2,000, Paul Elliott was awarded $1,5000 while Foster and Aber both received $850. The scholarships are open to graduating seniors who have resided in the former Western School District for all four years of high school. Boyd was a former teacher who lived in the old Western School District. The scholarships have been offered to students for more than 30 years to help further students’ education at the post secondary level. Both Elliotts will attend the University of Illinois. They are the sons of Bob and Mary Lynn Elliott of rural Sheffield. Aber, the daughter of Barry

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley City Clerk Becky Hansen has announced her office will be closed Friday and Saturday in observance of Independence Day.

PRINCETON — A case of H1N1 flu, commonly called swine flu, has been confirmed in Putnam County.

PRINCETON — Members of the community continue to ask questions of the research being done on a possible new jail for Bureau County.

Library assistant Connie Baele, with the Mineral-Gold Public Library, helps children determine the winner of a “Pin the Tail on the Tiger” game during Tuesday afternoon’s summer reading program at the library. Mineral area children are meeting each Tuesday through July 28 for the summer program, which includes crafts, games and refreshments. The theme for this year’s summer reading program is “Read on the Wild Side”, according to library director Lisa Olson.

PRINCETON — Fireworks may be a symbol of Fourth of July celebrations, but they are best handled by trained professionals, according to Princeton Fire Chief John Petrakis.

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley Elementary’s plans to expand continue to move forward.

Area communities have scheduled fireworks celebrations throughout the weekend. Local fireworks celebrations and times include:

PRINCETON — A group of Princeton High School graduates and their friends have formed the “Spirit of 76” Relay for Life team to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

PRINCETON — The Princeton Chamber of Commerce invites the public to join Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson for a roundtable discussion of recently passed and upcoming legislation that will impact small businesses. Participants will also be able to share ideas for the future growth of small business in the area.

PRINCETON — Susie Bishop is not alone.

WYANET — Three Bureau Valley High School girls are competing for the title of Wyanet Summer Festival Queen. The 2009 queen will be crowned July 9 at Wyanet Memorial Park.

PRINCETON — The Bureau County Metro Center will be closed for the July 4 holiday. Alexander Pool will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

PRINCETON — Any non-profit group or organization interested in selling items during Homestead Festival weekend, Sept. 10-13, should pick up a vendor form from City Hall at 2 S. Main St. in Princeton. There is no fee to set up, however, donations are welcome.

Robert I. and Delyte K. Zearing Scholarship winners receive recognition during a June 26 luncheon at Wise Guys restaurant in Princeton. In attendance were (front row, from left) Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools Angie Zarvell, scholarship winners Colin Mickow, Hunter Mickow, Jessica Hanna and Brooke Mueller, and Citizens First National Bank vice president and relationship manager Diane Florschuetz; and (back row) Jordan Muzzarelli, Reece Pierson, Molly Mauck, Amanda Corban and Citizens First National Bank administrative assistant Lonna DeVore.

PRINCETON — A Princeton man has been sentenced to two months in the county jail after pleading guilty to the Class 3 felony of unlawful use of a credit card.

Name: Rachael VanKerrebroeck

Doug Miles of rural Neponset couldn’t help but smile when his grandaughters Tara McBride (left) of Cape Coral, Fla., and Ashtin Mercer of Kewanee tried to encourage him by standing in his cornfield to show him, despite the late planting, the corn still made it past knee-high by the Fourth of July. The weather has caused him and other area farmers real problems getting crops planted.

SPRINGFIELD – Although state law prohibits their use by consumers, 103 injuries were reportedly caused by fireworks around the July 4 holiday last year in Illinois. State Fire Marshal David B. Foreman wants to prevent these and many other fireworks injuries this year and is urging Illinois residents to play it safe by leaving dangerous fireworks to the professionals.

Marjorie Hopkins, Cameron and Rose Myers, old Wards bait and tackle, firearms, antiques, clocks, collectibles, cast iron, baseball cards, toys, stoneware, 10 a.m., 1835 N. Main St. (Tumbleson Auction Center), Princeton, Tumbleson Auction Co., auctioneers.

Siblings Ethan (from left), Jed and Bentley Delhotal of Spring Valley enjoy goofing off Friday night before the Spring Valley Municipal Band concert, held in the parking lot of the library and City Hall. Threatening skies did not deliver any rain, and the band played on as scheduled. Construction at the downtown Mini Park is scheduled to be completed in time for the remainder of the band’s season, which will resume July 10. For another band picture, see page 4.

BUREAU — The teachers are hired, the materials purchased, and students are in the desks. What more could the Leepertown School District need for its summer school program?

PRINCETON — Public safety has taken another step forward through the use of technology, according to Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson.

PRINCETON — The Princeton Chamber of Commerce is seeking to save money by going green and using less paper.

Barto Boat Landing in Spring Valley was a busy place this weekend, as area boaters took advantage of the sunny weather to head out on the Illinois River. The landing offers a deep lagoon for launching from the ramps and is the only calm-water public access to the Illinois River for 40 miles.

PRINCETON — The Prairie Arts Center has been awarded a Sun Foundation grant to provide a special “Kids Art Day in the Park” program.

PRINCETON — It was July 4, 1856, and a great and popular speaker addressed a crowd of an estimated 10,000 people at a political rally just south of downtown Princeton. The man, a lawyer, was a strong speaker, and people came from miles around to hear him.

The Spring Valley Municipal Band continued their summer season at City Square Park, located in front of the Richard A. Mautino Memorial Library. The band, under the direction of Dave Peterson, has temporarily moved from his regular location due to a face-lift at the downtown Mini Park. Last year a new stage was constructed, and this year the uneven courtyard is having its bricks and pavers removed and replaced.

Cindy Tilson, Princeton Rotary Club president, presents Bud Bulthuis with a plaque after he was named Rotarian of the Year during the club’s annual auction Saturday night at The Galleria in Princeton.

“I’m going to be jealous of my niece on the Fourth of July. She’s going to be at the White House, watching the fireworks and having dinner with the president.” — Andy Kunkel of Seatonville

Joyce Barber of LaMoille submitted this photo of depression-era workers posing in front of where the LaMoille fire station is now. The photo was taken during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Some of the workers in the picture are George Baxter, Oscar Eklund, Bob Sensenig, Sherm Bonnell, Gary Williar and Ed Auvil.

Katelyn Hildebrand of LaMoille submitted this action shot she took of a bull rider, feet in the air, at the IHSA rodeo May 31.

CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Labor is reminding Illinois workers that the state’s new minimum wage is $8 an hour, effective July 1. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the increase in the minimum wage stands to help more than 390,000 workers cope with the rising cost of living and pay for basic necessities like groceries, gas, rent, childcare and medicine.

PRINCETON — The date trial for the lawsuit filed against Bureau County by the Austin Wells family has been postponed until next summer.

Princeton area workers and community members take a lunch break Friday to have a picnic lunch at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. Shown serving customers are Lil Johnson (from left), Mary Rumley and Pam Cochran. The women are members of the First United Presbyterian Church in Princeton, which had Friday’s food stand. The Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street has organized the annual Lunch in the Park program, which runs every Friday from May 29 through Sept. 25 excluding Homestead Festival weekend.

PRINCETON — People with disabilities and victims of domestic violence, those needing addiction treatment and all of those who care for them are focused on Springfield this week, as legislators returned Tuesday to try and work out a path out of the budget morass.

Did you hear the one about how the planet Mars will make a once-in-a-lifetime close approach to Earth in August?

Fifteen-month-old Aaron Eckberg enjoys a free ride in the swings Friday afternoon at Zearing Park in Princeton, thanks to the help of his stepsister Alyssa Pflibsen, 11, of Princeton. Watching from the sidelines was Aaron’s mother Courtney Holler of Princeton, not shown. Not far from the playground area, heavy equipment operators were working on the Zearing Park expansion project, which will provide additional athletic fields and play areas to the park.

PRINCETON — Four Kewanee residents have been charged in a recent burglary of the former Tiskilwa High School building.

Audrey (Happ) Bonnell of LaMoille submitted these photos of the third- and fourth-grade class at Van Orin School, taken in 1948, and the school itself. Pictured are (front row, from left) Richard Haas, Janet (Nauman) Montavon, Bill Phillips, Avis (Jackson) Bird, Audrey (Happ) Bonnell and Barbara (Peterson) McCray; (second row) Alan Jontz, Audrey (Schultz) Barlow and Mary Jane (Nothnagel) Dolk; and (back row) David Stufert, Sandy (Selders) Kendall, Ruthie (Becker) Pierson, Beverly Martin, Jeanetta Fischer and Flora Jo Morse.

SPRINGFIELD — With no Fiscal Year 2010 budget in place and the end of the current fiscal year rapidly approaching, the state’s Democrat leaders adjourned a special legislative session June 24 and made plans to return next week.

PRINCETON — After four months of public concerns from parents and students, the Princeton High School Board of Education has hired a new band teacher.

June 27 — Ron Tank combine, tractors, machinery and equipment, antique farm implements and collectibles, 9 a.m., 10440 State Highway 78, three miles north of Kewanee or six miles south of Annawan, Rediger Auction Service, auctioneers.

Swimming pools across the county, including the Alexander Park Pool in Princeton, were full Tuesday as the mercury nudged the 97-degree mark, just a few marks below the record of 100 degrees set in Princeton in 1956. Here, Devin Dever was nothing but smiles as she discovered the wonders of the crowded kiddie pool.

PRINCETON – Muggy and hot are the words meteorologist Anthony Peoples has used to describe the next two weeks for Bureau County.

OHIO — A collision between an ultralight plane and a high tension power line resulted in a power blackout for Ohio and Walnut for more than seven hours Monday night.

WHEATON — Sixty-five years ago, they were young men, strong and straight of body, and willing to risk their lives for their country.

Ron Davis of the LaMoille Ambulance Service demonstrates a new Stryker stair chair similar to the one just received by the department, thanks to the memorials of a friend. Davis said the department had transported LaMoille resident Dick Bonnell several times during his illness, and after he died on Feb. 23, June Bonnell requested those wishing to remember her husband make a memorial to the ambulance service. Davis said about $2,600 came in, which enabled the department to purchase the chair, allowing for the safe and efficient transfer of patients down stairs. Davis said the department was very grateful for such donations, which enables local services to better serve their communities. “All these little local services really appreciate thes

PRINCETON — Complacency is not a friend when it comes to the weather, according to Kris Donarski, coordinator for the Bureau County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA).

DEPUE – In an attempt to better recruit village police officers, the village of DePue has agreed to give pay raises to its full-time and part-time patrolmen.

MENDOTA — The Human Services Transportation Plan - Region 3 - Transportation Committee will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at the Mendota Civic Center at 1901 Tom Merwin Drive in Mendota. This meeting is open to the public.

PRINCETON — Auditions are being announced for this year’s Homestead Festival musical to be presented on the stage at Princeton High School, Sept. 12 and Sept. 13.

SPRING VALLEY — If you missed Spring Valley’s first Market Day, then you missed out at a chance to purchase some delicious fresh asparagus, radishes, onions and lettuce. Be sure to check out this week’s specials, as Boggio’s will be downtown from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday. Future sales will be held July 10 and 24, and Aug. 7 and 21.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, is accepting applications for a congressional page during the 2009 fall semester of the U.S. House of Representatives Republican Page Program. The session begins on Aug. 30 and concludes on Jan. 22, 2010.

Name: Jessica Hanna

Loyal BCR reader Gena Lucas of Malden submitted these photos of tree damage in her front yard following last week’s storms. Gena says no one was hurt and the house is intact, less a few trim pieces, some fencing and bricks from the chimney.

PRINCETON — Church Women United, owners of The Closet resale shop, lost its battle to maintain The Closet's side gate and fence.

PRINCETON — A Bureau County Coroner's jury ruled on the deaths of three Bureau County residents — Brenda Linder of Wyanet, Courtney Denault of Princeton and John Evans of Spring Valley. Bureau County Coroner Janice Wamhoff presided over the hearing.

SPRING VALLEY — St. Margaret’s Health has instituted an emergency shelter program to provide an environment for those people who are unable to tolerate extreme weather conditions such as power outages in extreme heat or no air conditioning. Those people who qualify must be capable of independent living and be able to care for themselves. St. Margaret’s Para Transit will provide services for those participants who require transportation. These services will be provided during the normal business hours of the Para Transit Department.

OHIO — A collision between an ultralight plane and a high tension power line resulted in a power blackout for Ohio and Walnut for more than seven hours Monday night.

Sam Larson (right), 3, and his brother Jack Larson, 6, sort through a table loaded with toys and games during Saturday’s More on 34 garage sale in Wyanet. The boys and their parents, Scott and Katrina Larson of Brimfield, were among hundreds of people who spent at least part of their weekend traveling the Route 34 garage sale road in search of bargains.

PRINCETON — Instead of attending to their volunteer work at The Closet retail shop on Monday, members of Church Women United (CWU) spent eight hours in court dealing with a complaint filed against the CWU by the Princeton GM LLC, owners of the old Walmart building in Princeton.

SPRING VALLEY – Spring Valley residents will see an immediate double digit increase on their sewer usage bills.

WYANET — Six Bureau County collection sites have been set up for the “Shoes for Orphan Souls” shoe drive.

PRINCETON — Hey, there’s a LAN party going on Saturday in Princeton. It’s BYOPC, of course, and those attending should bring their own drinks and snacks. Pretzels are the snack of choice, as they won’t get your keyboard or mouse greasy.

Nicole Elliott (from left), Princeton Centrue Bank branch manager draws the name of Mary Lynn Elliott of Sheffield as the $2,500 winner of the Friends of 4-H and Extension raffle held Friday at the Extension office. Also pictured are Paula Zulkowsky, Bureau County Unit council secretary; Francis Morse, Unit Council treasurer; and Walter Langan, Unit Council chairman. Other cash prize winners were Valerie Jensen of Tiskilwa, $1,000; Francis and Sandra Morse of Tiskilwa, $500 and Jack Woodruff of Decatur, $250. The cash raffle fundraiser will help support the 4-H and Extension educational programs in Bureau County. The proceeds will be matched with state funds and used for local services and programming.

I like finding books at a reasonable value, especially Christian books, books on grammar and words. It’s great to get a $15 book for 25 cents.”

Chris Kelly, who works at Hunter’s Ridge in Princeton, has been watching this mother robin and her baby since March. She says that the mother robin has been very diligent in caring for her young. The nest is on a support beam above the entrance to the clubhouse.

Through the years, many persons worked hard on picnics and fundraisers at St. Mary’s Church in DePue. Here is a photo of Chester Jeneski, Bob Piletic, John Spolarich and John Kopina preparing chicken for a St. Mary’s chicken dinner in 1974. St Mary’s will celebrate its 100th anniversary this summer.

CHICAGO – In an effort to improve service for thousands of people collecting unemployment insurance, the Illinois Department of Employment Security launched a new way for claimants to certify that they are out of work and eligible for benefits. The new Internet Certification feature is the latest customer-service effort to streamline operations and make it easier to interact with the department, officials said Thursday.

MANLIUS — Bureau Valley School District parents can once again look forward to registering their children for school and not worry about breaking the budget.

PRINCETON — About 30 area community leaders and law enforcement officers attended a meeting Thursday to learn about mandatory training for liquor license holders and their employees.

PRINCETON — Donations are still being accepted for the Fourth of July fireworks display sponsored by the Princeton Jaycees in conjunction with the city of Princeton.

SPRINGFIELD - Staff Sgt. Joshua Melton, 26, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Marion, and Sgt. Paul Smith, 43, with Troop C, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry based in Aurora, were killed in action June 19 in Afghanistan. 

SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Damon T. Arnold, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to eat recalled Nestle Toll House Prepackaged Refrigerated Cookie Dough due to the risk of possible contamination with

Braving temperatures around 90 degrees on Thursday, 14-year-old Shawn Schmotzer (left) and 12-year-old McKennia Johnson operate a lemonade stand in front of the Manlius Post Office. The Manlius boys were planning on keeping their lemonade stand open for several days in order to raise some spending money. Shawn was going to use his share of the profits to save up to attend church camp. McKennia hadn’t decided for sure where his money would go.

Doe or donkey? Does a fawn really know? These photos submitted by Bill Uher of rural Tiskilwa shows a baby fawn being protected by a miniature donkey. Bill took the photo in his garden.

SPRING VALLEY – School improvement consultant Gary Fields told Hall High School Board Wednesday about challenges the school faces and about the faculty's plans to meet academic goals at Hall.

SPRINGFIELD — As the end of the current fiscal year rapidly approaches, Gov. Pat Quinn is calling lawmakers back to Springfield on June 23.

MANLIUS — Springfield is a long way from Bureau County, but the financial troubles in the state capitol could mean significantly less cash for local school districts.

PRINCETON — They came to the lawn outside the Bureau County Courthouse Thursday, determined to make their voices heard.

WALNUT — The Walnut Public Library Board meeting has been rescheduled to 5:30 p.m. June 24 in the reference section of the library.

PRINCETON — Come mid-July, the city of Princeton will no longer be designated as an Illinois Main Street community.

NEPONSET — Past due water bills are causing concern for Neponset Mayor Carl Rohrig and the village board members.