By Ken Schroedernews@tonicanews.com

OTTAWA — Traffic fatalities have increased nationwide during 2012 and 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-tration.

While final statistics are not available for 2013, Illinois fatalities increased in 2013 by 2.5 percent when com-pared to the same time in 2012. Preliminary numbers have Illinois vehicle fatalities at 950 for 2013. The amount is

20 more than through the same period during the previous year.

Locally, traffic fatali-ties are down, said LaSalle County Coroner Jody Bernard.

“Our traffic fatali-ties for 2012 were at one of the lowest levels

we’ve ever seen in our county,” Bernard said. “We had 12 fatalities in 2012. We had 13 fatali-ties in 2013. Up until 2010, we averaged 25 traffic fatalities a year.”

Illinois drunk driving fatalities are up 15 per-cent from 2011. That’s well above the national average. In 2011 the

number of fatalities was 278. That number climbed in 2012 to 321.

Nationwide the num-ber of drunk driving fatalities increased 4.6 percent with 2011 fatal-ities at 9,865 and 10,322 fatalities in 2012.

LaSalle County tal-lied three drunk driver fatalities during 2012.

Only two were noted in 2013.

The Illinois Depart-ment of Transportation shows that 10 people have died in fatal crash-es last year during the 2013 holiday season on Illinois roads. Of the 10 people, two of the fatali-ties involved a driver who had been drinking.

1 Front

The Tonica NewsVolume 140 No. 49 Friday, January 31, 2014

Single Copy Cost 50¢

Traffic fatalities down in LaSalle County

No shortage of planes at LGS

Good news, bad news for

LGS

Percentages up nationwide

By Ken Schroedernews@tonicanews.com

LOSTANT — The planes were buzzing on Jan. 13 in Lostant, with dozens taking off and land-ing over the course of a couple hours. No, Lostant didn’t get an airport recently; it’s just the remote-controlled flyers of the Deer Park RC Club coming back to the Lostant Grade School gymnasium.

“We were just looking for a place to fly in the winter, and I went to school here,” Brian

Burcar, event organizer said. “I knew the gym wasn’t busy most nights, and Monday seemed to be the best night.”

The pilots have been using Lostant gym for several years, and Burcar said there’s been a resurgence of the hobby throughout the last several years, which is reflected in the people flying their aircraft around the gym.

“There’s several different lev-els of skill,” Burcar said. “These kids here live in Peru, and their dad works at the airport there.

Their father and grandfather both fly models, so they both fly. They’re pretty good pilots. They buy their own planes. They start around $70.”

“These kids” are Colin Hart-man, 13, and Ryan Hartman, 9, of Peru.

A recent addition to the planes flown in the gym is the small helicopters that have been seen of late. They weigh just a few ounces, and many models come with a video camera to tape their flight from a first-person point of view.

Each participant is charged $3 to fly, and the money is donat-

ed back to the school. Burcar estimates Lostant Grade School received about $800 from the flyers last year. Pilots from as far away as Peoria come regular-ly to the gym, and usually there are between 10 and 15 flyers in attendance.

The club encourages people to come to the school when the club is flying to learn about the hobby and see if they might be interested in starting them-selves. The club holds its fly-ins every Monday from the begin-ning of November to the end of March unless there’s an activity at the gym.

By Ken Schroedernews@tonicanews.com

LOSTANT – The Lostant Grade School Board had its monthly meeting on Jan. 22, and heard some good news and some bad news concerning the school’s budget.

Superintendent Sandra Malahy told the board rev-enues and expenditures are as projected by the school budget proposed for the year. The school is running right on target for the school year finan-cially.

Malahy also said a review of the budget with state accountants showed the budget is as tight as possible, with the only way to cut costs being eliminating positions. While the board would like to cut expenses fur-ther, Malahy said that couldn’t be done, since there are already only eight full-time teachers on staff.

In other action, the board:

• Heard from Malahy regarding recent updates on the Core Curriculum. Malahy said many schools are having difficulty mak-ing lesson plans, since the standards for the new pro-gram are rolling out very slowly. Teachers do not have enough information yet to totally understand the new curriculum.

• Accepted the bid from Grainco for gas usage for

Tonica News photo/Dixie SchroederMarshall Logue, vice president of the Washington Ill. RC Flyers Club, points to his remote-controlled airplane during a recent meeting at the Lostant Grade School gym.

Vol. 140 No. 49

One Section - 8 Pages

© The Tonica News

Inside

Music Suite 408 will host an exhibit opening on Feb. 7 featuring the work of local artist Carol Crane

See Page 7

Remote-controlled flyers land in Lostant

See LGS Page 3

By Ken Schroedernews@tonicanews.com

OTTAWA — Area resi-dents have a unique oppor-tunity to give input to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conser-vation Congress for 2014. The Conservation Congress event will be held April 11 and 12 at the IDNR head-quarters in Springfield.

Through the Internet, IDNR is inviting residents to complete online surveys. These surveys range from outdoor recreation issues to natural resources. The topics of these surveys will affect what issues are dis-cussed at the Conserva-tion Congress in April. The online surveys are available at www.dnr.i.illinois.gov.

To get further input for the Conservation Con-gress, the IDNR is hosting interactive webcasts called “Thursdays with IDNR.” These webcasts are one of the ways the IDNR is

opening its doors to Illi-nois residents to explain what the department does. Each webcast features staff members and is held at 1 p.m. on Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 20. Topics to be cov-ered will include outdoor recreation, partnerships to promote education and volunteerism, and com-munications and customer service.

“The online survey and live webcast roundtable discussions will help get us ready for the statewide Conservation Congress ses-sion this spring,” said IDNR Director Marc Miller. “The Conservation Congress process gives the public an opportunity to help IDNR set priorities on a wide range of natural resources issues.”

“The online surveys are a great chance to provide thoughts on many out-door related activities and issues,” said Vicki Heath, resource conservationist of the LaSalle County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The Conservation Con-gress event on April 11 and April 12 will be free and open to the public. There will be sessions that include prioritizing needs for out-door resources and other issues that will be learned about from the webcasts and online surveys. IDNR will also provide updates on the IDNR Sustainability Law and host panel discus-sions.

Registration and a detailed agenda will be available in February. For more information on the online survey, live web-casts or the Conservation Congress statewide meet-ing, check the IDNR web-site at www.dnr.illinois.gov.

2 Local2 • The Tonica News • Friday, January 31, 2014

Seeking Sources

Where in the world is The Tonica News? Are you planning a vacation or holi-day 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 pertinent information about who is in the photo and where you are. We’ll be happy to share your photo with other Tonica News readers, your friends, family and neigh-bors. Email your photo and information to news@tonicanews.com. You can also drop it by our office in Tonica.

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Published every Friday at Tonica, IL 61370

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ContactPublisherSam Fishersfisher@tonicanews.com

EditorTerri Simontsimon@tonicanews.com

Woman dies in accident

near Lostant

IDNR to hold Conservation Congress

Correction

LOSTANT — According to the Lostant Fire Depart-ment, a Decatur woman was killed on Jan. 23 in a two-vehicle accident on Illinois Route 18, west of Interstate 39.

Mary J. Tucker, 64, who was the driver of the first vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, accord-ing to LaSalle County Coroner Jody Bernard. The driver in the second vehicle was airlifted to St.

Francis Hospital in Peoria after being extricated from the vehicle.

There was heavy dam-age to both vehicles at the scene. The accident remains under investiga-tion by Illinois State Police, District 17. Other agencies responding to the scene included Putnam County EMS, Wenona Fire and Ambulance, Life Flight and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

In the Jan. 24 edition of the Tonica News, the story “Wood-en it be nice?” referred to a club called the Bureau County Woodcarvers. The correct name for the group should have been Woodcarvers Unlimited. The Tonica News regrets the error.

Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder

Flight schoolRyan Hartman, 9 of Peru flies his model plane indoors while Lowell Beenenga of Tonica looks over the helicopter he is about to fly. The two pilots were part of a group of flyers at a recent event at Lostant Grade School held by the Deer Park RC Club.

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3 Obit RecordsFriday, January 31, 2014 • The Tonica News • 3

New laws from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office start on Jan. 1

The Top 10 Scams of 2013

5 ways families can have fun indoors

SPRINGFIELD – Two important pieces of leg-islation initiated this year by Secretary of State Jesse White took effect as new laws on Jan. 1 and include mea-sures that strengthen the state’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) pro-gram as well as further restricts the issuance of court supervision. Other new laws effective Jan. 1 make changes to the parking program for per-sons with disabilities.

Public Act 98-0168, sponsored by state Rep. John D’Amico (D-Chica-go) and state Sen. Mar-tin Sandavol (D-Cicero), prohibits the issuance of a driver’s license to a driver under 18 who has an unresolved traf-fic citation. The new law also allows White’s office to cancel a GDL if it is determined that at the time of issuance the minor had a traf-fic citation for which a disposition had not been rendered. Under current law, a GDL applicant is not required to report any pending traffic cita-tions.

The measure is named Kelsey’s Law in honor of Kelsey Little who

in 2011 was seriously injured in an automobile crash by a young driver operating on a learner’s permit. The driver was issued a traffic citation for the incident, of which the Secretary of State’s office was unaware due to the lack of a report-ing requirement. Three days later, the teen driv-er applied for and was issued a driver’s license.

Public Act 98-0169, sponsored by D’Amico and state Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Matteson), will ensure drivers involved in fatal crashes are ineligible for court supervision unless they have maintained a clean driving history. The leg-islation, named Patricia’s Law in honor of Patri-cia McNamara who was killed in an automobile crash in which the driver received court supervi-sion, originated from White’s Advisory Com-mittee on Traffic Safety, which unanimously sup-ported the measure at a meeting last September.

Over the last decade, White’s office has initi-ated legislation to limit the issuance of court supervision, as well as establishing a central

database to help judges and court personnel bet-ter track the dispositions of court supervision from county to county across the state.

Due to legislation passed by the General Assembly, only persons with specific types of dis-abilities with a valid Illi-nois driver’s license will be exempt from paying parking meter fees.

Public Act 97-0845, sponsored by former state Rep. Karen May and state Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest), requires the disability license plate or parking placard holder to meet more stringent eligibility requirements that must be approved by physi-cians in order to receive a yellow and grey perma-nent placard. The new placard will exempt the authorized holder from the payment of parking meter fees because their disability restricts them from physically feeding the meter.

Those who do not meet eligibility requirements for the meter-exempt placard will still receive a permanent placard but will be required to pay meter fees.

Out-of-state disabil-ity license plate and plac-ard holders will also have access to disability parking spaces but will no longer be eligible for meter-exempt parking.

The fine for drivers caught misusing a disability placard has increased from $500 to $600. Addition-ally, if a physician, physi-cian assistant or advanced practice nurse knowingly falsifies a disability applica-tion, they face increased fines from $500 to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for a second offense.

If the holder of the dis-ability placard or license plates knowingly allows someone else to use their placard or license plates, that person faces a $1,000 fine for the first offense and a $2,000 fine for the second offense.

“All these changes in the law aim to help discour-age the misuse and abuse of the parking program for persons with disabilities,” White said. “Our goal is to ensure that disability park-ing spaces are available for those who truly need that access to conduct their day-to-day activities. My message is simple: if you don’t belong there, don’t park there.”

CHICAGO — Topping the list of scam activity for 2013 is advance fee brokers, accounting for more than 45 percent of scam inquiries to the Bet-ter Business Bureau serv-ing Chicago and Northern Illinois (BBB).

Advance fee brokers are usually empty promises for a personal or business loan requiring payment of a fee in advance. This scam attracts vulnerable consumers who need cash urgently.

Coming in a close sec-ond is work-at-home scams. This scam lures consumers by using get-rich-quick approaches.

The BBB’s Top 10 Scams are ranked based on num-ber of specific inquiries made by consumers to provide insight on the deceptive and sometimes illegal business practices in 2013.

“In 2013, consumers were tight for cash and were trying to improve their financial situa-tions,” said Steve J. Ber-nas, president/CEO of the BBB. “Scammers took advantage of these vulner-able consumers.”

Bernas explained, “It is important to be aware that these scams exist. That way people can avoid losing money or personal

financial information.”The complete list of Top

10 Scams in 2013 from the BBB includes:

Advance fee brokersOften these appear to be

very professional opera-tions with attractive web-sites and advertisements. However, it is illegal for a business to charge a fee prior to providing a loan. Typically, after wiring money to the scammer, the victim never receives the loan. These “lend-ers” will use fake physical addresses or the addresses of real companies.

For many parts of the country it’s cold! This cold and blustery win-ter weather is keeping families indoors where it’s warm, toasty and safe from the record-breaking lows. This can be dis-appointing for kids who are used to playing out-doors and getting out their energy by running around.

If it’s too cold out for kids to safely play out-side, it’s a good time for parents to start getting imaginative with their kids and discover some fun activities for indoor play time. Parents and Little Toader founders Lori and Michael Brede-meier live with their fam-ily in Florida, but they know the difficulty faced by families living in other parts of the country who are dealing with below-freezing temperatures. The Bredemeiers know all about making parent-ing fun (their company motto and inspiration) and share five ways fami-lies can have fun indoors.

Create activity stations

Set up three or four different activity sta-tions that will keep them engaged and entertained. We do arts and crafts, blocks, dolls, cars and temporary tattoos. They love it!

Freeze danceDancing is a healthy

activity for kids, and loud party music will really get them going. To play freeze dance, put on an upbeat song, so every-one can dance around and have fun. At different parts of the song, stop the music, and everyone must freeze and hold their position at the time the music was stopped. Anyone who moves is out of the game. Play the music again and keep stopping it until one person is left standing

and becomes the freeze dance champion!

Play charadesCharades is a great

game for the whole fam-ily to play and it definite-ly involves using your imagination. The game involves each player choosing a saying, movie title, book title, famous person, etc. to act out while the rest of the fam-ily guesses the word or phrase. You can come up with fun categories like Disney movies or favorite children’s books or ani-mals, so little ones can join in on the fun as well.

Bonus: You can even have an open topic where one person tells anoth-er a word secretly and then that person has to act out that word. Then, the person who guesses correctly first is given a word by the person who just had a turn.

Have a scavenger hunt

Every kid likes a good scavenger hunt which involves solving clues to search for hidden items around the house. Rhym-ing clues adds to the fun and having the hidden items also serve as prizes makes the game much more exciting. You can also divide the family into two teams, and the winning team gets to pick the movie for movie night or decide on the next family outing.

Follow the leaderEveryone gets to take

turns being the leader in this game, and the rest of the family has to copy the leader’s every movement. The lead-er can take the family around the entire house and make them do silly dance moves, make roar-ing noises, sing songs and more. The more creative the actions are, the fun-nier the game gets!

the new year. Diesel price is $3.50 a gallon with gas at $3.08.

• Noted the school has fixed the health/life safe-ty issues the school was cited for last year from the building’s inspection audit. Issues with the kitchen and some portions of the roof were addressed and were certified by the school architect.

• Briefly discussed options if the school should ever reach a point where it is no longer finan-cially viable. Board mem-ber Bob Lawless said while there is no danger at this time, it would be prudent to know what avenues the school could take if the problem arose.

• Recognized Lawless for plowing the school facilities during the heavy snows at the beginning of the month.

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Another possible shortage?

St. Joseph Nursing Home celebrates 50 years

Recall the national attention and concern generated just before Thanksgiving when the country’s largest turkey producer indicated the possibility of a shortage of large, fresh turkeys?

There is a major national celebration that will soon be upon us, and the question may again arise — might another poultry short-age befall the American public? The day of the possible shortage is Super Bowl Sunday. And the possible short-age would be chicken wings, not turkeys.

Having worked for the U.S. government for a while, I am used to large numbers. But chicken wing numbers impress me. On Super Bowl Sunday, it is esti-mated that more than 1.2 billion chicken wings will be consumed. Assuming a population of 314 million people, that comes in at almost four wings per person. That is an incredible number of wings and, assuming two wings per chicken, this means a lot of chickens (600 mil-lion) have devoted their existence to the Super Bowl.

There have been Super Bowl wing short-age alerts several times in the past – 2009, 2010 and 2013. Last year, the National Chicken Council put out a press release blaming the potential wing short-age on corn producers selling their corn to the ethanol industry rather than to poultry pro-ducers. This decision, according to the Coun-cil, resulted in higher feeding costs and fewer chickens (and wings).

Frankly, past con-cerns about potential Super Bowl chicken wing shortages have escaped me. I am not a big chicken wing fan. Growing up, fried chick-en was always served

at Sunday dinner. My dad got the thighs, my mom the breast, my sister the legs and I, as the youngest, was left with wings — and the neck unless my mother was still hungry. Since those Sunday dinners, what I viewed as the lowly chicken wing has evolved and moved up the food chain.

Various sauces — cool ranch, momfuki octo vinaigrette or baked bourbon – are now layered on wings in an attempt to further spice them up. While I am still not a wing fan, the idea of peanut butter and jelly wings really does resonant. And there is an inter-national component to this issue. U.S. chicken wings consist of the first two, meaty, joints of the wing. The third joint, called the flapper, ends up taking a trip to Asia where it is readily con-sumed,

We will know in the very near future if the National Chicken Coun-cil issues another “wing shortage alert.” So stay tuned. For me, a key part of the alert, if there is one, will be if ethanol is linked to any shortage of chicken wings. U.S. corn farmers this season produced the largest crop in history, and corn prices have fallen more than 40 percent since the last Super Bowl. Perhaps the National Chicken Council could thank U.S. corn produc-ers for their part in mak-ing 1.2 billion chicken wings available for the Super Bowl. Go Broncos/Seahawks!

Professor William C. Bailey formerly was the chief economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition. He also has served as Deputy-Under Secretary of Agriculture. He is also a professor at Western Illinois University.

LACON — St. Joseph Nursing Home of Lacon is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. To celebrate this special occasion, various events will be held through-out the year. The home invites the public to cel-ebrate with them. Watch for time and date of the special events planned. A 50-year memory book with stories and photos will be available later in the year. Following is the first in a series of arti-cles on the history of the nursing home.

Congregation of the Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi

St. Joseph Nurs-ing Home was the first Roman Catholic nursing home in Central Illinois and is currently the only one in the Peoria Diocese. In the early 1960s, the Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi, following their charism and mission to care for the sick, poor and abandoned, wanted to establish a service project in the Lacon area within the Peoria Dio-cese. The Sisters’ con-gregation and mission

began in Hungary before expanding to the United States.

The congregation of the Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi was founded by Mother Anna Brunner in 1894 in Budapest, Hun-gary. Its members gave public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and bound themselves to imitate Christ by St. Francis’ rule based on a loving union with God, poverty and humility and to the Constitutions approved by the Holy See. The particular aim is the service of Christ in His poor, sick and aban-doned brothers and sis-ters in hospitals, nursing homes, social work and youth apostolate.

During World War II, the Sisters worked in hospitals. Father Kasso-vic in LaSalle sent a letter to the Provincial Superior in Slovakia asking for 25 sisters to come to the United States, as soon as possible. The first group of Sisters landed in New York on Sept. 16, 1946, and their journey ended in the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Bede in Peru.

The second group of Sis-ters arrived in New York on Oct. 1, 1946.

The Benedictine St. Bede Abbey and Acad-emy became the Sisters’ workplace and home. They took care of 400 students and 50 friars and strived to learn Eng-lish, culture and customs of the new country. By letter on Oct. 25, 1946, Mother Bernadett Wag-ner officially announced to Bishop Joseph Schlar-man the establishment “of the new house of the Congregation in the territory of the Diocese of Peoria,” and Bishop Schlarman accepted and supported them.

After the Sisters moved to Lacon, there were plans to build a hospital, but they found out the more urgent need was to provide care for the elderly and poor. A deci-sion was made to build a nursing home.

The blueprint for the nursing home was com-pleted and construction was ready to begin. How-ever, there was a major problem on how and where to get the nec-

essary finances needed for the construction. The Sisters approached Slo-vak parishes in Chicago asking the parish priests to donate their Sunday collections. In Lacon, the Convent grounds were used for annual pilgrimages to Our Lady of Fatima Statue every third Sunday in July. Ladies from the differ-ent parishes organized the buses to come. They brought the entire meal to sell plates to the pil-grims, and the proceeds were donated for a nurs-ing home building.

The grotto for the Our Lady of Fatima pilgrim statue was labored by O.D. Kanive, Donald Breen, William Laer-nard, Kenneth Koch, James Rock and Mrs. William Frank and oth-ers gave their time and funds to build the grotto. The owners of the local businesses in the city of Lacon helped to sup-port the construction of a nursing home by their donations.

Source: Information in the article chronicled by Greg Stanmar, 2013.

Work-at-home schemesLegitimate telecom-

muting jobs do exist; however, many work-from-home opportuni-ties are scams. Prom-ising convenient work always attracts atten-tion; however, when the requirement is to send money for materials first, consumers should always be on guard. Do not purchase servic-es or products from a firm that’s reluctant to answer your questions, and be cautious of any company that offers an exceptionally high sal-ary requiring few skills and little work. Check offers out thoroughly for free with the BBB at www.bbb.org.

Credit repair services with advance fees

Consumers with bad credit ratings are par-ticularly vulnerable to this scam. Everything a credit-repair operation offers an individual can do personally at little or no cost. Credit repair operations cannot ask for money in advance, and they cannot auto-matically remove legiti-mate negative reports from your credit history.

Foreign lotteriesAny lottery from a for-

eign country is illegal in the United States. Stat-ing a person can win or is a winner already provides a strong incen-tive; however, peo-ple should never send

money to obtain lottery money. Scammers using fictitious addresses will request you send “fees and taxes” to them through a wire service, take the cash and never provide any winnings because there are no winners.

Office supplies - sale by deceptive telemarketing

This scam features fake invoices for office supplies being sent to a business, often for only a couple hundred dol-lars. This relatively low amount makes it easier for company person-nel to quickly sign off and feel it is not worth their time to check the invoice’s validity, which would be done if it was for a larger amount.

Prize promotionsThere are several

variations of this scam, but most include some aspect that requires peo-ple who are identified as “winners” to provide money or some type of personal information, such as a credit card or Social Security number, to verify being a winner. In the end, no prize is awarded, and the per-sonal information is then used to withdraw a victim’s money from accounts or for identity theft.

Paving, painting and home improvement by

“traveling” workersNever pay upfront to

a “traveling” contractor who just happens to be in the neighborhood, is

doing work nearby, or has extra materials. The technique to get your money often requires you to pay for added materials. Once you pay the contractor, he disap-pears with the money, and no work is ever done. Having access to your property also pro-vide an opportunity for these people to check what valuables you may have for a future bur-glary or ID theft.

Pyramid companiesPyramid schemes

within companies are fraudulent because returns to investors are paid from personal money or the money paid by the newest investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by an individual or organization running the operation. These scams collapse because payouts exceed invest-ments, or because the legal authorities pros-ecute the organizers for sale of unregistered securities. Often the organizers simply disap-pear with funds sent to them.

SweepstakesIf you don’t remember

entering a sweepstakes, be very suspicious about being declared a win-ner. If the prize pro-vider wants you to send money or give your Social Security number to receive your prize, take no action. If you send money you will likely never receive a prize or you will get

a prize of lesser value than the money you’ve sent.

Debt relief services (non-compliant with

FTC rules)The Federal Trade

Commission has estab-lished rules for debt relief services (for profit businesses that repre-sent that they renegoti-ate, settle or alter the terms of payment for an unsecured debt). The FTC rule governs dis-closures and represen-tations that debt relief services can make and does not allow advance fees. There are legiti-mate debt relief compa-nies that comply with the FTC rule, and the Better Business Bureau is identifying only the non-compliant compa-nies as scams.

“Before giving any company your personal or financial information, review the business on the BBB website,” said Bernas. “And remem-ber, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

For more information on these Top 10 scams, visit www.bbb.org.

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5 PerspectiveFriday, January 31, 2014 • 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.

A laughing matter

I spend a lot of time in meetings. Some are worthwhile; some are not. But that’s not the point to this column — though it would probably touch a lot of nerves with a lot of people.

So the other day, I was out of the office and sit-ting in a rather somber meeting. While the tone of the meeting wasn’t neces-sarily a bleak or gloomy topic, everyone was quite serious. There were tasks to attend to, and all the meeting members were diligently working toward the same goal. That’s fine. I appreciate a group who stays on task and gets their work accomplished. That way the meeting can be adjourned, and we can all get on to the next task before us — sometimes yet another meeting.

As the meeting wore on, I couldn’t help but notice some hoopla going on in the room next to us. I realized another group was having a meeting (a group of which I am not a member), and it just so happened they were meeting at the same time and location as the meeting I attended.

While there was a wall and a closed door between us, I have to tell you the noise coming from the other meeting clearly caught my attention. Why? That’s easy ... There was laughter — not just a few giggles or chuckles, but downright, nearly roll-on-the-floor type of laughing going on next door. You know the type of laughter of which I’m writing. The laughing was so hard and persistent that before I knew it, I found myself even wanting to laugh out loud — much like my next door meeting friends.

Obviously, I had a difficult time keeping my mind in my somber meeting room. I noticed some in my meeting appeared rather annoyed, but personally, I was really enjoying it. Actually, the sound of con-tinued laughter next door made me almost want to join that meeting, even though I had no idea what their meeting was about.

“Isn’t that terrible?” one of my meeting partici-pants finally said. “You’d think they would keep it down.”

I didn’t say a word, but inside, I secretly hoped they wouldn’t “keep it down” at all. Instead, I was voting for more laughter, louder and uncontrollable laughing mixed with a variety of voices. I could pic-ture the smiles. I could almost see tears of laughter rolling down some of the mystery faces. I could feel the way your stomach feels when you’ve laughed so hard for so long — almost an exhausted feeling. I yearned for more ...

Oh, I miss laughing. Don’t misunderstand, I laugh a lot, but I’m talking about that can’t-get-your-breath laughter. The kind of laughter that makes you start laughing again and again. The laughter that can’t be stopped, no matter how hard you try. The laughter that creates those lines around your eyes that can’t be erased. That’s the kind of laugh-ter I miss.

It’s been said, “Laughter is the best medicine.” I have to agree. Who doesn’t feel better after a good laugh? Who doesn’t look at life a little differently after one of those times when your sides ache from laughing so hard? Who doesn’t have a better out-look after a good, old-fashioned dose of laughter?

I know there are a whole lot of things in this world that aren’t funny — sad things, miserable things, scary things, horrible things ... you get the idea, and God knows we all spend a considerable amount of time on those non-funny issues. We dwell on them, worry about them and fret minutes, hours and days away on them. And unfortunately, those somber issues get most of our attention and our emotions.

But I think we have to try. Sounds kind of sad, but I think we need to surround ourselves with as much laughter as possible. We deserve it. We owe it to ourselves.

Ironically enough, my somber meeting and the laughing meeting adjourned at about the same time. As the two groups mixed in the lobby, you can guess who was walking away with smiles on their faces.

Tonica News Editor Terri Simon can be reached at tsimon@tonicanews.com.

“I’d go to Jamaica, and I’d take my wife.”Dale Kalman, LaSalle

“I’d go somewhere warm, probably Hawaii. I would take my family with me.”

Alexis Zimbelman, Tonica

“I would go where it is warm. I would take my

daughter.”Erin Zimbelman, Tonica

“I’d go someplace warm because I am sick of

cold. I’m tired of snow. Yesterday I got stuck

here, (Casey’s in Tonica) until 4 in the morning.”

Jill Oberhart, Wenona

“I reckon I’d probably go to Mexico. I would take my girlfriend; she would

be upset if I didn’t.”Quint Stimpert, Leonore

TerriSimon

I’m sure you already know about this, but I’ll set the stage anyway. It’s what I get paid for, so I’m sure you understand.

On Jan. 18, conditions were not suitable for anyone to be out driv-ing, therefore several people were. With road conditions as they were, it wasn’t a question of if there was going to be an accident as much as where and when.

Where was just south of the Tonica exit on Interstate 39. Around 11 a.m., an impromptu demolition derby brought on by wind and snow sent a total of 12 cars plowing into each other or the snow in the ditches. (There was a fairly full write-up of this in last week’s paper, so if you didn’t read it yet, feel free to go back and look.)

This is not about the people who were in the accident (at least, not directly); it’s about the people who came out and helped make an unbelievably terrible day a bit better and brighter for them.

Mike Supan of Fender Menders was one of those who was called

to tow vehicles out of the acci-dent site to the former Village Inn parking lot until the crisis was averted. What he saw during that day amazed him.

“I want to commend the Tonica Fire Department,” Supan said. “I went to the fire station, and they had toys for the kids to play with, coffee, barbecue. They went out of their way to help these people. Some were still there when I left around 2 p.m.”

Supan said there were drivers from out of state, the suburbs, Washington (some people can’t catch a break), and the TVFD treated them like they were neigh-bors.

During that weekend, the Ton-ica Volunteers responded to four call-outs in addition to their term as a disaster aid station.

I’ve made no apologies in the past for the fact I’m a big fan of the Tonica Volunteer Fire Department. But in times like these, they prove they are worth every dime they receive; espe-cially since none of that money is tax support. Some very brave men and women went out into another Illinois blizzard in order to save lives and help people they never knew, without pay or consideration for their own safety because – to them – it was the right thing to do.

Make no mistake, the volun-teers may not know the names of the people they rescued, but those unfortunate victims will never forget the people from Tonica who rescued them were some of the kindest, most thoughtful people they’ve ever met. For the volunteers, that’s more precious than any pay-check.

Ken Schroeder can be reached at news@tonicanews.com. Spe-cial thanks to Mike Supan for the suggestion.

All it takes is a little snow ...Ken

SchroederCOMMENTARY

First Amendment“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free

exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Constitution of the United States, 1789

On the street If you could go on vacation tomorrow where would you go and who would you take?

6 Life6 • The Tonica News • Friday, January 31, 2014

CommunityRelay for Life team

plans spaghetti supper

Bridal Fair on Feb. 9

‘Wreaths Across America’ on Feb. 13

Tonica Grade School releases honor rolls

HENNEPIN — The Hen-nepin Relay for Life team will sponsor its annual spaghetti supper from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at Ray’s Place in Hennepin. The menu will consist of all-you-can-eat spaghetti, salad, bread and butter and a variety of home-made desserts. Water and iced tea are included.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for children and free for children in

preschool. Carry out will be available.

There will be a draw-ing for a raffle for an iPod Touch with Bose head-phones. Tickets are avail-able from team members, at the Country Stop or at the Hennepin Pool. Tick-ets are $1 per ticket or $5 for six tickets. There will be a 50/50 raffle, and a Longaberger representa-tive will be on hand with items for sale.

DIXON — Sauk Valley Media and Seno’s Formal Wear announce the annual Sauk Valley Bridal Fair will be Feb. 9 from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Sauk Val-ley Community College, located on Route 2 between Sterling and Dixon. The event will feature exhibits from cakes to tuxedos and everything in between, as well a fashion show. Tickets are $5 per person. For more information, call 815-625-3600.

LASALLE — The public is invited to an awareness night to learn more about Wreaths Across America and its mission to remem-ber fallen veterans, honor those who are serving and teach our children the

value of freedom.The event will be at

5:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the LaSalle VFW, 24th and Donahue streets, LaSalle. For more information, contact Toni Lucas at 270-703-9799.

TONICA — Toni-ca Grade School has released the honor rolls for the second quarter of 2013-14.

Receiving high honors with a grade point aver-age of 3.5 to 4.0 were:

Sixth-grade – Camille Carlson, Carly Christ-man, Faith Dauber, Logan Johnson, Rene Lamboley, Erin Leschewski, Hailey Mulligan, Becky Schmidt, Jarrett Skinner, Bryan Stillwell and Anthony Tsikretsis.

Seventh-grade – Emily Anderson, Janelle Bernar-doni, Mathew Carmean, Corey Eilers, Maryn Ellis, Tony Galindo, Aiden Gre-enwalt, Sam Obermiller, Cade Ploch, Joshua Sen-siba, Hayley Soria, Owen Wolfe and Patrick Zim-

belman.Eighth-grade – Ange-

la Bernardoni, Madison Freeman, Justin Gre-enwalt, David Hillyer, Matthew Huska, Angela Huss, Taylor Kennedy, Michael Lock, Tyler Mar-cinkus, Lindsey Rimes, Adia Sherbeyn, Nakieta Urban, Mikayla Whipple and Kendall Yeruski.

Receiving honors with a grade point average of 3.0 to 3.49 were:

Sixth-grade – Francis Just and Nathan Zimbel-man.

Seventh-grade – Sheri-dan Blauvelt and Danille Hoehne.

Eighth-grade – Isabel Bangert, Jesse Breit, Nick Foltynewicz, Mary Claire Just, Hailey Maurice and Grace Rutgens.

Phillips wins grant to attend meetingBy Ken Schroeder

news@tonicanews.com

OGLESBY — Illinois Val-ley Community College geology instructor Mike Phillips has been awarded a $2,500 grant to attend the 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting Feb. 23-28 in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he will participate in an oceanography teaching resources and practices workshop and pres-ent a paper, “Design your own marine organism: An exercise for introductory oceanography cours-es.”

“Ocean sciences touch all the

courses I teach from oceanogra-phy to environmental science to geology. This meeting will provide me with ideas and techniques that will benefit my students, improve my teaching and it will be an opportunity for me to share my ideas,” said Phillips of Lostant who is now in his 17th year at Illi-nois Valley Community College.

The grant, administered by Jan Hodder of the University of Ore-gon’s Institute of Marine Biology and Allison Beauregard of North-west Florida State College, was provided by the National Science Foundation to support two-year

college faculty who teach ocean-ography or other ocean science-focused courses.

“I teach oceanography at the college and also geology, which includes ocean sciences,” Phillips said. “I saw this as an opportunity. The college has had to cut back on our travel funds, so when I saw the opportunity for this grant, I said, ‘That’s a chance to go to this conference and go to Hawaii.’ One of the things I’m hoping to do is use some of my money to take a day to go over to the big island and see the volcano and get some pictures.”

Tonica Volunteer Fire Department meetsTONICA — The Tonica Vol-

unteer Fire Department recent-ly held its January meeting and learned there may not have been a lot of deer, but there were a lot of people at the TVFD’s Deer and Chili Night.

Sue Huss and Al Stremlau reported the night went very well with more people in attendance. There were 148 paid dinners this year, an increase from last year. Only five deer were brought in due to the cold and wet conditions. Assistant Chief Bill Gray thanked everyone for the help with Deer Night.

The election of officers and two members to the board of directors was held. New officers are Chief Stremlau, secretary Woody Olson, treasurer Huss, assistant treasurer Renee Kohr. Board of Directors are Tom Goskusky and Rick Turri.

Previous Chief Todd Anderson explained it is always a difficult walk, balancing the duties of chief,

work and family, and finally it became too much.

Anderson closed with final remarks, “Come together around Al Stremlau, give him the respect he deserves, run stuff by him and most of all support him.”

Meanwhile, the membership is undergoing some changes. Tyler Rice was present and turned in an application, and Misty Johnson has an application pending and would like to become a TVFD EMT. New member Monica Krei-ser’s application was approved by the town board, and she has been accepted to the TVFD with one year probation.

However, letters of resignation were received from Dan Wid-decombe, Ashley Samolitis and Terry Chambers.

In other TVFD business:• Donations in excess of $100

were received from Thomas Ernat, Rich and Kim Higgins, Larry and Dorene Giltner and Phillip and

Janice Duffell.• A hose test was completed

over two days. A large amount of hose has become out of date and will need to be replaced.

• The hose bed tarp on pumper 1714 has been damaged and needs to be replaced.

• Northern Partners made a donation to TVFD for the pur-chase of a grain rescue tube.

• Rick Turri presented a driver training program. Twenty-three drivers completed the required driver training.

• Nineteen lengths of old 2 1/2 in hose were donated to the LaSal-le-Peru High School Area Career Center Fire Class.

• Kari Leffelman and Olson con-ducted a first aid/readyman merit badge session for six scouts, two guests and their leader. A tour of the station, ambulance and a his-tory of the EMS in Tonica were also covered. All the participants earned their badges.

Putnam County Community Center MenusFeb. 3 – Breaded veal patty,

scalloped potatoes, green peas, fresh apple, white bread.

Feb. 4 – Turkey pot roast, whole roasted potatoes, baby carrots, fruit cocktail, wheat bread.

Feb. 5 – BBQ chicken breast, potato salad, broccoli, citrus cup, dinner roll.

Feb. 6 – Cook’s choice.Feb. 7 – Meatloaf with ketchup,

mashed potatoes, lima beans, cin-namon applesauce, wheat bread.

To make a lunch reservations, call the PCCC at 815-339-2711 or 800-757-4579 by noon the day before.

Menus are subject to change. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. Suggested donation is $3.

Check out our websites for breaking news in your area.

www.putnamcountyrecord.comwww.tonicanews.com

The Tonica News

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2006 Hyundai Elantra4-Door, 4 cyl$3,995

2002 Chrysler 300Loaded$2,995

7 LifeFriday, January 31, 2014 • The Tonica News • 7

PC/Hall wrestlers host super dual on Feb. 1GRANVILLE — The PC/

Hall co-op wrestling team will be hosting its second annual Super–––– Dual meet on Feb. 1.

St. Bede will wrestle the Panthers at 10 a.m. The Panthers will also face Mendota, Midland and

Ottawa-Marquette high schools that same day.

If weather becomes inclement this week and the Tri-County Conference Basketball Tournament is interrupted, the location of the Super Dual meet may have to be moved.

IV Dolphins swim to a first-place finish

By Dixie SchroeDernews@tonicanews.com

PERU — The Illinois Valley YMCA Dolphins hosted a triangular meet with the Ottawa YMCA Dolphins as well as the Rock River Valley YMCA Stingrays on Jan. 18.

The IV Dolphins came out on top in first place in the meet with a score of 682 points. The RRV Stingrays took second with 386 points, while the Ottawa Dolphins took third place with 338 points.

Helping their team to victory were Weno-na’s sister-brother duo, Americus and Xavi-er Berg. Americus, 9, earned a 12th-place fin-ish in the 50-yard back-stroke event at 54.72. She earned 13th place

in the 50-yard free style event with a time of 50.16 and finished up with the 100-yard free style event at a time of 2:00.95. Xavier, 8, took seventh in the 25-yard free style event with a time of 38.12 and then placed 11th in the 25-yard back event stroke at a time of 31.72.

Cody Smith, 12, of Wenona swam district qualifying times in all three of his events. Smith earned a second place finish in the 200-yard free style event with a time of 2:26.11; a sec-ond place finish in the 50-yard butterfly event with a time of 32.50 and completed his trifecta with a second place fin-ish in the 50-yard breast stroke event at a time of 42.80.

Music Suite 408 will host exhibit opening on Feb. 7

Exhibit will feature Carol Crane

PERU — Sue Gillio, director of Music Suite 408, has announced that the exhibit opening and reception by local artist Carol Crane will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Music Suite 408 “PaintBox Gallery” locat-ed in the west wing of the historic Westclox Build-ing in Peru. Light refresh-ments will be served. The event is free and open to the public.

A native of Illinois, Crane began painting at an early age. Mostly self-taught, she has always been creative and enjoys all mediums, especially acrylic, watercolor, col-lage and mixed media. Her family, and the Ottawa Art League, have been very influential in her evolving styles. She has been past president and secretary of the league and a member for more than 20 years. She gets inspiration from the Impressionists, mod-ern artists and the Chica-go Art Institute. She also likes to visit Door Coun-ty, Wis., and has been to Maui. Looking at natural forms up close then mak-ing them look abstract is very creative to her. From flowers and seed pods in

her garden to coral in Hawaii, she is never at a loss for interesting mate-rial.

Crane uses her own photos of plants, flow-ers, scenery and found objects. Using Photoshop to crop and adjust color and hues she can make unique compositions that become very abstract in the final design. Some-times detailed drawings are done but usually she draws the design on the canvas. Then with a tech-nique she calls Golden Textured Abstracts, she uses a glue gun to go over the pencil lines. This gives a controlled, tex-tured look. She can then

apply the acrylic paint. She mixes her many col-ors for a smooth flowing look. When dry the last step is the gold leafing pen over the raised areas and black ink is then used to embellish the work. Different brands of acrylic are used on can-vas and acrylic paper.

Crane has been in many local shows over the years, receiving rib-bons and winning the member’s show in her art league. She has taken art classes in Door County at The Clearing and likes to share her ideas and expe-rience with all ages. She has taught the elderly and children and loves to see

the look on someone’s face when they learn to paint for the first time.

Crane has greeting cards for all occasions with reproductions from many of her works. You can see more of her cre-ations at local shows, the Lock 16 Canal shop on First Street in LaSalle, the new Elegant Home Gallery in Utica, Clark’s Run in Utica and Jeremi-ah Joe Coffee in the 807 Building, LaSalle Street, Ottawa. For dates of local shows, visit www.ottawaartleague.org.

Stage 212 seeking submissionsLASALLE — Stage 212

in LaSalle is currently seeking submissions from directors for the 2015 sea-son.

The organization is seek-ing well-known, highly rec-ognizable shows for the winter, spring, summer and fall slots, but will also entertain proposals for spe-cial “5th Show” produc-tions, typically small cast and a little out of the ordi-nary, to run in slots out-side of the regular season.

Winter productions are typically small musicals or

comedy/dramas, the spring and fall shows are comedy/dramas and the summer production is traditionally a big musical, but other proposals will be consid-ered. The organization will consider all submissions, including repeats of past shows if they have not been performed in the last 20 years.

Anyone interested in submitting a play for con-sideration should contact Natalie Smigel at 815-224-3025 or email stage212@att.net for application

information. Visitors to stage212.org will find a ref-erence list of all produc-tions Stage 212 has put on in their history. Appli-cations are due March 1 and should be emailed to stage212@att.net, dropped off at the Stage 212 box office, 700 First St., LaSal-le, during regular office hours or mailed to Stage 212 Inc. P.O. Box 198, LaSalle, IL 61301. A final selection will be made for recommendation to the Management Committee of Stage 212 in May. Great deals on gifts for your

Valentine such as dining, shopping, recreation, health & beauty, sports and much more will all be featured in

this holiday store.

ComingSoon!

bcrnewscom

A Sincere Thank YouTo everyone who braved the weather to console us at Burdette’s wake and funeral, who prayed for us and Burdette, who sent delicious food and cards of condolence, who donated to his memorial fund, to the United Methodist Women who served the dinner, to Illinois Valley Hospice for being a phone call away to make Burdette comfortable, to Homebound Healthcare, and to Reverend Mark Nowakowski for his visits and guidance. You were all blessings from God with your concern and support at this fragile time.

Sincerely, The Family of Burdette Ford

8 History/Classifieds8 • The Tonica News • Friday, January 31, 2014

Cold weather health tips for older adultsCold weather can pose seri-

ous health hazards to older adults. Falls and other acci-dents, hypothermia and depres-sion are more common as the temperature drops. The key to safety is prevention. Follow these simple tips to ensure a safe season.

Watch out for iceMore than 1.6 million older

Americans go to the emergency room each year for fall-relat-ed injuries, according to the National Institutes of Health. But falls don’t have to happen, even when snow and ice make for slippery conditions. To less-en the chance of falling in cold weather:

• Stretch before going out-side. Stretching improves cir-culation and limbers muscles. Wear sensible footwear. Shoes should have low heels, good support and non-skid soles.

• Stick to cleared sidewalks and roads. Shovel snow and sprinkle sand or salt on icy areas — or ask someone to do it for you.

• Use assistive devices when necessary. Hold handrails on stairs. Use a cane or walker if necessary to help maintain bal-ance.

• Avoid going outside when conditions are poor. Exercise indoors. Stock up on necessities in good weather, or ask some-one to deliver them to you.

Stay warmAs people age, their sense of

touch declines. Arthritis, dia-betes, poor circulation, paraly-sis caused by stroke and many other conditions can cause lack of feeling, especially in the extremities. A diminished response to cold can put seniors at risk for hypothermia (abnor-mally low body temperature). To prevent hypothermia:

• Keep your home’s thermo-stat set at 68 degrees or above.

If paying your energy bill is a burden, you may be eligi-ble for fuel assistance. Contact the Low Income Home Ener-gy Assistance Program (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/liheap), a public service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the Elder-care Locator (http://www.elder-care.gov), a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging.

• To reduce heating costs, make your home more ener-gy efficient. Contact the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weath-erization Assistance Program (http://www.eere.energy.gov/weatherization) to see if you’re eligible for home improvements paid for by the program.

• Dress in loose-fitting, lay-ered, lightweight clothes for warmth.

• Keep your head covered when you’re outdoors. A great deal of body heat is lost through the head.

• Wear mittens or gloves out-doors.

• Eat well. Food provides the body with energy. Remember, calories are a measure of heat! Seniors who have difficulty pre-paring their own food can have a member organization of the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) deliver nutritious meals (http://www.mowaa.org).

• Be alert for symptoms of hypothermia and frost-bite. Hypothermia symptoms include slurred speech, slug-gishness, confusion, dizziness, shallow breathing, unusual behavior and slow, irregular heartbeat. Frostbite symptoms include gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness and a waxy feeling to the skin. If either of these conditions is suspected, get immediate emer-gency help. Warm the body, but avoid rubbing tender skin.

Reduced sensitivity to tem-perature can also cause burns from too-hot water. To prevent burns:

• Set the temperature on the hot water heater to 120 degrees or lower.

• When using faucets, turn on cold water first and then add hot water. When turning off the water, shut off hot water first and then cold.

Protect your skinAs we age our skin becomes

thinner and drier and thus more susceptible to tears. In addition, certain medications can thin already fragile nasal tissue, cre-ating a risk of nosebleeds. To lessen the possibility of dangers associated with dryness:

• Keep room air moist. Add a humidifier to your heating unit, if possible, or purchase a separate humidifier or vapor-izer. Another option is to place a pan filled with water near a heat source such as a radiator. Remember to change the water daily.

• Keep your body moist! Drink plenty of water and other

fluids. Eat foods with high water content like soups and vegeta-bles.

• Moisturize your skin with creams or lotions. Use nasal lubricants or petroleum jelly to protect the lining of the nose.

Keep your spirits highPerhaps the most devastating

threat to seniors in wintertime is depression. Inclement weath-er can restrict activities and opportunities to mingle with others. The isolation and loneli-ness that afflict many seniors become even worse when the weather is harsh. Shorter days mean less sunlight, which can also contribute to depression. To prevent depression:

• Socialize. Make an effort to visit with family and friends. Contact a local Council on Aging for help locating trans-portation services, senior cen-ters and social activities.

• When the weather is too harsh for travel, pick up the

phone and call a friend or rela-tive for a chat.

Be prepared for an emergency

Winter storms can mean power outages and resultant loss of heat, water and telephone services. Inclement weather can mean difficulty going out for necessary supplies. Be pre-pared for emergencies:

• Stock up on food and fresh water. Some Meals on Wheels programs provide frozen emer-gency food packs that can be heated on days when there is no delivery.

• Keep batteries, candles, flashlights, Sterno fuel, extra blankets and a battery-operated radio on hand.

• Don’t wait for emergencies to develop a system of commu-nication. Everyone living alone should develop a “buddy sys-tem.”

Source: Protected Tomorrows.

White out strands 50 people near TonicaTONICA — According to

a press release issued by the Tonica Volunteer Fire Department (TVFD) Jan. 27, about 50 people were removed from various vehi-cles on Interstate 39 and Route 251 in the Tonica area during the ongoing winter storm. Those vic-tims were transported to the Tonica Volunteer Fire Department for food and

shelter, said Rick Turri, public relations officer for the TVFD.

“The drivers could not see the roads due to blow-ing snow,” Turri said. “Once they hit a drift or (went) off the roadway, they were stuck.”

The TVFD was paged out at 8:37 p.m. Jan. 26 to help people stuck on the roads. The Illinois State

Police, LaSalle County Police and area tow truck operators worked to assist and safely reunite people with their vehicles.

Turri reported no life-threatening injuries with a few slight cases of hypo-thermia. Most of the vic-tims spent the night at the fire station on cots and gym mats from Tonica Grade School. Food was donated

by Casey’s in Tonica and several firefighters. Dry clothing and blankets were also provided. Some of the drivers were local but most were from out of state. As the fire department went through and emptied cars, they tagged the vehicles to indicate people had been rescued. The last of the victims were able to leave the afternoon of Jan. 27.

PAC to host annual fundraiserPRINCETON — The

Prairie Arts Council will hold its annual gala fun-draiser, “An Evening of Dance,” on Feb. 15 at A Hundred Acres Orchard, west of Princeton.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with compli-mentary wine and hors d’oeuvres. A cash bar will also be available. “Ivory Plus,” a five-piece band will play live music for

ballroom and swing danc-ing throughout the night.

Tickets for “An Evening of Dance” are $30 per person with advance reservations, or $35 at the door. Reservations can be made by calling the Prairie Arts Center at 815-875-2787 or by mail-ing a check to: Prairie Arts Center, 24 Park Ave. East, Princeton, IL 61356.

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STATE OF ILLINOISIN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

LaSALLE COUNTYESTATE OF ) EDWARD V. WHITNEY, ) DECEASED. )

NO. 14 – P – 5CLAIMS NOTICE

Notice is hereby given of the death of Edward V. Whitney, of the City of Ottawa, LaSalle County, Illinois, on December 26, 2013 at Ottawa, Illinois. The decedent died leaving a Will dated April 7, 2009, filed with the Court, and admitted to probate in the Estate proceeding in the Circuit Court of LaSalle County, Illinois, Probate Division on date of January 16, 2014. Letters of Office as Independent Executor were issued to Charles E. Whitney, 1809 Walnut St., Ottawa, Illinois, on January 16, 2014, whose attor-neys are the Law Offices of Peter F. Ferracuti, 110

E. Main St., Ottawa, IL 61350. Notice of the above is further given to Unknown Heirs, and persons whose names and addresses are unknown in said proceeding, with their names not stated in the Petition to Issue Letters Testamentary. Claims against the estate may be filed in the Office of the Circuit Clerk, Probate Division, LaSalle County Courthouse, Ottawa, Illinois 61350, or with the representative or both within six months from the date of first publication of this Notice. If claim notice is personally mailed or delivered to a credi-tor of the estate, then the claim must be filed within three months from the date of mailing or delivery, whichever is later. Any claims not filed within these periods are barred. Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the Representative and Attorney within ten days of filing. Published in the Tonica News Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and 14, 2014.

999 • Legal Notices 999 • Legal NoticesClassifieds

The Tonica Newsreserves the right to classi-fy correctly, edit, reject orcancel any advertisementat any time in accordancewith its policy. All ads mustbe checked for errors bythe advertiser, on the firstday of publication. We willbe responsible for the firstincorrect insertion, and itsliabilities shall be limited tothe price on one insertion.

CLASSIFIED LINE AD &LEGAL DEADLINES:

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