Local Student Wins Optimist Club Essay Contest

Sterling Optimist Essay Contest winner Loren Thacher, a senior at West Carroll High School appears with (left)Wayne Gann, Club President and Richard Schuneman, Club Contest Chair.

Loren Thacher, a senior at West Carroll High School, recently won the Optimist Club of Sterling Il.’s essay contest based on a theme of “How My Education is the Key to a Successful Future.”

Thacher was awarded a medallion and certificate of participation from Optimist International for the honor. In addition, the essay will be sent to the district level to be judged along with winners from other Optimist Clubs in the district. College scholarships are available for top winners at the district level. The winner of the district competition will be sent to the international-level contest. One international winner will be chosen and will receive an engraved plaque and recognition in The Optimist magazine.

“Loren did a wonderful job of articulating this year’s theme. He expressed himself well through the essay and deserved the honor of first place,” Club President Wayne Gann said.

The Optimist Club of Sterling has been participating in the Optimist Essay Contest for a number of years and has been active in the community since 1982. Other programs and service projects that the Club is involved in include the oratorical contest, jr. golf, poster contest and pumpkin dash..

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with 100,000 adult and youth members in 3,400 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. Carrying the motto “Bringing Out the Best in Kids,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please call (314) 371-6000 or visit the organization’s website at www.optimist.org.

Winter Lecture Series Conclusion

Now that winter is coming to an end, the Planetary Studies Foundation (PSF) is concluding their Winter Lecture Series. PSF’s last two scheduled lectures are entitled Victorian Purse Making Workshop beginning on Saturday, February 19th and Spinning Wheel: Round and Round on Saturday, February 26th.

If you every wanted to learn to sew, this workshop is for you. Presenters and instructors Jolene Foat and Diane Sipiera will guide you step-by-step through the process of making a drawstring purse that you can use for either historical decoration or for historical interpretation. This program will begin at 11:00 a.m. until completion that day. The price for this worship is $20.00 for non PSF members and $10.00 for PSF members. The fee includes cloth material, drawstring, instruction on how to make a tassel, and use of a sewing machine. This in an all day workshop so please bring a sack lunch. Please make your reservation as soon as possible.

The final lecture in this year’s winter series is presented by master spinner Jolene Foat, who is a wealth of information, also participates in various competitions. Jolene will demonstrate both the use of the spinning wheel and the drop spindle. Also, Jolene will speak on the process of sheering wool, the various preparations of dying wool in comparison to what we are familiar with today. Foat’s goal in her lecture is to share her love of preservation in the art form of wool spinning. The starting time for this event is 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. The fee for this event is a $3.00 donation for non PSF members and Free for PSF members. Please come and join us.

All lectures are at the 1876 Banwarth House and Museum, a large green Victorian home behind the Law-Jones Funeral Home on main street Elizabeth. If you are interested in attending, please contact Diane Sipiera at dsipiera@planets.org or 815-858-2014. For other scheduled lectures please check the PSF website at www.planets.org. Your donations go toward annual PSF scholarships to youths who are pursuing a career in the sciences. The Planetary Studies Foundation is a non-for-profit educational/science organization which is located in Jo Daviess County.

The Ball Brothers

Beginning its 2011 concert series, Emmanuel Reformed Church, 202 E Morris Street, Morrison, IL is thrilled to welcome Southern Gospel music’s favorite brothers, “The Ball Brothers,” in concert on Friday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of the church. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. No tickets are needed; a free-will love offering will be received. A home-made soup supper will be served from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. sponsored by the High School Youth Ministry, offered for a donation. Chili, Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Beef soups will be available, along with dinner rolls, crackers and dessert. For more information, please check out the Emmanuel website at www.emmanuelreformedchurch.org and click on the “concert series” button.

Fulton Chamber Receives D.S. Flikkema Foundation Grant

The Fulton Chamber of Commerce received a grant from the D.S. Flikkema Foundation. The check was presented to Executive Director Heather Bennett (center) and Chamber President Greg Naftzger (left) by Heidi Kolk from the Fulton Association for Community Enrichment (F.A.C.E.). The Fulton Chamber requested a grant to purchase a removable Fulton panel for the Ronald Reagan Trail (RRT) traveling exhibit. The traveling exhibit is on display at various Reagan Trail community festivals throughout the year.

S.O.S. Receives D.S. Flikkema Foundation Grant

Joan Johnson (left) receives a D.S. Flikkema Foundation grant check Connie Koehn from the Fulton Association for Community Enrichment (F.A.C.E.). Supporters of Schmaling (S.O.S.) received the check at their quarterly meeting on February 8, 2011.

S.O.S. had requested a grant for the library to cover the cost of science and math DVDs for the children’s department, adult math and science resources, adult science DVDs, and a license to show films to the general public. S.O.S. would like to publicly thank the foundation trustees for their generous grant. All the funds will be used to enhance Fulton’s public library.

D.S. Flikkema was the son of David and Lida Flikkema of Fulton, Illinois. He graduated from Central College in Pella, Iowa, and went on to receive his Ph.D. in chemistry and physics. During World War II, he was a researcher for the government, and after the war became a professor at Iowa State University. He eventually went on to work at Argonne National Laboratory where he did atomic research.

His passions revolved around science, music, literary classics, and the great thinkers. He cherished his family and his small town upbringing. The D.S. Flikkema Foundation was created in 2008 following his death per his wishes. The foundation was created with the hopes that the funds from this endowment would inspire others to learn and achieve.

Our Future . . . Our Choice Poster Contest Winners

Winners of the Eastland High School Students for Sober Living (SSL) Poster Contest are Toni Cline -1st place (left) and Sara Runyan – 2nd place. Each was awarded $25 gift cards. The funding for the gift cards comes through the Carroll County Substance Education Coalition (CCSEC) Partners for Success grant. The poster’s theme was teen involvement with alcohol and its’ consequences. Alcohol is the leading cause of death and injuries involving teens; this includes all types of accidents, fires and sexual assault. The posters also had to include “Our Future . . . Our Choice to Live Substance Free” which is the SSL motto. The entire student population was asked to vote to decide the winners.

(Courtesy of Freddie Preston)

 

 

 

Accelerated Reader

Mason Phillips, third grade, is reading to principal, Mrs. Rademacher. Mason was awarded this honor because he reached the Accelerated Reader Milestone of 300 points.

Kyle Lapp, third grade, is reading to principal, Mrs. Rademacher. Mason was awarded this honor because he reached the Accelerated Reader Milestone of 300 points..

EIU Announces Deans’ List & Graduates

More than 1,175 undergraduate students have been named to Eastern Illinois University’s Fall 2010 Deans’ List, including four local students.

Megan G. Thacher, Mt. Carroll, Hilary D. Graves and Dakota S, Radford, Pearl City, and Kathryn M. Knolhoff, Sterling were awarded Dean’s List recognition. The Deans’ List at EIU recognizes undergraduates with a declared major whose academic performance has been excellent. Students who achieve a GPA of 3.80 to 4.00 (on a 4.00 scale) while completing a minimum of 12 graded semester hours, excluding credit/no credit grades, in a fall or spring semester were named to the Deans’ List.

Degrees were also officially awarded to more than 930 Fall 2010 graduates at Eastern Illinois University.
Melissa L. Medenblik, Lanark, Bachelor of Science in Education, and Kathryn M. Knolhoff, Sterling, Bachelor of Arts, were certified by their respective deans as having completed all requirements leading to the awarding of their degrees.

Emergency Preparedness Info from the Carroll County Health Dept.

Disasters happen and there is not much we can do about that. Disasters that can occur in Illinois are earthquakes, fire, flooding, severe thunder storms, tornados, and winter storms. We saw that last year with the flood in Carroll County and families having to evacuate their homes for safety reasons. But there are things we can do to protect ourselves and our families.

Every family needs to plan for what might happen. You should sit down with your family and talk about what types of disasters might happen, what you should do to prepare, or what to do if you are asked to evacuate (which means to leave your home).

Parents: remember your children are affected by disasters too. They may be frightened because they are out of their routine. Reassure them and let them know what’s going on.

You should talk to your family about where to meet away from your home in case of a fire, or where to meet outside your neighborhood if you must evacuate and where to call to “check in” if you become separated from your family during a disaster. You should memorize the phone number of a favorite aunt or family member who lives in another state. You would call there to report where you are so your family can find you.

Also, be sure your house has a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Remember to change the batteries twice a year (a good time to change them is when we re-set our clocks in spring and fall for Daylight Savings Time). It’s also a good idea to take a first aid class so you will be prepared to help others.

Every family should have a Disaster Supply Kit in their home. The kit will help you and your family during a disaster. In a tornado, flood or winter storm for example, you might be without electricity and the water supply may be polluted, or you may not be able to leave your house for a few days. In times like this, you will need to rely on yourself. Your disaster supply kit will make it easier. Remember, your family will probably never need to use your disaster supply kit, but it’s always better to be prepared.

A disaster supply kit should include water, food (hand can opener to open canned goods), battery powered or crank radio, flashlights with extra batteries, first aid kit, whistle to signal you are trapped, and cell phones with chargers. Also include medications, money, diapers, formula, pet food, etc. A kit should also be prepared for each child to help occupy your child; things included might be coloring books, colors, books, and games.

More information can be found at the Carroll County Health Department website:

www.ccphd.org, and click on links under emergency preparedness.

NAMI Sauk Valley to Meet

NAMI Sauk Valley will meet at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 22, at the Sinnissippi Centers, 325 IL Rt. 2, Dixon. This meeting provides education as well as support to families struggling with a diagnosis of mental illness in a relative or friend.

NAMI Sauk Valley is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and NAMI Illinois, serving the residents of Ogle, Lee, Carroll and Whiteside Counties. For more information on NAMI or upcoming activities, contact Mary Ann Hutchison, local president, at 815-244-1405, or e-mail namisaukvalley@gmail.com.

Mt. Carroll Deaths Spur Formation of Coalition to Address Grain Safety

In a three-week period in the summer of 2010, seven people died in grain bin engulfments in the Midwest. This tragic loss of life led to the formation of the Grain Handling Safety Coalition (GHSC), a consortium of public and private organizations who hope to work together to reduce or prevent grain bin accidents and fatalities through education and outreach.

“I was contacted by a number of different organizations when two young men from Mt. Carroll died in a grain engulfment in late July,” said Robert Aherin, a professor and Extension agricultural safety specialist at the University of Illinois. “In addition, Catherine Rylatt, the aunt of one of the young men killed in the accident, called me. Catherine has a public health degree, and she understands some of the basic issues. She felt a real need to educate others about grain bin safety.”

Aherin and Rylatt are now two members of the 15-member coalition that includes representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); the Grain Feed Association of Illinois (GFA); the Farm Bureau; the University of Illinois; the University of Iowa; Purdue University; Illinois FFA; Carle Hospital’s Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety; Illinois Farm Service Agency; and the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

“Our initial intent was to get to know one another and learn what each group was doing in the area of grain safety,” said Aherin, “then try to consolidate our resources to address areas of weakness. That’s already started to happen.”

An example of that cooperation came late last year, when OSHA and the GFA worked together to train OSHA inspectors in grain handling systems.

“We are also developing public service announcements that will inform the public of the coalition and its goals, as well as address specific issues related to grain bin safety,” he said.

Aherin said the coalition hopes to reach the areas of population that have the greatest need - farmers, small elevator owners, and the people they employ. “Older youth and seasonal workers employed during the busy time of year need to understand the risk that is inherent in working in grain bins.”

Future plans for the coalition include a website on grain safety that will give the farming community access to training resources, publications and links to the different organizations involved in the coalition.

Aherin said there is interest in a national convention that would focus on issues of grain safety and agricultural confined spaces in general. Aherin is a member of a committee sponsored by the USDA that is focused on agricultural safety and health research and extension work. That committee has compiled a list of 13 priorities, and one of the priorities they are currently addressing is agricultural confined spaces.

“We are working on a white paper, and our hope is to collaborate with other groups (like the GHSC) to hold a national conference that will bring in researchers, educators and policy makers to look at where we are and where we need to be.

“There is also a real need to improve the safety design of grain bins,” said Aherin. “We’ve been working on issues of grain safety for a long time and we’ve reached a lot of people, but we need to reach more,” he concluded. “The procedures we are trying to teach take a little longer, but with such significant risk involved, you have to take the time to do it right. From a safety standpoint, you really have no other choice.”

ExplorACES Scheduled for March 11 and 12

ExplorACES is a two-day event designed to introduce high school students and their families to the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The event is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, Mar.12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Details about ExplorACES can be found at www.aces.illinois.edu/ExplorACES/.

The website includes information about exhibits as well as an interactive map to help guide visitors through the buildings and activities and online registration to attend receptions for admitted freshman and others.

The event is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/ExplorACES, and Twitter at twitter.com/ExplorACES.

This year ExplorACES will include over 100 hands-on exhibits relating to classroom work, club activities, and honors research. Visitors can also tour lab and classroom facilities and have the opportunity to visit with ACES faculty members.

“We are very excited about the 2011 ExplorACES event,” said Cassie Becker, one of the students planning publicity for the event. “The theme this year is about ACES being a kind of college network--playing off Facebook. We want ExplorACES to be a place where prospective and admitted students can come and find how they can get connected to the College of ACES.”

The College of ACES offers 10 undergraduate majors with 39 different concentrations, and ExplorACES helps prospective students get an overview of the potential areas of study, including bioengineering, community development, economics, human nutrition, plant breeding, and pre-veterinary studies.

For more information, visit www.aces.illinois.edu/ExplorACES/ or call 217-333-2728.

Greening Our Communities Seminar

Mark your calendars for the third annual Greening Our Communities informational seminar. The program will take place Thursday, April 21, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Buck’s Barn in Thomson, Illinois. Everyone interested in learning how to help make our communities greener places to live is encouraged to attend. Mayors, council members, public works personnel, county board members, city administrators, and community-minded citizens will especially gain from the information shared at the seminar.

The featured speaker is Mayor Ed Malloy of Fairfield, Iowa. Fairfield was name the National Entrepreneurial Community in 2003 by the Kaufman Foundation. In 2008, Fairfield was awarded an $80,000 grant by the Iowa Power Fund to create a model city sustainability strategic plan. Mayor Malloy will discuss how his city has approached sustainability planning and encouraged green development. Other seminar topics include permeable pavement, responsible outdoor lighting, stormwater management, and neighborhood rehabilitation.

Please plan to join us for another exciting Greening our Communities seminar where you will be empowered to begin moving from ideas to action.

The seminar registration fee of $25.00 includes a continental breakfast and lunch buffet. The event is sponsored by the Green Fair Alliance, the Jo-Carroll Solid Waste Agency, and University of Illinois Extension. You may register online at http://jdc.extension.uiuc.edu or call University of Illinois Extension, 815-244-9444, for a brochure.

Electric Rate Restructuring Announced by Jo-Carroll Energy

Jo-Carroll Energy members who receive electric service from the cooperative will see some changes in the rate structure beginning with their February bills.

The new structure follows a cost of service study conducted in 2010, and was approved by the board of directors in December.

Charges on a typical Jo-Carroll Energy bill include the facility (or distribution) charge, the base rate service charge and a power cost adjustment (PCA). Although members will see changes in different charges on their bills, these adjustments are neither a rate increase nor decrease, noted Michael W. Hastings, Jo-Carroll Energy president and CEO.

The restructuring follows an industry-wide trend to align rate structures with associated costs. It also fulfills a promise the cooperative made to members during the acquisition of the former Alliant Energy territory to merge rates of the legacy and acquired territories. Since the acquisition, Jo-Carroll Energy has maintained separate rate structures for the legacy territory and the acquired territory. The new rate structure sets one facility charge, one base rate and one PCA within all general service classes.

The restructuring shifts more of the fixed distribution costs to the facility charge from the base rate and recoups more of the power costs in the base rate.

“The facility charge is a fixed monthly charge all members pay that covers the costs of providing service,” Hastings noted. “The cooperative incurs these costs whether or not any kilowatt hours are used.”

Those costs include material and labor needed to maintain power lines and poles, substation and infrastructure improvements, right-of-way maintenance and other fixed costs. Under the rate restructuring all single-phase members will pay a facility charge of $25. Hastings noted that the 2010 cost of service study showed that the actual cost to deliver service to each account is closer to $45.

The new structure also consolidates rate schedules, reducing complexity. Previously there were eight rate schedules for single-phase general service. The redesign also introduces a two-tier structure for the base rate energy charge, and applies primarily to residential accounts. The per kilowatt (kWh) charge remains at 9.5 cents for the first 1500 kWh. The charge is 13 cents per kWh for use over 1500 kWh.

The redesign has the effect of reducing the PCA by 60 percent compared to the old structure. The PCA will continue to fluctuate. It can be adjusted either up or down depending on the cost of power each month based on the monthly power bill received from the cooperative’s energy providers. The PCA is determined by how much the monthly power cost per kWh is above or below the anticipated power cost.

The Morrison Clinic Announces Open House and Expanded Services

The Morrison Clinic, located at 105 S. Heaton St., cordially invites the public to an Open House on Thursday, February 17, 2011. The event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. with a Morrison Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at 5:30.

Join Drs. William Bird IV, John Luckey, Edward Hanlon and Cindy Wadsworth, CNP, to celebrate the grand opening, while touring the new and expanded clinic and viewing the gallery of local barn photographs by artist Larry Kanfer.

“Construction for the $1.4 million expansion began last spring,” said Randy Davis, CGH Vice-President of Physician Services. “The project tripled the size of the clinic from 4,000 square feet to 12,000. The new portion of the building was completed in late December. At the end of January, Edward Hanlon, OD, moved into the building from his previous office at 626 E. Lincolnway in Morrison.

“I’m very excited about our ability to better serve Western Whiteside County with the expansion of the Morrison Clinic,” said Dr. Bird. “Not only will we be able to expand the number of primary care patients we can accommodate, but patients will now also have a single site to access eye care and multiple medical specialists.”

The additional space will also provide access to on-site specialty services. Over the course of the next month, the following board-certified physicians from the Sterling Rock Falls Clinic, a wholly owned subsidiary of CGH Medical Center, will begin seeing patients at The Morrison Clinic:

· Mir A. Alikhan, MD (Hematology/Oncology)

· Marc Booth, MD (Ophthalmology)

· Chester Dela Cruz, MD (Neurology)

· Terry Donat, MD (ENT, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery)

· John H. Exner, MD (Dermatology)

· Ranjit B. Gowda, MD (Pain Management)

· Shawn Hanlon, MD (Orthopedics)

· Jorge Monteagudo, MD (Gastroenterology)

· Eric K. Riley, MD (Podiatric Surgery)

· Mark L. Schmelzel, MD (General and Vascular Surgery)

For more information about the services that The Morrison Clinic offers, please call (815) 772-8100 or visit www.srfc.com

Relay For Life Kick Off

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Carroll County will be holding it’s Kick Off celebration on Monday, February 28 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at the Mt. Carroll United Methodist Church located at 216 South Main Street in Mt. Carroll. Come and learn more about the Relay For Life of Carroll County and register your team. Remember to bring a new captain with you to the Kick Off. The more Relayers we have, the more birthdays we can celebrate this year. Relay For Life of Carroll County will be celebrating it’s 10th Birthday this year and has taken on the theme of celebrating more birthdays this year. At the Kick Off there will be snacks, Minute to Win It games and information about some new and exciting changes for this year. Team packets will be available for pick up and much more. Carroll County Relay For Life will be held on Saturday, June 11 at the Middle School in Mt. Carroll this year. Come and help us celebrate more birthdays and make the 10th year the biggest.

Woman Discovered Deceased

On Monday, February 14, 2011, at approximately 5:33 a.m., Morrison Police were called to 220 East Main Street, Morrison regarding a person lying next to the building. Upon arrival, Morrison Police discovered Jan Crossman, age 49 of Morrison, deceased.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, February 15 and at this time; there is no evidence of foul play.

The death remains under investigation by the Morrison Police Department and the Whiteside County Coroner. The Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office assisted in this incident.