By Dixie SchroeDerdschroeder@tonicanews.com

TONICA – Most people know just how impor-tant early reading is to a child’s development. A national survey noted 78 percent of preschool par-ents surveyed believed

reading was important to children being ready for kindergarten.

There are many things a parent can do to help their child become ready for kindergarten or even preschool. Parents can first and foremost make an environment that is

filled with examples of positive literacy. In other words, parents can read with their children and assist their children to help grow their vocabu-lary and establish a life-long love of reading.

Several of the things a parent or guardian can

do to make a positive literacy environment in their homes include set-ting a time aside each day to read with their child or children. Twen-ty minutes a day is the recommended amount of time. Adults can have children select the books to read and start by simply reading the title and asking their child

what they think the title might be about. Children should be allowed to see the book as it is read to them, focusing on illus-trations, pictures and even letting them turn the page.

While an adult reads a book with a child, stop often to ask questions

1 Front

The Tonica NewsVolume 140 No. 29 Friday, September 13, 2013

Single Copy Cost 50¢

Lostant looks for flood relief

College enrollments

are down

Curling up with a good bookSeptember is National Literacy Month

By Ken SchroeDerkschroeder@tonicanews.com

LOSTANT — As has been the case through-out the Illinois Valley this summer, the main topic at the Lostant Village Board meeting on Sept. 9 was flooding. Four resi-dents of Second Street were in attendance look-ing for answers to the flooding problems that have plagued the street for some time.

Run-off from the field to the east of the village has caused water to pool in the neighborhood, causing property dam-age during the last couple of years, and the heavy April rains this year only heightened the problem.

Streets and alleys chairman Chris Dose said he’s trying to get some grant and planning assis-tance from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), but so far

has had little success.“I called IEMA last

week, and they were in meetings all week,” Dose said. “This week, the lady (who handles this area) is on vacation.”

“Obviously, we’d like to see something done before the end of the year,” said Dave Brady, one of the residents pres-ent at the board meeting.

Resident Dave Beavers had some suggestions on how to alleviate the prob-

lem.“Normally it takes

about 12 hours for that water to get through. Our idea is, if we could slow it down, maybe to take 24 hours to get it to the point where it’s not run-ning up Caldwell Street,” Beavers said.

John Gennert, the farmer who tends the field east of town, has been invited to a cou-ple of meetings to try to find an answer, but has

not been present at one yet. Many of the more effective solutions would require his consent to enact.

Village President Fred Hartenbower said he and fellow resident Jack Moore had looked into solving the problem with-out Gennert’s approval.

“Jack and I have looked at a lot of different laws,” Hartenbower said. “It depends on what they call it. If it’s just sur-

face water, then we could put a dam here. It’s best to work with the other owner and get his bless-ing; and not get into a conflict.”

Moore, who was also present at the meeting, encouraged acting with-out Gennert’s permis-sion.

“None of those farmers are going to agree with what you do over there,”

By Ken SchroeDerkschroeder@tonicanews.com

OGLESBY – Accord-ing to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, college enrollment in Fall 2012 plunged by half a mil-lion (467,000) from one year earlier. This decline, which includes both graduate and undergrad-uate enrollment, follows a period of substantial growth between 2006 and 2011.

As the nation’s stu-dents begin a new school year, the Census Bureau released its annual set of tables on the charac-teristics of children and adults enrolled in school at all levels from nurs-ery to graduate school. Among the characteris-tics examined were age, sex, race, Hispanic ori-gin, nativity and foreign-born parentage.

The decline in college enrollment was driven by older students, those 25 and older. Their enroll-ment fell by 419,000, while the enrollment of younger students declined by 48,000.

In 2012, there were 19.9 million college stu-dents, including 5.8 mil-lion enrolled in two-year colleges, 10.3 million in four-year colleges and 3.8 million in graduate school.

Locally, Illinois Val-ley Community College’s enrollment also slipped.

Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder

Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic ... and recessMegan McGuire climbs up the monkey bars during recess at Tonica Grade School.

Vol. 140 No. 29

One Section - 8 Pages

© The Tonica News

InsideLGS hosts

‘Unpack Your Backpack’See Page 6

See Flood relief Page 3

See College Page 2 See Literacy Page 4

2 Local2 • The Tonica News • Friday, September 13, 2013

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ContactPublisherSam Fishersfisher@tonicanews.com

EditorTerri Simontsimon@tonicanews.com

September is National Piano Month

By Dixie SchroeDerdschroeder@tonicanews.com

TONICA — Ever heard of Bartolomeo Cristofori? While his name may not ring any bells, the impact Cristofori has had on today’s culture cannot be ignored.

Cristofori is the inventor of the modern day piano. A simple instrument that hits various strings with differing frequency using a keyboard, the piano has been the basis for music for hundreds of years. He made the first piano dur-ing the Italian Renaissance Era.

Today society acknowl-edges the piano as an important and influential instrument within every musical genre, past and present. It is used by many popular artists. Elton John, Billy Joel, Adele and even the unusual Flava Flav use the piano for recording and during live performances.

Even fictional charac-ters have used the piano in memorable ways in popular culture. Schroeder from the comic strip “Pea-nuts,” Sam from the clas-sic movie “Casablanca” and even Kurt Vonnegut’s “Kilgore Trout” have all played the piano.

One of the quickest growing groups of want-to-be piano players in the United States today are adults, 25 to 75 years old. These adults have taken lessons as children but dropped the lessons and playing the piano, and they have now come back to it.

Alex Teater, music teacher at Tonica Grade School, understands the importance of piano music in children’s lives.

“The piano is one of the most versatile and recog-nizable instruments that exists today,” he said. “As a music teacher, I use the piano every day in my class. Whether I am play-ing a few notes to help my students match pitch, or accompanying their song with several chords, my students respond to the instrument in a very posi-tive manner.

“As a music educator and musician, I believe that music is a fundamen-tal building block to our personal identity,” Teater continued. “It opens the doorway to understanding other cultures; it allows us to express our feelings; and it stimulates our cre-ativity. By using the piano in my classroom, I am able to pass those beliefs to my students more effectively than any recorded music ever could.”

Today’s pianos are engi-neered with craftsman-ship and a goal to produce good music. Technology has played a part in which the piano has profitted in tone and performance sound.

Different types of pianos include the digital piano, player piano and silent piano. The player piano was invented in 1863 by Henri Fourneaux to enter-tain the masses. Today music is in a majority of homes, and the piano is in the thick of it. American jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans had this to say about the piano, and the influence it has on indi-viduals.

“When you play music, you discover a part of yourself that you never knew existed,” he said.

Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder

Hanging aroundJerzi Morstheiser of Tonica Grade School plays on the hanging rings during recess.

“We’re down 6 percent in head count this year from last year,” said IVCC Direc-tor of Community Relations and Development Fran Brolley. “We’re also down 6 percent in credit hours taken.”

For IVCC, this is not a new occurrence. Enrollment has been on the decline for a couple of years.

“We set record atten-dance in 2010,” said Brol-ley. “We had 8,361 credit students enrolled between our fall spring and summer semesters. Numbers have been slipping since then.”

Speculation on the rea-sons for the drop in enroll-ment point predominately toward economics with col-lege being financially out of reach for many and the amount of grant money available being cut. Addi-tionally, there’s a growing concern that college may not be worth the invest-ment with at least one esti-mate of approximately 53 percent of college graduates currently unemployed or under-employed.

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Moore said. “You’ve got to go ahead and do it. Let them go through a lawyer, file a civil law-suit, and let the judge decide who’s right.”

A solution had been suggested in 1998 when this problem was addressed before, according to Dean Chalkey, project man-ager for Chamlin and Associates, but when the weather turned drier over the years, no action was taken. That solution included construction of an earthen berm with multiple outlet points to slow the water down as well as a connect-ing road between First and Second streets. This solution is currently estimated at $100,000.

“If you think we’re going to take $100,000 and do something and bury a bunch of pipe, I don’t think the board’s going to end up support-ing that,” Hartenbower said.

Chalkey said the earli-er estimate included the connecting road, and he would need to review the project to determine the cost.

When questioned about whether the vil-lage was going to ignore the problem, Harten-bower told the board he had instructed the board secretary to keep the matter on the board’s agenda until the board is able to solve the issue or

forced to admit there is nothing it can do.

In other action, the board:

• Heard from Public Works supervisor Mitch McCaw on some prob-lems with the sewer system. Two pumps had failed recently and had to be fixed. No bill has been received yet, but the board OKed a payment not to exceed $8,000. McCaw told the board replacement would be necessary down the road, but the pump hose currently runs on one phase power, and it would need to convert to three phase due to scar-city of one phase pumps.

• Approved an expen-diture of no more than $800 to fix a control panel at the pump house. The panel also failed with the pumps.

• Heard a report from Health and Safety super-visor Tony Allison con-cerning dog registration and fees. Currently, Allison said there were more dogs unregistered than registered, but that was normal at this time of year. The board also revisited the kennel fees for three or more dogs, concerning a resident who claims he has two apartments and his dogs are split between them, therefore skirting the “three or more dogs at one residence” law.

• Tabled a request to hire an additional assis-tant for tree-trimming for the village, pending more information.

3 Obit/RecordsFriday, September 13, 2013 • The Tonica News • 3

Quinn announces $496,000 for construction in LaSalle County

TVFD responds to building fire

Buying an alarm system?

MARSEILLES — Gov. Pat Quinn has announced a capital investment of more than $496,000 for a road construction project in LaSalle County. The project is part of Quinn’s agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois’ economy forward.

“This construction project will improve a section of I-80, a key Midwestern transporta-tion route,” Quinn said. “It will also employ a number of construction workers, which will help the local economy as well.”

Pavement will be patched along Interstate 80 from the Bureau County line to the Marseilles interchange for $496,762 by D Con-struction Inc. of Coal City, the lowest of three bidders. The Illinois Department of Transportation will man-age the project.

“Improving and sus-taining our infrastructure is important to our area and to our state,” State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said. “This capital invest-ment will provide some needed updates to the area and create the jobs we so badly need in the state.”

TONICA — At 4 p.m. Sept. 5, the Tonica Vol-unteer Fire Depart-ment was paged out for a structure fire at the rural address of 237 N. 19th Road. On arrival, the department found a small out-building totally involved in fire. Tonica

command declared the fire under control and was doing overhaul oper-ations at approximately 4:25 p.m.

The Tonica Fire Department responded with two pumpers, a ten-der and a rescue unit, with the ambulance on

stand-by. As part of the recently implement-ed auto aid agreement, Lostant Fire Department also responded with a pumper. LaSalle County Sheriff’s Department pro-vided traffic control.

The structure and the small amount of con-

tents in the building were determined to be a total loss. The fire is still under investigation, but indications are that it was started by embers from a nearby brush pile fire. There were no inju-ries to civilians or fire-fighters.

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, vacation-ing and outdoor adven-tures. Unfortunately, it is also a busy time for burglars. Investing in an alarm system may be a necessary purchase for some homeowners. The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois (BBB) is advising homeowners, who are looking to install a home security system, to do research first.

It is not uncommon for unethical salesmen to go door-to-door with high pressure sales tactics, making homeowners act quickly. They will go over the big details of their sys-tem and rush through the process to make a sale. Unfortunately, the sense of urgency these salesmen give to their customers can lead to a lot of trou-ble later on if the proper research is not done.

“A home security sys-tem is a major purchase, and it is important that you research thoroughly before making any deci-sions,” said Steve J. Ber-nas, president/CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. “There are many door-to-door salesmen that may not have your wants, needs

and safety as high on their list of priorities.”

The BBB advises con-sumers to do the following when looking to invest in a home security system:

• Choose a professional installer. Deal only with reputable firms and check out the company’s Busi-ness Review with your BBB first at www.bbb.org You may also get a rec-ommendation from the insurance company that covers your home. Care-fully consider your securi-ty requirements. The best home security system will accommodate your lifestyle and the specific valuables you want pro-tected. Review the sales contract closely to ensure you understand exactly what equipment and pro-tection you will be provid-ed and that it fulfills your wants and needs best. Contact at least three companies before select-ing an installer. Research multiple companies and find out if they are proper-ly licensed in Illinois and if they screen employees before hiring.

• Ask about all charges

up front. Prices for home security systems will vary greatly, based on the level of protection and type of technology used, so be sure to know your bud-get and compare bids on similar systems. Do not forget to factor in the ini-tial installation charge, as well as monthly monitor-ing charges. Talk to your insurance agent; some systems may qualify you for a discount on home-owner’s premiums. Ask for a complete inspec-tion of your property and an itemized written esti-mate. Know the ins and outs of your contract. If your alarm system will be monitored, either by your installing company or by a third-party monitoring center, find out the length of the contract. Typically, monitoring contracts are between two to five years in length. Some questions to ask before you obligate yourself to a long term contract:

1. What is your recourse if you are not satisfied with the services provid-ed?

2. Can you cancel the

contract?3. What are your rights if

your monitoring company is purchased or acquired by another alarm com-pany?

• Insist he installer “walks” you through your system until you fully understand how it works. This will prevent the most common problem: False alarms. False alarms are an indicator of the quality of the alarm installation and user education. Make sure that you are aware of how your system works and that all of you ques-tions are answered.

For more information on finding businesses and consumer tips, visit www.bbb.org

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4 Biz Ag4 • The Tonica News • Friday, September 13, 2013

Meeting CalendarFish for stocking

USPS brings major changes to

Priority Mail

Woodland owner conference

Sept. 16 — Tonica Village, Tonica Village Hall, 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 — Tonica School Board, Tonica Grade School, 7 p.m.

OTTAWA — LaSalle County Soil and Water Conservation District is taking orders for fish to stock new ponds or restock existing ponds.

Orders must be received by Sept. 20. Fish will be delivered to the district parking lot at Route 23 and Dayton Road at 8 a.m. Oct. 2.

Information and order forms are available on the district’s website: www.lasalleswcd.org or by calling the district at 815-433-0551, ext. 3.

TONICA — Free insurance, improved tracking and day spe-cific delivery are part of the U.S. Postal Ser-vices’ new Priority Mail product line.

“Now our customers can get an even great-er value when they use our Priority Mail products,” said Tonica Postmaster, Kathleen Newhalfen. “This Prior-ity Mail line gives small businesses and other shippers another rea-son to use the Postal Service.”

Priority Mail will now provide sched-uled delivery: 1-day, 2-day or 3-day based on the original and des-tination of the pack-age. The Postal Service will provide improved USPS tracking for all priority mail products. Tracking and sched-uled delivery informa-tion will be prominent-ly and conveniently located on customer’s retail receipts and is also available online using Track and Con-firm.

Free insurance is another new Priority Mail feature designed to meet the growing needs of small busi-

nesses and other fre-quent shippers. Prior-ity Mail 1-day, 2-day or 3-day will include $50 or $100 of insurance coverage depending on the payment method, such as whether a cus-tomer brought it to a retail counter or it was paid for online.

“Our customers expect more from us,” Newhalfen said. “We will continue to meet their expectations by providing them with important new features that include new pack-aging, free insurance, date specific delivery and free tracking.”

N e w l y - r e d e s i g n e d Priority Mail boxes and envelopes are avail-able in post offices and online at usps.com with many priority mail flat rate sizes and pricing. Express Mail services will continue as Prior-ity Mail Express, pro-viding next day service with a money back guarantee and up to $100 of free insurance.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

UTICA/OGLESBY — The Illinois Forestry Association is holding its annual conference on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21, at Starved Rock State Park and Illinois Valley Commu-nity College in LaSalle County. Both IFA mem-bers and the public are invited to attend either the entire event or any portion they wish. This year’s theme is “Here Comes the Sun” - giving your trees room to grow.

Friday afternoon field trips from 1 to 4 p.m. are free; professional forest-ers will discuss ways to provide your better trees the resources they need

to improve.Friday night, from 6

until 9 p.m., the IFA will host a dinner. The key-note speaker is Dr. Wil-liam Luppold, research economist for the USDA Forest Service, present-ing aspects of the inter-national timber market that apply to Illinois woodland owners — where our timber goes, what it is used for, and export and import mar-kets as well. The charge for the dinner and speak-er is $25.

Saturday, indoor pre-sentations from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. will cover the methods addressed on Friday, what to con-

sider before opening the forest canopy, the wild-life benefits from opening the canopy, and the eco-nomic improvement to your timber from these methods. Saturday’s ses-sions include lunch, and the fee is $25. Speakers are from university for-estry schools, the IDNR and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

The fee for attending the entire program of field trips, dinner/speak-er/ and indoor sessions is $45.

More details are avail-able on the IFA’s web-site, www.ilforestry.org/events. Alterna-tively, reservations can

be made by mailing a check (made out to the Illinois Forestry Asso-ciation) and an indica-tion of which portions of the program you wish to attend, to Richard Pouzar, 2303 W. Cord-ing Road, Galena, IL 61036. Registrations and fees must be received by Sept. 15.

Questions can be sent to admin@ilforestry.org. Lower registration fees are available to IFA mem-bers: You can become a member on their web-site. The Illinois Forestry Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organiza-tion, registered with the state of Illinois.

as to how the story is developing and what may happen next. This prac-tice helps a child develop comprehension skills. Repetition is important when reading with chil-dren, and a child learns from re-reading a book over and over again.

According to the LaSal-le Public Library, early reading with children is important. Early liter-acy and the creation of language through read-ing and writing skills are developed at about the same time in a child’s life. These skills are created in

a child’s life through book reading, paper, crayons and a child’s parent or caregiver.

Laura Frizol, library director at the LaSalle Public Library, agrees that providing a foundation when children are young is important.

“Literacy is the founda-tion upon which so many aspects of a person’s life are based upon,” she said. “It is the basis of what allows a person to complete critical

activities such as filling out a job application or being able to read and under-stand their daily bills. The ability to read and com-prehend is fundamental. It is never too late to learn these skills.”

Lostant Grade School librarian RuthAnn Brizgis also thinks reading and lit-eracy are important.

“Reading is a big part of the learning process, and the library is one of the many tools that can

be used in that process,” she said. “The library can offer the participant many ways to enrich their learn-ing from text to visual.”

Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author, poet and writer, has been a strong literacy activist over her career. She noted the importance of literacy in a person’s life.

“Reading and writ-ing, like everything else, improves with prac-tice,” Atwood said. “And of course, if there are no young readers and writers, there will shortly be no older ones. Literacy will be dead, and democracy — which many believe goes hand in hand with it, will be dead as well.”

LiteracyFrom Page 1

“Reading and writing, like everything else, improves with practice.”

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It didn’t seem like that long ago I was writing my “last day of school/first day of summer” article. Sadly, I was planning on writing a “first day of school/last day of summer” article, but that didn’t work out as planned. I guess I should have followed my own advice; I really shouldn’t make plans. The first week of 2 p.m. dismissals, reviews and count-less syllabuses has been BRUTAL.

I’m only joking. The first week is always the easi-est, content-wise. It’s all reviews, mainly. The most challenging part of the whole year is trying to work out a decent sleep schedule between night shifts at work and early morning classes. Please wish myself and most of the student body luck in this year’s sleeping endeavors. Sleeping is important; that’s when your dreams get conjured up and reminds you of things you would love to forget.

That first day of school sneaks up on you with the subtlety of a brick thrown through your window. Instead of a single insult, this brick contains a list of all the activities you never accomplished in the two and a half months of freedom. It may be a long list (if so, lower your standards, or get off your couch and do something!) or a short list (raise your stan-dards, kid, or congrats for doing most of the things on your list). Either way, 99 percent of the time you won’t accomplish every little thing you desire. And that’s OK. You try and try and try until your knuckles bleed or the Advil supply has severely diminished. That’s what prioritizing is all about.

Back to the brick. So it comes in your window, shattering whatever chance you had left of doing everything on your list, and POOF! ... You’re magi-cally walking down the school hallway after what felt like yesterday. You say hi to your friends you haven’t seen in a while. You step in front of the locker assigned to you in your freshmen year, your old friend, your home away from home. You spin the lock and the numbers click in place before you even repeat the numbers in your head. It’s so engraved in your brain that your fingers move faster than your mind. And you’re back. Nothing has changed. When you sit down at a desk in your first hour, you’re already dreaming of your last day in May.

Will you graduate? Or will you continue this rou-tine next year? Who knows? We don’t know where we’ll be tomorrow. Hopefully, you have enough control of your grades to know that you’ll advance a grade or graduate if everything stays as planned.

But if any of you folks remember Part 1 of my June article, plans are not something I am fond of. I encourage them, yes, but I do not completely believe in them. I believe in going with the flow, but I also believe in going against the tide. I believe in letting the pieces fall into the places you’ve crafted and allowing them to fit as they please. I believe in laws and rules, but I also believe in dreams and the power of them. I believe that education can launch you in that direction.

So essentially ... I believe in the first day of school.

Maddi Loiselle, 16, of Hennepin is a junior at Putnam County High School. She can be reached in care of Putnam county Record at P.O. Box 48, Granville, IL 61326.

5 PerspectiveFriday, September 13, 2013 • The Tonica News • 5

That first day ...

Flippin’ the birdieI have always lived with the sincere

belief that everyone is born with at least one God-given talent that they can do better than almost anyone else. The key to success in life is fig-uring out what that talent is before you die.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if Rembrandt, Da Vinci or Grandma Moses had never picked up a paint brush? What if Shake-speare became a pirate instead of putting ink to paper? What if Michael Jordan had never picked up a bas-ketball? What if Donald Trump had never done whatever it is he does?

I think that’s what separates us “regular” folks from the “famous” people. They’ve just been lucky enough to have stumbled upon what they are truly good at. The rest of us are just hanging around trying to fig-ure out what our “thing” is. For most of my life, I’ve wandered the planet trying to determine my “special” talent. Sometimes the planets align themselves in just the right way, and I’m happy to report that I may have found my calling.

I recently made the delightful discovery that I am an awesome bad-minton player. In fact if I were a little younger, had received the proper coaching and training, I might possi-bly have been one of the world’s best badminton players … ever. Alas, I probably won’t turn professional now because when you combine the facts that I’m in my late-40s and up until the time of writing this, I thought the word was spelled “badmitton” instead of “badminton.” I guess that none of us world-class athletes are known to be brainiacs. It’s because we spend so much time in the gym honing our skills.

I discovered that I was a prodigy when my mother sent home some 50-year-old badminton paraphernalia with my daughter a few weeks back. The equipment had just been gather-ing dust up in the storeroom, and Mom thought she would enjoy play-ing with it. The equipment consisted of three or four banged-up, warped rackets, and three shuttlecocks, or as

we in the sport refer to as “birdies.”That’s it. There was no net. I imag-

ine that it deteriorated into dust back during the first term of the Reagan Administration. But that didn’t really bother us. The way I see it, a net would just hamper my natural fluid-ity and grace when playing the sport. I’d hate to cheat any of my neighbors watching me play and enjoying my graceful leaps, bounds and spins.

My daughter and I just go out in the backyard and whack the birdies around. There aren’t any boundaries or rules to speak of. In fact, it’s kind of an added challenge to play around the trampoline, hammock and cable television wire. It’s tough, but real athletes adapt.

At first, her 8-year-old coordina-tion prevented her from hitting the birdie on a regular basis, or some-times, at all. When she did manage to get ahold of one, I was pleasantly surprised to find the natural ease I had in returning it to her. It almost seemed second nature as I flicked the racket about, flipping the birdie back in her direction.

The more we played, the bet-ter we got. She was able to hit the birdie much more consistently, and I started to get more confidence in my play. It has gotten to the point where I almost feel bad when I vio-lently smash the birdie back toward her wide-eyed, terror-stricken face. I tell her I’m sorry and try to explain to her that when you’re riding a thor-oughbred, sometimes you just have to let the horse run.

The other day when we were play-ing, I noticed that she was showing vast improvement. Not only was she hitting the birdie more often, but she was also hitting it to areas beyond the 2-3 foot radius I can comfortably cover without sweating and/or hurt-ing myself. She audibly giggles when she hears Daddy’s knees make funny noises.

Evidently, my wife had been prac-ticing with her while I wasn’t home. I guess that she doesn’t derive the same kind of joy that I do in my total badminton domination of a little girl. My daughter’s getting pretty good. In fact, sometimes the master has become the student. She’ll probably take the sport to heights that I can only imagine. Apparently the birdie doesn’t fall far from the tree.

So it is with this in mind that I come before you today to announce that I am now retiring from the sport of badminton. It’s tough stepping away from the game I’ve so deeply loved and cherished over the past month and a half, but I don’t want to be one of those guys that held on for too long. No, it’s time for a new breed of superstar to step into the spot-light and take the reins. I’ve had my moment in the sun.

What would have happened if I had taken up the sport back when I was in my teens? One can only imagine. Sure, I’d most likely have made mil-lions traveling around the globe play-ing in the Professional Badminton League. I’d probably still be playing in Europe somewhere on the senior circuit, trying to shoo away all the badminton groupies who would just be after me for my fame and fortune. It would have been a totally differ-ent kind of life, but I don’t know if I would be truly happy right now. It leaves a person to wonder what could have been.

But don’t feel bad for me. No, I was lucky enough to find my purpose here on this planet before it was too late. So I wish all of you readers the best of luck as you travel through life. I hope that you all somehow stumble upon the one thing that you’re better at than anyone else and makes you happy.

What will I do in my retirement? Well everybody had better look out next summer because I’m pretty sure my mom has a 50-year-old croquet set buried in that storeroom some-where.

You can contact Wallace at gwal-lace@bcrnews.com. You can follow him on his blog at http://gregwalla-ceink.blogspot.com.

“I think it might make people want to text more behind the wheel, since

they can no longer can call or use their phones. This

may cause other problems.”Jan Gray, Leonore

“Just because they signed a piece of paper doesn’t mean it’s a law. I mean they are going to have to police it. There’s not enough police to cover that amount of people using cell phones when they drive. They can’t police that. There is no

way. It’s too complicated.”Mark Demiam, Serena

“It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. I don’t really use mine all that much. There’s a bit too much government in

our lives. Sounds like a lot more paperwork for the police, unfortunately.”

Kelli Demiam, Serena

“I think its important. I know in our area we have

had a lot of accidents wheth-er it was texting or talking on the phone or whatever, especially with all the con-

struction going on in Illinois. I would agree with it.”

Kerry Gordon, Berlin, Wis.

“That’s a very good idea. No texting or no talking makes

the road a whole lot safer. It’s not intrusive. No not for this. It’s about being safer on the

road.”Terri Myers, Normal

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 hometown will be published, however, the telephone number is only used to verify the authenticity of the author’s sig-nature and will not be published. Unsigned letters are never read or published. No letter will be pub-lished 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.

MaddiLoiselle

COMMENTARY

GregWallaceFROM THE SKETCHBOOK

On the street As of Jan. 1, 2014, it will be illegal to drive and use a handheld cell phone at the same time. What do you think of this new

law in Illinois?

6 Life6 • The Tonica News • Friday, September 13, 2013

Community LGS hosts ‘Unpack

Your Backpack’

LOSTANT – Lostant Grade School hosted its “Unpack your Backpack” and open house night on Aug. 15. This night was set up for the families of the students and any interest-ed community members to visit the school and learn more about what will be happening in the coming school year. A hot dog dinner was served in the school cafeteria.

“Unpack your Back-pack” night allows the students to drop off their supplies prior to school starting and gives the students, their families and the community, the opportunity to meet new teachers and see how the classrooms will be set up when school starts. With the new instructional model going into effect this year, “Unpack your Backpack” also gave the teachers the opportunity to explain to the families how the new model would work.

Photos contributedAbove: Diana Ioerger (from left), school board president; Susan Swartz, assis-tant cook; Cindy Burcar, school board member; and Nicole Larson, cook; get the meal ready during Lostant Grade School’s “Unpack Your Backpack” night and open house Aug. 15. Below: Local Lostant families enjoyed a meal during the Lostant Grade School’s “Unpack Your Backpack” night and open house Aug. 15.

Wheels for Nathan

By Dixie SchroeDerdschroeder@tonicanews.com

LOSTANT — A benefit for a local Lostant boy is set to be held on Oct. 12 at Dave’s Lost-Ant on Route 251, south of Lostant. Nathan Burcar of Lostant is suffering from Duchenne’s, a rare and debilitating form of Muscular Dystrophy.

Wheels for Nathan is a fundraiser dedicated to helping raise money for Burcar to get a specially-made power wheelchair and adjust his home to accommodate the chair, according to Nathan Burcar’s mother, Josie Lutz.

“It is for Nathan to ultimately get his power wheelchair which has to be specially made to fit him,” she said. “We have a guy that will be coming from Chicago to do that. But we will also have to have ramps on the house

and have six of our door-ways widened.”

Nathan’s father, Doug Burcar, has donated his 1985 Harley David-son Sportster XLX 1000 motorcycle with 17,000 miles on it for a raf-fle at the event on Oct. 12. The motorcycle will be on display at Uncle Stewy’s Roadhouse until the benefit. Participants in the raffle need not be present to win.

The benefit will feature a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, a hog roast, other raffles and live entertainment through-out the event. There will be a children’s bouncing house, face painting and a balloon fellow on hand for the kids.

Sponsors from the area include Country Catering, Blue Collar Bikes, Hi-Hart, S & N Boardwalk, Quaker Lane Est. and the Stone Seed Group.

For questions or to purchase tickets, con-tact Dave’s Lost-Ant at 815-368-9090.

Benefit to be held Oct. 12

• • •

Visit us online at www.tonicanews.com.

MenusPutnam County

Community CenterSept. 16 — Chicken

ala king, mashed pota-toes, lima beans, apricot halves, buttermilk.

Sept. 17 — Chicken salad, pasta salad, fruit compote, dessert.

Sept. 18 — Baked chicken quarter, red quartered potatoes, steamed spinach, citrus cup, Texas sheet cake, wheat bread.

Sept. 19 — Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, roll and butter, dessert.

Sept. 20 — Tuna salad, navy bean soup, mixed vegetables, Mandarin oranges, wheat bread.

Lostant Grade SchoolBreakfast

Sept. 16 — Biscuits and gravy.

Sept. 17 — Omelets.Sept. 18 — French

toast.Sept. 19 — Pigs in a

blanket.Sept. 20 — Breakfast

pizza.Lunch

Sept. 16 — Chicken quesadilia, rice, carrots, pineapple.

Sept. 17 — Baked ham, au gratin potatoes, green beans, pears, bread and butter.

Sept. 18 — Grilled cheese, chips, grapes, veggies and dip.

Sept. 19 — BBQ rib on bun, cheesy potatoes, peaches, cookie.

Sept. 20 — Pizza, lettuce salad, carrots, grapes.

Tonica Grade SchoolBreakfast

Sept. 16 — Pancake and sausage on a stick, cereal or yogurt, toast, fruit, juice, milk.

Sept. 17 — Pancakes, cereal or yogurt, toast, fruit, juice, milk.

Sept. 18 — Scrambled eggs, cereal or yogurt, toast, fruit, juice, milk.

Sept. 19 - French toast sticks, cereal or yogurt, toast, fruit, juice, milk.

Sept. 20 — Bagel with cream cheese, cereal or yogurt, toast, fruit, juice, milk.

LunchSept. 16 — Chicken

wrap, shredded lettuce, carrots, pears, cheese cup, sour cream, salsa, salad dressing, milk.

Sept. 17 — Spaghetti, sauce, meal balls, Romaine lettuce, fruit side kick, bread stick, salad dressing, milk.

Sept. 18 — Chicken nuggets, broccoli, car-rots, peaches, cookies, ranch, ketchup, milk.

Sept. 19 — Breaded pork patty, bun, green beans, Mandarin orang-es, orange Jell-O, cool whip, ketchup, mustard, pickles, milk.

Sept. 20 — Hot dog, bun, corn on the cob, baked beans, melon, ketchup, mustard, milk.

IVCC summer graduatesOGLESBY — Three

local residents were among the 240 students who picked up their degrees following the 2013 summer semester at Illinois Valley Com-munity College.

Marie Janusick of Lostant is now a cer-

tified nursing assistant. Krista Lenhausen, also of Lostant, received her associate degree in sci-ence. Benjamin Blan-co of Tonica received his associate degree in applied science in elec-trical construction tech-nology.

Edgewood Ladies LeagueMCNABB — The Edgewood Ladies League met on

Sept. 3. Hostesses for the day were Kay Marincic and Jackie Stupic. The play of the day was low putts. Winners included in A flight — Catherine Gregarich; B flight — Kay Marincic, Dolly PIccolli and Donna Berry; in C flight — Kathy Kline. Low gross for the day was Cyndi Palm who also had low net. Low putts was Catherine Gregarich, and birdies was Cyndi Palm.

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Join Terri Simon for a book signing of her new book:

Sept. 14: Homestead Festival from 10 a.m. to noon on the Verizon lawn next to the Prouty Building

Sept. 15: Homestead Festival from noon to 3 p.m. on the Verizon lawn next to the Prouty Building (Rain location inside the Prouty Building)

While supplies last.

Book Signing

7 LifeFriday, September 13, 2013 • The Tonica News • 7

LASALLE — The pro-gram “Shelfari — What’s It All About?” will be presented at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at the LaSalle Public Library.

Shelfari is a social cataloging website for books. Shelfari users build virtual bookshelves of the titles they own or have read, and can rate, review, tag and dis-cuss their books. Users can also create groups that other members

may join, create discus-sions and talk about books or other topics. Recommendations can be sent to friends on the site for what books to read.

Learn more when experienced user Nancy Nieslawski walks you through the world of Shelfari, and all it has to offer. This program is free and open to the public.

Library Corner

I’m sure you have a lot of extra tomatoes from the garden. How about trying some fresh tomato recipes to accompany your meals? There’s nothing better than the fresh sliced tomatoes by themselves or with your sandwich or any casserole.

Pico de Gallo2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced1 medium-size ripe avocado, diced1/4 cup diced white onion1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely

chopped (optional)2 tablespoons lime juice1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oilSalt to tasteToss together first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Cover and chill 1 hour. Season with salt to taste.

Corn and Tomato Salad1 1/2 cups bow-tie pasta2 fresh ears of corn or 1 cup whole kernel frozen

corn1 cup shredded, cooked chicken1 large tomato, seeded and chopped (about 3/4

cup)1/4 cup olive oil3 tablespoons vinegar2 to 3 tablespoons pesto1 tablespoon chicken broth or water1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepperRomaine leaves2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheeseSnipped fresh basilCook pasta according to package directions. Drain

pasta, rinse in cold water and drain again. Mean-while, if using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs. Cook corn, covered, in boiling water for 10 minutes or until corn is tender; drain. (If using frozen corn, cook according to package directions; drain.) Let cool slightly. In a large bowl combine pasta, corn, chicken and tomato. In a screw-top jar combine the olive oil, vinegar, pesto, chicken broth or water, salt and pep-per. Cover and shake well. Pour over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, line a serving platter with romaine leaves. Arrange salad on romaine leaves. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and basil over top.

Do you have a tomato recipe you’d like to share with other readers? Email it to me at judyd2313@frontier.com. Please remember to include your name, address and telephone number (telephone number won’t be published). Happy Tomato-ing!

Food court

JudyDyke

GRANDMA JUDY’S CAFE

Health and Safety Fair to be Sept. 16

OGLESBY — The annual Health and Safety Fair will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 16 at Lincoln School, 755 Bennett Ave., Oglesby. The Oglesby Preschool program will be the host for this event.

There will be more than 30 businesses or agencies on hand to answer questions for parents needing assis-tance at the event. For more information, contact Sue Massey at Lincoln School, 815-883-9297.

Six study habits to adoptNo matter what age or

academic level, employing effective studying strate-gies can make all the differ-ence between acing a class, barely passing, or worse, failing miserably. Unfor-tunately, many of today’s most common study meth-ods can lead to utter dis-appointment despite best efforts and intentions. In fact, recent research out of the University of Wiscon-sin-Madison found many popular study habits are not beneficial at all, and in some cases, are actually detrimental.

This year, ditch the surprisingly shoddy study habits and utilize proven effective and emerging technology-based strate-gies as building blocks to get ahead — in school, and ultimately, in life.

With this in mind, EdTech authority and academic futurist Ashish Rangnekar, CEO of Bench-Prep, offers this insight on six good-sense study hab-its sure to keep students on track toward academic

success.• Pay attention to study

location: Find a quiet, uncluttered, distraction-free area away from the residence, and try a few locations until the ideal study place is discovered. Different spots may work for different subjects, too! Whatever the loca-tion, leverage powerful new mobile, interactive study solutions that allow high school and college students to better pre-pare for tests and course work through any portable device from anywhere, at any time.

• Vary study topics: Psychologists say alter-nating study topics rather than cramming on a spe-cific one in a single session leaves a deeper impres-sion on the brain. So, don’t grind on the same subject all night. Change it up, take breaks and re-visit the material in intervals — even spacing over a period of days if possible, which has been proven to enhance retention even

further.• Make information

meaningful: Whether it’s creating rhymes or pat-terns, or even relating material to something else perhaps through word or scenario associations, such tactics can make information more mean-ingful and will enhance information recollection. The University of Mary-land reports mnemonic devices, or memory tricks, are particularly useful for remembering factual information like names, dates, formulas, or other information that requires rote memorization.

• Tap online resources:

Don’t get stuck on a prob-lem or resigned to an ill-fated grade in a difficult class as there are powerful resources at a student’s fingertips. For example, companies like Academic Earth offer a comprehen-sive online collection of free video tutorials for col-lege courses — all acces-sible at no cost. Other companies like Open-Study enable Internet users to readily connect and engage with other students who are learning the same subjects at the same time — regardless of school, expertise or loca-tion — facilitating online, on-demand peer-to-peer

assistance, support and other helpful interactions.

• Engage in social learn-ing: Research has found that there is a benefit to studying with friends. In one recent study from the Jacobs School of Engineer-ing at the University of California San Diego, it was revealed “the higher the volume of interac-tion, the more likely the students were willing to exchange information in more complex ways and with greater frequency, forming ‘information cas-cades,’ a mechanism that spreads information from a single source to one or multiple sources.”

• Have a great study attitude: Think posi-tive and focus on skills. Rather than dreading the experience, thinking posi-tive will make the time to study easier to approach and mindshare won’t be expended on feeling resentful. In fact, “study attitudes” was identi-fied in research as one of four pillars that “play a critical and central role in determining students’ academic performance.” In short, study time is a friend. Regard it that way, and soon enough, any stu-dent can look forward to a productive, self-fulfilled academic experience.

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DrINK SPECIALS

8 History/Classifieds8 • The Tonica News • Friday, September 13, 2013

History of the Tonica News10 years ago

Almost 110 people attended the annual Ton-ica High School Alumni dinner on Sept. 13 at the VFW Hall in LaSalle. The Class of 1963, celebrating its 40th reunion, hosted the event. Barbara (Mer-tel) Sarver headed up the organization committee. Highlighting the festivi-ties was a display of THS photos and keepsakes that evoked more than a few fond memories.

The Tonica Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1937 as a non profit corporation. Its’ mission has been to provide the best possible emergency services with-out taxation. Each year the group hosts an annu-al townwide collection night. This year’s event was Oct. 6.

The fifth annual Lostant Fall Fest kicked off Oct. 3 with a Vegas-style fundraiser at the Lostant Fire Station, and it was sponsored by the

Lostant Ambulance. On Oct. 4 there was a pan-cake and sausage break-fast.

Family and friends came together on Sept. 14 to celebrate Le Verne Foote’s birthday. Mr. Foote turned 85 on Sept. 12, and the group gathered at the home of Dorene and Larry Gilt-ner’s in Tonica.

A total of 59 Illinois rural protection districts and fire departments shared in $302,544 in matching grant funds through the federal Vol-unteer Fire Assistance Grant Program. Leonore Volunteer Fire Depart-ment received $2,783.

Michelle Ernat and Aaron Kuipes were unit-ed in marriage during a ceremony performed on March 29 at the Wright House in Mesa, Ariz. Par-ents of the couple were Mr. and Mrs. Richard (Janice) Ernat of Tonica and Mr. and Mrs. Arlan (Patricia) Kuipers of Platte, S.D.

100 years agoReal estate deals: The

Ed Brennemann farm was sold to Otto Thor-son for $212.50 per acre. The Noah Lock farms of 340 acres were sold by the Master in Chancery and purchased among the heirs. J.W. Richar-son bought the Conaway house on north hill.

Away to college: Ger-aldine Bullock, Mable Alleman, Dorothy Smith and Paul Richey went to Knox College; DeWit King and Harold Hensold to the University of Illi-nois; Leonard Long and Lloyd Austin to Wes-leyan; George Simmons to Drake; Ervin Flint to Michigan University; Annis Morris to Normal University; Stokes Bur-gess and Fred Stehl to Veterinary College in Chicago.

School teachers in Tonica Schools were L.M. Butler, principal; Helen Edwards, assistant principal; Belle Kreider,

grammar; Nelle Harten-bower, intermediate; Hazel Egerton, primary. Other teachers were Irma Alleman in Center School; Carrie Tutt in Ashley; Stanley Egerton in Powell; Maud Williams in Knapp; Irene Egerton in Hall; Winnie Egerton at Lowell; Carrie Miller at Does; and Harry Miller at the Shields District in Hope Township.

Deaths: Mrs. John Lock of Vermillion town died on the 1st at age 78; and Mrs. Jerry Studebaker on the 9th at age 65.

Other news: Henry Bruch Jr., John Schafer, Henry Giese and H.F. Hartenbower went to Minnesota to look over land. Don Hannum and family moved to Tonica, where he assisted D.P Long in the barber shop. Mable Barrett was hon-ored with a shower in the Mrs. A. Hiltabrand home. Frank Richey attended an American Road Con-gress in Detroit. Mr. E.H. Child was elected presi-

dent of the LaSalle Coun-ty WCTU. Gus Giese and wife and Mrs. Jacob Ott visited relatives in Nebraska. Mrs. Elijah Baldsin was in Mt. Morris, Mich., to help her father, Orland Hart, celebrate his 100th birthday.

140 years agoC.M. Keller purchased

the Dimmick print plant and on April 25, 1874, issued the first copy of the Tonica News. He located on the second story of the newly-erected brick building, now Cofoid’s store from which place this paper was issued for 28 years. Mr. Keller was the publisher until Oct. 4, 1875, and the business was sold to his cousin, W.A. McGrew. A year later, the latter changed the name of the paper to “The Advertiser” and continued that publica-tion for some time with varied success.

144 years agoO.J. Dimmick and

his brother printed an advertising sheet called the Eden Tyro distrib-uted gratuitously. It was a four-column, four page paper about two columns of local news. Several issues of this were distrib-uted and they received encouragement and blos-somed out into a regular newspaper in 1870. They then changed its name to the Tonica Register with subscriptions for a year being $1.50.

145 years agoO.J. and L.W. Dimmick

of the pioneer family of Vermillionville, moved to Tonica and lived in the present Jack Runyon home, south of the Meth-odist church. O.J. Dim-mick was crippled and had to use a wheelchair. He taught school in the basement of the old Meth-odist church and was a justice of the peace. With his brother they bought a few cases of type and a small job press and did job printing.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT THEREOF

THIRTEENTH CIRCUIT

STATE OF ILLINOISCOUNTY OF

LASALLEIN THE ESTATE OF ) THOMAS W. )GENTERT, ) Deceased, )

No. 2013-P-162CLAIM NOTICE

Notice is hereby given in the death of Thomas W. Gentert, of the Township of Hope, LaSalle County, Illinois, on May 26, 2013. Notice is hereby given to credi-tors, and unknown heirs of said decedent not named in the Petition to Admit the Will to Probate, whose names and addresses are not stated in said Petition of the death of said dece-dent. Notice is hereby given of the Admission to Probate of the Will of said decedent, said Will dated April 29, 1998. Letters of Office were issued on September 4, 2013, to John A. Gentert, 1441 East Sixth Road, Lostant, IL 61334, Independent Executor for the estate. The Attorney for the Estate is Attorney Emmanuel F. Guyon, 5 East Bridge Street, Streator, Illinois 61364. The resident agent for Claims submission, and the resident agent for Service of Process is John A. Gentert, for any Notice or Demand required or permitted by law to be served on the Independent Executor for any legal purpose. The Estate will be administered with-out Court supervision unless under Section 28-4 of the Probate Act (755 ILCS 5/28-4) any interested person ter-

minates Independent Administration at any time by mailing or delivering a Petition to Terminate Independent Administration to the Circuit Clerk of Court. Claims may be filed on or before March 9, 2014. Any claim not filed by March 9, 2014, to Mr. Andrew Skoog, Clerk of the Circuit Court, 119 West Madison Street, Ottawa, Illinois, 61350, or claims may be filed with the Independent Executor, or both. If filed with the Clerk, the claimant must, within ten days of filing, mail or deliver a copy of the claim to the Independent Executor, and file with the Clerk proof of such mailing or delivery. John A. Gentert,

Independent Executor of the Estate

Emmanuel F. Guyon, Attorney for the Estate5 East Bridge Street, Streator, IL 61364Published in the Tonica News Sept. 13, 20 and 27, 2013.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH

JUDICIAL CIRCUITLASALLE COUNTY,

ILLINOISESTATE OF )MARJORIE GRACE )

HUNTER, ) DECEASED. )

2013-P-164PUBLICATION FOR

CLAIMSCLAIM NOTICE

Estate of MARJORIE GRACE HUNTER, Deceased. Notice is given of the death of MARJORIE GRACE HUNTER, of Oglesby, Illinois. Lettersof office were issued on August 27, 2013, to GERALD M. HUNTER, 129 W. Walnut Street, Oglesby, IL 61348. Claims against the estate may be filed with the office of the Circuit Clerk, Probate Division,LaSalle County Courthouse, Downtown Courthouse, Ottawa, IL 61350, or with the representative, or both, within 6 months from the date of issuance of letters, and any claim not filed within that period is barred. Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the rep-resentative and to the attorney within 10 days after it has been filed.

Andrew SkoogClerk of the 13th

Judicial Circuit CourtOttawa, Illinois

Published in the Tonica News Sept. 13, 20 and 27, 2013.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 13TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

LASALLE COUNTY – OTTAWA, ILLINOISILLINI STATE BANK, A State Banking )Corporation, ) Plaintiff, ) vs. ) Eugene Baker, CitiFinancial Services, Inc., )Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC, )Unknown Owners, Non-Record Claimants, )And Unknown Tenants/Occupants, ) Defendants. )

No. 2013-CH-198NOTICE BY PUBLICATION

NOTICE OF PENDENCY OF ACTION

With the requisite Affidavit for Publication hav-ing been filed, NOTICE is hereby given to named Defendants, Unknown Owners, Non-Record Claimants, and Unknown Tenants/Occupants who are Defendants in the above entitled cause, of the Complaint for Foreclosure that has been commenced in this Court against you and other Defendants, requesting the foreclosure of a certain Mortgage conveying the premises described as follows, to-wit:

Lot Seven (7) in Block Twenty-one (21) in Assessor’s Plat of a portion of Section Twenty-Five (25) Township Thirty-Three (33) North, Range One (1) East of the Third Principal Meridian, excepting and reserving, however, the coal and other minerals underlying the surface thereof, and the right to mine and remove the same.

Tax Parcel No: 18-25-306-007Common address known as 428 Hayden Avenue, Oglesby, Illinois 61348 The Mortgage was made on July 27, 2005 by Eugene Baker, who is the Mortgagor and current title holder of record, to the Illini State Bank, a State Banking Corporation, of Tonica, Illinois, as Mortgagee, and the Mortgage was recorded on July 27, 2005 in the Office of the LaSalle County Recorder’s Office, Ottawa, Illinois as Document No. R2005-19322. Summons was duly issued by the Court against you as provided by law and the above court action is now pending. Therefore, unless you, the named Defendant, Unknown Owners, Non-Record Claimants, and Unknown Tenants/Occupants, as Defendants, file your answer to the Complaint or otherwise file your appearance in this case in the Office of the Circuit Clerk of LaSalle County located at the LASALLE COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 119 WEST MADISON STREET, OTTAWA, ILLINOIS 61350 within thirty (30) days from the date of the first publication of this Notice, a default may be entered against you at any time after that day and a Judgment may be entered in accordance with the request for relief in the Complaint for Foreclosure.

ANDREW F. SKOOGCLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF

LASALLE COUNTY, ILLINOISAttorney Lisa OliveroOlivero & OliveroAttorneys for Illini State Bank, a State Banking Corporation1611 Fifth StreetPeru, IL 61354-2603 (815) 224-2030 Note: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act you are advised that the law firm referenced in this Notice is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any infor-mation obtained will be used for that purpose.Published in the Tonica News Sept. 13, 20 and 27, 2013.

999 • Legal Notices999 • Legal Notices 999 • Legal Notices 999 • Legal Notices–––– Classifieds ––––

- 200 -Employment

232 • BusinessOpportunities

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:

• Friday Paper deadline Friday before by 3pm

We Accept

Call 815-875-4461classified@bcrnews.com

General Termsand Policies

**********THE CLASSIFIED

AdvertisingDepartment of the

Tonica NewsDoes not have the op-portunity to fully inves-tigate the credibility ofeach advertiser appear-ing within thesecolumns. If an offersounds “too good to betrue” it probably is.Proceed with caution ifyou are asked to sendmoney or to give acredit card number.Proceed with caution incalling 900 phone num-bers. All phone num-bers prefixed by”900”are charged to theCALLER. Charges maybe assessed on a “perminute” basis ratherthan a “per call” basis.The Tonica News Clas-sifieds makes every ef-fort to qualify thesecharges for the reader.If you have a concernabout an advertiser,please contact:

Better BusinessBureau

330 North WabashChicago, IL 60611

312 832-0500

SPRING VALLEY 227 EastCaroline (last block beforecrossing Spring ValleyBridge). Friday, Saturday,September 13, 14; 8am-4pm. 3 FAMILY SALE. Fairy Garden pieces, adultHalloween costumes, JimBean collectible bottles,furniture, seasonal items

- 400 -Merchandise

450 • Under $1000

460 • Garage Sales

* * * * * * * * * * * * HAVE SOMETHING

TO SELL?

Put your ad in for FREE

Items $1,000 or lesscan run FREE for 1time. Limit of 5 lines.Up to 3 items with priceand price totaling under$1,000. 1 ad per house-hold per week.

No commercial ads,firearms or

animal sales.

E-mail information to:classified@

bcrnews.com(include your name, ad-dress & phone number)

or mail to: BCR, PO Box 340,

Princeton, IL 61356No Phone Calls!

PRINCETON 1/2 milesouth on Rt. 26. Thurs-day, Friday, Saturday,September 12, 13, 14;8am-4pm. HUGE SALE!Lots of collectibles includ-ing Coke collectibles, Car-nival, depression glass,crocks, books, comics,sport cards, bikes guitars,amps, Hot Wheels, old ad-vertising thermometers,dvd's, cds', drum set, Mc-Coy pottery. Too much tolist

SEATONVILLE 400 MainStreet. Thursday, Septem-ber 12, 4pm-7pm; Friday,Saturday, September 13,14; 8am-3pm.Household, Antiques, col-lectibles, jewelery, shoes(mens 12), adult and boyshigh school clothes- namebrand, some new. Misc.

16.9 Chest style deepfreezer, $300 or best of-fer. Call or text 815-830-1419 or 815-830-6726

Sunday, September 15FLEA MARKET

BUREAU COUNTYFAIRGROUNDS

811 West Peru, Princeton.8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

$1.00 admissionFree Parking

Food Stand is available.Antiques, Collectibles,New & Vintage items

460 • Garage Sales

- 700 -Real Estate For Sale

767 • Mobile Home Sales

****************PUBLISHER'S NOTICE

All real estate advertis-ing in this newspaper issubject to the FairHousing Act whichmakes it illegal to ad-vertise “any preference,limitation or discrimina-tion based on race, col-or, religion, sex, handi-cap, familial status ornational origin, or an in-tention, to make anysuch preference, limita-tion or discrimination.”Familial status includeschildren under the ageof 18 living with par-ents or legal custodi-ans, pregnant womenand people securingcustody of children un-der 18.This newspaper will notknowingly accept anyadvertising for real es-tate which is in viola-tion of the law. Ourreaders are hereby in-formed that alldwellings advertised inthis newspaper areavailable on an equalopportunity basis.To complain of discrim-ination call, HUD toll-free at 800 669-9777.The toll-free telephonenumber for the hearingimpaired is 800 927-9275

We’re Taking FreeClassified Advertisingfor all items valued under $1,000!

• Up to 5 lines of copy• 3 items maximum in ad• 1 ad per week, per household• Private party sales only• Excludes services, firearms & animal sales

E-mail itemsfor sale to:classified@

bcrnews.com