Posts

Putnam County Police Seize Drugs en Route to Chillicothe Music Festival

Image
2 Maine men charged with Class X felonies Police busted a vehicle in Putnam County on its way from Maine to the Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, finding 480 doses of LSD, cocaine, ketamine and psylocibin mushrooms, according to police. Motorist Carl F. Maenak, 32, of Sebago, Maine, was charged for unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, which is a Class X felony, requiring a prison sentence if found guilty. Bond was set at $75,000. Eric B. Welsh, 34, of Brunswick, Maine, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, also a Class X felony, requiring a prison sentence if found guilty. Bond was set at $50,000. The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team said it conducted a traffic stop Thursday on a Honda SUV for speeding on Route 29 near Putnam. During the traffic stop, a K-9 conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle, alerting to the presence of the drugs in the vehicle, police said. Along with LSD, about
READ MORE »

4 Putnam County Elementary Students Read All 20 Bluestem Book Award Nominees

Image
Evelyn Grasser, Marshall Holocker, Liam Judd and Sean King were all recognized Four students from Amy Olson’s fourth grade classroom at Putnam County Elementary School have been recognized for reading all 20 of the nominated titles on the 2023 Bluestem list. The students who accomplished this feat include Evelyn Grasser, daughter of Brad and Danielle Grasser of Hennepin; Marshall Holocker, son of Floyd and Chivohn Holocker of Hennepin; Liam Judd, son of Justin and Vanessa Judd of Hennepin and Sean King, son of Joseph and Gwen King of Granville. Grasser, Holocker and King all chose “Winterbourne Home for Vengeance and Valor” by Allie Carter as their favorite book while Judd chose “The Losers Club” by Andrew Clements as his favorite read. The students received a medal and a certificate at the end-of-year assembly. Their names also will be added to the plaque in the PCES media center. The Bluestem Book Award Program is sponsored by the Association of Illinois School Library Educators. Mer
READ MORE »

Putnam County Board Unanimously Amends Wind and Solar Energy Regulations

Image
‘Instead of sitting on the sidelines, we thought we’d better be prepared,’ Chairman Charlie Lenkaitis says In response to Illinois establishing statewide standards for commercial solar and wind facilities, the Putnam County Board unanimously approved a text amendment updating regulations governing solar and wind energy in unincorporated portions of the county during a May 23 special board meeting. “I think we now have a really, really strong ordinance to stand on that is just slightly more restrictive than the state’s,” said Chairman Charlie Lenkaitis. “This gives Putnam County some autonomy from the state so we can have a little bit of skin in the game.” State standards were set Jan. 27, meaning counties in Illinois were required to bring their existing ordinances into compliance by May 27, otherwise the state ordinance would supersede anything the county previously had in place. “We had an ordinance that we thought was not very protective of the citizens and a lot has changed since w
READ MORE »

Barn in Rural Hennepin Lost From Fire

Image
Firefighters say the blaze started from remnants of a bonfire A barn was lost in rural Hennepin as a result of a fire that ignited Sunday afternoon from the remnants of a bonfire the previous evening, according a news release from the Granville-Hennepin Fire Protection District. Granville and Hennepin firefighters responded at 1:37 p.m. Sunday to a fully engulfed barn fire at 8204 E. 1050th Road. Firefighters found the barn fully involved in fire and a second structure that also ignited. A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System was issued, bringing Standard, Spring Valley, Peru, La Salle, Cedar Point, Tonica and Magnolia fire departments for assistance. The fire was under control in less than two hours and the second structure that had ignited was extinguished with minimal damage and a third structure was undamaged by fire, according to the release. An investigation revealed residents had a bonfire the prior night and had extinguished it with water. The next morning the remnants of the fire were
READ MORE »

A Push to Turn Agriculture and Farm Waste Into Fuel

Image
Despite federal and state programs to convert corn into ethanol and soybeans into biodiesel to fuel cars and trucks, the United States has never before regarded farming as a primary energy producer. That changed when Congress in August passed the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides $140 billion in tax incentives, loans and grants to replace fossil fuels with cleaner renewable energy that lowers emissions of carbon dioxide.   Along with the wind and the sun, the raw materials needed for a significant portion of that energy come from agriculture — alcohol from fermenting corn, and methane from the billions of gallons of liquid and millions of tons of solid manure produced by big dairy, swine and poultry operations. Despite pushback from environmental groups concerned about increased pollution from farm waste, developers across the country see opportunities to build ambitious renewable energy projects to convert crops and agricultural wastes to low-carbon ene
READ MORE »

Putnam County Library Hosts Star Union Brewery Display Through June

Image
The Putnam County Public Library District has a Star Union Brewery Display at its Hennepin location, 214 N. Fourth St., through the end of June. John Shimkus donated the collection to the Peru Public Library last year.   A sampling of beer bottles, ice packs, coasters and bricks from the smokehouse built in 1845. The original brewery was founded by Fred Kaiser in 1845 and incorporated in 1868 as the Union Beer Company. In 1880 the company was acquired by Henry Hoerner and renamed it Star Union Beer Company. After prohibition, Star Union became the largest brewery in Illinois. The plant eventually closed in 1966. This collection will be on display through the end of June and the library’s Steel Mill collection will now be displayed at the Peru Public Library. Any collectors interested in displaying a collect at the Hennepin Library can email Matt Miller at mmiller@putnamcountylibrary.org . Source: Putnam County Record
READ MORE »

Village Seeks Ideas for Hennepin Riverfront Development Plan

Image
 Village welcomes input on riverfront   The Village has a committee studying the riverfront and developing a long range plan for it's improvement in both function and appearance. At this time no idea or suggestion is off the table. We welcome all suggestions and ideas. They could be for public or private utilization. Please submit your ideas to Bill Shafer at gjshafer70@yahoo.com or 815-925-7592. Thank you!
READ MORE »

Hennepin Awarded Energy Transition Community Grant

Image
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced more than 50 localities and municipal entities, including Hennepin, will receive Energy Transition Community Grants, an initiative that provides funding for communities that have been impacted by fossil fuel plant or coal mine closures. The Putnam County village of Hennepin was awarded $541,782. The funding can be used on a variety of projects, including workforce investments, housing support, business attraction efforts, and more.   “These communities across Illinois are committing to clean energy and a sustainable future, and I’m proud that DCEO is supporting them in this important work,” said Governor JB Pritzker. Source: WGLC
READ MORE »