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Record The Putnam County
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Volume 145 No. 39
“PRSRT STD.” US Postage Paid No. 486 SHAW MEDIA POSTAL PATRON LOCAL R.R. BOXHOLDER CARRIER ROUTE PRESORT
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Putnam County Record photo/Dixie Schroeder
PCHS Panthers Austin Pletsch (left) and Jake Kasperski bring home the second-place trophy following the state championship game June 1 at Dozer Park in Peoria. See the sports section on Pages 7-9 and today’s special section for stories and more photos about the Panthers’ hunt for the state title.
Granville Drugs calls it quits Weekley: Just not profitable By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE – After decades of serving the people of Putnam County, Granville Drugs is no more. The pharmacy closed its doors for the last time at 1 p.m. May 30.
“My pharmacist left a couple of months ago, and I couldn’t find one to fill the position that I felt was right for Granville,” said owner Marlon Weekley. “Running the store was just not profitable.” Since the pharmacist left, Weekley has been driving 50 miles each
way from his home to the store. Weekley said business had dropped off considerably during the last several years, with the number of returning customers dropping 25 percent from when he bought the business in 2009. “The other day, I woke up and thought about the losses and the drive
and the headaches and thought, ‘Why am I doing this one more time?’” Weekley said. “Each day is one more time, and it’s not been getting any better.” Long-time customers who depended on Granville Drug are upset, but Weekley said there really wasn’t any other choice for him.
“I sat down with my accountant the other day, and he said, ‘You have to close it.’ The store is losing $5,000 a month regularly,” Weekley said. Weekley cited competition and third-party mail order as being big factors in closing the business. “I couldn’t match prices with the bigger chain stores, and mail orders
can be done without paying sales taxes,” Weekley said. “Public aid will only pay so much for prescriptions nowadays. That hurts the bottom line.” “The cost of licensing and the federal regulations that change often just made it tough to keep going. I’m 62, and
See Pharmacy Page 4A
‘The Amazing Race’ to the Civil War PCJH tries hands on educational experience By Dixie Schroeder dschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
MCNABB – Seventhgrade students at Putnam County Junior High school had an opportunity to learn about the Civil War in a totally new way. In a cross-curricular unit
for the seventh-graders, the show “The Amazing Race” was used to teach students about actual events and parts of the Civil War. Seventh-grade students were excited to try something totally different and get out of the classroom.
“I think this is awesome,” said Devon Masters of Granville. “The hard part is the hulahooping and the army crawl.” Sayer Gray of Hennepin also enjoyed the educational experience. “I think it is pretty fun so far,” he said. Students completed the Civil War-themed
challenges and earned clues as to their next destination. Each challenge pertained to a battle or event in the Civil War. Students learned of the Southern states secession from the Union, Fort Sumter and the Battle of Bull Run in doing state puzzle pieces and selecting groups. The battle of Vicksburg and the story
of Gen. Ulysses Grant was learned through students answering riddles about important Civil War people. The story of the Merrimac and Monitor was learned through targets and water balloons. The battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga were learned about when the students ate cornbread. Students worked
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Vol. 145 No. 39 Two Sections - 20 Pages The Putnam County
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Colors for Arie See Page 3
Memorial Day 2013 See Page 2
through an obstacle course to simulate the seven-day battle of the second Bull Run. Students practiced wilderness survival by spinning spinners and bandaging injuries on other students. They had to bandage an injured student and transport the student
See Amazing Race Page 4A