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VOLUME 146 NO. 2 • tonicanews.com

Food for the holidays Food pantries have constant needs this holiday season. Cory Nelson, a volunteer at the Illinois Valley Food Pantry in LaSalle, carries canned goods to a large pallet at the food pantry. SEE STORY ON PAGE 2.

(Shaw Media photo/Scott Anderson)

Vol. 146 No. 2 One Section 12 Pages

© The Tonica News

COUNTY

Acquitted A LaSalle County jury found an Ottawa man not guilty in the 2006 death of his wife after a two-week trial in Ottawa. / 3

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Tonica News / tonicanews.com • Friday, December 20, 2019

| LOCAL NEWS

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ILLINOIS VALLEY

Stocks are up; so are food pantry visits Christmas 2019 is shaping up to be a hungry one, area food pantries say

BY TOM COLLINS Shaw Media Even if the closing of the Hennepin power plant and Del Monte hadn’t been plastered across the front pages, Mary Jo Credi would have known there were out-ofwork people by the volume of Thanksgiving turkeys she gave away.

Credi is executive director of the Illinois Valley Food Pantry, and she was dismayed by the a more than 6 percent jump in Thanksgiving food baskets she and her volunteers handed out recently.

Credi had hoped to aid fewer than last year’s 470 families, but after Hennepin and Del Monte happened, she braced for more appeals for help and was unsurprised when 500 families came knocking.

“I would say, yes, 2019 was more challenging than last year,” Credi said. “We were hand-to-mouth trying to feed families this year, especially during the summer months when the kids were home.”

Now, Christmas is around the corner, and already the pantry is bustling as volunteers try to meet an expected rise in demand for Yuletide aid.

Credi started a Christmas signup and, on the cusp of Thanksgiving, more than 100 families and counting had put in requests for holiday aid. Given that 65 new clients have emerged in the past 13 weeks alone, she expects the Christmas need to surge.

“We need everything — volunteers for this time of year, which is very busy,” she said. “We need help. Monetary donations are always welcome. It takes a lot to keep the food pantry in operation.”

That goes for blankets and toys, too. The IV Food Pantry is trying not only to put food on the holiday tables but to also provide warm covering and small toys for children to enjoy in case Santa accidentally passes over their chimney.

Other food pantry managers were singing a similar tune. The stock markets may be in record territory and

unemployment may be declining in Illinois (3.6 percent average, statewide), but local layoffs have taken a toll and made things difficult for families who were only scraping by.

Putnam County is among the places where the statistics do not accurately reflect the need for help.

The Putnam County Food Pantry has only 101 people signed up for its Christmas distribution. If the slow pace holds, then the pantry’s Yuletide distribution will be the smallest ever.

Far from being pleased, pantry manager John Shimkus said the need runs deeper than the numbers show.

Behind the admittedly low jobless figures are minimum-wage workers who, because they are working, think they’re ineligible for help or feel obliged to take a pass.

“You know there’s a need out there but they’re not coming,” Shimkus said. “Why are they not coming? I think that it’s pride.

“We have supplies — a lot more than we can dispense — but you have to have clients to take them.”

Cash donations go farther than food The Hall Township Food Pantry anticipates a relatively normal Christmas, at least with respect to demand.

Executive Director Jan Martin has about 300 people signed up for Christmas food or toys, which is about average.

To help make the Christmas distribution successful, Martin needs cash. No food donations will be turned away, she allowed, but for every $1 she receives, she can buy $10 worth of goods from regional food banks.

As for 2019 as a whole, the big story in Spring Valley is the emergence of data showing that they are, in fact, reaching those in need.

“I think we were able to meet the need better this year.

We have a real sense of who needs us. Feeding America did a survey, and the number of families who were food-insecure has reduced, which means we’re meeting their needs.”

“And when we ask, we receive,” Martin said. “Our community has stepped forward so large that we’re able to meet these needs.”

ILLINOIS CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION

Corn farmers pick new officers, board members Minonk farmer wins post as ICGA president BLOOMINGTON — Bill Leigh, a farmer from Minonk, was elected president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) for 2019-20 at their reorganizational meeting, which was held Nov. 26 following the organization’s annual meeting.

Leigh has served on the ICGA board for six years, most recently as vice president. He will continue his role as District 4 director for the duration of his term as president, serving members in Bureau, Lee, Marshall, Putnam, Stark and Whiteside coun-

ties. Leigh was also re-elected to a third term serving District 4.

Joining Leigh in leadership roles are Vice President Randy DeSutter of Woodhull, Treasurer Matt Rush of Fairfield and Secretary Keith Sanders of Vandalia.

The Exports Committee will be led

by Chairman Mike Homerding of Plainfield and Vice Chairman Kate Danner of Aledo. Elected to lead the Industrial Committee were Marty Marr of New Berlin and Vice Chairman Terry Smith of Clayton. Grassroots Committee leadership for the coming year are Chairman Ted Mottaz of Elmwood and Vice Chairman Sarah Hastings of Sidney.

In addition to Leigh, five other directors were re-elected and will continue in their positions as directors. They are Mike Homerding for District 1, Marty Marr for District 10 and Matt Rush for District 13. Re-elected at-large directors include Kate Danner of Aledo and Dave Rylander of Victoria.

The newly elected director of District 7, serving Dewitt, Macon, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt and Woodford counties, is Mark Bunselmeyer of Maroa.

Illinois Corn Growers Association is a state-based organization that represents the interests of corn farmers in Illinois, maintaining a high profile on issues in Washington, D.C., and Springfield.

LASALLE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

Defense lawyer: ‘I’m just happy it’s over’

Kenneth Cusick gets a hug from a family member Friday, Dec. 13, on his way out of an Ottawa courtroom, accompanied by his mom, Sheila Wilson.

Cusick was found not guilty of murder.

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drowning. A biomechanics expert said Tracy could have stuck her face into the toilet (though not easily) but couldn’t have remained there after losing consciousness.

“The simple answer is (after passing out) you would fall back and out of the toilet,” Dr. Wilson “Toby” Hayes testified.

But the forensic evidence of Tracy’s death wasn’t quite so open and shut. Tracy’s first pathologist missed a couple of findings that weren’t spotted until her body was exhumed and re-examined in 2010.

These included deep bruises and cartilage damage in her neck.

Prosecutors said these injuries supported their theory that Kenneth held his wife underwater; but a defense witness told jurors the neck region is susceptible to post-mortem damage and warned it would be a mistake to treat the belatedly-discovered damage was evidence of foul play.

“You only have one go at this,” pathologist Christopher Milroy said. “After that, you have to be very careful.”

Then there was the toxicology. Tracy’s blood came back positive for methadone, which she’d been using

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and nose in the water of a downstairs toilet.

Both interviews ended without Cusick being charged; but Ottawa police were wary of the facts and circumstances.

“The rumors are you killed her,” Sgt. Patrick Hardy told Cusick in a video-recorded statement taken in March of 2006.

Onscreen, Cusick nodded (“Mm-hmm”) and appeared unsurprised to learn he was the subject of such rumors but then denied killing his wife. “It’s the truth, I swear to it.”

They might not have believed him, but another 11 years passed before he was charged.

Evidence presented over the past two weeks showed why. The investigation was dogged by missed pieces of evidence, disputed forensic findings and a problematic set of facts.

Prosecutors told a jury at Dec. 4 opening statements that Tracy drowned in the toilet and there was no way it could have been an accident.

An engineering consultant later testified toilets were designed to prevent accidental drowning and there had never been a case of an adult

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OTTAWA — Kenneth Cusick walked out of a LaSalle County courthouse a free man Dec. 13, but even a two-week trial (and nearly 14 years under a cloud) wouldn’t break his silence.

Minutes after a jury acquitted him of murder, the 52-year-old Ottawa man was approached for comment.

Family members immediately swept in, clasped his arms and pulled him away from the media throng.

Swarmed by supporters, Cusick backed into the corner of a courthouse elevator without a peep.

Cusick’s lawyer wasn’t much more talkative. Ottawa defense lawyer Ryan Hamer confirmed Cusick had not prepared a statement of any kind. For himself, Hamer said he was “pretty tired” and expressed surprise the jury returned its notguilty verdict after only an hour of deliberation.

“I’m just happy it’s over,” Hamer said wearily. “I think everybody did a good job and we could finally put it to rest. At this point, I’m going to get out of here, guys.”

The Dec. 13 verdict puts an end to a case begun not when he was charged with first-degree murder in 2017, but when wife Tracy Cusick died Jan. 17, 2006.

Tracy was rushed from her Ottawa home to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted hours later concluded she drowned, and Kenneth Cusick, in a pair of taped interviews played at trial, told Ottawa police he found his wife unresponsive with her mouth

with a prescription, and for alcohol at a level just below the drunk-driving threshold.

Prosecution witnesses were adamant: Tracy didn’t die of an overdose and the quantity of methadone was in the toxic range but not the lethal one.

“It’s not, ‘Oh my God, it’s so much methadone,’” toxicologist Christopher Long had testified. “It’s nowhere near that.”

But Long and other witnesses acknowledged some overlap in the toxic and lethal ranges. Shaku Teas, a pathologist for the defense, said combining methadone with alcohol could have lowered the lethal threshold and killed her.

Friday, lawyers addressed the jury at close and asked which was more likely: Drowning or overdose?

Prosecutor George Mueller said Cusick might not have plotted out the scenario that unfolded — “I don’t think he planned for months to murder her in the bathroom” — but said a flash of anger, on the heels of well-documented marital problems, could well explain her death.

But Hamer said to jump to that conclusion was to overlook many deficiencies in the state’s case.

“The state’s theory is mere fantasy,” Hamer said.

Whether the jurors agreed wasn’t divulged — none of those who filed out of the courthouse responded to requests for comment — but they made up their minds quickly. Except for one question (jurors asked to see autopsy photos) jurors lingered behind closed doors less than 60 minutes, a duration that included lunch.

LaSalle County state’s attorney Karen Donnelly of Tonica said afterwards she was disappointed in the outcome, “but I had to take my shot.

Tracy deserved it.”

LOCAL NEWS | The Tonica News / tonicanews.com

Jury finds Kenneth Cusick not guilty of murder

3

ILLINOIS VALLEY PADS HOMELESS SHELTER

The Tonica News / tonicanews.com • Friday, December 20, 2019

| LOCAL NEWS

4

Students created an assembly line service for the tacos meals at the Illinois Valley PADS homeless shelter the evening of Dec. 5.

Pictured (from foreground to rear) are Emberlyn Cwikla of Putnam County, Ariana Margis of LaSallePeru, Rachel Riecker of LaMoille, Luna Gonzalez of Putnam County and McKinley Cwikla of Putnam County.

Shaw Media photo/ Goldie Rapp

Lending a hand at homeless shelter Area foreign exchange students gather to help feed the homeless

BY GOLDIE RAPP Shaw Media PERU — A g roup of five area foreign exchange students here in the U.S. through

the International Cultural Exchange Services program gathered at the Illinois Valley PADS homeless shelter the evening of Dec. 5 to experience a lesson in hands-on community service work.

Wishing You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Donald Fike, Misty Fike, Robert Marshall, Lisa Olivero, Dr. John Ehrhardt, John Pini, Alan Stremlau and Mark Baer OFFICERS: Donald Fike, Alan Stremlau, Lois Peterson, Christopher Paden, Debra Naumann, Jolene Salz, Sheri O’Brien, Jolene Decker, Daniel Gregorich and Jason Penman EMPLOYEES: Pam Kreiser, Regan Sluder, Michelle Brown, Mary Catalanello, Kay Giacometti, Courtney Ator, Julie Baima, Brenda Bickerman, Stephanie Stasiak, Melissa Hetherington and Jennifer Meredith

The students brought with them siblings from their host families and one key ingredient for tacos, which is the meal they agreed to serve on a chilly December night to 25 individuals staying in the shelter.

See EXCHANGE, Page 5

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Continued from Page 4 With some guidance from local ICES coordinators Andrea Crew and Adeline Margis, the busy crew worked swiftly taking taco orders, hand-preparing each customized

taco and serving the hot meal to the individuals.

The feedback they got? All smiles and plenty of warm “thank yous.”

Crew said she and Margis had been brainstor ming ideas for a community service outreach for their students, and the idea to provide a meal at the homeless shelter

was what they came up with.

Plus, Peru was a good central location for them to meet. The students came from various areas in Bureau, Putnam and LaSalle counties.

“I like to make sure people know these kids are not here just to get.

They’re here to give, too. … This

was a good opportunity for these students to see that not everyone in the States is as well off,” she said.

“This is a good way for them to see America is very diverse, and we have people from all walks of life that come from different situations.”

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• EXCHANGE

LOCAL NEWS | The Tonica News / tonicanews.com

Shaw Media photos/Goldie Rapp

LEFT: Mikaela Kitzmann (left), who is home-schooled, and German exchange student Miryam El Daoud (right), who is studying at Serena High School, prepare to serve a taco meal to an individual at Illinois Valley PADS homeless shelter. RIGHT: Foreign exchange students Valeria Flavia of Spain, who is studying at LaSalle-Peru High School, Itziar Rodriguez of Spain, also attending L-P, Luna Gonzalez of Spain, who is studying at Putnam County High School, Miryam El Daoud of Germany, who is currently studying at Serena High School, and Fabienne Pavel of Germany, who is currently studying at LaMoille High School, pose for a quick photo.

COLUMN

Shaw Media can help readers with expungement

A new initiative to serve the communities we live in

BY JOHN SAHLY jsahly@shawmedia.com We’re doing something unprecedented here at Shaw Media Illinois, in the name of service to our readers. Starting today, we have an online portal for people to have their named removed from the police reports if their records have been expunged.

A poor decision or an arrest can follow you long after you’ve paid your debt to society.

We’ve heard from readers about how they made a poor choice years earlier, which led to their arrest, which then ended up in their local newspaper’s police reports.

Years later, they find themselves applying for a job, signing a housing contract, or their students are searching for their teacher’s name online, and there it is — a report of an arrest from five, 10 or 15 years ago.

The public records from which our police reports are compiled are newsworthy for a variety of reasons. But there are cases where people have gone to great lengths to ensure

their past rightfully stays in their past, including by having the case expunged — or erased from the public record.

It’s understandable that a person would be frustrated if the reports about their arrest remain online even after their arrest record has been expunged.

Next year is expected to bring tidal wave of expungements. Effective Jan. 1, arrests and convictions for simple possession of marijuana (less than 30 grams, or about an ounce) will be expunged in the state of Illinois.

Police records will be destroyed, and court records will be hidden from public view, removing the arrest from the public record. As many as 700,000 cases will be eligible for expungement under the new law.

Those whose arrest records are expunged will receive a letter — to their last known address — from the court to notify them.

If your name appears in a police report on one of our newspapers’ websites and your record has been expunged, we want to help you remove it. To do that, Shaw Media Illinois has created an online form so the name can be removed.

If you have documentation of an expungement, head to shawmediaillinois.com/expungement to fill out our form, and we will do our best to remove it within 10 business days.

Please note that this applies only to cases where records have been expunged — not those in which a person pleaded guilty and received supervision, probation or any other sentence.

Also, once a story has been removed from our website, it takes time and is out of our hands on when it is re-indexed by search engines and web companies like Google. We will submit pages to Google for re-indexing upon request, but it’s up to those web companies to actually re-index the page.

Our main mission at Shaw Media Illinois is to serve the communities where we live and work. A minor crime that’s been expunged shouldn’t stop you from being a full-fledged member of that community.

Note to readers: John Sahly is managing editor - digital for Shaw Media Illinois.

Read us online • tonicanews.com

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PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE | PUTNAM COUNTY DEATH INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE

SHAW MEDIA

MCNABB — A Spring Valley man died in a head-on crash with a semi at 1:51 p.m. Dec. 11 on Route 89 about 1.5 miles south of McNabb.

Putnam County Death Investigator Bob Cofoid identified the victim as the car’s driver, Henry “Hank” S. Bland, 81.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff ’s Office, Bland attempted to pass a northbound semi, and the car struck a southbound semi head-

four to six weeks before completion, Cofoid stated.

The investigation is continuing with the Putnam County Sheriff ’s Office and the Putnam County Death Investigator’s Office. Assisting at the scene were the Illinois State Police Reconstruction Units, McNabb Fire, Magnolia Fire, Standard Fire-Rescue, Putnam County Ambulance and IDOT units.

Authorities, with help from Illinois Department of Transportation, closed

Route 89 for approximately four hours between the McNabb Blacktop and Route 18 after the accident.

Both the driver of the southbound semi, Van C. Hock of Toluca, and the northbound semi that was being passed at the time of the crash, Arnold Litwiller of Secor, refused treatment at the scene, according to the sheriff ’s office.

be at 4 p.m. at Tonica and 7 p.m. at Hennepin. The title of the services will be “Jesus is the reason ... for the season!” It will end with a candlelit “Silent Night.”

• Tuesday, Dec. 31 — There will be a joint (Tonica and Hennepin) celebration service greeting the new year at 6 p.m. in Tonica. Pastor Larry Collins will start the service with praise and music. The scripture for the evening is Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and the title is “A Year of

Blessings!” Fellowship will follow.

All are welcome.

Fair on Sunday, Feb. 2, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Sauk Valley Community College, located on Route 2 between Dixon and Sterling. Bridal Fair 2020 will feature exhibits from cakes to tuxedos.

The bridal fair is sponsored by Brett Paul Photography & Videography, Henrekin Pines Country Chic Event Venue and Sauk Valley Media. For information, call Kelly Null at 815-632-2566 or email marketing@saukvalley.com.

Note to readers: Craig Sterrett of Shaw Media contributed to this story.

IN BRIEF Tonica UMC announces upcoming events, services TONICA — The Tonica United Methodist Church will host the following events: • Saturday, Dec. 21 — Starting at 1 p.m., there will be caroling around Tonica, with cookies and hot chocolate available after.

• Tuesday, Dec. 24 — Festive Christmas Eve services with lots of songs will

Happy Holidays!

Bridal Fair seeks vendors DIXON — Businesses that sell products and services for weddings, receptions, catering, flowers and more are invited to showcase their products and services at the upcoming Sauk Valley Bridal Fair.

Sauk Valley Media is accepting vendor booths for the 2020 Sauk Valley Bridal

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on. He was killed instantly, a press release stated.

Bland died from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the crash, according to Cofoid.

The crash occurred in a relatively flat, open area about a quarter of a mile south of Edgewood Park Golf Course.

The Putnam County Death Investigator’s Office is awaiting final results from the autopsy, and toxicology is pending and may take

RECORDS&LOCAL NEWS | The Tonica News / tonicanews.com

Spring Valley man dies in head-on crash near McNabb

7

The Tonica News / tonicanews.com • Friday, December 20, 2019

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LEADER PROFILES | SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS’ CORPORATE ADVISORY BOARD

He’s been rising through the ranks

Auto group owner Gary Lang talks past, present and future

BY BRITTANY KEEPERMAN Shaw Media

M

CHENRY — If you ask Gary Lang about his life, he’ll tell you this: “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

Lang owns McHenry-based Gary Lang Auto Group, though he didn’t always expect to make a career in the automotive industry. He fell into the car business in 1975 out of necessity and since has moved up the ranks.

Gary Lang Auto Group now conducts about $170 million in sales annually and employs about 160 people on the 22-acre dealership located off Route 31.

Long a McHenry County business leader, Lang this year joined the Corporate Advisory Board of Shaw Media Illinois, a group of professional leaders from around northern Illinois who are helping advise the company as it charts a path to the future.

Lang began his career in sales at a Waukegan dealership in 1975. He had been working in the construction industry, installing underground plumbing for the Six Flags Great America project in Gurnee.

A workers strike led to layoffs, and Lang was forced to find another job, he said.

“I took a job selling cars that summer, in my canary yellow leisure suit,” Lang said. “I wasn’t good [at sales] then, but I got better.”

The Waukegan dealership promoted from within, and Lang quickly moved up the ranks until an opportunity to buy into a Chevrolet dealership in downtown McHenry popped up in 1983.

The dealership started with one lift and two bays in the service department. The current Gary Lang Auto Group service department now includes at least 55 lifts with 68 bays, Lang said.

Growth hasn’t come easy. When Lang first bought the dealership, he worked long hours seven days a week.

“My family would pick me up go to dinner and then drop me back off,” Lang said. “But you have to enjoy it.

If you enjoy it and have a passion for it, it’s not a job.”

Photo for Shaw Media/Gregory Shaver

Gary Lang poses in his office on Nov. 12 at the Gary Lang Auto Group, 1107 State Route 31, in McHenry. Lang is a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for Shaw Media Illinois.

The auto group expanded to its current Route 31 location in 1995.

The dealership at any given time has between 1,500 to 2,000 cars of various makes and models on the lots. The auto group carries vehicles from Kia, Subaru, Mitsubishi Motors, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. But growth and success should be measured by one aspect of the business above all else: the people, Lang said.

“Our growth has been in our organization,” he said. “Not the brick and mortar. Not the highway frontage. Not the amount of cars.

As people develop and we get better at what we do and as we have more people that are trained in the business, then we can expand.”

Lang said that he also thought it was important to give back to the community. The auto group donates cars and sponsors and participates in many community events such as McHenry’s Fiesta Days, the McHenry Rotary event Brews, Blues and BBQs and the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

The McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce presented Lang with the Frank E. Low Award last year. The annual award goes to outstanding business members of the community.

“The community has been very good to us,” Lang said. “We have been very fortunate. It’s a dream come true.”

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Tonica American Legion announces essay winners

MENUS Dec. 23-Jan. 5 — Winter break.

Putnam County Community Center

Photo contributed

Members of the Tonica American Legion are pictured with the winners of the Legion’s essay contest. Coleman Lambert was the first-place winner, and Olivia Barton was the second-place winner.

We’re sending good wishes for a happy holiday season & a healthy, wonderful new year.

••• Visit us online at www.tonicanews.com.

Due to Christmas and New Year’s our sales/obituary deadlines for the following publications will be as follows: Wednesday, December 25 - Putnam County Record

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Dec. 23 — Baked chicken, wild rice, carrots and peas, strawberries, yogurt.

Dec. 24 — PCCC closed.

Dec. 25 — PCCC closed.

Dec. 26 — Barbecue pork ribs, egg noodles, asparagus and broccoli, wheat bread, mixed fruit, dessert.

Dec. 27 — Chicken salad on wheat bread with lettuce and tomato, sweet corn, three-bean salad, chips and dip, melon.

Bread, butter, fruit juice and 2% milk are available with meals. For reservations, call 800-757-4579, 24 hours in advance of the day’s meal. The menu is subject to change. Meals are available to senior citizens 60 plus at no cost, but donations are appreciated. The meal program is partly funded by donations, so they have a suggested donation of $5 per meal. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m.

9 COMMUNITY | The Tonica News / tonicanews.com

Putnam County Schools

––––––––––––––––––––Classifieds –––––––––––––––––––– General Terms and Policies The Tonica News reserve the right to classify correctly, edit, reject or cancel any advertisement at any time in accordance with its policy.

All ads must be checked for errors by the advertiser, on the first day of publication.

We will be responsible for the first incorrect insertion, and its liabilities shall be limited to the price on one insertion.

CLASSIFIED LINE AD & LEGAL DEADLINES: • Friday deadline: Friday before by 4pm We Accept Call 815-433-2001 classified@bcrnews.com

434 • Miscellaneous Sales Have 1 share of Tonica Technology to sell by end of year, if interested please call and leave message or text Nancy at 309-678-8206.

450 • Under $1000

767 • Mobile Home Sales PUBLISHER'S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.”

Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

To complain of discrimination call, HUD toll-free at 800-669-9777.

The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 800-927-9275 Need help Rebuilding, Repairing or Replanting?

Check out the Marketplace Business Directory in today's Classified

999 • Legal PUBLIC NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT LaSALLE COUNTY PUBLICATION NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE (ADULT)

Case Number 219 MR 419 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Gary Wayne Little to the new name of: Gary Wayne Swank The court date will be held 2/13/20 at 10:00 a.m. at 119 W. Madison Ottawa, LaSalle County in courtroom # 300 /s/ Gary Wayne Little Your Signature Gary Wayne Little Your Current Name (Published in the Tonica News December 20, 27, 2019, January 3, 2020) 1732574

PUBLIC NOTICE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT LASALLE COUNTY, OTTAWA, ILLINOIS ESTATE OF 228 • Help Wanted 228 • Help Wanted THOMAS MICHAEL ZENS DECEASED. NO. 2019-P-241 PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE PUBLICATION FOR The Bureau, Putnam and Marshall County Health CLAIMS Departments are accepting applications for a CLAIM NOTICE Public Health Nurse opening.

We are seeking a Registered Nurse (RN) to work Estate of THOMAS primarily out of our Bureau County office. Ability to MICHAEL ZENS Deceased. travel to Putnam or Marshall will be required. The job Notice is given will encompass providing the following services: WIC (Woman, Infants and Children) program, Family Case of the death of Management program, Immunization, Communicable THOMAS MICHAEL Disease investigations and general Public Health ZENS, of Oglesby, Illinois.

Letters of Nursing. A Bachelor's Degree in nursing is preferred. office were issued Please direct all applications to: on December 3, 2019, (Published in Tonica Bureau County Health Department to MICHELLE KELLY, News December 13, 20, Attn: Laurie Geuther of 3207 E. Lindy Ln, 27, 2019) 1731469 526 S. Bureau Valley Pkwy, Princeton, IL 61356 Oak Creek, WI 53154, whose attorney is Gerald M. Hunter, Ltd., 129 W. Walnut Street, Oglesby, IL 61348.

Call or Claims against the go online estate may be e-filed the office of towith browse, the Circuit Clerk, buy or Division, Probate LaSalle sell!County Courthouse, Downtown Courthouse, 119 W. Madison Street, Ottawa, IL 61350, or with the representative, or both, within 6 months from the date of the first publication of this Notice. If the claim notice is personally mailed or delivered to a creditor of the above estate, the claim must be filed in the above entitled

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The Tonica News / tonicanews.com • Friday, December 20, 2019

| CLASSIFIED

10

MICHAEL ZENS Deceased.

Notice is given of the death of THOMAS MICHAEL ZENS, of Oglesby, Illinois.

Letters of office were issued on December 3, 2019, to MICHELLE KELLY, of 3207 Lindy Ln, 999E.• Legal Oak Creek, WI 53154, whose attorney is Gerald M. Hunter, Ltd., 129 W. Walnut Street, Oglesby, IL 61348.

Claims against the estate may be e-filed with the office of the Circuit Clerk, Probate Division, LaSalle County Courthouse, Downtown 119 Courthouse, W. Madison Street, Ottawa, IL 61350, or with the representative, or both, within 6 months from the date of the first publication of this Notice. If the claim notice is personally mailed or delivered to a creditor of the above estate, the claim must be filed in the above entitled cause within 3 months from the date of mailing or delivery, whichever is later.

Any claims not filed within the above periods are barred.

E-filing is now mandatory for documents in civil cases with limited exceptions. To e-file, you must first create an account with an e-filing service provider. Visit https:// efile.illinoiscourts.gov /service-providers.htm to learn more and to a service select provider. If you need additional help or have trouble e-filing, visit https://www. illinoiscourts.gove/ FAQ/gethelp.asp.

Copies of a claim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered to the representative and to the attorney within 10 days after it has been filed.

Greg Vaccaro Clerk of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court Ottawa, Illinois

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CLASSIFIED | The Tonica News / tonicanews.com

––

LASALLE

Stage 212 is looking for director submissions LASALLE — Stage 212 in LaSalle is currently seeking submissions from directors for the 2021 season.

The organization is looking for a wide variety of well-known, highly recognizable musicals, dramas and comedies to fill the winter, spring, summer and fall slots, but will also entertain proposals for a special “off-season” production, typically small cast and a little out of the ordinary, to run in a slot outside of the regular season. The organization will consider all submissions, including repeats of past shows if they have not been performed in the past 15 years.

Anyone interested in submitting a play for consideration should visit the Stage 212 website at stage212.org for application information. Visitors to stage212.org will find a reference list of all productions Stage 212 has put on in its history, as well as a director’s résumé and application to be completed and submitted online. Applications are due Feb. 2, 2020.

A final selection will be made for recommendation to the Management Committee of Stage 212 in March of 2020. Any questions should be emailed to stage212web@gmail.com.

Stage 212 has been the Illinois Valley’s community theater since 1968 and welcomes anyone interested in participating in a stage production, regardless of previous experience.

Donation provides for technology upgrades for IVCC ag program

Photo contributed

The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America recently made a $5,000 donation to provide technology upgrades for Illinois Valley Community College’s agriculture program. Compeer insurance officer Ryan Leifheit (left) of Ottawa presented a symbolic check to IVCC President Jerry Corcoran and co-coordinators of the ag program, Willard Mott and Kathryn Lillie. The gift was facilitated by Karen Blatter-Schieler of the Compeer Financial Fund for America and Strategic Relationships of Normal. “Compeer has a tremendous reputation in the rural community,” said Corcoran. “Receiving their generous support for our new agriculture program affirms our mission is aligned with theirs in the areas of education, environment, technology and quality of life.”

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| COMMUNITY

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