Free Press Advocate

Putting faces on farm history

Published by admin on Tue, 05/29/2018 - 8:24pm

Bob Schumacher used to run out between the corn crib and grain bin and say every swearword he knew. His older brother Alvin, who was considered his father’s son, was the child who knew why the crib and grain bin were built the way they were. The brothers Schumacher, now in their late 80s, returned to the farmstead of their youth last week to recall that way of life, its abrupt end when the U.S. government came to call and to gift the last remnants of the farm to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

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Longest starts #rock your block campaign

Published by admin on Tue, 05/29/2018 - 8:06pm

    Wilmington’s 30-somethings are fed up and planning to do something about it.
   With a strong leader in Jerrick Longest, they’re organizing a park cleanup for this weekend, a real cleanup, that goes beyond picking up litter and weed whacking.
   And it appears they have the momentum to carry their initiative forward beyond this initial project.

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Memorial Day: First test of exclusionary zone

Published by admin on Tue, 05/29/2018 - 8:05pm

Only one ticket was written over the weekend to an individual violating the city’s new shoreline fishing restriction in the South Island Park, although the officers of the Wilmington Police Department talked with many people about why they couldn’t go in the water during the hottest Memorial Day weekend in decades.

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Cheep lessons: Raising chicks teaches fifth graders reading, writing and so much more

Published by admin on Tue, 05/22/2018 - 6:54pm

“All I ever wanted is to hatch. Then it started,” wrote Nikki, a fifth grade student at Stevens Intermediate School. “... Fresh air peeped through. I needed it. It was the best smell ever! It is better than slimy goo.”
The fifth grade classes just finished their study of embryology and incubation, and said good-bye to the dozens of fuzzy yellow chicks that were hatched in their classrooms.

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City takes up solar proposal

Published by admin on Tue, 05/22/2018 - 6:39pm

The electric bills at the city wastewater treatment plant have been climbing, and city officials are going to look at drastically cutting that cost with earth-friendly solar power.
“Since I’ve been here, one of our biggest costs at the sewer plant has been the utilities,” wastewater system superintendent Darin Fowler told the council’s Finance Committee last week. When he was hired just a few years ago, the city paid about $65,000 per year for electricity for plant operations. Now, that cost is around $100,000 per year.

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City exploring Kankakee Street water main work

Published by admin on Tue, 05/22/2018 - 6:36pm

    The Wilmington City Council last week tasked its engineer with developing a plan to replace the inadequate 4-inch water main on Kankakee Street from Baltimore to Canal Street.
   “Kankakee Street has an old 4-inch line, and there are three hydrants that don’t have enough pressure to them, they’re bagged, they’re not worth using,” said Mayor Roy Strong.
   “So we’re going to go back to Route 53, and make another tap and run a 6-inch main all the way down to near the tracks, three blocks, and install new hydrants where the ones aren’t working.”

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Memorial Weekend Visitors to Starved Rock State Park Should Expect Heavy Traffic, Possible Parking Closures

Published by admin on Tue, 05/22/2018 - 9:34am

UTICA, IL – Visitors planning a trip to Starved Rock State Park for the Memorial Day holiday weekend or throughout the busy summer months are advised to expect travel delays, and are encouraged to consider alternate routes to avoid congestion at the Illinois Rt. 178 bridge project near the park’s west entrance.