Opinions Differ On Funding Earlville Schools

There could be a referendum question next year dealing with funding for the Earlville School District.

The School Board is looking at asking voters to increase the Education Fund by 18 cents to try and keep the tax rate relatively flat and make up for lost state funding and a sluggish economy.  In a release defending the referendum question, board officials say they have no intention of shutting down the school district.  However they say the district’s existence is in jeopardy so much that they could cut two to three more teachers and cut or reduce K-12 programs.

Some people in the district don’t like the idea of borrowing working cash funds and upping the school tax bill.  Threats of a petition against the board’s referendum idea prompted district officials to release a response.

If the district were to raise its education fund rate by 18 cents, homeowners would pay around 60 dollars more per year in taxes.

Milton Pope Closed Because Of Widespread Illness

With nearly half the school sick, there’s no class today at Milton Pope Elementary School in Marseilles.

Superintendent Dr. Christina Leahy says approximately 44 percent of the student body was out sick Thursday with an intestinal virus.  School was let out early Thursday because of the absenteeism.  Leahy says school will be back in session Monday.

All extracurricular activities are canceled this weekend.

Reward Offered In Bureau Valley Fire

Nearly five months after the fire, investigators are still looking for whoever started a fire July 16^th at the Bureau Valley School District administrative building.

The school district is offering a 10 thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.  From the very beginning investigators said the fire was suspicious in nature.  The state fire marshal and insurance officials confirmed the fire was intentionally set.

If you have any information, call the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office.

Downtown Spring Valley Drug Arrest

A man from La Salle faces a charge that he was dealing performance enhancing drugs.

James York was arrested Wednesday on a Bureau County Warrant for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.  He’s accused of delivering amphetamine to an undercover TRIDENT agent in downtown Spring Valley.

York was taken to the county jail.

Mendota Couple Arrested For Forgery

A husband and wife from Mendota are accused of using stolen social security checks at a local watering hole.

Mendota Police arrested Anthony and Monica Suspenzi at their home yesterday on warrants for forgery.  They’re accused of illegally obtaining and cashing Social Security checks at a Mendota tavern.  Anthony was also picked up for possession of drug paraphernalia.  He was on parole.

Both Suspenzi’s were taken to the La Salle County Jail.  Anthony Suspenzi has no bond because of his department of corrections parole warrant.  Bond for Monica is 50 thousand dollars.

No Criminal Charges In Unusual Varna Death

LACON, Ill. (AP) – Marshall County State’s Attorney Paul Bauer isn’t filing criminal charges against a Varna man whose alcoholic wife’s death was ruled homicidal by a coroner’s jury because of suspicions of neglect.

Bauer says he didn’t find evidence to support charges against John Repholz .  Prosecutors say 73-year-old Ann Repholz was left lying in her own waste for nearly two days, but Bauer said John Repholz’s actions didn’t amount to criminal neglect or abuse.

Ann Repholz died July 19 in Peoria, where she had been brought by ambulance July 15. She had been taken to a Princeton hospital on July 13, but left against medical advice. Investigators say she passed out on the drive home and her husband left her lying on a rug in their home.