Firemen vs farmers around Seneca

Saturday was not a good day for burning corn stubble. Seneca and Marseilles firefighters were called to a grass fire along the towpath this Saturday afternoon.

Seneca Fire Chief Jerry Sears told “Classic Hits 103-9 WLPO” his men were still putting out flames around 4:30pm. He said farmers  are burning in their fieldd. One field fire reached the towpath and burned a three quarter mile stretch.

Fire heavily damages Magnolia home

     How did you enjoy the 80 degree weather Saturday?   31 firemen from 5 departments spent most of the afternoon extinguishing a small single story house fire on North Peoria street in Magnolia. 

    Dave VanLaar is the public information officer for the Magnolia fire department. He said the call came about 12:35 and firemen found the house fully engulfed when they arrived. Besides the wind, VanLaar said their job was made harder by the wood house’s 2 ceilings. The fire was under control in just over an hour. A man living there got away and there were no injuries to firemen.

     Granville, Lostant, McNabb and Varna departments assisted. VanLaar did not speculate on the cause and said his department would not be investigating any further.

 

Marseilles coming together nearly year after devastating flood

It’s time to celebrate how far Marseilles has come since last year’s record flooding.

A community cook-out called “Celebrating Progress” starts at 5:30 Thursday in Broadway Park. The cook-out is open to everyone including anyone from neighboring towns who helped with the flood cleanup in Marseilles. Marseilles Mayor Patti Smith says she just wants everyone to have a relaxing time together.

Besides food there will be children’s games, raffles, trolley tours of areas that have been rebuilt since the flood and also tours to see the renovated Marseilles Elementary School.

Severe weather possible in the Illinois Valley

Keep an eye to the sky, there’s a chance of severe weather in the Illinois Valley.

The National Storm Prediction Center has put the listening area under a slight risk for severe storms Saturday. The National Weather Service says the best chance for severe weather is from the afternoon into the evening along and north of Interstate 80.

Showers and storms are also possible Sunday but they’re not expected to be severe. There could however be heavy rain which could make the rivers rise.

State Farm leader says company isn’t leaving Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) – State Farm Insurance CEO Ed Rust Junior says the company’s plans to expand in Arizona, Texas and Georgia will not affect the company’s headquarters in Bloomington.

Rust told a crowd at Illinois Wesleyan University Thursday that Bloomington remains what he called the company’s “mother hub.”

State Farm raised concerns in Bloomington last year when it announced plans to create new operational hubs in Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta.

The insurance company is Bloomington’s largest employer with about 15,000 jobs.

Sheila Simon wants Illinois Farmers’ Markets to accept LINK card

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) – Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is encouraging farmers markets to accept food-stamp cards with wireless technology provided by the state.

She will visit vendors and customers with her message that farmers markets should accept LINK cards in Carbondale Saturday. The Carbondale market is the first in Illinois to receive a free wireless point-of-sale terminal to handle LINK cards.

Simon encourages all farmers markets to “open their stands to all residents.”