Dear Editor:
We agree that Medicaid reform is essential to reduce state spending. Community-based services for Illinois seniors have effectively reduced the growth of state Medicaid spending for long term care. Between 1980 and 2008, the number of persons 75+ increased 54%; Illinois Department of Aging Community Care Program (CCP) participants increased by over 66,000, while nursing home residency declined by 8%....
I shot a police officer yesterday. Not in real life, Thank God, in a video simulation, but still, I was sorry. I wasn’t a bad guy in the simulation either, I was just sloppy.
As part of the story on page one of the Thursday, February 2 edition of the Advocate-Press, “FPD to train with FATS video shooting sim,” members of the area media including myself were invited to put on a gun and try out the FATS (Firearms Automated Training Simulator) that the Flora Police Department are currently using.
Before I get all serious, let me quickly explain that my that my experience while sobering, was a great deal of fun. I say this in case anyone who was present thinks I’m trying to deny I enjoyed myself.
So back to being a cop for an afternoon...
January 13, 2012
To the Editor:
It was with some amusement and nostalgia that I listened to WNOI’s report of last night’s North Clay School Board meeting. It seems the old feeling of animosity between Flora and Louisville has not waned over the years. Growing up in Louisville I was indoctrinated with the idea that Flora is our enemy - they want to steal the Courthouse from us - they already have stolen the County Hospital from it’s rightful location in the County Seat, etc. And living in Flora since 1964 it has become apparent that, even though we’re only eight miles apart, still, “the twain shall not meet”.
Good old fashioned rivalry is one thing, but being down-right unfriendly and not supporting each other continues to send a very negative message to our children. Paul Knapp is now feeling the brunt of this animosity.
Banks are closed, so are government offices. Students are enjoying a day off from school. It’s Martin Luther King Day. Is it more than a day off though? How has Dr. King’s legacy affected America?
“I have a dream,” Dr. King said in his most memorable speech. A dream that America could live up the promise of its founding: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” according to our Declaration of Independence.
How far have we come in the time since Dr. King was alive?
The Sailor Springs Historic Foundation will have their breakfast this Saturday, May 28th.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, so bring your company for this special weekend to enjoy our delicious, filling breakfast. Right here in Sailor Springs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Yards are looking beautiful every where in the county. Flowers are blooming and the farmers are very busy.
I’ll have to say the weather is a little more like ‘pleasant weather’. We’ve complained about lots of rain, but in a short time, we may wish for rain. House plants that have been set outside get dry quickly and have to have a drink of water often.
There are lots of iris, peonies, wisteria, columbine and roses in bloom now. Most blooms may be gone by Memorial Day. I’d like to take some to the cemetery before they are gone. Everything blooming is very beautiful this year. Even my catalpa tree has a few white blooms and ‘purple’ again this year as it did last year. An evergreen tree at Heartville has purple flowers each year. No, I’m not crazy! A wisteria vine twines itself up into the branches!
Linda McKnelly, wife of John, passed away this past week. Her funeral was Sunday at 2pm with internment in the Bible Grove (Burk) Cemetery. The Bible Grove Christian Church pastor, Mike Elliott officiated at the funeral at Neal’s Funeral Home. A meal was served after the service at the Bible Grove Christian Church.
Well here I am writing your news again on May 23rd. I am still writing about the weather, rain and thunderstorms again today. I am praying that it will stop soon so the farmers can get in the fields and do some planting soon. I think a few fields have done some planting, but not very many. I am not complaining because we are so lucky, no tornadoes. Poor Joplin, Missouri almost got destroyed over this past weekend.
Caleb McKnelly won the WNOI birthday cake and balloon last Wednesday on May 18th. Hope you had a great birthday.
Betty Garrison and Gladys Jones went out to lunch last Friday. In the afternoon they visited with Maxine Jones and Matilda Payne.
The Historic Foundation will have a giant rummage sale next Saturday, May 21st at the Community Hall in Sailor Springs.
It begins at 7 a.m. and will go on throughout the day ending at 4 p.m. There will be coffee available. Plan to come see what all is for sale.
It is a wide variety with plenty to choose from. Lots of everything.
The weather is something you can write about.
This past weekend after some rain, there was a little cooler weather slowly passing through. The ground dried enough to let the farmers work some in the fields. And more gardens were able to get worked and partially planted. A kind neighbor came and got mine ready to put out. I then had to go and get more plants and seeds to plant. The strawberry plants I had taken up to reset may not do very good as they had been out of the ground too long, I’ll have to get more.
Sympathy goes to the following families: Frances (Daughtery) Kincaid, sister of Fern Hale, who passed away last December in Florida where a memorial was held and then on May 14 a memorial was held at the Louisville Methodist Church with internment in Old Union Cemetery.
Driving by some homes the other day and saw some beautiful flowers. Hope Spring is here.
Flora Oddfellow members gave out last Thursday night to Jamie Pride of Dieterick a $1000.00 scholarship bond.. There was a meal and lot of socializating.
Sympathy goes to the family and friends of Joanna Turner.
Well, here I am back writing your news again.
Guess I will have to talk about the weather as I sure don’t have much news this week. Please call and give me news or I will not have much news this week. Please call and give me news or I will not have any and may quit writing it. I sure do appreciate you sending news to me.
The weather is real changeable as one day it is ninety degrees and the weather changes and the temperatures drops to in the fifties. I guess this Blackberry winter and I will sure be glad when it changes back to good old summer time so I can gripe about the heat. Ha-ha. I am not going to gripe as we have been very fortunate not to have floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. I am thankful for that.
Landon Carter won the WNOI Birthday cake and balloon on Friday, May 13th. Hope you had a happy birthday, Landon and lots of cake and ice cream.
If you heard organized cheering in the halls of FHS recently, it wasn’t due to a late rescheduled ballgame from last winter.
The tryouts for the two FHS squads were held on Monday, April 25th at the High School.
The football squad will be represented by: freshmen Kaylee Lusk and Taryn Poole, sophomores Adriana Tienda Ashlynn Smith, Olivia Booth, Olivia Anderson, Alyssa Stanford and Katie Becker, juniors Taylor Harmon and Kaitlyn McKnelly, seniors Mina Wood, Hannah Fox, Jordan Laker, Anna Henson, Michelle Stees and Rayven Poole.
This week Geno sears up your favorite succulent cuts in Cook Like A Pro.
We've got tequila steak, pork steak and pork chops with kraut.
Enjoy!
Dear Editor,
Reading a recent article printed about the last 4 years left me extremely confused. It was asserted in this article that TIF funds were not used for the Jesse James subdivision, and yet in the Oct 4 2010 city council meeting minutes posted online by American Legal Publishing, its discussed at length how TIF funds will be used to reimburse for road construction. I am confused, if you word it funny does it make it okay? Frankly I don’t think you can play games with funds like that, but it seems to be what we are doing. It was also ascertained that Flora has a housing crisis. It is time to get out of the office and look. Flora is FILLED with empty houses, and lots outside the city are doing just fine! If you have a job, getting a house in town is pretty easy.
Just recently NAL moved its headquarters. Its also been posted lately that NAL is putting plants in Muscle Shoals AL. not expanding here. I don’t see that as a success.
In the last 4 years we have seen liquor licenses granted to at least 2 more stores and I believe 2 more bars, recently The liquor commissioner requested another class B license for Wal mart, thankfully no one would second the motion.
Letter to the Editor
It has been several years since I regularly wrote my editorial column entitled “The View From Here.” I’m retired from publishing, but not from community life.
Having recently read the articles printed locally, outlining the platforms of the three candidates running for city mayor, I felt a need to express an opinion.
My background for expressing these opinions comes from attending and reporting the activities of the Flora city council for 28 years. I also served two terms on the city council to gain first hand insight and experience. Since retiring, I have had the opportunity to periodically work with subsequent councils.
The mayoral articles mentioned three items as possible considerations for action by candidates.
One candidate mentioned considering the possibility of selling the city’s utility systems and services to a commercial company, which would be Ameren-CIPS.
A month has passed and weather was nice for a few days. Thought spring had arrived. The rain had to come back and we sure dont need it, our road is bad enought you can’t get out of it now so now it will be worse.
I want to thank everyome for their prayers for my son Richard Allen. He had major surgery on his kidney. They opertion he had was with both of his kidneys and bladder. He had a very ruff time. He is doing very good now maybe get to come home soon. Please continue to prayer for him.
Sympathy goes out to everyone that lost a family or friend. Yours will be in my prayers.
Well, here I am writing your news again on this gloomy Monday morning, March 14. We had a little bit of snow this morning. I hope that is all we see for this year as Spring is just around the corner, I hope. Ha.
Earthquake Disaster in Japan last Friday. Several people were killed and there may be more found. Pray for all these people and their families.
Sara Bushur won the WNOI birthday cake and balloons last Friday on March 11. Happy birthday to you Sara and hope you had a great birthday and many more to follow.
This one has been a staple in my home for years. My father is Irish and my mother is Italian. For St Patrick’s Day mom always fixed corned beef and cabbage. Here is my take on it. As you will see, the brine is the key. Enjoy!
Dear Editor,
As I look out the A-1 Needlework store window I am depressed at the site of North Avenue. I remember the time when I had to be at J.F. Rich Furniture Store by 6:30 a.m. to sweep the front walk. Don Rich would say, “ We have to have a clean store front.” This was a time when you said good morning to Phil Mann and other individuals as they swept their sidewalks. Other mornings the building’s front windows were washed before 8:00 a.m. so as to not make it unsafe for the customers to come into the store. For some reason they did not like to get water on their clothes.
By 9 a.m. the store was busy with customers. Cars packed perpendicular to the curb had brought the customers shopping to the shops. Saturday afternoon and evenings were meeting times for friends and families. Today at 11:20 a.m. there were four trucks, one van, and one car in the same two blocks that use to be full. Then, if you wanted to see someone your chances were good that they would be somewhere between the A&P Store and Scudamores. Flora Bank, with President Elmer Woods, was hopping. Now the corner bank is closed on Saturday.
Today I walk by empty buildings, see no one on the sidewalk and can park semis about any place. A-1 Needlework moved downtown to “help fill up buildings and promote business to the area.” Since moving we watch stores close. Now there are four stores on West North Avenue open.
Winter again! Just when we thought spring was in the air.
A strong thunderstorm with straight line winds caused some damage which caused power to be out for a short time. I guess March then came in like a lamb on Tuesday. So maybe spring will soon be here.
People in Bible Grove and surrounding area have been saddened by the deaths of neighbors and friends, Mary and Tom Holste last week. Mary was the daughter of Pinkney Fulk. That family has been having several relatives pass away in the last few months.
Please keep them in your prayers.
