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County Watch — From the Stark County History book

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Last Updated on Friday, 08 March 2013 15:52

Written by Jim Nowlan

I have been traveling this past week, so have little material for this space. In place of my regular fare, I thought readers might enjoy, now and from time to time, selections from the recently published history of the county and its families.
This week I have selected a poem by B.J. Omanson and Farmer Jones Wise Sayings.

The Greying Edge of a Winter Evening
By BJ Omanson

In Stark County, in his eighty-third year,
my grandfather died. The tall gabled house
overlooking the creek and bottomland
from a rough oak ridge stands empty now,
but nothing changes. The west-facing pane
of the window-bay where he watched from his desk

County Watch—Stark County judge; Bruce; schools

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Last Updated on Thursday, 07 February 2013 17:02

Written by Jim Nowlan

The Illinois Supreme Court put out a press release that Timothy Cusack, of the Peoria County Public Defender’s Office, has been voted by the judges of the 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Stark, to be an associate judge.
Although the release did not say so, it appears this is the appointment to replace, temporarily, recently retired Stark County resident circuit judge Stuart Borden of Wyoming.
During the 2014 election cycle, Stark County voters will have an opportunity to elect the next Stark County resident judge on a permanent basis.
By law, the candidate selected does not have to reside in Stark County, but this paper would hope that voters would select one of our own.

County Watch — Molasses; Adam; David and Linda; judges

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Last Updated on Thursday, 14 February 2013 19:42

Written by Jim Nowlan

A century-old elevator in Toulon is coming down. I called it the “Davis Elevator” as a boy, in contrast to the “Wrigley Elevator” at the east end of the elevator strip along the former Rock Island Railroad tracks.
During the demolition in progress, workers for Rumbold & Kuhn, the present elevator operators, came upon a tank buried under the elevator that contained, get this, 2,500 gallons of still pumpable molasses.
According to Orville King of Toulon, who worked at the elevator for 42 years until retirement some years back, the tank was put in about 1961, and the molasses was mixed with grain in cattle feed.
Still usable, the molasses has been sold to Tom Nelson of rural Toulon, who will feed it to his cattle.

County Watch — Brooke; Mike

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Last Updated on Friday, 01 February 2013 15:12

Written by Jim Nowlan

Brooke Rennick is just a 7th grader at Stark County Junior High, yet to the Salvation Army and their beneficiaries she is a really big deal. This year Brooke collected 259 coats and 150 hats and scarves that she donated to the Salvation Army.
Brooke leads the single largest coat collection effort in the region other than one led by all the Peoria Rivermen hockey team.
Last week the Peoria Journal-Star did a major front-page feature story on Brooke and her accomplishments. 

“Brooke has been a shrewd little businesswoman in building broad support,” says an admiring Salvation Army official. “She’s very ingenious.” This is the third year Brooke has been collecting coats, and her drives get bigger each year.