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Thursday, November 20, 2014
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Hennepin steel mill sold
Questions linger about fate of the building By Ken Schroeder Shaw Media Services
HENNEPIN — The Hennepin Steel Mill has finally found a buyer. It’s been reported a company from Michigan named IPS Steel has purchased the mill which has sat empty since early 2010, when former owner ArcelorMittal closed the plant. U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock announced the sale on Nov. 15 through a press release to the Peoria Journal Star. According to the report, Schock stated it was “a good sign for Hennepin and Putnam County.” Schock did not return telephone calls by press time. However, the news report from that point raises more questions than answers. Although the news release from Schock’s office quoted Putnam County Board President Duane Calbow, Calbow said he found out about the sale through the article in the Journal Star. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but we really don’t know very much,” Calbow said. “I’m hoping to have a conversation with the company to find out their plans for the facility.” Searches for a company
named IPS Steel in Michigan have come up empty as of press time. Reports name Kishan Sutariya as IPS project manager. Sutariya is the head of Technology Consulting in Detroit, Mich. Phone calls to the business went unanswered. Former owner ArcelorMittal has confirmed the purchase of the site to a company by that name. “ArcelorMittal sold 873 acres of land and nearly one million square feet of existing buildings to IPS Steel LLC on Nov. 13,” ArcelorMittal external communications senior specialist Heather Ross said. “ArcelorMittal is pleased that this sale will turn the property back to productive use and ultimately create new jobs and revenue for the city and region.” ArcelorMittal will not disclose additional details about the real estate transaction. The company rebuffed all attempts by other steel companies to purchase the mill at the time of its closing. There is also no record of the sale at Putnam County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds Dan Kuhn’s office, which would indicate the sale is not official. As of press time, no paperwork of any sort has
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BCR photo/Mike Vaughn
Recent reports showed the number of deer crashes in the state decreased within the last year, but the same can’t be said for data collected in Bureau County. The local area saw 38 more deer crashes in 2013 compared to 2012.
Dodging deer Fewer people hit deer in 2013 than in 2012 By Goldie Currie gcurrie@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) recently announced deer crashes continue to be on the decline within the state. According to an IDOT press release, data revealed a 1 percent decline, from 15,495 deer crashes in 2012 to 15,334 deer crashes in 2013. But while the state num-
bers are on the decline, Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson said he hasn’t noticed a decrease in Bureau County. In fact, Bureau County Deputy Annette Bonnell, who is in charge of records, confirmed there was an increase in deer crashes in Bureau County from 223 in 2012 to 261 in 2013. Currently, the 2014 numbers are sitting at 151 deer crashes, but that number does not reflect totals for November and December. According to Bonnell’s data, most deer crashes
and almost 80 percent occurred at twilight or nighttime. Thompson said unfortunately most of the time drivers cannot avoid a deer accident, as the deer tend to run into vehicles traveling on the roadway. A couple of tips Thompson offers drivers to decrease their chance of hitting a deer is to drive at a slower speed at night, especially in timber areas where deer reside. Also, watch out for reflections from deer eyes, and slow down if they are seen. According to the IDOT press release, the number of deer-vehicle crashes resulting in property
occur in the months of October and November, which have both been deemed the highest-risk months for deer crashes by the IDNR. Thompson confirmed the reason why IDNR continues to watch the number of collisions is so they can better track the deer. According the IDOT press release, the Top 10 counties for deer collisions in 2013 included: Madison at 432; Cook at 426; Will at 373; Peoria at 372; Lake at 352; Fulton at 342; Sangamon at 323; Kane at 311; Pike at 297; and Rock Island at 297. About four in every five collisions occurred on rural roadways,
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Hall High School gets its report card ‘We have a lot of work to do, but we appear to be trending in the right direction’ By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY — The Illinois School Report Cards were released Oct. 31, and Hall High School (HHS) Superintendent Year 168 No. 139 Two Sections - 32 Pages
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Michael Struna believes the school and its scores are moving in the right direction. “We have a lot more work to do, but we appear to be trending in the right direction,” said Struna. Struna expressed great
concern for The Ready For College Coursework scores at HHS. These scores show the percentage of students who scored a 21 or higher on the ACT test. The HHS Ready For College Coursework score this year was 39 percent, scoring below the state’s 46 percent. Struna recognized that this percentage needs work. “I am still concerned about the college readiness of our students,” he
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said. Struna said more than 50 percent of HHS students attend Illinois Valley Community College after graduation, and those who fall under the necessary test scores must take remedial classes costing them time and money. “So for me, it isn’t just one test score because it
has an academic and financial impact on students and parents after they leave HHS,” said Struna. In 2014, 68 percent of students who graduated from HHS enrolled in secondary education. This compared positively to the 57 percent of students in the state that enrolled in college after high school.
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While the Ready for College Coursework scores were a concern to Struna, he expressed pleasure in the increased graduation rate at HHS. Increasing by 11 percentage points in the last year, the HHS’s four-year graduation rate was 89 percent. This beat the overall graduation rate of the state, which is 86 percent. “When I look at our
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