Editorials

Well folks, the state of Illinois is at it again with school funding. They have made too many promises to too many people, and the credit card is maxed out. What this will mean to the taxpayers and students in the Bureau Valley School District is we are about to get short changed.

This letter is in response to Nanette Smith of Princeton. If you call yourself an animal lover, then you must realize that not all people are. Bonnie Doty and Friends of Strays are providing a sanctuary to abandoned/abused animals. She is a legal shelter that is allowed to house hundreds of animals. She has restrictions and guidelines she has to follow by law. Before an animal can be adopted out of the shelter, they are microchipped, immunized and spayed/neutered. All of which is included in the adoption fee. Microchipping is the first thing a vet clinic, pound, animal control checks to see if they can find the animal’s proper owner. Many dogs are found without collars that provide proper identification. When you microchip your pet, you pr

In my capacity as the Bureau County Sheriff, I do, in fact, have law enforcement deputies who are trained in tactical law enforcement intervention such as active shooter, building entry/searches and hostage negotiations. I do, however, select those deputies who serve based on their overall abilities and performance. As in the military, accelerating in one area of performance does not insure the deputy will be selected to serve within another specialty field. In addition, and to supplement the safety of our community (Bureau County), I meet with the sheriffs of LaSalle and Putnam counties, along with the commander of the Illinois State Police District 17 on a monthly basis, in an effort to develop strategic critical incident plans while dete