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Goodbye 2015!

January 2, 2016   Editor: Dave Uphoff
2015 had its ups and downs in the Minonk community. The good news is that farmers had record crop yields this past year although profit margins were reduced due to lower grain prices. Also, the Minonk Chocolate Company expanded its operations with a move into its new building at Sixth and Oak in September.

The economy is slowly coming back although not back to where it was before the latest recession hit in 2008. Income has not kept up with the cost of living as the middle class is being squeezed by wage stagflation while prices continue to rise. The closing of the Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Il meant the loss of jobs for many Minonk area employees. Caterpillar also laid off many employees due to a slowdown in their sales.

With the closing of Minonk Foods in July, Minonk was without a grocery store for the first in its history. However, plans are in place to start up a new grocery store in February in the same location.

The biggest news was the decision by the Fieldcrest Board of Education to build a new 6 - 12 school building and demolish some of the existing buildings. In spite of public opposition, plans are still in place to place a referendum on the ballot in November to determine whether taxpayers will approve the plan.

The year brought heartbreak to the community with the death of twins Bryce and Alex McKay from brain cancer.

Police Chief Nathan Barker was fired after being convicted of a DUI only three months after he was hired in January. He was replaced with Police Chief John Wherry in August. In April City Administrator Gary Brennan resigned his position which still has not been filled.

The year climaxed with an ice storm that caused a power outage for several hours in Minonk and for several days in the rural community. The El Nino effect is resulting in a warmer and wetter winter which may result in more ice damage before the winter is over.

Let us hope for a better 2016.

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The MinonkTalk mobile website for cell phones has been upgraded and improved considerably and is finally ready for prime time. We apologize for the poor performance of the original website. You will find the mobile website is faster than the desktop version. The address for the MInonkTalk mobile website is the same as the PC website which is http://www.minonktalk.com. We would like feedback from anyone who encounters any issues with the new format.

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