Memorial Day: Remembering America's Fallen Soldiers
Every year, Americans from all walks of life take time to honor the
profound sacrifices that over one million men and women throughout our
nation's history have made to throw off the shackles of tyranny and
preserve the countless freedoms we enjoy to this day.Memorial
Day is an opportunity for each of us to not only reflect on the high
cost of liberty, but offer a thank you and a prayer to the men and
women who selflessly set aside their fears and doubts, and walked into
battle in the name of liberty, justice and the high ideals of
democracy. Throughout
our young nation's history, the bravery of United States' Soldiers,
Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen has reflected the highest
level of service and patriotism. In the face of adversity and
unfathomable struggles, our Armed Forces answered a call to duty, often
leaving behind family and loved ones to defend faceless strangers
against persecution and oppression. These
men and women felt a devotion to their country, a responsibility to
preserve that which others before them died to protect. They paid with
their lives so that future generations of Americans could live their
lives with optimism and hope for the future, unmarred by fears and
insecurities. At
this time, our country is involved in another conflict. On this
Memorial Day I encourage you to pay tribute to the many soldiers in
Iraq, Afghanistan and all over the world who are engaged in a battle
against the evils of terrorism and oppression, miles from their homes
and those they love. Though each day they wake to encounter innumerable
obstacles, their courage and unwavering patriotism should serve as an
example to us all. Franklin
Delano Roosevelt once said: "All gave some and some gave all." The
price of freedom is high, but precious. This Memorial Day please take a
moment to remember the sacrifices made by the men and women who died in
the name of peace, liberty and democracy. While
a time to reflect on those who have passed on, let us not forget the
many ambassadors of freedom fighting in the name of peace and liberty
in the Middle Ease. Please let your thoughts and prayers extend to the
thousands of Americans who continue to courageously serve their country
with pride and conviction. Thank you and God Bless, State Senator Dan Rutherford 53rd District Need help for 4th of July chicken dinner Everyone: The
4th of July Committee is in need of your help! We are in the process of
organizing this year's event and we will be having a Chicken Dinner on
the 4th after the parade at West Side Park.Our
committee needs help with the fixing of the coffee and lemonade and the
making of desserts for this event. If you or anyone you know would be
willing to help us out with this we would appreciate it. Many of our
volunteers that day will be involved with the parade, other events
occurring throughout the day, and the fireworks. To assist us please contact Cathy McKay. Thanks so very much. Cathy McKay 4th of July Committee Chairperson Logical holes in case for tax referendum
There are just so many logical holes trying to be plugged with fuzzy
math in Mr. Vincent's argument for a Fieldcrest School District
referendum in November, that we cannot even muster the energy to debunk.Suffice
it to say that when you have the same or fewer kids, you don't hire
more staff and spend more money. The prudent approach would be to cut
expenses. That's what we all do in our own budgets. Fuel cost is up?
You drive less - you don't run into your boss and ask for a raise; year
after year. The
case for more tax follows the "Big Education" playbook. Threats of
service cuts and increased fees. There is no downside to keep asking
year after year for a tax rate hike. Eventually, school administrations
feel, they will get it approved. The tactic always seems to include
some type of claim that, "it's really SAVING you money . . . You can't
afford NOT to approve this". We
believe there should be a three strikes your out policy with tax
referenda. Let's say, if the voters turn you down 3 times in five
years, then you can't bring another request for 3 years. What is the
cost associated with these repeated attempts? In any event, we wish the best for voters. We also want the best for the kids. We're just unsure the hike is best. Jim Irvin www.woodfordtaxfacts.com
Softball League Sign-up
The Minonk Parks and Recreation Committee will be sponsoring a softball
league program for area wide adults. Participants must be 16 years old
at the time of registration.All
practices and home games will be at the Veterans Park in Minonk. The
cost to participate is $150.00 per team. Make checks payable to Minonk
Parks & Recreation. Please return sign up sheets along with the
appropriate fee in an envelope marked "Softball League" to Minonk City
Hall by June 26, 2006. This
is a fall event with practices starting at the end of July. Games will
be scheduled for Sunday afternoons starting at 2:00pm. Each team will need to provide gloves, bats and form their own practice schedule. Please contact Ryan Orabutt at 432-2252 for a sign-up sheet or with any questions. Ryan Orabutt CAC Raffle winner
The WINNER of the CAC Raffle was Terry Zilm of Toluca!! Thanks to all
who participated and helped in any way. Extra special thank yous to
Colleen Weber, Garilyn Wells, Mary Palmore, Vicky McKnight and Sheila
Gensler.Karen New car damaged
I hate writting here, but don't know where else to get the message
out....My Husband and I brought a new car on May 03, 2006. We didn't
get to enjoy it much until Sunday May 7th. We were so carefull
everyplace we went, parking out far so we wouldn't get any dings or
dents..Checking it out everytime we came out...Came into Minonk, pulled
into Dollar General, seen several children in parking lot with
skateboards, so parked away from them, went in The Dollar Store, wasn't
in there 10 minutes, came out and the side of my car had been scratched
or keyed. So I think it is time for everyone to take notice, as summer
is almost here..time to find something for the kids to do. I thought
building the park at the end of town would keep the children out of the
streets and off of the sidewalks with their boards but Guess I was
wrong...Crystal Cosby Update on class of 2000 reunion
I got a hold of our vice pres of the class Erica Palm. Her and I are
starting to collect addresses for a reunion in 2010. You can get a hold
of one of us and let us know where you are at to be invited then or how
we can get a hold of you for it. If you know where any of our
classmates are at please inform them. My email is
heatherae_21@hotmail.com. If you know Erica's you can email her, I am
not giving it out with out her permission. We are both on myspace.com
also, you can get a hold of us on there too. Thank you and hope to see
you there. Heather Amigoni Peiffer 1 Elder 2 Another
It seems that between the TV, the newspapers, radio and e-mails, all
the news is bad or at least anger forming. Yes, we should remain
vigilant to crime, elections, and swindlers, but why do we need to fuel
fires over why others choose to see some movies, why some churches seem
to be reinterpreting the Bible, and why George went to war in the first
place. As an Elder, I have seen a lot more than most younger folks, I
voted and regretted, bought and sold foolishly, Watched more theatre
movies and listened to more romantic music, have been married longer
and have had more jobs and worked for less pay and stayed married
longer and still am, and love to brag about my kids, all 4 of them.
BUT, this is a challenge to those other ELDERS over 65, who have
grandchildren. I occasionally read a story on MINONKTALK from parents
about their children's achievements, and it is a real highlight to hear
about them instead of those complaints about the local and non local
unruly brats who are insolent and destroy property. Soooo, I am
challenging GRAND PARENTS to write about their GRANDCHILDREN (assuming
Dave will agree and publish) I am going on record as a very confident
ex Minonk Elder, that my 8 grandchildren (ages 16 to 23) can go head to
head with any of yours and their accomplishments to date. I am so sure,
that I will wait a couple of weeks before I reply with, "who MINE are
and WHAT they have done." NO, none of them are on TV's "Extreme
Wrestling". Start your stories now. Albie J
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Softball League Comments
This e-mail is in response to Rob Teno's e-mail about the softball league. If anyone has any questions, concerns or comments regarding the softball league, please feel free to contact myself (432-2252) or Parks and Recs Committee member directly. The Minonk Parks and Rec Committee cannot accommodate everyone's needs and felt that they would have a better turn out with teams on Sunday afternoons rather than Wednesday nights. Ryan Orabutt
Why the change in softball date?
I was just wondering why the day for the fall softball league was
changed. I played last year and it was on Wednesday's. Is there any
chance of moving the games back to Wednesday or pushing them back a
couple of hours on Sunday's? There are some of us that want to play but
have to work on Sunday's. Thank you for your time. Rob Teno Need help for 4th of July Everyone: The
4th of July Committee is in need of your help! We are in the process of
organizing this year's event and the fireworks volunteers have
requested a new firing panel to use which would help keep our
volunteers safer and the fireworks show as spectacular as usual. The
cost of this panel which is above and beyond our usual expenses of
putting on the Minonk 4th of July event is $4800 and we would
gratefully accept any donations for this firing panel that you or any
organization would donate towards it. This event is a costly endeavor
and the 4th of July Committee appreciates any and all donations that we
receive all year long but this is a special purchase. We anticipate
that this piece of equipment will last for quite some time. If you need
further information or would like to donate any monies towards this
expense please contact Cathy McKay, 626 Locust Street, Minonk, IL,
61760.Thanks very much. Cathy McKay 4th of Committee Chairperson High School Spring Concert rescheduled Dave, I
would like to let everyone know that the Spring Concert for Fieldcrest
High School has been rescheduled for this Sunday at 6 pm in the high
school gym. It had to be postponed due to my wife going into labor 12
hours before the concert! I would encourage as many people as possible
to come to the concert. It promises to be quite good as the kids have
been working very hard on their music. Thanks, Rusty Russell Class of 82 wants emails for 25th reunion Attention M-D-R class of 1982
Our 25th year class reunion is fast approaching and we would like to
get as organized as we can. We are asking you to please e-mail Sis
(Geringer) Hovey or Geri Glowacki-Moline your most recent address
(please send it even if you think we already have it). Thanks. Sis Hovey sis5@verizon.net Geri Moline gmoline@fieldcrest.k12.il.us Become educated on referendum
This November, citizens residing in Fieldcrest School District will
have the opportunity to vote on a referendum. One of the things we
first hear when bringing up the word "referendum" is "How much is this
going to cost me?" After attending an informational meeting, I have
learned that the total tax rate of the school district will actually
decrease because existing working cash bonds will be paid off, and
there is currently an excess in the retirement fund. Passing a
referendum will increase the income of the education fund by an
estimated $609,000. This budget increase will allow for previously cut
programs to be reinstated, cut activity fees for students and maintain
a quality education for our children.Currently, this information is available on the Fieldcrest website.
Within the next few weeks DVD's will be available for viewing. There
will be several opportunities to attend public informational meetings
also. I encourage everyone to become an informed voter. Many times
people have personal or private issues with the school district that
could prevent them from obtaining the actual facts. Please take the
time to become familiar with the structure of this referendum and cast
an educated vote this November. Monica Kalkwarf Fieldcrest referendum
It is my understanding that Fieldcrest Unit 6 will be placing a
referendum on the ballot in November. I feel all the communities need
to band together and make a concerted effort to get this referendum
passed. With bonds rolling off this year, the School District
referendum tax rate on your tax bill will be lower than the previous
year. With the increased money in the Education fund, some much needed
classes can be reinstated such as Art and PE in the grade schools. The
increase will also allow the school district to decrease the activity
fees which is a major burden for parents during registration. These
high activity fees are discouraging people from moving to our
communities rather than encouraging them. Let's unite our efforts in
passing this much needed referendum.Bob Hakes
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