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Emails for September 2005
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Looking for Family History | Treatment for poisoned pets | Punishment for dog killer | Reward for missing "Knight" | Comment on dog killer | Dog killer in town | Communities need a plan for natural disasters | Looking for info on Matuszewicz family | Katrina is a wake up call | Acknowledging Ronald May | Followup letter on Katrina | What Helps Most is Encouragement | Looking for piano teacher | Complaining has got to end | Minonk Senior Meals needs delivery volunteers | Chicken Fry at St. Paul's on Sept 17 | Free graduation & Parade of Lights VHS tapes available |

Treatment for poisoned pets

David,

This might be important information for dog owners in Minonk in case their pets are poisoned.

Every year, by some estimates, about 10,000 dogs are victims of accidental poisoning by automobile antifreeze. And a dog does not have to drink a lot of antifreeze to be poisoned. A 22-pound dog can be poisoned by less than five ounces of a mixture of 50 percent water and 50 percent ethylene glycol-containing antifreeze, says Larry Thompson, DVM, PhD, clinical toxicologist in the Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University.

Antifreeze poisoning commonly occurs in the fall and sometimes in the spring, when car owners replace the old antifreeze in radiators with fresh new antifreeze. But it can occur anytime and anyplace, whenever car radiators boil over or hoses break, releasing the green-colored liquid. According to Dr. Thompson, antifreeze poisoning often happens to dogs who are confined, for one reason or another, to a garage; to whom no other source of water is available; and who gain access to improperly or inadequately stored, sweet-smelling-and-tasting antifreeze. (The taste and smell are attractive to dogs.)

Dr. Thompson describes poisoning by ethylene glycol-containing antifreeze as having two stages. In the first stage, the ethylene glycol in the antifreeze causes alcohol intoxication like symptoms-drunkenness-within 30 minutes, and that can continue for several hours after ingestion. After quickly passing through the first stage, the dog appears to recover. Stage two begins when the dog's liver 5tarts metabolizing the ethylene glycol, changing it into more toxic substances. If treated by a veterinarian within 9-12 hours after ingestion, there is a good chance the dog will recover. However, if the dog is brought to the veterinarian 12-24 hours after ingestion, the liver will have already begun metabolizing the ethylene glycol into substances that cause kidney failure and eventually death.

Treating antifreeze poisoning

Getting the dog to a veterinarian fast is the key to successfully treating antifreeze poisoning. Another source of help is the National Animal Poison Control Center, 800-548-2423. This call will cost $30, billable to a credit card or your phone bill.

Standard treatment involves continuously administering ethanol (drinking alcohol) and fluids containing sodium bicarbonate to prevent the ethylene glycol from being converted to harmful substances and to allow it to be excreted unchanged. Recently, another treatment for antifreeze poisoning, Antizol-Vet, produced by Orphan Medical, Inc. of Minneapolis, became available. Antizol-Vet is administered intravenously once every 12 hours for 36 hours. Though treating ethylene glycol poisoning is easier with Antizol-Vet than with traditional treatments, Dr. Thompson emphasizes that neither alcohol nor Antizol-Vet is effective if given for the first time 12-24 hours after the dog consumed the antifreeze.

Preventing antifreeze poisoning
Poisoning by antifreeze is easily prevented: Waste antifreeze should be properly disposed of and containers of new, unused antifreeze should be properly sealed and stored. Dogs should not be confined where antifreeze (or other chemicals, for that matter) is stored. If the dog must be confined in a location where antifreeze is stored, adequate fresh water should be provided.

New, safer, polypropylene glycol-containing antifreezes-Iike Sierra-have recently come on the market and "appear to be less hazardous to dogs than ethylene glycol-containing antifreeze," says Dr. Thompson. Antifreeze also contains numerous other substances that, though in smaller amounts, could pose a danger. This is particularly true of used antifreeze, as it contains corroded metal and other substances resulting from the breakdown of the original antifreeze by the heat of the engine.

Symptoms of antifreeze poisoning
Immediately recognizing the symptoms of antifreeze poisoning and treating within several hours after ingestion are crucial to recovery. Symptoms include:

Ø Drunkenness: The dog may appear to be in a stupor, stagger, weave, and appear uncoordinated and disoriented.

Ø Listlessness: The dog may appear depressed.

Ø The dog may urinate frequently and will be excessively thirsty.

Ø The dog may vomit, though this might not be frequent or persistent.

REPRINTED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FROM DOG WATCH NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 1997

Eric Olson


Reward for missing "Knight"

There is a reward of $100 for information leading to the arrest of person(s) taking the "Knight" from our yard at 404 Lincoln St., Minonk, on Friday, Sept. 2nd, 2005.

The "Knight" was approximately 5 feet tall, silver with a blue staff & shield. He was made of tin.

Call information to Russell at the Woodford County States Attorney's office , 309-467-2375, or Rodney at 309-613-0030 or the Minonk Police Department.

Rodney and Jo Ann Ruestman


Dog killer in town

I was wanting to know if anyone knows if anything is being done about the dog killer in town. I know of at least two incidents of the dogs actually dying. One was strangled, the other poisoned by antifreeze. The other was two dogs in a cage who got poisoned, but the owner caught it in time and took them to the vet. They are ok. Why isn't anyone doing anything or this is more widely known about. All of the incidences occur during the day.

Heather Peiffer
Concerned Dog Lover


Looking for info on Matuszewicz family

I am looking for someone that would have information on the Frank and Veronica Matuszewicz family from the late 188's to the early 1900's. I am not sure who to contact that could help me.

Thank you for your time.

Cheryl Jensen
Email:cjensen@pmclp.com
PO Box 467
Scotland SD 57059


Acknowledging Ronald May

David,

This is the best article that this site has published ever, as far as I'm concern. Wouldn't it be great if every community be filled with people with Ronald May's attitude. It's so much easier to be negative, and have 'pity parties' than to find something good in a bad situation. This is where our faith takes over. I like the phrase "Let go and Let God"!

Emily Zivney


What Helps Most is Encouragement

Let me start out by saying my wife and I were inner-city missionaries in New Orleans for 2 years. We dealt with shooting in our neighborhood on a weekly basis. We dealt with thieves and drug addicts. We dealt with the homeless, drunkard and suicidal. One of the most important things we learned is the power of a positive outlook. You say how can you be positive in a situation like this? It's not easy. It doesn't help with the mayor of the city cussing and throwing a fit. It doesn't help for news reporters to show a bias opinion of what is wrong with the situation although it is important to hear the fears of the people and to know what is happening. Negative attitudes breed more negative attitudes as does positive attitudes breed positive attitudes. I heard about a man who lost all his possessions, his family and his health. His friends and even his wife tried to bring negative attitudes in his life, but he refused to be negative. This man was dying and hurting, he told of his grief and concerns, but in all kept a positive attitude. He got better and rebuilt and was better off after all this had happened than he was before.

President Bush and 90% of the media have done a tremendous job on keeping a positive attitude. President Bush has seen the destruction and the results in New Orleans and said himself he was not satisfied with the results. That is not a negative thought. He is doing all he can to help everyone involved. Had there been mistakes? Probably. We have never been through a catastrophe of this magnitude. We can do all the mock disasters we can and still not be prepared for the worst. Who could imagine that the looting and killing would take place in a situation like this? We didn't see this in during the last hurricanes nor in other cities. Do we want the federal government coming in after every natural disaster telling us what to do? Are Americans so dependent on help they can't help themselves?

We live in the best place in the world. We have the best leaders than any other country. We have the best schools, the best military and the best resources. Let us stand together and help one another instead of tearing a situation down. Let us unite as a people and encourage one another. We can't help what others do, but we can do something about our own actions. Let's make a better America and that starts with "me."

Ronald May
Avon Park


Complaining has got to end

Hey Dave and whoever else reads this! How are ya? Not too bad here. I am a little frustrated, however. I am up here at school in Elgin so to keep a handle on things down home I go to the website. I understand that people posting things they're upset about or whatever may not be from Minonk and understand how the town works. So I'm just going to help them out a little.

In Minonk, everybody knows everybody and if you don't know somebody you introduce yourself, go out to lunch, drink lemonade, something to get to know them. If you have a problem with somebody, it's not hard to figure out where that person lives, just go talk to them. My golly, it's not that tough at all.

The only reason I'm writing this E-mail is 1) I'm not there to talk to them and 2) it wouldn't mean the same over the phone. This probably won't do any good but what happened to "the good place" whining to the "man in charge" (not to give you a big head or anything Dave. lol) and not talking to each other is why there's war right now. It's why there's kids starving on the street without parents, it's why kids are bullying and why some won't even leave the house 'cause they don't wanna die.' I'm sorry, I don't mean to be grumpy or whatever but this complaining has got to end. Come to the city if you want something major to gripe about. Sorry again. Thanks for your time.

Ashley Lindley


Chicken Fry at St. Paul's on Sept 17

Dave,
We are having another Chicken Fry to benefit the Senior High Youth Group at St. Paul's UCC in Minonk on Saturday, September 17th from 5-8pm. We now have two chicken fryers, so we should handle the crowd much more effectively. We truly appreciate the community support we received at our first chicken fry. We were a little overwhelmed by the turn-out we had. We now are working toward a trip to Philadelphia to work in the inner-city and visit the oldest German Reformed based United Church of Christ in the United States. It pre-dates the Constitution by almost 50 years. We are very excited and looking forward to our work with the homeless and experiencing environments we are not familiar with. The attached flyer has all of the details of the dinner. Thank you for all you do to make Minonk a better place.

Sincerely,

Suzie Schertz
St. Paul's UCC
Youth Leader
309-527-3941


Looking for Family History

Hello,

I have been looking on the Minonk website for some time. My great grandfather Joseph Greskoviak was from Minonk; and worked in the mines. I have found some information, but would appreciate any help in researching my family history. My e mail is: Rgreskovaik@sbcglobal.net. Thank you! Robert Greskoviak

Robert Greskoviak


Punishment for dog killer

David,

I thought the Minonk dog killer (and the Minonk Police) should be aware of this.

Sec. 3.02. Aggravated cruelty. No person may intentionally commit an act that causes a companion animal to suffer serious injury or death. Aggravated cruelty does not include euthanasia of a companion animal through recognized methods approved by the Department of Agriculture. A person convicted of violating Section 3.02 is guilty of a Class 4 felony. A second or subsequent violation is a Class 3 felony. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction for violating this Section, the court may order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo any treatment at the convicted person's expense that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. If the convicted person is a juvenile or a companion animal hoarder, the court must order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo treatment that the court determines to be appropriate after du e consideration of the evaluation.

(Source: P.A. 92-650, eff. 7-11-02.)

Eric Olson


Comment on dog killer

Hey David

I was reading through the email section and I saw the one from Heather talking about the dog killer in town.

In the early part of December 1996, someone poisoned our dog, Dusti; and he died. The vet said it was antifreeze poisoning. As far as I know, no one was charged with doing it.

I wondered what the problem was. Did he bark too much? No. Dusti was an inside dog. Perhaps he wandered into a neighbors yard and went potty, and it angered the neighbor. If so, why didn't the neighbor complain to us and give us a chance to fix it before "fixing" it themselves? I cannot imagine anything that dog could have done that would have justified how he was killed.

So who knows? Maybe that person is bored again and can't stand the sight of a dog, or is jealous of others who have a great dog and they don't have one. We don't know what makes soemone do such a horrible thing to a defenseless animal.

I live in Indianapolis now and I volunteer at a rottweiler rescue so I have seen with my own eyes some of the inhumanity that is bestowed upon dogs.

Starvings, dog beatings so severe that the pelvic bone is broken and the hip is out of socket, dogs dumped in the woods that get their rear leg caught in a bear traps with no choice but to chew through their own leg to get free. I could go on and on.

The point is when you get a dog, be sure that you WANT that dog. They are pack animals and want to be with YOU...not outside tied to a tree, or all alone in a fenced in run with concrete floors in the backyard, they don't want to live in a garage or basement. They are a 'companion animal', and YOU are the one they want to be with.

If you don't want to have dog hair in your precious house, then don't get a dog. You are not doing them a favor by getting one and then tieing it to a tree and fogetting about it. The lack of attention makes them nervous and causes lots of issues later.

I have 2 rotties now (one was from the humane society) and they are INDOOR dogs and they are spoiled rotten.

So in closing, I guess my point(s) are: 1) that person who poisoned our dog in '96 is probably the one who is still doing it today because he/she got away with it before; and 2) know where your dogs are even if you are letting them out to go potty and they aren't on a lead. Keep a close eye on your dog and you won't have to worry about anyone poisoning it.

Once you've had a dog taken from you in such a cowardly manner, you become much more aware.

Remember, if you can't adopt a dog or cat, then donate to your local humane society so they can keep helping those animals in need.

Have a great day,
Vicki Olson


Communities need a plan for natural disasters

Hi Dave!

Wanda Patterson makes a great point. There should be plans in place in communities for natural disasters. These plans need to be ready-to-go when disaster strikes. The truth of the matter is these plans exist. However ....

Plans stuffed-away on a shelf in a notebook won't help anybody! What every community SHOULD do now, is review their plans, make certain they are ready-to-implement. Make sure teams are well-drilled on their role, that backups are in place, and chains of command/communication are current.

New Orleans had a plan. No one bothered to put it into action ... they waited for someone else to be "in charge". Too bad, but it is the cold, hard fact in this case. And, many people paid with their lives for this shortcoming.

What a waste, what foolishness. We should be bold enough to call it what it is and not be shy about saying it. I can think of a mayor who should be resigning, and a governor who should be history, too! When the weather service director calls, when the president calls, when the "Clue Phone" is ringing .... people, people what are you doing with your time!! Here comes the hurricane!

Wanda also points out that President has too much on his plate ... well, yeah, duh?! Depending on one person way up the ladder to step-in, take-over and save your bacon in an emergency is not very wise regardless of who the president is! Yet, he called them! Took time out of his busy day and called them. (Guess he's not too busy, and oh-my-gosh, is that the Clue Phone again?) If local people don't their part, how can we expect anything from anybody at any level; county, state or federal to work.

The president is not in charge of our community disaster plans. We are!! Ron May's point about people being prepared to help themselves is a good one! We were repeatedly warned in earthquake country ... be prepared with stockpiles of food/water/blankets/first aid supplies to be on your own without any assistance or communication for up to 5 days. It could happen, be aware. [People in Central Illinois, in tornado country, should know that drill by heart.]

That was San Francisco. And, when I lived in the SF bay area, I was most impressed by how the Army Corps of Engineers worked hand-in-hand with the business/engineering/construction community in an effort to be prepared for any contingency and be able to work through disasters. Their organization (one of my clients), The Society of American Military Engineers, had a carefully-developed Mobilization Readiness Plan that was reviewed regularly and modified as appropriate ... when Loma Prieta struck, it was immediately put into action. One example of a local team making a big difference.

Local hospitals practice and plan ... schools have fire drills ... the hope is that these are not just-for-fun activities. They are to prepare us for the real deal. But, what happens next? Does your family have a plan? If not? Maybe it is high-time we all put one together. Yes, it is possible that an over-the-top disaster could overwhelm your plan; but, the little problems that pop-up now and again won't cost you so dearly.

And, here's an interesting question .... How is it that the Salvation Army is always ready? Isn't that amazing? I think they either have a sixth sense about these things or God's hotline for trouble rings through to their offices!

Just some thoughts ... Sorry this was so long ... but some things need to be said.

Lynn Tweedt-Rabinowe
MDR Class of 1970
Deer Island, Oregon


Katrina is a wake up call

Hi Dave,

All this is scary stuff isn't it. I can not help but think Katrina is a wake up call. Wonder if it will go un-heeded. I Hope not. Time will tell. Around here it seems the poorest people are the ones helping a lot. Seems like people are trying hard to rally. Finger pointing is not going to improve a lot, but there needs to be a better plan set in case anything like this happens again, be it hurricane or tornado or forest fires, etc. I have a feeling this will not be the last tragedy to happen. The economy is so scary that everyone I talk to is worried. Once it starts hurting the upper middle class, imagine how poor people are trying to manage. What goes by the wayside first is their food and then medicine. I pray every day for all of us in this country that was founded on such high hopes and great expectations. I am not sure if anyone can turn things around now or not, but someone has got to step up to the plate and try. I think Bush wants to but he has so much on his plate its un-real.

Wanda Patterson


Followup letter on Katrina

I forgot to add to the last e-mail. To the young girls and all those who help in supporting the relief a huge THANK YOU goes out. You will never know what life you have saved or what your gift of love will do in a persons life.

We are in contact with two ministries that are helping in the areas hit hard. There are still people trapped in houses that FEMA, Red Cross and Operation Blessing has not gotten to yet. They are feeding and helping tens of thousands of people and yet there is so much more. These smaller ministries are going in with truck loads of supplies to help until the bigger organizations can get there. One of the ministries in the thick of things is Raven Ministries. There web site is at
www.BigGrace.com. They are updating their information to let us know how the progress is going. More than the physical there is a lot of emotional damage that will take the love of neighbors and friends to help heal. I am not a very politically correct person so I will just say it how it is. These people need hope. Some have lost homes, all material possessions and even family members. All hope in this world is lost. All they have worked for is gone. The only true hope they have to fall on is the hope that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has. The hope of eternity with Him. Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God believe in Jesus also. In His Fathers house are many dwelling places. If it were not so He would have told us. If He goes, He will come again, that where He is we can be also. This is the only hope worth living for. Eternal life.

Ronald May


Looking for piano teacher

I am looking for a person teaching beginning piano lessons… I am interested in having my toddler begin music lessons.

Jessica L'Heureux


Minonk Senior Meals needs delivery volunteers

Minonk Senior Meals is in need of reliable volunteers to deliver meals once or twice a month to our homebound residents. Meals are picked up at the kitchen door at Heritage Manor at 11:15 am. It takes about 30 minutes to run your route and return the containers. Interested volunteers may phone Bernadette Oltman at 432-2819 to sign up.

Thank you,
Pam Gansch-Boythe


FREE GRADUATION & PARADE OF LIGHTS VHS TAPES AVAILABLE

Visions Video has the following graduation tapes to give away:

MDR 8th Grade - May 21, 1992
MDR H.S. - May 22, 1992

Fieldcrest East 8th Grade - May 22, 1993
Fieldcrest West 8th Grade - May 22, 1993
Fieldcrest H.S. - May 23, 1993

Fieldcrest East 8th Grade - May 28, 1994
Fieldcrest West 8th Grade - May 28, 1994
Fieldcrest H.S. - May 29, 1994

Fieldcrest East 8th Grade - May 27, 1995
Fieldcrest West 8th Grade - May 27, 1995
Fieldcrest H.S. - May 28, 1995

Fieldcrest East 8th Grade - May 25, 1996

Fieldcrest H.S. - May 31, 1998


We also have the following Parade of Lights tapes to give away:

1991

1992

The videos can be picked up at:
Visions Video
512 N. Chestnut Street
Minonk, Illinois


Thanks!

Todd & Kathy Cremer

Todd Cremer