Illegal Fireworks Here in Loves Park

Every year dangerous and illegal items such as cherry bombs, m-80's and firecrackers cause numerous injuries to both adults and children and illegal bottle rockets along with many other flammable items cause thousands of dollars in property damage.

Parents may be held liable for any damages or injuries caused by their children's use of illegal fireworks.

Loves Park police will be out watching for illegal use of fireworks. We announced at City Council last week that if you have neighbors shooting off these illegal items to call the Loves Park Police and supply them with the address(es) and they will investigate and resolve the situation.

Watching fireworks is fun and can be a wonderful end to the day's festivities, if done by professional that are licensed. If done illegally by amateurs the results can be just the opposite, with possibilities of property damage or injury.

Four suggested guidelines for communicating with your children about illegal fireworks:

Set an example the most important thing parents can do for their children is to set a good example! - If you use illegal fireworks and make it a normal part of your Fourth of July celebration, don't be surprised when your children mimic your behavior.

Be factual! It is important to address the issue of illegal fireworks at a young age. If your child asks a question about illegal fireworks, be prepared to respond simply and factually and to lay the groundwork for a dialogue later on. Remember illegal fireworks are a year-round problem not just one that occurs around the fourth of July. - In discussing illegal fireworks with children, it is always best to stress the immediate consequences or impacts on themselves and the people around them. Use this guide to help them identify illegal fireworks and how to report their use to your local fire or police department.

Be aware of outside peer pressure! To children, peer pressure is more important than any other influence outside the family in effecting the use of alcohol, drugs or engaging in other dangerous activities such as the use of illegal fireworks. - Parents can encourage children to think for themselves ... To be self-reliant and independent ... To recognize the times when they should do what their friends do and the times when they should stand alone and do what they think is right.

Seek professional advice if needed! - If your child is engaging in activities to which you are opposed and can't seem to control, the best thing to do is seek professional advice immediately.

I hope you and your family have a fun and safe Fourth of July.

The Parks Chamber Mary Ann Clibbery Memorial Garden

This Memorial Garden was made possible from the support and efforts of family and friends of Mary Ann Clibbery along with the Chamber and its members. Mary Ann will continue to have a possitive effect on our communities and though she is gone she will not be forgotten.

If you are near the Parks Chamber office located in the Loves Park City Hall Complex stop by and visit the Garden.

Safety starts at home

As we are well into the summer time weather there should be a few things to remember.

The winter months often wear on the address numbers posted on your mailbox or home. Take a look where you have these numbers posted and ensure they are easy to read from the street. If you have an emergency time is very important and finding the right home is essential.

It is also a good idea to check all smoke alarms that they are functioning and the batteries are replaced. Adding a couple of carbon dioxide detectors would not hurt either.

As, we have recieved a substantial amount of rain make sure your property does not have places that will allow standing water. These areas can include empty containers, kiddy pools, pop cans, tires bird feeders or many other places which does not allow water to drain. West Nile along with other diseases is carried by mosquitoes. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/

.

Kids are out and about with the warm weather watch them because they might not be watching you. Drive at the most the speed limit, give yourself time to stop if you have to. If you are having problems with speeders give me a call and I will get some police patrols into your neighborghood for speed limit enforcement.

.

Remember to have a safe and enjoyable summer!

On The Waterfront Announces line-up

OTW anounced today some of their lead acts for the 2006 festival. Friday, September 1, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo will play the Miller Lite Great Lawn Stage. Cheap Trick is set to play Saturday, September 2, (same stage MLGLS). Ted Nugent will headline on Sunday, September 3, (same stage MLGLS). OTW states there will be over 150 performances scheduled this year and these bands are just a taste of what to expect for the festival.

.

For complete information visit their site at: http://www.onthewaterfront.com/

Water Main Flushing

Loves Park will be flushing their water mains in selected parts of the city.

The areas that this may affect are Harlem Road, Applewood Lane, Riverside Boulevard and the eastern city limits.


The City will be flushing the mains Tuesdays through Fridays. This could stain clothes if you do laundry durring these times. Flushing will start June 20 and will be ongoing for four weeks.

Any questions please give the City a call.

Photo Tours added

In an effort to expand the Little Blog and offer another way for people to get to know Loves Park a Photo Tour section has been added. As of today, a City Hall Photo Tour was created. Visitors can see an ariel view of the Loves Park City Hall Campus along with exterior and interior photos of City Hall. If you have some venues you feel visitors might be interested in viewing send me an e-mail and I will add them.

Ski Broncs

The Ski Broncs waterski show is open for performances every Wednesday and Friday night all summer long for FREE ski shows! Shows start at 7:00 p.m. June and July, and 6:30 in August.

The Ski Broncs perform and practice at:

Shorewood Park
Loves Park IL 61111

Directions: Riveside to East Drive then South to Shorewood Park, or N. 2nd (251), West on River Ln then South on Bennett to Shorewood Park.

For more information visit their site at: http://www.skibroncs.com/

Board of Local Improvements to introduce new road plan

The Board of Local Improvements will meet in the Loves Park City Hall Auditorium tonight Wednesday, June 7 at 5:30 pm to discuss a reduced road plan for areas east of I-90. The project will be cut from the proposed $30 million (at the May 17 meeting) in road improvements to half that and the Board will have available the new plans for the area.

We had a full house for the May 17 meeting; so, if you plan to go, make sure you give yourself the time needed to arrive and get a seat.

Update: June 8, 2006

The revised proposal seemed to have the blessing of those who attended the public forum June 7. The remainder of the roads removed from the proposal will be paid for and constructed as needed with the developers paying for the improvements.

Winnebago County New Web Site

http://www.co.winnebago.il.us/

Winnebago County has announced a re-designed web site with new tools to serve the residents of Winnebago County. It is easier to navigate opposed to their old site and has a lot more to offer. It has eye catching flash animation featuring photos from different communities here in Winnebago and links to local municipalities.

Well, I am glad they are working to stay current on technology; information is power and having a site that provides a portal into this community helps promote our area socially and economically.

Rockford Postal Service Consolidation Forum

Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:30 pm there will be a public forum held to give input into the moving of the Rockford postal processing service to the Palatine facility. Congressman Don Manzullo helped create this venue to give the citizens and postal workers of the area an opportunity to let the US Postal Service know what our views are. 50-100 jobs will be possibly reassigned to facilities within a 100 mile radius if this measure is approved not to mention the possibility of poorer service.

The counties that would be affected by the potential processing center move include Winnebago, Boone, Stephenson, Jodaviess, Carroll, Whiteside and Ogle. The open forum will be held on Monday night, June 5, at 6:30 at the Northern Illinois University Rockford Education Center. The center is located at 8500 E. State Street in Rockford.



Link to Congressman Manzullo's House site:

http://manzullo.house.gov

February 16, 2006

Manzullo: Postal Service Agrees to Weigh Public Concerns on Proposal to Reroute Rockford Mail Through Palatine

[WASHINGTON] Calling it a "tremendous victory for the people of northern Illinois," Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today said the U.S. Postal Service has agreed to hold a public forum in Rockford to consider the people's concerns on the proposal to transfer mail processing operations from Rockford to Palatine.

Manzullo met this afternoon with U.S. Postmaster General Jack Potter, who informed Manzullo that the Postal Service was extremely concerned about prior evidence Manzullo had submitted on the Rockford "Area Mail Processing" study. To hear further concerns from the people, the Postal Service decided to hold a public forum in Rockford. The study that will determine the feasibility of transferring the work will resume and a public forum will be scheduled in Rockford. The study will be completed by July 1, the Postal Service said.

"This is a tremendous victory for the postal workers whose jobs have been threatened and for the people of northern Illinois because the Postal Service has now agreed -- for the first time -- to listen and consider their concerns," Manzullo said. "I know the evidence we have collected to date and continue to collect each day will help the Postal Service realize that transferring Rockford operations to Palatine would be huge mistake."

Potter added, "These are changing times for the Postal Service. The hard copy mail marketplace is evolving and changing, and we need to explore options to keep our costs as low as practicable. Our goals are two-fold: first, to provide the highest level of universal service at affordable rates, and thus we have a fiduciary responsibility to consider all alternatives; second, to ensure that we continue to maintain the level of service our customers in Rockford are accustomed to."

Last December, the Postal Service announced it was conducting the study to determine whether to reroute all outgoing mail from zip codes starting in 610 and 611 through the Palatine sorting center near Chicago instead of the Rockford center. Affected zip codes include communities in Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, JoDaviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Ogle and Lee counties. The postal service was scheduled to complete the study in late December 2005 and announce a course of action in January 2006. The Rockford study is one of dozens the Postal Service is conducting around the United States.

During a meeting in late December, Manzullo was able to convince the postal service to halt the study and delay its decision to give him and the people of northern Illinois an opportunity to show why the Postal Service should continue processing mail in Rockford. Since then, he has received scores of letters from citizens in the region explaining their tremendous satisfaction with the Rockford mail processing operations as well as serious delays they have experienced when their mail has been routed through Palatine. In addition to the delays, more than 50 jobs would be lost in Rockford if operations were shifted to Palatine. The change would also eliminate the Rockford postmark.

Manzullo has rallied the support of U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Congressman Lane Evans (D-IL), and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) in his quest to keep mail processing operations in Rockford. In addition, Manzullo has collected resolutions of support from 13 municipalities and two counties in northern Illinois.

As Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Small Business, Manzullo had contemplated holding a committee field hearing in Rockford to examine the problems the mail processing study would cause for area small businesses. The Postal Service's decision to have a public forum in Rockford has eliminated the need for the field hearing.

Calling all single ladies looking for love or a chance to be on television

You may or may not know that reality (or the lack of) t.v. is pretty popular in today's culture (or lack of again). Well, unfortunately, I must admit I do like watching the Amazing Race (not every week, but off and on when I have the opportunity). It is the thrill of seeking out clues and competing againts the wits of others in a race around the world. You get to know the frustrations and accomplishments of team members as they compete for prizes along the way to the finale' with a grand prize of one million dollars.

Well, the city of "Love"s Park is going to be one of the spots for a casting call not for the Amazing Race, but for the ninth episode of the Bachelor.

ABC officials will host open-call auditions for the next season of “The Bachelor” from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 9, at Stadium Auto Plaza, 4020 McFarland Road in Loves Park.

Here is a link to the ABC casting

http://thebachelor.warnerbros.com/ online applications are due June 2, 2006 it said, but the open calls link lists numerous Chicago locations and the one being held in our city which will still give you an opportunity to be cast. It also stated you must bring a completed application with you for complete details visit their site.

Good Luck to all those who participate.

Play Ball! River Hawks Opening Night.

The River Hawks first game in their new park may not have been exactly what they wished for. The stadium is awesome and there was not a bad seat in the house, unfortuantly the River Hawks were edged out by the Otters. The game may go into the loses column, but the season opener was a big win. The fireworks display after the game was very nice and the River Hawks even had the band x51 (they had a nice sound) preform to close out the night's event. I look forward to support our home team in their upcoming games. They plan on having over forty home games this year. Good luck and let's bring home another championship!