Looking Back

By Arline Adamsick

The Manteno News: October 19, 1972

“Wesley Provost Leases Both MSH Farms with Top Bid of $53.51 per Acre on 785 Acres”

“Seventeen bids were submitted by area farmers for the lease of Manteno State Hospital farms on Monday afternoon, as Wesley Provost topped all bidders with a bid of $53.51 per acre on all 785 acres. He plans to farm the land with his father Donald Provost, his brother, Darwyn, plus three other brothers.

“The spirited bidding ranged from $43 to $53, with only 80¢ and 90¢, respectively, separating the top two bidders on both farms. The 375-acre farm had four bidders within little more than $1 of each other, as James Burns and Virgil Guimond were 80¢ lower with their bid of $52.71, while Harry Weber bid $52.56, and Martin Reardanz bid $52.20.

“On the 410-acre farm, Harry Weber bid 90¢ below Provost with a bid of $52.56, while there were three other bids in the $51 range. The lease of the farm will be for a period of three years.”

“Wood Tragedy Stuns Community”

“Manteno residents were greatly shocked last Saturday as they learned via news broadcasts and word-of-mouth of the death of a prominent local couple, Mr. and Mrs. William Wood, in a tragic crash of their private airplane near the Bloomington airport.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wood had flown to Bloomington Friday evening, had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Owens, who were in Bloomington to visit their daughter Sue at school, and were leaving to return home shortly after midnight when the crash occurred. The wreckage was not sighted until about 7:30 Saturday morning, in a cemetery near the airport. Federal aviation authorities investigated the crash in an effort to determine the probable cause of the disaster. It was the first air crash involving local persons in many years.”

“Six Year Projection Shows School Population Should Remain Constant”

“A declining birth rate is reflected in state public school enrollment projections issued by the office of Michael J. Bakalis, superintendent of Public Instruction. The projections, compiled by the education agency’s research and statistics department, cover the six-year period from 1972-1978.

“The number of elementary students is expected to drop at an annual rate of about one percent during the forecasted period, which means about 15,000-20,000 fewer pupils per year. The forecast is based on a consistent decline in the Illinois birthrate during the years 1959-1968 and an analysis of enrollment figures for the period from 1962-1970. High school enrollment is expected to increase slightly during the next few years but start to decline in the 1977-’78 school year.”

The Beecher Herald: October 19, 1972

“Tax Bills to Be Mailed Next Week”

“Will County tax bills are expected to go into the mails on Friday, October 27. The new tax rates have been announced for all 24 townships in Will County by County Clerk Clara Hartley Woodard and Martin Gregorich, head of the tax department in the clerk’s office. He must balance the levies against the assessed valuations in order to compute the rates.

“New rates in the county range from a low of $3.41 in Peotone Township outside the village, to a high of $7.25 in Romeoville, Lockport Township. The rates given are per $100 of assessed valuation. The Peotone Township rate of $3.4148 dropped some 54.5¢, a 13.8 percent decrease due to an increase in its assessed valuation and very little increase in the taxing body levies.

“The high Romeoville rate includes Valley View School District 96 and the new High School District 211, as well as the Lockport Park District and the Romeoville Mosquito Abatement District. That rate is up $1.0717 per $100, for an increase of 17.34 percent.”

“Political Poll Conducted by High School Civics Class”

“Civics classes at Beecher High School recently conducted a public opinion poll to find out views of the Beecher student body concerning various aspects of the upcoming elections and compare these with nationwide polls.

“It is interesting to note that 135 consider themselves ‘middle of the road,’ 52 – ‘fairly conservative,’ 28 – ‘very conservative,’ 28 – ‘fairly liberal,’ and 5 – ‘very liberal.’ There were 161 who approved of the way President Nixon is handling his job as President, 34 – disapproved, and 44 had no opinion.

“Vietnam, inflation, and crime were the top three issues considered the most important in this election. There were 149 students who thought their parents favored Nixon, for president, 32 thought McGovern would get their parents’ vote, and 40 confessed they just didn’t know.

“However, if those polled were able to vote in the November election, their selections would be as follows: President – Nixon 178, McGovern – 36, and no opinion – 20; Governor – Richard Ogilvie – 129, Daniel Walker – 86, and no opinion – 42; and U.S. Senator – Charles Percy -149, Roman Pucinski – 26, and no opinion – 61.”

The Crete Record: October 19, 1972

“Board Approves $30,000 Fee to Sanitary District”

“In lieu of a $300 per family unit annexation fee currently required by the Sanitary District of Bloom Township, the Crete Village Board, last Thursday night, voted to offer a lump sum of $30,000 from the village’s Public Benefit Fund. If the $300 per family fee were enforced, it would mean an expenditure of close to $300,000 from village residents to join the sanitary district.

“Trustees expressed the hope this offer and a similar contribution from the Village of Steger would lead to annexation of the two villages to the sanitary district, with all annexation fees waived. Although the sanitary district does not have to accept the two villages and waive its annexation fees, there is every indication it will do so. The State of Illinois has repeatedly encouraged larger sewerage treatment districts.

“Annexation fees are under a legal cloud from an opinion by Chapman and Cutler, Chicago bond attorneys, who warn that if an attempt is made to enforce that portion of the district’s ordinances, the case could drag through the courts for some time, delaying action and losing Bloom’s high priority rating for federal and state aid.”

“VA Reports on Erroneous Rumor About Insurance”

“The Veterans Administration reported it is receiving a deluge of telephone calls and applications from World War II veterans, who have been cruelly deceived by an erroneous rumor of a special dividend on their World War II GI insurance. VA officials are concerned that many World War II veterans now have the false hope they are in for an insurance special dividend windfall.

“They are not. The hoax that has swept the nation usually involves accumulated dividends that are supposed to have piled up on World War II National Service Life Insurance policies – even if no premiums have been paid on the policies since the end of the war. The stories may stem from an action taken in 1948 when payment of a special dividend on these same policies was authorized.”

Sauk Trail Drive-In: Peter Sellers in “Where Does It Hurt?” plus Richard Castellano in “Lovers and Other Strangers.”

Holiday Theatre: Also featured “Where Does It Hurt?”

The Peotone Vedette: October 20, 1972

“Committee to Aid in Junior College Decision”

“A representative committee of residents of the Peotone School District is to be formed in the next several weeks to help in informing the public and to decide what is to be done concerning becoming a part of a junior college district. This was the decision made Monday night by the Peotone School Board, who indicated they felt this decision should be made by the public and not just the school board.

“Superintendent Jack Pierce pointed out that our district, if not the only one in the state, at least one of very few, could become a part of three different junior college districts – Kankakee Community College, Joliet Junior College, and Prairie State Junior College.

“Under recently passed legislation, all territory in the state will become a part of some junior college district by January 1,1974. If any high school district has not become a part of a junior college district by this time, it will be assigned to a district by the state junior college board.

‘According to attorney Bill Tongren, residents have several options before this deadline:

“Until July 1, 1973, residents could become part of a junior college district in two ways: 1. By petition to annex, signed by two-thirds of the resident voters, or 2. By an election, called by a petition signed by one-fifth or 500, whichever is less, of the resident voters.

“Until December 1, 1973, the board of education of a non-junior college territory, which adjoins two or more junior college districts, may file a resolution with the Illinois Junior College Board designating the junior college district to which the board of education desires that territory to be annexed.

“The board of that junior college district must, by resolution, file with the state board and agree to such annexation. The Illinois Junior College Board shall approve such proposed annexation provided it determines that is ‘in the best interests of the schools, the general area, and the educational welfare of the students within the territory.

“It was explained that if a territory does nothing until January 1974 and is assigned to a junior college district there are still provisions for changing the decision. However, it was pointed out this would not be an easy thing to do.”

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Have a great week – there’s color everywhere, and even the rain didn’t spoil the view last week!!!! Life is Good!!!