Monday, September 6, 2010

Enjoy Labor day!

The end of summer is rapidly approaching, get out and enjoy!
One of the best things about living in the Midwest is the ability to experience all four seasons. Fall is my favorite season . Fall in the Midwest brings with it cool temperatures and beautiful fall foliage, which makes for great scenic walks.  Enjoy

Friday, April 2, 2010

Bojovic supports Education over government waste

Response to Morris Daily Herald article titled: MCHS placed on Financial Watch List


Too funny! (Sarcasm) The state of Illinois placing another governing body on its financial watch list, does anyone see the irony in this? I agree with the Superintendent’s assessment regarding the 1.80 tax rate. The community as a whole suffered with the Collins station closure, but I guess one has to wonder why in the world are administrators remaining silent about TIF districts (back door tax) that continue to siphon Local education dollars away from their respective school budgets? Each year tax levies continue to go up as a result of this and yet all we hear are crickets when TIF districts (back door tax) are extended for yet another 23 years or so. Administrators need to attend a council meeting and request a special hearing to discuss repealing and/or placing a moratorium on all existing and future TIF districts, respectively. As boards of education around the county contemplate laying-off educator’s and cutting back on school programs, they need to keep in mind that our children only pass through this road once. They don’t get a do over once finances improve. If we limit our children’s educational experiences, we fail as a community. But don’t worry a band shell and a new city hall will look real nice once it’s complete, I think our political leaders need to wake up and smell the coffee. Hello Mc Fly!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Grundy History

I have taken up a new hobby- Grundy county history. I know some of you may have yawned at the thought, but let me tell you as I look through articles, I become more and more intrigued. Here is one of the many articles I came across.


Grundy County, 53 miles SW of the Loop. Coal City, incorporated in 1881, is situated among the vast coal reserves that lie just south of Chicago. Peter Lansett, a Canadian, has been credited with the 1820 discovery of coal in the area. It was only later in the nineteenth century, however, that the mines around the village made Coal City a major contributor of coal to Chicago. By the twentieth century, the manufacturing of wallpaper, chemicals, concrete, and clothing began to complement the village's mining industry.

On February 16, 1883, one of Illinois' worst mine disasters stunned the citizens of Coal City and nearby Braidwood. That morning, a worker at the Diamond mine (which lies a short distance from the Coal City limits) noticed an unusual amount of water flowing to the bottom of the mine shaft. The alert miner raised the alarm, but within minutes the mine was flooded, trapping and killing at least 69 men. Defects in the mine's construction made it impossible for the trapped miners to move to the surface using the mine's escapement shaft.

The Diamond mine disaster moved state legislators to overhaul an 1871 law that allowed individual counties to appoint their own mine inspectors. Realizing that counties often did not take the examination of mines seriously, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation in 1883 that eventually led to the appointment of five state inspectors of mines.
Coal City's importance as a coal mining center has declined over the twentieth century. By 1969, only one strip mine north of the village was still in operation. Construction of Interstate 55 and at least two Commonwealth Edison nuclear power plants nearby has encouraged growth in postwar Coal City. The village had a population of 4,797 in 2000. Much of the landscape around Coal City's mines has been reforested and serves as an outdoor recreation area.