Jasper County voters showed a 31% appearance at the polls Tuesday in the 2010 General Primary Election. The General Election on November 2nd will see Democrat Dustin Granby (364 votes) facing Republican Clinton Bigard (701 votes). Democratic challenger Connie Griffith received 330 votes and Maria Huddleston received 327 votes. Republican challenger Don Hickox had 284 votes and Susan Iffert Lindley had 282.

In the Jasper County Clerk race, Democrat Linda Griffith Huth received 927 votes and Republican Gordon Yager received 952 votes.

In Jasper County, Democrat Daniel W. Hynes received 600 votes (63.36%) to Pat Quinn's 345 votes. On the Republican ballot, Bill Brady won with 611 votes (50.04%), Adam Andrzejewski received 193, Kirk W. Dillard-158, Jim Ryan-125, Andy McKenna-99, Dan Proft-28 and Rob Schillerstrom-7.

Kindergarten pre-registration is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16-Friday, February 19, 2010. Registration will be held during regular school hours all week at Willow Hill and Grove schools, respectively. For the convenience of parents, registration hours will be extended at Willow Hill on Wednesday, February 17 from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Registration will be offered at Newton Elementary, in the school library, on February 18 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. for those students who will be attending Willow Hill School. All students who live in Newton will attend Willow Hill next year. If any parent is unable to register their child during that week, please call the appropriate school and make an appointment.

Children must be five years old on or before September 1, 2010 in order to attend kindergarten during the 2010-11 school year. All parents are asked to pre-register their child if he/she will be attending kindergarten in August. No payment of fees is required at this time, but all parents need to be sure to attend registration in August.

Ameren Energy Resources Company, LLC (AER), the holding company for merchant generation and its energy marketing services for Ameren Corporation, today announced that its Newton Plant reached yet another safety milestone—one million work hours with no lost workday injuries.

The plant capped several years of top safety performance with this coveted milestone on Jan. 29, 2010, having already hit the two-year mark without a single lost-time accident.  The 1200-megawatt plant began operating in 1977 with its first coal-fired unit and followed in 1982 with a second unit. 

The million-work-hour milestone capped a multi-year initiative that involved hourly and management employees in a plant-wide initiative to ensure that workers returned home every day safely.

On January 12, 2010, a group of residents from the City of Newton and Jasper County gathered for the City of Newton's Comprehensive Planning Kick-off and Visioning Forum, the first community session planned to gather input for the City of Newton Comprehensive Plan. Dr. Scott Bloomberg began the meeting with introducing Trisha Mason, President of Planning Success LLC, and Ken Larimore, U of I Extension Unit Educator in Community & Economic Development for Jasper County. Ms. Mason then spoke of some demographic trends affecting the local economy and reported on the survey responses received. Community Surveys are still available for completion at the local banks, the Library, and City Hall.  Mr. Larimore later introduced himself and spoke of the positive infrastructure improvements made within the City over the past few years, as well as local economic development projects.

A fatal one-vehicle accident occurred on Sunday, January 24 at 10:04 p.m. on N. 300th, 1-1/2 miles north of Wheeler. Joshua A. Thoele, 20, of Wheeler, was driving a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am heading north on N. 300th when he ran off the roadway to the right, over corrected and went off roadway to the left, striking a ditch and coming to rest in a field.

With all of the members of the Jasper County Board present, the board approved a resolution concerning Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA).  Before voting on the resolution, Jasper County State's Attorney Kevin Parker discussed the FOIA changes to the board.  He said that the law didn't change very much.  He commented that the time to respond is now five days instead of seven, adding that an extension of time can be requested. 

Parker said that now one can go to the Attorney General with a request that is thought to be unduly burdensome or an invasion of privacy.  He said the Attorney General's office has a person to administer the law. 

He went on to say that the county does need a FOIA officer, adding that the officer (or officers) will have to undergo electronic training by July 1st.    He said that he and the County Clerk Linda Huth have agreed to be the officers.  The board, by voice vote, approved the resolution

Parker will present the policy next month to the board.