Mayor says join the pack | Belvidere Daily Republican

Written by Troy A. Bruzewski

Chamberlain and District 3 county board member Marion Thornberry, in a meeting last week, began informal talks on how to get BCAS properly-funded and address the stray cat situation in the area.

“Right now, Animal Services can’t even respond to the calls it receives,” Chamberlain said. “If we can get residents to meet and outline a program, we can see how everyone can work together to improve the community.”

Chamberlain said the initial step is for friends of the four-legged to voice their opinions and brainstorm for ideas to improve the situation, along with what they’re able to do, because the current status produced by county efforts is not sufficient. This first rally cry is similar to pack mentality; not only safety is provided with numbers, but so is power.

“They need to show-up in force,” Chamberlain said. “We need to fill the township hall; we need to fill the city hall; we need to fill the county boardroom. If we can do that, people are going to listen.”

Click on the following to read all of the story:  Mayor says join the pack | Belvidere Daily Republican

Currently the animal shelter has passed State of Illinois, Department of Agriculture, inspections dated May 22, 2013.  SEE:  https://www.boarddocs.com/il/boone/Board.nsf/files/988U385C0905/$file/ILL%20Dept%20of%20AG%20INSPECTION%20REPORT_201305311117.pdf

However as recently as 2010 the facility has been out of compliance see the following posts and also the Rockford Register Star articles upon which they are based.

http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/08/boone-county-animal-control-to-close.html

http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/06/boone-county-mulls-whether-to-fix.html

Boone County Animal Service January 2013

More pictures available at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/01/visit-to-boone-county-animal-services.html

Veterans Assistance Commission for Boone County

The ad below is from the Boone County Journal.  Similar ad s will be appear in future weeks.

‘Tootsie Roll’ tangle still spinning | Belvidere Daily Republican

Written by Bob Balgemann

She [Director of Health Department] was referring to the comment by District 3 county board member Marion Thornberry that he thought requiring such a permit was “ridiculous.”

Committee and board of health Chairman Kent Hess, M.D., said his temperature “just rose 100 percent” in reaction to the matter.

“Mine, too, after reading the article” in the Belvidere Daily Republican, committee member Jim Cox said. He added that Bill Hatfield sent a copy of the code to State’s Attorney Michelle Courier, and she said the department was following it.

Hess wondered if the county board “is getting into a fistfight over Tootsie Rolls?”

“The comments made by the county board member (Thornberry) were inappropriate,” Cox said. “We’re just implementing the code.”

“We follow it to the letter,” Frank interjected.

“It seems that the health department has been a lightning rod of late,” committee member Allen Sisson said. “We need to be more proactive and quit being the lightning rod.”

Hatfield said the department has a board of health, which by state statute is independent. “I don’t think they (some county board members) like that,” he said.

Hatfield, director of environmental health for the department, said he had proposed amendments to the county code, which the department was following, in the Courier’s hands the Monday after the fair, “to solve this particular problem.”

“We’re in the middle of that process,” he added. “Hopefully, by the middle of September this will be history.”

Committee member Kathleen Taylor questioned why county sheriff’s candidate Dave Ernest was required to have a permit, while some others “got away with it?”

Hatfield said the code in question was enacted in 1978 “and is too broad when it comes to defining a food establishment. We’re just enforcing that code.”

Click on the following for all of the story:  ‘Tootsie Roll’ tangle still spinning | Belvidere Daily Republican

Happy Labor Day!

Belvidere's Bread of Life Vitamins shop closing after 19 years - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

By Jennifer Wheeler

Darlene and David Allen have owned The Bread of Life Vitamin Shop in Belvidere for 19 years

The pair took a loan on the car and, by a stroke of luck, received a $20,000 investment from a family in their congregation.

The store certainly didn’t look perfect at first, but customers quickly picked up on the owners’ willingness to not only sell hard-to-get products but to educate them on the medicine. They listened to customers’ concerns patiently.

“In my day, doctors were much more than pill pushers. They sat down with the patient. They talked with the patient,” Darlene said. “That helped so much to put a person at ease and to show they care.”

The couple expects to move to Fort Collins, Colo., in early October to get some much-needed rest and relaxation. Darlene has been running the store solo since January when David suffered a heart attack.

Read more: http://www.rrstar.com/news/x574264593/Belvideres-Bread-of-Life-Vitamins-shop-closing-after-19-years#ixzz2dSEX4OTQ