WIUM Local

CLARK COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS

1/5% Sales Tax – Road Improvements

Yes – 77%

No – 23%

Clark County Ambulance District #1

Steve Howell – 70%

Jerry Redding – 30%

Clark County Nursing Home District #2

Mike Frazier – 67%

Mark Boley – 33%

Clark County R-1 School Board

William Schutte – 39%

Jason Acklie – 39%

Penny Boulware – 22%

Lee County is showing support for Keokuk Area Hospital as the Board of Supervisors has pledged $100,000 to the financially-strapped hospital.

There is one condition with the contribution.  It must be matched or even exceeded by the Keokuk City Council.

Keokuk Area Hospital CEO Wally Winkler says the city and county are being asked for support the hospital in the hopes of receiving additional state funding.  He says there is money available to help hospitals, like Keokuk, that receive inadequate reimbursements for services.

KEOKUK, IA

Keokuk’s City Planning Commission has signed off on a plan to rezone about two acres of land at 2,600 South 7th Street for heavy industrial use.

The site, which features several metal buildings, is currently owned by State Central Bank, but there is a potential buyer if the rezoning is approved.

Community Development Director Pam Broomhall says the commission would also like to see the neighboring building rezoned for heavy industrial use.

The recommendation now goes to the Keokuk City Council for approval.

The Keokuk School Board has signed off on the district’s roughly $32-million spending plan for the upcoming school year.

One of the highlights is the fact that the property tax rate will drop by 73-cents, or nearly 4%.  The district’s share of property tax bills are not expected to fall by 4%, though, because of the residential rollback.

The budget also includes an expansion of Keokuk’s preschool program for 4-year-olds.  The addition of a second classroom will allow an increase in enrollment from 30 to as many as 80 preschoolers starting in the fall.

Jurors in Illinois could soon take a more active role in certain types of cases.

The Illinois Supreme Court adopted a rule that said jurors can ask questions of witnesses in civil trials.

Warren Wolfson, who teaches at the DePaul Law School in Chicago and previously served 34 years as a judge, said he allowed questions in more than two dozen cases, but had little success convincing other judges to give it a try.

Colchester residents might soon see a new charge on their sewer bills. It could be just the first of several.

The city council has given first reading to proposed ordinance to add the $4 monthly fee. The city needs the money because the Illinois EPA is requiring the city to update its sewer and water treatment systems.

Mayor Danny Bice said the city has little choice but to raise more money. The city is looking for financing from federal and state agencies.