Tazewell County voters can cast their ballots early in the March 20 primary at the Tazewell County Clerk office through March 19.

STATE

Fire marshal urges public to practice fire safety at home

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is urging residents to protect themselves and practice fire safety in their communities after an unusually high number of fire fatalities in January.

In 2017, Illinois had 131 injuries and 84 fatalities due to fire. In January of this year, Illinois had 21 injuries and 21 fatalities due to fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are more home fires in the winter months than any other season. The State Fire Marshal’s office notes that major causes for fire fatalities in Illinois this year are home heating issues and careless use of smoking materials.

The State Fire Marshal encourages residents to be prepared and offers these tips on fire safety from the NFPA:

1.Test all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month. Change the batteries at least twice a year.
2. Plan two ways out of the home during an emergency.
3. If the smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out. If you have to escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your way out.
4. Close doors to slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire.
5. Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
6. Keep flammable materials away from the fireplace mantel.
7. Never use the oven to heat your home.
8. Remember to turn off portable heating devices when you leave a room or go to bed each night.
9. Never use extension cords with electric heaters.
10. Provide adequate ventilation for kerosene heaters and never refuel heater in-doors or when in use.
11. Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable material.
12. Ensure that cigarettes or other smoking materials have been put out.
13. Never smoke around medical oxygen.
14. Do not smoke in bed.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Area sports hall of fame inductees are named

Don Millard will soon be a member of the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.

Millard, a Pekin High School graduate who won a pair of NCAA wrestling championships for Southern Illinois University in 1964, is the latest to be among the inductees at the GPSHOF banquet April 7 at the Peoria Civic Center.

He joins his fellow inductees:

• Individual inductees: Tom Gilles (baseball); John Gross (basketball); Bill King (broadcasting); Don Millard (wrestling).
• Team inductees: ICC softball (1998); Richwoods boys basketball (1992); AOL/Spalding girls golf (1978, 1979).
• Male Coach of the Year: Bob Becker (Morton girls basketball)
• Female Coach of the Year: Denee Menzione (East Peoria softball)
• Male Athlete of the Year: Jacob Warner (Washington wrestling)
• Female Athlete of the Year: Brandi Bisping (Morton basketball)
• Neve Harms Award for Meritorious Service to Sports: Mick Donahue (youth and recreation sports organizer, coach and official)

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame induction and Tri-County awards banquet will be held April 7. Social hour will be held at 5 p.m.; followed at 6 p.m. with the banquet and induction ceremony.

Tickets cost $35 before March 28; $40 March 29-April 3. Tickets will not be available for sale at the door. Tickets may be ordered by phone (309) 691-3553 or email, susie1026@comcast.net. To pay by credit card, go to gpshof.com and click the appropriate link on the home page to print out order form.

COUNTY

Early primary voting is open in Tazewell

Registered voters in Tazewell County can cast ballots during early voting for the March primary. Early voting is being conducted at the Tazewell County Clerk office through March 19. The office will be open on Presidents’ Day.

Office hours for early voting at the County Clerk’ office, in the McKenzie Building, 11 S. 4^th St., Suite 203, Pekin, will be:

• WEEKDAYS: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. through March 9; 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. March 12-March 19.
• WEEKENDS – 9 a.m.–noon March 10; 10 a.m.–4 p.m. March 11; 9 a.m.–4 p.m. March 17; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 18.

Some temporary sites will be set up for a day or two throughout the county. For more information, call the Tazewell County Elections Division at (309) 477-2267.

The primary election is March 20.

PEKIN

Library will show ‘Tazewell County Memories’

The Pekin Public Library will show, “Tazewell County Memories,” on the library’s big screen at 4 p.m. Feb. 16. This is the second viewing of the film; it was first shown Feb. 2.

This film is part of the library’s 2018 movie series celebrating the Illinois Bicentennial with local Pekin and Tazewell County history; movies are shown at 11 a.m. on the first Friday of every month on the large movie screen in the library’s Community Room.

The schedule of movies will continue through December. The upcoming films are:

• Feb. 16 (special time, 4 p.m.): “Tazewell County Memories 1932-1970,” presented by Tom Finsom. Video includes footage from Pekin. Film length – 56 minutes.
• March 2: “Farming in Tazewell County during the ‘30s and ‘40s,” presented by Tom Finsom. Film length – 34 minutes.
• April 6: “Illinois’ Memory of the Civil War,” produced by the Illinois State Archives in 1992. Film length – 29 minutes.

All movies are free. For more information, call the Pekin Public Library at (309) 347-7111, ext. 0, or go online at pekinpubliclibrary.org.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–