THE CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN
This weekend, you'll have the chance to see a variety of animals and amazing people because, the circus is coming to town this Saturday. Skeeter the Clown, from the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus stopped by the WGEL studio to invite the kids to watch the action on circus morning. Skeeter said that the best time to see the animals out of the ring and meet the circus people is the morning of the shows. There will be elephants and tigers and many more animals involved in both shows.
This weekend's circus is sponsored by the Greenville Kiwanis Club and will be held at the Bond County Fairgrounds. There are two performances...one at 2PM and the other at 4:30PM. You can buy tickets in advance at Watson's Drug Store or CVS Pharmacy. For more information visit www.CMCircus.com
BARN FIRE IN SORENTO WEDNESDAY
The Shoal Creek Fire District was called to a barn fire on Palm Avenue, in Sorento, this Wednesday morning at 10:17am. Mutual aid was then requested from the Pocahontas-Old Ripley and New Douglas Fire Districts. Firefighters were on scene for nearly three hours. There's no word yet on the amount of damages to the property.
WHAT DOES THE NEW RATE RELIEF PACKAGE MEAN FOR CONSUMER?
As everyone knows, the Governor signed the Rate Relief package after months of skyrocketing utility bills for electric customers. Various legislators have different opinions on the package. Representative Dan Beiser believes that local residents can finally get some relief as Senate Bill 1592 could provide rebates, returning 40-70% of the rate increase paid since January. Customers should also receive credits until 2010, offsetting a portion of the rate increase. The bill also establishes the Illinois Power Agency to create and maintain a reliable public power system.
Representative Ron Stephens has a different take on the legislation and opposed it, hoping the Governor would veto it. Stephens believes the bill will not provide substantial relief to consumers as the package will only give back 11 cents on the dollar to Ameren customers…most who have seen their bills go up by hundreds of dollars.
SB 1592 provides around $1 billion in rebates and credits over a four-year period. The most will be seen during the first year. However, power generators will make $9.6 billion dollars over four years as a result of the increases, according to Stephens. He was encouraged, however, by the news that the Governor will propose additional legislation to address the shortcomings.
