Thursday, Oct. 25, 1990 -- Firemen To Host New Years Dance -- The Staunton Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a New Years Eve Dance and Party. Music for dancing will be provided by Pair-A-Dice from 9 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. They are also planning to award a 50-50 prize during the evening.

Tickets are $12.50 each or $25 per couple and will include hats, beer, set-ups, popcorn and pretzels. There will be a limited number of tickets sold to insure table space for all in attendance. Advance tickets are recommended as tickets will be sold at the door only if space is still available.

For tickets, or further information, contact Ron Dustman at 635-8676 or Bill Knop at 635-3578 or any fireman.

Thursday, Nov. 8, 1990 -- Sewer Improvement In final stages -- Sewer lines at various points around Staunton, on which construction is complete, are being opened and vacuumed out as the project nears its end. City engineer Deborah Ramsey said, "The sewers have to be cleaned before we accept the project. We are not going to accept junk."

Ramsey said there are a number of individual items such as the force main, wiring and lighting, and pumps that have to be tested before the lift station is put into operation. She said records have to be kept of all the tests that are done. Ramsey said she is hoping the entire project will be put in operation by mid-November.

Thursday, Nov. 15, 1990 -- Construction nears completion -- Construction of the new Staunton Area Ambulance EMS Building located at 201 Ash Street, is expected to be completed by mid-December.

The new building which is approximately 4,600 sq. ft. in size, will replace the existing 960 sq. ft. building located near Community Memorial Hospital, and will accommodate additional office space, training room, three-bay garage, dayroom, as well as kitchen and sleeping quarters for EMTs wishing to stay there while on call.

Martin Siglock of DeMars Construction of Worden, general contractor for the project, anticipates completion of the building to allow the ambulance service to move into the facility around December 15.

Weather has been cooperative enough to allow all outside construction to be completed and interior work is progressing as scheduled.

Other contractors include Kuethe Plumbing, Balke Electric, Scott's Service, Gilbert's Floor Covering, all of Staunton; and Werner Drywall of Glen Carbon/Worden.

Board reaffirmed annexation position -- In response to the correspondence received at the October meeting, the Staunton Board of Education agreed to send a statement to the Livingston administration and board which reaffirms Staunton's position on the annexation question. It simply states their belief that annexation would be in the best interest of students' education.

Later in the meeting, Shirley DalPozzo of the Livingston board questioned their answer, saying she wasn't sure if they meant to accept or reject Livingston's proposal. Supt. Hawkins replied that he would send a written copy of their statement to Dr. Fever. She again questioned if the answer meant that they agreed to conduct a study. Board President Schultze explained that if Livingston wished to conduct a study, that was their prerogative; however, Staunton saw no need for a study since all of their questions were either a matter of public record or were dictated by school law. School law dictates how annexation is accomplished and all the questions would be answered by directed procedure. Therefore, a study would be a waste of time and resources.

Sylvia's Grand Opening is In Progress -- The Grand Opening celebration at Sylvia's Gifts, Cards and More is continuing this week until-Saturday, November 17. Owned by Larry and Sylvia Lux, the shop is located in Heartland Square, 121 South Edwardsvillc Street, next door to the Staunton Post Office. Employees include Connie Colley, Ann Maroso and the Lux's daughter, Sandy.

Sylvia's introduces many new items to this area including a selection of gifts crafted with pride in the U.S.A.

National collectors' club applications and information are available at the shop. Some of the collectible lines featured at Sylvia's include Maud Humphrey figurines, Lilliput Lane Cottages, Suzy's Zoo, Penni Bears, Bonita Bear, Fannykins, Collectors' Mart Magazine and baseball collectibles. Other gift items feature first and limited edition collectibles from Precious Moments, Memories of Yesterday, both plush and china dolls, and glass bells, porcelain and crystal flowers, jewelry, sachets and potpourri, musicals, prints, ornaments, balloons, etc. Another popular feature of the shop is Sylvia's gourmet food section. They also carry a wide assortment of both seasonal and everyday greeting cards from such companies as The Recycled Paper Products Company, Flavia, Carolyn Bean, and Suzy's Zoo.

Services offered at Sylvia's include layaway, gift wrapping, reminder service, gift register, personal shopping and special ordering.

Sylvia's is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays and evenings by appointment.

To Distribute Food Commodities -- Food commodities will be distributed on Wednesday, November 21, at the township building, east of Staunton off East Main Street, 8-11 a.m. If you are doubtful whether you qualify, call the township office, 635- 2345 from 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, November 20.

Commodities will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, but if you are an elderly person with physical impairment or no transportation or unable to have someone pick it up, call the above number and the commodities will be delivered to you if any remain.