March 2012 Serving Metamora & Germantown Hills Magazine Locally Owned & Operated Since 1945 A Community Publication Provided By MTCO Communications MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, IL 61548
Keeping It Local It Helps The Community Greatly Lately, you may have noticed the new look MTCO Communications displays on their company fleet of vehicles. During 2011, we introduced digimax service to our hometown community of Metamora and Germantown Hills. With this service, MTCO can now offer TV, Phone and Internet to the residents, and back that service up with the hometown local service that you have always expected from us. Being the local provider of telephone service since 1945, MTCO has been a significant part of the community. In 1996, we brought internet service to the area for the first time. Over the years, we have supported organizations with their fundraisers or needs, and have helped to bring community projects to the village. If you ever have a problem with service, most of the time we are there to fix it on the same day. When you call our office, we answer the phone here in Metamora, not some distant location. In this day and age, the local businesses in our community have to compete with businesses across the river, across the state, or even in another state. The Germantown Hills Chamber of Commerce produces an advertisement with the catchphrase Keep It On the Hill. This is a profound statement for our community, and is important to help keep our area viable for years to come. Living in Metamora and Germantown Hills you have choices for your TV, Phone and Internet. MTCO provides great service to our customers as well as the community. In return, we help to foster this area with goodwill and opportunity. The services purchased from providers outside our community take money from our area and they invest it elsewhere. MTCO gives you our promise that we are here for the long haul as we have been since 1945. We hope you keep it local too. Stop on by our office and say hi! You ll be pleasantly surprised at the treatment you ll get with MTCO. On The Cover: Rolling out the fleet of MTCO vehicles with the new look of our triple play services. Internet, TV and Phone service provided by your trusted local service provider since 1945! For more information about our services, please visit www.mtco.com or scan this QR code with your smart phone. President & CEO Glenn Rauh MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, Illinois 61548 309-367-4197 Wireless Operations Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Bob Becraft Marketing Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Kip DuBois Vice President & CFO Ann Dickerson Connected Magazine is published monthly by MTCO Communications with corporate office located at 220 North Menard Street, Metamora, Illinois, 61548. The publication is intended for use of the residents of Metamora and Germantown Hills. No article in this issue or any part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the Publisher. For more information about this magazine, or for additional copies, contact Bob Becraft or Kip DuBois at 309-367-4197 or connected@ mtco.com. If you have questions or concerns regarding your services, please contact our Customer Service Representatives at (309)367-4197 or 800-859-6826. Copyright 2012 MTCO Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. MTCO s Eco-Friendly Billing Options 24/7 online access to your account No monthly checks to write. Receive monthly bills via e-mail Set up automatic credit card or bank account payments. Visit www.mtco.com and get started today! Questions/Need Assistance? Call 800-859-6826 or email billing@mtco.com
Entertainment & Technology TBS Greenlights Buddy Comedy Series Men at Work TBS has greenlit the new buddy comedy series Men at Work, starring Danny Masterson (That 70s Show, Yes Man), James Lesure (Las Vegas), Michael Cassidy (The O.C.) and Adam Busch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the multi-camera comedy from Sony Pictures Television and Fanfare. Men at Work follows the misadventures of four buddies who work together at a magazine. Masterson plays the recently dumped Milo, whose friends are determined to help him get back in the game. Lesure is Gibbs, a photographer and successful ladies man. Cassidy plays Tyler, a features writer who brings a dose of style and sophistication to the group. And Busch is Neal, a somewhat nebbish reporter and the only one in the group with a steady girlfriend. Together, the four serve as each other s wingmen as they help each other navigate work, friendship and women. Men at Work is an extremely funny adult comedy that mines humor from the unique, occasionally wrong ways men behave and interact as they face the challenges of life in the 21st century, said Michael Wright, Executive Vice President, head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies. We re thrilled to have these guys in our corner. ipad 3 Release Date Set? Apple is still quiet about their release of the new ipad 3 this spring. Most rumors floating around the internet, state the device will be for sale this month. The new release comes out only a short time after the ipad was announced by Steve Jobs 2 years ago on January 27, 2010. IPTV: From the Sky to Your Home Part Three of a Four Part Series Part Two of this series dealt with how the video head-end processes and routes data, so we now move on to how MTCO distributes the video signal to your home. The head-end hands off video streams to core routers located in offices around our network. The core routers then handle distribution of the Internet Protocol (IP) video signals to our transport network. The transport network consists of a combination of VDSL and Fiber Optic equipment. VDSL stands for Very high bit rate Digital Subscriber Line. MTCO has vastly expanded our fiber optic network to feed many VDSL remote equipment locations closer to the homes we serve. This effectively shortens the existing telephone line loop length, so that we can deliver the necessary bandwidth (BIG data pipes) required to offer multiple digital and HD video streams and high speed Internet into your home. These VDSL remotes are all connected via fiber optic cables back to the core routers in our network centers. Fiber-To-The-Home, or FTTH, is also being used by MTCO in certain areas to deliver IPTV services. This technology utilizes a fiber optic connection that travels all the way from our core equipment to the home. The fiber optic signal terminates at an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) on the side of the home. The ONT then takes the optical signal and breaks it down into telephone and Ethernet IP signals. These signals are then wired into your home for phone, TV and high-speed Internet. MTCO has plans to expand our FTTH footprint as we continually improve our overall transport network. Look for an upcoming survey that will help us determine which areas will be the first for FTTH upgrades! Next month we will explore the final pieces of an IPTV network that are inside the home. NCAA March Madness Beginning March 13, 2012, the NCAA March Madness begins, and you can watch every game live. The games will be broadcast on TBS, CBS, TNT and trutv Keep up with Entertainment and Technology news. Add MTCO to your Facebook and Twitter groups and visit www.mtco.com and click on MTCO News on the right section of the webpage.
In October, 2010, Metamora Township High School installed 64 solar panels in 8 arrays near the school track and football field. You can view a live data feed on the internet that gives information about the generation, weather and environmental offsets of this power. The school estimates that the solar panels will produce 8% - 10% of the school s energy needs. To view the Live Data feed, go to the Metamora High School website ( http://mths.metamora.k12.il.us/ ) and select Live Feed under the ABOUT MTHS tab.
26 27 28 29 1 2 3 Knights of Columbus Fish Fry Snyder Village 4pm - 7pm 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Daylight Savings Time 2:00 am St. Mary s Drive-Thru Chicken Dinner 11:30am-1:30pm American Legion Post Meeting 7:30pm 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Germantown Hills District #69 Board Meeting 7pm Middle School Library 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Germantown Hills Planning Commission Meeting 7pm Metamora Woman s Club Meeting at Christian Union Church 7pm Germantown Hills District #69 PTO Meeting 7pm Middle School Library Metamora Area Business Association Meeting 11:30am Voting Day American Legion Auxilary Meeting 7pm Germantown Hills Village Board Meeting 6pm Germantown Hills Chamber of Commerce Meeting at 12pm Woodford County Historical Society Meeting 7pm Metamora Village Board Meeting 7pm MTHS Musical The Secret Garden 7pm Knights of Columbus Fish Fry Snyder Village 4pm - 7pm MTHS Musical The Secret Garden 7pm St. Mary s Auction at Metamora Fields 5pm-9:30pm Metamora Grade School Carnival 2pm-6pm MTHS Musical The Secret Garden 7pm 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 MTHS Musical The Secret Garden 2pm Experience the crystal clear quality of MTCO s more than 70 High-Definition channels. Sign up for and get FREE HD to your first TV.
Emergency116 Needs Your Support E m e r g e n c y 1 1 6 A m b u l a n c e service started out as a small volunteer agency 34 years ago and has grown with the towns of Metamora and G e r m a n t o w n Hills. Emergency116 is asking for you to get out and vote on the ambulance funding referendum on March 20, 2012. New Law for Disposing of Electronic Items On January 1, 2012 the state of Illinois banned the landfill disposal of many electronic items (P.A. 97-0287). The law establishes a statewide system for recycling and/or reusing the items listed below discarded from residences by requiring electronic manufacturers to participate in the management of discarded and unwanted electronic products. Televisions Monitors Printers Computers (including tablet computers) Electronic Keyboards Facsimile Machines Videocassette Recorders Portable Digital Music Players Digital Video Disc Players Video Game Consoles Small Scale Servers Scanners Electronic Mice Digital Converter Boxes Cable Receivers Satellite Receivers Digital Video Disc Recorders More information is available online at http://www.epa. state.il.us/land/electronic-waste-recycling/ Easter Events Willow Hill United Methodist Church, Germantown Hills Willow Hill will be holding an indoor games and fun hour from 12:30pm - 1:30pm with an Easter Egg Hunt to follow starting at 1:30pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012 Christian Union Church, Metamora Bring your friends to experience an interactive story for all ages to understand the true signifigance of Easter on Saturday, March 24, 2012 from 10:00am - 1:00pm. Guided tours last about 20-25 minutes and begin at 10-15 minute intervals. Easter Egg Hunt for children at the end of the tour along with bags for everyone. Free of charge and open to the public. For more info call 367-4603. Drive-Thru Chicken Dinner Relax and make Sunday dinner plans easy by stopping by St. Mary s Annual Drive-Thru Chicken Dinner that will be held Sunday, March 11, 2012, from 11:30am - 1:30pm at St. Mary s School. Just drive up on the east side of of the school on Tazewell Street and students will be outside to hand you the boxed dinners as you drive up. Dinners are $9 each and include 1/2 grilled chicken, real mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, roll and butter. Food provided by Nelson s Catering. Deadline for avanced tickets only is March 1st. For more information or tickets, contact any St. Mary s 8th grader, Karen Datzman at 383-2564 / datzfam@ mtco.com or Jackie Staab at jmstaab12@yahoo.com Proceeds go to St. Mary s 8th grade class.
In Our Community Metamora Grade School Carnival Join the fun at Metamora Grade School s annual carnival to be held Saturday, March 24, 2012, from 2:00pm - 6:00pm. Activities include games in all three gyms, a prize room and a silent auction. Purchase raffle tickets in advance or at the carnival for your chance to win one of these great prizes: $500.00, an ipad, Kindle Fire, a TV and more! A variety of food items will be available at the carnival, including hot dogs, pizza, pretzels and popcorn. Proceeds will be used to fund mini-grants for our teachers to provide educational extras for the classroom that otherwise would not be possible. Watch what you want, when you want to... Pause Live TV Pause, rewind, fast-forward live TV Only $3/mo. per TV (included on one TV with DVR) St. Mary s 1st Annual Auction Celebrate St. Patrick s Day at the St. Mary s of Metamora 1st Annual Auction on Saturday, March 17, 2012, in the Ballroom of Metamora Fields. Doors open at 5:00pm with dinner at 7:00pm. Silent auction runs from 5:00pm - 6:50pm with live auction being held during dinner and the evening concluding around 9:30pm. $50.00 per person includes champagne fountain and choice of corned beef and cabbage, chicken cordon bleu or roasted mushroom filled ravioli, and green sherbet. An incredible list of auction items including: single-game and season tickets to a variety of men s and women s college sports, professional baseball and basketball games, golfing passes, themed baskets, local shopping gift cards, and beautifully located condo vacation spots in Colorado, Florida and Ireland! GHAA Youth Sports Sign-Ups End This Month If you haven t gotten your kids signed up for a few upcoming sports programs, you are running out of time. Teeball registration ends March 6, with Baseball/Softball registration ending on March 4. Also, Soccer registration wraps up on March 5. All of these registrations can be done online at www.germantownathletics.com. DVR to 1 TV Pause live TV, record and playback, rewind and fast-forward $9/mo. Whole-Home DVR Watch recorded shows, record or delete shows in any room with one DVR Start watching in one room, finish in another $14/mo. All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry The Metamora Knights of Columbus Council 3060 invites the public to All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry on Friday, March 2 and Friday, March 16, 2012. Both Fish Fry s will be held from 4:00pm - 7:00pm in the SV Center at Snyder Village. Menu includes walleye, grilled cheese, potato salad or baked potato, corn, apple sauce, bread and beverages.
Live Life to the MAX with LOCAL SERVICE. LOCAL SUPPORT. BETTER PRODUCT. SELECT triple play starting at $117/mo. FREE Install to one computer* FREE Wireless Gateway* Enjoy a more reliable connection than cable with speeds up to 8M* FREE HD to first TV* FREE Install up to 4 TV s* Pause live TV, playback & record with DVR 500 FREE Long Distance Minutes & Calling Feature Package* FREE CallerID on your TV E911 you can rely on* Won t let you down when power goes out powered by MTCO Communications 220 N Menard St., IL 61548 367.4197 800.859.MTCO(6826) www.mtco.com *Limited time offer. 1-yr. agreement required for all discounts. Not available in all areas. Monthly rates are standard, non-promotional rates. Free installation up to 4 TV s, $60 per TV after first 4. More complex installs may require additional fees. A high-definition TV is required to view HDTV signals. All free and leased installed MTCO equipment (set top boxes, adapters, etc.) remain property of MTCO and must be returned at cancellation or unreturned equipment fee will apply. Location may determine max number of TV s allowed. Actual speeds may vary. Federal, state and local taxes, governmental regulatory fees and surcharges, if any, are additional. Other charges, conditions, requirements and restrictions may apply. Offer may not be combined with any other offer and is non-transferrable.