Fraont April 16 - County Journal

Volume 36 Number 16 28 Pages Your Local News Leader Thursday, April 16, 2015 75¢

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Serving The Area With Local News Since 1980

Flex Line looking for a Sparta facility Page 7

Making ammoPage 6

Tomato sciencePage 21

E’ville chickensPage 13

Continued on Page 5_____

William Farnsworth

Farnsworth guiltyof Harris murderWill face sentence hearing June 5

Continued on Page 5___

William Farnsworth of

Coulterville will find out his

fate at his sentencing hearing

June 5 at 9 a.m.

Farnsworth stipulated to the

facts of the state’s evidence

against him April 10 in Perry

County circuit court. Al-

though Judge James Camp-

anella had been hearing the

case up to that point,

Farnsworth stipulated to the

facts in front of Judge Gene

Gross, who then found him

guilty of second-degree mur-

Farnsworth had been

charged with first and sec-

ond-degree murder in the

death of Jeffrey Harris, 52, of

Cutler last November 7 out-

side Farnsworth’s home in

Perry County outside Coul-

terville on Goldenrod Road.

Perry County State’s Attor-

ney David Stanton said the

first-degree murder charge

folded into the second degree

murder charge because when

Farnsworth used a 12-gauge

shotgun to kill Harris, he be-

lieved the circumstances to

be such that, if they existed,

would justify the killing, but

his belief was unreasonable.

Farnsworth, who is 62 years

old, could get a sentence of

four to 20 years in prison. He

could be eligible for day for

day good time and has the

chance of receiving probation

for up to 48 months.

In exchange for stipulating

to the facts, Stanton has

agreed to cap his request at

12 years in prison. The court,

however, is not bound by

Stanton’s request.

At the time of the bench

trial, Farnsworth also plead-

ed guilty to DUI the day of the

murder.

Stanton said Farnsworth’s

blood alcohol level that day

was 2.39 to 2.49. Harris was

also highly intoxicated. His

blood alcohol was about 2.35,

and he had cannabis in his

system.

Earlier last week, Farns-

worth was found mentally fit

to stand trial for the killing.

Court files revealstate’s evidenceDefendant showed some remorse

According to evidence filed

by Perry County State’s Attor-

ney David Stanton and defense

attorney Thomas Keefe III of

Belleville, here are the facts of

the William Farnsworth mur-

der case.

Farnsworth shot and killed

Jeffrey Harris, 52, of Cutler

November 7 last year.

The two had been at the

Coulterville VFW when an ar-

gument developed.

Farnsworth left the VFW and

drove to his home on Golden-

rod Road. Harris followed him.

Peggy Farnsworth, the wife

of the defendant, called 911 at

about 2:08 p.m. and said her

husband Bill had shot Harris.

When police arrived, Farns-

worth was on the front porch.

The shotgun he used in the

shooting was in the house.

Police saw Harris’ small car

and found him dead inside it.

“That SOB isn’t going to fol-

low me home. This is my

house, and I took care of him.

Don’t care what happens,”

police say Farnsworth told

Farnsworth told police that

Harris had previously worked

for him and that he had just

given him $100 while in the

Coulterville VFW parking lot

that day. Harris still had the

money on him when police

checked his possessions.

Farnsworth said the two had

been friends and that Harris

did good work.

The defendant also made the

Continued on Page 5______

A Walsh man is out of jail

after posting $1,500 cash

bond and is in some serious

trouble. Clayton Coop, 20, is

charged with sexual exploita-

tion of a child.

According to Randolph

County State’s Attorney Jer-

emy Walker, sexual exploita-

tion occurs when someone

does something sexual in the

presence of a child or on the

internet when a child is

watching. There is no actual

physical contact.

Sexual exploitation of a

child is a felony, and if con-

victed, Coop would have to

register as a sex offender for

the rest of his life.

A warrant was issued for

Coop’s arrest last week, and

he surrendered to the Ran-

dolph County Sheriff’s De-

partment April 10. Coop im-

mediately posted bond and

was released.

Other sources say the victim

is a 10-year-old boy, and the

alleged sexual exploitation

occurred beginning last No-

vember. The boy recently told

his parents about the matter.

“These cases are driven by

the victim’s family,” said

Walker. “We get them in-

volved in what we decide to

do.”

Walker said Coop has no pre-

vious record. The state’s attor-

ney said he knows of only the

one victim at this time.

Clayton Coop

Sexual exploitationcharges against Coop

Let the races beginThe Triple T Twisters of Marissa raised $1,350 April 10 at its mouse races and

silent auction fundraiser at the Chester VFW. Proceeds will benefit the Twisters

gymnastic team. Attendees could place bets on the mice in the races. People could

also participate in mouse roulette or a dice wheel. Above, the mouse chooses the

queen of clubs in roulette. The holder of the card won $50. People could buy a card

for $2 apiece. Below, children gather around to watch one of the races.

Even though April 7 was

election day, next Tuesday,

April 21, will be decision day

in three local elections.

In Pinckneyville, the race

for mayor has a difference of

five votes between Fran Tho-

mas and Robert Spencer.

Perry County Clerk Josh

Gross said last week that he

issued 27 absentee ballots. If

they are postmarked cor-

rectly before election day,

they can arrive up to next

Tuesday and be counted.

Gross said he will count the

absentee ballots in his office.

Only one other person from

his office and two election

judges—one Democrat and

one Republican—will be al-

lowed to watch. He said he

wants to preserve the secrecy

of the voters.

In Randolph County, absen-

tee votes could affect the

Sparta and Steeleville school

board races.

In Steeleville, only one vote

separates Lisa Lowry-Rohl-

fing and Lisa Ernsting. Lowry-

Rohlfing has the lead at this

point.

In Sparta, Kenny Kempfer

leads Nina Hille by eight

votes.

Fifty-eight absentee ballots

were sent out. The ballots that

will have been returned will be

opened and counted Tuesday.

Absentee ballots for April 7 electionwill be opened and counted next Tuesday

Some results coulddetermine the

outcome of threelocal elections,

including mayorof Pinckneyville

New IDNR directorvisits shooting complex

By Dan Zobel

When new Illinois Depart-

ment of Natural Resources

director Wayne Rosenthal vis-

ited the World Shooting and

Recreational Complex in

Sparta April 10, his focus was

figuring out how to better

utilize the current facilities.

“The governor (Bruce

Rauner) was going to come,

but he had to go up north be-

cause of the storm damage

they had,” Rosenthal said.

“The reason for him to come

down was to see what the fa-

cility was and where we can

go forward.

“At one time, there was some

discussion about privatizing

some of it, but we’re not go-

ing to do that right now.”

Monica Brinkman is set to

be the new marketing person.

Rosenthal said part of her job

is to help promote the com-

plex, as well as the rest of

southern Illinois tourism.

Former executive director

Art Ashbrook’s position will

also have to be filled.

“We’re going to do a nation-

wide search for an executive

director who is knowledgable

in the shooting sports,”

Rosenthal said. “That’s one of

the things we wanted to pass

along, that people are aware

that we will be searching for

that individual.”

Rosenthal said there is no

timetable on the hiring, but

the sooner the better.

“It’s a double-exempt posi-

tion, so we don’t have to go

through CMS, and we can do

it relatively quickly,” Rosen-

thal said. “It’s a matter of

identifying an individual, get-

ting the approval of the gov-

ernor and bringing them in.”

Rosenthal said he believes

Illinois could do a better job

of promoting the outstanding

state-of-the-art facility.

“You can’t describe the enor-

mity of it in itself and just

how huge it is,” he said.

“There’s just a lot of potential

here that’s really untapped.”

During his visit, Rosenthal

met with a group of people

involved in trapshooting

throughout the state.

One of the ways he sees to

better use the complex is to

capitalize on the youth trap-

shooting teams and sports, in-

cluding at the college level.

“What we were talking

about, especially with the

youth sports, is how family-

oriented this event is because

it becomes a family event,”

Rosenthal said.

He said one of the big fac-

tors looked at with youth

shooters is that it is estimated

that for every shooter, there

will be 3.7 more people, be-

cause the shooter brings his

family with him.

“What I found, because I

used to run tournaments, the

kids that brought in the most

were the 7 and 8-year-olds,”

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Chester Police re-

sponded to three acci-

dents involving allegedly

intoxicated drivers over

the past week.

The first occurred

April 9 when a 2001

Chevrolet Cavalier

struck an unoccupied

parked vehicle.

Chester police were

called to the 1800 block

of Swanwick Street at ap-

proximately 8:10 p.m.

Police said the driver

of the Cavalier, Billy J.

Belton, 34, of Chester was

traveling east on Swan-

wick when he apparently

drifted to the right and

struck the vehicle.

Belton’s car hit the

parked vehicle with

enough force to push it

into a second parked ve-

hicle.

Belton was arrested for

DUI, improper lane us-

age and failure to reduce

speed to avoid an acci-

dent. He posted bond.

The second occurred

April 11, when a vehicle

driven by Amanda L.

Woolsley, 32, of Evans-

ville struck a utility pole

on Mill Street, near

ConAgra.

Police responded at ap-

proximately 1:15 a.m.

and discovered the ve-

hicle and some downed

power lines.

Chester Fire Depart-

ment and Ameren re-

sponded as a result of the

power lines.

Woolsley was trans-

ported by ambulance to

Chester Memorial Hospi-

tal and later transferred

to a St. Louis hospital

due to the severity of her

injuries.

Police have submitted

charges to the Randolph

County State’s Attorney

against Woolsley for

driving under the influ-

ence of alcohol.

The final crash oc-

curred when a Chester

resident slammed into a

parked car.

Chester police were

called to the scene at the

600 block of State Street

April 13 at approxi-

mately 12:24 a.m.

Upon arrival, police

discovered a 1999

Chevrolet pickup truck

on its side.

The driver, William E.

Miller, 32, of Chester was

westbound when he lost

control of his vehicle.

Miller’s truck struck a

parked 1996 Toyota Co-

rolla. A nearby utility

pole was also damaged

in the crash.

The Corolla was owned

by Joseph Kozora and

Jennifer Patterson, both

of Chester.

Kozora told the County

Journal he awoke to the

sound of the crash but

didn’t check outside un-

til his son came into his

room and told him their

car was involved.

When he went outside,

Shown is the wrecked remains of Joseph

Kozora’s Toyota Corolla after it was struck by

an allegedly intoxicated William Miller Mon-

day morning.

he saw his wrecked ve-

hicle pushed up against

a utility pole.

According to Kozora,

Miller attempted to flee

the scene but was

quickly apprehended by

nearby police.

Miller was released af-

ter posting $100 cash

bond and forfeiting his

driver’s license.

A Clinton County man

has been sentenced in

federal court for his in-

volvement in a metham-

phetamine offense that

took place in Randolph,

Jackson and St. Clair

counties.

Jimmy L. Richeson Sr.,

52, of Trenton was sen-

tenced April 8 to 84

months in prison. He

had previously pleaded

guilty to conspiracy to

manufacture meth.

The offense occurred

between 2012 and March

Evidence at the plea

and sentencing hearings

established that Riche-

son was involved with co-

defendants Allen and

Carmen Clover and oth-

ers in the manufacture of

methamphetamine.

Members of the group

often traveled together to

obtain pseudoephedrine,

which they would later

provide to meth manu-

facturers.

Carmen Clover was

previously sentenced to

57 months in prison for

her role in the conspir-

acy. Allen Clover has

pleaded guilty and is

awaiting sentencing.

The investigation was

conducted by the Ran-

dolph and Jackson

County sheriff’s depart-

ments, Tilden police and

the federal Drug Enforce-

ment Administration.

Ryan A. Vanover, 24, of

Steeleville was arrested

April 6 by Steeleville po-

lice on a Randolph

County warrant for peti-

tion to revoke probation.

He was jailed.

Jami L. Hoelscher, 36,

of Steeleville was ar-

rested April 6 by the

Randolph County Sher-

iff’s Department on a

warrant for deceptive

practice. Hoelscher was

jailed.

James D. Wallace, 44,

of Marissa was arrested

April 7 by state police in

Randolph County for

DUI, speeding, improper

lane usage and driving

without a valid driver’s

license. He posted bond.

Calvin R. Hinton, 38, of

Sparta was arrested April

8 by Sparta police on a

Randolph County war-

rant for failure to appear

in court on a domestic

battery charge. He was

jailed.

Eric A. Thies, 36, of

Percy was arrested April

Perry County warrant for

failure to appear in court,

possession of a con-

trolled substance and

possession of drug para-

phernalia. He was taken

to jail.

Melissa K. Helmers, 35,

of Chester was arrested

April 10 by Chester po-

lice on a Randolph

County warrant for fail-

ure to appear in court on

a possession of a con-

trolled substance charge.

She was jailed.

James H. Pfeiffer, 42, of

Chester was arrested

lice for domestic battery.

He posted bond.

Bryan K. Kiefer, 32, of

body attachment warrant

for failure to pay child

support. He was jailed.

Max E. Hiller, 23, of

lice on a Randolph

County warrant for theft.

He posted bond.

Michael D. Schmieg,

35, of Marissa was ar-

rested April 12 by

Coulterville police for

driving on a suspended

license and speeding. He

posted bond.

Ruben Gutierrez-Mo-

rales, 32, of Murphys-

boro was arrested April

12 by Chester police for

driving without a valid

driver’s license. He

posted bond.

Brandon N. Wright, 33,

lice for driving without a

valid drivers license, driv-

ing a vehicle that had ex-

pired registration and

driving an uninsured ve-

hicle. He posted bond.

Teresa J. Conway, 35,

of Coulterville was ar-

rested April 13 by the

Randolph County Sher-

iff’s Department for un-

lawful possession of a

controlled substance and

driving on a revoked li-

cense. She was jailed.

Nolen E. Fann, 51, of

Du Quoin was arrested

April 14 by the Perry

County Sheriff’s De-

partment on a warrant

for aggravated crimi-

nal sexual abuse. He

was jailed. Bond was

set at $4

Billy J. Belton, 34, of

April 9 by Chester police

for DUI, improper lane

usage and failure to re-

duce speed to avoid an

accident. He posted

Steven L. Mikel, 31, of

Campbell Hill was ar-

rested April 5 by Sparta

police on a Jackson

County warrant for fail-

ure to appear in court.

He was taken to jail.

Four boys under age

17 were arrested April 8

by Sparta police for crimi-

nal damage to state-sup-

ported property. They

were released pending

court dates.

A boy under age 17 was

arrested April 8 by Sparta

police for unlawful pos-

session of drug parapher-

nalia. He was released

pending a court date.

Tyrone Charles, 25, of

9 by Sparta police for driv-

ing while license sus-

pended. He was given a

notice to appear in court.

Tracy A. Appel, 50, and

Allen E. Hanna, 81, both

of Sparta, were involved

in an accident April 6 at

Market and Jackson

streets in Sparta.

Amy Despain, 31, of

Willisville was arrested

County Sheriff’s Depart-

ment for driving while li-

cense suspended. She

was taken to jail, posted

$150 cash bond and was

released.

Two Tamaroa people

were arrested April 11 by

the Perry County Sher-

iff’s Department and

charged with battery.

They are Tiffany Robin-

son, 27, and Chad Maxey,

30. Both were taken to

jail and released after

posting bond.

Joshua Harris, 31, of

Tamaroa was arrested

Thank YouFor Your VoteAnd Support!Shelly Dintelman

Steeleville School Board

A Tamaroa woman was

injured in a one-vehicle

crash April 10 on White

Walnut Road in Pinck-

neyville. The accident

occurred at 8:15 a.m.

According to Pinck-

neyville police, Mary

Ann Bathon was south-

bound when an animal

ran onto the road. She

swerved to miss it, lost

control, ran off the road

and rolled over.

Bathon had to be extri-

cated from the vehicle.

She had minor injuries

and was treated at the

Pinckneyville hospital.

The Pinckneyville Fire

Department assisted in

the accident.

Alcohol blamedin Chester wrecks

Local police reports for the week

Meth sentencing

Tamaroa womanhurt in accident

County Sheriff’s depart-

ment for improper lane

use and possession of a

controlled substance. He

was taken to jail pending

bond.0,000.

Daniel I. Jones, 27, of

Willisville was arrest-

ed April 14 by the Perry

County Sheriff’s De-

partment for driving on

a suspended license.

He posted bond.

Branden S. Lopez, 23,

lice for domestic battery

and criminal trespass to

a residence. He was

jailed.

April 16, 2015 County Journal Page 3

Randolph County

State’s Attorney Jer-

emy Walker has re-

leased the latest court

dispositions.

Corey L. Wilson, 39,

of Sparta was found

guilty March 23 of ag-

gravated domestic bat-

Wilson had placed

his hands around the

neck of a family or

household member, re-

stricting normal

breathing of the victim.

The charges

stemmed from an inci-

dent in Sparta January

24. Due to Wilson’s

prior criminal history

and the nature of the

allegation, he is eli-

gible for up to 14 years

in prison. He is not eli-

gible for probation and

must serve 85 percent

of the mandatory

prison sentence.

“We were pleased with

the verdict and will be

requesting a fairly

lengthy prison sentence

at the sentencing hear-

ing May 8,” said Walker.

“I want to thank the

Sparta Police Depart-

ment for its investiga-

tion in this matter, as

well as the victim for her

cooperation in this pros-

ecution.“

Walker said the co-

operation of two wit-

nesses also helped.

Jereme M. Owens, 30,

of Granite City, pleaded

guilty March 25 to un-

lawful possession of

heroin. A charge of ob-

structing justice was

dismissed. The case is

set for a sentencing

hearing April 20.

Owens admitted to

possessing fewer than

15 grams of heroin

found by officers of the

Sparta Police Depart-

ment following a traf-

fic stop January 31.

“We are seeking a

prison sentence,” said

Walker. “Owens, I as-

sume, will be asking

the court for probation.

Based on the informa-

tion I have, Owens has

been sentenced to

prison before, and I do

not believe justice

would be served by an

additional sentence of

probation. However,

that decision will be

made by the court.”

Jeremy D. Bauer, 33,

of Chester, pleaded

guilty March 25 to bur-

glary. Bauer will be

sentenced April 20. He

admitted during his

plea to entering a build-

ing in Chester January

11 with the intent to

commit a theft.

“Bauer, based on the

information we have, is

not eligible for proba-

tion and is looking at a

mandatory prison sen-

tence. The state will be

requesting a sentence

of seven years,” said

Walker.

A young woman wit-

nessed the break-in,

and her observations

and quick reporting of

the incident to Chester

police made this case,

Walker said.

Cortez Nesbitt, 39,

and Melodie Nesbitt,

36, both of Tilden,

pleaded guilty to differ-

ent charges relating to

a drug transaction oc-

curring in Sparta July

16, 2014.

During the plea,

Cortez Nesbitt admit-

ted to delivering less

than one gram of co-

The city of Sparta has

won a judgment against

Gorilla Grid Media.

The city filed a lawsuit

several weeks ago

against Gorilla Grid and

its owner Alex Flores of

Judge Gene Gross

ruled in the city’s favor

in a default judgment

last week. Flores did not

show up in court.

The city is trying to re-

coup money it loaned to

Flores for concerts he

was to present last year

at the shooting complex.

One concert, the Cop-

Fireman of yearRoss Slaven, left, is the

Sparta Fire Depart-

ment’s Fireman of the

Year. The top fireman is

selected through a

point system. Points

are accumulated for

attending fire classes,

volunteering for de-

partment work and

taking part in other fire

department matters.

Fire Chief Brian

Adams said Slaven was

15 to 20 percent higher

in points than anyone

else. Presenting the

award is Gary Stork,

Sparta VFW

Commander.

Jeremy Walker reports on latest court dispositions

Sparta wins judgmentagainst Alex Flores,Gorilla Grid Media

Flores didnot show up

in court

caine to a confidential

informant in Sparta

within 1,000 feet of pub-

lic housing. The charge

was originally a deliv-

ery exceeding one gram

but fewer than 15

grams.

Melodie Nesbitt ad-

mitted to possessing

fewer than 15 grams of

cocaine, but the deliv-

ery charge, as it related

to her, was dismissed.

Both defendants will

be sentenced during

the week of May 4.

“The better case of

the two was against

Cortez Nesbitt,” said

Walker. “Due to poor

quality of the video of

the transaction, I felt it

was better to obtain a

plea than force a trial.

Additionally, Melodie

Nesbitt was not as in-

volved in the transac-

tion as Cortez, and I felt

she was deserving of a

reduction. Judge

Brown will make the

final decision of their

punishment, and the

state will be seeking a

prison sentence regard-

ing Cortez.”

Antonio R.E. An-

thony, 19, of Sparta,

pleaded guilty March

27 to retail theft. He will

be sentenced April 27.

The charges

stemmed from the theft

of items from the

Sparta Walmart Febru-

ary 14. Anthony was

previously convicted of

retail theft and will be

eligible for up to three

years in prison.

“Anthony is a young

man who has, unfortu-

nately, created a lot of

problems for himself

over the past year or

so, and we feel it is nec-

essary to request he be

sentenced to prison,”

said Walker. “The court

may not do so, but he is

already on probation

and has already vio-

lated his probation due

to a previous incident.

Teresa J. Conway, 35,

of Perryville pleaded

guilty March 31 to un-

lawful possession of

methamphetamine and

will be sentenced May

She admitted to pos-

sessing fewer than five

grams of methamphet-

amine located by police

during a traffic stop July

“Based on the infor-

mation we have, I do

not believe Conway is a

candidate for probation

and feel a prison sen-

tence is the appropri-

ate punishment for the

crime,” said Walker.

“However, the defen-

dant will request pro-

bation.”

Here are other Ran-

dolph County court

cases recently termi-

nated.

Stephanie Kelley of

Ellis Grove, unlawful

visitation interference,

dismissed with the

right to reinstate.

Nicole Davis of

Evansville, give/sell li-

quor to a minor, court

supervision, fine.

Rachel Fehr of Red

Bud, give/sell liquor to

a minor, court supervi-

sion, fine.

Carolyn Kueker of

Red Bud, give/sell li-

quor to a minor, court

supervision, fine.

Ronald Clark of

Chester, DUI, court su-

pervision, DUI school,

perhead Music Festival,

was held. A second con-

cert, featuring Charlie

Daniels, and a rodeo

that were to have been

held the Fourth of July

were both canceled.

Flores was to have paid

back his loan by last De-

cember 31.

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County Journal April 16, 2015

LettersTo TheEditor

River StagesMississippi At ChesterFlood Stage 27 Ft.

Policies Of The County JournalA Publication Of Willis Publishing, Inc.

Larry Willis, Kristin Anderson, John FalkenheinOwners/Publishers

PUBLISHED EACH THURSDAY1101 East Pine • Box 369 • Percy, Illinois 62272

(618) 497-8272

Letters to the editor must be signed in order to be

published. A telephone number is also required for

verification. Letters and news items are published at

the discretion of the editors. All copy will be edited.

The County Journal does not publish poetry.

Classified advertising must be prepaid except for es-

tablished accounts. Political and certain other adver-

tising must be prepaid.

Any person or organization holding a money mak-

ing event and wanting it advertised in the County Jour-

nal must discuss their promotion with the advertising

department. Generally, if the organization charges for

the event, goods or services, the County Journal

charges to advertise its event.

Letters advocating a candidate or referendum will

be published as a letter to the editor until two weeks

before an election. Within that two weeks such pro-

motions will be published only as paid advertisement.

Anyone wishing to express thanks must do so in a

paid advertisement. Thank you notes will not be in-

cluded in news stories.

Editor’sSpace

By Jerry Willis

County Journal(USPS 549-110)

is published weekly on Thursdaysfor 60¢ each issue,$22.00 peryear in Randolph, Perry andJackson counties, $24.00 per yearin Illinois, $29.00 per yearelsewhere, by County Journal,Box 369, 1101 East Pine, Percy,Illinois, 62272. Periodicalspostage paid at Percy, Illinois.POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to County Journal, Box369, 1101 East Pine, Percy,Illinois 62272.

AMusing

ViewBy Martha Peebles

Law on absentee ballots needs to be changedIn at least three local

cases, candidates in

the April 7 elections still

might not know if they

have won or lost.

That’s not right.

A change to the Illinois

Election Code passed by

the legislature in 2009 took

effect in 2010. It allows for

absentee, military and pro-

visional ballots to arrive at

county clerk’s offices up to

two weeks after election

Absentee ballots are

mailed out not fewer than

10 days before the election.

Those voters must return

the ballots to the proper

county clerk in two weeks.

The ballots are to be post-

marked by midnight the

day before election day to

be valid.

As it stands, Robert Spen-

cer received five more

votes than Fran Thomas

for Pinck-

n e y v i l l e

mayor.

P e r r y

C o u n t y

sent out 27

a b s e n t e e

b a l l o t s ,

and as of

last week, eight were re-

turned, with six properly

postmarked. The County

Journal does not know

what elections those cover.

In Steeleville school vot-

ing, four were to be

elected, and the fourth seat

will go to either Lisa

Rohlfing or Lisa Ernsting.

Rohlfing has one more

vote than Ernsting.

With absentee ballots

still out, either could win.

In the Sparta school dis-

trict, Kenny Kempfer

polled eight more votes

than Nina Hille. That

could change based on the

yet-to-be reported ballots.

This week, County Clerk

Pat Laramore said 13 ab-

sentee ballots are for

Sparta. Fifty-eight ballots

were mailed out.

Affected candidates now

must wait until April 21 to

find out if they won or lost

based on how many absen-

tee ballots are sent back

covering their races.

Perry County Clerk Josh

Gross said he would love

to see the law changed but

doubts that it will.

“The legislature thinks

this helps voter turnout,”

said Gross.

No one re-

ally sees

that hap-

pening in

this area.

The turn-

out is

about the

same as

usual.

The two-week wait is not

fair to the affected candi-

dates who have worked for

weeks or months on their

candidacies.

Brent Davis, a bureaucrat

with the Illinois State

Board of Elections, said

the absentee ballots have

a two-week leeway in order

to avoid possible mail de-

Here’s an idea. Why not

send out the ballots 24

days, rather than 10 days,

ahead of the election and

have them due by election

day, so they could be

counted with the rest of

the ballots?

Why even have an elec-

tion “day” if not all ballots

need be in by then? Keep-

ing the results of an elec-

tion in limbo for two weeks

is unnecessary and just

plain ridiculous.

The Illinois legislature

allows for early voting up

to three weeks before an

election, 24 days to get an

absentee ballot into the

county clerk’s office and

no reason at all needed to

vote absentee.

It is as if the legislature

leads citizens by the hand

to get them to vote. It is

time for voters to take

more responsibility for

their own voting.

The law is unusually bur-

densome and should be

changed as soon as pos-

sible.

Waiting two weeks forelection results not fair

Birthday cousins turn 30

Continued on Page 5

T hirty years ago,

April 5 around 9

p.m., our daughter Al-

lison was born. Her

cousin Stephen Holt

was born 20 minutes

later. Even though our

due dates were six

weeks apart, my sister-

in-law Linda Holt and I

ended up being room-

mates after our deliver-

ies. She was three weeks

early, and I was three

weeks late.

Ruth Payne, my

mother-in-law, kept

track of our labor prog-

ress and cervical dila-

tion as if it were a horse

race. “Linda’s at 5, Mar-

tha’s a 4.” Then later,

“Martha’s an 8, Linda’s

still a 5.” Of course, I

won but just by a nose.

From that time on, we

referred to the kids as

twin cousins.

Being overdue, Allison

was born with a look on

her face I will never for-

get. It was an uncanny

expression of knowl-

edge, as if she knew ev-

erything already and

had been taking college

courses in the womb.

Allison and Stephen

For a newborn, this was

a little scary. Of course,

as she grew, she thought

she did know every-

thing.

When Allison and

Stephen were young, we

always tried to have

their parties together.

The same held true for

their milestone birth-

days at 16, 18 and 21. As

they got older, it became

more and more difficult

to plan their parties.

Now, with Stephen liv-

ing in Maryland, it

seemed impossible. We

were lucky that he had

planned a trip home this

month.

The twin cousins lead

very different lives and

look nothing alike. Still

a bachelor, Stephen is

tall, dark and hand-

some. Recently, he pur-

chased a cabin cruiser

and plans to live on the

bay. He travels around

the country as an invest-

ment broker and leads a

colorful social life.

Allison, on the other

hand, is a petite red-

head. She lives in Alto

Pass and works as a

medical technologist at

Southeast Hospital in

Cape Girardeau. She’s

also a wife and you all

know her as Kitty Kate’s

mother.

Flip, genre, provider and #

Continued on Page 5

Have you noticed

lately that Ameri-

cans are using some

new words or phrases?

One word that I refuse

to use is genre, pro-

nounced zyahn-ruh. It is

a French word that

means a kind, category,

style or type of model.

Those people who like

to sound smart, I guess,

use genre instead of

type or category. I hear

it a lot dealing with mu-

sic, such as country, jazz

or rock. Each type is a

genre. Ugh.

Provider is another

word used a lot. We no

longer have doctors or

nurses. Now they are

medical providers. I

guess we should no

longer call the County

Journal a newspaper.

We are a news provider.

A cop is a law provider.

When I go to a hard-

ware store, is it no

longer a store but a pro-

vider?

And what is this #

thing?

For years, it was a tic

tac toe sign. It was also

used to represent pound

and number. Now it is

called a hashtag. What

does that mean? I could

find no entry for hashtag

in the dictionary.

Here is another one.

Have you noticed that

in today’s jargon, one no

longer sells a piece of

real estate or house?

They flip it. Does that

apply to selling every-

thing?

(Have you seen the

Kueker’s ad in the

County Journal with a

picture of an upside

down house in it? Now,

that house was flipped.)

When I cook pancakes,

I flip them, but if I have

a yard sale do I flip all

of that stuff I sell? I

guess I would be the flip-

per, and those who buy

would be the flipees.

We no longer sell this

newspaper. We flip it.

And what is a power

point? Just recently I

found out it is what we

used to call a visual aid

or slides shown on a

white screen. Where did

power point come from,

and what does it mean?

I am amazed that

young people still use

the word cool to de-

scribe something that is

good or desirable. That

word was around for the

same meaning when I

was a kid. It’s ancient,

but it still works.

Who comes up with all

of these weird, new

terms? He should have

Funding cutEditor, County Journal:

Nearly $2.8 million of

the Soil and Water Con-

servation District fund-

ing for FY 2015 has been

suspended by the

governor’s Office of

Management and Bud-

get and Illinois Depart-

ment of Agriculture.

The suspension of

funds accounts for 37.3

percent of the total $7.5

million appropriations

districts receive for op-

erations. If the suspen-

sion is not lifted, dis-

tricts around the state

will be forced to dis-

mantle their work

forces.

Only $4.7 million has

been released to fund

the operations for these

districts this year. That’s

about $33,900 to each of

the 97 districts, plus

health insurance premi-

ums. Districts still need

$1.75 million total, or

about $18,800 per dis-

trict, to fund them

through the end of this

fiscal year. These funds

are the salaries of the

employees. The districts

are now operating with

149 employees state-

wide, which is 30 per-

cent fewer than eight

years ago.

SWCDs were estab-

lished during the Dust

Bowl era to combat the

soil erosion taking

place. They continue to

provide valuable ser-

vices to the community

by working closely with

several federal, state

and other non-govern-

mental organizations.

The district serves as a

point of contact to land-

owners wishing to ad-

dress resource concerns

on their property and

assists in delivering pro-

grams that prevent ero-

sion from urban devel-

opment and of tillable

soil that threaten our ag-

ricultural economy and

the sustainablity of our

surface water supplies.

Each SWCD office is

responsible for bringing

state and federal agency

funding to both rural

and urban citizens in Il-

linois. Unlike most

state-funded agencies,

SWCD’s return to the

local economy is an av-

erage of $23.57 for every

$1 spent in its operation.

SWCD programs are ca-

pable of adding more

than $400 million to the

state’s economy every

year, but if districts are

forced to close due to

lack of funding, the valu-

able resources they pro-

vide will disappear com-

pletely.

Martha Morgenstern

Perry County SWCD

MeachamMadness

By John Meacham

MuslimapologyEditor, County Journal:

A few American Mus-

lim leaders have con-

demned the savage

beheadings of 21 inno-

cent, non-combatant

Coptic Christian men.

Condemning actions

that are clearly hid-

eous, however, pro-

vides very little solace

to those who view these

beheadings as nothing

less than the vilest form

of wretched, uncivi-

lized barbarism.

Do you know what the

world has not seen and

what non-Muslims

need to see?

It is time for moder-

ate Muslims to do more

than just verbally con-

demn. It is time for

them to force Muslim

states to track down

these monsters and

bring these Islamic ter-

rorists to justice.

It is time for moder-

ate Muslims to seek out

and imprison terrorists

who would kill peace-

ful infidels in the name

of Allah. Instead of al-

lowing these animals to

roam freely within Is-

lamic states, it is time

for moderate Muslims

to compel Islamic

states to deal with this

problem by aggres-

sively policing their

The world does not

need to hear Muslims

condemn the obvious

barbarism of their fel-

low Muslims. It is time

for so-called moderate

Muslims to free the

world of Islamic terror-

ism by taking all neces-

sary actions to clean up

their own Islamic

house by removing the

cancer of Islamic ter-

rorism from both their

ranks and from the face

of the earth.

Chris Tabing

Coulterville

Sendingletters

Send letters to the

editor to the County

Journal, P0 Box 369,

Percy, Illinois,

62272. They can also

be faxed to 497-2607

or emailed to

cjournal@egyptian.net.

Letters should be

as brief as possible

and must be signed

by the author. Also

include a telephone

number for verifica-

tion. Your phone

number will not be

published.

Letters are due by

noon Tuesday to be

included in that

week’s edition.

My turkey-calling advice

Continued on Page 5

Want to become a

better turkey

caller? Get rhythm, ad-

vise veteran hunters

and calling-contest

champions Chris Par-

rish and Billy Yargus.

“If you will learn to

call by listening to tur-

keys and then do things

in the way they do them.

With the proper

rhythms, you’ll be a

whole lot more success-

ful than you will if you

just haphazardly call to

turkeys,” Parrish said.

Hunters should put

real enthusiasm and

realism into their call-

ing, he said.

Yargus advised hunt-

ers to use the calls they

can use well and said

it’s best if they can use

several styles.

“Mouth calls are

great, and that’s what I

use most of the time,

but I use everything. I

take box calls and slate

calls, too, because you

never know what a tur-

key really wants to

hear,” he said. “If you

hear another turkey,

just start mimicking

that turkey. She’ll

guide you in the right

direction.”

Asked how he would

deal with a hung-up

gobbler that had no

hens, Yargus said,

“What I would do is

switch to softer call-

ing—to purrs and

clucks and scratching

in the leaves—and may-

be even do a gobbler

yelp at him to entice

him to think there’s an-

other gobbler coming

in.”

Parrish said he

doesn’t believe in call-

shy turkeys.

“If they were call-shy,

they’d never breed and

we’d never have little

turkeys. Pressure-shy

and people-shy, abso-

lutely. We make them

scared to do anything,”

he said as he offered

another strategy for

calling a hung-up gob-

“A lot of times, I’ll

shut up on that turkey

and let him walk off.

Then I’ll reposition

myself a little bit differ-

ent,” Parrish said.

“Maybe he just doesn’t

feel comfortable com-

ing in there. Maybe he’s

a two-year-old gobbler,

and he got ran off from

that spot the day before

by a bigger gobbler. The

next time, you may just

have to cluck once and

he’ll come right to you,

just because he’s com-

fortable to come to that

area.”

Yargus said a gobbler

that hangs up may not

be the dominant bird

in the area and may

have been whipped ev-

ery time he came to a

hen call.

“Doing gobbler yelps

isn’t going to help you

if he’s not the dominant

Apr. 09 ................. 16.7

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Peebles...From Page 4____

Willis...From Page 4____

Linda and I marvel at

how fast 30 years have

passed. It was mind-bog-

gling to grasp the fact

that our babies are no

longer just young peo-

ple, they are mature

adults. Now, I know

why my parents always

felt like my sister and I

were still kids even

when we were old

enough to be eligible for

AARP. I’m sure I will

feel the same way when

Allison becomes middle-

aged. Some things never

change.

Their party was held at

The Flame in Carbon-

dale. We had a good

turnout of family and

friends to celebrate.

After a great meal, we

enjoyed birthday cake.

When ordering the cake

at the bakery, it was

hard to make the lady

taking my order under-

stand exactly what I

wanted. Half of the cake

was decorated in pink

for “Happy Birthday

Allison,” and the other

half was decorated in

blue, saying “Happy

Birthday Stephen.” A

big 30 was written in the

center. It actually looked

more like it belonged at

a baby shower than a

30th birthday party.

Thankfully, we got a

picture of Allison and

Stephen holding the

cake before the party

started. Katie dove into

the cake and was licking

icing as soon as she laid

eyes on it. Every time

there’s a party, she

thinks she’s the birth-

day girl.

In only 27 short years,

it will be her turn to be

I sure hope I’m around

to see it.

his mouth washed out

with soap.

Of course, nowadays

that is cruel and un-

usual punishment, isn’t

MeachamFrom Page 4____

bird. When you’re hunt-

ing a bird like that, put-

ting out a lone hen de-

coy or maybe a couple

hen decoys and doing

some soft calling is

about all you can do,”

said Yargus

He also offered some

advice on placing de-

“A lot of people set up

decoys 30 or 40 yards

away. I don’t do that. I

set them up 10 to 15

yards away,” said

Yargus. “I want them

right in my face. That

way, if a gobbler hangs

up outside the decoys a

little way, he’s still in

gun range.”

Parrish said a hunter

should set up so the sun

isn’t shining on him but

added that a gobbler

may not be comfortable

walking straight into

the sun.

“I’ve actually had

them break and make a

big circle and put the

sun at their back,” he

Guiltyverdict...From Page 1____

comment that he

shouldn’t have done it,

but he was tired of (Har-

ris), the evidence stated.

If there had been a

trial, police would have

testified that Farns-

worth made many spon-

taneous statements indi-

cating his involvement

in the death of Harris.

Employees and cus-

tomers at the VFW said

Farnsworth and Harris

had angry words both

inside the VFW and out-

side in the parking lot.

“I’ll kill you ...”

Farnsworth was heard to

have said. “I’ll kill every

(expletive) at the bar.”

The two men were

separated by VFW em-

ployees, would have

been the testimony at a

trial.

Mrs. Farnsworth said

that when her husband

arrived home that day

and picked up his shot-

gun, she thought he was

going to shoot birds that

had been disturbing

their chickens. Then she

heard the shot and

someone say “Bill” and

He had been examined

by a Carbondale psy-

chiatrist.

The day of the murder,

Farnsworth and Harris,

who knew each other

well, according to Har-

ris’ roommate in Cutler,

had argued at the Coul-

terville VFW, where

they had been drinking.

Harris followed Farns-

worth home.

When Farnsworth saw

Harris, he went into his

house, picked up the

gun and went back to

Harris’ car, shooting

him in the neck.

Farnsworth made

statements to police im-

plicating himself in the

murder.

He remains in the

Perry County Jail until

he is sentenced.

“stop.” She said she

thought it was Harris’

voice.

Mrs. Farnsworth said

she looked outside, saw

the red car and someone

slumped over in it. Her

husband was holding

the gun.

She asked her hus-

band, “What the hell did

you do?”

He replied, “Well, he’s

not going to be follow-

ing me no more.”

Farnsworth said when

he walked to the car,

Harris opened the door,

and Farnsworth shot

because he saw an object

he thought could have

been a gun. Harris told

him it was a box.

“I didn’t know,” Farns-

worth said.

He said his actions

were wrong, but he

didn’t know what it (the

box) was, and he was

protecting himself. He

told police it wasn’t his

intention to kill Harris

when he walked off the

porch with the gun.

Farnsworth said he

had known Harris for

about eight months and

thought Harris followed

him home to “whoop”

him or shoot him.

Firearm experts at a

trial would have testified

that the shotgun was

about 12 inches from

Harris when it was dis-

charged, hitting him in

the neck and upper

torso.

Keefe submitted his

evidence. Had there been

a trial, the Farnsworths

both would have testi-

fied that they had been

stalked by Harris in the

past and that he had

repeatedly been told to

stay away.

They claim Harris

was a drug dealer and

had a violent past.

They thought he would

have had a weapon to

protect himself as a

drug dealer, the attor-

ney wrote.

Keefe wrote that he

had a witness who

would have testified that

Harris was the aggres-

sor when the two men

argued in the VFW

parking lot.

State’s case...From Page 1______________

IDNR director visits...From Page 1Rosenthal said. “We had

a professional photogra-

pher who went all over

the country doing pro-

fessional shoots, and

she happened to live in

our area. We said, ‘Why

don’t you come down

and do this tourna-

ment?’

“We had 12 teams, and

she made more money

there because this is the

first time these kids

have been exposed to

that, and their grand-

parents want their kids’

pictures blown up.”

Rosenthal said the

town made more money,

too, from these little

tournaments.

One issue at the com-

plex is the state of some

of the roads. The current

economic environment

has forced the IDNR to

be more selective on

where resources go, but

Rosenthal said it is not

an obstacle that will

keep them from doing

what they want.

“The roads don’t be-

long to us. They belong

to IDOT,” Rosenthal

said. “We have to work

through them to get the

roads fixed. My goal is

to get them identified

and get word to IDOT to

say here are our priori-

ties, and we need your

help.”

The location of the

complex, though, does

not concern Rosenthal.

“It’s a long way from

northern Illinois, but it’s

centrally located within

the southern states,” he

said. “When they have

shoots down here, and

that’s one of the things

we were talking about,

you’re drawing from

about five to seven

states. If you go north,

you don’t. Hotel accom-

modations and every-

thing are nicer up there,

but the location, nation-

ally, is pretty good

here.”

Rosenthal talked about

the lack of hotels and

lodging close by. While

people are happy about

the camping facilities,

people who do not camp

need somewhere to go.

“If we get the events

and the people out here

and the demand is for

more accommodations,

then somebody in the

private sector is going to

build a hotel because

they know they can

make it work,” Rosen-

thal said. “Until you

have the people here,

though, that’s not neces-

sarily true.”

Recently, some of the

locals have brought

campers to the complex

to rent out.

“The individual will

rent the camper from

the owner downtown

and pay the campsite

fee,” Rosenthal said.

“We’re looking to con-

tinuing and expanding

renting campers onsite.

It gives people an option

and gets people camp-

ing who normally

wouldn’t.”

On the plus side, he

sees major opportunities

to expand on pistol and

rifle sports, including

skeet and sporting clay

events.

“With the continued

growth of concealed

carry and people buying

pistols, there are people

looking for places to

shoot and people look-

ing for competition,”

Rosenthal said. “Be-

cause, if I can shoot, I

want to see how good I

am. Those sort of things

offer potential for the

future.”

He said they will re-

main open to other

nonshooting events, and

that is part of what

Brinkman will look at

for all of the facilities

around the state.

“To me, the agency is

an agency that affects

the quality of life of the

residents of Illinois,”

Rosenthal said. “So, how

can we provide more and

better opportunities and

make sure people are

aware of them for all our

facilities?”

Rosenthal is optimistic

about the complex be-

cause no other place in

the country has some-

thing like it where

people can do all of the

different kinds of

shoots.

“Getting the man-

power and the word out

that it’s available and

here, that’s the chal-

lenge,” Rosenthal said.

“If we do that and people

use (the complex), we’ll

be successful.

“The people here have

to work hard to make it

all work. I think they

will.”

Governor Bruce Rau-

ner’s proposed budget

will have an effect on Il-

linois Department of

Natural Resources per-

sonnel.

“What we’re looking at

with the proposed bud-

get is a cut of about 30

conservation police, 14

of whom are cadets,”

said IDNR director

Wayne Rosenthal when

speaking to the County

Journal April 10 at the

World Shooting and

Recreational Complex.

Rosenthal said those

14 cadets would com-

plete their training in

June, be furloughed and

not actually get called.

He said another 16 or 17

people would also have

to be furloughed based

on the numbers from

the proposed budget.

Losing those 30 em-

ployees will bring

IDNR’s staff to 1,135

people. Rosenthal also

said he has never filled

all of the midlevel super-

visors and staff his pre-

decessor had.

Rosenthal said the big-

gest challenge will fall

to conservation police di-

vision chief Colonel

Rafael Gutierrez and

how he will utilize the

people he has available.

“My intent is to get the

people back we identify

as critical,” Rosenthal

said. “It’s a balancing

act, but we’ll work on

how to get back to full

strength as soon as pos-

sible.”

Rosenthal pointed out

that over the last 10 to

12 years, the depart-

ment has gone from al-

most 2,200 people to

1,165. He said in a lot of

cases, they are doing a

temporary promotion

for an individual to fill

in as a site supervisor.

“Most of our sites are

50 to 60 percent manned

from where they were at

one time,” Rosenthal

said. “They can continue

to operate that way, but

not for very long with-

out suffering infrastruc-

ture and other things

not being maintained.

The department is also

dealing with some chief

personnel officer cuts

and is close to filling two

biologist vacancies.

Being of military back-

ground, Rosenthal said

he is used to doing more

with less.

“I look at what I have

available and how can I

best use those resources

to get the job done,”

Rosenthal said. “It takes

some juggling and ma-

nipulation and some-

times delays, but we can

make it work. It’ll just be

a challenge for me and

the rest of the staff.”

Sustainability funds

are coming in, accord-

ing to Rosenthal. That

will create about $10

million per year that is

supposed to go to infra-

structure.

He said it takes about

three years to go

through the capital de-

velopment board for

anything over $50,000.

“We are looking at the

little things we can fix

that make a difference to

people. We’ll work on

those first and utilize

the resources we have

available for that. We’ll

worry about the big

capital projects later,”

Rosenthal said.

Another potential is-

sue, according to Rosen-

thal, is that 30 to 40 per-

cent of the people in the

department could retire

at any time.

He said that could be

good or bad. If a lot of

new people are hired,

the future could be

bright for them because

there will be a lot of

openings in the future

when others retire.

“Part of the problem

with how things have

gone in the past is if you

continue to shrink, your

workforce gets older be-

cause you haven’t

brought anybody else

in,” Rosenthal said.

“When we start bring-

ing people in, they will

have a lot of opportuni-

ties.”

He was quick to point

out that losing people

would not be desirable

right now, as experience

would be lost. Though,

according to Rosenthal,

bringing fresh people in

could bring new talents

and experience.

“I feel fortunate about

the division and the

agency itself,” Rosen-

thal said. “We will con-

tinue to use the people

we have.”

IDNR looking at budget cuts

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Few people are prob-

ably aware of it, but a

unique type of business

is operating in Ran-

dolph County.

Underwood Ammo

manufactures pistol and

rifle ammunition.

Passersby won’t see a

sign or maybe even a

building, but between

Steeleville and Blair,

Kevin Underwood and

six employees work all

day making ammuni-

tion. Underwood does all

of the employee training

himself.

Underwood came here

about two years ago

from the Charleston,

West Virginia area. He

had been reloading and

making ammunition in

his spare time. Now it’s

his life’s work.

Underwood’s wife is

originally from this

area, and that was one

reason they moved here.

In fact, he constructed

his Randolph County

headquarters while he

was waiting to move.

Underwood has always

been a gun enthusiast,

but his background is in

commercial printing.

“I shoot all the time,”

said Underwood. “I was

making my own ammu-

nition in West Virginia,

and sold some to friends.

Then I started shipping

to other places, and it

just grew.”

Underwood is proud of

his product.

“We make precision,

high velocity, accurate

ammunition,” said Un-

derwood. “It is for hunt-

ing and self-defense.”

Underwood, 37, said he

outgrew where he was

in West Virginia, and he

is already planning to

double the size of his

current building.

“We attend to detail,”

said Underwood. “What

we make is not as cheap

as some others, but my

recipe is all high qual-

ity components. We use

premium brass and a

cleaner burning powder

that won’t burn dirty

and has very little flash

to it.”

Underwood Ammo

makes only pistol and

rifle ammunition—no

shotgun shells, rim fires

or reloads. Everything

is brand new.

He gets his computer-

driven equipment from

a company in Michigan.

He does not manufac-

ture .22 caliber rounds.

The smallest pistol

round he makes is .380

and the largest a .500

Smith & Wesson Mag-

num. As for rifles, he

makes a 223 to a 50

Beowulf (.50 caliber).

Underwood hasn’t ad-

vertised for local busi-

ness yet. All of his sales

have come through his

internet site.

“I am trying to get

more retail business,”

said Underwood. “I

want to get my product

onto some local

shelves.”

Above are two exam-

ples of pistol rounds

Underwood produces.

From left is an ink pen

to show relative size, a

.380 hollow point and a

.500 hard cast.

At right, Wes Craig of

Sparta works on a ma-

chine making 10 mm

ammunition.

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This machine makes a variety of different calibers. Underwood offers

almost 250 different calibers of ammunition.

Owner Kevin Underwood

Underwood said he is

talking to a local retailer

about stocking his prod-

uct. He also plans to

soon offer firearms for

So far, his business has

been like a “Field of

Dreams.”

“I figured if I made a

great product, they

would come,” said Un-

derwood. “That has

worked well.”

Underwood said he

ships his products all

over the United States

but not to any foreign

countries. Shipping to

other countries is a

problem, because am-

munition is not allowed

on aircraft. He said one

big Missouri sports

chain has contacted him

about stocking his prod-

Each of Underwood’s

machines can put out

about 4,000 rounds an

hour or about 200,000 a

shift.

His machines put the

brass, powder, primer

and projectile together

in one simple operation.

With a business like

making ammunition,

Underwood is well

aware of the security

needed.

“We have a top security

system with cameras,

and I live on the prop-

erty,” said Underwood.

“We feel good about

that.”

The company can be

reached at 965-2109.

Sparta Business and

Professional Women

will meet Monday, April

20 at 6 p.m. at the Meth-

odist Church for Guest

Night.

Members are asked to

notify the Guest Night

Committee regarding

the number of guests

planning to attend with

Sparta BPWwill meetMonday,April 20

Making the roundsFormer West Virginia man moves to Randolph

UnderwoodAmmo makeshigh qualityammunitionfor pistolsand rifles

April 16, 2015

Sparta has taken a first

step to help a local com-

pany expand into the

town. Action came at

Monday night’s city

council meeting.

The council approved a

resolution that will ben-

efit Flex Line, a com-

pany headquartered in

Chester, that wants to

expand into Sparta. The

company designs and

builds industrial auto-

mation equipment.

Cathy Rinne of Flex

Line said the company is

expanding and has been

leasing the former

MUMS building in

Pinckneyville. Now it

must move from that

building and needs

space for additional

products. The company

is not leaving Chester.

Flex Line also owns the

former Central School

near Walsh.

The resolution states

that Sparta intends to

help the company with

the purchase of a build-

ing in town and will ne-

gotiate with the com-

pany in a redevelopment

project. The city would

reimburse Flex Line for

some of its redevelop-

ment costs.

Mayor Jason Schlimme

said the company would

hire anywhere from

three to 10 employees

for the Sparta operation.

The council also ap-

proved a right-of-way

easement for Clearwave.

The company wants to

lay some fiber optic cable

to the radio tower near

the city hall. The ease-

ment would be about 15

feet wide.

In another business

matter, the council

agreed to a provisional

building permit for

Zanders Sporting

Goods. The permit al-

lows the company to put

up steel framing for its

new building on the

west side of town.

MedStar Ambulance

was given a building

permit for a 2,400-

square-foot storage

building on Bradbury

Lane. The building will

house vehicles and

equipment.

The council hired

Kevin Holliday of Tilden

as the swimming pool

manager for this year.

For the summer, he will

be paid $5,000.

Holliday will again

also manage the pool

concessions. This year,

however, he will not pay

the city 10 percent of his

sales. Commissioner

Linda Boston said last

year’s concession sales

were disappointing, so

this year, the city is al-

lowing Holliday to keep

all of the profits.

One good sign for the

pool is that the new

swim team has already

signed up 40 members.

Assistant Police Chief

Jeremy Kempfer told

the council that the de-

partment has 84 fire-

arms that have been con-

fiscated through the

years and wants to get

rid of them. Some have

been stored in the de-

partment for 35 years.

He said Zanders Sport-

ing Goods has offered to

pay the department

$7,789 for the guns then

sell the department sev-

eral new rifles at

Zanders’ cost.

Kempfer said most of

the old guns are junk,

and the deal will be al-

most cost-neutral to the

The council approved

selling the guns and

buying the new rifles.

The council awarded a

contract to mow and

maintain the cemetery.

It goes to Clay Construc-

tion, the company that

currently mows Cale-

donia. The contract runs

through 2018 at a cost of

$35,898 a year. That is

down from the current

The contract contains

performance and annual

review clauses.

Schlimme reported

that he and the police ad-

ministration will get to-

gether soon with the

union on a new labor

contract. The police con-

tract expired in March.

In other personnel

matters, the council:

● hired Lesa Bolt, cur-

rently working in Tren-

ton, Illinois, as a part-

time police officer;

● hired Coire Reel,

Dana Martin and Ashley

Walker as part-time po-

lice dispatchers;

● approved Jill Braun,

Ashley Birchler and

Victoria Ward as part-

time swimming pool em-

ployees.

Commissioner Linda Boston with Kevin Holliday,

the pool manager for this summer

Council to helpFlex Line find aSparta location

Council hires severalpart-time employees

By Travis Lott

Governor Bruce Rau-

ner cancelled a visit to

Randolph County last

Friday due to tornado

damage in northern Il-

linois.

The location and time

of Rauner’s visit was

never released publicly

prior to the cancellation.

However, Wayne Rosen-

thal, the new Illinois

Department of Natural

Resources director, con-

firmed that Rauner was

supposed to be at the

April 10 meeting at the

World Shooting and

Recreational Complex.

The governor was tour-

ing the state earlier in the

week to promote his Turn

Around Illinois initiative.

The Randolph County

stop was cancelled so the

governor could visit com-

munities affected by two

tornadoes that ripped

through the state Thurs-

Representatives from

Rauner’s office confirmed

the Randolph County visit

will be rescheduled but did

not say when.

Rauner canceled trip to shooting complex

April is 911 Education

Month, and this week is

National Telecommun-

icators Week.

Cindy Wagner of Ran-

dolph County E911 spoke

briefly at the April 10

county board meeting

about several topics.

This week honors the

men and women who

work in the nation’s emer-

gency call centers.

Wagner went over sev-

eral points regarding the

Randolph County E911

police, fire and EMS.

She pointed out that

there are answering

points at the sheriff’s of-

fice and the Sparta Police

Department. Each an-

swering point is equipped

with two answering sta-

tions.

Calls within Sparta will

route to the police depart-

ment. All other county

calls route first to the

sheriff’s office.

Wagner stressed that if

a 911 call is not answered

at the first answering

point, the caller will expe-

rience an extended ring

time while the call is

transferred to the other

answering point.

Medical calls are trans-

ferred to MedStar Ambu-

lance for prearrival in-

structions.

In 2014, telecommunica-

tors in Randolph County

received 9,057 911 calls

with 2,758 coming from

landlines and 6,299 cel-

lular.

Some other things to

remember when calling

911 is being knowledge-

able and prepared.

Callers should only

dial 911 if someone is

hurt or in danger, or if

they are in immediate

need of police, fire or

medical assistance. If

there is uncertainty,

callers should stay on

the side of safety and

call 911.

People should also

know the capabilities of

the device they are us-

ing. It is important to re-

member that the call-

back and location infor-

mation that accompa-

nies the call to the 911

call center can vary be-

cause of different tech-

nology and geographic

regions.

Callers also should

know where they are,

stay calm and never

hang up. This will help

ensure a quicker and

more accurate response

Wireless 911 callers

have to be aware that

the answering point

that receives the call

might not be the point

that services the area

the wireless caller is

calling from. The wire-

less call might have to

be transferred to the

correct point.

Wagner talks toboard about 911

The Sparta Chamber of Commerce will hold its an-

nual dinner Saturday. Activities begin at 6 p.m. at the

Lions Club. Dress is to be casual.

Terry Waldron, school board president and director

of the new Trapshooting Hall of Fame, will be the

speaker. He will discuss the progress of construction

of fame building and other aspects of the hall.

Also during the evening, Sparta’s outstanding citi-

zen of the year and a scholarship winner will be an-

nounced.

Chamber dinner Sat.

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This ad was inadvertently omitted from last week’s paper

The Health and

Wellness Foundation,

in support of Sparta

Community Hospital,

will hold a chicken and

beer dance Saturday,

May 16 at the Steeleville

Legion to benefit the

hospital’s new Vantage

Titan MRI and MRI

suite. The event is un-

derwritten by Iron Ford

of Sparta and First Na-

tional Bank of Steele-

ville.

A silent auction will

be held throughout the

evening for items such

as Cardinal box and

Red Bird Club tickets,

a Bose speaker, over-

night stay at Blue Sky

Winery’s Tuscan Suite,

18 holes of golf with

cart for four at Sparta

Country Club and

Okawville’s Roland

Barkau Golf Course, a

variety of gift baskets

and a framed Roscoe

Misselhorn print.

The South Side John-

ny Band will provide

music. The six-piece

dance band has been per-

forming since 1993 in and

around the St. Louis area,

covering classic rock,

modern rock, Motown,

oldies, country, Top 40

from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s

and beyond.

Advanced tickets are

$18 per person and $30

per couple, or $20 and

$35 at the door. Reser-

vations can be made for

a table of 8 for $110

and must be reserved

by May 11.

For tickets, call Carol

Mulholland, market-

ing and foundation di-

rector, at 443-1465 or

email mulhollandc@

spartahospittal.com.

The Vantage Titan

will offer an alternative

for performing rapid,

high-resolution results

without using contrast

agents. The unique

techniques deliver

high-quality diagnos-

tic images, shorten

exam times and in-

crease patient safety.

The ultra short open

bore design allows 70

percent of all proce-

dures to be performed

feet first. During such

exams, patients’ heads

stay out of the bore, and

their view remains un-

obstructed. The ap-

erture provides ample

room for patients to feel

comfortable during ex-

ams, providing even

the largest patients

plenty of shoulder

room, and up to 100

percent more clearance

from nose to magnet.

“This machine is a

great addition to the

state-of-the-art equip-

ment already in place

at Sparta Community

Hospital,” said CEO

Joann Emge, “includ-

ing new low-dose equip-

ment from the diagnos-

tic x-ray equipment to

the new 80-slice CT

scanner.

“With this equipment,

we can offer the newest

in radiologic technol-

ogy, comparable to the

equipment that is in-

stalled in the larger city

hospitals, right here in

our very own commu-

nity hospital. In turn,

having this equipment

will make it much

easier for our patients

to get state-of-the-art

care locally.”

The Health and Well-

ness Foundation as-

sists the Sparta hospi-

tal in educating the

community by provid-

ing wellness programs,

making facility expan-

sions, providing new

services and purchas-

ing new equipment,

such as the new MRI,

and MRI suite. Its goal

is to expand the knowl-

edge of the availability

and appropriate use of

the hospital’s health

care services to its pa-

tient care area.

With a history span-

ning over 60 years,

Sparta Community

Hospital has been car-

ing for generations of

families. The generous

support of the commu-

nities they serve can

help ensure that the

health care needed re-

mains close to home for

years to come.

The South Side Johnny Band

Chicken, beerdance in Sparta

Memorial hosts Doctors’ DayMemorial Hospital in Chester celebrated Doctors’ Day with brunch

March 27 in the dining room. The hospital doctors and staff enjoyed

an assortment of casseroles, pastries and fruit prepared by the

dietary department. Yvonne Hanger, director of health information

management, created a display honoring the doctors. Shown is Dr.

James Krieg.

Plans to tear down the old Menard Correctional

administration building are still on, but just

when it will happen is not known, according to

Lindsey Wolters with the Capital Development

Board.

“With everything going on, it has been stalled,”

said Wolters.

The board received four bids to do the work.

All bidders were also asked to submit additional

documentation, including plans for how each

would meet state requirements for such con-

tracts. A CDB committee was to review that docu-

mentation.

The Sparta Garden

Club is heading up a pro-

gram to turn plastic

bottle caps into three new

park benches for the

planned Vernon School

Darlene Finley, a

spokesman for the

group, talked to the

Sparta City Council Mon-

day night. She said the

collection of plastic caps

is going well, and after

they have all been sorted,

the caps will be taken to

Green Tree Plastics in

Indiana.

“We’re looking for all

the help we can get,” said

Finley.

A minimum weight of

400 pounds of caps is re-

quired.

Green Tree will melt

down and reform the

plastic into the benches

and give a new bench to

the club to bring home.

A fee is also charged for

each bench.

The program provides

that the collection of caps

and lids must be for a

youth group project.

“They can see, sit on

and donate to their com-

munity the very results

of their work,” states

Green Tree Plastics lit-

erature.

Caps that can be col-

lected include those from

medicine bottles, milk

and water jugs, spray

cans, tooth paste and

condiments.

Lids allowed include

from yogurt, ice cream

buckets, coffee cans and

cottage cheese.

No metal or bottle

pumps will be accepted.

Lids must be clean.

For more information,

contact a member of the

Garden Club.

LidsbecomebenchesGarden Club project

Menard work stalled

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St. Boniface celebrates first CommunionSt. Boniface Catholic parish celebrated first Holy Communion for six young

members April 12. From left are Deacon Steve Pautler, Janson Creamer,

Isaac Walter, Brody Mines, Lydia Long, Maddie Schulein, Josephine Marlin

and Father Ben Stern.

A speed exposition

show, featuring an auto

swap meet, car show

and exhibition ve-

hicles, will be held at

the Perry County Fair-

grounds in Pinckney-

ville Sunday, April 26.

Auto swap meet reg-

istration is from 5 to 7

a.m., with the meet

from 7 to 1.

Auto swap meet

spaces are $25 for in-

side and outside spots,

and $10 per vehicle in

the car corral.

Swap meet admis-

sion is $4 from 7 to

noon. As part of a “fox

hunt,” girls get in free.

There is also no admis-

sion for kids under 12.

The car show regis-

tration is 8 to noon,

with the show from

noon to 3.

Car show classes in-

clude classic and stock

cars, drag racing, ATVs

and motorcycles. Each

class pays $50 for first

place, and an overall

show winner will rake

in $100. Car show reg-

istration is $10.

Winners will be de-

termined by fan favor-

ites in each class.

Car show partici -

pants will receive

goody bags for the first

50 entries, Rockin Ra-

dio Review will provide

the entertainment, and

there will be food ven-

dors, a 50/50 drawing

and door prizes.

For more informa-

tion, call Carl’s 4 Wheel

Drive at 765-2199.

Speed Expo to be held atPerry County Fairgrounds

Cars from a previous show on display

HallSistersBand toperform

A new local band will

be performing in the

area this weekend.

The Hall Sisters Band

will play a concert Sun-

day, April 19 at 3 p.m. at

the First Baptist Church

in Ellis Grove. The show

will include bluegrass,

gospel, old country and

other old classics.

Emily, 20, Rosemary,

17, and Natalie, 14, Hall

were previous members

of the Charlie and the

Girls Band. The sisters

From left are Hall Sisters Band members Natalie,

Emily and Rosemary Hall. Not pictured is the

other band member, their mother Kabbie.

and their mom Kabbie

make up the band.

There is no charge for

the concert, but a free-

will offering will be

taken. All proceeds will

go toward the cost to

produce their first al-

bum, scheduled to come

out in May.

Gun winnerThe Sparta American Legion recently held a gun

raffle. Glenn Diercks, left, of Sparta won the 12

gauge shotgun. Presenting the gun to Diercks is

Legion finance officer Doug Phillips.

St. Peter’s Lutheran

Church in Evansville

will hold a spring festi-

val Saturday, May 2

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Activities will include

bounce houses, a craft

fair, car show, lunch

stand and homemade

desserts.

St. Peter’sspringfestival

School breakfastand lunch menus

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April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Breakfast

pizza. HS, bagels/cream

cheese or breakfast

pizza.

TUESDAY: French toast

or pancakes.

WEDNESDAY: Coffee

THURSDAY: Eggs. HS,

breakfast sundae or

FRIDAY: Biscuits/gravy.

MONDAY: Pizza, corn,

salad, strawberries.

TUESDAY: Soft tacos,

green beans.

WEDNESDAY: Deli

wraps, salad,

cauliflower, sweet potato

wedges.

THURSDAY: French

toast, roasted sweet

potatoes, sausage,

dragon juice,

applesauce.

FRIDAY: Hot dogs,

baked beans, chuck

wagon corn.

CHESTER GRADE

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Pop-tart.

TUESDAY: Waffles,

bacon.

WEDNESDAY: Iced

honey bun.

THURSDAY: Breakfast

pizza.

FRIDAY: Jump start.

MONDAY: Chicken

nuggets, tator tots,

applesauce.

TUESDAY: Sloppy joe,

cheese slice, peas,

peaches.

WEDNESDAY: Fish

fillet, potato salad,

applesauce.

THURSDAY: Chicken/

cheese flauta, salad,

oranges, chocolate chip

cookie.

FRIDAY: Cheese pizza,

carrot sticks/dip, mixed

fruit, yogurt.

STEELEVILLE

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Sausage

pancake on a stick,

orange.

TUESDAY: Sausage

biscuit, applesauce.

WEDNESDAY: Cereal,

peaches.

THURSDAY: Waffles,

banana.

FRIDAY: Biscuit/gravy,

sausage.

MONDAY: Chicken

patty, green beans,

orange.

TUESDAY: Meatloaf,

mashed potatoes, gravy,

applesauce. HS, cookie.

WEDNESDAY:

Cheeseburger, carrots,

peaches.

THURSDAY: Fajita

chicken wrap, refried

beans, banana.

FRIDAY: Corn dog,

broccoli, mixed fruit.

COULTERVILLE

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Sausage

pancake on a stick.

TUESDAY: Sausage

biscuit.

WEDNESDAY: Ham/

cheese omelet.

THURSDAY: Waffles.

FRIDAY: Biscuits/gravy,

sausage.

MONDAY: Chicken

patty, green beans. HS,

ham/cheese melt.

TUESDAY: Baked ham,

mashed potatoes/gravy.

HS, meatloaf.

WEDNESDAY: Fajita

chicken wrap, lettuce/

tomato, black beans,

chocolate chip cookie.

HS, taco burger.

THURSDAY:

Cheeseburger, sliced

carrots. HS, corn dog.

FRIDAY: Early

dismissal.

ST. MARK’S

April 20-24

MONDAY: Chicken

fajitas, fries, pears, dirt

dessert.

TUESDAY: Lasagna,

salad, pineapple/

oranges, garlic bread.

WEDNESDAY: Sub

sandwich, sweet

potatoes, peaches.

THURSDAY: Chicken/

noodles, green beans,

mixed fruit.

FRIDAY: Pigs-n-blankets,

baked beans,

blueberries.

SPARTA HIGH

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Pop-tart.

TUESDAY: Cream

cheese-filled bagel.

WEDNESDAY:

Pancakes.

THURSDAY: Cereal w/

nutrigrain bar.

FRIDAY: Mini donuts.

MONDAY: Fish, cole

slaw, rotini/tomato

sauce.

TUESDAY: Scrambled

egg patty, sausage/

biscuit, sweet potato

tots, vegetable juice.

WEDNESDAY: Sub

sandwich, baked beans.

THURSDAY: Spaghetti,

spinach/romaine salad,

breadstick.

FRIDAY: Pepperoni

pizza, carrots, celery.

MARISSA HIGH

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Egg, sausage,

cheese tornado.

TUESDAY: Jelly

doughnut.

WEDNESDAY:

Pancakes, sausage links.

THURSDAY: Cereal, Pop

FRIDAY: Sausage/cheese

croissant.

MONDAY: Chicken

quesadilla or nachos,

corn, pears, chocolate

chip cookie.

TUESDAY: Mostaccioli

or baked potato w/

broccoli/cheese, Caesar

salad, bread stick, jello

w/whipped toppings.

WEDNESDAY: Turkey/

bacon or ham/cheese

wrap, chips, mandarin

oranges, yellow cake.

Dismiss at 1:50.

THURSDAY: Egg roll or

chicken patty, fried rice,

lettuce salad,

strawberries.

FRIDAY: BBQ rib or

ham/cheese patty, hash

brown patty, slaw, Rice

Krispie square.

MARISSA

ELEMENTARY

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Cereal.

TUESDAY: Cinnamon

streusel cake.

WEDNESDAY: French

toast sticks, applesauce.

THURSDAY: Egg/ham

biscuit.

FRIDAY: Jelly donut.

MONDAY: Loaded

nachos, corn, 1/2 orange,

churros.

TUESDAY: Pizza roll-up,

lettuce salad,

applesauce, brownie.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken

patty, scalloped

potatoes, green beans,

chocolate chip cookie.

Dismiss at 1:40.

THURSDAY: Meatball

sub, baked potato,

peaches, frosted creams.

FRIDAY: Corn dog, fries,

baked beans, oatmeal

cookie.

EVANSVILLE

April 20-24

Breakfast

MONDAY: Pop-tart.

TUESDAY: Cream

cheese filled bagel..

WEDNESDAY:

Pancakes.

THURSDAY: Cereal w/

nutrigrain bar.

FRIDAY: Mini donuts.

MONDAY: Fish, cole

slaw, rotini w/tomato

sauce.

TUESDAY: Scrambled

egg patty, sausage,

biscuit, sweet potato

tots, vegetable juice.

WEDNESDAY: Sub

sandwich, baked beans.

THURSDAY: Spaghetti,

spinach/romaine lettuce

salad, breadstick,

oranges.

FRIDAY: Pepperoni

pizza, carrots, celery.

Phi Theta Kappa inducts local membersPhi Theta Kappa Beta Iota Iota at SWIC Red Bud recently held its spring

induction ceremony for new members. Shown from left are inductees

Grace Goetting of Red Bud, Page Smith of Prairie du Rocher, Kendra

Kessler of Sparta, Carissa Heise of Waterloo and Savannah Stellhorn of

Red Bud; Secretary Richard Fitzgerald of New Athens, President Lauren

Asselmeier of Waterloo and inductee Julia Wolf of Sparta. Not pictured

is inductee Lanetta Adams of Red Bud.

The Coulterville

school district will hold

preschool screening

and kindergarten regis-

tration Tuesday, April

21 at the First Method-

ist Church.

Screening is for 3 and

4-year-olds. It will test a

child’s speech, motor

skills and general devel-

opment. The child must

be 3 years old before the

screening date. The

screening is free and

available to any child

living in the district.

All children who will

be attending kindergar-

ten this fall must regis-

ter. Children must be 5

before September 1.

Call 758-2881 to make

an appointment for

screening or registra-

Preschoolscreening

The Marissa High

School cross categori-

cal class will sponsor A

Chance to Dance Fri-

day, April 24 from 10

a.m. to 1 p.m. at

Lenzburg City Hall at

215 N. Charles.

Using a carnival

theme, the event for

special needs students

will have free games

with prizes, a profes-

sional DJ, a store with

items that range in

price from 25 cents to

$2 and concessions for

lunch and snacks.

Attendees will have a

chance for prizes and

have fun using reading,

math, social, motor and

interpersonal skills.

Sponsoring teacher

Alicia Hiller an-

nounced that there will

be about 150 students

and 50 adults coming

from surrounding ar-

eas, which will include

Pinckneyville, Dupo

and New Athens.

From left, Marissa students Hannah Martin,

Taylor Morrison, Elizabeth Martin and

Candace Eisenhauer prepare for A Chance to

Dance. Photo by Carol Mercer

Marissa high hostsspecial needs event

Beauty and the Beast at TricoShown from left are Robert Schaffer as

Lumiere, Peyton Couch as Madame de la

Grande Bouche and Grace Patterson as Mrs.

Potts at a recent rehearsal for Trico High

School’s upcoming production of “Beauty and

the Beast.” The performances will be held in

the Gerald R. Speith Auditorium Friday and

Saturday, April 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. and Sunday,

April 26 at 3. For tickets call 318-3498 or 426-

1111, extension 2208.

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Marissa election daySince one of the April 7 polling places in Marissa was Macke Senior Center,

many seniors spent their time at Antique Station. They enjoyed morning

doughnuts, lunch and time with a local storyteller. Some of the center’s

workers relaxed with their waitress and the restaurant owner. Seated are

Omea Baker and Madelle Dickerson from the center. Standing are Gloria

Smith and Bev Murray of Antique Station and Donna Heldebrandt from

the center. Photo by Carol Mercer

Last week, the County

Journal was unable to

get vote totals for

Marissa. They are avail-

able this week.

For the village council,

three people were

elected. Paul Sinn re-

ceived 98 votes, Laura

McMahon 76 and Jacob

Wright 86. They were

the only ones running.

Sinn and Wright were

re-elected. McMahon is

new on the council.

For the Marissa school

board, Kevin Leemon

had 194 votes and Chris

Kane 167 for two seats

open in Marissa Town-

ship. Leemon had been

serving on the board af-

ter being appointed, and

Kane is a new member.

Mary Thomas-Rehmer

was re-elected to the

board from the sur-

rounding townships

with 183 votes.

Marissaelectionwinners

By Travis Lott

Paula and Dr. Tim

Allard of the Sparta Ani-

mal Clinic presented a

program about control-

ling the feral cat popu-

lation to the Coulterville

Village Board April 6.

The Allards are propos-

ing an ordinance to es-

tablishing a catch-and-

release program in

which local volunteers

would trap the feral cats

and bring them to au-

thorities to be spayed

and neutered.

The clinic will cover all

costs except for sup-

plies, which would fall

on the village.

“Whether we approve

it or not, we would have

to have volunteers to

trap them,” Village

Clerk Mary Shaw said.

Before considering the

ordinance, Shaw said

the board will seek vol-

unteers who could carry

out the duties.

“It’s a community

project,” Shaw said.

“The officials can’t do it

without some commu-

nity support.”

If you would like to vol-

unteer to help the vil-

lage trap cats, call 758-

In action, the board ap-

proved the first payment

to Red Dot Construction

for the installment of

water and sewer lines to

Gateway Mine North.

The first payment to-

talled $103,606.

The board also moved

to give Red Dot an addi-

tional $2,875 to cover

the cost of installing a

manhole next to Dollar

General for the tie-in of

the forced sewer main.

The board approved

giving $100 to the

Coulterville school to go

toward the shop stu-

dents’ trip to Hoyleton

Children’s Home.

In other action, the

board moved to renew

the contract with PDC

Labs in the amount of

$4,068 for the village’s

chemical testing.

A building permit was

issued for 210 Randolph

Street for a carport and

patio cover.

C’ville boardhears proposedordinance onferal cats

The Steeleville library

has two unique pro-

grams on deck.

Re-enactor Becky

McClelland will be at

the library Tuesday,

April 21 at 6 p.m. to tell

about the Regency pe-

riod in the early 1800s.

McClelland will pro-

vide lists of upcoming

historical re-enactment

events in our area. Cop-

ies will be available at

the library.

The second program

will be Lincoln at

Gettysburg by Bob Cook

of the SWIC Speakers

Bureau May 19.

The programs are

Fraont April 16 - County Journal

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