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Chester’s NEW Number One News Source

Wednesday | Feburary 14, 2013

1221 N. MarketSparta, Illinois 62286

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VOLUME 1 NUMBER 6

S I X P L A Y E R S A N D O N E C O A C H W I L L R E P R E S E N T C H E S T E R A T A L L S T A R F O O T B A L L C L A S S I C I N J U N E

T R E A T Y O U R V A L E N T I N E R I G H T F E B 1 4 t h A T R E I D S

H A R V E S T H O U S EP R I M E R I B S E A F O O D & M U C H M O R E !

Steeleville residents, Tony Hernandez and wife, Priscilla Bollinger, are celebrating their one year anniversary of

opening a new therapeutic massage office, Inner Peace Massage Therapy Center, at 122 North Walnut, Perryville, MO. Conveniently located in Perryville’s downtown busi-

ness district, Inner Peace offers a variety of mas-

sage and bodywork modalities, pro-

viding the most up to date e v i d e n c e based mas-sage tech-niques. A

combination of modali-ties is inte-

grated into every massage

to give each client the most effective

treatment. The building hous-

ing Inner Peace Mas-sage Therapy Center is located two blocks from Perryville’s his-toric town square. A former residence, the early 1940’s bungalow has been converted specially for massage. The Center boasts two cozy and restful treat-ment rooms; a waiting gallery filled with luxuri-ous tropical plants, an-

tiques and babbling fountain; and hardwood floors through-out with comforting color schemes of muted gold, green and terracotta. The bungalow has been renovated for both ADA approval, and the Mis-souri Board of Therapeutic Massage. The native trees, shrubs and perennials land-scaping the Center provide an oasis amidst the hard surfaces of town. Tony graduated from the

750-hour massage and body-work program at The Body Therapy Center and School of Massage, affiliated with Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville, IL. Licensed in both Illinois and Missouri, Tony has national certification (NCBT-MB) in Swedish and Integrated Massage with an additional 32 contact hours of instruction in Neuromuscular Therapy. Neuromuscular Therapy em-

ploys a series of treatment protocols that have been adapted by chiropractic, os-teopathic, nursing and physi-cal therapy clinics worldwide in treating trauma, scar tissue, repetitive strain injuries, poor posture, and accumulated stress to muscle and soft tis-sue. Tony has also participat-ed in 24 contact hours of sport massage seminars offered by Jeff Wright, massage therapist for the St. Louis Blues. A native of St. Charles, IL,

Tony coached 14 years of

youth-age wrestling at Haines Middle

School and the St. Charles Wrestling Club. Earning his BA in English education from North Central

College, Naperville, IL, Tony received the Outstanding

Major in Literature award. Lo-cally, Tony taught Freshman Eng-

lish at Steeleville High School, Steeleville, IL and worked as a graduate assistant and writing tutor at Southern Illinois Uni-versity, Carbondale, IL. Tony hascompletedmaster’s courses

in Rhetoric and Composition, focusing on Writing Center op-eration. Inner Peace Massage Thera-

py Center aspires to provide mindful massage and body-work for those meeting the challenges of living a balanced life. Inner Peace is guided by ever-growing education and professionalism through practiced, safe and compas-

sionate care in the field of touch therapy.To see a virtual tour of Inner Peace

Massage Therapy visit www.massageperryvlle.massageth-erapy.com. Or call for an ap-pointment at 573 547-4122. Hours are by appointment only to meet your busy sched-ule

Six players along with head football coach Bryan Lee will represent the Chester Yellow Jacket football program at the All Star Football Classic in June. The six players are quarterback Jake Cowan, offensive lineman Jacob Fogel, running back Stephen “Whitey” Roth, wide receiver Caleb “Scooter” Arbeiter, defensive linebacker Casey Venable and defensive lineman Zane Wallace. Coach Lee will be a member of the coaching staff and has been assigned to coach the running backs. Lee is cur-rently third on the all-time wins list for the Yellow Jacket football program with a record of 33-16, a game behind Coach Bill Brewer who was 34-42. Chester marched through the Black Diamond Conference and finished with the school’s first undefeated regular season at 9-0.

Roth was named first team all conference in the BDC this past season and was selected at the top defensive player. In the Yellow Jacket backfield, Roth racked up over 900 yards rushing and scored four touchdowns. On the defen-sive side, Whitey finished the season with over 30 tackles. It was a memorable season for Yellow Jacket quarterback Jake Cowan. Cowan missed the majority of his junior sea-son after suffering a concussion and was told at the time that he wouldn’t play football again. Not only did he return for his senior season but he helped lead the Yellow Jack-ets to their first outright conference championship since 1965 as Chester finished 9-0. Cowan through for over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns. Cowan was a first team all con-ference selection in the BDC. Arbeiter had over 400 yards receiving for the Yellow Jackets and four touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded

23 tackles and two interceptions. Scooter was also a first team all conference selection in the Black Diamond Con-ference. Fogel and Venable were a first team all conference selec-tions for the Yellow Jackets this past season while Wallace was named to second team all conference. Venable led the Yellow Jacket defensive this past season with a total of 68 tackles, 30 of which were solo tackles. He also recorded one quarterback sack for a loss of two yards and recovered a fumble. Wallace recorded 28 tack-les in 2012 of which 10 were solos. Wallace also recorded two quarterback sacks for a loss of 22 yards. He also re-corded three fumbles. The All Star Football game will be played on June 14 at Southern Illinois University’s Saluki Stadium. Southern Il-linois will play a group of all stars from Western Kentucky.

“THE ALL STAR FOOTBALL GAME WILL BE PLAYED ON JUNE 14 AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY’S SALUKI STADIUM”

CONAGRA ORDERED TO PAY $179

MILLIONBrian “ Gritty” Snider is the voice of the Chester Yellow Jackets . Even after 25 years of broadcasting he is still driven by his pas-sion to provide the abso-lute best sports coverage of the games to his listen-ers. Gritty has served as the voice of the Chester Yellow Jackets since 1988. He graduated St.John’s grade school in 1983 and then was a graduate of Chester High school in 1987. Gritty says while he was a student at St. John’s Lutheran grade school he was always taught to “ give something back to

the community”. Gritty says he started following Chester High School sports in about the sixth grade. Even at his young age, Gritty had the support and encouragement of his par-ents to follow his dream. Gritty credits much of his broadcasting success to Donald Donze of KSGM for “ taking a chance on me” in the spring of 1987,when he was then accepted in to ST. Louis Broadcasting School. In February of 89’ he graduated and has con-tinued to work for Donze Communications. He also credits much of his suc-

cess to Larry Connors of channel 4 news who has his writing instructor, as well as John Ulett , on air Instructor of KSHE Fame and Bill Wilkerson, long time radio voice for the ST. Louis Cardinal foot-ball . However, Gritty says he could never take the place of Dick Roth , origi-nal voice of the Chester Yellow Jackets who passed away in 1993. Following his passing Mr. Roth also had a hall of fame named after him in his honor. Gritty says he would not be where he is today had it not been for the tremen-

dous support Mr. Roth, but says his legacy will proudly live on thru the Chester YellowJackets. Gritty also says he thinks of Dick Roth every time he puts on his headsets . The broadcast crew of KBDZ and KSGM still leave an open chair at the broadcast site in his memory. Gritty says Roth once told him that “ you have to make the blind man see the game and put him on the edge of his seat, and once you can do that then you are doing your job”. Gritty is honored to do this for all of his listeners every time

THE VOICE OF THE CHESTER YELLOW JACKETS BRIAN “GRITTY” SNIDER

ConAgra ordered to pay $179 million to three men that were burned in the 2010 grain elevator explosion that was heard throughout Chester

U.S. District Court Judge on Monday ruled that ConAgra was responsible for the injuries of the men because the company allegedly failed to properly clean the grain elevator for approxi-mately 17 years and no one called emergency officials when the grain temperature rose and an odor was coming from it before the explosion happened

ConAgra officials had asked that the damages be reduced stat-ing that the company had no duty to protect people hired to remediate dangerous situations.

The Judge ruled that the three men had no special training in firefighting or in dealing with hot bins, denying the reduction request from ConAgra.

The men and a spouse were awarded $75.5 million, includ-ing $34.3 million in punitive damages, to John W. Jentz, who suffered burns over 70 to 75 percent of his body. Justin Becker was awarded $66.9 million and his wife, Amanda Becker, will receive $237,500. Robert Schmidt was awarded $36.2 million,

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY INNER PEACE MASSAGE THERAPY CENTER

HAPPY VALENTINES

DAY 2013

I LOVE YOU SHAWNDA

&PEYTON

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTPAGE 2 FEBURARY 14, 2013

HOW CAN I UPGRADE MY INSURANCE — TAX-FREE?Responding to the changing needs of consumers, the life insurance industry has developed some alternatives that go much fur-

ther in satisfying a variety of financial needs and objectives than some of the more traditional types of insurance and annuities.

ADVANCEMENTSModern contracts offer much more financial flexibility than traditional alternatives do. For example, universal life and variable

universal life insurance policies allow policy owners to adjust premiums and death benefits to suit their financial needs.Modern contracts can also provide much more financial control. Whereas traditional vehicles, such as whole life insurance

and fixed annuities, provide returns that are determined by the insurance company, newer alternatives enable clients to make choices that help determine returns. For example, variable annuities and variable universal life insurance allow investors to al-locate premiums among a variety of investment subaccounts, which can range from conservative choices, such as fixed-interest and money market portfolios, to more aggressive, growth-oriented portfolios. Returns are based on the performance of these subaccounts.

There are contract limitations, fees, and charges associated with variable annuities and variable universal life insurance, which can include mortality and expense risk charges, sales and surrender charges, investment management fees, administrative fees, and charges for optional benefits. Withdrawals reduce annuity contract benefits and values. Variable annuities and variable universal life insurance are not guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency; they are not deposits of, nor are they guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or savings association. Any guarantees are contingent on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company.

Withdrawals of annuity earnings are taxed as ordinary income and may be subject to surrender charges plus a 10% federal income tax penalty if made prior to age 59½. The investment return and principal value of an investment option are not guar-anteed. Because variable annuity subaccounts fluctuate with changes in market conditions, the principal may be worth more or less than the original amount invested when the annuity is surrendered.

The cash value of a variable universal life insurance policy is not guaranteed. The investment return and principal value of the variable subaccounts will fluctuate. Your cash value, and perhaps the death benefit, will be determined by the performance of the chosen subaccounts. Withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges and are taxable if you withdraw more than your basis in the policy. Policy loans or withdrawals will reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit and may require additional premium payments to keep the policy in force.

There are differences between variable- and fixed-insurance products. Variable universal life insurance offers several invest-ment subaccounts that invest in a portfolio of securities whose principal and rates of return fluctuate. Also, there are additional fees and charges associated with a variable universal life insurance policy that are not found in a whole life policy, such as man-agement fees. Whole life insurance offers a fixed account, generally guaranteed by the issuing insurance company.

A DILEMMASo what should you do if you want to cash out of your existing insurance policy or annuity contract and trade into one that

better suits your financial needs, without having to pay income taxes on what you’ve accumulated?One solution is the “1035 exchange,” found in Internal Revenue Code Section 1035. This provision allows you to exchange an

existing insurance policy or annuity contract for a newer contract without having to pay taxes on the accumulation in your old contract. This way, you gain new opportunities for flexibility and tax-deferred accumulation without paying taxes on what you’ve already built up.

The rules governing 1035 exchanges are complex, and you may incur surrender charges from your old policy or contract. In addition, you may be subject to new sales and surrender charges for the new policy or contract. It may be worth your time to seek the help of a financial professional to consider your options.

Variable annuities and variable universal life insurance are sold by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the variable annuity and variable universal life contract and the underlying investment options, can be obtained from your financial profes-sional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.

The information in this article is not intended to be tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by

Emerald. © 2013 Emerald Connect, Inc.

February is Financial Aid Awareness Month (FAAM), and the Illinois Student As-sistance Commission (ISAC) is hosting nearly 200 events across the state to help stu-dents and families complete the Free Application for Fed-eral Student Aid (FAFSA) and learn about the wide range of college financial aid op-portunities and the college selection and admission process.

“February is the critical time for all Illinois students considering starting or con-tinuing along the path to a postsecondary education,” said Eric Zarnikow, ISAC ex-ecutive director. “Many Il-linois families are uncertain where to look for and how to obtain financial assis-tance to pay the high cost of college. FAAM’s goal is to increase awareness that programs and services are readily available locally.”

A calendar of local events, updated daily, is available on the ISAC website, www.isac.org.

Mr. Zarnikow stresses that filing the FAFSA as early as possible in the year is the vital first step for anyone seeking financial assistance.

“Fiscal challenges and un-certainty at both the state and federal levels make it more important than ever that students act quickly,” he said. “The longer a stu-dent waits, the less aid that will be available.”

The Illinois Student As-sistance Commission notes that there are several sourc-es for non-loan grant aid, as-sistance that does not need to be repaid. The Monetary Award Program (MAP) is Il-linois’ large-scale grant pro-gram, which, for over 50 years, has helped Illinoisans

pay for tuition and fees at Il-linois colleges and universi-ties. MAP grants are award-ed based on financial need using information collected on the FAFSA.

“MAP funds are limited, however,” Mr. Zarnikow cautioned. “Over the past several years, demand for grants by eligible Illinois stu-dents has increased while funding has become more constrained. As a result, each year grant funds are depleted earlier and more students are left without a MAP grant. In 2012, stu-dents filing a FAFSA after April 2, even if fully quali-fied, were unable to receive a grant as funding had al-ready been exhausted. This year will be no different as we expect available funding will likely be exhausted in early March”

According to ISAC, even if MAP is not available, many undergraduate students may qualify for a federal Pell Grant, which can provide up to $5,550 for students at-tending a Pell-eligible insti-tution full time.

“Pell plays an important role in the total student fi-nancial aid picture,” said Mr. Zarnikow. “Last year, Illinois students received nearly $1.3 billion in federal grants, an amount nearly four times as great as MAP.

“The key however, is the FAFSA. Without one, the opportunities for non-insti-tutional financial assistance are reduced greatly,” he concluded.

Information on the num-ber of FAFSAs received, as well as the dollar amount of projected MAP and Pell grants, will be posted on the ISAC website and updated weekly.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A stellar Grandstand entertainment line-up is being assembled for the 2013 Illinois State Fair. State Fair Manager Amy Blief-nick today announced addi-tional concert bookings for the August festival, including performances by The Band Perry, Billy Currington, Gary Allan, Thompson Square, Styx and REO Speedwagon.

“The progress that has been

made is exciting,” Bliefnick said. “Coupled with the previ-ously announced booking of country superstar Toby Keith and the return of the Mil-lion Dollar Quartet, we are well on the way to delivering the kind of top-notch enter-tainment that fairgoers have come to expect.”

Currington, a country singer and songwriter, has ten Top 10 hits to his credit, including

six number ones. His signa-ture song, “People Are Crazy,” earned him Grammy nomina-tions in 2010 for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. He will open the Grandstand en-tertainment Aug. 9.

The Aug. 10 show will fea-ture Illinois-based classic rock as Styx, REO Speedwagon and Head East share the stage. Styx, which got its start in

Chicago, was the first band to ever release four consecu-tive multi-platinum albums. It is best known for such rock standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.” REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 mil-lion albums and recorded 13 Top-40 singles in its illustri-ous career. Like Head East, which gained notoriety in the

1970s with the release of the hit single “Never Been Any Reason,” the group hails from Champaign.

The cast of Million Dollar Quartet will give a free con-cert Monday, Aug. 12. The musical, which currently is running at the Apollo Theater in Chicago, was inspired by

the famed 1956 recording session that brought together rock ‘n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time. New Odyssey, a talented trio that plays 30 different instruments during its show, will open for the Mil-lion Dollar Quartet.

The Band Perry, comprised of siblings Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry, will perform Aug. 13. Their self-titled, platinum, debut album charted five hits, including the number one singles “All Your Life” and “If I Die Young. “Better Dig Two,” the first single off the group’s soon-to-be-released sopho-more CD, has soared to the top of the charts as well, giv-ing the red-hot band three number one singles in just two years.

Acclaimed country art-ist Gary Allan and Thomp-

son Square, the Academy of Country Music’s reigning Top Vocal Duo, will headline a concert Aug. 16 that also features rising stars Frankie Ballard, The Farm and Brush-fire. Allan, whose 17-year re-cording career has produced four gold and three platinum

albums, just recently charted his fourth number one hit, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).” The song is the first single on his new album, “Set You Free.” Thompson Square also has a single racing up the charts. “If I Didn’t Have You” is the initial release off the duo’s second album, “Just Feels Good.” Thompson Square is best known for its number one smash

“Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not.”

The new concert bookings were announced during a pre-view party on the fairgrounds to begin a six-month count-down to the fair. The event also included the unveiling of the 2013 Illinois State Fair theme, “Where Illinois Comes Together.”

Over the next few weeks, the public libraries in Red Bud, Sparta, Steeleville, and Chester will be undergoing some significant changes that you might be interested in. As you may know, on July 1, 2012, the four auto-mated library consortia in Il-linois Heartland Library Sys-tem, elCat, GateNet, LINC, and SilNet, merged to form SHARE (Sharing Heartland’s Available Resources Equal-ly). SHARE encompasses 427 libraries throughout the southern half of Illinois.

On April 9, 2013, SHARE will go live with a new au-tomation platform, known as Polaris. Each of the for-mer LLSAPs will change from having over 2,000,000 items

in each of their online cata-logs to 9.5 million, and from more than 250,000 patrons each to nearly 1,600,000 to-tal. Several library experts agree, SHARE is the largest library automation consor-tium in the country, and the public libraries in Red Bud, Sparta, Steeleville, and Chester are members!

What does this mean to you? First, you will need to be patient with your library’s staff, as we all learn how to use our new software.

Second, there will be a new online patron access cata-log, where you can search for items you’re interested in, place holds, pay fines, and so on. The new PAC will be available beginning April

9. Your library staff will be able to help you find it and learn how to use it.

Third, all of the member libraries will be using an of-fline version of Polaris from April 1 through 8. During that time, you will be able to return books to your li-brary, and check books out from your library. You will not, however, be able to place holds, either at the library or on the PAC. Ar-rangements are being made to manipulate due dates and fines so that nothing will be due during the period of of-fline circulation.

Finally, since the data on holds will not transfer to the new system, the holds func-tion of our current automa-

tion systems will be turned off on March 15. Neither patrons nor library staff will be able to place holds or request items until Go Live day, on April 9. The library system will continue to fill holds, however, as long as possible, though all holds not filled by March 22 will be cancelled. If there are items you have not received that you would still like to get, your library staff can assist you in making a list of those items so that they can be requested again in Polaris.

We’re all looking forward to these changes, and we hope that you are as pleased with them as we think you will be!

LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES MAKING SOME CHANGES

DU QUOIN STATE FAIR CONCERTS/2013 THEME

LOCAL

FEBRUARY IS FINANCIAL AID AWARENESS MONTH

Continued Page 5

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 3

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STATE REP. JERRY COSTELLO II ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO GOVERNOR PAT QUINN’S STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS“Today’s State of the

State address included some ambitious pro-posals for far-reaching programs and sweep-ing legislation, but these proposals seem to overlook the dire fiscal state of Illinois. The residents of Illinois are forced to pay for decades of fiscal mis-management through a tax increase and cuts to important services, and yet the budget is a long way from bal-anced. In order to get Ill inois back on track and get Illinoisans back to work, we must focus on eliminating waste and abuse, im-proving the business climate and economic growth, and making government officials accountable to the people of Illinois.

“ A c c o u n t a b i l i t y means that people are held responsible for their mistakes. In his

speech, Governor Quinn mentioned the closure of 54 (mostly downstate) fa-cilities as a positive step for the state, even as we hear about a growing number of attacks on pris-on guards, most recently at Menard Correctional Center. I have always been a staunch proponent of fis-cal re-spon-sibil-i t y , b u t w e , a s p o l -i c y -m a k -e r s , c a n n o t forget our sacred obli-gation

to protect the welfare of our residents and those who serve to protect and assist the public. By this measure, Governor Quinn has let us down and should be held accountable.

“We must find creative ways to make government smarter and leaner so that

we can more effective-ly provide ser-

vices like edu-cation and

h e a l t h -care. We c a n n o t

add bur-d e n s o n t o working families

and in-crease taxes

in areas t h a t

are still struggling through this sluggish economy. We have to put an end to busi-ness-as-usual in Illinois, and begin a new era of transparency and account-ability for all government programs and officials.

“We can no longer afford to simply hope for the best when it comes to our pen-sion problem and the bud-get crisis. We have to iden-tify specific outcomes and put an end to the misman-agement of the process, or we will never get spending under control and the peo-ple of Illinois will suffer as a result.”

Costello’s New Office Is Located

124 Locust St, Red Bud, IL 62278.

For more informa-tion, please contact

Rep. Costello’s constituent service

office at (618) 282-7284

staterepcostello@gmail.com

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representatives John Shimkus ( IL-15) and Bi l l Enyart ( IL-12) an -nounced today that they wil l co-chair the Con -gressional Coal Caucus to promote Southern I l l inois coal and good jobs. I l l inois reported a record year for coal pro-duction in 2012 thanks in large part to South -ern I l l inois workers and mines. As co-chairs of the Congressional Coal Caucus, Congressmen Shimkus and Enyart wi l l work together to ad-vance Southern I l l inois coal production, work-ers, and good jobs that strengthen our middle class.

Shimkus said: “Coal helps keep our electr ic uti l i ty costs down, as wel l as providing jobs to thousands of I l l inoisans. We need to work to in -crease both the employ-ment and use of coal by advancing rules and regulations that don’t unnecessari ly shut down mines and power plants. One of those ways is

through bipart isan coal ash legis lat ion that passed the House last year. I wi l l work with Congressman Enyart to advance that and other measures that promote jobs and low cost pow-er.”

Enyart said: “I ’m proud to co-chair the Congres -sional Coal Caucus with Congressman Shimkus because Southern I l l i -nois’ dedicated work-force and abundant nat-ural resources l ike coal are key to rebui lding our economy and strength-ening the future for our chi ldren and grandchi l -dren. Our coal industry in Southern I l l inoiscan provide new opportu-nity and good jobs that support middle class famil ies and power our communit ies.”

Enyart recently del iv-ered a speech on the U.S. House Floor rec -ognizing Southern I l l i -nois coal and workers. Watch it here: http://w w w. c - s p a n v i d e o . o r g /cl ip/4303150

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POLITICAL

SMITHTON, IL – State Rep. Jerry Costel lo I I (D-Smithton) is encouraging local students to take part in Google’s “Doo -dle 4 Google” contest for the opportunity to win a $30,000 col lege scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for their school.

“Education is cr it ical ly im -portant to securing a suc-cessful future for our chi l -dren,” Costel lo said. “Doodle 4 Google offers a fun way for our students to showcase their creative abi l i t ies and compete for a chance to have their artwork seen by mil l ions of people.”

Google doodles are the fun versions of the Google logo that appear on the Google homepage throughout the year in celebration of spe-cial events and people. This year ’s theme is “My Best Day Ever…” Students can submit doodles unti l March 22, 2013. Winners from each state wil l be selected by Google users and a panel of celebrity judg -es. On May 1, 2013, the 50 state winners’ designs wil l be opened up for a publ ic vote. State winners wil l be f lown to New York City for a national

awards ceremony on May 22, where the national winner wil l be announced.

The winning art ist ’s work wil l be displayed on the Google homepage for a day and the student wil l win a $30,000 col lege scholarship, along with a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school. Al l of the state winners wil l have their artwork on display at the American Museum of Natural History from May 22 to July 14.

“I strongly encourage inter-ested students to part ic ipate in this contest,” Costel lo said. “We have so many talented students in our community who can take advantage of this great opportunity to help fund their col lege educa -t ion, as wel l as their current school.”

For more information on “Google 4 Doodle,” please vis-i t google.com/doodle4google. For questions, to request state assistance, or to offer suggestions and comments, please contact Costel lo’s ful l -t ime constituent service of-f ice at (618) 282-7284, or e-mail staterepcostel lo@gmail .com.

Okawville, Ill. - When Gov. Pat Quinn deliv-ered his annual State-of-the-State speech Feb. 6, many lawmakers were hoping for detailed plans on how the Governor would fix Illinois’ broken pension system and get the state’s economy back on track. Instead, State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (R-

Okawville) said they got a pleasant speech filled with upbeat slogans but little substance. Meanwhile, Illinois continues to have an un-employment rate above the national aver-age and above all its neighboring states, owes $9 billion in unpaid bills and faces a pension liability that is conservatively placed at $95 billion. While Gov. Quinn once again expressed

support for fixing the state’s pension fund-ing problem, he did not offer a clear road-map, other than simply calling a pro-posal from the Senate President “the best vehicle to get the job done.” Quinn

spent far more time on con-t r o v e r s i a l m e a s u r e s , seeking to

revive gun control measures that failed just last month and urging lawmakers to raise the state’s minimum wage to the highest in the nation. The minimum wage proposal drew immediate oppo-sition from small business owners. Typical was Jorge Armando, a restaurant owner in Chicago,

who told the Chicago Sun-Times he would have to lay off his dish-

washer if the minimum wage is increased.

Opponents say a high mini-mum wage can actually hurt employment, because it dries up entry level jobs, while at the same time retailers are forced to raise the cost of consumer goods to cover the higher expenses. Only three states have a

minimum wage higher than Illinois and no

M i d w e s t e r n state has a

min wage high as Ili-nois.

STATE SENATOR. DAVELUECHTEFELD WEEK IN REVIEW

COSTELLO INVITES LOCAL STUDENTS TO ENTER ‘DOODLE 4 GOOGLE SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

Barb Brown stated recently that she feels so committed to politics because it makes a big difference in our own lives. I couldn’t agree more! Illinois is the laughing stock of the U.S. Two governors in prison. 9 bil-lion owed to vendors, nearly 100 billion owed to the pen-sion fund, all because of poli-ticians. We really owe a debt of gratitude to all the politi-cians. No other state comes close to what we have. Many citizens feel that democratic lawmakers dance to whatever tune Rahm Emanuel and Mike Madigan are playing at the time. Pat Quinn is our lead-er in name only. So yes, Ms Brown, thank you for making a difference in our lives. Did you know the latest figures show Rahm Emanuels Chicago had 532 murders murders in 2012. The second largest city in IL, Aurora, has none of the

gun restrictions of Chicago and had ZERO homicides in 2012. On a lighter note, I am sitting here watching Micki eat a do-nut. She uses a fork to cut out a small slice, halves that, and eats it. It took her 42 small bites to finish it. I pick one up with my fingers and its gone in 4 bites. If i’m really hungry, 2 bites will do it in. I made a new years resolution I can keep. Do not buy anything that says “some assembly re-quired”. Last spring I bought my great grandson a 2 story play house that had every-thing. Instructions said two people, working 6 hours could complete it. 5 days of non-stop labor completed it. If my granddaughter in law had not interpeted the instructions and laid out the pieces for Jim and I, we would still be work-ing on it. Sailors Have More Fun! Marines grin and bear

BY JACK HARGIS Christopher A. Morrison 29, Swanwick, arrested on Febru-

ary 4, 2013 by Randolph County Sheriff’s Office for unlawful pos-session of cannabis & speeding. Released after posting $100 cash bond.

Jordan J. Jones22, Steeleville, arrested on Febru-

ary 4, 2013 by Steeleville Police on a Randolph County warrant for retail theft. Released after post-ing $200 cash bond.

Keevin A. Wilson34, Sparta, arrested February

5, 2013 by Sparta Police for de-facing ID of a firearm, unlawful possession of a stolen weapon, unlawful delivery of cannabis & unlawful possession of controlled substance. Is incarcerated.

Carl G. Falkenberry46, Percy, arrested February 5,

2013 by Sparta Police on a Ran-dolph County warrant for failure to appear on a driving while li-cense revoked charge. Bond amount is $6000. Is incarcerated.

Shane L. Haslett 35, Percy, arrested February 6,

2013 by Randolph County Sher-iff’s Office for home invasion, bat-tery & aggravated battery. Is in-carcerated.

Kyle J. Freytag27, Steeleville, arrested Febru-

ary 6, 2013 by Randolph County Sheriff’s Office on a Randolph County warrant for escape & a Perry County warrant for failure to appear on a driving while license revoked charge. Bond amount is $17,000. Is incarcerated.

Bernadette L. Richards 23, Mounds IL, arrested Febru-

ary 6, 2013 by Chester Police on a Cape Girardeau Mo warrants for failure to appear on a passing bad checks charge.

Jonathon C. Stewart26, Steeleville, arrested February

6, 2013 by Steeleville Police for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a place of worship. Bond amount is $30,000. Is incarcerated.

Jennifer M. Gabriel38, Marissa, arrested February

7, 2013 by Coulterville Police for obstructing justice & leaving the scene of an accident. Is incar-cerated.

Travis M Porter29, Red Bud, arrested February 7,

2013 by Red Bud Police for resist-ing a peace officer, unlawful pos-session of drug paraphernalia & a Randolph County warrant for fail-ure to appear on a harassment charge. Bond amount is $4,000. Is incarcerated.

Matthew A. Quillman35, Ruma, arrested February 8,

2013 by Randolph County Sher-iff’s Office on a Sparta City war-rant for non-payment of fines. Released after posting $500 cash bond.

Santos A. Gonsalez 40, Percy, arrested February 8,

2013 by Percy Police for criminal damage to property & leaving the scene of an accident. Re-leased after posting $100 cash bond..

Glen E. Brown35, Tilden, arrested February 8,

2013 by Tilden Police on a Ran-dolph County warrant for failure to appear on a driving while li-cense revoked charge & unlaw-ful possession of cannabis. Bond amount is $1,500. Is incarcerated.

Jordan B. Burnham

19, Freeport IL, arrested Febru-ary 9, 2013 by Steeleville Police for driving while license suspended and obstructing justice. Released after posting $100 cash bond.

S PARTA P OLICEDEPARTMENT

Carl G. Falkenberry,

46, Percy, arrested on a RC war-rant for failure to appear. Taken RC jail.

Joseph S. Hatley, 34, Sparta, arrested on a RC war-

rant for failure to appear. Posted bond.

Timothy D. Reese 40, Sparta, arrested for retail

theft from Wal-Mart. Given a court date of 03-05-13.

Charles S. Goodman, 28, Sparta, arrested for driving

while license suspended, and no insurance. Posted bond.

Marcius KV Shelby, 18, Sparta, arrested for battery

and trespass to property. Given a court date of 03-05-13.

Isaiah L. Williams, 22, Sparta, arrested for speeding,

driving while license suspended, and no insurance. Posted bond.

Brent M. Compton, 20, Murphysboro, cited for un-

derage consumption and public consumption of alcohol. Given a court date of 03-05-13.

Ada K. Ortiz, 20, Carterville, cited for under-

age consumption and public consumption of alcohol. Given a court date of 03-05-13.

AL. Rettig, 21, Cutler, cited for public con-

sumption of alcohol. Given a court date of 03-05-13.

Clint W. Penny, 21, Sparta, arrested for driving

while license suspended, and no insurance. Given a court date of 03-19-13.

ACCIDENTS02-06-13 Sparta Hospital lot, Drivers: Jac-

queline E. Boston, 82, Sparta, and Milton D. Perry, 45, Sparta.

02-06-13 Market and Airport Rd; Drivers:

Derek G. Luers, 25, Chester, and Leroy H. Keebler, 62, Steeleville.

02-08-13 Market and College; Drivers:

Leo E. Hill, 79, Sparta, and Alex D. Zander, 18, Sparta. Hill cited for improper turning.

Gracelyn Clark welcomed a new baby brother, Brantley Ethan Brightwell born, Thursday, January 31st he was 8 lbs 7 oz and was 19 and a half inches long. He is the son of Jason and Tawny (Foster) Brightwell of Coulterville. His maternal grandparents are Dawn and Eddie Shevlin and Jr Foster and Helen Bahre all of Coulterville. Pa-ternal grandparents are Mike and Cookie Brightwell. Maternal great grandfathers are Noel Foster of Coulterville and Bill Durham. Pater-nal great grandfather is David Brightwell.

Elodie Stewart was a weekend visitor at the home of her grand-parents David and Diana Cole. On Saturday they had supper at The Country Kitchen in Oakdale with Joyce Burns. Penny Keller came to visit Elodie also. They also visited with Shirley Hagene and her son Chris. On Sunday, Elodie, Grammy and Nicole Stewart attended church at the Methodist Church in Coulterville. Later, they met Pops and Matthew Stewart at Pistol City.

Greeters for Sunday, February 10th at Coulterville Methodist Church were Linda Morgan and Nancy Rednour. Pastor Hackmann’s message was Walking with Jesus: Sign-less. There is also a Thursday night service at 6 pm. Starting Thursday, February 14th our Spiri-tual Conversations group will be discussing the book 24 Hours that Changed the World. The study is 7 weeks long and you are welcome to join as often as you can. If you have any questions about the study, please speak to Pastor John. Wednesday, February 13th there will be Ash Wednesday services at noon and 6 pm.

Attending the nursery at the Grandcote Presbyterian church was Ashley Birchler. The deacons will meet at 7:30 pm on Thursday, Feb-ruary 14th. If you are interested in Dinner for Six please sign the list on the back table. Singles and couples are welcome and will be mixed together. The 3rd Saturday will be Saturday, February 16th at Marissa Presbyterian Church from 6-9 pm. Movie night is Sunday, February 24th at 6 pm. Missionaries of the month are David and El-eanor Fiol.

COULTERVILLE NEWS

This is Tatum, he is a 3 year old 87lb, Large Black Lab mix, that is wanting a forever home,

he wants a place with plenty of land to run and play with you and become a part of your family, and be your

comfort at night, if it’s eating pop-corn and watching a good movie or snuggling up with you, “he is a snug-gle hog so look out”

Tatum is heart-worm negative, all shots are up to date, wormed and micro-chipped, neutered.

For more informa-tion on Tatum or to see many others needing homes. and setup an ap-

pointments to see them call RCHS at 618-443-3363, or go to our website at www.randol-phhumane.org we are located at the fairgrounds in Sparta.

RCHS is in need of monetary donations, Laundry Soap (HE),

Bleach, Buckle style collars (All Sizes)

Spring is coming, “PLEASE Support YOUR LOCAL SHEL-TER or Rescues, SPAY & NEUTER to control the popula-tion.

And get your dog tested

for the kill-er “HEART-WORMS”. you will never know unless you test first!

PET OF THE WEEKBY RANDOLPH COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY

R A N D O L P H C O U N T Y P OLICE R E P O R T

BY DIANA COLE

PET PEEVES , POLITICS

AND POTPOURRI

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 4

POLICE

By Ken Ward Jr. - The WV Gazette - A plan proposed by bankrupt Patriot Coal would provide only half of the mon-ey needed to fund health-care benefits for thousands of retired coal miners and their families, according to new court documents filed by the United Mine Workers union.

As part of its financial re-structuring, Patriot wants to set up a new, separate trust, called a voluntary employee beneficiary association, or VEBA, to fund health-care benefits for retirees, UMW lawyers say.

Patriot has proposed put-ting $15 million into the fund on June 1, and then setting up a profit-sharing mecha-nism equal to 15 percent of the company’s annual net income.

But, the UMW says, Patriot proposes to cap its annual contribution at $40 million and its total contribution at $200 million.

By contrast, retiree health-care benefits cost Patriot $71 million in 2012, and the figure is expected to in-crease to nearly $74 million this year.

The disclosure of the pro-posal is the first time that details have been made pub-lic about Patriot’s closed-door discussions with UMW negotiators about how the St. Louis-based coal giant plans to rework its massive pension and health-care li-abilities as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy.

Patriot had made the pro-posal in mid-November dur-

ing a private meeting with UMW officials in Charleston, according to court records.

UMW lawyers revealed the information Monday in an amended version of their federal court lawsuit against Peabody Energy and Arch Coal, other coal firms that the union alleges helped create Patriot in an effort to get out of their obligation to fund retiree pension and health-care benefits.

The details were first re-ported in The Wall Street Journal, and discussed very briefly by UMW President Cecil Roberts in a press con-ference prior to a Tuesday protest at Peabody head-quarters in St. Louis.

“Peabody, Arch Coal and Patriot Coal may be proud of the financial con game they’re playing on these re-tirees to get out of decades of promises and obliga-tions,” Roberts said. “But the truth is that this is a sick-ening display of corporate greed that has overstepped the boundaries of decency. In an America where there are few boundaries for cor-porations, that’s saying something.

Patriot’s bankruptcy has jeopardized the pension and health-care benefits for about 10,000 retirees and another 10,000 dependents. About half of the retirees live in the Illinois coal basin in Illinois, Indiana and Ken-tucky. Another nearly 40 percent live in West Virginia, according to court records.

At a January 29th protest, more than 750 current and

former miners rallied out-side the federal building in St. Louis, where a bankrupt-cy hearing was being held, before marching through the city streets to Peabody’s building, according to The Associated Press. Roberts and nine other union mem-bers were arrested when they refused to leave after sitting down in the street in front of Peabody’s head-quarters.

Last July, Patriot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking to reorganize amid what the company called “unsustainable labor-related legacy liabilities” includ-ing pension and health-care payments and strip-mine reclamation costs.

UMW officials say Patriot was essentially a “company created to fail,” to give Pea-body Energy and Arch Coal a way to shed obligations to fund union pensions and health-care benefits in the nation’s eastern coalfields, while profiting from their gi-ant, nonunion surface mines out west.

Peabody formed Patriot as a spin-off company where Peabody tucked union mines in West Virginia and the Midwest, along with pension and health-care obligations for union retirees. Patriot later bought another com-pany, Magnum Coal, which had been similarly spun off by Arch Coal when it got rid of most of its Appalachian operations and their related pension and health-care li-abilities.

The UMW says that 90 per-

cent of the retirees listed as Patriot’s obligation today never worked for Patriot, but were instead previously employed by Arch or Pea-body.

In a class-action lawsuit filed in October in U.S. Dis-trict Court in Charleston, the UMW and 10 active and re-tired miners allege that the moves by Peabody and Arch are illegal under a federal law that governs employee benefit plans. Lawyers for Peabody and Arch dispute that and have filed motions to have the case, pending before U.S. District Judge Jo-seph R. Goodwin, dismissed.

Arch Coal had declined comment on the lawsuit, but Peabody spokesman Vic Svec has said Patriot “was a completely viable company” when it was spun off from Peabody in 2007.

“Substantial events after that time, both inside and outside Patriot, significantly affected its future, from Pa-triot’s transformational ac-quisition of Magnum Coal Co. to Patriot’s decisions to make significant changes in its capital structure,” Svec said. “Other factors were decreased demand for U.S. coal due to sharp declines in natural gas prices; the softening of the global steel markets; and more burden-some regulations. Patriot notes many of these same factors in its filings with the bankruptcy court.”

PATRIOT COAL PLAN SHORT ON HEALTH-CARE FUND, UMW SAYS

Continued Page 5

HAPPY VALENTINES

DAY 2013

I LOVE YOU MOM THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR ME !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chat With WeseFebruary has arrived! No matter what the

Groundhog predicts, spring is around the corner. The hours of sunlight at getting longer and the temperature is climbing, slowly but surely.

February also means Valentine’s Day. Valen-tine’s Day means flowers, candy, cards and din-ner. Oh, yes and love. I always thought it was kind of different. Celebrating with all that love on the feast of a man who was murdered.

Valentine’s Day is quiet around our house. We decided many years ago that we should celebrate our love each day and not wait for one day. Cut flowers are not a big thing around this house. To me as soon as they are cut, they are dead. I don’t need the candy and what do you do with all those cards after so many years. Of course I do appreci-ate a nice meal out but we do that every so often anyway.

But to those of you who are looking forward to celebrating on that day, I wish you much love and happiness. For love makes the world go round. I witnessed a lot of love lately. I attended a fu-neral of a dear friend and saw how close her fam-ily was. There were quite a number of them and they came a far distance. Family members talked about her with love, they sang a beautiful hymn and cried some tears. To me all the flowers, cards candy etc. could not make up for that.

HolidayPresidents’ Day will be observed on Monday,

Feb. 18. Schools, banks, post offices and other businesses will be closed.

SympathyWe extend our sincere sympathy to the families

Marilyn Veath and Mary Dockery.Tupperware Bingo and QuartermaniaCome join the fun at the Tupperware Bingo and

Quartermani on Saturday, February 9. The fun begins at 2 pm. If you have any questions contact Mary Pettus at 314-283-8387 or Janna Otten at 618-559-7765

Kindergarten RegistrationRegistration for students who will be entering

Kindergarten in August, 2013 at Evansville Atten-dance Center should register on Thursday, Febru-ary21 from 3-7 pm or on Friday, February 22 from 8am to noon. Parents need to bring a certified copy of the student’s birth certificate, social secu-rity number and a list of immunizations.

EAA Summer Ball ProgramIt is time to sign-up for the Evansville Athletic

Association Summer Ball. Sign-up at the Ameri-can Legion Hall on Saturday, Feb. 9 or Saturday, Feb. 16 from noon to 2 pm. Youngster eligible are boys and girls ages 5 and above. If you are unable to make the sign-up days, please contact Brian Walter at 618-317-1322 no later than Feb. 20th as that could make or break a team.

T-Ball fee is $25 and all other kids’ team fees are $40. If more than one child in the family is playing the fee drops to $30 per child. These prices include a shirt and hat that are part of their uniform. Checks should be made payable to E.A.A.

Post Office HoursThe Evansville Post Office has new hours. The

post office will be open Monday thru Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. It will be closed from 11 am to 1 pm for lunch. Saturday hours will be 8:30 am to 9:30 am.

Blood DriveThe Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in Evans-

ville at the KC Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 6 from 2 -6 pm. Donors are required to have a photo id.

Lenten Fish FryThe KC will sponsor their annual Lenten Fish

Fries beginning Friday Feb. 15 and will be serv-ing each Friday throughout Lent, except on Good Friday.

Breakfast Buffet The Columbian Squires will be serving their

famous Breakfast Buffet on Sunday, February 17 from 7 am to 12 pm.

Columbian SquiresThe Columbian Squires will be very busy this

spring. The annual basketball tournament is scheduled for Sunday, March 3 at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese, IL. The first game is at 12 noon.

The 41st Annual State Convention will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 & 17.

ScholarshipReminder that applications for the James & La-

verne Knott SWIC Scholarship program are avail-able. A $500 scholarship is awarded each spring to a family member of the Knights of Columbus Council 1952. The deadline is March 15, 2013. Applications are available online at http://.swic-foundation.com.

Michael J’sMichael J’s is now offering fresh pizza daily and

delicious fried fish on Friday evenings. The menu

on Fridays includes Tilapia or Buffalo plates or sandwiches. They also offer rib eye sandwiches as well as homemade potato chips.

Drew’s Landscaping Drew will maintain the Landscaping Business.

Call 618-559-9109 for all your landscaping needs.

Evansville Public LibraryThe phone number is 853-4649.Book Club- Ages pre-teen to adult are welcome.

Meetings are Tuesdays at 4 pm. The Evansville Public Library hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 5 pm.

DeStefani’sRich has moved back to the Riverfront. They

offer a great menu and they also serve buffalo chicken pieces and BBQ chicken pieces as well as they great pizzas. And don’t forget about their nachos that come in three varieties-beef, chicken and shrimp. And of course they still serve their MJ Sub and a chicken Tyler sandwich. They are open on Thursday thru Sunday from 4-9 pm.

Don’t forget for all your t-shirt printing, see Rich.

Cub ScoutsIt is time once again to sign-up for Cub Scout

Pack 311 which meets each Tuesday at 6 pm at the American Legion Hall in Evansville. If you are interested in learning more about the Cub Scouts, call Vicki Baxter at 618-978-2926.

Knights of ColumbusThe next Council Meeting will be on Feb. 12 at

7:30 pm.The Fish Buffet will be held every Friday during

Lent except Good Friday.

Evansville Senior Citizens ClubThe next meeting will be Feb. 13. 2013.

Evansville Food MartEvansville Food Mart also has a great gift sec-

tion as well as groceries and beverages

.Village Hall As always to check out what is going on in our

town check the Village Web Site at www.evil-levg@htc.net

If you are using the recycle trailer, remember to place your items in the appropriate compart-ments. This is strongly recommended in order for the Village to continue to participate in this program and your cooperation is greatly appreci-ated.

The next board meeting is Feb. 11, 2013.

Evansville Fire DepartmentThe next meeting will be Feb. 18, 2013 at 6:30

pm.American Legion

The next meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013.

American Legion AuxiliaryThe next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013.

Ray’s ShoesEvery Tuesday is Senior Discount Day at Ray’s

Shoes.Kaskaskia River Sportsmen

The Kaskaskia River Sportsmen Club will meet on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

School BoardThe next board Meeting for Sparta Dist. #140

will be on Monday, February 18 at 7 pm.

EAC PTOThe next meeting of the EAC PTO will be Febru-

ary 7 at 6:30 pm. There will be an attendance drawing and the prize is a $10 Wal-Mart card.

EAC News Latch-Key ProgramEAC now has a Latch-Key Program called Kid’s

Club. Parents may sign up students to attend Kid’s Club after school each day for a fee. Stu-dents work on homework, receive a snack, play games and get exercise and other fun activities. If any EAC parents are interested in finding out more about this great program, call Lynn Schmi-erbach at 618-713-5909.

PE/RecessStudents need to have athletic shoes for pe and

recess to prevent injuries.

Electronic Newsletter If anyone would prefer to receive an electronic

copy of the EAC newsletter, please call the school at 853-4411.

Volleyball The regular season opens with a home

game on Tuesday, Feb. 5 vs St. John Catholic Red Bud with games starting at 4 pm. The EAC Eagles will host the Coulterville Eagles with games on Thursday, Feb. 7 beginning at 4 pm. On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 & 9, the “A’ Team will par-ticipate in the St. Mary’s Chester Tournament.

On Monday, February 11 the Eagles will host the Chester Public teams at 4pm. Then on Tuesday, February 12 the Eagles will travel to Red Bud to take on the St. John Lutheran School teams with games beginning at 6 pm. Thursday, Feb. 14 will find the Eagles at home when they host the Steel-ville Teams with games beginning at 4 pm.

On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 & 16 the “B” Team tournament will be played at St. John Lu-theran Red Bud.

Anyone attending the home games that brings in a canned good will receive a free bag of pop-corn.

Beta Club News The Beta Club will be very busy in February.

They are hosting a Box Tops Contest the first week of February. The class that turns in the

most box tops will receive a free pizza party and the second place winners will receive a free class

period. Beginning Feb. 8-19 the Beta Club will be sell-

ing Little Caesar’s products. These products will be delivered Feb. 28.

Archery Students in grades 4-8 time archery will be

held every other Friday.

Parent/Teacher Conferences Conferences will be held Thursday, Feb. 21

from 3-7 pm and on Friday, Feb. 22 from 8 am to noon. Teachers will be sending home notices for times for the conferences.

Coke RewardsEAC is collecting Coke Rewards. Save your

codes found on bottle caps and inside cases of coke products and bring to school. Proceeds will go toward items for the classrooms.

Early Dismissal/HolidaysEAC students will be dismissed at 11:30 am on

Friday, Feb. 8 and at 2 pm on Thursday, Feb.21.School will not be in session on Monday, Feb. 18

in observance of President’s Day and on Friday, Feb. 22 for Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Outside RecessEAC students will be going outside for recess if

at all possible. Please have your child dress ac-cordingly.

Honor RollGrade 2High Honors—Hayley Drake, Cameran Grau,

Cole Johnson, Jada Long, Landon Walter.Honors—Riley Cory, Molly Huether, Olivia

Schilling, Hunter ValleroyGrade 3High Honors—Jessa Montroy, Oliver Renneker,

Michael SchoenbergerHonors—Aaron Bleem, Kayla Braun, Hailey

Harbaugh, Sara Stefani, Jilliyn WunerlichGrade 4High Honors—Adrienne Carril, Anna Gaertner,

Brianna Ledbetter, Elijah Ledbetter, Nicholas Ledbetter, Cora Rhodes, Brady Vallett

Grade 5—High Honors—Seth Becker, Jordan Pilout

Honors—Faith Argus, Jarad Stefani

MenusBreakfast

Thursday, Feb. 14—Panckae, sausage nuggets, fruit, milk.

Friday, Feb. 15—Cereal, toast, jelly, fruit, milk.Lunch

Thursday, Feb. 14—Chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, pears, rice krispie treat, milk

Friday, Feb. 15—Stuffed crust cheese pizza, sal-ad with lf ranch, apple, milk.

Evansville EnterpriseFeb. 2, 1934 John Braun opened his new beer tavern in the

Stolle Building formerly occupied by the Post Of-fice. This new place is to be used only temporar-ily or until he can get the room formerly occupied by Wittenbrink Brothers, who moved across the street to the Evansville Hotel property. Mr. Braun conducted the Evansville Hotel for many years.

George Wittenbrink, formerly of Evansville, passed away. He moved to Chicago as a young man and was a taxi cab driver. He is survived by his wife, Freda and 1 son, Joseph, brothers Max, Mike, and Anton and sisters Clara and Cecelia.

Upcoming EventsFeb. 14—Valentine’s Day

Feb. 16—EAA Sign-up

Feb. 17—Squires Breakfast Buffet

Feb. 18—Presidents Day

Feb. 18—School board

Feb. 21—Early Dismissal 2 pm

E VA N S V I L L E N E W S

Lap-sits- Lap-sits are held all four Tuesdays of the month. They will start at 10:30a.m., at the Chester Public Library. Free music, books, and crafts are of-fered. February Dates: 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th.

Play Group- These are held the first three Mon-days of the month at the Chester Grade School. They start at 10:00a.m in the grade school cafete-ria. Different activities are available for the children every Monday. Febru-ary Dates: 4th, and 11th. There is no school on Feb-ruary 18th on account of Presidents Day.

Family Fun Nights- Fam-ily Fun Night in February is scheduled for the 28th at 6:00p.m. The Family Fun Night theme is at the zoo.

Home Visits- Home vis-its are always available to birth-to-three families

with Lindsey Modglin. Me-lissa Davitz is available to do home visits with three-to-five families as well. Monthly home visits pro-vide information to fami-lies about parenting skills, parent-child interactions, and child development. Please contact me if inter-ested.

Preschool Screening!Chester Grade School

preschool screening is scheduled for March 19th, 2013. It will be held at the Chester Grade School. You may schedule your ap-pointment starting Febru-ary 19th, 2013. Please call the Chester Grade school at 826-2354.

Contact information: Lindsey Modglin, Birth-to-three Parent Educator at Ches-ter Grade School, 618-826-2354 Ext.462, LindseyModglin@ches-ter139.com

EVENTS IN FEBRUARY FOR BABY TALK

Mr. & Miss Randolph County Fair Winners will be presented on July 19, 2013 At 6:00pm

Randolph County Fair Grounds Sparta, IllinoisMr. and Miss- 14 to 18 years 10-13 6-9 2-5 Newborn to 1 year

Rules for competition are as follows Winners will be chosen by most raffle tickets sold in their class. Girl, Boy.

And MONEY RAISED by FUNDRAISER EVENTS. Raffle tickets will be provided to entries for selling at $1 donation per ticket. Parent is responsible for money and tickets. ONLY 200 tickets will be issued at a time. Money and

tickets must be turned in before more tickets issued. Picture Day in the Park by Heartfelt Photography is scheduled for Sunday, April 28 th between 5:30pm-7:30pm. in Sparta at City Park. All entries are

ask to attend. Pictures are needed for newspaper add.

423 W. Holmes Street, Chester, Il (618) 826-2959

(618) 449-2271

1221 North Market Street Sparta, IL 62286

Rough Country 6” Lift35” Wheels and Tires

Crew Cab 4x4 / All Options

www.unitedautosalesonline.com

Service You Expect From People You Trust

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 5

LOCAL

(Perryville) The Father/Daugh-ter Dance is to be held March 16, 2013. All fathers and daugh-ters can enjoy an evening just for them! There will be food, music, dancing and fun for all to have throughout the evening. LaRose Studios will be available to take portrait pictures.

The Father/Daughter Dance is open to anyone over the age of two. The event is hosted by Per-ryville Parks and Recreation De-partment and will take place at the Perry Park Center (800 City Park Drive, Perryville, MO 63775). Registration is now open. Pre-reg-istration is encouraged, but ad-mission will be taken at the door for $25.00 per couple and $8.00 for additional daughters.

The easiest way to register is by calling the Perry Park Center at (573) 547-PARK. Admission be-fore March 8 will be $22.00 per couple and another $8.00 for ad-ditional daughters.

Participants may also fill out paper registration forms at the Perry Park Center (800 City Park Drive, Perryville, MO 63775).

Event sponsors include Trea-sured Memories Florist & Gift Shop, Park-Et Fine Foods Restau-rant, LaRose Studios, TG Missouri and The Bank of Missouri.

For more information about the Father/Daughter Dance, please contact Emily Hutteger, Recre-ation Coordinator at (573) 547-7275 or email emilyhutteger@cityofperryville.com.

FATHER/DAUGHTER DANCE

PERRY PARK CENTER

Along with its union pension and health-care liabilities, Patriot cited environmental costs in its bankruptcy filing, specifically noting that the costs of treating selenium pollution could run into “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

In November, Patriot agreed to a plan to deal with those liabili-ties that included its promise to phase out mountaintop removal and other forms of strip mining, a move CEO Ben Hatfield said is in the best interests of the company, its employees and the com-munities where it operates.

PATRIOT COAL CONTINUED “’Where Illinois Comes Togeth-

er’ captures the essence of the fair perfectly,” Agriculture Direc-tor Bob Flider said.

“The Illinois State Fair is a won-derful celebration of our state’s people, culture and agricultural heritage, and for 160 years Illi-noisans from all walks of life have come together to demonstrate their talents, exhibit the products of their hard work and, of course, enjoy the fair’s attractions and

family entertainment.”The 2013 fair will begin Thurs-

day, Aug. 8, and continue through Sunday, Aug. 18. Tickets for the Aug. 14 Toby Keith concert went on sale Saturday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m. They can be purchased on-line at Ticketmaster.com, by call-ing 1-800-745-3000 or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet. Sales dates for the other shows will be announced soon.

DU QUOIN FAIR CONTINUED

This is Zack, he is a 4-5 year old 60lb, male Leopard Catahoula/Hound Mix, and Dodger is a 3 year old Male Yellow Lab

They are in need of heart-worm treatment now. Zack & Dodger came in to Animal Control and after no one claimed

them. They was saved by the RCHS. Both Was tested and both showed positive for heart-worms, without treatment they will

not survive and will continue to decline, Zack has started his treat-ment, but we are asking for any donations or sponsors to

help pay for both of their treatments. For more information on Zack or Dodger or any of the many others needing homes,

Please call RCHS at 618-443-3363, or go to PayPal on our website at www.randolphhumane.org

ZACK DODGER

WITHOUT DONATIONS

THEY WILL DIE ! ! ! ! !

The Randolph County PostPage 6 Feburary 14, 2013

T r e a t Y o u rV a l e n t i n e

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A 13-0 run in the second half lifted the Chester Yellow Jackets to a 54-46 road win at Christopher Tues-day night in Black Dia-mond Conference ac-tion. With the win, Ches-

ter improves to 16-7 overall and 8-1 in the BDC West. Next up is a road game Saturday night at Trico. Varsity game time is 7:45pm. The 16th win of the

season is the most for the Yellow Jacket bas-ketball program since Chester finished 16-11 under head coach Trey Cox in the 1993-94 season. The win also marked the 30th for head coach Brad Norman in his second year at the helm of the boys’ basketball pro-gram. The win moves him into a tie for 10th on the all-time wins list for the Yellow Jack-ets.

Chester jumped out to a 15-9 lead after the first quarter and led 33-28 at halftime

after the Bearcats outscored the Yellow Jackets 19-18 in the second quarter.

A Chris Schwartz la-yup in the third quar-ter sparked a 13-0 run for the Yellow Jackets. Schwartz was respon-sible for eight of the 13 points in the run. Chester led 40-35

heading to the fourth quarter. Link Cushman led

Chester with 17 points while Schwartz fin-ished with 15. Jake Lo-chhead joined in the double-digit scoring with 11 points. Caleb Arbeiter (7),

Kyle Landon (2) and Alec Weir (2) also scored for the Yellow Jackets. Chester lost the ju-

nior varsity game to the Bearcats 54-49 to fall to 13-5 on the season and 7-2 in the BDC West. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the JV boys. Next up is a road game Saturday night at Trico. Tip-off

PHOTO BY MIKE LUTZ

Ali Ringering was simply no match for the Chester Lady Yellow Jackets Tues-day night.

The junior guard from Red Bud poured in a game high 32 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the Red Bud Lady Muske-teers to the championship game of the Trico Class 2A Girls Basketball Regional with a 71-28 pounding of Chester in a regional semi-final matchup.

Chester finishes their season with a record of 6-20.

Red Bud raced out to a 27-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Red Bud built a 42-15 lead at halftime after outscoring Chester 15-6 in

the second quarter. The Lady Musketeers

took a 60-25 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Marah Laramore led Chester in her final game in the Orange and Black with nine points. McKenzi Rucker, Taylor LaRose and Sarah Bindel each finished with four points.

Chelsea Schroeder (3), Libby Bollmann (2) and Al-exandria Fedderke (2) also scored for Chester.

Laramore led in rebounds with four while Schroeder led in assists with three.

In addition to Laramore, it was the final game for fellow seniors Taylor LaRose, Libby Bollmann, Chelsea Schroeder and manager Steven Colonel.

LADY YELLOW JACKETS SEASON ENDS WITH 71-28 LOSS TO RED BUD IN REGIONALS

Two Yellow Jacket fresh-men finished in double digit scoring while a total of nine players found their way into the scoring column Tuesday night as Chester pounded Christopher 53-14.

The young Yellow Jackets improve to 6-8 on the sea-son. Their game Thursday night has been cancelled and the earlier game with Steeleville that was post-poned has been resched-uled for this coming Tues-day night at 5pm, as part of a triple-header of games with the Warriors.

Chester raced out to a 13-6 lead after the first quarter and pushed their lead to 22-8 at halftime.

Chester led 48-14 head-

ing to the fourth quarter where they shut out the Bearcats 15-0 to win by 39 points.

“Our defen-sive effort was outstanding, to-night. Even the sec-ond team seemed to really get after it,” said Chester freshmen coach Mike Schwart-ing. “The quick-ness displayed by all three Lukes (Hart-man, Rock, and Doiron) was a lot of fun to watch.”

Jordan Berner led Chester with 13 points

while Austin Welge tossed in 12 points.

Jason Schwartz (8), Hunt-er House (5), Lucas Doiron (4), Jason Heberlie (4), Lu-cas Rock (3), Tyler Redeker (2) and Ethan Gendron (2) also scored for the Chester freshmen.

“Our decision making was pretty good, tonight,” said Schwarting. “We had a good balance of inside-out play. Jordan saw the floor extremely well and found the open man on the pe-rimeter enabling our pe-rimeter players to get some open looks. Jason Schwartz and Austin Welge each had two 3’s while Hunter House knocked down one.” Two members of the

Chester Lady Yellow Jack-et basketball team have advanced in the Illinois High School Association’s 3-point contest. Senior Chelsea Schroed-

er and sophomore McK-enzi Rucker were among four shooters advancing to the sectional round of the 3-point contest. Each hit six 3-pointers

to advance to the next

round. Also advancing from the

Trico Regional were Jor-dan Lodge of Trico and Ali Ringering of Red Bud. Both Lodge and Ringer-ing hit 10 3-pointers to move on. The sectional round will

be held at Dupo. All four will shoot before the sec-tional championship next Thursday night at 6pm.

T W O L A D Y Y E L L O W J A C K E T S A D V A N C E S

I N 3 - P O I N T C O N T E S T

YELLOW JACKETS HOLD OFF LATE RALLY BY TRICO TO BEAT PIONEERS 62-55

13-0 RUN IN THIRD QUARTER LIFTS YELLOW JACKETS TO BDC WEST DIVISION WIN OVER CHRISTOPHER

F R E S H M A N B O Y S P O U N D C H R I S T O P H E R 5 3 - 1 4 T U E S D A Y N I G H T

FIRST QUARTER PROVES COSTLY IN YELLOW

JACKET SOPHOMORES LOSS TO MURPHYSBOROFalling behind by eight

points after the first quar-ter proved to be the differ-ence in the Yellow Jacket sophomores’ loss to Mur-physboro 44-31 Monday night.

Murphysboro jumped out to a 13-5 lead after the first quarter and led 21-14 at halftime despite Chester outscoring the Red Devils

9-8 in the second quarter. Murphysboro led 35-25

heading to the fourth quar-ter.

Issiac Wingerter led Ches-ter with 10 points while Hunter Howie tossed in seven points.

Jordan Berner (6), Eli Hasemeyer (4) and Daulton Stahlheber (4) also scored for Chester

The St. John Boys “B” Basketball Team won 2nd place in the 2013 Christ Lutheran School Boys’ 7th Grade Basketball Tournament in Jacob. Front Row: Seth Levan, Gunner Dickenson, Logan Mitchell,

Randy Kueker, and Jacob Wingerter. Back Row: Andrew Schwarting, Ethen Eggemeyer, Mason Wester-man, Drake Bollman, Wyatt Roth, Calvin Clendenin, Clayton Richelman, and Coach Tony James. Not

Pictured: Jacob O’Riley

ST. JOHN 2nd PLACE 2013 CHRIST LUTHERAN SCHOOL BOYS’ 7th GRADE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

The Chester Yellow Jackets held off a late rally by the Trico Pioneers Saturday night and picked up a key Black Diamond Conference West Division win.

Within the past week, the Yellow Jackets beat the top seed (Trico) and third-seed (Carterville) of the Murphysboro Class 2A Regional. But before the regionals begin, the Yellow Jackets still have some work to do

Chester (17-7) improved to 9-1 in the BDC West with a 62-55 win over the Pioneers. Next up is a non-conference home game with Steeleville Tuesday night at 7:45pm. The game will air live on KSGM AM 980 and JacketRadio.com beginning around 7:35pm with Jacket GameNight.

The 17th win of the season for the Yellow Jackets is the most since the 1979-80 season when Chester finished 18-10 under Coach Steve Burke.

Continued Page 8

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 7

SPORTS

It is a pleasant morning when you hear all of the laugh-ter and conversation coming from the Beauty Shop. Pam Melching is here every Wednesday morning making our ladies lovely and our gentlemen handsome for the week. They all look forward to her visits and her sunny personal-ity. It is a bright spot in a busy week. The residents enjoyed their regular activities as always. There was exercise and trivia for strong bodies and sharp minds. Wednesday morning there was A-Z Trivia with Faith. It was a great game and we had several residents par-ticipate. It was a very enjoyable morning. Residents used the exercise trail during the day and there was Left-Right-Center Dice with Kim in the afternoon and after that, bak-ing with Kim. Everyone had a great time. Joanie was here Thursday morning for Fruit BINGO and Dominoes in the afternoon. Sister Benedict was here in the afternoon, also, for a game of Pinochle. The residents enjoy her visits, im-mensely. Friday morning Erica hosted a game of Scatter-gories and Rummy games in the afternoon. Mary and Al-bert were here in the afternoon for their regular Pinochle games. Friday evening Jesse’s Gang was here to entertain our residents with their musical talents. Our residents love music, especially Evelyn. The Beverly Hillbillies were play-ing in the sun room on Saturday afternoon and popcorn was served. There was visiting in the dining room after supper. The Valentine Newsletter was delivered Sunday morning and there was concentration with Alice in the afternoon. Monday morning Dorothy and Joyce came to serenade our residents with their musical talents. The resi-dents had a great time. Tuesday morning Joanie was here to play Candy BINGO with the residents and Joanie lead group exercise. In the afternoon there was blood pressure checks and bathroom safety tips with Dana from Mederi Home Care. Pastor Leistico was here for an afternoon wor-ship service in the family room. The residents enjoy his visits. The Prairie Du Rocher Girl Scouts were here to play Valentine Jingo and brought treats for the residents. Dawn Walker the leader of these great girls, accompanied Judi Ashbaker, Lilly Vandeford, Chevy Dickneite, Bailee Henry, Emmy Mollet, Lydia Franklin, LeAnn Walker, Angel Mollet, and Elizabeth Dickneite to R&R for fun and games. Every-one had a great time. Visitors this week included Greg’s daughter Shirley and her husband Johnny. Greg was happy to see them. Eileen had a couple of visits during the week from her daughter, Brenda and Brenda’s husband Dale. Trevor and Laura stopped in for a visit. Trent came by for a visit, also. Eileen enjoyed the visits very much. Evelyn had a visit from her son Dale and his wife Bonnie. Her granddaughter Kathy called as always on Sunday. Ev-elyn is always happy to hear from and see her family. Maxine had a couple of visits from Jill and Janet during the week. Pat Rudroff came by for a visit. Tessa and Danette stopped in for a visit. Stan and Coleen Schilling came for a visit, also. Maxine enjoyed all of her company. Jim had a visit from his sister, Mabel. He was glad to see her. May had visits from Jo and Erin every day. Ruthie came by for a visit and to take May for an appointment. Olivia, Jo, Kate, and Todd came for a visit. Chris and Nancy stopped in for a visit. Jolene and Jordan came by for a visit, also. May enjoyed all of their visits. Earleen came to visit Sylvia and they went for a walk and sat on the porch for awhile. Jay and Iva stopped in for a visit. Glyn and Beverly picked up Sylvia for Mass at the con-vent. Mike came by for a visit. Marilyn stopped in for a visit, also. Sylvia always enjoys time spent with her children. As you see it was a busy week filled with family, friends, and fun. We hope for an exciting week to come.

THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 12, 2013North Korea announced today that it conducted a third

nuclear test. This is a highly provocative act that, following its December 12 ballistic missile launch, undermines regional stability, violates North Korea’s obligations under numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, contravenes its commitments under the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks, and increases the risk of proliferation. North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to U.S. national security and to interna-tional peace and security. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and steadfast in our

defense commitments to allies in the region.These provocations do not make North Korea more secure.

Far from achieving its stated goal of becoming a strong and prosperous nation, North Korea has instead increasingly isolated and impoverished its people through its ill-advised pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

The danger posed by North Korea’s threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the internation-al community. The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies. We will strengthen close coordination with allies and partners and work with our Six-Party partners, the United Nations Security Council, and other UN member states to pursue firm action.

C H I T C H A T R&R COUNTRY CARE

By Faith Stobbs

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Conservation Founda-tion (ICF) announced today that 24 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Ac-tion Grants have been awarded from the fall 2012 application period. A total of $18,890.13 will be distributed. “The Illinois Schoolyard

Habitat Action Grant provides children and educators with the op-portunity to develop wildlife habitat, reduce mowing and increase the use of native plants in Illinois landscapes,” said IDNR Director Marc Miller. “Students take part in all phases of these projects and real-ize that they can make a difference in the world.

These gardens also pro-vide learning experi-ences that support the educational curriculum.” The Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program supports the development or en-hancement of wildlife habitat on the school grounds or other pub-lic place. Funding for this program is provided through donations to

the ICF. The Jadel Youth Fund, Evanston, and the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation, Skokie, are the major sponsors for this program. A grant to support the program was also received from the U.S. Environmen-tal Protection Agency’s Environmental Educa-tion Program. More than $139,000 in Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Ac-

tion Grant funding has been distributed since the program’s inception. “We want school chil-dren to learn about nature through hands-on experiences,” Miller said. “It is our goal to have Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program projects devel-oped in every county of the state and eventually at every school.”

Applications are being accepted now for the November 30, 2013, Illi-nois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant application deadline. See http://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/grants.htm for the application form and related information or call 217-524-4126 or email dnr.teachkids@il-linois.gov.

ILLINOIS SCHOOLYARD HABITAT ACTION GRANTS AWARDED/NOW TAKING APPLICANTS FOR 2013

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 8

LOCALThe Pioneers came out strong to start

the game, opening up a 15-4 lead. Senior Kyle Landon scored six of high game high 18 points in the next three minutes, in-cluding a thunderous dunk, to cut Trico’s lead down to 18-13 after the first quarter.

The game was tied 26-26 at the popcorn pause.

The third quarter belonged to Chester. Back to back three-pointers by Landon

with just over three minutes left in the third quarter gave the Yellow Jackets a 42-29 lead. Then 90 seconds left, Landon connected on another three-pointer to give Chester a 45-31 lead.

Chester led 45-34 heading to the fourth.

But here comes the Pioneers… Taking advantaged of numerous turn-

overs caused by their half-court trapping defense, the Pioneers went on an 18-6 run. Trico took the lead 52-51 with two minutes to play when Chase Rednour hit a three-pointer.

On the next possession, junior guard Jake Lochhead missed a three-pointer but Alec Weir was in the right spot at the right time. Weir snagged the loose ball and scored with 1:36 left to give Chester a 53-52 lead.

On Trico’s next possession, Link Cush-man stole the dribble and took it the length of the court for a lay-up which

gave Chester a 55-52 lead. Trico failed to score on their next four

possessions inside the final minute while Chester tacked on seven more points en route to the 62-55 win over the Pioneers.

In addition to Landon’s 18 point per-formance, Chris Schwartz finished with 15 points while Cushman tossed in 11 points.

Caleb Arbeiter (9), Lochhead (4) and Weir (4) also scored for the Yellow Jack-ets.

Chester also won the JV game 51-37 over the Pioneers.

The JV boys are now 14-5 on the season and 8-2 in the BDC West.

YELLOW JACKETS BEAT PIONEERS 62-55 CONTINUED

NORTH KOREA ANNOUNCED 2-12-13 THAT IT CONDUCTED A THIRD NUCLEAR TEST

The meeting was called to Order by Gary Breckinridge with the Pledge of Allegiance. The prayer was offered by Ralph Kipp.

Members in attendance were: Gary Breckinridge, Gary Buatte, Donna Clendenin, Nancy Crossland, Gwendy Garner, Vickie Geisen, Harold Howie, Danny James, Ralph Kipp, Crystal Lyerla, Donald Otten, and Carolyn Schwent.

Vickie Geisen announced the fundraiser event at the Ellis Grove Volunteer Fire Department this Sunday, February 10, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to help raise funds for the rebuilding of the Ft. Kaskaskia Shelter House. The event costs $5.00 for all-you-can-eat chili.

Nancy Crossland invited everyone to her Meet & Greet event at the KC Hall this Saturday, February 9th from 6:00 p.m. to closing. There will be a free chicken dinner and a band. This is a wonderful opportunity for supporters and undecided voters to come and get their concerns addressed and their questions answered.

Gary Breckinridge inquired about forming a commit-tee to address future fundraisers and service projects for our Rotary group. Vickie asked that anyone inter-ested to contact her and she would schedule a meet-ing for all interested parties to meet and discuss these issues.

Carolyn Schwent announced that she has arranged for Tammy Grah, from Chester Public Library, to speak to our Rotary on February 27th about events at the library, especially the summer children’s program, which has recently lost funding from the state.

Vickie Geisen announced that Donald Otten has ar-ranged for a speaker for the meeting on February 20th. AJ Kunz, who is employed with a barge line on the Mississippi, will speak about the low river levels and its impact on the economy.

Harold Howie spoke about some of the things his former Rotary group did for service projects and how they went about increasing their club’s funds.

Some discussion was held about the annual Pan-cake Breakfast Fundraiser held in October. Vickie an-nounced that she has secured St. John Parish Hall for October 19, 2013 for this event, if members decide to continue this annual event. Mr. Kipp suggested that a portion of the proceeds be used for the rebuilding of the Ft. Kaskaskia Shelter. Everyone thought this was a good idea.

Carolyn Schwent announced that the Bloodmo-bile will once again be at the American Legion next Wednesday, February 13th and encouraged everyone to participate.

Danny James suggested we use a portion of our cur-rent funds to make a donation to the rebuilding of the Ft. Kaskaskia Shelter. No vote was taken.

Vickie announced she still needs Program Chairs for the months of March, May, and June

Gary Breckinridge’s name was drawn for the 50/50 drawing and he was present. Congratulations, Gary!.

Upcoming Speakers:Feb. 20th - AJ Kunz to discuss the Mississippi River

levels

Feb. 27th – Tammy Grah from Chester Public Library

Our next meeting will be held at Jodi’s Farmhouse on Wednesday, February 13th at 12 Noon and will be a business meeting.

Respectfully submitted,Vickie Geisen

C H E S T E R R O T A R Y C L U B H O L D S W E E K L Y M E E T I N G A T J O D I ’ S F A R M H O U S E

Dan Varel, Physical Therapist and PT Man-ager at Pinckneyville Community Hospi-tal, has been elected as the Chair of the Southern District of the Illinois Physical Therapy Asso-ciation (IPTA). The IPTA is a 501(c)6, non-profit organiza-tion, with a mission to “empower its members

to advance the ethical and professional best practice of physical therapy.” The South-ern District of the IPTA represents members from 30 southern Il-linois Counties. Dan will serve a 2 year term through 2014 while continuing his full-

time position at Pinckneyville Community

Hospital. He has been employed with thehos-pital for more than 13

Dan Varel, Elected Chair Of The Southern

District IPTA

(CARBONDALE, IL) Cardiol-ogists at Prairie Heart Insti-tute are using the world’s smallest heart pump—a break-through technologi-cal device that lends sup-port to the heart during medical procedures—mak-ing those processes easier and shortening recovery times for patients.

Officially, the Impella 2.5 is a percutaneous cardiac assist device. The tiny pump is inserted into the aortic valve of the heart through a long catheter inserted in the patient’s groin. Once in the heart, the pump—which is just a few millime-ters wide—pumps blood at the rate of 2.5 liters per minute from one side of the heart to the other.

“The pump basically tem-porarily offloads the heart from having to do the work,” explains Interven-tional Cardiologist Raed Al-Dallow of Prairie Car-diovascular Consultants in Carbondale. “It is a support device used while surgeons do other procedures which are a permanent solution.”

Procedures requiring the heart pump are performed

in the cath-eter i zat ion l a b o ra t o r y at Memo-rial Hospi-tal of Car-bondale, the only f a c i l -ity in South-ern Il-l i n o i s u s i n g t h e I m -p e l l a 2.5.

“This de-vice has add-ed another de-gree of success to our STAT Heart program,” Al-Dallow says. “Our ability to safely do complex treatments and potentially avoid open heart surgery is greater be-cause of this device.”

He says the pump is used in a variety of circumstanc-es.

“Most often we place it in the patient while we do very complex, high-risk stent procedures,” he ex-plains. “While you place stents there are a few sec-

o n d s w h e r e y o u

stop the b l o o d

flow in the c o r o n a r y a r t e r i e s and if you don’t have this pump, then dur-ing that

time the heart could be in trou-ble, but with

it, we can perform the procedure

safely.”He says the pumps also

can be used in emergency situations.

“If a patient comes in and they’re in a condition of cardioechogenic shock—basically an acute failure of the cardiac function—we can place the pump and it effective does the job of the heart while we gather the surgical team,” he says.

Additionally, cardiolo-gists use the pump to help patients recovering from heart attacks.

“It takes the heart some-

where between 24 and 72 hours to recover and during that time the pump basi-cally does half of the job of the heart,” he says. “In this manner, we call it a bridge to recovery.”

Al-Dallow says the pump can be placed in less than 5 minutes and doctors at Memorial have completed about 100 insertions in the last year.

“It is quicker to use and somewhat safer than surgi-cal procedures, as well as more effective than balloon pumps,” he adds.

He adds that the pump’s minute size is a real ben-efit.

“When we utilize devices that are inserted through the groin area in a man-ner similar to a cardiac catheterization procedure, the smaller the device, the less risk there is for the patient in terms of bleed-ing or causing injury to the blood vessel,” he says. It’s a very small pump, but it is very efficient. It is so small, yet it is making a big differ-ence.”

P R A I R I E H E A R T I N S T I T U T E A R E U S I N G T H E w O R L D ’ S s M A L L E S T H E A R T P U M P“ H E L P I N G S A V E T H E L I V E S I N P A T I E N T S I N A L L O F

T H E C O U N T I E S A N D C O M M U N I T I E S S O U T H O F I - 6 4 ”

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 9

HEALTH

Monday, February 11-May 1 ”Biggest Loser” weight loss competition At S.I.R fitness center. Participants must go to S.I.R. and pre-register for the event. At that

time a staff member will check the person’s weight, body fat percentage, and take a muscle mass measurement. Initial measurements must be completed between Monday, February 11 and Saturday, February 16. Official weigh-ins will be every 2 weeks per the individual’s sched-ule. Optional re-measuring of body fat and muscle mass can be done every 4 weeks. The final weigh in must be completed by May 1. There is no cost to participate and there will be over $200 in prizes. One hundred dollars will be given to the person who loses the most weight and the person that loses the highest percentage of body fat. They will also receive a free month membership to S.I.R. As an additional incentive, participants can enter for a gift card drawing at the bi-weekly weigh-ins. Weight management education will be offered. If there is enough interest a group class with the dietician may be arranged. See fliers for details or call Bonnie/Alex at 357-2187 ext. 3944.

Thursday, February 14 “Free Blood Pressure Checks” At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimentary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure track-ing cards are also available for free.

Thursday, February 21 “Free Blood Pressure Checks” At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimentary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure track-ing cards are also available for free.

Tuesday, February 26 “Heart2Heart Luncheon with Dr. Raed Al-Dallow” In Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s basement classroom from 10:30 am to 1:00 p.m.

Dr. Al-Dallow from Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants in Carbondale will be joined by hos-pital staff to talk about the best way to lead a heart-healthy life. Blood pressure checks, body fat percentage, muscle mass measurements, and more will be done at no cost. Door prize awarded. There is no charge for the event, but pre-registration is required by Febru-ary 22. Call Crystal at 357-5907 to register.

February 19-22 Lab work for only $25 From 7am to 10 am individuals can have the following lab work for only $25: cholesterol,

triglycerides, LDL, HDL, AST, ALT, creatinine, and glucose. Testing requires 8 hours of fasting. Patients should go directly to lab-not the admitting office. These results can be picked up at this event or mailed to the patient. If lab work is done, patients still need to pre-register for the luncheon.

Thursday, February 28 “Free Blood Pressure Checks” At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimen-

tary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure tracking cards are also available for free.

Tuesday, March 5 “C.P.R. for Family and Friends”

At 6:00 p.m. in Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s basement classroom. C.P.R. class is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Participants should be age 10 and up. Refreshments provided. Call 357-5905 to register. Arrangements can also be made for large groups such as businesses or organizations. Classes will be offered on a regular basis.

Thursday, March 7 “Free Blood Pressure Checks” At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimen-

tary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure tracking cards are also available for free.

Thursday, March 14 “Free Blood Pressure Checks”At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimen-

tary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure tracking cards are also available for free.Tuesday, March 19 “Emergency Medical Transports-Answers to

Your Quest ions” At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s basement classroom at 6:30 p.m. This informative

class will offer individuals the chance to meet with Pinckneyville Ambulance Service, ARCH air medical service, and Air Evac Lifeteam. Patients are finding that a single helicopter transport may cost in excess of $30,000. After Medicare/insurance pays there may still be a large bal-ance remaining. Now is the time to gather information and be prepared. For a total of about $110 a year an entire household will have membership with both helicopter companies. After a presentation and question and answer time, individuals will have the opportunity to sign up for memberships with the helicopter services. Refreshments will be provided. Pre-registration would be appreciated. Call Crystal at 357-5907 for more information.

Thursday, March 21 “Free Blood Pressure Checks” At Pinckneyville Community Hospital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimen-

tary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure tracking cards are also available for free.Thursday, March 28 “FREE Drive-by Colorectal Cancer Screening Kits” from

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the front parking lot of Pinckneyville Community Hospital. To ac-knowledge March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month the hospital and the American Can-cer Society will offer free colorectal cancer screening kits and testing. The kits along with infor-mation and educational material will be available in a drive-by setting. One doesn’t even need to get out of their vehicle. The testing is free as long as the sample is returned to the hospital within one month. Call the hospital’s laboratory at 357-8800 for more information.

Thursday, March 28 “Free Blood Pressure Checks” at Pinckneyville Community Hos-pital’s front lobby from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Complimentary pulse oximetry and heart rate checks will also be done by nursing staff. Information and blood pressure tracking cards are also available for free.

S C H E D U L E D C O M M U N I T Y E D U C AT I O N E V E N T S A T P I N C K N E Y V I L L E C O M M U N I T Y H O S P I TA L

S P A R T A C O M M U N I T Y H O S P I T A L ’ S

A U X I L I A R Y T R E E O F H O P E C A M P A I G N

Pictured are Auxiliary TOH Chairwoman, Sharon Runge, Vickie Jacobs, Radiology/Mammography Technician, Auxiliary TOH Chairwoman, Paulette Ashrook and Brett Prywitch, M.D., Radiologist.

Sparta Community Hospital’s Auxiliary Tree of Hope Campaign 2012 recently donated $25,000 to the facility toward the expense of their new digital mammography.

S . I . R . F i t n e s s C e n t e r i n P i n c k n e y v i l l e i s s p o n s o r i n g a “ B i g g e s t L o s e r ” w e i g h t l o s s c o m p e t i t i o n s t a r t i n g t h i s w e e k . Re g i s t ra t i o n m u s t b e c o m p l e t e d b y F r i d ay, F e b r u a r y 1 5 . T h e c o n t e s t e n d s M ay 1 . T h e r e i s n o c o s t t o c o m p e t e a n d p r i ze s w i l l b e a w a r d e d t o t a l i n g o v e r $ 2 0 0 . C a l l 3 5 7 - 2 1 8 7 e x t . 3 9 4 4 fo r m o r e i n fo r m a t i o n .

Pictured Above: Bonnie Hudgins, center, works with clients on the first day of the “Biggest Loser” con-

test. Fitness members from left to right Kay Winter, Tammy Kruse, Hudgins, Theresa Morgenthaler, and

Diane McPheeters (not a “Loser”)

THE BIGGEST

LOSERCONTEST

The Randolph County PostPage 10 Feburary 14, 2013

Clarence J. Schaefer, 83, of Ruma, Illinois, passed away at 12:25 am, Wednesday, January 23, C at Red Bud Regional Hospital, Red Bud, Illinois with his loving family by his side.

He was born to the late Jacob H. and Frances C. (nee Eschmann) Schaefer on February 2, 1929 in Waterloo, Illinois.

Clarence was of the Catholic faith. He was baptized on February 3, 1929 at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Waterloo, Illinois, by the Rev Charles Eschmann. He was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ruma, Illinois.

Clarence married to Joan Mary (nee Degenhardt) Schaefer on November 17, 1956 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Red Bud, Illinois; she survives.

He served with the engineers in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. He was stationed at 808 Engineering Aviation Battalion, Kunsan Air Base.

Clarence was a milk truck driver and then farmed for many years. He retired as a concrete truck driver. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends and cooking for a crowd.

Survivors include his wife Joan Schaefer Ruma, IL; 5 Children Michael (Jeannie) Schaefer Red Bud, IL; John (Kim) Schaefer Ruma, IL; Edward (Shirleen) Schaefer Waterloo, IL; Raymond (Kari) Schaefer Red Bud, IL; Karen (Martin) Eschmann Waterloo, IL; 12 grandchildren Jeremy (Sarah) Schaefer, Amy (Russell) Humphreys, Jenny (fiancé Eric Raup) Schaefer, Stacy (Fred) Morin, Eric (Alicia) Schaefer, Ryan Schaefer, Carrie (Aaron) Koester, Jamie Schaefer, Allen Schaefer, Andrew Schaefer, Emily Eschmann and Nathan Es-chmann; 7 great grandchildren Ethan Humphreys, Peyton Schae-fer, Brayden Koester, Grace Koester, Owen Humphreys, Dylan Schaefer and Molly Morin; brothers: Henry Schaefer Red Bud, IL, Albert (Joyce) Schaefer Evansville, IL, Robert (Martha) Schaefer Evansville, IL, Martin (Jean) Schaefer Red Bud, IL; 3 Sisters: Regina (Robert) Scherle Evansville, IL, Frances (Norman) Rahn Red Bud, IL and Marie Hess Red Bud, IL; special friends of the family Julie Schaefer, Kayce Matzenbacher, Bethany Klein and James Ratz; many Nieces, Nephews, Cousins and Friends

He was preceded in death by his parents, 3 sisters – Gertrude (Leo M.) Pautler, Josephine Smith and infant Theresa Schaefer and 1 brother – William Schaefer.

A funeral mass was held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ruma, Illinois.

Officiating: Father Clyde Grogan Visitation was held on Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on

Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Welge-Pechacek Funeral Home, Red Bud, Illinois.

Interment: St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Ruma, Illinois Memorials: St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery Fund and Hospice of

Southern Illinois.

Obituaries

Clarence Schaefer, 83Donald Lee Witbracht, 67, of Percy, passed away at 8:15 AM

Sunday, January 20, 2013, at his home in Percy, Illinois. Donald was born March 25, 1945 in Percy, Illinois the son of Earl

and Bernadine (Ruehmkorff) Witbracht. Donald married Mary Lou McBride on Saturday, March 30, 1968 at St .John’s Lutheran Church, Bremen, IL.

Donald was a retired coal miner and a farmer. He was also a Shade Tree Mechanic. He served in the U.S. Army during the Viet-nam conflict. Donald was a member of Peace Lutheran Church in Steeleville and also a member of the American Legion Post #1145 in Percy and the U.M.W. of A.

He is survived by his wife: Mary Lou Witbracht of Percy; chil-dren: Jessica (Kevin) McCurdy, Pinckneyville; Wendy (Tim) Atchi-son, Chester; Jane (David) James, Chester; John Henry Witbracht, Steeleville; and Lewis (Dori) Witbracht, Ste. Genevieve, MO; 10 Granchildren: Dustin & Ashley McCurdy; Brenton & Morgan Atchison; Kaylee & Matt James; Saletha, Josie & twins, Levi & Malachi Witbracht; 1 sister: Brenda (Doug) Grimes, Biloxi, MS; 1 sister-in-law, Laverne Hutchison, Percy and many nieces and nephews.

Donald is preceded in death by his parents and infant sister, Janice Elaine Witbracht.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, Steeleville with. Rev. S. Blake Duncan, officiating. Burial followed at Peace Lutheran Cemetery, Steeleville. Visitation was held at Wilson’s Funeral Home in Steeleville on Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., then from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church. Memorials may be made to Peace Lutheran Church Sunday School or Steeleville Senior Citizens.

Donald Witbracht, 67

Thekla S. Mueller, 88, of Perryville died January 26, 2013 at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, MO. She was born on December 5, 1924 in Farrar, MO, daughter of Ernst H. and Bertha K. (Luehrs) Mueller. Thekla had done office work for Brown Shoe Company in Clayton. She was baptized and confirmed at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar, MO. She taught Sunday School and sang in the church choir in St. Ann. Survivors include one brother and five sisters; Oneida Mahnken of Steelville, IL, Mildred Bachmann, Elinor Roth and Armin Mueller all of Perryville, Eunice Roth of Frohna, Florence Steffens of Perryville, forty three nieces and nephews and many great nieces and great nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; one brother; Erwin Mueller, two sisters; Esther Bachmann, Agnes Martin and three nephews. Funeral Service were held at Young & Sons Chapel on Wednesday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m. Visitation was held at the funeral home on Tuesday from 5:00p.m.to 8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday from 6:30 a.m. until time of the service at 10:00 a.m. with the Rev. Matthew Marks officiating. Burial was in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville, MO. Memorials are preferred to Lutheran Hour Ministries. Young & Sons Funeral Home, Inc. in Perryville, MO provided the arrangements.

Thekla Mueller, 88

Joyce Ann Mehrer, 64, of Chester, IL, passed away at 2:14 am on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at Memorial Hospi-tal in Chester, IL.

She was born to Thomas Ferdinand and Lavern Irene (nee: Colin) Abernathy on January 29, 1948 in Perryville, MO.

She graduated from Perryville High School in 1965. She was first married to Arnold Otto Oswald and later

married to Kenneth Ray Mehrer. Joyce was employed by Swank, Inc. in St. Mary, Missouri

for 6 years and at Memorial Hospital in Chester, IL for 25 years.

Survivors include: 1 son: Jeffrey Oswald Chester, IL; 1 daughter: Cassandra Mehrer Chester, IL; 3 brothers: Thomas Abernathy Jefferson, TX, Robert Abernathy Perryville, MO, Daniel Abernathy Perryville, MO; Loving friend of 21 years: Gary O’Daniel Rockwood, IL; 7 grand-children and 8 great grandchildren.

Preceded in death by: Parents, 1 Brother – Roy Aberna-thy and 1 Sister – Judy (Abernathy) Hawkins

It was Joyce’s wish to donate her body to science and that no visitation or services be held.

Memorials: Washington University School of Medicine.

Joyce Mehrer, 64

Marilyn A. Veath, 80, of Ellis Grove, Illinois, passed away at 4:58 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at Memorial Hospi-tal in Chester, Illinois.

She was born to the late Perry and Adelie (nee: Becker) Zang on January 12, 1933 at Chester, Illinois.

Marilyn married Billy Veath on September 17, 1955, in Chester, Illinois. He survives.

She was a secretary for a fish farm. She was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Evansville, Illinois, the Ladies Aid and Secretary for Special Olympics Camp.

Survivors include her husband: Billy Veath Ellis Grove, IL; 4 children: Steve Veath Louisville, IL

Tammy (Dennis) Little Sparta, IL, Nancy (Tom) Ryan New Berlin, IL, William John Veath Carbondale, IL; 2 siblings: Lorene (Roger) Lehmberg Springfield, MO, Ronald (Peggy) Zang Chester, IL; 4 grandchildren; Many nieces and neph-ews.

Preceded in death by her parents. Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday,

January 29, 2013 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Evansville, Illinois .

Officiating: Rev. James Leistic. Visitation was held on Monday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00

p.m. at Welge-Pechacek Funeral Home, Evansville, Illinois and on Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Evansville, Illinois.

Interment: St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery in Evansville, Illinois.

Memorials: St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery Fund, Evans-ville, IL.

Marilyn Veath, 80

Ruth M. Brown, 92, of Modoc, Illinois, passed away at 9:50 pm, Thursday, January 24, 2013 at Red Bud Regional Hospital, Red Bud, Illinois.

She was born to the late Bernard and Lorena (nee Smith) Brown on April 24, 1920 in Modoc, Illinois.

She was never married. She had worked as a Nurses Aid at St. Clement’s Hospital in Red

Bud, Illinois for over 40 years. She was a member of St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Modoc, Illinois.

She was an avid quilter and gardener. She enjoyed sewing and can-ning.

Survivors include: 1 Sister: Shelba Kempfer Modoc, IL; 1 Brother-in-law: Lilburn Doiron Prairie du Rocher, IL; 9 nieces & nephews: Dar-lene (Alvin) Robert, Kathy (Steve) Eggers, Patti (Todd) Bland, Beth Ludwig, David (Robin) Ludwig, Mark Doiron, Karen (Mike) Kunkel, Gina (Jim) Schneider and Steve (Amy) Brown; many Great Nieces, Great Nephews, Great-Great Nieces & Great-Great Nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; 2 brothers – Russell (Levetta) Brown & Elmer (Faye) Brown and 2 sisters – Shirley Doiron & Anna Mae (Lilburn) Ludwig; 1 brother-in-law – Gary Kempfer, 2 nephews – Michael Ludwig & Scott Brown and 1 great nephew – Michael Bland.

A funeral mass was held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 28, 2013 at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Modoc, Illinois.

Officiating: Msgr. Daniel J. Jurek and Msgr. Dennis Schaefer.Interment: St. Leo’s Catholic Cemetery in Modoc, Illinois. Visitation was held on Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on

Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Welge-Pechacek Funeral Home, Red Bud, IL

Memorials: Masses, Hospice of Southern Illinois

Ruth Brown, 92

Walter L. Bollmann, 80, of Ava, passed away on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 9:31pm at his home.

Walter was born on August 9, 1932, in Steeleville, the son of Johan C. and Hulda M. (Ottersen) Bollmann. He married JoAn G. Lively on September 6, 1957 at Rockledge, Florida.

Walter was a retired electrican and was also retired from Captain Coal Mines. He was also a farmer. Walter was in the Air Force during the Korean War. He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church at West Point. Walter was also a member of the American Legion Post #1096 in Campbell Hill and the U.M.W. of A #1392 in District 12. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinal Fan and he enjoyed traveling.

Walter is survived by his wife, JoAn Bollmann of Ava, and children: Mark A. (Mary Ellen) Bollmann of Ava, Michael L. (Diana) Bollmann of Red Bud and Linda (Darl) Lodge of Ava; 6 grandchildren: Trevor & Casey Bollmann of Ava; Emily & Lindsey Bollmann of Red Bud, and Jordan & Hunter Lodge of Ava and foster sister-in-law, Ann (Ronald) Gerberding of Lampe, MO; two sisters-in-law, Cleta Bollmann of Campbell Hill and Francis Bollmann of Bloomington, IL; three neph-ews and four nieces.

Walter was preceded in death by his parents, 4 brothers, Clemens, Clarence, Herbert and Harold; one infant brother and one infant sister.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 25, 2013 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, West Point with Rev. Tim B. Zechiel, officiating. Burial followed in St. Peter Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation was held at Wilson’s Funeral Home in Ava, where friends may call from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m., then from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church. Memorials may be given to Immanuel Lutheran Church Building Fund for the new shed or TIP Hospice.

Walter Bollmann, 80

TAIL TALKIn honor of Cat Appreciation Month, I’m bringing you

an article I found on ABC.com because in addition to be-ing cat appreciation month it’s also Black Dog and Cat Syndrome Awareness Month. So, since two of my love monkeys are black I thought I would kill two birds with one stone (a nasty phrase but you know what I mean) by educating you on the benefits of having a dark fur love monkey in your life :

They’re just as friendly and just as furry, but black dogs sitting in animal shelters are often overlooked by prospec-tive pet owners, according to animal rescue professionals who have dubbed the problem the “black dog syndrome.”

“What we’ve learned is that large black dogs, and also black cats, tend to be the last ones to get adopted from shelters,” said Kim Saunders, the head of shelter outreach for Petfinder.com, a Web site often used by people look-ing to adopt pets.

“As a result, there are more of them in shelters and are euthanized more because of the lack of space,” said Saun-ders, who says that one of the reasons she believes black dogs are overlooked is because they don’t photograph as well as lighter-colored animals.

On sites like Petfinder.com that list more than 300,000 animals that are up for adoption, bad photographs of dogs can result in them being ignored altogether, said Saunders.

For some shelters, the problem is so bad that they’ve developed special promotions to help draw attention to their black pooches.

Hope Hancock, the executive director of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County in Raleigh, N.C., said that her shelter offered a sort of blue plate special to help get their black dogs adopted.

As part of the campaign, Hancock said a poster was de-veloped to promote the black dogs in the shelter and it was decorated with a string of blue lights. People who de-cided to take home the black dogs were given a discount off the routine adoption fees.

“Sometimes black dogs are seen as scarier by people,” said Hancock. “It’s very, very unfair – you can get a bite from a little yellow Chihuahua faster than one of the big-ger black dogs.”

“It’s not a fair assessment but it’s the one that’s made a lot of the time,” she said.

Hancock said that the Raleigh shelter has also offered a deal on black cats, who also tend to go unnoticed.

The shelter developed a special portion of their Web site dedicated to these black cats and gave them each a superhero nickname, handmade them capes, and photo-graphed them in the costumes.

“Many times, the black cats with no markings, much like the black dogs, appear to be a little bit plain, even though they’re bursting with personality,” said Hancock, “So we have to accentuate that.”

This black cat was given a costume to attract the eye of a potential pet owner.

Why Are Black Dogs and Cats Ignored More Than Others in Shelters?

Sherri Skidmore, the owner and founder of the Utah-based Black Dog Rescue Project, started her Web site to bring attention to the animals that are overlooked, which she says is a result of several factors.

“In the online age, photographs of dark-colored animals are much harder to see,” said Skidmore.

In addition, the shelter atmosphere can sometimes offer no natural light to look at a dog’s face in, said Skidmore.

“People are looking for a face to fall in love with and if that dog doesn’t stand out in a crowd, they just get over-

looked,” said Skidmore. “If you put a black dog and a light-er dog next to each other, people will be drawn to the lighter one.”

Superstition about the bad luck of having a black cat or the way black dogs are portrayed as villainous or danger-ous in movies also contributes to the problem, said Skid-more.

But Julie Morris, the senior vice president of the Ameri-can Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says that while the Black Dog Syndrome is talked about a lot, there are no hard numbers to support the theory.

“There is no research data and no controlled research to support [the Black Dog Syndrome theory], which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not true, but just that there is no data,” said Morris.

“There are lots of compounding factors,” said Morris. “Are there just more black dogs in shelters or is the real problem because most black dogs are also big dogs?”

According to Morris, the majority of people adopting dogs – especially those in urban areas – prefer smaller, easier-to-handle dogs which often times are not black.

“It’s not really clear if shelters see this as a problem just because there are simply more black dogs out there,” said Morris.

Even if the black dog syndrome isn’t proven, Morris said that any adoption is a good adoption and there is no harm in these shelters drawing extra attention to dark dogs and cats.

Hancock is planning another special campaign to attract cat lovers to help deal with a recent influx of black cats at her North Carolina shelter.

“Human nature leads people toward things that are more vibrant and riveting in color,” said Hancock. “It’s very, very superficial... there is no inherent difference in these ani-mals, they’re just angels.”

So the next time you’re looking for an angel in your life look to adopting a black cat. They’ll make your heart sing with love, and I promise it’s a decision you’ll never regret. And never forget, it’s only through you that the Randolph County Humane Society continues to save lives, one by one.

Front Row: Megan Hill-VP Individual Development, Tiffany Dailey- Oktoberfest Chairman, April Eichenseer- Chairman of the Board. Back Row: Dusty Kaesberg-Local Director, Jenny Orr-Treasurer, Jennifer Wilson-Secretary, Dr. Renee Rheinecker-President,

Not pictured: Jon Barbour-VP Community Development, Melissa Murphy- VP Management, Jodi Hornberger-VP Membership, Cassy Klausing- Local Director

S T E E L E V I L L E J A Y C E E S B E G I N N E W Y E A R

The Steeleville Jaycees began 2013 with their new officers in place at their Jan. 15th meeting at the Steeleville Eagles. On the agenda was the planning of many upcoming annual events as well as some new ones. The annual Easter Egg Hunt has been set for Sat., March 23rd at 10 a.m. in the Steeleville City Park (in front of St. Mark’s Church). Age categories will include 0-10 and there will be attendance gifts and prizes given away. This year’s Bunny Hop will take place on Sat., March 30th at the Steeleville Eagles. The Bunny Hop was started several years ago and each year the event is held to raise money for someone in the community struggling with a health issue. The Jaycees are still taking suggestions for a recepient for this year so please contact Dusty Kaesberg at 910-1382 if you would like to suggest someone.

The Jaycees will always be co-sponsoring the Valentine’s Dance being held at the American Legion on Feb. 16 and assisting with the Legion Fish Fry on Feb.8. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day,

the Jaycees have plans for a themed trivia night in the works. The tentative date set for this is March 15th at the American Legion Small Hall. Watch for more information to come on this event! Outgoing president April Eichenseer was named Jaycee of the Month! The Jaycees will meet again on Tues., Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the back room of the Eagles and anyone interested in joining may attend.

Upcoming EventsValentine’s Dance being held at the American Legion on Feb. 16

The Jaycees meeting on Tues., Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the back room of the EaglesThe annual Easter Egg Hunt has been set for Sat., March 23rd at 10 a.m.

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 11

LOCAL

Super Wal Mart in SpartaWal-Mart in ChesterRoziers in Chester

Moto Mart in ChesterChester Video

Casey’s in ChesterShowtime Cinema in Sparta

Casey’s in SpartaRoziers in Perryville

Casey’s in WamackCasey’s in Nashville

Casey’s in PinckneyvilleCasey’s in Tamaro

Casey’s in Du QuoinCasey’s in BaldwinCasey’s in Red Bud

Casey’s in SteelevilleCasey’s in Tilden

At these LocationsAvailable FREE Weekly

THE RANDOLPH COUNTY POSTFEBURARY 14, 2013 PAGE 12

OUTDOORS

The mission of the Illinois Conservation Con-gress is to give IDNR constituencies a formal process to propose and advocate actions that can be taken by elected and appointed officials to protect and conserve the natural resources of the State of Illinois. The goal of Conserva-tion Congress is to ensure through profes-sional management that sustainable use, recreational opportunities and enjoyment of these resources is available for this and future generations.Conservation Congress began in 1993 and was modeled after the General Assembly to include representatives from various state interest groups. The process was discontinued in 2003, and then reconstituted in 2009. During the last convening of Conservation Congress in April of 2010, Governor Pat Quinn signed an execu-tive order directing the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Congress participants to develop proposals for funding clean water, land acquisition, and department operations and create programs to increase public recreational access. That direction served as the basis for the ID-NR’s new sustainability package which passed out of the General Assembly and was signed by the governor in late 2012. The sustainability package will generate between $30-33 million per year in new revenue for the IDNR.This year’s Conservation Congress will start with a series of regional meetings, where par-ticipants will begin to “unpack” five broad top-ics for improving the mission and services pro-vided by the IDNR to its constituents. The topics are:

1: Sustainable Resource Development and Extraction – mines and minerals,

water resources, forestry, etc.2: Sustainable Resource Harvest – out-door recreation – wildlife and fish con-

servation, hunting, fishing, etc.

3: Sustainable Provision of Outdoor Recreation –

recreational public access, state parks, etc.

4: Sustainable Resource Protection – regulation, law enforcement, etc.

5: Building Bridges – developing new constituencies, professional develop-

ment, improving and growing partner-ships

Regional meetings are scheduled across the state to gain interest and feedback from the public. All meetings will start at 7:00PM. To register for a meeting click on the appropriate date below.

1: John A. Logan College, Carterville – February 19 & 20

2: Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville – March 21 & 22

Discussions at these regional meetings will create specific ideas for potential actionable items and serve as the basis for an eventual online survey giving the public more oppor-tunity to vote for the actionable items they would like the IDNR to pursue. The survey will be tallied and those items receiving the most support will be discussed by the 2013 Illinois Conservation Congress in Springfield in Sep-tember of 2013. The goal of the September meeting will be to develop work plans for ac-tionable items.Register for Illinois Conservation Congress: Registration is open online for regional discus-sions regarding important conservation issues as part of the 2013 Illinois Conservation Con-gress. Register at www.dnr.illinois.gov/Conser-vationCongress

2 0 1 3 C O N S E R V A T I O N C O N G R E S S

“JOHN A. LOGAN COLLEGE, CARTERVILLE – FEBRUARY 19 & 20 SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE, BELLEVILLE – MARCH 21 & 22 ”

Buy 2013 Illinois Licenses: Illinois fishing, hunting and sportsman’s combination licenses are available now from

DNR Direct license and permit vendors, online through the IDNR website Online Services page at

www.dnr.illinois.gov/online/Pages/default.aspx or by calling 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648). The system is available 24 hours a day. The 2013 licenses will be valid

through Mar. 31, 2014 unless otherwise noted.

2 0 1 3 ILLINOIS LICENSES: FISHING, HUNTING AND SPORTSMAN’S COMBINATION LICENSES

DR ADAM GIBBS

The Randolph County Post

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