the weekly post 3/17/16

RURAL BOXHOLDERLOCAL P.O. BOXHOLDER

****************ECRWSS*****

PRSRT. STD.U.S. POSTAGE PAIDElmwood, IllinoisPermit No. 13

Carrier Route PresortThursdayMarch 17, 2016Vol. 4, No. 3

The Weekly Post“We Cover The News of West-Central Illinois With A Passion”

Serving the fine communities of Brimfield, Dahinda, Duncan, Edwards, Elmwood, Farmington, Kickapoo, Laura, Monica, Oak Hill, Princeville, Williamsfield and Yates City

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By BILL KNIGHT and JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post

While Donald Trump and HillaryClinton grabbed the boldest headlinesout of Tuesday’s Primary Election inIllinois, a few contested local races weredecided and a referendum on Elmwood’sFire Department annexing to the Elm-wood Rural Fire Protection District(ERFPD) passed overwhelmingly.

The annexation decision was approved

by 78.8 percent of voters and now goesto the ERFPD Trustees, who can acceptor reject the annexation. If trustees DaveWagner, Jay McKinty and ThomasShissler approve the move, ElmwoodCity residents’ taxes will decline slightlyand rural residents’ taxes will increaseabout a nickel per $100 of Equalized As-sessed Valuation annually.

In area contests, Jodi Hoos defeatedSonni Williams in a tight race for the

Democratic nomination to fill retiredJudge Michael Brandt’s seat as 10th Cir-cuit Judge. With 95.8 percent of precintsreporting, Hoos led Williams 52.4 per-cent to 47.6 percent. In November, she’llface Republican Tim Cusack, who ranunopposed on the GOP ballot.

For U.S. Senate, with 73 percent ofprecints reporting, Democrat TammyDuckworth had received 63.3 percent ofthe vote and in the November election

will face incumbent Mark Kirk, who de-feated James Marter in the primary with71 percent of the vote.

For the Republican nomination to chal-lenge incumbent Democrat Cheri Bustosfor the 17th Congressional District,Patrick Harlan was leading Jack Boc-carossa and will face the two-term De-mocrat in the fall. With 75 percent ofprecincts reporting, Harlan had 75.9 per-cent of the vote.

Trump wins state, Clinton leads; fire annexation OK’d

Continued on Page 2

SIGNS OF SPRING

By BILL KNIGHTFor The Weekly Post

FARMINGTON – High school stu-dents in District 265 could see newdual-credit courses, plus new offer-ings in agriculture, earth & space sci-ence and career planning under arecommendation presented by theCurriculum Committee at the Boardof Education’s Monday meeting.

The curriculum revision proposal –unanimously accepted by the boardas a first-reading in a non-bindingvote – includes six new 1-credit Agcourses for Juniors and Seniors, and a1-credit Earth Science course as wellas a Civics Course now required bythe State. The dual-credit courseswith Illinois Central College wouldbe two sections of Western Civiliza-tion and Music Appreciation.

Meanwhile, the option to pursue anadditional solar-power system thatcould supplement the District’s cur-rent array and save the District about$750,000 over 25 years was approvedby consensus so a grant applicationcan be completed.

Steve Smith from the FarnsworthGroup, which helped with the currentsystem, reflected on its success and


Taking a load of brush to Elm-wood’s burn pile on the edge ofSweetwater Park last week, I noticedhow the five ball diamonds there arealready smooth and ready for actioneven as youth leagues are still signingup and coaches fretting over rostersand practice times.

“Ah,” I thought. “Spring.”Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote, “In

the Spring a young man’s fancylightly turns to thoughts of love,” andin Ecclesiastes, Solomon noted, “Foreverything there is a season … a timeto seek, and a time to lose...”

As Major League Baseball’s SpringTraining games got underway thismonth, our fancies turned to this newseason, when everything’s fresh,everyone’s got a chance, and possibil-ities seem endless.

Small-town ballparks’ dirt infieldsare prepped; birds are returning,robins scurrying in the dormant grass;cutoffs and sleeveless shirts arebrought out of closets; and summer

Farmingtonconsideringcurriculum

Baseball, not weathersays spring!

Continued on 0


Some Edwards residents are waiting tocomplete buyouts to flood-damagedhomes; communities includingPrinceville and Elmwood are waiting tohear about state approval of a rural enter-

prise zone request, andmotorists from through-out Peoria County arewaiting for a way to ad-dress needed work onroads and bridges.

However, for a turn-around in County fi-nances, the wait seemsover.

That’s according tothe State of the County address byCounty Board chair Andrew Rand Friday(March 11) at Ravinia on the Lakes.

“We’re not backward or upside down,”he said. “Just the opposite.

“We’ll finish 2015 with a $1.5 millionsurplus,” he said, stressing the speech’stheme: “Positively local!”

Citing savings from a workforce re-duction of 16 percent, overall expensesdown 3.6 percent from 2014, and collab-oration between Board members andelected officials, Rand said, “We haverestored Peoria County’s strong financial

Budget cutspave way forCounty surplus

Continued on Page 2Continued on Page 11

Rand

www.wklypost.comTHE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, March 17, 2016

We Cover The News of West-Central Illinois With A Passion

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ELECTION: Cruz tops Trump in Peoria CountyIn Knox County, Re-

publican voters had threecandidates for State Rep-resentative from the 74thDistrict – Michael DeSut-ter, Wayne Saline andDaniel Swanson. With 71percent of precincts re-porting, Swanson (56.3percent) was poised to

win the nomination tocompete against BillButts, who ran unopposedon the Democratic ballot,to replace retiring StateRep. Don Moffitt.

In a very tight race,Knox Democratic votersreelected incumbent JohnT. Pepmeyer in the State’sAttorney’s race. Pepmeyer

had 50.22 percent of thevote to 49.78 percent forJeremy Karlin. Republi-cans ran no candidate.

As far as the presiden-tial race, despite sixnames remaining on theDemocratic ballot, therace was between Clintonand Bernie Sanders.

With 74 percent ofprecincts reporting, Clin-ton led in Illinois with 51percent to 48.2 percent forSanders. Clinton also car-ried Peoria County with52 percent of the vote. ButBernie Sanders was aheadin Knox County with 52.2percent.

On the Republican bal-lot, 11 names appeared for

president, and whileTrump prevailed in Illi-nois (with 73 percent re-porting Trump was at 39.2percent to 30.4 percent forTed Cruz, 19.5 for JohnKasich and 8.5 for MarcoRubio), Cruz led in PeoriaCounty. With 95.9 percentof Peoria County precintsreporting, Cruz had 40.5percent of the vote to 30.3percent for Trump, 19.6percent for Kasich and 7.6percent for Rubio.

Trump won in KnoxCounty with 38 percent,Cruz was second (35.1),Kasich was third (17.5)and Rubio was a distantfourth (6.3).

Continued from Page 1

COUNTY: Road projects pose a huge challengefooting … without increasingtaxes, fines or fees.”

Grants from state and federalsources topping $7.7 millionhelped, targeting projects rangingfrom a bridge on Smithville Roadto lead-poisoning reduction.

Rand’s observations weren’t100-percent positive.

A huge challenge is dealing with37 priority road projects estimatedto cost $215 million, while receiv-ing about $3 million in Motor FuelTax the state returns to the Countyyearly.

“We cannot risk suspendinghighway maintenance projects atthe cost of public safety,” he said.“Therefore, the County Board willbe making critical decisions re-lated to infrastructure funding.

“We will continue to gatherinput through surveys and publicmeetings as we consider askingvoters for additional funding viaeither a property-tax increase or apublic-infrastructure sales-tax in-crease.”

Once more upbeat, Rand said hewas optimistic about a new part-nership with the City, the Cham-

ber of Commerce, and the Con-vention & Visitors Bureau to“Live & Shop in Peoria County.”

“Eating at local restaurants, vis-iting local attractions, and shop-ping at local stores sustains outlocal economy,” Rand said. “Wesupport our friends and neighborswho own or work at local busi-nesses. We support out publicservices such as law enforcement,fire protection and animal control. And we support ourselves by re-taining and creating jobs in ourcommunities, not on the Internet.


www.wklypost.com


THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, March 17, 2016

THE WEEK AHEAD

This Week’s Eventss Spring Story – Williamsfield Public

Library Spring Story Hour is now untilMay 4 on Wednesdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 1-2 p.m. Registrationrequired. Forms available at library.

s Shed Contest – Elmwood InsuranceAgency Shed Antler Contest is nowuntil April 15. $25 firstplace. Top three entriesscored. Free t-shirt foreach entry. This yearssheds only.

s Harvest Home –Yates City HarvestHome Dinner is today(March 17) from 4:30-7 p.m. at YatesCity Community Center. Dine in orcarry out. Dinner $9. Walleye, potatosalad, salad, roll, dessert and drink.

s Adult BINGO –Adult BINGO atSalem Township Library is today(March 17) at 10 a.m.

s NAMI Meeting – NAMI Mental Ill-ness Support Group meeting is today(March 17) at 8:30 p.m. at ICC North,Poplar Hall, Rm. 129. Individuals liv-ing in recovery of mental illnesses andfamily members welcome.

s Free Bread– Free bread available atElmwood Methodist Church Friday(March 18) at 10 a.m.

s Fish Fry – St. Patrick’s Church inElmwood fish fry is Friday (March18). Serving shrimp, catfish, potato,slaw, roll and drinks from 4:30-7 p.m.

s Veterans Dinner – World War II andKorean veterans wel-come to ElmwoodUnited MethodistChurch on Saturday(March 19) from 4:30-7 p.m. for dinner.Chili, soup, hot dogs,drinks and dessert

served.s Egg Hunt – Elmwood Kiwanis

Easter egg hunt is Saturday (March 19)at 11 a.m. in Central Park. 2,000 eggsfilled with candy and gifts.

Future Eventss Spring Fling – Salem Township Li-

brary Easter egg hunt and spring flingis March 25 at 2 p.m.

s Egg Hunt – Brimfield E-freeChurch Easter egg hunt is March 26 at10:30 a.m. Children 0-12 welcome.Rain or shine.

Publicize Your EventCall us at (309) 741-9790

or email information aboutyour upcoming event [email protected].

HOT PICKS This Week!s School Play – Brimfield High School presents

the play High School Musical on Friday (March18) and Saturday (March 19). Show begins at 7:30p.m. both nights. Tickets are $5 adults, $3 stu-dents.

s Pancake Breakfast – Brimfield Fire Depart-ment pancake and sausage breakfast is Sunday(March 20) from 6:30 a.m.-12 ?? at Kickapoo FireHouse. $5 per person, 5 and under free.

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Of Boo Boo and his first big bass



The Weekly PostThe Weekly Post is published every Thursday (except the last

weeks of December and June) by Lampe Publications LLC, 115 W.Main St., Elmwood, IL 61529.

All phone numbers listed are in area code (309).

Postmaster - Send address changes to The Weekly Post, P.O. Box745, Elmwood, IL 61529Phone - 741-9790 Fax - 741-9365Email - [email protected] Hours - Mon-Wed 9-3, Thurs 9-12, Fri 9-3News - Jeff Lampe 231-6040, [email protected] - Shelly Brodine 741-9790 Advertising - 741-9790Subscriptions - Subscriptions $50 for 50 issues. Deadlines - News due Tuesdays by noon. Ads due Mondays by noon.

Quotable – “I worry about kids today not having time to build a tree house or ride a bike or go fishing.

I worry that life is getting faster and faster.” John LasseterIllinois Press Association Member

The youngest boy we call Boo Boohad shown no aptitude for fishing inhis first eight years – not much in-terest, either, which worried me.

If nothing else, children are awonderful excuse to go fishing. Asin, “Well, I would paint that kitchenwall, honey, but the boys reallywant to go fishing.”

Problem is, if you must force thekids to fish, most wives see throughthe ruse. My se-cret is to feed theboys well onfishing trips andto fill their tackleboxes with inter-esting lures.

Usually, foodand lures aregood for severalexcused outingsper year. LastFriday was one. And it shocked me,frankly. Forced outside by theirmother, the two youngest boys gotbored and eventually started pickingthrough tackle boxes. In time theybecame eager to do more than lookat lures, which reinforces my beliefthat boredom is underrated in akid’s life.

So late in the afternoon, after thewater had warmed, we headed to adeep strip mine southeast of Elm-wood.

Early spring is among my favoritetimes to fish, because big bass are attheir most vulnerable and can be al-most predictable.

The first spot we fished is a south-

facing bay with a dark bottom thattypically warms faster than other lo-cations in the lake. When the windis blowing into this bay after a fewdays of warm, stable weather, fish-ing can be very good for bass, crap-pie and bluegill.

But usually the bite does not turnon until later in March. So we wereahead of schedule, and I figured itwould be enough for the boys to eatand to get in some casting practice.

The youngest had other ideas.After a fishless hour, he sighed, “Sofar so bad.”

Yes, he is a precocious little ras-cal. We shake our heads at his anticson a regular basis.

Still I knew time was limited be-fore his second-grade attention spanwould wane. So we left the stripmine and headed to a second,smaller lake where the water wouldsurely be warmer.

Once there, we set up on a shore-line with the wind blowing into it.While casting into the wind is toughfor youngsters, it’s another key tocatching bass from shore in spring.

Beyond that, of course, luck is ahuge factor. How else to explainwhat happened?

Boo Boo was fishing with one ofhis brother’s older, closed-face rodand reel combos that had not seennew line in at least five years. Hewas casting a heavy, black and char-treuse hair jig in order to contendwith the wind.

I had no thought he would catch afish. My money was on his brother,

Victor, a good angler when he does-n’t get in a rush.

Then, out of the blue, Boo’sbright blue pole bent double.

“I got one,” he yelled.Moments after we unhooked that

first chunky bass, Boo hooked an-other. This one was quite a bit big-ger – at 19.25 inches it would laterbe confirmed as the largest caughtout of the lake.

The boy was not done. After hisbiggest bass (above) swam off, hecaught four more. I managed two.His brother caught just one.

“Well, Dad,” Boo said, ever thephilosopher. “At least Victor learnedsome new things today.”

So did I. The youngest boy mightbe a fisherman after all.

Contact Jeff Lampe at 231-6040 [email protected]

JeffLAMPE

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There’s a war going on. Eachcompetitor is sparing no expenseon TV ads to gettheir messageacross and whyyou shouldn’tchoose the oth-ers. They boasttheir own bene-fits and have noproblem talkingtrash about thecompetition.

They mention each other byname. They take their competitors’advertisements and do their levelbest to turn their own wordsagainst them.

It’s ugly. But there’s a lot atstake.Each one of them wants your hard-earned dollars. Each one of themwants to be your cell phone com-pany.

What? You thought we weretalking about politics or some-thing?

Oh, yeah, we’re having a presi-

dential election this year. In fact, itseems like we’ve been having itfor the last decade.

The Democrats are trying tomake things easy for us. They onlygave us three, maybe four peopleto choose from: a former FirstLady who has a chip on her shoul-der, a grouchy old man who sayshe’s a democratic socialist, and acouple of invisible guys whodidn’t have the first clue abouthow to get noticed.

The Republicans, however, arepresenting us with a slate of candi-dates that seem to be nothing morethan fodder for late-night talkshow hosts/comedians.

There’s The Donald, who seemsto be trying to get his butt kickedout of the running by saying some-thing a little more outrageous thanhe did the day before. It almost re-minds me of the Broadway musi-cal “The Producers,” where twocon artists try to put together theworst show in the history ofmankind (to rip off investors) and

end up with a smash hit, much totheir chagrin.

Granted, Trump is saying stuffthat a lot of people might be think-ing; it’s just that you aren’t sup-posed to say that stuff in public, letalone if you’re running for office.I’m afraid that if Trump ends upgetting elected, Muslims – for thatmatter, anyone – trying to enterour country will be killed at theborder.

They’ll be trampled by peoplewho are trying to LEAVE thecountry.

Then there’s Marco Rubio, ayoungster who is most famous fortrying to slip off camera for a drinkof water (and failing miserably)while responding to a State of theUnion address. Rubio reminds meof one of those dolls with a stringattached who talks when you pullit. The trouble is, his recording isstuck on the same phrase. Maybe acouple of good slaps to the side ofhis head might cure that.

www.wklypost.com THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, March 17, 2016

GUEST VOICES


A primer for the never-ending election

JonGALLAGHER

To the Editor:These are very unhappy times in

Washington. Relations between theexecutive and legislative branchesare not just sour, but corrosive. Par-tisan paralysis and game-playing onCapitol Hill have become a hall-mark of these times, as has the evi-dent distaste our nation’s leadersfeel for one another.

It would be understandable togive in to despair, and a lot of Amer-icans have done so. Ihave not, and for asimple reason: in oursystem there is alwayshope. Why? Becauseour representativedemocracy rests finallynot on what politiciansin Washington or in our state capi-tals do, but on what our citizens do.

The bedrock assumption of repre-sentative government is that Ameri-cans will make discriminatingjudgments about politicians andpolicies, and shoulder their respon-sibility as citizens to improve their

corner of the world. The remarkablething is, they often do.

More than anything else, whatyou see when ordinary Americansdecide to get involved in a publicissue is their common sense andgood judgment, their fundamentaldecency, and their remarkable senseof fairness. They recognize there aredifferences of opinion and that theyhave to be sorted through. Theymake decisions by and large based

on hope, not fear ordespair.

The sense that comesthrough when youwatch Americans atwork on public issuesis their overwhelmingdesire to improve their

community. Often this is reflected inconcrete projects – a new bridge, abetter school, a badly needed sewersystem. But you can also see it inmany people’s cry for candidateswho will set narrow interests andexcessive partisanship aside, andwork to improve the quality of life

for all Americans.We often think of representative

government as a process in whichthe elected official educates con-stituents, but the reverse is usuallyeven more the case. Americans un-derstand the need for deal-making,compromise and negotiation – andthat to achieve change, they have towork through the system we have,which means educating and pushingpolitical leaders.

This is why I have an underlyingconfidence in representative govern-ment. Americans are pragmatic.They recognize the complexity ofthe challenges we face, understandthere are no simple answers to com-plex problems, and do not expect toget everything they want. My confi-dence in the system is built on citi-zens exercising their right to makethis a stronger, fairer country.

– Lee H. Hamilton, Indiana University Center

on Representative Government

To find hope, simply look around you

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NOTE: Charges are merely an accusa-tion. All suspects are presumed innocentuntil proven guilty in a court of law.

Police investigatingYates City break-in

YATES CITY – Local police areinvestigating an apparent burglaryof the Community Center buildingbetween 10:30 p.m. March 9 and 8the next morning, according to Po-lice Chief Randy Benson.

“Unlawful entry was gained,” hesaid, adding that, “an undeter-mined amount of cash was taken.”

Cabinets in the village Clerk’soffice were forced open, he said.

A unit from the Illinois State Po-lice District 7 in East Molineprocessed the crime scene, Bensonadded, and the investigation iscontinuing.

Billtown teen ticketedfor drug equipment

WILLIAMSFIELD – BraydenKnoblauch, 18, of Williamsfieldwas issued a Knox County ordi-nance violation for possession of

drug paraphernalia after officersresponded to a complaint of a ve-hicle driving erratically in Ben-jamin-Doubet Park after the parkwas closed.

A deputy at the scene saw nodamage to park ground but a sub-sequent search with a drug-sniff-ing dog of the car Knoblauch wasdriving uncovered equipment withmarijuana residue, police said.

Cash reported missingin suspected burglary

MONICA – Peoria County Sher-iff’s officers are investigating asuspected burglary at the MonicaElevator, where about $700 wasreported missing on March 10, po-lice said.

The Sheriff’s Office released nofurther information on the pendinginvestigation.

Police reports• Dollar General is pursuing

criminal charges against a sus-pected shoplifter from an incidenton March 5, according to Elm-

wood police.• A 63-year-old Yates City

woman is being sought for ques-tioning in connection with a 4p.m. drive-off theft of less than$150 in fuel from Freedom Oil inKickapoo, according to the PeoriaCounty Sheriff’s Office.

• Yates City police are holdingtwo bicycles recovered this monthat the Yates Cemetery in connec-tion with a Knox County investi-gation into items apparently takenfrom a local residence. Peoplewho think the bikes may be theirsmay call the police at their non-emergency number: (309) 358-1240.

Deer accident• Ila Persefield of Brimfield on

Illinois Routes 8 and 78 in Elm-wood Township.

Marriage licenses• Brandy Losh and Kyle Sim-

mons, both of Elmwood.• Rebecca Lewis and William

Hurt II, both of Farmington.

PUBLIC RECORD

GALLAGHER: Cruz reminds me of the JokerTed Cruz scares me. With that

smile of his, he reminds me of theJoker from the Batman series. Allhe needs is a white face and greenhair. I’ve watched him for a whilenow and I’m convinced he’s chan-neling the spirit of LBJ. I’ve al-ways thought that Johnson was ourworst president and would say ordo anything to get elected, andCruz’ shenanigans during the IowaCaucuses (caucussi?), telling peo-ple that Ben Carson had with-drawn from the race, and laterhaving one of his staff membersaccuse Rubio of making unflatter-ing comments about the Bible,seem to back up that theory.

Ben Carson, a doctor who en-tered the race, possibly by mistake,seemed to be sleep-walking thoughthe whole thing. After watching afew of his interviews, I wonderwho he hired to pass the medicalboards for him.

John Kasich is another guy whoI thought had wandered in off the

street. Then I found out that he’sbeen Governor of Ohio for the pastfive years and before that served inCongress since 1979. His strategyso far seems to be to hide untileveryone else has beaten the crapout of each other, and then comeout unscathed.

We’ve also had the chance to getto know people like Jeb Bush,Chris Christie, Rand Paul, CarlyFiorina, and about a dozen others,some of whose spouses probablyweren’t even aware that they wererunning for president until they an-nounced they were dropping out ofthe race.

The Battle Royals that masquer-ade as debates that they’ve stagedso far have been entertaining, pro-viding you’re the type who likesthe WWE, the “Jerry SpringerShow,” or both. In a recent debate,I don’t think a single idea was ex-pressed by any candidate; theywere too busy lobbing insults ateach other and fighting like abunch of second graders on a play-

ground. It got so bad, the stenogra-pher who does the closed caption-ing gave up and typed“unintelligible yelling.”

I almost wish that Sarah Palinhad announced her candidacy.There’s no way I would have votedfor her, but she would have beenfun to watch in those melees thatthey’ve been calling debates.

Of course, if she’d gotten in-volved, every time she opened hermouth the closed caption stenogra-pher would have been typing “un-intelligible.”

I also wish Joe Biden wouldhave gotten involved. I think outof all the candidates I’ve seen overthe last year, he might have beenmy choice for President. But we’llnever know.

After Illinois’ primary, most ofthe shouting will be over.

And if you think the primarieshave been fun, just wait ’tll yousee what they’ve got in store forthe general election!

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PRINCEVILLE – Adding sometechnology and the costs related toother technology was discussed byPrinceville’s Board of Educationon March 8, when members ap-proved spending $30,868 withBradfield’s of Peoria to add Smart-Boards, LED displays and a soundsystem to the high school renova-tion and addition.

Meanwhile, the District’s Tech-nology Fee may increase to helpdeal with insurance and other ex-penses associated with computerdevices students use.

“The Technology Fee wouldhelp to offset other costs such asinfrastructure hardware, Internetconnection, device repairs, soft-ware costs and technologysalaries,” Superintendent ShannonDuling reported.

The administration proposed in-creasing the Technology Fee to$100 per student at all Kinder-garten-12th grade levels, with amaximum household obligation of$300 per year if a family has morethan three students.

Currently, Kindergarten-5thgraders pay $40 to use school de-vices while at school, and 6th-12thgraders pay $60 to use the devicesat school or off campus during theschool year.

Under the proposal discussed,“Students would be provided witha new device at the beginning of6th grade, 9th grade, and 12thgrade,” Duling said. “Studentswould keep their device at the endof 12th grade [as a] graduationgift. Devices from the end of 8thand 11th grades would be movedto the K-5 students at PGS, help-

ing to replenish devices at thelower grades.”

The District’s insurance has nodeductible for K-5th grade, and a$25 deductible for 6th-12th grade.

“Each machine would be cov-ered by District-sponsored insur-ance that would cover accidentaldamage,” Duling said. “If the de-vice is intentionally damaged, thestudent would be responsible forthe actual costs to repair/replace[the device]. If the device is lost[by a 6th-12th grader, the] studentwould be responsible for paying$200 toward the replacement ofthe machine.”

The Board plans to take actionon the proposal at its April 12meeting, when the vote also willinclude possibly removing somefees and changing lunch fees dueto federal guidelines.

Elsewhere, the building projectbenefiting from SmartBoards, etc.,is moving along, the Board heard.High School Principal Rich Tholereported that the classroom addi-tion has drywall mostly completeand some final wall-painting oc-curring. Also, the gymnasium willsee HVAC work start soon.

Contractor P.J. Hoerr reportedthat the project’s change orders todate total $133,301.84, and thebalance in the contingency fundremains $35,451.82.

In other news:• The board approved buying a

new minivan from Wright Auto-motive of Hillsdale, Ill., a partici-pant in the State of Illinois JointPurchasing Program, for a cost notto exceed $21,000. The vehiclewould replace the District’s 2000Venture minivan, which has about270,000 miles.

• A representative from FirstMidstate, a Bloomington-based in-vestment banking firm, plans to at-tend the Board’s March 22meeting, when a plan to refinanceand refund bonds will be discussedand considered.

• The Board OK’d a day trip toSt. Louis for dozens of students inthe Science Club.

• A bus damaged by an enginefire was totaled out by the insur-ance company and the District al-ready has received a check for$32,123.

“Those funds will be used tomake the first year’s lease paymenton the bus that was approved at theFebruary meeting to replace the to-taled bus,” Duling said. “The restof the funds will be used [in theminivan] purchase.”

• and in personnel, ElizabethCowser resigned as PHS cheer-leading coach, PJHS Declamationsponsor, and PJHS Student Coun-cil sponsor, and Janet Senecal re-signed as migrant secretary/parentliaison. The Board approved hiringBrenda Valdes as migrant secre-tary/parent liaison; Mary Russellas cafeteria worker for next year;and Daryl Brower as PJHS volun-teer track coach, and approved the2015-2016 evaluations for RockellDaniels, Assistant Principal/Title IDirector; Grade School PrincipalJulie Bayless; and High SchoolPrincipal Rich Thole, and in-creased Thole’s 2016-2017 salary$2,000 to compensate for addi-tional administrative responsibili-ties tied to adding 6th, 7th and 8thgrades to PHS.

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SPRINGFIELD – Esti-mates for Illinois indicatethere are more than 2million residents livingwith some degree ofhearing loss. To helpthose people, the IllinoisTelecommunications Ac-cess Corporation (ITAC),is distributing a new am-plified telephone – theClarity BT914 – at nocost to seniors and otherswith hearing loss in Peo-ria County.

The cordless phoneamplifies sound up to 40decibels, pairs with a

standard landline tele-phone and/or multiplecell phones via Blue-tooth, and is hearing aidcompatible so users canenjoy clear amplifiedcalls on either their stan-dard or cell phones. Thephone also features alarge, easy-to-read CallerID, digital answering ma-chine, tone control andamplified ringtone op-tions.

“Our programs are freeand our goal at ITAC isto enhance the lives ofIllinois residents with

hearing loss” said TrudySnell, executive directorat ITAC.

Permanent Illinois resi-dents who can no longeruse a standard phone sys-tem can easily obtain theBT914 at no cost bycompleting an applica-tion, at www.itactty.org.

Locally, the phone canbe tested or an applica-tion can be picked up atAdvocates for Access at4450 N. Prospect Road inPeoria Heights. Pleasecall in advance to (309)682-3500.

Group offers free amplified phones



BRIEFSYates City man honoredwith Silver Beaver Award

YATES CITY – G. Scott Greggof Yates City was honored in lateFebruary with the Silver BeaverAward – the highest award a local

council can present toan adult volun-teer of the BoyScouts of Amer-

ica (BSA).Gregg was hon-

ored at the IllowaCouncil, BSA Vol-

unteer Recognition Dinner on Feb.26 at the Golden Leaf Center inDavenport.

Gregg received the SilverBeaver award for his distinguishedservice to youth.

Gregg became an Eagle Scout in1990 and has been very active withthe Boy Scouts for the past 34years.Peoria County SWCDhonored for 75 years

PEORIA – The Peoria CountyBoard recently gave a Proclamationto the Peoria County Soil & WaterConservation District, commemo-rating its 75th Anniversary.

Peoria County SWCD has beeninvolved in promoting a healthyMidwestern ecosystem to ensure thereduction of soil erosion and promo-tion of improved water quality andwildlife habitats since 1937. TheSWCD offers many programs to thepeople of Peoria County, varioussales, such as trees, fish and plants,manages State funded cost-shareprograms to reduce soil erosion, andalso provides confidential watertesting for nutrient loss.

They provide educational clinicsand farm tours to teach both youthand adults about conservation of ournatural resources. To learn morevisit peoriacountyswcd.tripod.com.Brimfield-Jubilee Roadshould reopen Friday

BRIMFIELD – Brimfield-JubileeRoad is expected to reopen thisweek after the Peoria CountyHighway Department closed thestretch between Kelstadt Road andJubilee Hills Drive for a culvert re-placement.

Work began on Monday (March14) and was scheduled to concludethis Friday (March 18), weather

permitting.The Peoria County Highway De-

partment requested motorists findan alternate route.

For more information, call theHighway Department at (309) 697-6400.Paper and aluminum candrive in Williamsfield

WILLIAMSFIELD – TheWilliamsfield Town & Country 4-HClub will hold a paper and alu-minum can drive on April 2 from 8a.m. to noon at the corner of Galeand Chicago streets in Williamsfield.

Acceptable items include newspa-pers, magazines, office paper, card-board and aluminum cans. Anydonations of these recyclables areappreciated as a club service andfundraiser.

If you need paper or cans pickedup, please call club leader GrantStrom at (309) 297-0193 to makearrangements.Nearly 250 attendWilliamsfield carnival

WILLIAMSFIELD – Nearly 250kids and the adults who accompa-nied them enjoyed a “super” timeat the Superhero Carnival atWilliamsfield Schools last Friday.

More than 20 total inflatables,activity stations and games withprizes generated a night of memo-rable entertainment at the event,which is a service activity andfundraiser for the WilliamsfieldParent and Teacher Organization

(P.A.T.).In all, more than 70 businesses

and cake bakers generously con-tributed funds, supplies or servicesto make this event possible andprofitable. Combined with theevent’s raffle, the annual carnivalgenerates thousands of dollars tohelp P.A.T. pay for various equip-ment and services for the school,from student field trips to newbooks and playground updates toclassroom technology.March 31 deadline forConservation program

Time is running out for farmers toparticipate in the ConservationStewardship Program (CSP) thisyear. The deadline for producers toapply at their local Natural Re-sources Conservation Service(NRCS) office is March 31.

The CSP is a voluntary steward-ship incentives program that rewardsfarmers for maintaining existingconservation and adopting additionalconservation measures that provideenvironmental benefits. CSP re-wards producers for improvingwater quality, enhancing wildlifehabitat, reducing soil erosion, in-creasing energy efficiency, and othernatural resource benefits.

CSP is a continuous sign-up pro-gram. Once the cut-off date is past,producers may continue to apply,but they will not be considered forentry until the following year.

To sign up, farmers should visittheir local NRCS center.

Pictured with the proclamation commemorating the 75th anniversary of thePeoria County Soil & Water Conservation District are (left to right) CarolTrumpe (Peoria County Board), Jerry Wyatt (PCSWCD), Arlan Janssen(PCSWCD) and Brian Elsasser (Peoria County Board).

Fulton, Knox Counties Health Dept. Food Inspections – Feb. 1-29, 2016Establishment Address Date Score EstablishmentBenny’s 18 W. Fort St., Farmington Feb. 23 97 bar & grillFaith Bible Camp Knox Rd. 2200 E.,Yates City Feb. 19 92 kitchenMy Place 107 S. Union St., Yates City Feb 11 100 tavernO’Brian’s Parkside Deli 10 n. Cone St., Farmington Feb. 23 98 restaurantYates City Deli & Bakery 101 E. Main St., Yates City Feb. 19 96 restaurant* Peoria City/County food inspection reports were unavailable at press time.

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YATES CITY – Aftersome questions and dis-agreement about Villagebalance sheets onWednesday (March 9),the Yates City VillageBoard unanimouslyagreed on planned streetimprovements and an ap-peal to help the commu-nity effort to renovate thegazebo.

Examining financialreports from January andFebruary, Trustee BoydBewley said thereseemed to be “wild num-bers.

“I don’t like the way itcame out,” he said. “Ican’t accept the reporteven if he is an auditor.”

Bewley’s questionspertained to a new formatwith different classes ofexpenditures, whichTreasurer Joy Mahr ischanging at the requestof auditor Douglas W.Irwin of Kewanee to con-form to the QuickBooksaccounting software.

Despite Bewley’s ob-jections, the Board ap-proved the balance sheetsas presented, 4-1. TheBoard may invite Irwinto visit a future Boardmeeting.

Meanwhile PublicWorks director ChuckEiker reported that he,Bruner, Cooper & Zuckengineer Kevan Cooper

and Trustee LesleyGavelys would tour localstreets Friday (March 11)to determine which areasneed tar & chipping andspray-patching this sum-mer.

The Board suggestedspending about $30,000in Motor Fuel Tax fundson the two rounds of roadwork, and Cooper willreport to the Board on hisrecommendations priorto bids being let.

Christine Bewley, amember of the localcommittee organizing therestoration of YatesCity’s gazebo, reportedthat the group has raisedabout $10,000 and askedfor a commitment by theBoard to underwrite ma-terials for the re-con-struction.

“It’s been a great com-munity project,” she said.“The community hasbeen very generous in thedonations.”

The Board unani-mously approved spend-ing $3,000 to pay formaterials for the restora-tion, including concreteblocks and bricks.

After Balagna HouseMoving of Farmingtonraises the structure fromits deteriorated founda-tion, Elmwood contractorDave Hall will superviseweekend work with vol-unteers, Bewley said,probably the third week-

end of June – after YatesCity’s St. Jude benefit.

Another gazebo fundraiser is planned for April23, when a whole hogdonated by Gene Saun-ders will be used for apancake & sausagebreakfast at the Commu-nity Center, Bewleyadded.

In other business, theBoard:

• heard Eiker reportthat Bryan Allen of Bar-tonville will start con-crete work at thefirehouse after May 1,and Massey Roofing willrepair the water buildingroof with shingles similarto the Community Cen-ter’s;

• Police Chief RandyBenson reported on a“fairly busy” February –which had 28 reports, 14traffic stops, 11 warningsand 3 citations – andadded that he’s finalizinglocal guidelines to bringthe Village into compli-ance with National Inci-dent ManagementSystem (NIMS) stan-dards on responding todisasters and also willforward to Village attor-ney Wayne Statham adraft of new general or-ders for the department;

• unanimously ap-proved Irwin to audit theVillage’s current fiscalyear;

• set April 23 as the

next Clean-up Day, shar-ing the costs of G&Odumpsters with SalemTownship; and

• heard that YatesCity’s sewer plant wasawarded a runner-uphonor in the IllinoisRural Water Associa-tion’s annual recognitionat its February confer-ence in Effingham.

Yates City board talks finances, repairs

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NEW PRINCEVILLE BUSINESS

FARMINGTON: More solar power?said the addition of another megawattcould mean the District could generate 95percent of its total usage.

“We’re two days shy of one year [whenthe first array went online] and you’vesaved $52,277,” he said. “That exceededour expectations. This new system wouldmake Farmington one of the few net-zeroschool districts in the country. It wouldrequire zero out-of-pocket, no cost to thetaxpayer; no cost to the District.”

Unlike the current array, the proposedsystem – tentatively planned for near theball fields in a secure enclosure – wouldnot be owned or maintained by the Dis-trict. Instead, a power purchase agree-ment would guarantee the District, ashost for a third party responsible for up-keep, a lower rate for power for decades.

Dan Griffin and James Holtzman fromthe Clean Energy Design Group, a renew-able energy company headquartered inSpringfield, told the Board they’ll handlethe application through the Solar Renew-able Energy Credit (SREC) grant pro-gram, and said they should know moredetails by the end of the month.

In a binding vote, the Board unani-mously awarded Illinois Central SchoolBus (ICSB) a two-year contract to man-age the District’s bus fleet at a cost of$921,412.54 next year and $949,030.56the following year.

“This includes all labor,” said Superin-tendent John Asplund, “maintenance,manager, drivers, dispatcher...”

The board in January approved thelease/purchase of 34 vehicles for student

transportation. ICSB’s bid was lower thanthe other bid, from First Student.

In other action, the Board:• Recognized five groups for extracur-

ricular successes: Junior Varsity boys bas-ketball (Prairieland Conference champs at24-0), 7th grade boys basketball (regionalchamps), 8th grade boys basketball (EliteEight, with a 24-1 record), high schoolwrestling (three state qualifiers), andspeech (six students won Regional Per-formance in the Round championship);

• Hired Gorenz and Associates of Peo-ria as the District’s auditing firm at a feeof $13,000 the first year, $13,500 the sec-ond, and $14,000 the third;

• Accepted resignations by Cherie Dun-bar, Jennifer Oertle and Joe Stokowski;

• Awarded tenure earned after a four-year probationary period to Amara Bur-dess and Megan Reed;

• Approved the non-renewal of biologyteacher Kurt Meyer, as agreed when hewas hired;

• Approved a three-year contract forhigh school Principal Brad Hulet startingin the 2016-2017 school year;

• Approved hiring for 2016-2017 An-drew Bach as high school science teacherand Paige Burkland as high school Fam-ily & Consumer Science teacher, ChristiGarlish as student facilitator starting lastmonth, and Josh Johnson as Junior HighGirls Assistant Track Coach for this year;

• OK’d trips for the Science Olympiadto St. Louis this month and the Band toFlorida in March of 2017; and

• Approved eliminating final-exam ex-emptions starting next year.


Claude and Ruth Coats of Princeville were two of the first customers whenSprinkles opened in Princeville on Monday. Chad Gardner owns the new restau-rant, which serves lunch, dinner and ice cream treats. Photo by Collin Fairfield.

www.wklypost.com



BASEBALL: ‘Player and fan alike must care.’beckons with players’ andfans’ faith, hope and loveready for expression.

The renewal has the airof weddings and babypowder, promises of flow-ers and kites, with noveltystrengthened with famil-iarity, like old pals andcomfy shoes, bright daysand balmy nights.

Illinois journalist, histo-rian and poet Carl Sand-burg wrote, “I rememberthe Chillicothe ballplayersgrappling the Rock Islandballplayers in a 16-inninggame ended by darkness.And the shoulders of theChillicothe players were ared smoke against the sun-down and the shoulders ofthe Rock Island playerswere a yellow smokeagainst the sundown. Andthe umpire’s voice washoarse calling balls andstrikes and outs and the

umpire’s throat fought inthe dust for a song.”

In March we move fromfantasy games to card-board trading cards, fromwinter’s Hot StoveLeague to Lent and denial,and then to Easter and thedelight of Resurrection.

Baseball’s prospects andsuspects, promising rook-ies and aging veterans –perhaps professionalsports’ most diverse groupof athletes – enjoy sunnyworkouts in warm cli-mates to prepare for likelychilly Opening Days. Andsomewhere, shops unpackcartons of bubblegum andboxes of glove oil, batsand balls.

Novelist Thomas Wolfewrote, “One reason I havealways loved baseball somuch is that it has beennot merely ‘the great na-tional game,’ but really apart of the whole weather

of our lives, of the thingthat is our own, of thewhole fabric, the millionmemories of America.

“Almost everything Iknow about spring is init – the first leaf, the jon-quil, the maple tree, thesmall of grass upon yourhands and knees, the com-ing into flower of April.And is there anything thatcan tell more about anAmerican summer than,say, the smell of thewooden bleacher in asmall-town baseball park,that resinous, sultry andexciting smell of old drywood?”

Traditions are remem-bered, from the notions ofteam chemistry and indi-vidual character to keep-ing an eye on the ball andrunning it out, all-out. In-game protocols are re-called: silence duringpending no-hitters, obliga-tory participation inbench-clearing brawls,young teams shakinghands after the last out.

Ideals are reconsidered– maybe even romanti-cized – not because theNational Pastime orAmericans are perfect, butbecause we think anAmerican Dream remainspossible.

Playwright WilliamSaroyan wrote, “Baseballis caring. Player and fanalike must care, or there isno game. If there’s nogame, there’s no pennantrace and no World Series.And for all any of usknow there might soon beno nation.”

Modernity sometimesupdates or upends base-ball and its heritage, so theDesignated Hitter ruleroils some fans and Saber-metrics adds slash-lineconfusion to our longingfor straight chalk lines andpast purity.

Baseball goes on.Author and professor

Kevin Kerrane wrote,“After Vietnam, beyondfootball, in spite of Astro-turf and Designated Hit-ters and megabucks, wekeep finding the gameagain every time we loseit – rediscovering it notonly in Major Leagueparks, but in every cornerof the country, on innu-merable streets and play-grounds and sandlots, andin every corner of our-selves.”

Finally, as Gary Graf ti-tled his book about paral-lels between the Bible andbaseball: “And God said,‘PLAY BALL!’ ”


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QUILTS OF VALOR

American Legion Turns 97The Williamsfield American Legion Auxiliary

held a special supper last Saturday to celebratethe 97th birthday of the American Legion. In addi-tion to a delicious meal of fried chicken, JaneSmith from the Knoxville chapter of the nationalgroup Quilts of Valor was on hand to help cele-brate. She presented quilts to veterans of WorldWar II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.Pictured in the photo above are: Front row (left

to right) John Quick, Lee Wight, Gene Yelm,Duane Gibbs, Stanley King, Tom Rice and BobMahar; Middle row (l to r) Carol Knett, Marget De-sham, Jane Smith, Mary Rice and Mary Lowe-Mahar; Back row (l to r) Larry Mattson, BobJacobs, Dan Powell, John Seder, Mickey Gray,Tim Klein and Ed Yelm.At right, 91-year-old World War II veteran

Duane Gibbs made immediate use of his quilt.

Photos by Collin Fairfield


WILLIAMSFIELD –The Board of Educationon Monday reviewedsummer building projectsand approved movingforward with letting bidsfor more than $500,000of work, a developmentgreatly assisted by a$100,000 donation from

the Norman Foundationfor a STEM Center.

Estimated costs for thesix-step project are about$596,000, but $23,000 inexpenses is expected tobe covered in-house.

Overall, the projectnow breaks down as anew STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) Center withequipment (covered bythe foundation donation),asbestos abatement($65,000) a Phase-2 cam-era upgrade ($35,000),construction includingSTEM Center plumbing,an art sink, a refereeroom, storage and officework ($473,394), musicroom ($20,000), andFrench room ($3,000).

District financing op-tions were discussed andSuperintendent Tim Far-quer reported that theBuilding Fund has a bal-ance of $750,000, and anadditional $635,000 inalternate revenue bondsalso is available.

Bids are expected to be

received in May andJune.

The Board also ap-proved a biennial busbid, awarding a purchaseof a 2017 Thomas 65-passenger school bus toMidwest Bus Sales ofPrinceton for $78,582.The vehicle is scheduledfor a summer delivery;

Also, a bond abatementresolution was OK’d,which provides that taxeslevied this year won’t beused to pay debt servicefor the General Obliga-tion School Bonds/ Se-ries 2015.

“This is for the bondswe sold last year,” Far-quer said. “It is a stan-dard annual procedurethat keeps our bonds offthe local levy by declar-ing our commitment touse [Knox County]penny sales tax revenueto make bond payments.”

In other news:• The 2016-2017

school calendar was re-viewed and approved,setting Aug. 16 as the

first day of school and ahalf day on May 23 asthe last day next year;

• The Board approvedhiring Mary Kay Bronny(summer book inven-tory), Mary Clark (volun-teer assistant softballcoach), Charlie Sams(volunteer assistant base-ball coach), Brent Stew-art (volunteer assistantsoftball coach and assis-tant Middle School base-ball coach), and MikeWeitekamp (head coach,Middle School baseball);

• A few citizens duringthe public comment por-tion of the meeting ad-dressed concerns withstudents’ scores in thePartnership for Assess-ment of Readiness forCollege and Careers(PARCC) exams, theschool carnival, andschool safety, but theboard took no action.

Billtown board OK’s bidding for construction

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ELMWOOD – MaybeCongress or the IllinoisGeneral Assembly couldlearn from the City Coun-cil’s Tuesday meeting,when Aldermen heeded awarning to take shelter byspeeding through theagenda in seconds.

Find a way, and thentake cover.

In short order, the Coun-cil approved a recommen-dation by the ZoningBoard to amend a SpecialUse Permit for a propertyon West Ash Street that re-duced a setback from fiveto four feet, then tabled afew items until the April12 meeting: a pre-annexa-tion agreement idea, dis-cussion of traffic issues inschool zones, and B.Y.E.Ambulance’s proposed fa-cility on South KnoxStreet.

B.Y.E. was on theagenda but earlier toldEconomic DevelopmentDirector/Zoning Adminis-trator Dick Taylor thatthey weren’t ready to pres-ent plans anyway.

Before the tornadowarning, however, theCouncil accepted bids forthe Senior Citizens CenterBuilding on South Magno-

lia and also for six piecesof equipment Superintend-ent of Public Works DanBybee in January deter-mined to be “no longernecessary or useful to theCity,” adopted a new ordi-nance on cable-TV fran-chise fees, and discussedan issue raised by localbusinessman Joe Merrick.

Two sealed bids werereceived for the 1,176square-foot Senior Centerbuilding, which was ap-praised by Glassey &Glassey of Pekin at$13,500.

Under terms of the sale,a buyer must make thebuilding available to theAmerican Legion Post638, the Elmwood SeniorCitizens Club and the Vet-erans of Foreign Wars Post4724. The American Le-gion made the minimumbid of $5,000, and Elm-wood resident Mark Bar-rett bid $7,500.

Barrett’s bid had thesupport of the VFW, andAlderman Kent Stevens,an American Legion mem-ber, said he would abstainbut also supported Bar-rett’s purchase.

Kenny Miars of theVFW also spoke and saidBarrett planned to abideby the terms of the agree-

ment, make repairs andrenovate the entrance tomake it wheelchair-acces-sible, and may offer day-care services onoccasional weekdays.

The Council approvedselling the property to Bar-rett, 5 to 0, with Stevensabstaining and AldermanAdam Rue absent.

The Council also unani-mously approved accept-ing high bids for eachpiece of equipment of-fered. D. Mason bought asilage wagon for $800;Francis Schauble bought agrader for $1,128; ShortyDavis bought a flatbedtrailer for $338.25 andalso a walk-behind tillerfor $16; and Barry’s Exca-vating bought anothertiller for $503 and a leaf-vac for $876.

As for the cable-TV or-dinance with Mediacom,the Council unanimouslyapproved keeping theservice provider fee,which the company passeson to consumers, the same3-percent rate.

Finally, Merrick, ownerof Merrick Floor Cover-ing, explained that on theweekend of the ElmwoodAll Outdoors Show March5-6 he parked a fork truckon South Magnolia Street

as part of a clearance salebut was told it was im-proper. He wanted toknow what he could do toavoid a similar situation.

Alderman Bryan Davissaid the only problem washaving a truck parked in ano-parking zone near astop sign, which is a viola-tion of state law.

Mayor J.D. Hulslandersaid, “I want to see yousell carpeting, but if we letone business park in a no-parking spot with a bigbanner, we’d have to leteveryone do that.”

Elmwood council OK’s sale of center

SEE OUR CLASSIFIEDS ... Page 16Place yours at (309) 741-9790



Donna Brewer, Local Representative (309) 742-4661

Mon-Fri 9-4; Sat 9 to noon

OBITUARIESWilliam Baird

WILLIAMSFIELD – William D.“Bill” Baird, 82, formerly ofWilliamsfield, died March 7 at theIllinois Veterans Home in Quincyafter a long illness.

Survivors include his wife Nina(Wilson) Baird; daughters DianaLynn (Joseph Gotfryd) of Brook-field, and Beth Anne (Marc Pietrzak)and Joyce Elaine (Gregory Godsil),both of Downers Grove; grand-daughter Kristina Michelle; sisterMary Jo Rogers of Las Vegas, Nev.;brother Richard (Mary Lou) Baird ofDahinda; and sister-in-law Patricia(Mrs. James R.) of Yates City.

A visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Fri-day (March 18) at the WilliamsfieldUnited Methodist Church, with Ma-sonic rites preceding at 4:45 p.m. Amemorial service is scheduled for11 a.m. Saturday (March 19), with avisitation preceding the service at9:30 a.m. at the First UnitedMethodist Church of Peoria.

Condolences may be left online at www.ruxfuneralhome.com.

Sharon K. BensonMAQUON – Sharon K. Benson,

71, Maquon, who grew up in YatesCity, died March 9 at OSF St.Mary Medical Center in Gales-burg.

Survivors include her husband,Larry Benson of Maquon; daugh-ters Lori (fiancé Bill Nelson) Ben-son of Galesburg and Kellie(Robert) Mahnesmith of Chilli-cothe; son Mark A. (Trisha) Ben-son of Las Vegas, Nev.; sevengrandchildren; one great-grandson;and sisters Frances Hasting ofMendon and Shirley Ingram ofMonon, Ind.

A funeral service was March 13at Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Homein Knoxville, with interment atMaquon Cemetery.

Condolences may be left online athurd-hendricksfuneralhome.com.

Rolland CarterPRINCEVILLE – Rolland Steven

Carter, 72, of Carrollton, formerlyof Princeville, died February 27 atDes Peres Hospital in St. Louis.

Survivors include niece CherylJoyce and nephews Rick Duncanand Scott Duncan, all of Princeville.Cremation was accorded. No serv-ices are planned.

Condolences may be left online atamcsstl.com.

Roberta HeinzKICKAPOO – Roberta L. Heinz,

68, of Kickapoo died March 6 atOSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

Survivors include her husband,Lawrence D. “Horse” Heinz; sonsAdam and William, both of Brim-field; daughters Sarah (Robert)Jones of Brimfield and Susan(Todd) Walker of Kickapoo; 15grandchildren; sisters PatriciaBinder of Brimfield, Linda Unger ofKickapoo and Becky Carr of CreveCoeur; and brother Robert A. Cor-bett Jr. of Kickapoo.

A memorial Mass was March 10at St. Mary’s Catholic Church inKickapoo. Cremation rites were ac-corded.

Condolences may be left online atwww.wrightandsalmon.com.

Wesley HoehnePRINCEVILLE – Wesley D.

Hoehne, 28, of Morton, formerly ofPrinceville, died March 9 at his resi-dence.

Survivors include his mother,Sally (Tom) Evans of Morton; sis-ters April (Steve) Santoro of Plain-field and Hollie (Phil) Ernst ofStockton; brothers Nick (Nichole)Williamson of Appleriver, Ill., andTim (Jenny) Williamson of TinleyPark; stepsister Cindy Evans of EastPeoria; stepbrother, Greg (Lindi)Evans of East Peoria; and grand-mothers, Lavonne McGuire of Mor-ton and Mary Hoehne ofGermantown Hills.

Cremation has been accorded anda graveside service will be at a laterdate in Princeville Cemetery.

Condolences may be left online atwww.haskellhott.com.

Michaelin NaumanBRIMFIELD – Michaelin

“Mickie” Nauman, 81, of Chilli-cothe, a Brimfield native andmother of two Princeville residents,died March 6.

Survivors include children Sally(Sean) Coyle and Michael (Janet)Nauman, both of Princeville, NancyNauman of Muscatine, Iowa, Mar-cia Ripsch of Normal, and Joseph(Debbie) Nauman of Chillicothe;four grandchildren; brother D. An-thony (Cora) Antonacci of Alma,Ill.; and sister Joanne (Harold)Whittaker of McColl, S.C.

A funeral Mass was March 11 atSt. Edwards Catholic Church inChillicothe. Cremation rites wereaccorded, and she will be laid to restwith her husband Clinton at a laterdate in the Chillicothe City Ceme-tery.

Condolences may be left online atwww.weberhurdfuneralhome.com.

R. Virginia TillmanWILLIAMSFIELD – R. Virginia

Renwick Finney Tillman, 97, of Ke-wanee, a Williamsfield native, diedMarch 11 in Kewanee Care Center.

Born Feb. 26, 1919, in Williams-field to Bruce W. and Florence E.Kauffman Renwick, she graduatedfrom Williamsfield High School in1936. And married Verne Finney ayear later in Davenport, Iowa. Hepreceded her in death in 1991. Shelater married Harry Tillman on June3, 1998, in Maquon.

She is survived by her husband;son Jeffrey (Kaye) Finney of Kewa-nee; daughter Jeralyn (Thomas) Byeof Pentwater, Mich.; six grandchil-dren; nine great-grandchildren; andnumerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral service was March 16 atHinchliff-Pearson-West GalesburgChapel, with burial at MaquonCemetery.

Condolences may be left online atwww.h-p-w.com.

Cathryn TruittWILLIAMSFIELD – Cathryn

Viola Trout Truitt, 54, of Williston,S.C., formerly of Williamsfield,died Jan. 12 in Williston.

She taught high school sciences atWilliamsfield High School from1993 until 1998 and until recentlywas the Dean of Nursing at Den-mark Technical College in Den-mark, S.C., and was working on herPh.D. in epidemiology at WaldenUniversity.

Survivors include her parents,

This Week’s Obituaries• William Baird, 82, Williamsfield• Sharon K. Benson, 71, Maquon• Rolland Carter, 72, Princeville• Roberta Heinz, 68, Kickapoo• Wesley Hoehne, 28, Princeville• Michaelin Nauman, 81, Brimfield• R. Virginia Tillman, 97, Williams-field• Cathryn Truitt, 54, Williamsfield• Mildred Westart, 73, Princeville• Mary Wyman, 81, BrimfieldWe print basic obituaries for free.

Longer obituaries cost $1 per col-umn inch;$5 per picture. Call (309)741-9790.

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BRIMFIELDSt. Joseph

Catholic ChurchFather John Verrier314 W. Clay, Brimfield(309) 446-3275

www.stjosephbrimfield.orgSat. Confession: 3:30-4:45 pm

Sat. Mass: 5 pmSun. Mass: 10:30 am

Daily Mass: Tues.-Fri. 8 amSt. Paul’s

Lutheran ChurchThe Lutheran Church -

Missouri Synod“Preaching Christ Crucified”“Liturgical & Reverential”Pastor Michael Liese

204 W. Clay St., Brimfield(309) 446-3233

Sun. Divine Service: 10 amBrimfield E-Free ChurchPastor Donald Blasing11724 Maher Road

Brimfield, IL 61517(309) 446-3571

www.brimfieldefree.orgWorship: 10:30 am

Sunday School: 9:30 amAWANA - Wed. 6:15 pm, for

ages 3-12Brimfield UnitedMethodist Church

Pastor Leonard Thomas135 S. Galena St., Brimfield

(309) 446-9310Sun. Worship: 9 amSun. School: 9 am

Thurs. Bible Study: 7 pmUnion Church at BrimfieldUnited Church of ChristPastor Stephen Barch

105 W. Clay Street, Brimfield(309) 446-3811

Sunday Worship: 9 amTuesday Bible Study: 6:30 pmFirst Sunday each month isCommunion Sunday (gluten

free communion offered)EDWARDS

Bethany Baptist Church7422 N. Heinz Ln., Edwards

(309) 692-1755www.bethanycentral.org

Sat. Evening Worship: 6 pmSun. Worship 8:15 & 11 amWednesday Awana: 6:15 pm

Christ Alive! Community ChurchPastor Lance Zaerr

9320 W US Hwy 150, Edwards(309) 231-8272

www.christalivecc.comSun. School: 9:15 amWorship: 10:30 amELMWOOD

Crossroads Assembly of GodPastor Tim Cavallo

615 E. Ash St., Elmwood(309) 830-4259

www.crossroadselmwood.orgWed. Worship: 7 pm

Sun. Worship: 10:30 amElmwood Baptist ChurchPastor Dennis Fitzgerald

701 W. Dearborn St., Elmwood(309) 742-7631, 742-7911 Sun. School: 9:30 am

Sun Worship: 10:30 am, 6 pmWed. Prayer Meeting: 7 pmFirst Presbyterian Church

of ElmwoodReverend Marla B. Bauler201 W. Evergreen, Elmwood

(309) 742-2631firstpresbyterianofelmwood.orgSun. Worship: 10:30 amSun. School: 9:30 am

St. Patrick’sCatholic ChurchFather Paul Stiene

802 W. Main St., Elmwood(309) 742-4921

Sat. Confession: 3:45 p.m.Sat. Mass: 4:30 p.m.Sun. Mass: 10 am

Tues. Rosary: 8:15 amUnited Methodist Church

of ElmwoodPastor Bradley F. Watkins II821 W. Main St., Elmwood

(309) 742-7221www.elmwoodumc.org

Sun. Worship: 9 am, 10:30 amYouth Sun. School: 9 amAdult Sun. School: 8 amFARMINGTON

First Presbyterian Churchof Farmington

Reverend Dr. Linda Philabaun83 N. Cone Street, Farmington

(309) 245-2914www.firstpresfarmington.comSunday School: 9:30 amFellowship: 10:30 amWorship: 11:00 am

New Hope FellowshipAssembly of GodPastor Tom Wright

1102 N. Illinois Route 78

Farmington(309) 245-2957

Sun. Worship: 10 amWed. Worship: 7 pmPRINCEVILLE

Princeville UnitedMethodist ChurchPastor Ken Dees

420 E. Woertz, Princeville(309) 385-4487

[email protected]. Worship: 9 am

Sunday School: 10:15 amYATES CITYFaith United

Presbyterian ChurchReverend Marla B. Bauler

107 W. Bishop St., Yates City(309) 358-1170Worship: 9 am

Sun. School: 10:15 amThurs. Choir: 7 pm

AREA CHURCHES

OBITUARIESWalter and Marjorie Troutof Cameron; husbandDonald Edward Truitt Jr.;son Patrick Michael Truittof Williston, S.C., both athome; sisters CynthiaTrout and Christine(Ronald) McGettrick;brothers Curtis Trout,Charles (Debra) Trout,

Clifford Trout, ClarenceTrout; three nieces; threenephews; and numerousaunts, uncles and cousins.

A Celebration of Lifeservice was March 12 atthe Cameron ChristianChurch in Cameron.Interment will take placein a private family cere-

mony at Silent HomeCemetery in Cameron at alater date.

Condolences may beleft online at www.folkfu-neralhome.com.Mildred Westart

PRINCEVILLE – Mil-dred “Millie” Westart, 73,of Princeville died March

9 at Liberty Village inPeoria.

Survivors include chil-dren Brendan (Rachel)Westart of GermantownHills and Danielle (Mark)Pflederer of Tremont;three grandchildren;brothers Nollan “Joe”(Lyn) Harwood, the Rev.Paul “Tim” (Sherri) Har-wood, Jonathan (Kay)Harwood, Charles Har-wood and James “Tater”(Robin) Harwood; sistersKarin Jacobs, Deborah(John) Hyde, Kathy Har-wood and Cindy Har-wood-Laizure; andlongtime companion,Lloyd “Dick” Stubbs andhis children, Mark Stubbs,Carrie (Mark) Streitmat-ter, and three granddaugh-ters, Kaylee, Megan andAllison.

A funeral service wasMarch 12 at Haskell-HottFuneral Homes inPrinceville. Cremationwas accorded and privateburial of ashes will be at alater date in St. Mary ofthe Woods Cemetery,Princeville.

Condolences may beleft online atwww.haskellhott.com.

Mary WymanSPRING BAY – Mary

A. Wyman, 81, of SpringBay, mother of two Brim-field residents died March8 at UnityPoint Health-Proctor Hospital in Peoria.

She is survived by herchildren, Georgia Wymanand Charles V. Wyman,both of Brimfield, andLaura Dailey of SpringBay; a brother, HughHarper of Peoria; sixgrandchildren; and twogreat-grandchildren.

There will be no publicservices or visitation.

Condolences may beleft online at www.Clary-Funerals.com.

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• HOUSE IN FARMINGTON:Small two bedroom, stove,refrigerator, washer anddryer furnished. $550 permonth rent plus $550 de-posit. Call (309) 253-5092.• OFFICE SPACE: Locatedin Kickapoo,1500 squarefeet, five offices and onelarge main office, utilitiesincluded. Call for more in-formation, (309) 241-3171.• APARTMENT: In Brim-

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(309) 645-6218.• BOAT: 10-foot-2 plasticboat, live well, battery box,like new, and fits in back ofpick up. Like new. $700.(309) 678-2750.• GRASS HAY: Grass hay,no rain on it. $4/bale. (309)635-4575.• VINYL FLOORING: De-signer’s Image PlatinumSeries self-stick 16x16floor tile, 7 boxes left, 20pieces per box. Goes down

easy and looks great! (309)741-9790. • HOOPS HISTORY: Illinoisbasketball history book“100 Years of Madness” insoft and hard cover. Must-have history of Illinois highschool basketball, $5-$10.Call (309) 231-6040.

SERVICES• LANDSCAPING: Burly’s

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drive-hauling white rock

and dirt. Call Kenny (309)224-2727.• LAWN SERVICE: Seekingyards to mow in Elmwoodfor 2016. (309) 415-0296.• WHITE ROCK: Whiterock, river rock, black dirt,fill dirt & mulch available.Free skid steer servicew/purchase of materials.Tree trimming & removal,brush clearing & demoli-tion. (309) 219-2832.

WANTED• DEER HUNTING LEASE:Central Illinois veteran andvery serious deer hunters,looking for a hunting leasein Knox County. No farmtoo large or small. Archery& firearm seasons. CallTim (217) 853-2373.• HUNTING LAND: Seekingland to lease for waterfowl,turkey or deer hunting.231-6040.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGOF THE TOWNSHIP OF ROSEFIELD

NOTICE is hereby given to the legal residents of the Township ofROSEFIELD in the County of Peoria and State of Illinois, that the An-nual Meeting of said Township will take place on TUESDAY, APRIL 12,2016.

The Town Meeting for the transaction of miscellaneous business ofsaid Town will be held at the hour of 7:00 O'Clock P. M. on said day atthe ROSEFIELD TOWN HALL, situated in said Township, and a Moderatorhaving been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of Officersand decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of Law, come beforethe Meeting and especially to consider and decide the following:

Call Meeting to Order;Nomination/Election of the Moderator;Moderator’s Oath of Office;Approval of minutes of previous Annual Town Meeting;Annual report of Supervisor;Annual report of Road District Treasurer;Audit of Accounts;Permanent Fund Transfers;Set time of next Annual Town Meeting;General Busine ss; and,Adjournment.

DATED this 9th day of March, 2016.

MARTIN E. MAY,Rosefield Township Clerk.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGOF THE TOWNSHIP OF JUBILEE

NOTICE is hereby given to the legal residents of the Township of JU-BILEE in the County of Peoria and State of Illinois, that the AnnualMeeting of said Township will take place on TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016.The Town Meeting for the transaction of miscellaneous business of

said Town will be held at the hour of 8:00 O'Clock P. M. on said day atthe JUBILEE TOWNSHIP HALL, located at 12807 N. Prince ville-JubileeRoad, in Jubilee Township, Peoria County, Il linois, and a Moderatorhaving been elected, will proceed to hear and con sider reports of Offi-cers and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of Law, comebefore the Meeting and especially to consider and decide the following:

Call Meeting to Order;Nomination/Election of the Moderator;Moderator’s Oath of Office;Approval of minutes of previous Annual Town Meeting;Annual report of Supervisor;Annual report of Road District Treasurer;Audit of Accounts;Determine time of next Annual Town Meeting;Permanent Fund Transfers;General Business; and,Adjournment.


ROBIN A. FORNEY,Jubilee Township Clerk.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGOF THE TOWNSHIP OF ELMWOOD

NOTICE is hereby given to the legal residents of the Township ofELMWOOD in the County of Peoria and State of Illinois, that the AnnualTownship Meeting of said Township will take place on TUESDAY, APRIL12, 2016.The Township Meeting for the transaction of miscellaneous business

of said Township will be held at the hour of 6:00 O'Clock P. M. on saidday at the ELMWOOD TOWNSHIP HALL, located at 111 West MainStreet, Elmwood, Illinois, in said Township, and a Moderator havingbeen elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of Officers anddecide on such measures as may, in pursuance of Law, come beforethe Meeting and especially to consider and decide the following:

Call Meeting to Order;Nomination/Election of the Moderator;Moderator’s Oath of Office;Approval of minutes of previous Annual Town Meeting;Annual report of Super visor;Annual report of Road District Treasurer;Audit of Accounts;Permanent Fund Transfers;Resolu tion appoint ing the Township Attor ney;General Busi ne ss; and,Adjournment


DIANA HALL,Elmwood Township Clerk.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGOF THE TOWNSHIP OF ELBA

NOTICE is hereby given to the legal residents of the Township ofELBA, in the County of Knox and State of Illinois, that the Annual Meet-ing of said Township will take place on TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016.The Town Meeting for the transaction of miscellaneous business of

said Town will be held at the hour of 7:30 O'Clock P. M. on said day atthe ELBA TOWN HALL, in Elba Township, Knox County, Illinois, and aModerator having been elected, will proceed to hear and con sider re-ports of Officers and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance ofLaw, come before the Meeting and especially to consider and decidethe following:

Call Meeting to Order;Nomination/Election of the Moderator;Moderator’s Oath of Office;Approval of minutes of previous Annual Town Meeting;Annual report of Supervisor;Annual report of Road District Treasurer;Audit of Accounts;Permanent Fund Transfers;Determine time of Annual Town Meeting;General Business; and,Adjournment.


PHILLIP GOEDEKE,Elba Township Clerk.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGOF THE TOWNSHIP OF PRINCEVILLE

NOTICE is hereby given to the legal residents of the Township ofPRINCEVILLE in the County of Peoria and State of Illinois, that the An-nual Meeting of said Township will take place on TUESDAY, APRIL 12,2016.The Town Meeting for the transaction of miscellaneous business of

said Town will be held at the hour of 6:00 O'Clock P. M. on said day atthe PRINCEVILLE TOWNSHIP BUILDING, located in Monica, Prin -ceville Township, Peoria County, Illinois, and a Moderator having beenelected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of Officers and de-cide on such measures as may, in pursuance of Law, come before theMeeting and especially to consider and decide the following:

Call Meeting to Order;Nomination/Election of the Moderator;Moderator’s Oath of Office;Approval of minutes of previous Annual Town Meeting;Annual report of Super visor;Annual report of Road District Treasurer;Audit of Accounts;Permanent Fund Transfers;General Busi ne ss; and,Adjournment.


MARLYS ELY,Princeville Township Clerk.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETINGOF THE TOWNSHIP OF MILLBROOK

NOTICE is hereby given to the legal residents of the Township ofMILLBROOK, in the County of Peoria and State of Illinois, that the An-nual Meeting of said Township will take place on TUESDAY, APRIL 12,2016.The Town Meeting for the transaction of miscellaneous business of

said Town will be held at the hour of 7:30 O'Clock P. M. on said day atthe MILLBROOK COMMUNITY CENTER, in Laura, Illinois, situated insaid Township, and a Moderator having been elected, will proceed tohear and consider reports of Officers and decide on such measures asmay, in pursuance of Law, come before the Meeting and especially toconsider and decide the following:

Call Meeting to Order;Nomination/Election of the Moderator;Moderator’s Oath of Office;Approval of minutes of previous Annual Town Meeting;Annual report of Supervisor;Annual report of Road District Treasurer;Audit of Accounts;Permanent Fund Transfers;General Business; and,Adjournment.


BOBBIE PHILBEE,Millbrook Township Clerk.

Mike CecilFinancial Advisor3430 W Willow Knolls Dr.Peoria, IL 61614Office 309-693-3019Cell 309-357-1001

[email protected] www.edwardjones.com

Deer Hunting Lease WantedCentral Illinois veteran, very

serious deer hunters are look-ing for a hunting lease in KnoxCounty.

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Illinois’ second administration ofthe Partnership for Assessment ofReadiness for College and Careers(PARCC) assessment began lastweek, with about 1 million studentsexpected to complete the exam inEnglish language arts (ELA) andmath over the next three months. Inresponse to feedback from schooldistricts, this year’s PARCC assess-ment features a shorter, simplifiedformat to improve the process forstudents and educators.

Debuting last year, the PARCCassessment focuses on students’mastery of key concepts as well astheir critical thinking and writingskills. It originally was divided intotwo parts that measured differenttypes of knowledge and skills.

This year’s assessment has onlyone testing window, which extendsfrom March 7 until June 10.

Districts selected their own 30-day testing period within this timeframe. The single window reducesthe amount of time necessary to ad-minister the assessment and allowsteachers and students to spend moretime on classroom instruction.

Test time is also reduced for moststudents by 60 minutes for the mathportion and 30 minutes for ELA.

Students in grades 3-8 and selecthigh school courses are taking thePARCC assessment, with roughly85 percent expected to take theexam online. Last year, about 75percent did so online.

The state considers assessments

as one measure to track progress,and data from the PARCC assess-ment provides a picture of whereIllinois schools are succeeding andwhat areas need improvement.

The second year of results willhelp teachers and parents determineif a student requires remediation ormore advanced instruction earlier inhis or her schooling.

Illinois expects to receive the2016 results sooner than the 2015results, with districts receiving scorereports sometime this fall.

Faster turnaround time for 2016scores will give teachers more timeto tailor their instruction to meetspecific student needs and bettersupport improvement efforts.

Schools ready for second round of PARCC

www.wklypost.com



TRIVIA TEST By Fifi Rodriguez1. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was thefirst president to be born after theUnited States declared independ-ence?2. SCIENCE: What is the lowestlevel of Earth’s atmosphere called?3. LITERATURE: In which of Shake-speare’s plays was the line “To beor not to be” spoken?4. HISTORY: Who was the lastpresident of the Soviet Union? 5. MATH: What is the only primenumber that is also even?6. U.S. STATES: How many U.S.states are not adjacent to anotherstate?7. ANATOMY: How many bones arein an infant’s body?8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What woulda group of bears be called?9. ASTRONOMY: How long is aMartian year?10. MUSIC: What group had a hitin 1979 with the song “JukeboxHero”?Answers1. Martin Van Buren2. The troposphere3. “Hamlet”4. Mikhail Gorbachev5. 26. Two — Alaska and Hawaii7. About 300, because some boneshaven’t yet fused together. Mostadults have 206. 8. A sleuth or sloth9. 687 Earth days10. Foreigner(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

FOR ANSWERS SEE PAGE 14

MOVIES1. Zootopia (PG)2. London Has Fallen (R) 3. Deadpool (R) 4. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (R) 5. Gods of Egypt (PG-13) 6. Risen (PG-13) 7. Kung Fu Panda 3 (PG) 8. The Revenant (R) 9. Eddie the Eagle (PG-13) 10. The Witch (R)2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

ALL SPORTS ROUNDUP

Brimfield seniors Phelan Kellyand Koby White and Elmwood jun-ior Isaiah Groeper earned first-teamall-conference honors in both thePrairieland and ICAC for the 2015-16 basketball season.

Kelly was a unanimous selectionto the Prairieland first team, as weresenior Trey Swearingen and juniorEric Higgs of Farmington. Round-ing out the first-team were: WillLeGrande (Jr.), Lewistown; Man-ning Plater (Sr.), Rushville-Industry;Justin Batterton (Sr.) South Fulton;Devin Yocum (So.) Bushnell-PC;Tyler Houston (Sr.), Knoxville.

Second-team Prairieland picksfrom the area were seniors BradNovak and Jace Swietek of Brim-field and senior Jake Roberts ofElmwood. Elmwood sophomoreVince Lenzi earned special mention.

Also named first-team in theICAC was Garrett Wight ofROWVA-Williamsfield. Roundingout the ICAC first team were junior

Noah Jeckel of Delavan and juniorTaylor Bruninga of Illini Bluffs.

Novak and Swietek were second-team picks in the ICAC along withRoberts and senior Zac Smith ofROWVA-Williamsfield.

Lenzi earned honorable mentionin the ICAC.Girls all-Prairieland picks

Junior Allie Meyers of Elmwoodwas a unanimous first-team all-con-ference pick for the PrairielandConference. Senior Kennedy Duraof Brimfield was also a first-teamer.

Rounding out the first-team wereKayley Peck (Jr.) Bushnell-PC;Ashlee Duncan (Sr.) Lewistown;Jordyn Hughes (Sr.) and Elly Bon-nett (Jr.) Havana; Madison Jones(Jr.) A-Town; and Bailee Case (Jr.)Knoxville.

Named second-team all-Prairieland were sophomore MeganGilstrap of Farmington, senior Mor-gan Ledbetter of Elmwood and sen-iors Shayla McCormick and Kenzie

Schlipf of Brimfield.Farmington junior Abbey Brown

earned special mention. Three-point showdown

Jace Swietek of Brimfield woundup one trey short of advancing inthe Class 1A Three-Point Show-down last Thursday at CarverArena. Swietek made nine treys inthe preliminary round, one morethan teammate Koby White.

But it took 10 to reach Friday’sfinal round, which was won by NicHagel of Steeleville with 10 treys.

At the girls contest in late Febru-ary, junior Jessica Devries ofPrinceville reached the final roundafter making 11 treys in the prelims.Devries hit eight 3-pointers in thefinal round to fall short of the 11made by Arieal Scott of DanvilleSchlarman.

Senior Kennedy Dura of Brim-field was the only other area quali-fier and made seven shots in theprelims.

Area trio make first-team ICAC, Prairieland

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TUTTLE: Tireless crusader against spit tobacco

Alaina Clark, ElmwoodSenior Alaina Clark has been part of both the

Poms and Spirit Squad for four years. Outside ofsports, Alaina is also a part of the Key Club andband, where she plays clarinet. After graduationAlaina plans to attend Illinois Central College fortwo years before transferring to a four-year college.

Alaina said she enjoys performing because of thereaction and connection she feels with the audience.“Lain,” as she is known by herteammates, said the two mo-ments she is most proud of asan athlete were qualifying forIHSA state and getting secondat Illinois Drill Team Associa-tion (IDTA) state last year.Alaina described IDTA statesaying, “We were backstagejust after finishing our routineand everyone – even CoachRoberts – just started crying because we all knewwe had done so well.”

Alaina would encourage young people to continuewith sports through high school because, “Eventhough it can be a lot to handle with school, it isworth it because it is a good way to make friends.”Alaina singled out Paige Koll as a teammate onwhom she relies, saying, “She helps me rememberour choreography and is a very good technicaldancer.” Alaina also mentioned her parents, saying,“They are the heart of my support system. My par-ents attend almost every performance and alwaysare very encouraging afterwards.”

Alaina said she will miss the poms team. “Eventhe morning practices, because our team is so closethis year and I will miss that connection.”

– Erik Davis

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Sponsored by The Weekly Postand Elmwood Insurance Agency, Inc.

Syracuse Chiefs. An athlete known for acrobatic

fielding and a strong throwingarm, Tuttle was a solid batter, too,finishing several seasons in the top10 in offensive categories such asbatting average, runs scored andtriples. His baseball cards had suchstats on the back; on the front heusually was pictured with hischeek bulging with a wad of to-bacco. Years later, a canceroustumor was detected there, requir-ing five surgeries and chemo andradiation treatments, costing theformer athlete much of his face.

“He was a good ballplayer,” ex-Major Leaguer and broadcaster JoeGaragiola told The Weekly Post.“He [was] a man who knew hecould do it and went out and did it,and did it well.

“That goes for tobacco issues[too],” added Garagiola, 90, whoretired from broadcasting in 2013.“He was a champion, a Hall ofFamer for my mind.”

Garagiola got Tuttle and his wifeGloria involved with the OralHealth Association’s National SpitTobacco Education Program, andTuttle became a tireless crusaderfor the campaign.

Minor League baseball bannedspit tobacco in 1993 and theNCAA banned it the next year.Also, the MLB Players Associa-tion contract that expires Dec. 1 al-ready restricts its use duringinterviews or at team functions,and players aren’t allowed to carrytins or pouches while in uniform.

Tuttle was recognized for his ef-forts. Louisville Slugger put Tuttleon its Wall of Fame; in 1995; the

U.S. Surgeon General's awardedhim its highest honor, the Exem-plary Service Medallion; and in1997, Bill and Gloria were hon-ored by President Bill Clinton.

Tuttle died July 27, 1998, theyear when more than 140 MLBballplayers volunteered to bescreened for oral cancer, and 59percent were found to have le-sions.

White Sox owner Jerry Reins-dorf reportedly supports the move,as does Cubs Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Jake Arrieta (whouses spit tobacco), and New YorkCity is about to consider a ban.

Tuttle’s daughter, Kim Oliver,said, “It was a courageous battle.Dad was so adamant about kidsseeing players with big wads ofwhatever in their cheeks. He didn’twant that.”


LAMPE: Small schooltourney not what it wasClass 1A state title.

None of which matters.Small-school basketball islittered with should-have-been champions andteams that just missed.

That underlines justhow special last year wasfor the Indians – and howmuch the foes you face onthe way to state matter.Sometimes being a statechamp comes down to theluck of the bracket.

Brimfield got a toughdraw. While no Class 1Ateam will have to contendwith Leo again for years,the Lions played muchbetter against Brimfieldthan they showed in Peo-ria – particularly againstLeRoy’s zone.

There’s no way thatsame zone would havestopped Brimfield.

uuuWhen Illinois split to

two classes in 1972, therewas widespread grum-bling. But within a fewyears, most folks admittedthey appreciated theswitch. I don’t sense any-thing similar after nineyears of four classes.

If the goal is to giveLeRoy and Liberty a bet-

ter shot at hardware, thenit’s a good decision. In atwo-class system, Libertywould have been a nicesectional team and Chas-tain might not have beenenough to get his mates tostate.

But there’s a lot of fa-miliar faces, too. Leo andClass 2A fourth-place fin-isher Hales Franciscan aretourney vets. Their returnshows non-boundariedschools and those who ac-tively recruit players haveeven more of an edge in afour-class system.

Travel is also a majorproblem in this cash-strapped era.

And don’t try sellingme on the falsehood thatthis gives more kids achance to enjoy the “statetournament experience.”Is that really so valuablewhen the crowds and ex-perience are nowhere nearwhat they once were?

If anything, the mainthing the IHSA did by wa-tering down the tourna-ment to four classes wasto take away from thepostseason experience –from regionals on up.

Contact Jeff Lampe at 231-6040 or [email protected]


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SOFTBALL: Three seniors to lead Brimfield-Ejunior she hit .450 with 50RBI and 27 stolen bases.Nineteen of her 50 hitswere for extra bases.

All-conference thirdbaseman Maddie Hite alsoreturns after hitting .358last year as a junior.

This year’s junior classshould also add to the painof Princeville opponents.All-state leadoff hitter andsecond baseman NatalieCokel returns a .505 aver-age to the leadoff positionalong with a .638 on basepercentage, 39 free passes,and 27 steals to set thetable for the Lady Princes.

Versatile Jessica De-vries will help both be-hind the plate and in theoutfield after hitting .333with 13 stolen bases.Madison Roe returns tohandle first base, andclutch hitting NicoleRoberts will be back to bethe designated hitter.

Chloe Lane started as afreshman in centerfield forlast year’s supersectionalqualifier, and she hit animpressive .348.

“We’re excited about anumber of other playersthat will compete for start-ing jobs or as key roleplayers,” Chad Gardnersaid. “Senior catcher Jor-dan Kellar, junior out-fielder Karlen Sandall andinfielder Natalie Dominguez and sopho-mores Caitlin Pullen andHaley Holt will also seesome time.”

Princeville opens thisweekend in Jacksonvilleat the Play the Turf Jam-boree.

Brimfield-ElmwoodThe graduation of four-

time all-state hurler Flo-rey, catcher Ryleigh Keith,second baseman AbbyFrietsch and outfieldersKendra Gorham, HannahHuber and HannahBaysingar will definitelyleave a void of experiencefor the Lady Indians.

But three seniors are

back for a Brimfield-Elm-wood team that battledinto the 11th inning beforelosing the 2015 Class 2Astate championship gameto Nashville, 1-0.

That group includesshortstop Kennedy Dura(.343 last year with 38runs), third baseman Alli-son Pillman (.368, 25RBI) and first baseman-pitcher Morgan Ledbetter.393, 17 doubles, 7 homeruns).

“That core, that’s apretty darned good group.I think it would be toughto find a better three com-ing back in the area,” saidcoach Kurt Juerjens, whois 60-10-1 in two seasonsat B-E. “Morgan has beenworking more at pitchingto be ready for this year.”

Juerjens said otherpitchers twill be sopho-more Alyssa Roll andfreshman Montana Led-better.

Juerjens said sopho-mores Grace LaFollett,Holly Stratton and GracieScherler are also ready tostep up into a more promi-nent role this season.

Beyond them is a prom-ising group of newcomersthat includes DelaneySmith, Alex Updyke,Shelby Glover and Lind-say Stenger.

“We lost so much expe-rience in those six seniorsand some of the youngerkids don’t have a ton ofexperience playing in thesummer,” Juerjens said.“But many of our youngerplayers are capable ofmaking valuable contribu-tions. It will be a fun sea-son watching them grow.”

B-E opens Monday atHenry-Senachwine.

FarmingtonFarmington looks ahead

to a season of strongpitching and defense tohelp get the team throughwhat could be a toughschedule.

A returning trio of all-conference pitcher Alli

Sprague, shortstop CarlyBehrens and Bre Springerwill lead the Lady Farm-ers.

Other returnees includeoutfielders Emily Busterand Taylor Whitehurst.Grace Behrens, whomissed last season, will bea welcome addition.

Two freshmen, MacieSprague and OliviaRenken, are touted to adddepth.

Graduation took all con-ference performer andteam leader Kaylee Ren-froe.

“We will be aspiring toimprove as the seasongoes on, then to be play-ing our best ball in thepost season,” coach JeniFauser said.

The Lady Farmers openMarch 23 at home againstWethersfield.

ROWVA-WilliamsfieldFive starters return for

the Cougars from a 10-23finisher, with TinaFoglesong expected to bea leader at the plate.

“She should be a sparkfor our offense this year,”coach Joel Zaiser said.“Last year, having toomany errors and walkswere our weaknesses. Weare hoping to shore upthose errors to get morequality wins.”

Seniors Madison Stew-art and Emalee Furlongwill pitch, as will juniorHaleigh Howard andsophomore KayleeSchuermann.

The Cougars will splithome games betweenOneida. The first Billtowngame is scheduled forMarch 28 against NorthFulton.


Allison Pillman hit .368 with 25 RBIs for the Brim-field-Elmwood softball team last year.

Weekly Post Sports www.wklypost.comTHE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, March 17, 2016


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Text Your Scores To (309) 231-6040 or [email protected]

Princes primed for softball seasonRunner-up Brimfield-Elmwood counting on newcomers to step up

Class 1A titlewas there forthe taking

Oh, what could have been.This helps nobody, unfortunately,

but a non-scientific review of lastweekend’s Class 1A tournamentleads me to one conclusion: Brim-field would have won a second con-secutive state title if that last-second3-pointer in DeKalb had slippedthrough instead of bouncing out.

Yes, eventual champion LeRoyhad the best player in the tournamentin Matt Chastain. The long-haired 6-

foot-6 guard-for-ward wasimpressive. WhyDivision I col-leges waited toshow interestuntil after Utahmade him anoffer makes nosense. He shouldmake a niceplayer in the rightsystem.

And Chicago Leo’s 6-4 DariasOliver is also a solid player – thetype Chicago produces, quietly, whoyears later show up on televisionhelping a college (not an Illinois col-lege, mind you) succeed in theNCAA tournament.

Those two notwithstanding, Brim-field would have won it.

The Indians just shot the ball toowell this year to go into the samekind of funk that overtook the othermembers of the 1A Final Four. Mostteams in this tournament looked tohave one scorer and maybe anothershooter.

Brimfield had two “scorers” inPhelan Kelly and Koby White, twoother zone-busting shooters in JaceSwietek and Jordan Bauer and a 6-8force inside in Brad Novak. Pluscoach Scott Carlson’s 1-3-1 defenseis at its best against opponents whoare not accustomed to playingagainst that style.

That’s more than enough to win a

By PHIL JOHNSONFor The Weekly Post

Morgan Florey is off at college, whereshe’s already earning all-conference hon-ors. Your reaction to that news – relief orsorrow – depends largely on which soft-ball team you root for this spring.

For a promising Princeville team thathas seven of nine starters back, Florey’sgraduation means the Princes could be thelocal team to beat this spring.

For last year’s Class 2A runner-up Brim-field, though, Florey’s departure leaveshuge cleats to fill.

Here’s a preview of local softball teamsheading into the spring season.

PrincevilleExcitement abounds for the upcoming

season in Princeville as the team returnsseven of nine startersfrom last year’s 29-8campaign that saw theLady Princes reach aClass 1A supersectional.

Heading the list of sen-ior returnees are threekey players.

Pitching is always criti-cal in softball and PaigeLane returns to the pitch-

ing circle after splitting duties with JordanKraft. Lane was 8-2 on the mound as a

junior and posted a 1.90 ERA with 100strikeouts in 77 innings last year.

“I am excited to give her the chance toshow what she can do,” coach Chad Gard-ner said.

Lane figures to re-ceive plenty of hit-ting support from arugged lineup thatincludes seniorBrooke Gardner. Afour-year starter atshortstop, BrookeGardner has signed to play volleyball andsoftball with Illinois Central College. As a

Continued on Page 19

Princeville senior Brooke Gardner (left) and Brimfield-Elmwood senior Morgan Ledbetter (right) are two of the top hitters back in thearea as girls softball season approaches.

Lane


After unanimous approvalby a Chicago City Councilcommittee, a proposal to banthe use of smokeless tobaccoat sporting events there isscheduled to be consideredthis week, and the move hasroots to the courageous effortsof a former Major LeagueBaseball player with roots inFarmington, Cramer and Elm-wood: Bill Tuttle.

The measure – sponsoredby Chicago Aldermen EdwardBurke and Patrick DaleyThompson (whose ward in-

cludes U.S. Cellular Field) –would ban smokeless tobaccoat all professional and ama-teur sporting events – not juston the playing field but alsoin locker rooms, dugouts andthe stands.

If it passes Chicago’s CityCouncil, Wrigley Field andU.S. Cellular Field will joinSan Francisco’s AT&T Park,Boston’s Fenway Park andLos Angeles’ Dodger Stadiumin a ban on spit tobacco’s use,and a similar California lawtaking effect in Decemberwill add Oakland, Anaheim,San Diego next season.

The growth of baseball andthe acceptance of chewing to-bacco both date to the 1880s,but campaigns to reduce oreliminate the habit from thesport took 90 years to arise,and Bill Tuttle was at theforefront of its emergence.

Born in Elmwood on July 4,1929, Tuttle grew up inCramer, graduated fromFarmington High School andattended Bradley University,where he led its baseball teamto national prominence. TheDetroit Tigers signed him in1951, and in 1954 he was inthe Big Leagues to stay. He

had an 11-year career with theTigers, the Kansas City Ath-letics and Minnesota Twins,and later played in the minorsfor the Seattle Rainiers and

Tobacco ban tied to area player


JeffLAMPE


Next WeekWatch for pre-

views of localbaseball teams inthe March 24issue.

the weekly post 3/17/16

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