CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD
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INSIDE SOCIAL
Conway ~ Pounds engagement. See page A4
NEWS
CCHD holds open house. See page B2
SCHOOL
St. Mary’s students attend mission mass. See page A3
SPORTS
Calhoun places second at Waverly Tourney. See page C6
NEWS
What's happening between the rivers. See page B1
HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047
OCTOBER 22, 2014
VOLUME 141 - ISSUE 43
Hamburg businessman charged for live fish sale By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The owner of Watters Fish Market faces two charges for selling and possessing live Asian carp. Filed with the Calhoun County Circuit Clerk Oct. 7, each charge has two counts. The first is for the sale of the live fish and the second is for the possession of the live fish. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources served the warrant. According to court documents, Randall E. Watters “knowingly sold 600 pounds of live bighead carp and 300 pounds of live silver carp to an undercover officer,” in February of this year. The same counts are mentioned in the second charge, but the date of the alleged offense is in March and the quantities of fish are reversed. The sale of the live fish by Watters is a Class III Felony while the possession is a Class A Misdemeanor. His bail was set at $5,000, and his attorney, Ed Fanning, filed for a motion to substitute a judge Oct. 10. Bighead and silver carp are part of the fish species most often referred to as Asian carp. Asian carp contribute to the (See, fish sale, A2)
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Slice of life
Jaden Herter cleans up trash that spilled out of a garbage can at the curb Monday afternoon in Hardin.
Board approves school improvement plans By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald Principals of the Calhoun high and elementary schools presented school improvement plans, which were approved by the board Oct. 20 during a regular board meeting. Superintendent Dr. Kate Sievers gave context to the plans, which included standardized test scores for students. The scores have varied from year to year while the state continues to tweak its standards and implement the Common Core. Because of the constant changes, she said comparing numbers to previous years isn’t as effective as it has been in other years. “The state is still in their transition as far as state testing,” Sievers said. “Last year the state had changed the cuts scores on every grade level, even the PSAE, so when they’re giving you their scores, it’s very hard to compare from the last few years because of these scores being changed. And then this coming year, they’re going to have a totally different test to look at.” Elementary school Principal Kathy Schell said the school’s strongest suit is in its science instruction where more than 91 percent of fourth graders and 95 percent of seventh graders meet or exceed state standards. Although comparisons do not have as much value as before, Schell said reading scores dropped from 65 percent last year to 60.7, and mathematics scores saw a similar drop from 73 percent to 67.6 percent meeting and exceeding. Despite the drops, Schell said student comprehension in reading increased by around one grade level in each grade. “We have our kids that struggle, we always do, but those are the kids getting the most RTI [response to intervention] help, the most inter-
hit on fundamentals he was taught. “We’ve got a second grader. My wife has a math degree and we have to contact the teacher,” Fraley said. “What I’m worried about is that the kids don’t learn the way to do it the way we did. … There’s a gap in the fundamentals. How do we count on our fingers?” The superintendent said the district has to teach mathematics in such a way because students will be tested with those understandings of the skills. Teaching with the previous curriculum could potentially lead to a decline in scores. Schell said the school is also working to ensure teachers who are educating students at the same grade level are evaluating similarly to one another. Similarly to Schell, Cheri Burris, Calhoun High School principal, said teachers in her building are using data from last year’s standardized tests to better educate students in the coming year. Of greatest note, she said, was the rearrangement of mathematics teachers to play to their strengths with certain classes and having teachers administer some of the tests to know what types of questions they should be preparing their students to answer on those tests. “The teachers actually get to see what those questions are, and I had teachers come back to me and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize I was using the wrong vocabulary,’” Burris said. “The math teachers can also see those different problems that are going to be closer to what they’re going to be doing for PARCC [Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers] testing.” She said the high school is actively working on getting teachers to be more interactive with their students and to establish relationships with (See, board, A2)
ventions and the most Title I hours,” Schell said. The new standardized tests will require students take a timed test on the Internet, which she said may become a burden on the district as far as technology is concerned.
“I just don’t feel our technology is capable of handling the load of a 20-day window in April, and another 20-day window in May.”
Kathy Schell Principal “They’re timed, and our kids aren’t used to doing some of those computerized skills most of us are used to,” Schell said. “I just don’t feel our technology is capable of handling the load of a 20-day window in April, and another 20-day window in May.” She also touched on the changes to the mathematics curriculum because what was being taught in previous years was not up to the state’s standards of mathematics. The switch to EngageNY math has been a difficult one, fraught with frustrations from teachers, students and parents. Sievers said the approach is different than that which was taught to teachers and administrators as it focuses on application of skills and visually representing them in the work rather than computation. Luke Fraley, board member, said he does not like the change in curriculum because it doesn’t
calhounnewsherald.com
By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald For the first time in a decade, fees for services with the county clerk and recorders office will be increased. The Calhoun County Commissioners approved the increase in fees, which County Clerk Rita Hagen said would help pay for expenses incurred by the office that have increased
CALHOUN NEWSHERALD • Index •
since the last time rates were set in 2004. “It should increase our fees so we become selfsufficient,” Hagen said. The only increase since 2004 was in the form of a records restoration fee jump from $3 to $8. A fee study conducted by Bellwether, LLC notes the fees instituted now do not cover the cost of the work to create or record the documents. (See, clerk, A2)
Two Rivers Refuge in talks regarding muddy road
Obituaries . . . . . B4 Our Town . . . . . . B3 News . . . . . . A3, B2 Public Notice . . . D4 Real Estate . . .D2-3 Correspondence B1 Social . . . . . . . . . A4 Sports . . . . . . . . C6 Obituaries in this issue: Smith
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
A thread of conversation All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 Board approved a resolution to allocate 20 percent of any revenue generated through sales tax to be spent on facilities debt. The resolution would only go into effect if the school facilities sales tax were to be approved by voters Nov. 4, and it binds the board to spend at least 20 percent of the revenue from the tax to bonds relating to the district’s facilities, like those used to pay for a school’s construction or renovation. Superintendent Dr. Kate Sievers said the money generated by the tax could also be used toward facilities maintenance, including state-mandated health life safety updates to windows, doors and security. If passed, the sales tax would raise around $170,000 to be split between Calhoun Unit 40 and Brussels Community Unit School District 42. Although the Brussels board did not approve to place the issue on the ballot, the district would still receive revenue from the tax if it were to pass. The tax would not be implemented on all items bought in the county. Exemptions to the tax are automobiles, farm equipment, medicine and unprepared food like groceries. The tax would be added to bills at restaurants and on retail expenses such as televisions or clothes. The tax money would come through the Illinois Department of Revenue where the Illinois General Assembly would not have control over how the funds are spent.
County clerk fees increase after study
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District earmarks sales tax funds to pay down debt
Rebecca Senkus, left, points out some of the intricate stitchwork in a quilt to Jean Hurrelbrink, middle, and Hellen Hoffman, right, at the Hardin Presbyterian Church Saturday during the Eighth Annual Calhoun County Quilt and Church Tour. The Springfield ladies were part of a touring bus that traveled to the numerous quilt displays throughout the county where there were demonstrations by quilters and historic displays. C
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By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald At the request of the vice chairman of the commissioners, the county engineer will meet with the director of Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge regarding mud washing across a roadway. The Calhoun County Commissioners have discussed this issue since the beginning of September, when heavy rains pushed mud across a road running along property owned by
Marty Eilerman. The problematic area is also near federal land that is part of the refuge. Larry Wieneke, commissioner vice chairman, said John Mayberry, TRNWR director, expressed an interest in working with the county to solve the problem. “They’re open to speaking with us. He knows there’s a problem there,” Wieneke said, but did not elaborate on TRNWR’s intentions. (See, two rivers, A2)