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Mini grand supreme Grinch. See page A8
NEWS
HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047
DECEmbER 11, 2013
St. Mary reconstruction charges through snags by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald Though building codes have held back reconstruction of St. Mary Church in Brussels, the path forward is a bit clearer after a verbal agreement between the diocese and state at an October meeting. Father Don Roberts said members of the church’s building committee, along with Senator Sam McCann, officials from the Attorney General’s office and the parish’s architect, attended the meeting. In May, renovations were put to a halt as the church ran into issues with handicap accessibility due to building codes. The architect had designed the project using historic building codes for the church, which was built in 1863. However, state officials said
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the exterior of the church falls under historic codes while the interior falls under more modern ones. The difference in code usage caused the issue with handicap accessibility. “Because of that, all of a sudden you’ve got some code requirements that aren’t in harmony,” Roberts said. “Some of them aren’t really possible to do given the constraints of the building, so we talked about the possibility of different things, and they really agreed to everything that we talked about.” In addition to the handicap accessibility issues, he said plumbing and the stairway to the attic also posed problems due to the codes. The stairway to the attic was previously more akin to a ladder than a staircase, he said, but changing it any further – adding steps or widening it – (See, st. mary, A2)
STATE NEWS Evans running for judge seat. See page A2
SCHOOL
Creative writers receive certificates. See page b2
SPORTS
Pension reform hits local school districts’ faculty by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the pension reform bill Dec. 5, which will reduce the pensions teachers through the state receive due to changes in cost of living adjustments (COLA) to the retirement salaries. Upon passage of Senate Bill 1, a number of agencies lobbying on behalf of teachers, administrator's and other school personnel challenged the bills constitutionality, taking the issue before the courts to reverse the bill’s approval. Illinois Senator Sam McCann, who represents the state’s 50th District, opposes the bill's passage because contents of the bill were not negotiated with those it will affect. “While there are some aspects of this bill that might have a positive effect, the lack of transparency and the fact that all stakeholders weren’t at the negotiation table are just two of the massive failures of this bill,” McCann said in a press release issued Dec. 3, the day when the bill passed both houses. According to state law, legally, the state cannot diminish the pension of an employee who has paid into the program. Kate Sievers, Calhoun Community Unit
School District 40 superintendent, said the changes to COLA are the biggest factor in the reasons for a current court challenge. The adjustments to cost of living for teachers' pensions were shifted under the new bill based on the retiree’s years of service. Current retirees will not see lower checks, but COLA accrues slower than before, and those who retire after the bill takes effect June 1, 2014 will notice pauses in COLA every other year. Pensionable salaries are also capped under the new law to $109,971 in 2013, the employee’s current salary, or the salary at the end of the collective bargaining agreement. Sievers said the changes are wide-ranging enough to affect every teacher in her district, especially those looking to retire in the next few years. “The ones that are close to retirement are more anxious. Because it’s close, it’s more real to them,” Sievers said, “but even myself – I have several years yet in education – I’m worried. I’m worried it’s not going to be there when I retire.” The retirement age also changes based on a sliding scale relative to the teacher’s age. Those older than 46 at the time the bill goes into effect will not see a change in their retirement (See, pension, A2)
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Tyler Squier, left, and Stephen Knight, right, swing a basket of fish caught between Sunday night and Monday morning onto a truck parked at the landing near Mel's Riverdock Restaurant. Roads to Watters Fishmarket were blanketed by snow and traversing the roads made dangerous by icy conditions, leading the transfer of fish to take place in Hardin. Watters Fishmarket is located in Hamburg.
Commissioners battle with courthouse elevator repair costs Lady Raiders win fourth-straight game. See page b10
NEWS
What's happening between the rivers. See page A3
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by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Calhoun County Commissioners wrestled with costs to repair the courthouse elevator which must be fixed by Jan. 15, 2014 during a regular meeting Dec. 5. Since taking office last December, commissioner Gene Breden has expressed the need to repair the elevator, which has not been operational for several years. During the meeting Dec. 5, Breden said the elevator no long has a working emergency bell or emergency lights. If the elevator were in service and failed with a passenger riding it, he said it would be pitch black in the elevator. “If the power goes out when you’re in the elevator, there are no lights in there. The emergency lights have been
out for years,” Breden said. Rita Hagen said the elevator company, which inspects the elevator and completes the repairs, issued the county an estimate on the cost of the work. The largest of the costs was $2,700 for repairs to the door restrictors, which prevent the elevator doors opening too much before reaching its landing zone. Hagen said the elevator is a yearly problem according to the inspection reports, and the commissioners have now been tasked with fixing all the issues by January 2015 to stay within code. The door restrictor must be fixed before the next annual inspection, which Hagen said generally occurs in April. The commissioners said they would like to seek bids from other companies before making approval on the repair costs to keep the prices
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competitive. The issue will be decided during the next regular meeting Dec. 16, and there is money appropriated in a maintenance fund of the budget available to pay for the expense. Supervisor of Assessments Pat Langland expressed her concern to the commissioners that only one member of the board of review lives in Calhoun County. She said it would be worth finding more locals to seat the board to ensure they have a stake in the review process. “I think that going forward, we would need to see if we could find somebody that’s local that has a vested interest,” Langland said. Members of the board of review are appointed by the county commissioners to two-year terms. Langland said the members of the board must pass tests to qualify for the position, and
their appointment must follow partisan guidelines. Public notice is given when the positions are to be made available, she added. She said the commissioners could wait until after the next general election to appoint members to review assessments done in 2014. In previous meetings, Langland said she would like to complete a quadrennial assessment by the end of 2014. Quadrennial assessments are made every four years to assessed properties to keep them uniform and equal as the rate in changes of value differ from property to property. Langland said she would remind the commissioners about the board of review appointment process in June to give those interested in serving the board time to complete the necessary tests.
In other business, the commissioners: n Approved a transfer tax resolution to collect taxes from cell phone tower transfers. n Approved to open closed session meeting minutes relating to the sheriff’s union negotiations and the removal of former Supervisor of Assessments Brandi Kieffer from office. n Approved to move the March 17, 2014 meeting date to March 24, have two meetings in July, and keep meeting times the same as the previous year. Meetings are the first Thursday and the third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. n Entered closed session for 10 minutes to discuss pending litigation against a county employee. No action was taken after closed session.
No charges in cat case
TIME
by bOb CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald An image of a dead cat tied to the bumper of a truck in Hardin posted to the Humane Society of the United States’ Facebook page sparked outrage in Calhoun and surrounding counties last week.
CALHOUN NEWSHERALD • Index •
“No evidence, whatsoever, of anyone intentionally torturing or harming any animal anywhere.”
Obituaries . . . . . A4 Our Town . . . . . . A7 News . . . . . . A6, A9 Public Notice . . . b8 Real Estate . . .b6-7 Correspondence A4 Social . . . . . . . . . A8 Sports . . . . . . . b10
Rick Ringhausen State’s Attorney
Obituaries in this issue: Becker, Brake, Ufer
© 2013 Calhoun News-Herald
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Jason Baalman completes a set of pull-ups at the Calhoun Crunch Monday evening in Hardin. The cold weather has kept many members of the community indoors, but others have taken to continuing their exercise routines at local gyms like the Calhoun Crunch and Bell's Gym in Hardin. C
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State’s Attorney Rick Ringhausen said no charges were filed because there was no crime committed. “No evidence, whatsoever, of anyone intentionally torturing or harming any animal anywhere,” Ringhausen said. “[There are] no charges because there’s no crime.” The state’s attorney said an elderly farmer found a dead cat on his property. The farmer tied it to his truck to bury it later in the day and forgot about the feline before he drove home. It is unclear why the individual tied the cat to the bumper of the truck. Calhoun County Sheriff Bill
Heffington and deputy P.J. Parker investigated the incident and found no indication of animal cruelty or intent to cause harm to the animal. Heffington said the incident was blown out of proportion after the picture went viral on the popular social media website. Some community members expressed distrust in local law enforcement’s handling of the case, claiming officers are not conducting a thorough investigation. Ringhausen said the complaints are unwarranted. “For the past year, I’ve entrusted our sheriff’s department to investigate homicides, burglaries, drug dealers, [and] do search warrants. I certainly think that if they can handle those, they can investigate something like this,” Ringhausen said. The Facebook post has since been removed, though it is not clear whether the poster or the Humane Society removed it. Heffington said he requested the poster take the photo down while the sheriff’s department investigated the case. The license plate number of the truck in question was visible in the photo, as well as the individual’s house in Hardin, in addition to a hind leg of the cat tied to the bumper of the truck. The farmer and local law enforcement were the focus of death threats in the comment thread of the picture, and Heffington said he increased patrol around the farmer’s house to ensure his security at the height of the controversy.