CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD
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INSIDE SOCIAL
Jack celebrates 4th birthday. See page A7
NEWS
MWA Camp 1621 helps purchase new hoops for CJHS. See page C1
SCHOOL
CHS announces Student of the Month. See page B1
HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047
JANUARY 21, 2015
Mountain lions protected by law; no bobcat season By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald Changes to conservation laws have created a paradigm shift in how to approach the shooting of certain animals, most notably mountain lions. For years, Illinois Department of Natural Resource educators have told hunters and members of the public they may shoot mountain lions without penalty from the law, but with their addition to the Illinois Wildlife Code – alongside American black bears and wolves – shooting them is now illegal. Jersey County conservation officer Michael Goetten said the new law is a “game changer,” and IDNR Sgt. Mark Wagner echoed that sentiment. “That’s a big change from what we’ve been telling people the last 20 years,” Wagner said. “There’s only been a few substantiated cases where we’ve been able to document, ‘Yes that is a mountain lion.’” The IDNR sergeant said Illinois does not have many sightings for American black bears, and that wolves are a rarity in the area. Shooting wolves, however, is also a violation of the law, and under federal law known as the Endangered Species Act a wolf may not be shot for any purpose. Although mountain lion population is low in the area, he said the big cats have prowled the region. Many of the sightings of those big cats, he said, turn out to be bob cats, which was another issue on the docket for the state legislature last year. Shooting bobcats is common in other states with regulated hunting seasons, and Illinois came close to passing a law last year that would have allowed for the establishment of a bobcat hunting season. Sen. Sam McCann (R-Carlinville) introduced legislation that had widespread support in the house and senate. However, former Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the bill before leaving office, citing
protection of the animals as his reason. “We will not have a bobcat season this year, at least as of now, and everybody was planning on having a bobcat season,” Wagner said. “It would help us manage a population that has kind of gone through the roof.” McCann issued a statement Jan. 13 in which he declared his intention to file new legislation in the near future that will be essentially the same as the previous bill. Wagner said the bobcat population has grown in the past two decades, and surveys from IDNR biologists confirm that the cats continue to reach larger numbers. With such agile predators roaming around the state, he said the populations of turkey, quail and other fowl come under pressure. “They’re taking a toll on the turkey population along with the rabbits, quail, and other species. That’s why it’s important for us to establish a season and for us to regulate the population,” Wagner said. With a bobcat season, IDNR, which supported the bill, would be able to regulate the population, leading to a positive effect on the populations for game birds, some of which have been placed under different codes in conservation law. Wagner said turkey and waterfowl are now under the same code. The violations have also scaled up to become more severe crimes with harsher punishments. Rather than being filed as a petty crime, Wagner said violators can be charged with Class B misdemeanors. “The waterfowl clubs are now under the direction of the outfitters laws. They kind of combined deer, turkey and waterfowl all together,” Wagner said. “That gives us a little bit more teeth as far as dealing with the waterfowl clubs. It gives us more laws that we can go and deal with them.” (See, mountain lions, A2)
SPORTS
What's happening between the rivers. See page A4
ONLINE
Obituaries in this issue: Holliday
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Richard Gibbs III glides down the street Monday afternoon with a harsh shadow cast in his wake. Many took advantage of the warm weather on Martin Luther King Day Monday while home from work or off school.
around the county – not unlike the Cakeway to the West initiative last year for the 250th anniversary of St. Louis. Robinson said the deer could be added to maps alongside barn quilts as an additional tour during the annual Church and Quilt Tour each fall. With funding for the art classes, children will be able to learn how to paint, mold, sculpt and create in a variety of artistic media for free at the Michael art gallery. Classes are offered at the center at a cost, but Robinson said not everybody can afford the materials. She said giving children an artistic outlet is an important part of their growth and individualism. “The teachers in the county, from what I’ve heard, do a great job of trying to implement art projects into their daily programs, but it’s really good for kids who have an inclination for art to really have things available to them to continue their learning in this creative fashion,” Robinson said. Classes aren’t only for children at Stone Bridge Valley, however. Linda Basden, Stone Bridge Valley owner,
said the center will continue its regular offerings for classes every third Tuesday at 10 a.m., and Fab Fridays every other week from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Every second Sunday, she said, Stone Bridge Valley hosts events for families where the attendees decide what medium of art they want to make and create at their leisure. “We have a choice of several different projects, so we don’t actually outline the projects. They have a theme,” Basden said. As an example, she said the January theme was winter wonderland and those who visited the center were given an opportunity to paint winter scenes on ceramics, wine bottles and gourds. Others, she said, painted their designs on canvas. Other offerings give a more guided tour of an artistic medium with the help of a local artist. Those artists will also be featured in gallery exhibitions throughout the year. Basden said the gallery shows aim to be more inclusive of local artists, as some (See, art guild, A2)
ISP releases local concealed carry figures
calhounnewsherald.com
Obituaries . . . . . B4 Our Town . . . . . . B2 News . . . . . . . . . A3 Public Notice . . . D1 Real Estate . . .D2-3 Correspondence A4 Social . . . . . . . . . A7 Sports . . . . . . . . C8
Shadow of scooting past
By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald A program aimed at raising funds to provide free art classes to children in Calhoun County is kicking off this year after a brief reveal last summer. Lynn Robinson, Calhoun Art Guild member, is the organizer for the program, Deer on the Move, which emulates the Cows on Parade program in Chicago in 1999. The money from each deer decoy purchase will be put toward funding children’s art classes at Stone Bridge Valley in Michael. The purchase alone is not the only way the deer decoys contribute to the county, however, as those who have purchased the deer may paint and decorate them to their liking. “The goal is to get 25 to 50 deer out in Calhoun County so that when people come to the [quilt] tour, they’ll look at the deer, too,” Robinson said. “The real goal for us is to offer art classes to kids in Calhoun for free since they don’t have art classes at school.” The designed deer can be placed
NEWS
• Index •
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Art guild launches Deer on the Move
Calhoun faces stiff competition in Winchester. See page C8
CALHOUN NEWSHERALD
VOLUME 142 - ISSUE 3
Bob Crossen/Calhoun News-Herald
Owner of Bickle Electric, Rob Bickle, left, and Chris Baker, right, put some finishing touches on electrical work to the Marvin Richter Courthouse project in Hardin Monday afternoon. After Ameren sends power through the lines, addtional work on the interior of the building will begin.
Kicking into full gear n Courthouse roof complete, electrical work on its way By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald Dirt and mud have been turned as workers began installing electrical power lines to the proposed Marvin Richter Courthouse in Hardin Monday. Under clear blue skies and temperate weather, electricians from Bickle Electric dug out a trench to set electric lines to power the courthouse. Bernie Loft, Calhoun County owner’s representative, said the project is moving along. With the trench dug and electrical lines in place, he said the next step of the project will require Ameren turn on power to the building so work can begin on the inside. Loft said the roof work is finished on the building, which leaves the window installations – the last of the three parts of the project put
out for bid last fall– as the final key for this stage. He said the materials have been ordered and await delivery. Calhoun County commissioner chairman Doug Wilschetz said he could not be more pleased with how the project is progressing. “All of the interior demolition has been completed, new roof is on, electrical service is being installed, and you will see new windows very soon,” Wilschetz said in an email Tuesday. “We have been handed an amazing opportunity, and though it may take us a while, when it’s finished, I think we’re going to have a beautiful county government building. One that everyone will be proud of!” Calhoun County commissioners have been searching for ways to renovate the old school building in (See, courthouse, A2)
By ROBERt LYONS Calhoun News-Herald The number of area residents who took advantage of the state’s concealed carry permit in its first year of availability hovered right around the 1 percent mark, which was less than some anticipated, and right in line for others. In 2014, Illinoisans were granted the right to carry concealed firearms, becoming the final state in the U.S. to adopt some form of the legislation. Last week, Illinois released statistics on the first year of processing concealed carry permit applications. In the state’s first year, more than 91,000 Illinoisans applied and received a concealed carry permit, including 280 in Jersey County, 123 in Greene and 69 in Calhoun. Just four counties in the state had fewer permits granted than Calhoun. Sheriff Bill Heffington said he is not surprised by the number of applicants, which is about 1.4 percent of the county’s population. “I think most people in this county are rural, and they’ve got guns anyhow,” Heffington said. “I don’t think too many of them applied for it.” Jersey County Sheriff Mark Kallal, however, thought there would be more in his county. He still believes many more Jersey County residents will sign up. Around 1.2 percent of residents received a permit. “I think a lot of them may be waiting through the start of it, and give it some time,” he said. “They’re probably weighing their options, as far as what it’s going to cost to get it and if it’s worth it or not.” Fewer than 1 percent of Greene County residents received a permit. March through July were the most active months for applications approved by the state. In Jersey County 208 applications were approved in that span, while 51 of Calhoun’s were granted in the same period. All but 30 of Greene County’s approved applications were granted in the five-month time frame. Statewide, 2,359 applications were denied by Illinois State Police. Six of those denials were in Jersey County. When applications are submitted to the state, the applicants’ names are made available to county sheriffs. If an C
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CONCEALED CARRY FIGURES FOR 2014 ACTIVE DENIED Jersey 280 6 Greene 123 1 2 Calhoun 69 43 Madison 3,301 ILLINOIS
91,651
2,359
Chuck Anthony/Campell Publications
applicant poses a risk as an armed citizen, the local sheriff can object. But, that was not the case in Jersey County, according to Kallal, who said he did not object to any applicants. “There were some different things happening with the application system that could have been causing [the denials],” Kallal said. “It may not have been anything specific that they have done, or they may not have filled out the application right, or something like that.” Heffington said he checked the applications periodically for any potential “red flags.” Over the year, however, he said just one application was objected to by his department. In total, however, two Calhoun County applicants were denied. If a law enforcement agency objects to an applicant, the applicant can appeal the objection. At that point, according to Heffington, documentation is sent to ISP supporting the sheriff’s stance. “We can always file an objection, but then the state police have the final say-so in all of it,” Heffington said. Just one applicant from Greene County was denied. ISP conducts its own background investigations and can approve or deny an application based on its own findings. The state police do not have to follow the recommendations of local police agencies. “I think that most of the people don’t have a criminal (See, concealed carry, A2)