GREENE PRAIRIE PRESS JANUARY 22, 2014 – Vol. 145, No. 4 – Carrollton, Illinois 62016
INSIDE LOCALS
Carrollton readies to pay for sewer improvements by CArmeN eNSiNger Greene Prairie Press
Birthdays, births and more. See page A3
NEWS
Carrollton City Council signed off on a $2.1 million Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan agreement at its Jan. 15 regular council meeting. The city obtained a loan in the amount of $2,157,024.52 at an interest rate of 1.25 percent for a term of 20 years. Of this amount $27,755.44 is interest and $625,000 was forgiven, making the total the city owes $1,559,779.96.
“Our current line locator is almost 20 years old and they don't even make it anymore, so we can't send it in to be repaired or rebuilt .”
Mike Snyder
Public Works Director
Carrollton United Methodist Church's potato bar. See page A4
NEWS
News from the pews. See page A7
SPORTS
The city will be making bi-yearly payments in March and September. The first payment is due March 15 in the amount of $45,190.73. This breaks down to $7,531.79 per month. At the finance meeting held before the regular council meeting, city treasurer Debbie Dunlap informed the council she would like to formulate a long-term planning option regarding the funds in the sewer lining account. When the city decided to do its sewer project, sewer rates were raised to pay for the project. This additional money was put into this account to pay for the project. Dunlap wants to use the money in this
75¢
HER CHEESE RUNNETH OVER....WELL, ALMOST
account to pay off the city’s $300,000 loan, which has a current balance of $155,455. Funds would be moved from the sewer lining account to the general emergency account, and the sewer lining account would be used strictly for the loan payment. The city would then use approximately $20,000 of these funds for the city’s portion of the 2014 police truck the city is looking into purchasing. The city held a public meeting on Dec. 23, 2013, regarding the proposed application for federal assistance in purchasing a police squad car to be used for patrol. The council approved a motion to have a Locis representative come to city hall to check to see if the system is set up right. Locis is the city’s accounting software. Dunlap had approached the council in October about switching to a different software at a cost of between $16,000 to $18,000 because she thought it could produce better reports for the council. The cost to have a Locis representative come in and look at the system would cost between $1,500 to $2,500, depending on whether the representative had to be in Carrollton for one day or two. “They will be sending a support person who is going to come in and just review our system and software and possibly tweak it if necessary so it provides more efficient reporting,” Mayor David Stendeback said. “They don’t think things were inputted correctly when it was set up originally. Instead of going with a new system, we decided to just fix what we have and make it more useful and efficient.” Council members also approved a fiveyear agreement with CK Power for a planned service agreement for all of the city’s generators at a cost of $4,339 per year. This fee (See, sewer, A2)
Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
Velma gillingham takes care not to spill a drop of the delicious broccoli and cheese baked potato topping during the Carrollton United methodist Church's baked potato bar held Sunday to benefit the relay For Life .
New Illinois law grounds drone harassment by ANNeTTe mArShALL Greene Prairie Press Among the new laws which took effect at the beginning of 2014 is a law designed to protect hunters and fishers from interference from aerial drones. HB1652, sponsored by State Representative Adam Brown (R-Champaign), and Senator Daniel Bliss (D-Evanston), was filed on Feb. 14, 2013, and signed by Governor Quinn Aug. 16, 2013. The bill amended the wildlife Criminal Code of 2012, making it a Class A misdemeanor to “use a drone in a way that interferes with another person’s lawful taking of wildlife or aquatic life.” While the law does not specifically name the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization (PETA), it was the rollout of the PETA “Air Angel” drones that had many hunters concerned about their privacy. Avid hunter and Jersey County resident Chuck Hoffmann said he was aware of the drone issue and of the new law. “This new law prohibiting drone use to harass hunters, as any other law, is only as good as the ethics of the people honoring the law,” he said. The drones, which retail for $324.99 at pet-
acatalog.com, are touted as a tool to help protect animals from illegal hunting activities. “Using your hobby drone, you can collect instant to-your-phone video footage of hunters engaging in illegal activity, such as drinking while in possession of a firearm, injuring animals and failing to pursue them, and illegally using spotlights, feed lures, and other nasty but common hunting tricks. Your amateur footage can be used to alert game wardens and other authorities to who is doing what to animals,” states the description on the website. Footage collected by the drones can be streamed live via the internet, or uploaded to the Air Angels page on PETA.org. Hoffmann was less than thrilled about the idea of someone capturing surveillance footage of his hunting activities “What will these radicals think of next?” he said. Hoffman, a former Illinois gun safety instructor, added he has “no respect” for those sportsmen who choose to break the law, but guessed that violators were only comprise two to three percent of hunters. PETA does not seem to be discouraged by HB1652. “The Illinois law doesn’t affect PETA’s
plans since its hobby drone program is intended not to interfere with wildlife or hunters but to capture video footage of hunters engaging in common illegal activity,” PETA’s Director of Animal Law, Jared Goodman, said in a statement. “All this law does is highlight the fact that hunters and fishers have something to hide from the public.” Current FAA rules dictate drones must be operated less than 400 feet above ground, in daylight conditions only and must be within the operators line of sight. Those rules could severely hinder an operators attempt to legally gather footage of a hunter of fisherman that the drone operator may consider in violation of state hunting and fishing rules. Hoffman, though, wonders about what would happen to an over-zealous drone operator breaking FAA rules while obtaining aerial footage. “Who then will police PETA’s violations?” he said While the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), could not speculate on how aerial footage from the PETA drones would have been handled if the law had not passed making the drones illegal, hunters in Illinois following rules and regulations can breathe a little easier knowing that hunter
harassment is prohibited in Illinois. “There are hunter harassment statues on the books, that prohibit folks from interfering with legal hunting activities,” IDNR spokesman Tim Schweizer said. Schweizer also issued a reminder for those considering breaking the rules. “When our officers receive a tip, any tip, on illegal activity…they will follow up the best they can,” he said. And while the law states drones cannot be used to “interfere with another person’s lawful taking of wildlife or aquatic life,” there still could potentially be some eyes in the sky. This law “…does not apply to actions performed by authorized employees of the Department of Natural Resources, duly accredited officers of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, or other peace officers if the actions are authorized by law and are necessary for the performance of their official duties.” The law also goes on to state that, “… landowners, tenants, or lease holders exercising their legal rights to the enjoyment of land, including, but not limited to, farming and restricting trespass,” are also exempt. Complete FAA regulations on drones can be viewed at http://www.faa.gov.
Historical Society looking for information Carrollton No. 1 Boosters' fundraiser on Carrollton Drum and Bugle Corp Hawks finish fifth at WIT. See page b8
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Obituaries in this issue: CastillO, Gay, GeOrGe, rimbey, sChaCher, WinChester, Wyatt
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selling bricks for pathway
by CArmeN eNSiNger Greene Prairie Press How many out there remember the Carrollton Drum and Bugle Corps? Can’t think of anyone ? Well, that is the problem. A large bass drum has been donated to the Greene County Historical Society from this obscure musical ensemble, and historical society members are seeking any information someone might have on it. According to Diane Wolfley, the drum was donated to the historical society by Gary Flatt of Carrollton. It was discovered in the attic of a home located near Morfoot Cemetery just north of Carrollton on U.S. Highway 67. Jim and Diana Flatt, who are now living in the home, discovered the piece of history when they began remodeling the home. Jim Flatt is the grandson of Bill and Rosemary Flatt who used to live in the home. “None of the Flatt family knew anything about it being in the house,” Wolfley said. “I knew Sherry Kirbach Miller grew up in that home so I asked her if she knew anything about it.” Even though she spent her childhood in the home, Miller had never seen the drum before. Wolfley said it appears the drum might have been used in the very early 1900s when many small communities organized their own bands to perform concerts in the park or on the square. Roodhouse had a large band in the early part of the 1900s and a photo of that band can be found on the wall inside the Roodhouse City Hall. However, it doesn’t appear there were ever any photos taken of the Carrollton Drum and Bugle Corps. “I have been with the historical society
by CArmeN eNSiNger Greene Prairie Press
Carrollton’s No. 1 Booster Club is an organization dedicated to developing and supporting the athletic programs at Carrollton High School. The booster club has been making a difference in school programs for more than 36 years and its latest project is to help raise funds to have the school’s all-weather track resurfaced.
“We are planning to extend the existing brick pathway to the football field, and all of the proceeds will go towards the cost of the resurfacing .” Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
The greene County historical Society is seeking any information or history concerning the large bass drum that was donated to the society . it was discovered in the attic of a home located near morfoot Cemetery, north of Carrollton .
for many, many years and see almost everything that comes through here, and I have never ran across any pictures or even any mention of this before,” Wolfley said. “If Miller doesn’t remember seeing it when she lived there it must have been put up there by the former owners, and we don’t know who that would have been.” Wolfley has asked several older residents who have an interest in history if they remember seeing or reading about such a band, but she continues to come up empty handed. “No one seems to know anything about it, but it seems to me somewhere there is a picture of a band that was in Carrollton,” she said. “But I guess there probably were several bands over the years so it might
not be this one – still I’d like to find it.” What amazes Wolfley most is the fact that the drum lay tucked away in the attic for probably close to a century. “I just find it hard to imagine that no one ever discovered it before now,” Wolfley said. “When I was a kid I was all over the place exploring, so I can’t imagine Sherry never ran across it, but she says she’s never seen it before. What’s more, it is still in fair condition and there are also pieces of a snare drum which were found along with it.” Anyone with any information or photos of the Carrollton Drum and Bugle Corps is being asked to contact the Greene County Historical Society at (217) 9426013 or email greenecohistsoc@irtc.net. C
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Diane Hendricks Booster Club Member
“We are planning to extend the existing brick pathway to the football field, and all of the proceeds will go towards the cost of the resurfacing,” booster club member Diane Hendricks said. “The track is a big part of our athletic community as it hosts our county track meets, the Relay for Life, and provides a wonderful place for people of all ages to exercise.” Installed in 1993 at a cost of $150,000, Carrollton was one of the first schools to utilize the new technology of using recycled rubber tires to surface a track. The track was partially funded by a grant from the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. After 20 years, noticeable cracks and holes have developed in the track and, according to Sue Reichmann, to be fixed properly the entire surface must be redone rather than just repairing the cracks. Reichmann spearheaded efforts to get the track done in 1993 and is working to secure funding to get the track resurfaced. (See, boosters, A2)