OPINION: Stay safe during the holidays: Page A4 NEWS: JPRD planning trip for teens: Page A6
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JERSEY COUNTY
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INSIDE NEWS
JCSMA issues food challenge. See page A6
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
Fire destroys three homes in three days By ROBERT LyONS Jersey County Journal Three Jersey County homes were destroyed by fire in as many days. The first fire occurred late Saturday afternoon, around 4:15 p.m., in the 24900 block of Illinois Route 3, between Dow and Grafton. Firefighters from QEM, Fieldon, Brighton and Godfrey battled the blaze, but the home of two residents was lost. “The problem we had is it burnt exceptionally hot,” QEM Fire Chief Gerry New said, noting the original
“I think it’s just a freak coincidence, truthfully. I don’t suspect any foul play on either one of ours, none.” QEM Fire Chief
SCHOOL
VOL. 11, NO. 49 - 75¢
DECEMBER 4, 2013
Gerry New
Longs celebrate 59th anniversary. See page A5
JOURNAL
structure was built around 1850. “It was an old farm house. The second story and first story both collapsed inside the structure and prevented us from getting inside of it.” New said there were family pets inside the home, which perished in the fire, but the owners of the home were unharmed. The second devastating fire occurred later Saturday evening,
around 7:55 p.m., at 506 Easton St. in Jerseyville. According to Jerseyville Fire Chief Alan Gowin, the home was a total loss. Gowin did not have details on the occupants of the home, other than no one was injured and that it is a rental property. Then on Monday, QEM responded to a call around 1 p.m. in the 26100 block of Beltrees Road. New said the fire was fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene. Brighton, Jerseyville and Godfrey fire departments were called to assist. But, again New said the fire burned too hot to save the structure. New said one adult male lived in the home, and is now staying with family members. The cause of the three fires is still undetermined. Gowin said the Jerseyville blaze is being investigated by an insurance company. New said the two fires his firefighters battled will remain undetermined. “Every bit of possible evidence was probably destroyed,” New said. Though the departments dealt with a rash of fires in a relatively short amount of time, neither fire chief believes anything is out of the ordinary. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it, it just happens,” Gowin said. “I think it’s just a freak coincidence, truthfully,” New said. “I don’t suspect any foul play on either one of ours, none.”
Robert Lyons/Jersey County Journal
The home at 506 Easton Street in Jerseyville was completely destroyed by fire Saturday, Nov. 30. Two other homes in the county were also destroyed in the past week, one of which was also on Saturday.
EDUCATION
Caught being good at Brighton Elementary. See page B2
SPORTS
District 100 bids for floor, ceiling replacement at West By BOB CROSSEN Jersey County Journal The Jersey Community Unit School District 100 will conduct a health life safety project during winter break for West Elementary to combat deteriorating tile and aging ceilings. During a board meeting Nov. 20, district administrator Ken Schell said the
building and grounds committee took a walk through the western corridor of West Elementary School and concluded the floor and ceiling tile needed to be replaced. “A lot of the tile, because of the age, the glue is not holding anymore and every time they go in there to clean those floors, tiles are coming up. The more they come up and the more we
CUTTING
try to keep them down, the edges start crumbling,” Schell said. He said the district will contract a company to remove the tiles in the corridor, which is also poorly lit, a problem that could be addressed as part of the project when replacing ceiling tiles. The administrator said he met with an architect whose original cost estimate for the project was $79,000. To
reduce labor costs, Schell said the district’s maintenance department will lay down new tile in the summer rather than contract out the work. He said removal of the tiles cannot be done by the district’s maintenance department because those employees are not certified to remove such a large quantity of asbestos tile. (See, diStrict 100, A2)
THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN
Lady Panthers win MVC opener. See page B10
ONLINE Visit us on the web at
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TOP STORIES ONLINE
Week of Nov. 27 - Dec. 3
1) County terminates county code administrator’s employment contract 2) Jersey native goes missing from Alton 3) Phone scam hits just before holidays 4) Jersey rolls in home opener 5) Voters decide five primary contests in March
INDEX Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B9 News . . . . A2, A3, A6,A7,A9 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . A8 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Our Town . . . . . . . . . A10
Robert Lyons/Jersey County Journal
Public Notice . . . . . . B89
Pat Summers bags up a large pile of leaves Tuesday morning at his Jerseyville home. Weather forecasts on weather.com predict the area will be hit with the season's first snowfall beginning Thursday afternoon, but may see less than one inch.
Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . B10 OBITUARIES: ALLGOOD, GROGAN, RUDOLPH, SEARS.
jerseycountyjournal .com
© 2013 Jersey County Journal
B_st trip _v_r: I’d like to buy an ‘E’ By ROBERT LyONS Jersey County Journal An Elsah native has solved the puzzle of a lifetime; how to land a spot on hit game show “Wheel of Fortune.” Kaydi Legate, 23, recently competed on the decades-old syndicated game show in an episode scheduled to air in March 2014. Though filming for the show took her on her first trip to Los Angeles, the
journey began much earlier. “I have a game show addiction in general, but 'Wheel of Fortune' has always been my favorite,” Legate said. A former owner of handheld and boardgame versions of “Wheel,” the show has been a focal point of Legate’s entire life. When the 2008 Jersey Community High School graduate turned 23 on June 29, she went with a group of six friends and family members to the Wheelmobile event at Lumiere Place Casino in St. Louis in an effort to fulfill a longtime goal of qualifyC
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ing for the show. But, it was her best friend, Liz Wall, who was called up for an audition. “She kept asking them if we could trade places, but they said, ‘No, that’s against the rules,’” Legate said. Organizers suggested they try for Best Friends Week, which they signed up for. Legate, however, got the lone callback for a second, more in depth audition session in St. Louis in October. To make it to Los Angeles, Legate had to show she was logical, (See, wheel, A2)
Voters to decide five primary contests in March By BOB CROSSEN Jersey County Journal Jersey County voters will decide four contested primary elections for the Jersey County Board March 18 along with a contest for the county sheriff. Four of the contested primary elections involve seats on the county board. Board member Donna Moore is not seeking reelection for her seat in District One while the remaining seats in Districts Two, Three and Four all have incumbents running for office. Four individuals are running for election in District One for Moore’s seat with contested primaries on both sides of the political aisle. Don Walsh Jr. and Wayne Schell are running on the Democratic ticket while Jarrod Hayes and Ken Grizzle are running as Republicans. In District Two, incumbent John Houseman is running as a Republican against Democrat Sandy Hefner, a former county board member. Incumbent Rhonda Linders and former board member Ron Henerfouth will contest each other in the Republican primary in district three. Incumbent Gary Hayes is running uncontested as a Democrat for his seat in District Three. In District Four, incumbent Gary G. Koenig will square off against Don Little, former board member, in the Democratic primary while incumbent William “Ed” Koenig runs uncontested for his seat as a Republican. Elected positions for sheriff, county clerk and county treasurer are also (See, primAry, A2)