50¢ DECEMBER 18, 2019
PITTSFIELD, IL The Pike Press office will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 24 and Wednesday, Dec. 25 in observance of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Deadline for news and ads for next week's edition is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20. Marketplace classifieds and legal notice deadline is Friday at noon.
Thank you,
Vernon Kelly of Pittsfield, for subscribing to Pike Press!
NEWS PHS Pike County book shelf receives first book. See page A2
Spencer celebrates agricultural history through toy tractor collection. See page A3
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, DEC. 20
45 30 High
Low
SATURDAY, DEC. 21
47 31 High
Low
SUNDAY, DEC. 22
49 33 High
Low
ONLINE pikepress.com
INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . .B5 Community . . . . . .B3 County News A2-3, A5, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7, B6 Court . . . . . . . . . . .B5 Marketplace . . . . . .B4 Obituaries . . . . . . A6 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Op Ed . . . . . . . . . A5 Our Town . . . . . . .B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Obituaries in this issue: Cline, Davenport, Hoover, Jones, Martin.
Pike Press
pikepress.com
VOL. 177, NO. 51
Pike County Fair changes dates
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press After decades of being the third week in July, the Pike County Fair will move to early June in 2020. The new dates for the fair are June 9-13. “We didn’t have a choice,” Michael McKinnon, president of the Pike County Fair Board, said. “There were no available attractions or carnivals the third week in July, plus we were fighting the Adams County Fair and the Pike County, Missouri Fair.” McKinnon said the fair board polled the area in an online poll and on Facebook and the results were about 55 percent to move the fair. “I think most people were looking for cooler weather,” McKinnon said. The board has signed a contract with a carnival from Missouri and is on the verge of signing contracts with two regional bands to perform Thursday night combining family night and music night. According to McKinnon, both bands have played in Nashville and opened for some big name performers. “We are also bringing in the Lucas Oil National Tractor
SPRING CREEK
David Camphouse/Pike Press
REPLACES
RUDOLPH
Santa arrived without his reindeer with the help of the Spring Creek Fire Department Saturday, Dec. 14 in Nebo. Residents gathered from 1-3 p.m. to enjoy hot cocoa and cookies and to spend time with Santa at the Nebo community center.
(See, FAIR, A2)
New laws with affect Murder cases moving through on Pike County By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press There are lots of new laws going into affect Jan. 1 but increasing the penalties for using a cell phone while driving is not one of them. And only the penalties are subject to change. It is still illegal to use a cell phone or any electronic communication device while driving. “The new law involving cell phone usage doesn’t go into affect until July 1,” Zack Boren, Pike County States Attorney, said. Then the fine for aggravated use of an electronic device goes to $1,000 and if the Secretary of State authorizes it, then the suspension or revocation of the violators driver’s license is possible.” Fines for violations of the law, when no accident is involved remain the same,according to Boren: $75 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense; $125 for a third offense and $150 for a fourth offense, plus fees and assessments. Aggravated use of an electronic device includes an accident where there is great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement, in which case the driving privileges shall be suspended for 12 months. It is class 1 misdemeanor. If a death occurs, the charge goes to a class 4 felony. “That all depends on the degree of which the use of the electronic device was a cause in the accident,” Boren said. In 2018, law enforcement officers wrote 26 tickets for use of an electronic device while driving. So far this year, they have written, 24. A law that does go into affect Jan. 1 is the law giving in-mates monetary credit for days served. Currently anyone in jail in a pre-sentence situation is allowed five dollars per day. Under the new law that goes to $30 per day. “That is going to hurt the county financially,” Boren said. “The monetary credit always is applied to the fines. If a person has a $1,000 fine and serves five days, we would take $25 off his or her fine. But under the new law, we would take five time $30, meaning we would take $150 off the fine.” Schools are not exempt from new laws.
One law pertains to filling vacancies on a school board if one occurs. The new law gives school districts 60 days to fill the seat. Previously the law only allowed 45 days. If the seat is not filled within the time limit, the regional superintendent will fill the vacancy. “45 days is a pretty tight timeline depending on when the vacancy occurs. 60 days gives boards a little more flexibility in filling a vacancy so I don’t see it as a bad thing,” Paula Hawley, superintendent of Pikeland School District. “ I feel it’s the board’s responsibility to fill open positions, not the regional superintendent and a longer timeline will be a good thing for local boards if they need the time.” Students who have been approved for medical marijuana are still in limbo even after the legislature made the product legal for everyone. All schools and school districts must allow a school nurse or school administrator to administer a medical cannabis infused product to a student who is a registered qualifying patient while on school premises or at a school sponsored activity. The schools may authorize the self-administration of the medical cannabis infused product by a student under the direct supervision of a school nurse or school administrator. Hawley said she does not expect changes in Unit 10’s policy. “The new law just allows schools—it does not require—to let the school nurse or administrator administer medical cannabis or for a student to self-administer under their supervision. Schools will be making the decision as to allow this or not,” Hawley said. “Cannabis is still illegal under federal law so many schools and districts will probably not go down that road with the administration of medical cannabis.” Another law allows those with misdemeanor criminal marijuana convictions to have their records purged of that crime. Judge Frank McCartney said the process would not come to Pike County immediately but should be here before spring. “The Illinois State Police are preparing a state-wide data base that would show who (See, LAWS, A2)
Pike Press
the system
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press Currently Pike County has three pending murder cases. Two of the cases occurred in 2019, the first is a 2018 case. Charles T. Allen, 45, Louisiana, Mo., is charged in the stabbing death of his ex-father-in-law, Don Collard, in March of this year. He appeared in court Monday morning, Dec. 16 and although his lawyer Charles James of St. Peters, Mo., was unable to attend the hearing due to weather, Walker Filbert, a Pittsfield attorney represented Allen, as he has done before when James was unable to attend a hearing. “We are ready for trial,” Filbert told the court. Both sides have filed motions that need to be heard before the trial begins, Jan. 13. Judge Frank McCartney set Dec. 31 as a date to hear the motions and rule on them. The court is expecting the Allen trial to last five days but McCartney would like to get it done in four. “I’d like to get it done Jan. 13-17,” McCartney said. “Jan. 20 is a holiday and I don’t want the jury to sit on this case for three days.” McCartney urged both the prosecution and the defense to have their witness ready to call during the trial and to avoid any delays where ever possible. Faith Henry, 20, Louisiana, Mo. and Allen’s step-daughter, is alleged to have driven Allen from the scene of the stabbing which took place at the Collard home in Pleasant Hill, is also set for jury trial next month. She is charged with three counts of obstruction of justice. She also appeared in court Monday morning. Both the prosecution and the defense agree that having the same jury panel hear both cases is not ethical and diminishes the chances of a fair trial. McCartney instructed Zack Boren, Pike County State’s Attorney to check and see if postponing Henry trail to the April docket would affect her right to a speedy trial. Boren said Monday afternoon, he didn’t believed bumping Henry to the April docket would interfere with her right to a speedy trial. “She asked for a continuance in September,” he said. “Speedy trial is 160 days, so it should be okay.” David Sampley, 64,Pittsfield, is charged in the death of is livein companion, Sharon Welch in June, 2018. Sampley has spent much of the time since his arrest in McFarland Mental Health Facility in Springfield. He will be in court Dec. 31 at 9 a.m for his arraignment. An arraignment gives Sampley the opportunity to formally hear the charges against him and enter a plea to those charges. If (See, CASES, A2)
The Health and Wellness Foundation of Pike County gives grants
© 2019 All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Beth Zumwalt/Pike Press
The Heath of Wellness Foundation awarded nearly $23,000 dollars in grants last week to six different organizations. Accepting the grants on behalf of those organizations were, seated, Steve Young and Chris Bruns, Standing, left to right, Sharon Bargemann, Kathryn Young, Brenda Middendorf, Michelle Gates, Allison Dokey and Kent Hawley.
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press Health and Wellness Foundation gives awards totaling nearly $23,000 last week at the Foundation office. The first group to receive money was the Griggsville-Perry High School Mental Health Day. Their grant was for $1,200 and will be for t-shirts, supplies, and speaker fees. “We surveyed our students in grades 9-12 and asked them what their mental health needs were,” Allison Dokey, who attended the check presentation, along with her intern, Michelle Gates and Kent Hawley, superintendent of Griggsville-Perry school District. “In order of importance to the students were: anxiety, depression, healthy relationships, positive mental health and nutrition.” The day will be the last day of the semester and will include speakers and activities promoting mental health awareness.
Access Food, which processes deer meat donated by hunters and and then distributed to food pantries and other organizations providing food to the needy. “It is shown that children who don’t get enough protein in their diet don’t do as well in school,” Middendorf said. “This year we did 10 tons of deer meat into one pound packages.” Middendorf said this is the 14th year for the program and at one time, it was subsidized by the state, Sportsman Against Hunger. “That is no longer the case,” she said. “They never funded it in full and now they don’t fund it at all.” According to Middendorf, the program is the only one of its kind in the state and is a perfect example of how private industry and non-profits can work together. The group received a grant for $3,500 earlier in the year and when (See, GRANTS, A2)