Pike Press Pik e
January 18, 2017
Pittsfield, IL Thank you,
Dana Ferguson of Pleasant Hill, for subscribing to Pike Press!
1842
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press
T
SOCIETY
Items for the baskets have been donated by various individuals or organizations.
JJ celebrates 4th birthday. See page B2
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, JAN. 20
52 43 High Low
SATURDAY, JAN. 21
60 46 High Low
SUNDAY, JAN. 22
53 39 High Low
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INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . . C3 Community . . . . . . B2 County News . . . A2, A3, . . . . . . . . . . . A7, A8, B1, . . D2, D3, D4, D1, D4 Court . . . . . . . . . . . C3 Marketplace . . . C4-5 Obituaries . . . . . . . A6 Opinion . . . . . . . . . A4 Op-Ed . . . . . . . . . . A5 Our Town . . . . . . . D2 Public Notice . . . . . C4 Society . . . . . . . . . . B2 Sports . . . . . . . . C1-2 Obituaries in this issue: Caughlan,
Lidgard, Sutton, Wood, Wooldridge.
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175th ANNIVERSARY
2017
pikepress.com
Vol. 175, No. 3
Honor Flight fundraiser this Saturday
he fundraiser to raise money for an All-Pike County Rotary features Honor Flight is nearing. The committee Pike CEO. See page A7 planning the event got together last week and put together sevCrossing Thrift Store coming to eral baskets that will be raffled or used in Pittsfield. a silent auction at See page A2 the pulled pork dinner Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. at the Pittsfield American Legion Hall.
NEWS
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Proceeds will go toward having an All Pike County Honor Flight this spring or summer when the Honor Flight schedule resumes. Pleasant Hill High School and Western High School are trying to raise the funds, approximately $16,000 for the cause. A group of ladies in the county have put forth an effort to support the students by holding a fundraiser dinner Jan. 21 at the Pittsfield American Legion. Serving starts at 11 a.m. and will continue until sold out. Eric Bradshaw of Griggsville, has volunteered to cook the hogs that have been donated and the ladies will prepare twice baked potato casserole, green beans and dessert. “We could use some dessert donations,” Deb
Moore, who is helping with the event, said. “We could also use some volunteers to help serve.” Moore said Brad Miller will provide music during the day and there will be a 50/50 drawing as well as a silent raffle. “Anyone who would like to donate a basket is more than welcome,” Moore said. “We really want this to be successful. It is a great cause and we just want to help the veterans if we can.” The group has already received some corporate donations. Pleasant Hill High School pledged the money collected at the gate from their first home basketball game of the season and Western plans to donate the admissions collected at their Feb. 10 game versus Pittsfield.
Ham however you like it By BETH ZUMWALT
Submitted photo
Kerri Rodhouse, left, and Deb Moore show off one of the baskets that will be offered this weekend at the fundraiser for the All Pike County Honor Flight. Students at Pleasant Hill and Western high schools are trying to raise $16,000 to send an Honor Flight of only Pike County veterans and a group of women in the county are having a luncheon, entertainment, and basket raffle this weekend at the Pittsfield American Legion.
Pike Press The Pleasant Hill American Legion will host a ham dinner Jan. 22 at the Pleasant Hill American Legion with all proceeds going to the Honor Flight. Serving will be from 11:30 until 2 p.m “We’re going to have ham slices, beans and some other items,” Bob Feil, commander of the Legion, said. “People can make sandwiches or have ham and beans or whatever they like.” The cost of the meal will be donation only.
The storm Street hockey keeps Milton youth active that wasn’t By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press With a forecast of one-half to threequarters of an inch of ice predicted for the weekend, shoppers were into survival mode. And instead of being ice bound with no power, they had a gloomy, wet weekend with little or no freezing, but plenty of provisions. “We were hit hard for bread and milk,” Rob Holcomb of Bob’s in Pleasant Hill. “Luckily I got a delivery of both Friday morning. Monday morning both shelves were bare, but I have another delivery coming Tuesday.” Holcomb also said hot items were hamburger, stew meat and other comfort food ingredients. “I think everybody wanted to make soup, chili or stew,” Holcomb said. “We were really busy Friday and then Sunday it was a ghost town. The churches cancelled and nobody was out.” Jim Brown of County Market in Pittsfield agreed with Holcomb saying his store was just crazy Thursday and Friday with people wanting milk, bread and eggs, along with other items. “Then Saturday, it just fell off,” he said. Farm and Home in Pittsfield said they, too, saw an increase in business after the storm was forecasted. “We sold out of all of our salt products,” Josh Ottwell, assistant manager, said. “We sold eight to 10 generators.” Ottwell said calls regarding generators started Thursday and continued through Friday. (See, STORM, A2)
Beth Zumwalt/Pike Press
Caleb DeVries takes the ball down the court last week in a street hockey game at the former Milton School. Street hockey is every Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press Since October, Milton youth look forward to Thursdays. The day is set aside for street hockey at the site of the former Milton School. “We have never not had enough to have two teams,” Karla DeVries, said. “They may not be full teams but there is always enough for two evenly matched teams.” According to DeVries, the Milton Christian Church purchased 10 hock-
ey sticks and two more were donated, allowing 12 players on the court at a time. DeVries says the activity is good for the children, who otherwise might be cooped up inside during the winter months. “It’s a good opportunity for exercise and get away from the television or video games,” she said. Players participating in last week’s outing include: Kevlyn, Bryar and Michelle DeJaynes, Annie and Preston McCoy, Allen and Darien Carpenter, Ryson
Beth Zumwalt/Pike Press
Henry DeVries defends the goal last week in street hockey. The games are promoted by the Milton Christian Church and Wesley Shriver, far right, pastor at the church, oversees the games.
and Brooklyn Sidwell, Chance Perkins, Dominic
Cooper and Henry, Adeline and Caleb DeVries.
Schools face new Illini to celebrate 75th anniversary lead testing mandate By JUSTIN A. COBB Pike Press Area schools and day care facilities will soon have to begin testing their potable water supplies for lead under bipartisan legislation signed by the governor Monday morning. The new law requires the testing of potable water supplies within school buildings constructed before year 2000 and serving students in fifth grade or younger, as well as licensed day care centers, according to a Jan. 9 press release from the governor’s office anticipating the bill’s passage. Under the law, buildings built prior to 1987, the year after Congress banned the use of lead pipe for potable water, must have water tested by the end of the current calendar year, while those built between 1987 and 2000 must be tested by Dec. 31, 2018. “I guess I can’t say it’s a bad idea because that would affect our grade school. Our grade school (was built in) 1958 or ’59 or something like that,” Winchester School District superintendent Dave Roberts said by phone Jan. 11. “I think the issue is older buildings with lead piping and the impact that can have on
students. Anything with safety we have to take seriously,” Roberts said.
“I think we’ll be good to go since we have relatively new facilities, and if not, then it’s student safety, and we’ll get it fixed.”
Dr. Janet Gladu Superintendent, GriggsvillePerry School District Buildings housing students in fifth grade and below within Pleasant Hill School District would likewise be affected, as those buildings were built and went into use in 1968, interim district superintendent Don Peebles said by phone Thursday morning. Peebles said he knows the water lines within the buildings do not contain lead but does not know whether the service lines bringing water from the village main to the buildings are. “They were built on slabs. There’s no crawlspace,” he (See, LEAD, A2)
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press Illini Community Hospital is celebrating 75 years of taking care of Pike County and the surrounding area’s health needs. A reception will be held Thursday, Jan. 26 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Rural Health Clinic in the far west wing of Illini. The public is invited to attend the reception. A special invitation is extended to all past Illini employees, volunteers and board members. Light refreshments will be served. “We are excited to celebrate the great history Illini has in this community and this is also a chance for us to thank the community for their commitment to Illini during the past 75 years,” Kathy Hull, president and CEO of Illini, said. “So many people have contributed to Illini’s success over time and it’s only from their hard work, commitment and caring that Illini is the type of care provider it is today.” According to information gathered for the history of the hospital on its 25th anniversary, plans to build a hospital were started in 1938. “In 1938, a number of people, led by Attorney Sam Jenkins, Dr. F.V. Dlitz and F. L. Flatt, DDS conceived the idea of building a community hospital to fill a long felt need for Pittsfield and the surrounding area. “A citizens’ hospital committee of Pike County was formed and an (See, ILLINI, A2)
Beth Zumwalt/PIke Press
Illini Hospital as it looks in 2017. The hospital has undergone many cosmetic and functionality updates since it was opened in 1942. The hospital celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. A reception will be held in the Rural Health Clinic next Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
By the numbers about Illini 17 - number of doctors on staff when Illini opened 19 – number of patients admitted the first day
53 – The number
of beds when Illini first opened. There are 25 today plus 10 in Worthington Square
1986 – The year Illini decided to stop accepting tax dollars from Pike County and become a private, not-for-profit. The relatively small amount of revenue received by taxes was offset by government regulations regarding taxing entities. 10,000 – The approximate number of patients treated in the five nursing areas – medical/surgical floor, obstetric, critical care, emergency room and surgical — in 1982.