1 Front
Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
NEWSSTAND PRICE 75¢
An eye on justice
Bureau County won’t allow cameras in the courtrooms By Eric Engel
the state to allow extended media coverage, but Bureau County decided against inclusion. “We’re one of nine circuits that didn’t apply for cameras in the courtroom,” Caffarini said, noting a concern he has is the cameras might infringe on the rights of the victim. “We need to protect their rights. They’re the victim of a crime and didn’t ask to be put in that
eengel@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Bureau County State’s Attorney Geno Caffarini shared his opinion on cameras being allowed in court, with the hope they don’t aggravate any legal proceedings. Caffarini said a pilot program for cameras in the courtroom was approved in different circuits across
situation, and now they’re going to be filmed in court.” The same goes for witnesses who were simply caught in trying circumstances, Caffarini added, many of whom are already apprehensive about testifying. It could be stressful if their testimonies are broadcast over the countless airwaves of public analysis and possible judgment. “I think cameras in the courtroom can prevent individuals from being honest when answering specific questions,” Caffarini said, indicating they already
don’t want to be there, and subconscious uncertainty can easily arise under the scrutiny of the public eye. Caffarini said the rights of the defendants need to be protected also, because the accused stand to shoulder more blame with a camera staring them down during the entire proceeding. He believes critical analysis from the social media universe could jeopardize a fair trial in a high-profile case, as visual judgment naturally sways opinions. Caffarini said court cases
are already being recorded through a court reporter and electronic monitoring. Certain cases are protected for confidentiality reasons, but anyone can currently walk into the courtroom and watch a trial if they want to, so Caffarini is not a fan of the potential drama associated with cameras. “Regardless, it looks like this is the trend,” he said. Lori Wakeman, secretary for Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan of the 13th Judicial Circuit, said none of the counties in the 13th Circuit have approved the use of
A little of this and that ...
cameras in the courtroom. She said the statewide pilot program has ended — with some circuits now fully allowing the use of cameras in the courtroom — but after talking to Ryan, they are not ready to implement camera usage at this point. Wakeman feels it would provide the proper transparency for the public to better understand what goes on in the courtroom, so discussion on the topic will continue moving forward. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
LaMoille Schools hunt for opportunities By Zachary J. Pratt news@bcrnews.com
BCR photo/Joann Bowman
Open Prairie United Church of Christ held its second annual flea market, Saturday, March 19, at the church on East Marion Street in Princeton. Event-goers had the opportunity to browse a host of flea market items at the annual sale, where proceeds go to help projects within the church.
PMH Auxiliary looking for helping hands Organization wants to double its membership By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Since 1948, the Perry Memorial Hospital Auxiliary has been committed to providing financial assistance to the hospital to ensure quality health services for the people and communities it serves. Each year, the auxiliary provides more than 40,000 hours of volunteer service and purchases thousands of dollars of equipment with money raised from community fundraisers such as the Candy Cane House, Tour of Homes, Mudcross Challenge, Tree of Lights and much more. To help continue the successful work vested each year, the organization is look-
ing for more eager helping hands willing to continue the auxiliary’s mission. The auxiliary will hold a membership drive from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in the PMH medical office building lobby. There will be a short presentation about the auxiliary, explaining the mission, events and fundraisers held throughout the year. Auxiliary board members will be present to answer questions. Refreshments will be served. The organization invites all guests to join as new auxiliary members. Carla Beaber, auxiliary membership chair, said this is the first time the organization has held a reception for membership in many years. “Volunteers are the backbone of the aux-
iliary. We hope this membership drive will encourage members in the community to become an auxiliary member,” she said. In 1965, the PMH Auxiliary’s membership was 800 members, however, like many other organizations, membership levels have declined over the years. Today, the auxiliary has 127 members and is looking to double that number. Because of the assistance of the auxiliary, the hospital has been able to purchase needed equipment and structural upgrades throughout the years. The auxiliary has also given numerous scholarship opportunities to students in a health care field.
PMH Page 2
Year 170 No. 35 One Section - 16 Pages
(815) 915-8748 © Bureau County Republican
LAMOILLE — The LaMoille Community Unit School District is continuing to look for ways to provide opportunities for its students, some of which might involve curriculum updates while other opportunities go in another direction altogether. At its meeting Thursday, March 17, the board spoke about National Geographic Science, a new curriculum being looked at, as well as a new initiative to promote trade-readiness and a look into funding opportunities. To update science The district is continuing to update its coursework in line with new standards, and science is up for a revamp. The board discussed the National Geographic Science curriculum. Chawn Huffaker, principal at the Van Orin and Allen schools, talked about the teacher reactions. “Our teachers liked it from the samples that we looked at,” he said, also noting they had checked out another local school’s usage of the material and were impressed. “It is very much a hands-on, brain thinking text.” While topics such as math, language and the arts are going toward the Common Core, science has a different standard called the Next Generation Science Standards. Thus far, according to Huffaker, this is the text that applies to the standards going forward. “This is the textbook company that is ready to go right now,” he said. Superintendent Ricardo Espinoza noted the district has set aside $100,000 of QZAB money for this endeavor. To promote trade-readiness Espinoza spoke briefly on a new initiative which has been coined the Illinois Workforce Opportunities Readiness Coalition, or IWORC. “It’s something we came up with,” Espinoza said.
LaMoille schools Page 3
Economical lab services and diagnostic testing, including digital x-rays, are also offered on-site. These services are available to anyone, regardless of your doctor’s practice or hospital affiliation.
aboutsmh.org | 1916 North Main Street, Princeton