Thursday March 19, 2015 Vol. 3, No. 4
The Weekly Post
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Brimfield boys win 1A state basketball title By JEFF LAMPE
PEORIA – As a youngster, Carson Cuevas made regular pilgrimages to Peoria’s Civic Center for a chance to experience March Madness. He shot the Rainbow Shot in the Experience hall, drank free chocolate milk and then walked into Carver Arena to see teams celebrate wildly after winning a state title. As he grew older, Cuevas – like so many young basketball players – found himself replaying a dream in his mind. Last weekend, Cuevas got to live that dream. Playing with poise and shooting with impressive acWeekly Post Staff Writer
YC station can’t offer gambling By MICHELLE SHERMAN
YATES CITY – There will be no video gambling at the Amstar gas station in Yates City, at least not anytime soon. Representatives of the business approached the Yates City Board of Trustees during committee meetings early this month asking to be considered for a video gambling license. Village ordinances require that any business wishing to apply for such a license must also have a combined liquor license, said village attorney Wayne Statham, which means customers can purchase alcohol for consumption on or off the premises. “You’ve got the packaged liquor license right now, the Class 3,” Statham said during the board’s March 11 meeting. “There’s not a Class 1 For The Weekly Post
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State Coverage • See pictures of smiling fans, hard-working players and hugging coaches, Page 8. • Read about Brimfield’s wins over Ridgeview and Mounds Meridian, Pages 13 and 15-16.
curacy, the first-team allstater led Brimfield’s boys basketball team to the Class 1A state championship. Unranked in the final Associated Press poll, Brimfield (34-2) defeated Mounds Meridian 56-52 in the title game on Saturday as Cuevas set tournament records with a 32-point scoring outburst before a boisterous crowd of red-clad Brimfield fans.
“You’ve just go to look up and take a moment to soak it in,” Cuevas said. “I’ve been there a lot to see other people. It’s a dream come true.” To reach the title game, Brimfield beat Colfax Ridgeview last Friday, 53-34. “Luke Murphy pinched me in the locker room afterwards and said, ‘Yeah coach, this is really happening,’ ” Brimfield coach Scott Carlson said. The championship is the first in a team sport for Brimfield, which over the past seven seasons has been the state’s most successful smallschool basketball program. In that time, Brimfield is 215-21
with wins in five regionals, two sectionals, one supersectional and now the ultimate victory. “I’m not sure I ever dreamed this far when I thought about excelling within a season,” Carlson said. “Once we got here we started really believing.” In yet another win for the Brimfield team, it was announced at Sunday’s celebration that each player would receive a $1,000 scholarship courtesy of Brimfield businesses and Williamsfield’s Spoon River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
HABITAT FOR HEROES
Homeowners to be announced despite Schock’s resignation By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – The show will go on for a Habitat for Heroes project here despite U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s stunning resignation on Tuesday. Schock was scheduled to appear at the Elmwood Presbyterian Church Saturday from 2-4 p.m. and announce the family selected to live in a home planned for South Knox Street. His attendance is doubtful in the wake of Tuesday’s resignation, which came following months of intense media scrutiny into Schock’s spending and business dealings. “As far as I know we’re still on for this Saturday,” said Gerri Pettit, one of the local Habitat for Heroes organizers. “(Schock) just won’t be there.” When Habitat for Hu-
Brimfield center Brad Novak keeps an eye on the Class 1A state championship trophy. Photo by Jeff Lampe.
Billtown EMS agrees to pay $21,000 fine By BILL KNIGHT
For The Weekly Post
WILLIAMSFIELD – From Billtown to Oak Run, residents in the Williamsfield Fire Protection District (WFPD) may soon see the restoration of its emergency response services, as Trustees on Saturday unanimously approved a tentative agreement to Inside settle a case with Elmwood and the state of IlliFarmington city nois. councils met this A status hearweek. Pages 7 ing with and 10. WFPD’s attorney and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), which drafted the document, was scheduled for Wednesday morning (March 18). The District and its ambulance program were threatened with fines ranging from $90,000 to $191,000 and revocation of its license to operate after allegations surfaced that requirements for oxygen tanks weren’t met, IDPH said. The settlement is in two parts. First, For The Weekly Post
U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) resigned Tuesday, days before he was scheduled to appear in Elmwood.
manity of Greater Peoria (HHGP) asked Schock to be a “Master Builder” – a designation for contributors who help raise $40,000 (about half the cost of a home projects’ materials) – it started a unique endeavor. “Habitat lets people help others become self-sufficient, and it’s not a government program,” said HHGP executive director Lea
Anne Schmidgall. “[But] Habitat for Heroes, [which is] for veterans and military families, is one of the most innovative projects in the country.” Nationwide, Schmidgall added, “Habitat has done homes for veterans before, but we hadn’t partnered with anyone from Congress. Aaron saw the need, Continued on Page 9
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