The Weekly Post
Thursday July 25, 2013 Vol. 1, No. 22 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790!
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‘Common Core’ to be the new school standard By BILL KNIGHT
The Common Core State Standards being implemented in public schools are about as revolutionary as the three Rs: Reading,’Riting and ’Rithmetic. However, parents may notice more rigorous assignments in a couple of months, and in a couple of years, communities may notice kids much better prepared for careers, college or civic involvement. In the next year or so, Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have the potential to change education in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the nation. For The Weekly Post
Online information
There are many online resources for background and details on the Common Core State Standards. Here’s are two sites: • www.corestandards.org • pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2910
“Common Core is common sense,” says Monica Freaner, a Brimfield teacher who’s also chair of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) union’s Region 16. “It feels natural.” In fact, it’s already happening, in steps.
“Elmwood has been proactive in its review, discussion and implementation of these standards,” says Elmwood Elementary Principal Tony Frost. “Over the last two years Elmwood teachers and administration have dedicated many hours of in-service time to understand the new learning standards and how it will impact teaching and learning. “All of our teachers are currently using these standards to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn. We have [examined] our current curriculums in order to determine what and when certain topics and concepts
WHITNEY’S WALK
10th Whitney’s Walk ahead of schedule
BRIMFIELD – Saturday is the 10th annual Whitney’s Walk For Life to raise money for suicide prevention, and organizers say they’ve surpassed their goals. Held at Jubilee College State Park on U.S. Route 150 between Brimfield and Kickapoo, Whitney’s Walk includes a 5K run starting at 7:55 a.m. and a 5K walk at 8 a.m.. “As of [Monday] morning we have 1,074 participants and have raised $112, 883,” said Jamie Sanders of the Mental Health America of Illinois Valley, which benefits from the fund raiser. “Our goal was $110,000.” For more information, call MHAIV at (309) 692-1766.
Rural fire district vetoes annexation By JEFF LAMPE
The Elmwood Rural Fire Protection District (ERFPD) voted down a proposed merger with the Elmwood Fire Department. Trustees Dave Wagner, Tom Shissler and Daniel Bowhay voted unanimously against annexation last week. “We just thought at the time it is not necessary. And the consensus of the board was we wanted to know if the city of Elmwood Weekly Post Staff Writer
had come up with other sources to make up for the shortfall with [BYE Ambulance Service, Inc.],” ERFPD president Wagner said. “And it all came about pretty fast. It’s an option down the road and we are going to look at it every year.” The idea of joining departments was put forward by the Elmwood City Council, members of which circulated petitions seeking signatures to put annexation on the ballot next spring for
a referendum vote. A merger would have allowed the ERFPD to raise taxes for ambulance service and could have generated more funds for BYE. Even if Elmwood city voters had approved a merger, the matter ultimately rested in the hands of ERFPD trustees to accept or to reject. Now in the wake of the ERFPD’s decision, the petition drive will not move forward and there will be no referendum.
should be taught, strengths and weaknesses, and how to appropriately supplement our curriculums to meet the Common Core learning expectations. “These standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world,” Frost continued. “We have focused our discussions on two things: what and when we teach grade level concepts and how we teach these concepts. Teachers have been very receptive.” Common Core is designed to establish consistency across the nation in literature, writing, math and science, but also – some say especially – in thinking and problem solving. Goals Continued on Page 2
Gilles pleads guilty to embezzlement By BILL KNIGHT
BRIMFIELD – Customers of Brimfield Bank lost no money in a case of embezzlement in which a former cashier has pleaded guilty, according to a bank executive. “There wasn’t any customer account that was threatened,” said Beth Fitch, a vice president at Brimfield Bank, which is marking its 100th anniversary this year. “At no point was the financial security of the bank ever compromised. Customers’ accounts are safe and sound; customers were covered by insurance.” Brimfield News Natalie M. Gilles, 50, of • Village PresiBrimfield has pleaded guilty to dent Danny J. violating Title 18, U.S. Code, Fishel wrote a letSec. 656, embezzlement by a ter to the editor on bank employee. In court prorecycling, Page 5. ceedings she accepted personal • The Brimfield School Board met responsibility for her “criminal to discuss resignaconduct.” tions and new “Starting in or about 2004 hires, Page 7. and continuing to in or about October 2012,” federal prosecutors wrote, “Natalie Gilles … did embezzle, abstract and willfully misapply moneys, funds and credits of Brimfield Bank and moneys, funds and assets intrusted to the custody and care of the bank in that she withdrew funds from customers’ accounts and diverted other funds of Brimfield Bank to her own use and benefit.” The amount totaled about $200,000, according to federal court documents. According to court filings, Gilles’ activity was reportedly discovered by someone with the power of attorney for the account of an elderly woman. Gilles was reFor The Weekly Post
Continued on Page 3
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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ment at the Williamsfield Public Library District. Must be 17 years old or older. 12-20 hrs. max weekly @ $10 per hour. Evenings 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays, fill-in/on-call, set schedule upon hiring. Must have good communication skills, good work ethic/self-motivated, knowledge of office equipment, typing & computer skills, willing to assist library patrons, able to lift over 25 lbs. For inquiries and applications, please contact Gayla Karrick at the WPLD, (309) 639-2630 during library hours. All applications must be in by Monday, Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. • DECOYS, CALLS: Seeking old duck decoys, duck paintings, duck calls and other items related to waterfowl hunting. 309-741-9790. • SCRAP METAL: Buying all scrap metals. The bigger, the better. (309) 645-4563
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are set by CCSS, teachers decide how to teach the skills. Forty-five states have approved the uniform set of benchmarks. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) three years ago OK’d the transition from the previous standards from 1997. The ISBE also scheduled 2014-15 for when the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT, taken by pupils in grades 3 through 8) will be changed, with different measurements assessing student performance. The PSAEs (the Prairie State Achievement Examinations, which high school juniors take) also will be updated. In nearby Lewistown, Sandra Sargeant, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 3936, has been instrumental in preparing teachers to implement CCSS, from helping the ISBE develop materials to assist teachers to convening union training sessions on English language arts, resources and on a new PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career). “When it comes to understanding and implementing the Common
Core State Standards, we as teachers can do this,” Sargeant says. “There are different levels of [school] leadership. Some haven’t had the time to keep up. AFT has taken a leadership role in providing professional development, showing ways to go to their districts and share knowledge. There are tools to do this. We’re the practitioners; administrators everywhere don’t always appreciate that.” Some of the preparations require teachers to adjust assignments, Sargeant says. “Writing and solving math problems may be the most noticeable,” she says, “but math may not have as much homework. Common Core is not taking calculations out of the curriculum, but more will go in to how students got an answer. “In English, students will have to form and state a claim and develop an argument [supporting it],” she said. “It’s about deeper questioning. “At the Kindergarten4th grade levels, the breakdown of reading will be 50 percent literature and 50 percent information texts. At the 5th-12th grade levels, the ratio changes to 30 precent literature and 70
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percent nonfiction. The previous standards didn’t adequately prepare students.” In classrooms, the adjustments can be subtle, even if hoped-for results could be dramatic. “If teachers are crafty, they can take a lot of what they’re already doing and align it a bit differently, and add more rigor and higher expectations,” Sargeant says. “It’s more demanding [of students], but teachers have been doing a lot of this forever.” In Elmwood, Frost sounds optimistic. “State leaders say the Common Core learning standards are the first step in providing our young people with a high-quality education,” he says. “I believe these standards are an effort to provide a clear and consistent foundation of learning expectations for all schools.” Math and reading have been fully implemented at Elmwood Junior High and High School, according to High School Principal Stan Matheny. In Brimfield, Freaner reassures anxious students and parents. “Students aren’t going to be just thrown into the deep end,” Freaner says. “Parents may notice more consistency at
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every level, working from the standards. Teachers [still] generate the work assignments, and maybe not everyone is embracing it because some are leery that the state will change its mind again. “But there still will be goals and standards, and they’ll be similar, but I think more concrete and explicit. The focus will be more on important skills incorporated into classrooms, and kids aren’t going to feel the effect, for the most part.” CCSS has been criticized by some who think it discards fiction, that a national curriculum is mandated by the federal government, etc. But such conclusions misunderstand CCSS, say educators, who point out that local schools keep control of curriculum. “This isn’t driving everyone to college,” says Sargeant, in Lewistown. “Whether at college or working at Walmart, people are going to have to take exams or read texts: technical manuals and so on. [So] students will have to read more complex texts. There can be more choices for more activities, teachers and students alike, so a big thing will be independent work.”
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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THE WEEK AHEAD HOT PICKS This Week!
s Book signing – Retired principal Alexander Delk will be at Williamsfield Public Library July 29 from 1-6 p.m. for a signing of his non-fiction book, “Memories of Yesteryear: Life of Rural America During the 1920s and 1930s.” Delk was principal at Williamsfield from 1976-87 and invites all past teachers, students and friends to attend. A copy of the book is at the library. s Elmwood band – Elmwood’s Municipal Band plays Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Central Park gazebo.
weiller Park’s Pine and Dogwood shelters from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Menu ins Special speaker – Evangelist cludes pulled pork, baked beans, Larry Love will be at Cross Roads Asvegetables, drinks and desert. Donasembly of God on July 28. The comtion of $5 suggested. Call (309) 693munity is invited to come and hear his 0541. message for two services, 10:30 a.m. s Historical tours – Celebrate the and 6 p.m. There will be a potluck world travels of Miss Jean Morron at luncheon after the first service. Bring Pettengill-Morron Historical Home your favorite dish to pass. Museum, 1212 Moss Avenue in Peoria s Story hour – Little Zoomers story Sunday, Aug. 4, from 1-4 p.m. and hour will be held Wednesdays in July again Sept. 1. Tours cost $7 for adults at Williamsfield Public Library from and $3 for children. Call (309) 6749:30-10:30 a.m. for 1921. youngsters age 3-5. Publicize Your Event s Mother-daughter Backpack Bookworm crafts – MotherCall us at (309) 741-9790 Buddies is from 1:30-3 daughter craft night is or email information about p.m. each Wednesday your upcoming event to Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. at for youngsters who news@wklypost.com. Morrison & Mary have completed kinderWiley Library. Chilgarten through fourth dren must be at least six to attend. grade. Call (309) 639-2630. s Old Settlers Days – The 124th ans Soccer signup – Fall soccer nual Brimfield’s Old Settlers Days are signups for the Canton YMCA league Aug 8-10. Country singer Barbara are Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Elmwood Community Center. Call Fairchild has two shows Aug. 10 at 6 and 9 p.m. Visit brimfieldoldsettlers(309) 647-1616 days.webs.com. Future Events s Fiber guild – The Bishop Hill s Cruise in – The 7th annual BrimFiber Guild will meet Saturday, Aug field Super Cruise In to benefit the 10 at 10 a.m. at the Methodist Church American Diabetes Association is Aug. in West Jersey. All persons interested 3 from 4-8 p.m. Call Joe Arbogast at in fiber are welcome. Call (309) 472(309) 678-3639. 7085 or email spinwool7@aol.com. s Hog roast – The National Alliance s Harvest Home festival – Yates on Mental Illness has its fourth annual City’s Harvest Home Festival is Aug. hog roast Saturday, Aug. 3 at Det16-17.
This Week’s Events
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BANK: ‘A violation and a betrayal’ Continued from Page 1
ported to have withdrawn funds from that person’s account and diverted deposits by that victim. Gilles also issued and signed checks out of those accounts and created fictitious statements to hide the activity. Prosecutors say Gilles also withdrew funds from another customer’s Certificate of Deposit and savings accounts, increased amounts of reimbursements for purchases made on behalf of Brimfield Bank, failed to turn over money in dormant accounts to the State of Illinois, and overpaid some Brimfield Bank bills and kept the excess money. “It was not an incident that created an issue,” Fitch said. “It was a violation and a betrayal by an employee and friend, so it’s been painful and terribly sad.” Gilles was released on her own recognizance in an unsecured bond of $10,000, according to court papers. Those papers show that the conditions of her release include requirements to get medical or psychiatric treatment, to participate in substance abuse therapy, to refrain from using alcohol and to submit to testing for prohibited substances such as drugs or alcohol. Court papers also show “the government agrees to recommend a sentence
at the low end of the applicable advisory guideline range.” However, the court is free to impose the sentence it deems appropriate. Potential penalties are imprisonment of up to 30 years, a fine of up to $1 million, supervised release of up to 5 years, plus a $100 mandatory special assessment, according to the court. Also, defendants convicted under these terms may be ordered to make restitution to the victim and pay related costs for the resulting investigation, incarceration and supervision. Gilles’ attorney, Drew Parker of Peoria, said a pre-sentencing report is expected some time in September, after which the defense can object. “It’s been a privilege to represent a kind person from a very nice family in very dire, serious circumstances,” Parker said. “We’ll see what happens in September.” Gilles also has agreed to refrain from participating with any institution protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and she waived her right to appeal. Gilles’ next court appearance is scheduled for 10 a.m. on October 9 before U.S. District Judge Joe B. McDade at the federal courthouse in downtown Peoria.
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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The Weekly Post
The Weekly Post is published every Thursday (except the last weeks of December and June) by Lampe Publications LLC, 115 W. Main St., Elmwood, IL 61529. All phone numbers listed are in area code (309).
Postmaster – Send address changes to The Weekly Post, P.O. Box 745, Elmwood, IL 61529 Phone – 741-9790 Fax – 741-9365 Email – news@wklypost.com Website – www.wklypost.com (Aug. 15 Launch!) Office Hours – Mon-Wed 9-5, Thurs 9-12, Fri 9-4 News – Jeff Lampe 231-6040 Classifieds – Shelly Brodine 741-9790 Advertising – Steve Neal 696-6130 Contributors – Mit Beres, Terry Bibo, Keith Butterfield, Melinda Cote, Amy Davis, Kasey Eberle, Jon Gallagher, Bill Knight, Crystal Prahl and Gabbie Sloan Deadlines – News due Tuesdays by noon. Retail ads and classifieds due Mondays by noon. Circulation – The paper is delivered via mail for free in Brimfield, Dahinda Edwards, Elmwood, Kickapoo, Laura, Oak Hill, Williamsfield and Yates City. Subscriptions are available outside the communities listed above. A one-year subscription is $100. Obituaries, Births, Weddings – Forms are available at our office at 115 W. Main St. in Elmwood.
Quote of the Week: – “The art of letters will come to an end before A.D. 2000. I shall survive as a curiosity.” – Ezra Pound Seen by 13,911+ readers every week!
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Of love letters, Latin lessons and bug bites
Rambling through central Illinois pondering my high school Latin teacher Mrs. Murette, the strictest grammarian I ever met. uuu Do you know why paperboys hustle off after delivering the paper? In my case it’s so I don’t get a lesson on grammar, spelling or capitalization. Tina Jeff Kellstadt only LAMPE had time for one tutorial last Wednesday at Brimfield Public Library. Between the time I handed her a paper and washed the ink off my hands in the bathroom, she had already cataloged my latest miscue. “How do you spell Millbrook?” she asked. Hmm. I hesitated. Unfortunately, we printed two different versions last issue – the correct spelling with two “L’s” in a story by Bill “Bug Bite” Knight, the incorrect spelling in a headline by our chief
copy editor, some slob named Lampe. ... Tina is a former journalism major and told me not to worry about the correction. She said back in the day when her husband wrote love letters she corrected his grammar and spelling. Now that impressed me. Not even Mrs. Murette was that hard core in her pursuit of perfection. uuu Despite the lesson, I still like libraries. They are usually air conditioned, often have free cookies (if you poke around enough) and are great places to learn about what’s happening in a town. Actually, many libraries are the heart of their community. And we are blessed to have vibrant examples of that in nearly all the towns we cover. ... That’s true also of Peoria Public Library, whose downtown branch is hosting a photography exhibit by my former Peoria Journal Star colleague Matt Buedel and his pal Scott Cavanagh. For a year they assigned each other a oneword photo theme. By the end of the week the person assigned had
where Kate and William live (something Palace – I refuse to look it up) TO the hospital. No kidding. It was also noteworthy that the sidewalk opposite the “famous door” was so filled with media there was no room to slide a piece of paper between any two outlets. Meanwhile: • Congress can accomplish nothing. • We have troops in many foreign countries, especially Afghanistan, where we are still fighting a war. • There is, maybe, another emerging crisis in Darfur. • Our jobless rate continues to be unconscionably high; and more and more who HAVE jobs have McJobs or WalJobs or work sev-
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Did you hear the news of the royal baby?
I am absolutely thrilled over the birth of the royal baby – a boy I’m told. I was ecstatic over the four locations in London where NBC “News” (for instance) had cameras and reporters. Best of all: I was able to follow, by TV camera on a helRandy icopter, the FRITZ movement of the SIGN proclaiming the birth from the hospital to Buckingham – the FREAKING SIGN. That was after, earlier, another map of London showing the (probable) route from the place
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to produce a picture capturing the theme. It’s a cool idea that they executed well. And their photos are on display at the downtown Peoria library through July 30. uuu Why did I call Bill Bug Bite? Well some insect sent him to the hospital last weekend, though he healed up in time to reach his weekly quota of 17,465 words for this edition. Fortunately the bite was not from a brown recluse spider. As Bug Bite’s doctor noted, “With brown recluse bites we cut out flesh.” Yikes. I’d rather send a love letter to Tina or go back to Latin class. ... You never met Mrs. Murette, but I still remember much that she taught. For instance, impedimentum means a hindrance or obstacle in the singular, but in the plural means the heavy baggage of an army. Knowledge like that has really helped pay the bills. ... Parting shot: Amor vincit omnia ... except spelling errors.
Crafters and Artists For Brimfield Old Settlers Days Aug. 10 – 9 am to 5 pm Call Judy Wertz (309) 446-3520
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eral jobs, all part-time with no benefits. • With a recent Supreme Court decision, millions of Americans are actually losing the right to vote because they lack proper identification and the means to acquire it. • Illinois government (also true in many other states) is almost as dysfunctional as Congress. • Mega banks have received (literally) trillions of dollars in government cash in spite of the fact it is they who blew up the economy (see CDOs and Credit-Default Swaps) and none of them have been punished. If Bernie Madoff had stolen 10 times what he did he wouldn’t be in prison, he would have been Continued on Page 6
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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Yoga uneeded to put foot in mouth When I rolled (more like fell) out of bed this morning, I heard the familiar sounds of “Snap, Crackle, Pop.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t eating breakfast cereal. I was just moving. Slowly. With all the grace and speed of a glacier. Those sounds were coming from my knees, back and some yet-unidentified part of my anatomy. Getting older Jon is rough, but I keep reminding GALLAGHER myself: It sure beats the alternative. I headed for my office in Galesburg, stopping along the way at McDonalds to satisfy the other
loud sounds being made by my empty stomach. I still don’t understand how I can have such an ample belly and not have anything in it. I would think that some of those fat cells store energy or food or something, sort of like a camel’s hump. I guess that only works on camels, though. While at McDonalds, I saw an old friend, a man who I used to attend church with quite a few years ago. Although it had been a while, I recognized him immediately and went up to say “Hi.” He didn’t recognize me until I told him who I was. His eyes lit up and he said, “Jon! I haven’t see you in – must be at least 20 years!” He must have read my mind. Then he said, “You’ve put on a little weight!”
I tried explaining that I was eight and a half months pregnant, but he wasn’t buying that. Then I told him that I know so many people who had lost weight recently that I put myself in charge of finding it for them and was just keeping it ’til they wanted it back. I could be wrong, but I don’t think he bought that either. A couple of Friday nights ago, I went to something on Seminary Street in Galesburg called “First Friday.” It’s basically where they close off the street for a block and all the businesses along that block set things out on the street. They have a band and there are demonstrations with painters, sculptors and other such arts. This past month, they had a yoga demonstration. Now if Continued on Page 6
Brimfield recycling site will be closed Oct. 1
To the Editor: The Village of Brimfield would like to clarify and apologize for any misunderstanding following the July 1 Village Board meeting. The recycling site located at the west end of Brimfield has been a co-operative between the Village of Brimfield and the Brimfield Public Library for many years. The village has provided and maintained this site during that time. It has always been available to all residents located within the Brimfield Public Library taxing district. Unfortunately due to the constant abuse of this site including the over flowing of dumpsters, placing items on the ground and the depositing of trash, this area of Brimfield has been polluted on a weekly basis and become a nuisance to the residents. The village has used local media and posted specific signage in hopes of correcting the problem, however, the abuse has continued. This recycling site will be permanently closed Oct. 1. The village has supported this program and continues to encourage residents to recycle. This has prompted the board to include curbside recycling along with curbside garbage pickup for village residents beginning Oct. 1. Details regarding this program will be provided to residents shortly.
– Danny J. Fishel Brimfield Village President
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The Weekly Post welcomes letters from readers. Email us at editor@wklypost.com or mail to: Letters, The Weekly Post, P.O. Box 745, Elmwood, IL 61529. Include your first and last name, your full home address, home phone and a phone number where you can be reached. Letters should be no more than 300 words and must be signed. Letters will be edited.
Headaches, dehydration led to Farmington forfeit
To the Editor: I am writing this letter in response to the article titled, “KVL season ends with class”. I think that there are some things that were left out of your story that should be printed. What those boys did for Willie on that day was not the only life lesson learned that day. The Farmington team was in its fourth game of the day at that time. They had played at 10, 2, 4 and were now playing at 6 against Hanna City for the third time that day. Hanna City won the first one, Farmington then beat Brimfield and the same Hanna City team. That led to the two teams meeting again for the championship. This is how the tournament is set up. The Farmington coach – my
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husband Clark Evans – decided to forfeit the championship game because the boys were complaining of headaches and were taking frequent restroom breaks, which made him believe that they were becoming dehydrated. He is an EMT and had the good sense to know that it was not in the boys’ best physical interest to finish the championship game. At first I gave him a hard time, which I later apologized for and put out publicly on Facebook. Once we got home and aired it all out I understood. I was not in the dugout and did not see the boys with headaches and signs of dehydration. My main concern is that I disapprove of a team of 9- and 10year-olds having to play four games in one day. Even after they forfeited the game, the boys still went out and fielded for Willie to be able to enjoy his day in the sun. Your article was right in conveying the good sportsmanship of the kids, but you failed to mention that they had just forfeited their championship game and still went out there in their disappointment to do something admirable for somebody else. Kudos to the boys for thinking of others and to the coach for thinking of the physical safety of the kids. – Christine Runyon Evans, Farmington
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
FRITZ: Who needs real news any more? Continued from Page 4
bailed out – his REAL crime was stealing too little. • The Israelis are making it increasingly impossible for Palestinians to have enough territory for a homeland, in spite of the best efforts of John Kerry. • The threats and embargos regarding Iran are becoming more vociferous because they might get an atomic bomb, while nobody remembers that
Israel has more than 300. • I could go on and on... But the royal family has a new heir (making it a full three generations of kings to follow when Liz succumbs – first time since Victoria [1837-1901]). All is right with the world, so I’m at peace. And, thankfully, I’ve got an informed, concerned, viable, and critical press to keep me informed on the progress of the royal progeny.
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PUBLIC RECORD Brimfield man wrecks car, kills turkey, leaves scene
Brandon Daily, 28, of Brimfield about 7:30 a.m. on July 21 was eastbound on Southport Road when his car left the road and struck a tree, killing a turkey hen sitting on her eggs in a nest, according to police. Daily then left the scene and Sheriff’s officers located him at home, performed a field sobriety test and arrested him for Driving Under the Influence and failure to reduce speed. A Brimfield firefighter took the turkey eggs from the scene to try to save them, police reports said.
Elmwood ATV rider hurt, but escapes severe injuries
ELMWOOD – Kurtis Richerson, 19, of Elmwood about 12:30 p.m. July 19 was driving an ATV owned by his grandfather, Dennis Fitzgerald, when it overturned at a dirt mound in the 7900
block of McClellan Road. BYE transported Richerson to OSF, but police reported observing no severe injuries.
Elmwood man arrested
PEORIA – Jacob Musgrave, 21 of Elmwood about 2 a.m. 0n July 19 was arrested for battery after a fight in the parking lot of a tavern on Farmington Road. An East Peoria man also was arrested for battery in the altercation.
Police reports
• Sonny Wheeler, 26, of Elmwood on July 19 was detained by Elmwood Police officers and taken to the Peoria County Jail, where he was held for an out-of-county warrant.
Marriage License
• Sean P. Updyke and Tracy L. Fennell, both of Brimfield.
GALLAGHER: Yoga, not Yogi Bear Continued from Page 5
you’re one of the people who think I’m talking about a cartoon bear who steals picnic baskets, you have my permission to stop reading right now and find something else in the paper to read. If you know that yoga is the art of bending and twisting your body into unnatural and painful-looking positions while holding in your screams of agony, then you’re cleared to read on. This guy, who looked to be my age (only younger), put his left foot at the front of his yoga mat. Then he took his right foot and stretched it as far as he could behind himself. His chest at this point is resting on his left thigh. This is where it gets interesting – and possibly painful. Slowly but surely, he lowered his chest toward the ground until his right cheek was resting on the ground, inches from his left foot. If he would have had the desire to lick his own foot, he could have. I was not impressed. I stick my foot in my mouth on a regular basis already. Sometimes I
manage to get both feet in there (’cause I have a really big mouth). Usually sticking my foot in my mouth is just a figure of speech, but I had physically been in the same position that this yoga expert was in, and it wasn’t that long ago. It was right after I got off a skateboard. I hadn’t wanted to get off that skateboard at that exact moment, but I did. Then this thing called gravity took effect, and, well … let’s just says it wasn’t pretty. Didn’t feel so good either. I didn’t call it yoga. Maybe it didn’t qualify as yoga because I forgot that part about holding in the screaming-inimmense-pain. What did amaze me is the fact that the guy was able to stand upright a few seconds later, and walk without the aid of a walker, crutches or other people, like he wasn’t in pain at all. Maybe I should consider taking up that yoga thing. Maybe that’s the way for me to get out of bed in the morning without sounding like a bowl of Rice Krispies.
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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Brimfield board handles hires, resignations By TERRY BIBO
BRIMFIELD – Resignations, new hires and contracts dominated the discussion at Brimfield Unit School District 309 board meeting on July 17. Although the certified staff contract expires Aug. 31, the first negotiating session was postponed because one of the participants had a death in the family. “It was supposed to start tomorrow,” said Superintendent Joe Blessman. “Now it’s the first week in August.” Resignations were accepted for five staffers. High school math teacher Laura Moore, physical education teacher Steve Paxson For The Weekly Post
and grade school teacher Sue Streitmatter have left. Cafeteria manager Shirley Kellstadt will be leaving June 30, 2014. New employees include Bright Futures assistant Kristen Fuller, Bright Futures teacher Angel Frail, high school math teachers Roberto Bernales and Kelsey Drea and grade school special education teacher Melissa McCauley. With school starting Aug. 22, there were questions about filling openings with the best possible candidates. Blessman, who had spent the whole day before the meeting in interviews, reassured board members that top-notch staff is readily available. He indicated the bigger
worry was confirming employment with time to allow new teachers to prepare for the upcoming school year. “Are you concerned about the candidates’ quality?” asked John Moon. “There’s not a shortage of elementary education people,” Blessman replied. “As I said, I think it’s a buyers’ market.” “We haven’t even advertised the second grade position and I think I have 20 resumes,” confirmed Brimfield Grade School Principal Jeannie Blane. In other personnel matters, a seemingly routine confirmation of the district’s current architectural firm became
Blessman’s goals include contract By TERRY BIBO
BRIMFIELD – Given a lovely July lull, students and parents probably aren’t too stoked about the rapidly upcoming school year. Incoming Brimfield Unit School District 309 Superintendent Joe Blessman is. After a few weeks in the top administrator’s chair, he agreed to discuss his goals for 2013-2014. The list of goals starts with negotiations for a certified staff contract, since the current agreement expires Aug. 31. “Absolutely. One of my goals is to negotiate a fair contract with the teachers,” he said. The current contract was for a single year, and offered a flat $700 increase rather than a percentage of salary. Blessman attributed both to an unstable economy. “It’s hard to go into year two or three when you don’t know what the state is going to do,” he said. And that makes his second goal – a balanced budget – more of a challenge. For The Weekly Post
“We’ve been deficit spending with a new building,” he said. “The deficit spending has to stop.” Ideally, Blessman would like to get those financial issues resolved so the district can concentrate on the bigger issue: educating students. He wants to increase “meets or exceeds” scores, because that’s how districts are judged today. And he wants to continue to align scores to the common core standards. Those issues loom large and consume time, but offer promise, as well. “Now we’re all going to be judged by the same standards,” he said. “Now we can actually compare what different states do. ... Sometimes I think in education we focus too much on the negative.” Given the number of new teachers, he also wants to focus on an existing mentor program. “One of my goals is to make sure we have a mentor program to set them up for success,” he said. “I was the new hire last year.”
an opening to reassess services. Board members confirmed Dennis, Hall and Triggs as the official legal representation. But they tabled confirmation of PSA Dewberry as BUSD 309‘s architectural firm, pending more information. “Why would we hire PSA if we’re not happy with them?” said Scott Bauer. “I’m not saying I’m not happy with them,” Blessman said. “I am,” said Bauer. Blessman was asked to contact other architectural firms about their services and fees.
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Elmwood school board accepts cheerleading coach’s resignation By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – Elmwood’s Board of Education in a 3½-hour meeting Monday night accepted the resignation of high school cheerleading coach Teryan Newman by a 5-1-1 vote after two mothers accused her of wrongdoing. Newman addressed the board and said allegations were false, her treatment by school administrators was unprofessional and she was forced to quit. “I am not asking for my position to be reinstated,” Newman said. “I am just asking that the truth be told and tell you that I was strong-armed into resigning.” Besides Newman family members, eight parents and cheerleaders attended to show their support for Newman, For The Weekly Post
who this spring was recruited to coach and last month led Elmwood’s squad to a Superior trophy in a Universal Cheerleading Association camp, the first cheerleading trophy Elmwood has won. At least three Elmwood cheerleaders reportedly have quit the team as a result of Newman’s resignation: Salina Diefendorf, Paige Koll and Brooke Parish. Koll had won all-star honors at the June 13-14 camp. The board talked to several Newman supporters in closed session, but wouldn’t disclose those discussions. Speaking on the condition no name be used, one board member seemed skeptical of the misconduct claims. “No one was in any danger or anything,” the board member said. “But Continued on Page 9
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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OBITUARIES Dorothy Fry
PEORIA – Dorothy Jane Fry, 96, of Peoria, mother of a Brimfield man, died on July 9 at Proctor Place in Peoria. Born on Nov. 30, 1916, in Falls City, Neb., she was married to Milton J. Bublitz. She later married Eugene Fry, who died in 1975 in Brimfield. She is survived by her son Vince (Cathy) Bublitz, of Brimfield; daughter Mary (Don Nelson) Stenger of Bartonville; eight grandchildren; and nine greatgrandchildren. Memorial services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday (July 28) at Proctor Place, 2724 W. Reservoir Blvd., Peoria, with Chaplain Mary
Today’s Obituaries
• Dorothy Fry, 96, Peoria • Bill Polhemus, 86, Hanna City Jane West officiating. A private interment will be in Jubilee Churchyard Cemetery at Jubilee State Park at a later date. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.ClaryFunerals.com.
Bill Polhemus
HANNA CITY – Clarence William “Bill” Polhemus, 86, died on July 16 at Farmington Country Manor in Farmington.
Born Nov. 26, 1926, in Rapatee to Clarence D. and Grace (Elliot) Polhemus, he married Bonnie J. Cady on March 21, 1954, in Brimfield. She preceded him in death in 2005. Services were scheduled for July 20 at the Hanna City United Methodist Church, with burial with military honors in Smithville Cemetery in Hanna City. Send online condolences to www.sedgwickfuneralhomes.com. Obituary Policy: We print basic obituaries for free. Longer obituaries cost $1 per column inch and $5 per picture. Forms are available at The Weekly Post, 115 W. Main St.; Elmwood, IL. Or call 309-741-9790.
IN BRIEF
Billtown school registration ahead
WILLIAMSFIELD – Registration for Williamsfield schools starts Monday and continues through Friday. The schedule is: Noon-6 p.m. Monday for elementary school students Noon-6 p.m. Tuesday for middle school and high school students 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday for any student, including new students For more information, contact Williamsfield School District #210, (309) 639-2216, or online at www.billtown.org.
Elmwood back on Spoon River Drive After a one-year trial, Elmwood has been officially added to the Fulton County Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive the first two weekends in October. Thousands of promotional brochures are being distributed statewide, and Elmwood has been added to the map showing the Spoon River Drive route. Elmwood is listed as the second stop. People interested in par-
ticipating in Elmwood may contact Jody Centers at (309) 264-8653 or at JLCenters@gmail.com.
Mental health aid in rural areas
One in five Americans has a mental illness yet only about 4 in 10 of these people receive treatment. In rural America – where 20 percent of the country’s population lives – the challenges of getting mental health treatment are exacerbated by the fear of being misunderstood, lack of awareness about services, and chronic shortage of behavioral health providers. Mental Health First Aid is a low-cost training that helps to build community capacity to identify mental health and substance abuse issues early. For more information about Mental Health First Aid, visit
www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org Mental Health First Aid training in rural areas is offered through an in-person training that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders, and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems. Participants learn a 5step action plan to help individuals in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care. A recent study found that people trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in helping others, a greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes. Brought to the U.S. from Australia in 2008,
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PUZZLE ANSWERS
the pioneering Mental Health First Aid program has already been delivered to more 100,000 Americans through a network of nearly 3,000 instructors. The training is intended for people from all walks of life.
Miles gravesite receives plaque
ELMWOOD – Members of the Spoon River Chapter of the National Daughters of the American Revolution placed a plaque on the grave of Lucy Lavinia North Miles last weekend. Miles was a daughter of Asa North, a Connecticut soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War. The plaque was placed on her gravesite in Lehigh Cemetery on Graham Chapel Road outside of Elmwood last Saturday. The Spoon River Chapter of NSDAR is based in Williamsfield.
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
Page 9
FOR ANSWERS SEE PAGE 8
1. MATH: What is the length of the boundary of a closed plane figure? 2. ASTRONOMY: What is the sixth planet from the sun? 3. HISTORY: What was the native city of explorer Marco Polo? 4. GAMES: How long is a standard bowling lane? 5. ENTERTAINMENT: Which singer was the first to record a "Greatest Hits" album? 6. LANGUAGE: What is a mountebank? 7. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was Andrew Jackson's first lady? 8. GEOGRAPHY: What is the second most populous country in the world? 9. FAMOUS QUOTES: What Irish playwright once said, "If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance"? 10. MUSIC: What 1960s pop music group featured singer Cass Elliot? Answers 1. Perimeter 2. Saturn 3. Venice, Italy 4. 60 feet 5. Johnny Mathis 6. A charlatan 7. Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson 8. India 9. George Bernard Shaw 10. The Mamas and The Papas (c) 2013 King Features Synd., Inc.
ELMWOOD: Board votes 5-1-1 to accept coach’s resignation Continued from Page 7
she did resign and said she didn’t want her job back.” Charges of misconduct apparently came from the mother of one cheerleader who was unhappy and quit, and a second mother of a cheerleader who was reportedly reprimanded by the school for bullying, then removed from the team by Newman for the same misbehavior. The accusations reportedly included improper supervision at a team-building sleepover, but parent chaperones were present throughout the activity, and three of those mothers were at the board meeting to verify that. “I feel like what happened just promoted drama instead of supporting school personnel,” said Heidi Koll-Pio, whose daughter was a cheerleader. “This all had nothing to do with Teryan.”
Newman said she was never given the opportunity to defend herself, and when she finally met with school administrators, she was told to meet them at a Peoria business, where she was asked whether she was prepared to resign. She said she initially refused, but was told the board had already OK’d the move, and after a few minutes the meeting adjourned and Newman returned to Elmwood. “After getting home, I decided to text [the school] and resign,” she continued. “They shouldn’t get away with strong-arming people without getting all sides of the story. I’m just trying to blow the whistle. My victory was opening the board’s eyes.” Tracy Parrish, whose daughter also was a cheerleader, defended Newman. “My hope is this board puts in place protocol on investigating situations
such as this one,” she said. “It saddens me that everyone who wanted an opportunity to shed some light on these issues was not given the chance to do so.” New board members Mark Davis and Rick LeHew joined board president Tom Conklin, Terri Osmulski and Veronia Haskell in accepting Newman’s resignation. Dean Cantu voted to not accept it; board secretary Bill Frietsch was absent. In other business, the board heard that Illinois Central College this fall is planning to offer an English class from 6-8:45 p.m. at Brimfield High School, and if students successfully complete the college course, they may be eligible for high school credit, although it’s not a dual-credit offering. Also, the board unanimously approved spending $35,254.92 for 45
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laptop computers in a one-year lease after which the district can buy the units for $1. Financing of the lease will be through Elmwood Community Bank/Morton Community Bank. Superintendent Roger Alvey also conveyed early discussions with the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IPMR) for conducting research with Elmwood students on concussions, and the possibility of an alternative middle school in cooperation with the Regional Office of Education and/or nearby districts. Finally, the board approved hiring PeaJay Craig, Myrl Gray, Beth Hanlon and Jenna Powers as aides, Ashley Pumphrey as a Bright Futures aide, Billie Schultz as a library aide, Deanna Potts as a reading aide, and volunteer coaches Brandon Butler (football) and Dianne Burwell (golf).
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
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FARM FIELD
Chinese buy largest U.S. pork company By WILLIAM C. BAILEY Director, School of Agriculture
Agriculture in the United States normally makes national headlines only when there is a drought or food safety issue. But a Chinese firm’s purchase of U.S.based Smithfield Foods, the largest pork company in the world, made national news – and has become rather contentious. Some people believe money invested in agriculture is good but others are concerned about foreign ownership of our food supply. And this is not yet a done deal because the purchase still requires U.S. government approval. The facts are straight forward: Smithfield Foods, Inc., the world’s largest pork producer by sales volume, has agreed to be acquired by Shuanghui International Holdings, a privately owned meat-processing company headquartered in China. Smithfield controls 28 percent of U.S. pork processing capacity and 15 percent of U.S. pork production. A U.S. government committee must determine the effect of foreign control of Smithfield on U.S. national security before it approves the acquisition. If approved, the sale would be the largest takeover of a U.S. firm by a Chinese company. The key questions are: Why did the Chinese Western Illinois University
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company buy Smithfield? And what does it mean to American agriculture? One camp sees the investment as a way for Shuanghui to address the tremendous growth in the demand for pork China has experienced over the past few years. In addition, because Smithfield has several very widely known brands, the purchase will make a trusted product available to Chinese consumers. After all, given the numerous food-related scandals China has gone through, those consumers may even pay a premium for a product they trust. The purchase is also consistent with Chinese actions in South America, Africa and New
Zealand, where significant amounts of land and infrastructure have been purchased. Another camp sees only problems – a larger number of pigs, raised in confinement operations, producing more pollution while pushing up the price of feed and pork, with no benefit to American consumers. The final camp, U.S. pork producers, sees the purchase as a positive. U.S. pork has had difficulty getting into China, and this purchase could dramatically reduce those barriers. In addition, only about 25 percent of the hog is exported – the highvalue meat cuts. The Chinese consumer wants a lot more of the hog – increasing further the
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309-691-0276 office 309-222-1152 cell EDWARDS Christ Alive! Community Church Pastor Lance Zaerr 9320 W US Highway 150 Edwards (309) 231-8272 www.christalivecc.com Sun. School: 9:15 am Worship: 10:30 am
ELMWOOD Crossroads Assembly of God Pastor Tim Cavallo 615 E. Ash St., Elmwood
Church Listings (309) 830-4259 Sun. Worship: 10:30 am
YATES CITY Faith United Presbyterian Church Rev. Chris Deacon 107 W. Bishop St. Yates City, IL 61572 (309) 358-1170 Worship: 9 am Sun. School: 10:15 am Thurs. Choir: 7:30 pm
Old Settlers race signups underway
BRIMFIELD – Entry forms are available for the 22nd annual Brimfield Old Settlers Race on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 8 a.m. Cost is $15 in advance, $25 on race day for the 5K run/walk or 1 mile walk and a participation tshirt. Check-in is from 6:30 to 7:45 a.m. in front of the American Legion Hall. There will also be a quarter-mile kids fun run after the main race. Race forms are available in Brimfield or online at www.ivs.org. For more information contact Tim Tucker at (309) 4469308.
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value of the animal. Who resents farmers getting paid more money for their product? The loser will probably be the American consumer. The products produced by Smithfield will most likely go directly to China with the amount supplied to American buyers significantly reduced. Some believe the only Smithfield products the U.S. consumer sees could be what can’t be sold in China. Consumers will see less, but more expensive, pork at the grocery store. How will they respond? Buy more chicken? Abandon pork altogether? Or change the law that permitted Smithfield to be sold to a foreign company?
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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 25, 2013
Page 11
TUTTLE: Tuttle key in fighting tobacco Continued from Page 12
ball, Tuttle had a sore in his mouth, which was diagnosed as cancer, and he underwent a 13-hour operation. Cancer returned and the former outfielder went through chemotherapy and radiation treatments. After five major surgeries and years of therapy, Tuttle lost his appearance, cheekbone, teeth, taste buds, appetite, hearing and the ability to swallow – all due to four decades of chewing tobacco. In the 1990s, Garagiola was head of the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), which helped ex-ballplayers, and arranged to cover Tuttle’s medical expenses. Tuttle started visiting teams to warn players of the consequences of spit tobacco, usually accompanied by his wife Gloria and Garagiola, “He made an impact,” Garagiola says. “He’d just sort of say ‘Hey – I made a mistake. Don’t do it’.” The NCAA in 1990
banned the use of tobacco in tournament play and two years later it was banned for all minor league players in Rookie and Class-A leagues. By 2011, when MLB’s collective-bargaining agreement with the players union was OK’d, it included limits on the use of spit tobacco, as Garagiola calls it instead of “smokeless tobacco” because, he says, “smokeless does not mean harmless.” “I was hoping they would ban it from the field,” Garagiola says, “but it’s a first step. We couldn’t have done it without Bill. ” Tuttle was never crabby either, Garagiola says. “Bill and his wife Gloria really gave of themselves,” Garagiola says. “Bill’s a Hall of Famer for my mind. One time we’d been in four clubhouses and I was pooped and someone from Reader’s Digest wanted to talk to him and I said, ‘Bill, do you want to rest?’ He just said, ‘No, let’s do it now’.”
Despite Tuttle’s reconstructed face being misshapen and discolored, he didn’t hide the consequences of tobacco. “I can’t tell you the admiration people had for him,” Garagiola says. “Even when he was so disfigured, or we showed pictures or videos of him, he didn’t hide – and he handled it when people looked at him that way. He didn’t do it for glory.” Tuttle’s daughter, Kimberly Oliver, says her father started chewing tobacco while he was benched while a broken collar bone was mending and teammate Harvey Kuenn suggested it. “He was quiet, and he always loved baseball,” says Oliver, who went to Farmington High School with her sister Debbie, then lived in Syracuse while Bill played there. “He’d have one game on the big TV, another game on a little portable and maybe a third game on, on a transistor radio, all at the same time. When we were in the car and he’d have a game on, we
FOOTBALL: Best outside of Cook Co. Continued from Page 12
Kershaw, who led the team in scoring. With each victory, the team became more and more confident. “The Elmwood high school football boys have issued a challenge in the Peoria Star offering to play any high school in the state outside of Cook County,” according to the Elmwood Gazette dated Oct. 25, 1900. No one accepted the challenge! When Lewistown High School came to town in late November, the local paper remarked that the Fulton County school “furnished amusement for the home team. Score was 18 to 0 in favor of Elmwood. Only two were hurt, and as they were among the Lewistown team, it did not count.” Two weeks later the fans were looking forward to the last game of the season, to be played in Elmwood against Bloomington High School. According to the Peoria Star, “The Elmwood boys go into the game not over confident, but they think they stand a fair chance, although a close game is expected.” On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1900, the Purple Raiders, the champions of McLean County, played in Elmwood before a crowd of more
than 600. The Elmwood depot must have been very busy that day with fans arriving from Bloomington, Galesburg, Peoria and Canton. Others came by buggy over dirt roads from Farmington and Lewistown. According to the Elmwood Messenger, “In the most exciting and electrifying game of the season, Elmwood scored one touchdown in each half, beating Bloomington 10-0.” So was the 1900 football season the most successful ever for Elmwood High School? Let’s look at the facts. Elmwood won twelve games and lost none. They scored a total of 87 points to their opponents’ 11. Only one school was able to score against them, including the largest ones in central Illinois. The Peoria Journal (Nov. 28, 1900) said EHS “is generally admitted to be the strongest team in the state outside Cook County,” and the game between Elmwood and Bloomington, “will decide the championship of central and southern Illinois.” Apparently it did. If you have information on any of the players from this team, please pass it on to me via The Weekly Post.
had to be quiet, too.” Oddly, baseball wasn’t Tuttle first love in sports, she recalls. “He probably preferred football,” Oliver says. “But he really excelled at baseball there, and the Tigers signed him. “Major League ballplayers didn’t make as much money then,” she adds, “so Dad worked at Hiram Walker in the offseason and he and Mom ran a supper club in Farmington.” From Farmington, Elmwood and Cramer, where Tuttle’s parents ran a store, the major leaguer went on to make a mark in the sport and in life. The Louisville Slugger bat company put Tuttle on its Wall of Fame; in 1995, Tuttle received the U.S. Surgeon General's highest award, the Exemplary Service Medallion, for his antitobacco advocacy; in 1997, Bill and Gloria were honored by President Bill Clinton at the White House for their work; the Twins in 1998 held a Bill Tuttle Day. “Bill Tuttle made a lasting impression on people, and I miss him,” Garagiola says. “I really think that when Bill got to the Pearly Gates, they recognized him and said, ‘Hey! You did a great job! Come on in!’”
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Elmwood 1’s Minor (10-and-under) B-Flight championship team: Left to right (Front row) Brendan Stevens, Jack Trone, Charlie Shissler and Devin Fiser. (Middle row) Chris Dalton, Noah Hollis, Wade Dawson, Luke Groeper and Tyler Sheridan. (Back row) Coaches Kevin Dalton and Brett Stevens. (Not pictured) Maddox Binder, Tommy Stratton and Coach Todd Hollis.
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Was 1900 Elmwood’s finest football season? By KARL TAYLOR
F. Scott Fitzgerald, the famous American novelist and short-story writer, once said, “No one is interested in last year’s football scores.” That may be true for some people, but fans of Elmwood athletics should be different. They should want to know about what was arguably Elmwood’s best football season, even though no one is alive who ever saw it; only a few know anything about it. Because yearbooks did not exist in those days, we must rely on newspaper accounts for the story … for the season of 1900. Well, who says they were any good? For The Weekly Post
How many games did they win? Who were their opponents? Did they win the conference? Here are the facts. You decide whether the 1900 football season was or wasn’t Elmwood’s best. That year EHS played 12 games, beating some familiar names like Brimfield (5-0), a school in Knoxville called St. Albans (5-0), Lewistown (18-0), and tying Princeville (0-0). But the Trojans took on some names that would surprise fans today: Peoria High School (18-11), the Silver Streaks of Galesburg (11-0), and once again the Lions of Peoria High School, this time by the score of 20-0. Sportswriters were impressed by the
Elmwood Trojans: “Goodness only knows what the Elmwood high school football team would have done to the Peoria high school team yesterday afternoon if their best man had been able to frolic on the gridiron with the rest of them. … During the second half, the slaughter was something awful. … They [Elmwood] went home singing their favorite war song: ‘Are we in it? We should smile, and we’ve been in it a hell of a while.’” (The Elmwood Gazette, Oct. 18, 1900, quoting from the Peoria Star.) Players that year included Deane Jay, who would eventually become head of J.P. Morgan for Europe, and LeRoy Continued on Page 11
Elmwood 1900 Team The lineup of the football team included 12 players listed only by last name in the Elmwood Messenger newspaper. The 1914 Ulmus was used to attempt to identify first names. Earl Vance, class of 1903 Raymond Troth, 1903 Daly Snyder, 1902 Everet Cathcart, 1902 Charles Smith, 1902 Deane Jay, 1901 Eslinger, no other information Albert Van Petten, 1901 Edwin Brown, 1901 Davis, no other information Earl Henry, 1901 Le Roy Kershaw, 1901
Brimfield hires two new coaches
SUMMER SOFTBALL
By JEFF LAMPE
BRIMFIELD – Brimfield High School has filled two coaching vacancies in the past week, leaving just one opening to fill as the school year rapidly approaches. Brandon Porter was hired Monday to head up the Brimfield-Elmwood baseball program and to coach physical education in the high school and grade school. He will coach the varsity and junior high baseball teams. Troy Tilly, a fifth-grade teacher in Brimfield, was tabbed to take over as high school volleyball coach. Porter played baseball at Brimfield and later caught at Hannibal-LaGrange University, an NAIA school in Hannibal, Mo. He was Brimfield JV coach the last two seasons and was junior high baseball coach at Elmwood last year, where he was also an Tilly assistant football coach. Elmwood is now in the process of hiring a junior high baseball coach in time for the Aug. 5 start of practice. Tilly has experience coaching volleyball “at the lower levels” according to Brimfield Athletic Director Jim Blane. Tilly also has been a junior high girls basketball assistant. “He’s a real competitive guy, the kids really like him and he’s a good role model and motivator,” Blane said. Still to be filled is the varsity softball position. “We are looking at someone outside of the school for softball and we are also looking at someone within,” Blane said. “We had a lot of good applications, guys who just wanted the baseball or softball job. “We always try to get someone from within. And we feel, especially with a coop, that we need a teacher inside the building who is a good communicator.” Weekly Post Staff Writer
Elmwood’s 12-and-under team finished second in the Kickapoo Valley Girls Fastpitch Softball League postseason tournament, losing to Havana last Saturday. From left to right are: (Front row) Hannah Howerton, Madison Noll, Abigail Anderson, Eleanore Burwell, Taylor Sims and Katy Meyers. (Middle row) Lexi Claerhout, Ally Dunn, Nicole Shoop, Holly Stratton, Emily Stratton, Lacyn Durst and Paysley Carver. (Back row) Coaches Greg Sims, Brandon Burwell and Chad Noll. (Not pictured) Shelby Glover and Grace Scherler. Winners in 10-and-under were Farmington 3 in the 10-and-under A Flight tournament and Hollis 2 in B Flight. Season standings were not available.
Garagiola: Tuttle is ‘a Hall of Famer’ By BILL KNIGHT
After The Weekly Post in its July 5 issue profiled Bill Tuttle, Hall of Famer broadcaster Joe Garagiola and one of Tuttle’s daughters got in touch with more details. We’re sharing those this week – the 15th anniversary of the death of Tuttle, a former Major Leaguer born in Elmwood and schooled at Farmington High School and Bradley UniFor The Weekly Post
versity. “I can’t say enough about Bill Tuttle,” Garagiola says. “He was a champion.” Garagiola delivered the eulogy at Tuttle’s funeral in Anoka, Minn., a difficult task. “That eulogy was one of the most difficult appearances I ever made,” he says. Garagiola, 87, retired this year after 9 years as a ballplayer for the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants and
Pirates, and decades as a broadcaster. Tuttle had an 11-year career with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics and Minnesota Twins, and later played in the minor leagues for the Seattle Rainiers and Syracuse Chiefs. “He was a good ballplayer,” Garagiola says. And a tireless advocate later in his life. Years after retiring from baseContinued on Page 11
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