Car Catches Fire After Rear-Ending Minivan

The Columbia Volunteer Fire Department arrives on the scene of an accident on Route 158. 

Amber Herring of Waterloo was injured in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday on Route 158 between Millstadt and Columbia. Herring, 27, was driving a 1998 Dodge Caravan eastbound on Route 158 and had stopped because a vehicle in front of her was waiting to turn off the highway. Her minivan was rear-ended by a 2001 Chevrolet Prism driven by Jeremy Beyer of Columbia.

The collision caused the Prism’s motor to catch on fire. A responding Columbia police officer used an extinguisher to put out the fire.

Herring was transported by the Columbia Ambulance Service to St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis. Her current condition is not known. Three passengers in Herring’s vehicle, Beyer and his passenger declined medical treatment.

Beyer, 17, was cited for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Herring, 27, was ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

 

There were no injuries last Sunday in a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Route 3 and Country Club Lane in Waterloo. According to the police report, Hamid Tariq Mohamed Fenuzi of Waterloo was driving a 2009 Pontiac G6 northbound on Route 3 and ran through a red light. He collided with a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Keith Radford of Waterloo. Radford, 43, was pulling onto south bound Route 3 from County Club Lane. There were no injuries. Fenuzi, 22, was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

 

Two Car Fires In Waterloo: The Waterloo Fire Department responded Friday morning to two separate reports of cars on fire. The first one was located in the Timberlakes subdivision in Burksville. The second one was on Goeddeltown Road on property owned by Fritz Blandford.

 

Three teenagers sustained minor injuries in a rollover accident Wednesday night in rural Valmeyer. Eric Frazier Jr. of Fairview Heights lost control of his Chevrolet Cavalier at the “s” curve on Bluff Road, just south of old town Valmeyer. Frazier, 18, said he swerved to avoid hitting an oncoming car. His car went off the roadway, rolled and came to rest on the side of the road. Frazier and passengers Mike Buss, 17, and Sera Rasch, 16, both of Belleville, crawled out of the vehicle and walked to a nearby home in old town Valmeyer. The car then caught fire and the Valmeyer Fire Department responded to put out the blaze. The Monroe County Ambulance Service treated the victims for minor injuries.
 

Link Recovering From Fall Following Dog Attack Incident


Joe Link is recovering from a head injury sustained during a fall Friday evening incident on the driveway of his home on Breidecker St. in Columbia. At 6 p.m. Friday evening, Link was attempting to break up a fight between his dog and a larger German shepherd owned by a neighbor. As he attempted to kick the attacking dog he fell and landed on his driveway. His head took the brunt of the fall and he was knocked unconscious. A neighbor discovered Link lying on the driveway with blood coming from his head. Link was not bitten by the German shepherd as was previously reported. He is recovering in critical condition at St. John Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, according to his wife Sue Link.

 

Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards returned to duty in Columbia this week following three months of F.B.I. training on the East Coast. “We’re glad to have him back, but Deputy Chief Jerry Paul did an outstanding job in the interim,” said longtime police department employee Joyce Krippel.

 

CPD’s Traffic Safety Initiative Runs Through July 6: The Columbia Police Department, with grant funds from the Illinois Department of Transportation Traffic Safety, will join the Illinois State Police and hundreds of other police agencies across the state for the June 23 through July 6 traffic safety campaign “You Drink and Drive. You Lose.”

Columbia police officers will be part of roving patrols concentrating on speeding, impaired driving and other moving violations that contribute to traffic crashes. An IDOT grant will pay 100 percent of the costs associated with the extra patrols.

“Please obey all traffic laws and help our police officers reduce the number of traffic crashes within Columbia,” said Columbia Deputy Chief of Police Jerry Paul.

 

Girl Scouts carry German and American flags Tuesday along Main Street in Waterloo during the Porta Westfalica Parade.
 

There were 70 donors who gave blood June 17 at the American Red Cross Blood Drive at Columbia’s Turner Hall. Cookies were provided by First Baptist Church of Columbia. Donors reaching milestones included Heidi Nottmeier and Dorothy Easter, 1 gallon; Jana Newell, David Schutzenhofer and Karen Walker, 4 gallons; Cheryl Metter, 5 gallons; Pamela Erickson, 6 gallons; and Mary Lynn Harres, 16 gallons. The next blood drive at Turner Hall is Aug. 19. To schedule an appointment visit the website www.givelife.org and enter the sponsor code: turnerhall.

 

Rose Cultivation Program At County Annex: The University of Illinois Extension will offer a program June 24 on roses, teaching the basics necessary for successful rose cultivation. Horticulture Educator Sharon Yiesla will explore “good rose growing” and look at the many varieties of roses available today, how to select the right one, the proper way to plant and care for roses, and some of the pests that may be encountered in a rose garden.

The program will be Tues., June 24, at 1 p.m., for $5 per person at the County Annex Building using the University of Illinois Extension telenet system. This will allow the program to feature color PowerPoint slides accompanied by the live voice of the instructor as people from all over the state participate at once. Participants will have the chance to ask questions at the end of the program. Call the Extension office at 939-3434 to reserve a seat and packet of information.

 

Extension Rose Garden Walk: The University of Illinois Extension will sponsor an evening in the rose garden of Bob and Nancy Hellmer at 4541 Fountain Brook Dr. in Waterloo. The event is June 30, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Participants will learn about growing roses from Diane Brueckman, professional horticulturist and rosarian. Call 939-3434 to register.

 

Upcoming Mon-Clair Baseball Games

Sunday, June 22

Valmeyer at St. Louis Spikes

Waterloo at Edwardsville

Millstadt at Fairview Heights

Columbia at Belleville

 

Amanda Hoeffken of Columbia is spending the summer conducting clinical research on Hodgkin-lymphoma in the oncology department of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The disease affects parts of the human immune system. Her research project will be published upon the completion of research findings. Hoeffken is a pre-med student at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.

 

Columbia Mayor Kevin Hutchinson hosted a golf tournament yesterday to benefit his upcoming mayoral campaign. Following the round of golf, participants gathered for dinner and cheer at Top Shooters.
 

Recent Obituary

Frank M. Englerth, 91, of Waterloo, died June 19, 2008, in Waterloo. He was born June 28, 1916, in Smithton, the son of the late Albert and Barbara Englerth nee Karban. He was married to the late Viola L. Englerth nee Einwich. Mr. Englerth is survived by his children Dorothy (Ronald) Hofstetter of Columbia, and Allan (Paulette) Englerth of Valmeyer; grandchildren Jeff Englerth, Jennifer (Brad) Whelan, Jamie (William) Riechmann, and Scott (Lynda) Hofstetter; great-grandchildren Cole, Emily, Laurie, Courtney and Evan; sister Josephine Rieso; sister-in-law Leona Englerth; and nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, sister Mary Becherer, and brothers Clarence Englert and William Englerth. Mr. Englerth was a member of the Monroe County Farm Bureau. Visitation is Sunday, June 22, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Monday, from 8 to 11 a.m., at Quernheim Funeral Home. A funeral will follow at 11 a.m. at Quernheim, Pastor Kenneth Knobloch officiating. He will be buried at Waterloo Cemetery in Waterloo. Memorials may be made to Monroe County Farm Bureau or Oak Hill.

 

Calendar of Events

Friday
Fish fry and bingo at Waterloo VFW

Saturday
Chicken N’ Beer Dance Benefit at Columbia Legion

Sunday
Odie Mathews Benefit at Hecker Community Center

Music At Metter in Columbia: 6 p.m.