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News Update - May 1, 2010
Hall House Heavily Damaged In Friday Night Storm Huddling in a crawl space just moments before a possible tornado ripped through the bottoms in rural Fountain proved to be the right decision for Jim and Linda Hall. Their home along Merrimac Road was heavily damaged around 9 p.m. last night as a severe storm swept through the St. Louis Metropolitan area. A suspected tornado tore off the third floor and roof of the Hall home. Since they do not have a basement, Jim and Linda, along with a nephew hunkered down in a concrete crawl space at the lower level of the home. Hall said for about five minutes they heard a loud roar, felt the air pressure build and release before things quieted down. When the took a walk around inside and outside of their home they realized the extent of the damage. The Halls told Valmeyer and Columbia firefighters, who arrived on the scene, they felt lucky to be alive and that no one in the surrounding area was injured.
There
were also numerous reports along Merrimac, B and Taake Roads of damage
to homes and sheds, power outages and trees uprooted. But there were no
reports of injuries in Monroe County.
Folks participating Friday night in a benefit trivia night at Valmeyer’s St. John UCC Hall rode the storm out. When the village tornado sirens went off, most people remained calm while others gathered in the bathrooms and other secure areas of the facility. Everyone used their cell phones to call home to check on weather reports and the condition of their loved ones and property. The trivia event was halted for about an hour before resuming. Proceeds from the fundraiser went to the Valmeyer Renegades girls’ softball team.
Friday Sports Wrap-Up: In the Columbia’s softball team beat Quincy – Notre Dame 10-2 improving their record to 19-5. The Lady Eagles continue play in the Quincy Tournament today (weather permitting) with scheduled games against Payson Seymour and Liberty High Schools. The Waterloo High School baseball team (12-7) hosted Centralia Friday afternoon and lost 11-5. The Columbia versus Gibault baseball game was played at the Gateway Grizzlies Park, but the game was called after four innings because of the storm. Valmeyer’s baseball team traveled to Red Bud and lost 10-1, dropping the Pirates’ record to 9-10. The Musketeers improved to 12-9.
E-Newsletter - April 30, 2010
Gibault Wins County Softball Tournament Two of the Metro East areas top softball teams battled it out Thursday night in windy conditions during the annual Monroe County Softball Tournament at the WSA’s Jaycee’s Ball Diamonds in Waterloo. The championship game between Gibault (19-3) and Columbia (18-4) had the Hawks come from behind in the last inning to defeat Columbia by a score of 8-6. Gibault plated two runs in the first inning and three in fourth to jump out to what looked like a commanding 5-0 lead with Hawks’ ace pitcher Emily Morris on the mound. Columbia battled back with six runs in the fifth inning to take a one run lead, which held up until the seventh inning. With two outs in the top half of the final inning, Columbia’s defense uncharacteristically committed three errors, allowing Gibault to score three runs to take an 8-6 lead. Morris went back on the mound in the bottom of the inning and recorded three quick outs for the complete-game victory. In the third place game, Waterloo (6-10) defeated Valmeyer (2-14) by a score of 14-4. During the first-round games, Columbia beat Waterloo 6-2, while Gibault short-gamed Valmeyer 10-0.
A public meeting to discuss the levee upgrade situation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Middle School. Speakers will include Les Sterman, the construction supervisor of the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District, which is working in conjunction with FEMA and the Corps of engineers to improve the Metro East levee system. He previously headed the East-West Gate Council of Governments for more than 25 years. In addition to Sterman, civic leaders from Columbia, Waterloo and Dupo will be in attendance to help answer questions.
Waterloo Defeats Civic Memorial With Schaab’s Last Inning Heroics The Waterloo High School baseball team pulled off a home victory Wednesday in the bottom of the final inning to defeat Civic Memorial 4-3. Waterloo starting pitcher Matt Berry got off to a rocky start and Civic Memorial was ahead 3-0 after five innings. The Bulldogs rallied in the sixth to tie the score at 3-3. Berry was able to get three quick outs in the top of the seventh setting up the Bulldogs for their come-from-behind victory in the final frame. With Aaron Aycock in scoring position, Brian Schaab knocked a single to left center and Aycock crossed the plate for the win. Fellow Bulldogs teammates mobbed both Schaab and Aycock as they celebrated the hard fought victory. Berry pitched the entire game for the win, improving his record to 4-1. The Bulldogs are now 12-6 on the season. Their next game is Saturday as the team competes in the Centralia Tournament.
Sports Wrap-Up: Baseball results from Thursday include Columbia (14-10) over Freeburg in a slugfest, 13-12, Red Bud (11-9) lost to Carlyle 6-4, and Valmeyer (9-9) fell to Sparta 8-3. The lone girls’ soccer match had Columbia (10-3-2) coming back from a three-goal deficit to earn a tie with Belleville East 4-4. On tap for today has the Columbia baseball team playing Gibault at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, while Valmeyer travels to Red Bud. Saturday’s sports line-up includes the Waterloo baseball team competing in the Centralia Tournament, the Columbia softball team plays in the Quincy Notre Dame Invitational, while the Lady Eagles will take on Nerinx Hall in St. Louis. Valmeyer’s softball and baseball teams play at Marissa.
The
Waterloo Junior High School boys’ and girls’ track team won their regional
titles earlier this week held in Chester.
Nathan Krebel of Waterloo was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Southwestern Illinois College’s Sam Wolf Granite City Campus. PTK is an international scholastic honor society which promotes scholarship, develops character and cultivates fellowship among students in community colleges. To be eligible, students must complete 12 semester hours at SWIC and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Twins Cassie and Krista Allscheid of rural Waterloo are celebrating their ninth birthdays today. The girls are looking forward to attending a field trip to the St. Louis Science Center with their fellow Rogers Elementary School third graders. When they get home, they will be treated to dinner at the Columbia Dairy Queen accompanied by their parents Eric and Cindie (Meier) Allscheid and the grandparents.
The annual Kids’ Day at Fort de Chartres in rural Prairie du Rocher is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Activities honoring the fort’s association with the Native Americans, include playing lacrosse, storytelling of Indian lore and making walking sticks. In addition, there are several events showcasing the fort’s French heritage dating back more than 200 years, including writing with a quill pen, puppet shows, playing jump rope, French lawn bowling (boule), sack races, hoop and stick, tug of war, nine pins and archery. Kids’ Day is sponsored by the Fort de Chartres Volunteer Association and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The fort’s 40th annual Rendezvous is June 5 and 6.
The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Granite City Chapter 1067’s monthly luncheon is Tuesday, May 11, at 11 a.m., at Ravanelli's Restaurant in Granite City. Buffet lunch is $10 and the first meal of a new member is free. For reservations, phone Dottie at 618-344-3896.
The Columbia Kiwanis Builders Club at Immaculate Conception Grade School in Columbia is looking for volunteers Saturday, May 1 to help put food packages together for Kids Against Hunger. From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., they are looking for folks to help out in one-hour shifts to help pack a pallet of food, enough to feed more than 7,000 needy children. For more information, call Kevin at 618-791-5596.
The 30th annual Waterloo Porta Westfalica Festival is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15 in downtown Waterloo. The event celebrates Waterloo partnership with its sister city in Porta Westfalica, German. Food, beverage and game stands open at 4 p.m. and the parade begins at 6 p.m. The parade theme is “You can always tell a German!” featuring all floats having a German theme. A new rule is this year is that floats cannot simply be trucks with a business nameplate on the side. “Get creative! The more lederhosen we see the better,” said Debbie Ruggeri of the Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. Also new this year is a special viewing area for a birds-eye view of the parade. Reserve tables seat eight people for $50 and include souvenir glasses. Armbands for rides will be available at all local banks prior to the festival. Contain information: For parade reservations, email Jared Nobbe at jnobbe@wmnobbe.com; vendors - Yvonne Dehner, yvonnewaterloo@aol.com; reserved tables - Debbie Ruggeri, chamber@htc.net; one-hour work-shifts - Sharon Hirstein, shirstein@fnbwaterloo.com or Lisa Meegan at lisameegan@remax.net. The Waterloo Porta Westfalica Festival is hosted by three local Porta-loo Sister Cities, the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions club.
Monroe County Parrott Heads Enjoy Jimmy Buffet Concert
Hundreds
of Monroe Countians headed to the Verizon Amphitheater in Missouri to attend
a concert featuring Jimmy Buffett and the Corel Reefers band. Those
attending included Don Voelker, Kevin “Root” Myers, Susie Mueller, Jeannie
Wittenbrink, Angela (Wittenbrink) Szymarek and Carol and Chris Basler.
Recent Obituaries Carl H. Schmeltz, 80, of Waterloo, died April 27, 2010, in Waterloo. He was born Feb. 1930, the son of the late Charles and Elsie (nee Jaenke) Schmeltz-Gummersheimer. Mr. Schmeltz is survived by his wife, Imogene (Dodson) Schmeltz; children Steven (Katherine) Schmeltz, Kathy Oberto, Elaine (Mike) Williams and Glenn (Denise) Schmeltz; grandchildren Amanda and Justin Schmeltz, Ashley and Brooke Oberto, Tiffany and Kyle Williams and Dean and Dinah Schmeltz; along with sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by a brother, Paul Schmeltz. Mr. Schmeltz was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a retired farmer. Carl was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ of Waterloo and the Masonic Lodge. Visitation is Friday, April 30, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral is Saturday, May 1 at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Kris Avise-Rouse officiating. Mr. Schmeltz will be buried at Kolmer Memorial Cemetery in Waterloo. Memorials made to made to his church, Hospice of Southern Illinois or the American Cancer Society. Robert E. Pease, 91, of Ottawa, formerly of Columbia, died April 28, 2010 at the Illinois Veteran's Home in LaSalle. He was born Dec. 12, 1918, in Tolu, Ky., the son of the late Charles and Ollie (Thurman) Pease. He was married Dollie (Shackelford) Pease in 1966 in Dwight. She died in 2006. Mr. Pease is survived by his daughters Betty Blair of Pontiac, Linda Sears of Normal and Paulette Schneider of Ottawa; a step-son, Thomas Shackelford of Aurora, Colo.; siblings Charles (Linda) Pease of Indianapolis, Ind.; Pauline Walker of Henderson, Ky., Marcia Davis of Elizabethtown and Richard (Pam) Pease of Elizabethtown; honorary daughter/cousin, Patty Yancy of Fredonia, Ky.; 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a sister, Jean Douglas; and a grandson, Chad Schneider. Robert served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a Pearl Harbor survivor. He served as a Chief Boatswain's Mate on the USS Belle Grove LSD-2, and was a member of the ship’s alumni association. Graveside services is Monday, May 3, at 1:30 p.m., at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo. Local arrangements were handled by Lawlor Funeral Home Memorials may be made to Midwest Talking Books.
The Monroe County Independent picked up three awards April 23 at the annual Southern Illinois Editorial Association Winter Meeting at Giant City State Park near Carbondale. The I’s staff won a first place for Best Use of Photography, and third places in Sports Coverage and Advertising Excellence. The SIEA covers the newspaper industry south of Springfield. |
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