Sports Update - May 26, 2010

Sports Update:

Waterloo High School baseball team fell to Mascoutah on Wednesday evening by a score of 5-4 in the first round of the Class 3A Centralia Regional. The WHS softball team won their open game of the Waterloo Regional Wednesday evening over Althoff by a score  of 7-5. The Lady Bulldogs (12-14) advance to the championship game Saturday against Mater Dei. The Gibault softball team (25-5) is scheduled to play Johnson City this week in the Carterville Sectional. Earlier this week, the Columbia girls’ soccer team (14-5-3) fell to Quincy Notre Dame in the championship Game of the Quincy Sectional.

WHS Sends Four To State Track Meet: Waterloo High School track athletes Brendan Duncan, Josh Rodenberg, Alyssa Edwards and Aubree Schreder qualified for the IHSA Class 2A State Track Meet to be held this coming weekend at Eastern Illinois University at Charleston. In the sectional tournament, Duncan finished in second place in the discus with a length of 140' 6". Rodenberg competed in the 1600-meter and ran it in 4:38.0 to also take home the second place medal. Alyssa Edwards qualified for state in the 800-meter while Schreder will compete in the 3200-meter.

Columbia High School will send three members of its boys’ track team to the IHSA Class 1A State Track Meet beginning Thursday at Eastern Illinois University. Qualifying from last Friday’s Nashville Sectional are Brad Morr (800-meter), Drew Spargo (3200-meter) and Alex Starek (shot put).

Waterloo High School tennis doubles-team of Wils Hawn and Adam Borgschulte advanced from the Belleville West Sectional Tournament and have qualified for the state tournament to be held Thursday in Chicago.

News Follow-Up - May 26, 2010

Gas War Continues In Monroe County

Gas prices in Waterloo and Columbia dropped an addition eight cents per gallon this week to its current level today of $2.41, which is below the cost the stations are paying their wholesalers for the petroleum. This sale price continues to be about 20 cents lower than the gas prices of surrounding Illinois counties and St. Louis and South County. This surprised many Missouri motorists because their state’s per-gallon gas tax is more than 20 cents less than that charged in the State Of Illinois. Gas station managers and owners are not claiming which gas station is setting the price at that low level, although speculation swirls through conversations throughout the county. U-Gas in Waterloo is offering a coupon in current edition of The Independent which allows you to save an addition four cents per gallon for those paying with cash. The coupon expires May 31. It is not sure if has  prices will go back up following that date.

Cars line up at U-Gas on the north end of Waterloo to purchase gas for $2.41 per gallon or $2.36 for cash-paying customers.

Going Down That Road Again… Sharp words, vote suggest Columbia City Council rift still exists

By Joe Leicht

The Columbia City Council has been a peaceable group since the 2009 election, when voters returned Mayor Kevin Hutchinson to office with one new and three returning aldermen who generally support his policies. With Columbia Crossings all but a dead issue and the  status of the unelected office of city administrator a settled issue, there hasn't been much for the city's elected officials to joust over. But the council's last May meeting on the 17^th the provided a clue that the right spark could set off some fireworks.

A seemingly routine agenda item regarding the Fire Department's 2-percent "foreign fire tax" - levied on insurance - elicited a question from 4th Ward Alderman Candace Hejna. She wanted some discussion of the expenditures the department wanted to make using the tax proceeds; Fire Committee Chairman Alderman Gene Ebersohl opted against discussing the expenditures at the regular meeting, and scheduled a May 24 committee meeting to discuss the matter. The mayor and council supported Ebersohl.

Later, the council cast a divided vote to accept the meeting minutes from a May 9 Executive & Rules Committee at which the mayor assigned committees and chairmanships for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The assignments were identical to those issued for 2009-2010. Hejna, who was assigned to only five committee and one chairmanship - Refuse Collection, objected and voted no, as did Aldermen Dan Row and Brad Oberkfell. Alderman Fred Stumpf voted "present," allowing the committee roster to stand.

Mayor Hutchinson noted the May 9 meeting also had a rancorous tone, and said "I hope we're not going down this road again. I thought we were beyond this and starting to work together." Hejna said she would "stand up for (her)self" when she felt singled out for personal attack. Afterward, Hejna said she objected to having been removed from her chairmanship of the Finance Committee "Because I did my job. They didn't like me scrutinizing the bills and inquiring about expenditures."

The aldermanic committees for Fiscal Year 2010-2011 are:
Ambulance, Radio Communication & Dispatch - Chairman Fred Stumpf, Mary Ellen Niemietz, Dan Row and Candace Hejna;
Executive  & Rules - Chairman Gene Ebersohl, Jim Agne,  Niemietz and Row;
Finance - Chairman Mark Roessler, Ebersohl, Hejna and Stumpf;
Fire Department - Chairman Ebersohl, Agne, Stumpf and Roessler;
License, Insurance & Contracts - Chairman Roessler, Hejna, Brad Oberkfell and Stumpf;
Municipal Buildings, Property & Capital Improvements - Chairman Brad Oberkfell, Agne, Niemietz and Row;
Ordinance, Planning & Zoning - Chairman Agne, Ebersohl, Niemietz, Row;
Parks & Recreation - Chairman Niemietz, Ebersohl, Agne and Stumpf;
Personnel - Chairman Niemietz, Ebersohl, Stumpf and Roessler;
Library - Chairman Row, Agne, Oberkfell and Roessler;
Refuse Collection & Recycling - Chairman Hejna, Ebersohl, Agne, Niemietz;
Streets, Sidewalks, Drainage & Utilities - Chairman Ebersohl, Niemietz, Row and Roessler;
Water & Sewer - Chairman Row, Ebersohl, Agne and Oberkfell;
Education - Chairman Oberkfell, Niemietz, Row and Hejna.

Recent Columbia High School grads Scott Kish and Billy Haag, who both plan to major in criminal justice in college, are the recipients of $1,000 Columbia Police Department scholarships. Haag plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University while Kish will attend Southwestern Illinois College.

The Columbia Public Library is gearing up for their ninth annual car show on Friday, June 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The rain date is Saturday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Besides the vehicles, there will be games, free hot dogs and soda, attendance prizes and a book sale. The library is currently collecting donations of books to either be added to their collection or to be sold at the upcoming annual book sale which runs June 10 -12.

This year’s Fults Softball Tournament is scheduled for July 16, 17 and 18. Local farmer Bob Krebel reports he planted corn around the field of dreams this year. He reminds the players and fans that the field should not be used as a bathroom. “I’m thinking of putting up some scare crows in the field to keep people away,” said Krebel. Rumors are circulating that the stripper mobile which usually circles Busch Stadium following Cardinals baseball game might makes it way to downtown Fults. Event Organizer Charlie Hoerr said that idea is way beyond on budget and we have enough entertainment of our own and believes this may be a rumor started by Ed-itor Wienhoff.

The Our Lady of Good Council annual Summer Picnic has been moved back a week and will be held Saturday, July 24. The reason for the rescheduling is the wedding and reception of Matt Schmitz and Melanie Garleb. The organizers figured that most of the chicken fryers, servers and clean-up folks will be at the wedding. Melanie and Matt are currently busy getting their house ready. It is located next between the Garleb farm and Allyn and Trudi Rohlfing’s place along Bluff Road in rural Maeys Station.

Downtown Prairie du Rocher will be hopping June 5 and 6 while the Fort de Chartres Rendezvous is underway.

Waterloo Author To Sign Newly-Published Book: Quinta Scott of Waterloo will be at the Morrison-Talbott Library on June 10, at 7 p.m. signing copies of her newly-published book, The Mississippi: A Visual Biography. The book explains through words and pictures how the river was formed by glacial action, what man has done to change it and plans to restore it. Scott is an author and photographer who has exhibited her work nationally and has received two fellowships from the National Endowment For The Arts.

Scott has previously written three other books and has collaborated on many others as a photographer. Her titles include: The Eads Bridge, a photographic essay of the bridge as exposed from the train deck; Route 66: The Highway and Its People, which includes interviews of those who planned and built the nation’s first interstate highway.

Additional information on Scott, her books and artwork is available at the website: www.quintascott.com.

Quinto lives in Waterloo with her husband, Barrie Scott, an architect.

Recent Obituary

Violet Gummersheimer, nee Rueck, 76, of Columbia, died May 24, 2010 in St. Louis, Mo. She was born Jan. 13, 1934, the daughter of the late Henry and Ida (nee Roth) Rueck. Mrs. Gummersheimer is survived by her children, Wayne (Laurie) Gummersheimer, Dale Gummersheimer and Roger (Kathy) Gummersheimer; grandchildren Cassie Zimmer, Beth (Jamie) Geoppo, Leslie (fiancé Peter Heutel) Gummersheimer, Benjamin Gummersheimer, Chelsea (fiancé Jon Mindrup) Gummersheimer, Heather Gummersheimer, Courtney Gummersheimer, Adam Gummersheimer, Deanne (Carlos) DelRosario and Bryan Gummersheimer; great-grandchildren Grace, Kayla, Isabella and Noah; sister, Laverne (Lyle) Hoffman; and sisters-in-law Leola Eichelmann and Sandy Gummersheimer; along with nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold W. Gummersheimer; a son, Leon Gummersheimer; and special friend, Norman Mehrtens. Mrs. Gummersheimer was a member of Monroe County Home Extension, St. Paul UCC of Columbia, and she enjoyed making wedding cakes and cookies. Visitation is Wednesday, May 26, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral is Thursday, May 27, at 10 a.m., at the funeral home with Pastor Matt Fritz officiating. Mrs. Gummersheimer will be buried at Evangelical St. Paul Cemetery in Columbia. Memorials may be made to the Monroe County Home Extension.

Leta Rae Bauer, 76, of Ruma, died Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at Red Bud Regional Hospital. She was born March 7, 1934 in Modoc, the daughter of the Leo and Burnet (nee Brown) Robert. She married Gilbert Bauer in 1953 in Red Bud. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Bauer is survived by her sons, Keith (Cindy) Bauer, Bruce (Mary) Bauer, James (Kathy) Bauer and David (Joy) Bauer of Red Bud and Tony (Amy) Bauer of Ruma; a brother, Leo Roy (Irene) Robert of Red Bud; and special aunt, Lu Cowell of Red Bud; along with 11 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and friends. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Steven Bauer. Leta Rae worked for a short time at First State Bank in Red Bud and then was employed for 27 years as the head cook at Red Bud Elementary School. She was a very active member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ruma, was an avid quilter at church and catered many meals at the parish center over the past 10 years. In addition, Leta Rae enjoyed taking her grandkids shopping and spending time with her family and friends. Visitation is Thursday, May 27, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Welge-Pechacek Funeral Home in Red Bud. Funeral is Friday, 28, at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Ruma with Msgr. Dennis Schaefer, Father Clyde Grogan and Father John J. Joyce officiating. Mrs. Bauer will be buried at the church’s cemetery. Memorials may be made to her church or Hospice of Southern Illinois.