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E-Newsletter - July 23, 2010
Foster and Seidel Continue To Recover Following Motorcycle Accident In Ruma Dennis Seidel and Stacey Foster, both of Waterloo, continue to recover following a motorcycle accident Sunday night, July 18 in Ruma. Seidel was driving a motorcycle northbound on Route 3 at 9:30 p.m. when he lost control and wrecked at the intersection with Route 155. Seidel, 31, was airlifted to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and underwent surgery on his broken left leg and punctured kidney. In addition, he broke his right arm. After recuperating this week, Seidel was transferred Friday to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville to begin a rehabilitation program. Passenger Stacey Foster Brooks, 27, was air lifted to St. Louis University Hospital and underwent surgery for a severely broken right leg. Stacey also received a fractured skull which led to swelling and bleeding on her brain. Foster’s condition has stabilized and she has been moved out of the hospital’s intensive care unit where she continues to recuperate. Seidel was ticketed by the Illinois State Police with driving under the influence. Additional charges against him are pending.
Just
after 10:30 p.m., the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Waterloo Police
Department were notified to be on the look-out for a second motorcycle which
was believed to have been traveling with Seidel and Foster at the time of
the accident. Red Bud Police Officer reported he spotted a motorcycle
registered to a Rance Leistler, 23, of D Road in rural Columbia. The bike,
matching a description of a motorcycle seen in Ruma at the time of Seidel's
accident, had traveled through Red Bud at a high rate of speed about that
time during the evening. Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies went to the
Leistler residence, took him into custody and turned the young man over to
the Red Bud Police Department. Additional information regarding Leistler has
not yet been released.
Eight-Day
Monroe County Fair To Begin This Sunday The annual Monroe County Fair begins this Sunday, July 25 with the Fair Queen and Little Miss Pageant and runs through Sunday, Aug. 1, which will be capped off with the FFA Fun Night and HTC Fireworks Display. Sunday is a free admission night with the Little Miss Pageant taking place at 7 p.m., immediately followed by the Fair Queen Pageant. Admission Monday is $7 after 3 p.m. and features the Farmer’s Class Tractor Pull in the main arena at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday’s events include the tractor driving contest (2 p.m.), the Open Class Horse Show (6 p.m.) and 4x4 and Truck Pull and ISPA Tractor Pull (7 p.m.) Admission is $6 after 3 p.m. The Rooster Crowing Contest at 9:30 a.m. kicks off Wednesday’s activities. The Figure 8 Race is at 7:30 p.m. in the main arena. Admission on Wednesday is $10 after 3 p.m. Thursday is a free admission day and arm-band carnival ride night (6 p.m. – 11 p.m.). The Bud Light Brigade will perform from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the beer pavilion and the Senior Class Horse Show is at 6 p.m. The evening will be highlighted by a Memories of Elvis Show with Steve Davis in the main area beginning at 8 p.m. This musical entertainment is once again sponsored by Harrisonville Telephone Co. The demo derby returns this year to its normal Friday time slot at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15 after 3 p.m. Saturday’s admission is $14 after 3 p.m. Activities include the Heavy Horse and Mule Show (9:30 a.m.), Youth Pedal Tractor Pull (11 a.m.) and the ITPA Truck and Tractor Pull in the main arena at 6 p.m. Local rock band Dr. No will provide musical entertainment in the beer pavilion from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight. This is expected to be the band’s last performance.
The last
day of the fair, Sunday, Aug. 1, is another free admission day / armband
night. The Antique Tractor and Garden Tractor Pull is at 11 a.m., the
Thunder and Lightning Cloggers will perform from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the
FFA Fun Night will be in the main arena at 7 p.m. The night and the fair
will then conclude with the HTC-sponsored fireworks display at 9 p.m.
Information on season passes ($35) and other fair specifics is located on
the website:
http://www.monroecounty-fair.org.
County
Board Discusses Nursing Home Behind Closed Doors
The
Monroe County Board of Commissioners spent two and a half hours discussing
the county nursing facility, both Oak Hill and the Monroe County Care and
Rehabilitation Center vacated nearly five years ago, at its July 19 regular
meeting. What the board, Oak Hill officials and other principals in the
conversation had to say, however, won't be known until legal implications of
the discussion are moot and the veil of executive privilege is lifted from
the portion of the meeting. This much is certain, though: The county is
seeking legal relief from an Illinois Department of Public Health red flag
over an improperly functioning safety sprinkler system at Oak Hill, and it
is considering selling part of the MCC and RC property at 500 Illinois Ave.
in Waterloo. Representatives of Ferry and Associates emerged from the closed
meeting at about 11 a.m. Ferry and Associates was the architectural firm
that designed Oak Hill in 2005.
The Waterloo Police Department is investigating an incident last Saturday, July 18, near the intersection of South Market Street and Sycamore near the closed Dairy Queen. The initial report is that there was an altercation between several individuals which culminating in a fight. Names, the cause of the incident and possible charges have not yet been released.
WPD officers are also investigating an altercation which occurred Wednesday, July 14 on the parking lot of Gas Mart at the intersection of South Market and East Fourth Street. Names, the cause of the incident have not yet been released. Names, the cause of the incident and possible charges have not yet been released on this incident as well.
$70 Million Bond Offering Set For Mandated Levee Repairs An initial bond offering of approximately $70 million for levee repairs is moving forward following action by the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council at its Wednesday, July 21 meeting at Collinsville. The bond issue will likely take advantage of programs created by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The programs include Build America Bond and Economic Recovery Zone Bonds. This bond issue is planned to be the first of three that will fund required levee repairs in Monroe, St. Clair and Madison Counties. The initial offering is expected to be on the market by August 16. Acting on the recommendation and analysis of the council’s financial advisor, the council appointed the law firm of Gilmore and Bell PC of St. Louis as underwriter’s counsel. They also agreed to retain Morgan Keegan as senior manager of the bond issue while naming Stifel Nicolaus and Hutchinson, Shockey, Erley and Co., co-senior managers and Loop Capital co-manager. Five firms submitted proposals for the underwriter’s counsel work. Thirteen organizations submitted proposals as bond underwriter. Kevin Hoecker of Scott –Balice Strategies, the council’s financial adviser, presented a detailed review and analysis of the proposals. The recommendation was approved by unanimous vote. In other action, the nine-person council elected one year terms to Dan Maher of St. Clair County as chairman, John Conrad of Monroe County as vice-chairman and Jim Pennekamp of Madison County as secretary-treasurer. Council Supervisor Les Sterman pointed out at the meeting that the region’s sales tax revenue from the quarter-cent sales tax enacted to fund the project is up 12 per cent over last year.
The local Mon-Clair League Baseball schedule for this weekend is: Saturday - Valmeyer at Columbia and Millstadt at Waterloo. Sunday - Valmeyer hosts Waterloo and Columbia plays at Millstadt. All games are double headers beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Two From Columbia Police Attempt The Pointesaurrus Pizza Eating Challenge
Columbia
Police Department Dispatcher Kevin Robinson and Sgt. Jason Donjon took the
Pointersaurus Challenge July 15 at Pointers Pizza Delivery in Richmond
Heights, Mo. Robinson and Donjon had one hour to eat a 28-inch, two topping
pizza. Since 2001, there have only been 16 teams to successfully complete
this challenge. The successful teams are paid $500 along with a picture on
the wall and the accompanying glory. Unfortunately, the Columbia duo were
unsuccessful in their endeavor, but left the restaurant quite full.
Adam Frierdich Takes Over Management At Family’s Construction Company Columbia construction company, H.J. Frierdich and Sons Inc., has announced that Adam Frierdich, son of Paul and Alice Frierdich, has taken over the day-to-day management of the firm. He takes the place of his older brother, Grant, who has stepped down to pursue other endeavors after many years of service to the family’s company. Adam has worked at the business for the last 10 years. “I am excited to have this opportunity to guide this company to a new level of excellence and commitment to personal, high quality workmanship and service that has been its tradition,” said Adam Frierdich. “It has always been a source of pride to work with families to build their dream homes, and I look forward to doing that with the current and future customers at H.J. Frierdich and Sons.” Joining Adam in the headquarters are office personnel Michelle Luhr, Bill Browne and Susie Degener.
Artie’s
Autosports Opens Along Route 3:
The
Waterloo Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting Thursday, July 22 to
welcome Artie’s Autosports and ATVs to town. The store, owned by Artie Toms
and Kathy McDonald, is located at 8814 Summer Road, off of Trolley Road
between Waterloo and Columbia. Artie’s offers sales, service, parts and
rental of motorcycles, ATVs and watercraft. The hours are Monday through
Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The owners invite the public to a grand opening this Saturday, July 24,
beginning at 9 a.m.
Bully’s Smokehouse Takes Honors In St. Louis Based Magazine Readers’ Poll Bully’s Smokehouse, which has restaurants located in Columbia and Edwardsville, won second place for dining establishments in St. Louis’ Sauce Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards. They also took first place in barbecue restaurants located in Illinois. Co-owners Al and Clara Brinley and Shawn Orloski were very pleased with the results of the poll. We’re seeing steady growth as more and more people give Bully’s Smokehouse a try,” said Orloski. Bully’s serves a variety of barbecue dishes using their own sauce recipe. Additional information about the restaurant is available at their website www.bullyssmokehouse.com.
Bob Keefe Leaving WHS Boys’ Tennis Program
After
leading the Waterloo High School boys’ tennis team for two years, which
included sending the doubles team of Adam Borgschulte and Wils Hawn to the
state tournament, Bob Keefe has decided to return to Belleville West High
School to coach the Maroons girls’ tennis team. Keefe, the brother of the
recently retired WHS Athletic Director Rick Keefe, had retired from teaching
and coaching at West in 2006 after 31 years of employment. Bob Keefe was
previously elected to the IHSA Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame and was twice
named the Illinois High School Tennis Coach of the Year.
Waterloo Piranhas Finish Swim Season Undefeated The
Waterloo Piranhas finish the regular season undefeated. They capped off
their season last week with a 359-294 victory over the Trenton Torpedoes.
The Piranhas headed back to Trenton on Wednesday to compete the remainder of
the week in the Kaskaskia Conference Swim and Dive Finals are being hosted
by Trenton this year.
Wednesday’s event was the diving competition, which Piranhas Coach John
Hooser knew his team would be at a disadvantage. Since the Waterloo Park
Pool closed this year, Hooser said the team is at a disadvantage because all
meets are away games and they practice at the Monroe County YMCA which does
not have a diving board. The standings after Wednesday was Sparta, first;
Trenton, second; Columbia, third; and Waterloo, fourth place.
Monroe County Court Report
The
following cases were adjudicated the week of July 19 in Monroe County
Circuit Court in Waterloo, Judges Dennis Doyle and Andrew Gleason presiding:
Joshua J.
Weygandt,
22, of Waterloo pleaded guilty to reckless conduct. Weygandt was ordered to
pay total fine and court cost of $1,245 and placed on one year court
supervision. The violation occurred April 11.
Thomas E.
Falk,
18, of Waterloo pleaded guilty to theft under $300. Falk was ordered to pay
total fine and court cost of $277 plus $269.63 restitution to First Bank and
given a one-year conditional release. The violation occurred Feb. 8.
Recent Obituaries
Marvin W. Greatting, 83, of Columbia, died July 20, 2010 at Columbia Convalescent Center. He was born July 29, 1926, in Columbia, the son of the late Roland and Mamie (Kuehne) Greatting. He married Pauline (Heumann) Greatting in 1949 in Red Bud. In addition to his wife, Mr. Greatting is survived by his sons Richard (Namiko) Greatting of San Diego, Calif., Allen (Julie) Greatting of Fults, Mark (Starlin) Greatting of Springfield and David (Julie) Greatting of Columbia; grandchildren Chris (Becky) Greatting, Chris and Kevin Milkert, Heather, Hillary and Zachary Greatting and Joel and Reed Greatting; two great-grandchildren; a brother, Roland (Janice) Greatting of Ellis Grove; sisters Ruby Litzinger of St. Louis, Mo., Annabelle (Si) Vallett of Steeleville and Linda Peck of Belleville. He was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Hal Litzinger. Mr. Greatting served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, being part of one of the first units to return to Shangai, China. He owned Greatting's Market in Columbia for more than 30 years. After closing the mark, he was employed at The Market Place in Columbia and Roma's in Waterloo. Mr. Greatting was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Columbia and was on the drill team of the Columbia American Legion Post 581. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, golf and gardening. Visitation is Friday, July 23, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Lawlor Funeral Home. Funeral service is Saturday, July 24, at 11 a.m., with Pastor Steven Theiss and former Pastor Ed Melchoir officiating. Mr. Greatting will be buried at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Columbia. Memorials may be made to the Columbia American Legion Trust Fund or St. Paul Lutheran Church. Iona Bertha Pfau, 91, of Columbia, died July 21, 2010 at Columbia Convalescent Center. She was born Feb. 5, 1919, in Fults, the daughter of the late Hugo and Anna (Sprankle) Hoffmann. Mrs. Pfau is survived by her daughter, Mary Ann Jordan; a son, John Pfau; dear friend, Carol Reichert; grandchildren Kathy, Tracy, Steven, Jenny, Aaron and Darren; great-grandchildren R.J., Sally and Felicia; and her cat Lily; along with other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Ralph Tunze; second husband, John Pfau Jr.; sisters Dorothea Huebner, Erna Heyl, Elsie Altes and Hilda Huebner. Mrs. Pfau was a retired supervisor for Bemis Bag Co. She was a member of Columbia American Legion Post 581 Auxiliary. Iona loved to bowl. Visitation is Saturday, July 24, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Lawlor Funeral Home. A service will immediately follow at the funeral home with Rev. Matthew Friz officiating. Mrs. Pfau will be buried at the Evangelical St. Paul Cemetery in Columbia. Memorials may be made to the Floraville United Church of Christ. Shirley M. Todd, nee Newton, 72, of Effingham, died July 19, 2010 in Effingham. She was born Feb. 20, 1938, the daughter of the late William Glenn and Elenora (nee Otten) Newton. Mrs. Todd is survived by her children, Cindy (Tim) Hickerson, Paula (Ben) Akin and Carla Johnson; grandchildren Ellen (John) Odle, Larenzo Johnson, Jonathan Hickerson, Lakesha Johnson, Jessica Hickerson, Zeana Johnson and Zelman Johnson; and great-grandchildren Deamontai Allen and Brandon Houston. She was preceded in death by her husband, John P. Todd; and a brother, Dean Newton. Visitation is Wednesday, July 21, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral is July 22, at 9:30 a.m., at the funeral home with Pastor Matt Friz officiating. Mrs. Todd will be buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. Ardell W.C. Huebner, nee Melching, of Waterloo, died July 23, 2010 in Waterloo. She was born June 20, 1919, the daughter of the late Henry and Anna (nee Lange) Melching. Mrs. Huebner is survived by her daughter, Sharon Huebner Goff; adopted grandchildren Amy and Zachary Eager; and neighbors, Steve and Carolyn Eagen; along with nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Harry H. Huebner; and a brother, Wyman Melching. Mrs. Huebner and her husband farmed land near St. Joe. Ardell was a lifetime member of Zion UCC of St. Joe. She was honored on this Mother’s Day as the oldest living member. Ardell loved the color red, rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals, hummingbirds, African violets, cooking, gardening, volunteering at church, telling jokes and quilting. Visitation is Saturday, July 24 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Quernheim Funeral Home. The service is Sunday, July 25, at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Nancy Spier-Lee officiating. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois or the Zion UCC St. Joe Anniversary Fund.
Letter To The Ed-itor Dear Ed-itor: I am writing this letter in regards to the recent decision to remove Haley Bode from the Monroe County Fair Association's Little Miss Pageant. Even though Haley has a Waterloo address, attends Waterloo public school and participates in Monroe County 4H, she has been removed because her residence is 1.2 miles over the Monroe County Line. Generations of Haley's family live and work in Monroe County. Haley's parents, grandparents and great-grandparents all pay taxes to Monroe County. I understand that there are rules to entering the contest, but if there were disqualifying factors they should have been investigated and communicated at the time of the sign-up. Instead, Haley has already attended pageant practice, been photographed and published in the Fair communications and newspapers and participated in the Porta Westfalica Festival and Maeystown Homecoming parades. The decision to remove her this late in the game is disappointing. I think the feelings of a six-year-old little girl who doesn't understand why she can't share in the fair activities should have been considered. The purpose of the pageant is to build children's self esteem and confidence as well as encourage a sense of community. I think that the committee should consider the ramifications of their actions and be more thorough if needed during the sign-up process moving forward. Sincerely, Karen Altes, Waterloo
Breaking News - July 23, 2010
Truck Driver Injured After Being Trapped By Pipe A woman was seriously injured Friday morning just after 11:30 a.m. at Barnes Pipe and Steel when a 1,000-pound pipe fell on top of her. Dupo and Columbia emergency responders were called to the business located at 737 Prairie du Pont Drive, just north of the Columbia Quarry. The woman, whose name has not been released, was a driver of a semi-tractor and trailer. As the steel pipe was being unloaded, one of the units fell off, trapping her underneath. Emergency workers and employees at the business worked to remove the pipe from atop the lower half of her body. She was then transported by Arch helicopter to a St. Louis area hospital in very serious condition.
Bicyclist Injured After Struck By Car A young female was injured when she was struck by a Pontiac Sunfire at the intersection of South Main Street and the exit ramp for the southbound lanes of I-255. The victim was transported by an ambulance to St. Anthony’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The name of the bicyclist and the driver of the car have not yet been released.
Monroe County is under a heat advisory through Saturday evening. Daytime temperatures will be in the upper 90s and the heat index is expected to exceed 110 throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The National Weather Service reports the effects of exposure to continued excessive heat and humidity to the human body are cumulative. With the next few days having high heat index values, those working and spending excessive time outdoors with put additional stress on themselves. The Monroe County Office of the Emergency Management Assoc. and the Monroe County Health Department are advising area residents to avoid prolonged work in the sun or poorly ventilated areas. You should also drink plenty of liquids and stay in an air-conditioned environment. Those with pets are also advised to make sure they have plenty of water and have access to a cool, shaded place or are allowed to come inside an air conditioned home.
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