CNH 10.2.19

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CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD

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INSIDE NEWS Crutchley an 'asset' as county’s first female deputy. 6HH SDJH A3

SOCIAL

Welcome, baby Blaine. 6HH SDJH A6

SCHOOL

CHS Homecoming court announced. 6HH SDJH A5

ONLINE calhounnewsherald.com

WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, OCT. 4

65 51 High

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SATURDAY, OCT. 5

68 51 High

Low

HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047

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Low

CALHOUN NEWSHERALD ‡ ,QGH[ ‡ &RUUHVSRQGHQFH. . . . . A3 1HZV . . . . . . . . A2-3, A5 2ELWXDULHV . . . . . . . . . A3 2XU 7RZQ. . . . . . . . . . A4 5HDO (VWDWH . . . . . . B1-3 6FKRRO $ 6SRUWV . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Obituaries in this issue: Dirksmeyer, Ganaway

VOLUME 146 - ISSUE 40

Federal assistance has been denied for residents and business owners By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald It was announced last week that the Federal Declaration for flood assistance had been signed, however, for the 22 counties affected, including Calhoun, individual assistance has been denied. According the federal government, the amount of damages for residents and business owners was not sufficient to warrant federal assistance. FEMA’s associate administrator Jeff Byard said federal officials “determined the impact to individuals and households from this event is not of such severity and magnitude to

warrant the designation of Individual Assistance,� a news release states. Upon receiving the denial, Gov. JB Pritzker has made an appeal stating that there was $8.2 million in damages to individuals. Gene Breden, Emergency Services Disaster Agency coordinator, said this is the first time individual assistance has been denied. “We have never had to go through this before,� he said. “It is a waiting game. It’s possible that their appeal would be accepted, but also possible it wouldn’t be.� There are two types of assistance, public and individual. The governor requested funding for both from the

federal government. Typically, Breden said, when public assistance has been granted, so too has individual. “Where this really hurts people is the (homes and businesses) that did not have flood insurance or insurance didn’t cover the total costs,� he said. The costs go beyond damages incurred by flood waters to include prevention costs. Businesses such as Mel’s Riverdock Restaurant had to purchase enough sandbags to protect the building. They, and others, will not receive assistance unless the decision is successfully appealed. Even if it is, however, Breden said that assistance may only cover damages, not prevention measures. This is largely up to the

discretion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Public assistance will be used for public infrastructure as well as churches and private non-profits. Those under public assistance have been given 30 days to complete FEMA Form 90-49, Request for Public Assistance and submit it to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). The deadline is currently set to be Oct. 19. Further paperwork will need to be completed before grant payments can be made. On Tuesday, Oct. 1, FEMA and IEMA hosted a briefing on public assistance for local governments and groups, which fall under this category.

Illinois River to reach flood stage by next week By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald

T

he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the Illinois River to reach flood stage by Oct. 2. While relatively minor, the waters could have an impact upon the building of a coffer dam at the Nutwood Levee. A coffer dam is a structure made of sediment designed to protect workers while they begin repairs to the levee. Brett Gettings, Nutwood Levee District manager, said the smaller coffer dam, built by the levee district staff after the flood earlier this year, has already been topped. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the levee’s repairs. (See, RIVER, A2)

SUNDAY, OCT. 6

68 49

OCTOBER 2, 2019

Kris Scheffel/Calhoun News-Herald

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Good season predicted for deer hunters By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald The old adage, “it’s not as good as it used to be,� does not really apply to Calhoun County—at least when it comes to the upcoming deer season. Past years have seen a consistent increase in the area deer population totals with the deer numbers looking better for this coming archery season beginning on Oct. 1. Owner of the Kampsville deer outfitter Monarch Rivers, Aaron Quillan, describes Calhoun County as one of the best spots for deer season not just in the state, but in the entire nation. Calhoun sits at the southernmost point of the northern woodland white-tails’ range, the largest sub-special of deer. “The habitat is truly unique,� Quillan said of Calhoun. “You have two beautiful rivers on either side that meet at the bottom of the county, and there are so many flat spots and mass bearing trees that grow straight up.�

Quillan estimates that Calhoun may Quillan has collected data on the deer populations in the area for a be home to the largest or one of the largest deer populations in the state. number of years. It makes Calhoun an ideal spot He attributes this to the abundance of Calhoun’s habifor deer hunters tat, which permits looking to catch a Âł:H DUH YHU\ SRLVHG such as a high carrecord-breaker, he indicated. Illinois IRU SRVVLEO\ WKH EHVW rying capacity. “We are able has consistently broken world VHDVRQ LQ \HDUV 7KH to just grow giant white-tail deer,â€? records for the larg- QXPEHU RI GD\WLPH he said. est white-tails with It has been the archery record VLJKWLQJV LQ WKH RII quite a transforfor an atypical buck VHDVRQ LV XS $OO mation for the being broken only a year ago in Edgar DFURVV WKH ERDUG WKH deer population County. This means QXPEHUV DUH XS ´ in Calhoun, which Illinois currently grappled with the holds both archery devastating effects world records, the of Epizootic HemAaron Quillan other having been orrhagic Disease Monarch Rivers owner in Peoria County in (EHD) around 1965. 2012 and 2013. “With the land features (of EHD is carried by midge flies, which Calhoun), it’s actually very challeng- reside near stagnant waters. Quillan ing to hunt,â€? Quillan said. estimated this outbreak may have

Š2019

taken out close to half of the deer population in the area. New hunting regulations were put into place to manage population growth, and the impacts are noticeable this year following the wet spring. “Mother nature has and will always have a way,� Quillan said. “We are very poised for possibly the best season in years. The number of daytime sightings in the off-season is up. All across the board, the numbers are up.� Quillan sees people from across the country in Alabama, California and even Alaska who come to Calhoun to hunt. His outfitter service is one of over a dozen in the county, which have seen increasing interest and an uptick in the number of days being booked. “Seasons like this are good for growth,� he said. Oct. 1 marks the first day of archery season. The Youth Firearms Hunt will be open from Oct. 12-14.

EMS still struggling to locate residents for emergencies

CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kris Scheffel/Calhoun News-Herald

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By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald Calhoun’s emergency services continue to struggle with the 911 transition that occurred during February of 2018. The transition affected the ability of emergency services to locate individuals at their new addresses. Many of Calhoun’s residents received a new address in order to make it easier for emergency services to find their homes. Residents will still reach Calhoun dispatch when they call in to the Calhoun Sheriff’s Office; but when an individual calls 911 in Calhoun, they will now talk to the West Central dispatch service out of Jacksonville. This transition has become an issue for emergency services when they are directed to places that are simply not the correct location. Many of the global position systems (GPS) used by emergency services have yet to be updated to the new addresses, meaning that at (See, EMS, A2)


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