CNH 10.24.12

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CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD

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INSIDE SOCIAL

Girl Scouts to honor local veterans. See page A4

NEWS

What's happening between the rivers. See page A5

SCHOOL

Teen Art contest winner. See page C2

SPORTS

Lady Warriors enter postseason 22-7-2. See page A8

NEWS

Trademark meeting cacelled. See page A3

HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047

Hayride leads to fatal accident in rural Calhoun County Sunday By BOB CROSSEN “They were just a Calhoun News-Herald bunch of friends An accident late Saturday during a hayride at the intersection out having a good of Mississippi River Road and Mozier Hollow Road took the life time, and it turned of a 26-year-old with a Carlinville absolutley tragic.” address. Calhoun County Sheriff Bill Bill Heffington Heffington said an F250 pick-up truck was pulling a Fifth Wheel Calhoun County Sheriff trailer and began to make a right the ground.” turn, heading east on Mozier “And the result of that, he Hollow Road, when Matthew W. Weyen “fell off the high part of the received a fatal injury,” Heffington Fifth Wheel, five to six feet above said, adding most of the injury was

By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald According to a number of sources in the county, Calhoun County Tax Assessor Brandi Kieffer, an elected official, works on average one day each week. Hardin attorney Ed Fanning said he began tracking Kieffer’s hours near the end of August because Kieffer was rarely in her office to talk about documents, deeds and legal descriptions. Several officials who work in the same facility as Kieffer have confirmed Fanning’s allegations. Fanning said he confronted Kieffer about the issue and told her he would make her behavior public, adding Kieffer’s duties as a tax assessor may be conducted outside the office from time to time. “Just because she’s not in her office, she could technically be working, if she was working,” Fanning said. “If she was going out and assessing property, that would be wonderful, but she’s not doing that.” Kieffer became the county’s assessor in 1998 and her current salary is $33,742.03 per year, which was set by the county commissioners during a regular board meeting April 16, 2012. Kieffer was not reachable by telephone on Monday for comment and, according to employees in the building where she works, did not report for duty. Fanning said the time during which she should be performing her duties in a professional capacity, she can be found conducting personal activities such as shopping, spending time at home or located in the Michael Tavern in Michael. As tax assessor, Kieffer is also the chief county assessment officer, a position which requires certification. According to the Illinois Property Tax Code, a chief county assessment officer must have two years experience in the field of property sales, assessments, finance or appraisals; pass the chief county assessment officer examination conducted by the Department of Revenue; and possess one of a number of certificates from official assessment organizations that are either state or nationally recognized. Fanning said the properties in Calhoun County are not being assessed nor are they being picked up on the tax rolls. An example, he added, involves a property in southern Calhoun where a home was built, but the property value was assessed as if a home did not occupy part (See, ASSESSOR, A2)

calhounnewsherald.com

CALHOUN NEWSHERALD

© 2012 Calhoun News-Herald

Heffington said toxicology reports have not returned from the toxicology lab, adding he believes the death was an accident, and suspects no foul play. Heffington said it was an unfortunate accident during time spent with friends. “They were just a bunch of friends out having a good time, and it absolutely turned tragic,” Heffington said. The investigation is still being conducted as to how Weyen fell of the trailer, but all indications point to him losing balance prior to the fall that resulted in fatal injuries.

NEWS BRIEFS

Hardin issues boil order for remainder of work week through Friday Work underway on village water tanks By STAFF REPORT Calhoun News-Herald The village of Hardin has issued a boil order for all parts of the town Wednesday through

Friday while the village’s water tanks receive work. For more information contact Hardin Village Hall at (618) 576-2828.

Mike Weaver/Calhoun News-Herald

Quilt Tour

draws crowd

Participants of the Calhoun County Quilt and Church Tour view the many handmade quilts on display at the First Presbyterian Church in Hardin Saturday morning. The two-day event took visitors around the county to view the buildings and blankets. michaelrweaver.com

Brussels School Board approves installation of video cameras on school buses By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Brussels School Board approved the purchase of video cameras to be installed on the rest of the school buses following the pilot test on one school bus this year. Dr. Mark Martin, Brussels schools superintendent, said the board was very pleased with the quality of the video as well as the sound and opted to purchase additional units for the remaining school buses. “I had the opportunity to demonstrate to the board the quality of the video of this system we bought as a pilot,” Martin said. Since the implementation of the video cameras, Martin said there hasn’t been a need to review any tape for disciplinary reasons; however, one girl did injure her head while on the bus. Martin said some questions remained as to how it happened, and upon reviewing the tape clearly saw she had lost her footing and as she fell she hit her head. Though the injury was painful, Martin said it was good to know what happened so it could be prevented in the future. The cameras to be installed are one year

old, he said, adding the cost to buy a new camera is around $1,600 per camera without installation. The used ones are $800 per camera with installation and come with a one-year warranty. Additionally, the board heard and approved a presentation of the audit by Croxford and Co. PC for the district which came as good news for the board and superintendent. The Illinois State Board of Education scores districts on a four-point scale with four being the highest score possible, Martin said, adding Brussels schools receive a 3.9 score from the state this year. Compared with past years, Martin said the funds in the accounts have continued to rise, creating a stable, working cash flow for the district. “Our fund levels were continuing to rise, some of them just slightly, but headed in the right way,” Martin said. “We were pretty happy with that.” The board also approved to spend $1,645.60 to repair connectivity issues when it came to computers in the library and computer lab at the high school. Computer Rescue from Jerseyville assisted the school with the problems by running new cables

and performing a number of repairs and fixes to the system to maintain a stable connection, he said. The board also acknowledged the success of the elementary school book fair which raised $1,080. Some people who purchased the books donated them back to the school, he said, and the school will receive $100 for more textbooks because of the fair’s success. In other business, the board: n Approved to use REAP funds, money with an expiration date given to rural school districts, to purchase laptops and iPads for the schools. n Discussed the upgrading of the plumbing for the elementary school where the toilets were in dire need of repair due to calcium build-up. The boys’ bathroom was first to receive the treatment, girls’ bathroom will follow. All repairs are done by the high school shop teacher, Chad Brodbeck, and occasionally some high school students. n Approved to set the tax levy hearing Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. before the regular school board meeting. n Approved to apply for state recognition of schools for both the elementary and the high schools.

Charity benefits Baalman Toy Drive Saturday

• Index •

Obituaries in this issue: Losch

sustained to the head. Heffington said the call about the accident came at 11:18 p.m. and he arrived on the scene two minutes later. The scene was very dramatic, he said, adding he did his best to calm down witnesses of the accident to find out what happened. An emergency team from Pittsfield along with Calhoun County ambulances also arrived on the scene but after attempts at reviving Weyen failed, who is said to have worked in Pleasant Hill, he was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m. Sunday.

VOLUME 139 - ISSUE 42

County assessor rarely works, sources say

ONLINE

Our Town . . . . . . B4 News . . . . A3,B2,C6 Public Notice . . . D4 Real Estate . . . D2-3 Correspondence A5 Social . . . . . . . . . A4 Sports . . . . . . . . . C6

OCTOBER 24, 2012

submitted photo

Rockin' and Rollin' in St. Louis Tim Campbell, of Godfrey, and his daughter, Christin Kaltenbronn, of Chicago, ran the Rock n Roll Marathon in St. Louis Sunday. They are the son and granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. James F. Campbell of Hardin.

Joe Page bridge under inspection Traffic during daylight hours crossing the Joe Page Bridge in Hardin will be limited to one lane while the Illinois Department of Transportation conducts its yearly inspection of the struc-

ture. A flagger crew will be present during the time, and potential travelers should expect delays throughout the day depending on the volume of traffic crossing the bridge.

By BOB CROSSEN Calhoun News-Herald The Presbyterian Church in Hardin will host a charity yard sale Saturday including clothes, toys and other items to raise money for this year’s Baalman Toy Drive. Tonya Brown, organizer for the charity yard sale, said this is her first attempt at organizing and running a fundraiser for charity, but said she has been involved in numerous charities for many years. “I do charity work every year. I have one of those hearts that when I hear something sad, it brings me down,” Brown, who moved to Calhoun County four years ago, said, “and so it helps me to do things like this.” Brown said she has planned many activities in which children may participate during the event Saturday, and all of them are for a relatively low cost. Four tickets are sold per dollar, Brown said, and those tickets may be spent on any of the items for sale or children’s games including ring toss, bean bag toss, frogger jump and many other activities. Most prices are a matter of one to two tickets, Brown said, adding all the money raised during the day will be used to purchase toys C

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for the Baalman Toy Drive, an annual toy drive which helps the less fortunate children in Calhoun get toys for Christmas. Brown said she had spoken with Many Baalman, organizer for the Baalman Toy Drive, and learned a recent poker run did not raise as much money as Baalman was hoping. “That was my cue right then and there to head and put this forward,” Brown said, adding she had worked at a toy drive in Jerseyville last year. Three months ago, Brown said she stood at the four-way stop in Hardin with a can to raise money for a friend who was diagnosed with brain cancer. Charity work crept into her family culture, as well. Brown said her father, Dennis Lacey, is going to dress up as Santa Claus for the event where children can get a picture for $7. And her children have also involved themselves in the effort by sorting through their toys and choosing which ones to sell. Vendors will also be selling goods, she said, and the good will displayed by the owners of the businesses is astounding. “The vendors that I’ve hand-picked are vendors that I know that are struggling financially,” Brown said. “So not only are they help-

ing with donations and raffles, they’re helping to gain potential customers which in turn helps them make money.” Brown said a few years ago, her son, Elliot Cheek, had multiple surgeries which put a serious strain on her family’s finances. During a scheduled benefit, she said she was overwhelmed by the support of the community. “You wouldn’t believe the people that were there to help,” Brown said, adding the experience really opened her eyes, “and at that time in my life, I always vowed that as soon as I knew I was back on my feet and I was able, I would help in any way I could.” The effort is starting to show itself with constant charity work for communities both in Calhoun and surrounding counties, but Brown said it’s about more than just fulfilling the promise she made for herself. “Everything I’m doing is to help some one, not just kids,” Brown said. The charity yard sale is still looking for volunteers for the event, and Brown said those interested in volunteering or who have items to donate are encouraged to contact her at (618) 535-5848. Due to issues of capacity, Brown said she requests larger items be brought to the church either Friday or Saturday.


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