Greene Prairie Press OCTOBER 2, 2013 – Vol. 144, No. 40 – Carrollton, Illinois 62016
75¢
Roodhouse to purchase police vehicles
INSIDE LOCALS
By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press
Girl with local ties wins national singing contest. See page A3
NEWS
Roodhouse City Council convened in special session Monday night, Sept. 30 and approved the purchase of two police cars and a flatbed truck for the South Shop. The police department is down to only one functioning police car in addition to the chief of police’s K-9 unit. The newest vehicle in the fleet, a 2009 Dodge Charger, was totaled recently when it was rearended while working an accident. The 2006 Ford Crown Victoria is in need of more than $5,000 in repairs after having spent almost $5,000 last year on repairs to the same car. “The urgency of the meeting was to try to get at least one of the cars approved by the council so he can get the wrecked Charger replaced by the end of next week,” Alderman Charles Huffines said. “Morrow Bros. of Greenfield is getting a shipment of
90 cars they are going to fit for police cars and if we act this week we could get the Charger replaced and ready for us to drive by Oct. 12.” Huffines said the bulk of these cars will be going to the Illinois State Police so the price is a state negotiated price that would be hard to beat anywhere else. “Replacing the Crown Vic is on here because it doesn’t seem like a good idea to put out over $10,000 in less than two years on a car with over 130,000 miles on it, and heaven only knows how much run time,” Huffines said. “We thought we would put it on here and let you discuss and vote on it. Not knowing what the finances are going to be and then realizing we were probably going to have to carry a note on these I added to the agenda the flatbed for the South Shop to see if we rolled a bigger amount in there then we could probably get a better interest rate at the local banks and it seems like that has been the case.”
a gear shift for it and it is just really unsafe to drive. Plus it is the most used truck in our fleet, and gets out just about every day.” Morrow Bros. has a 2012 F-350 untitled truck with zero miles on it for $32,825. “I looked at the truck and it’s a nice truck and comes complete with lights and everything we need – we just need to drive it off the lot,” Ross said. “It has four wheel drive and a heavier gauge bed and hoist so we will be able to lift more with it.” Alderwoman Barb Alred asked if the council was expected to approve the purchases or could it be taken to the workshop. “We are on a time limit,” Ross said. “Their bid is good for so long and it is getting down to the wire. I started this process two months ago.” Police Chief Kyle Robison echoed what Ross said. “He is not going to hold that vehicle for you – they want it done
“The urgency of the meeting was to try to get at least one of the cars approved by the council so he can get the wrecked Charger replaced by the end of next week.”
Charles Huffines Alderman
Utility Superintendent Terry Ross said the need for a new flatbed truck for his department is equally as dire. “Three weeks after I go here, the transmission went out on our truck and overall it is just in horrible shape,” Ross said. “There are holes in the floor board, we had to make
Carrollton says OK to chickens in city, no to bunnies By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press
Historic barn finds new home. See page B7
NEWS
News from the pews. See page A6
SPORTS
Carrollton City Council met for its monthly workshop on Oct. 25 and basically solidified its stand on the chicken issue in Carrollton. Most of the discussion was held prior to the 7 p.m. meeting at a discussion between members of the chicken ordinance committee and the rest of the council. The city has an ordinance prohibiting the keeping of chickens or rabbits within the city limits. However, more than a dozen households in Carrollton house either chickens or rabbits, including one of the city’s police officers. Mayor David Stendeback announced at the opening of the meeting what the council had come up with and which will be voted on at the Oct. 16 regular meeting. “Considering we had some people that were told inadvertently they could have chickens, we are going to allow some chickens, but we are going to follow the ordinance on everything else,” Stendeback announced. “They (chickens) can be for personal use only, and chicken owners will be notified they have 30 days to fill out a form if they want to keep their chickens.” Specifically, residents will
be allowed to keep up to five hens - no roosters - and they must not be used for commercial purposes, such as the selling of eggs or meat. No concessions will be made for rabbits, however. “We will have no rabbits which follows our normal ordinance as presented before,” Stendeback said. Kenny Isringhausen, who owns a considerable number of rabbits, was not happy with the decision. “I will challenge this if you push me,” Isringhausen said. City Attorney Anne Clough said that was his right. “You can do that,” Clough said. “But we have an ordinance in place and the ordinance says you can’t have rabbits.” Isringhausen questioned the validity of the ordinance itself. “A lot of these ordinances are not drawn up correctly,” he said. “You take them to a court of law and you can beat them. No one had a problem with the chickens or rabbits before.” Alderman Joe Harness disagreed. “I’ve had several people complain to me,” he said. Isringhausen didn’t agree. “I’ve talked to all my neighbors and none of them have a problem with it,” he
said. Also on the agenda was the purchase of a new computer for the city clerk. “The one I am using now is out-of-date and freezes up all the time,” City Clerk Ryan Scott said. “It wasn’t new when it was put in for the clerk to use and it needs to be replaced.” Scott presented the council with the computer he would like them to purchase at a cost of around $400 noting his office brings in revenue for the city. “My office brings in $12,500 a year so I think a $400 computer is a reasonable request,” he said. The issue will be on the agenda to be voted on at the Oct. 16 meeting. City Treasurer Debbie Dunlap has requested the council consider the purchase of new and different accounting software which she says would produce reports which would be easier for the council to understand and eliminate the need to export to an Excel worksheet. “It would be my recommendation to eliminate exporting to Excel, the reason being I don’t think it is the most financially sound way of doing business,” Dunlap said. “You have the ability to manipulate numbers when you export to Excel and you (See, CHICKENS, A2)
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by Oct. 1 – he told me that,” Robison said. “It’s the same way with the police cars – he’s not going to hold them for two weeks while the council discusses it further. My thought was if you buy them all at once under one note, you don’t have all the extra paperwork.” The two police cars Robison wants to purchase are $35,799 each, which includes all the equipment, lighting, cage setup, installation and camera for a total of $71,598. The city received $21,000 for the wrecked charger which brings the total down to $50,598. The addition of the flatbed truck would be an additional $32,825 for a total of $83,423. UCB Bank of White Hall quoted an interest rate of 2.15 percent for 48 months which comes to a monthly payment of around $1,851.33. Mayor Tom Martin suggested some of the surplus items the city isn’t using such as an old generator (See, ROODHOUSE, A2)
using your head
Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
Matthew Hager takes one on the old noggin from his opponent in the blow up jousting game at the Carrollton First Baptist Church over the weekend. The church is kicking off its Youth Night to be held each Sunday night from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for kids in grades 5 through 12.
Local woman chosen 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press
Hawks stay perfect with win in White Hall. See page B8
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Obituaries in this issue: Briggs, Kohlenberg, Randall
Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
Susie Keller holds up the letter and envelope from "Wheel of Fortune" notifying her she had been chosen to be in the contestant pool for the nationall syndicated game show. Keller will remain in the pool for 18 months and could be called to appear at any time.
ecstatic to have gotten the good news. “I’m sure my neighbors thought I was being mugged because I just started screaming because I was so excited,” she said. However, the waiting is still not over for Keller. Her name will remain in the contestant pool for the next 18 months. “I have no idea when I will be selected or where I will have to go to tape the show,” Keller said. “They said they will notify me two weeks before the taping of the show letting me know where it will be and if I can get there to be on the show.” Keller said the show does tapings four days out of the month and five or six shows are shot each day at various locations. Keller must be able to pay for her own transportation, food and lodging to appear on the show. “I guess I’m going to have to
start having some fundraisers to ‘Send Susie to the Wheel,’” Keller said jokingly. Her trip, no matter how far she gets, will not be in vain. “The least amount I can win now that I’ve been chosen as a contestant is $1,000,” Keller said. “Of course, I would love to win a lot more, but it’s all gravy now. The hardest part of all was waiting to receive this letter because if I didn’t hear anything then it was just all for nothing.” Ironically, Keller never was a huge devotee of the show before the chance to audition as a contestant came up. “When I was growing up my parents watched it all the time, so I remember growing up around it, but as far as being a big fan – I wouldn’t say I would go home specifically just to watch ‘Wheel of Fortune,’” Keller said. “If I’m at home and cooking dinner (See, WHEEL, A2)
Greenfield High School to compete for $100,000 grant By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press
© 2013 Greene Prairie Press
Susie Keller’s head isn’t the only thing spinning after the news she received last Thursday. Keller, of Carrollton, received confirmation she had been chosen to be a contestant on the nationally syndicated game show “Wheel of Fortune.” Keller’s future trip to the “Wheel” began back in June when she went to River City Casino where KSDK Channel 5 had the Wheelmobile scouting for prospective contestants. “There really wasn’t any kind of rhyme or reason on how you got picked,” Keller said. “They put your contact information in a big drum and drew out five names at a time and you played a speed round of the game and that was basically your audition. They see how you behave, how you react,
etc.” Keller was told she would receive an email in two months if they wanted her to move onto further auditions. “I received the email which said they had reserved me a time to audition on Sept. 10 at Lumiere Casino for my second and third auditions,” she said. “We started out with around 60 people and they dwindled it down to 20 and I was lucky enough to make it past the second round.” The third audition took place the same day and consisted of Keller having to simulate playing the game. “You have to pretend you are spinning and they want to see if you are energetic, etc.,” Keller said. “They then told me in two weeks if I were chosen I would receive a letter from them, but if I wasn’t there would be no letter.” It took a little longer than two weeks, but Keller was
Greenfield High School will be participating in the State Farm Celebrate My Drive program which could net the school a cool $100,000. This program is coming to Greenfield on Friday evening, Oct. 4, in the form of a tailgate party prior to the Tiger’s football game against West Central. “We are going to have the
Illinois State Police here with their rollover simulator at the north end of the field,” FCCLA sponsor LuAnn Hubbard said. “They will be asking the kids about traffic safety and one of the participants will walk away with a new laptop.” Hubbard signed Greenfield up to participate in the program at the FCCLA State Conference this past April and learned at the beginning of the school year Greenfield was chosen to participate in the
program. “This is being sponsored by grants made possible by State Farm Insurance,” Hubbard said. “When they contacted us, they said we could use the $500 grant for either a speaker or a tailgate party, and ,of course, we chose the party.” The FCCLA has a long history with safe driving. “One of our national programs is Families Acting For Community Traffic Safety,” Hubbard said. “It’s a national
peer to peer student run education program where kids teach other kids.” Because of its deep commitment to promoting safe driving, State Farm is a large backer of the FCCLA program throughout the state. “They contribute thousands of dollars in Illinois each year toward our State Conference,” Hubbard said. “You have to have an FCCLA chapter in your school to even be in this.” The tailgate party is a kickC
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off to the real competition which begins on Oct. 18 and runs through Oct. 26 in conjunction with National Teen Safe Driving Week. Students and their families and friends will be asked to go online to the Celebrate My Drive website and vote for Greenfield School. The top 10 schools across the nation who garner the most votes will win a $100,000 grant for their school. Ninety schools will win grants in the
amount of $25,000 and the top two schools will win a concert with Kelly Clarkson. Greenfield is pulling out all the stops to be among the top 10 to win the $100,000. “We are making trifold flyers we will be passing out and will be having our own Teen Safe Driving Week here at the school,” Hubbard said. “I have a speaker coming to the school on the 18th to do another assembly with us, and (See, GREENFIELD, A2)