GREENE PRAIRIE PRESS DECEMBER 11, 2013 – Vol. 144, No. 50 – Carrollton, Illinois 62016
INSIDE LOCALS
Anniversaries, birthdays and more. See page A3
NEWS
Boyd Hospital recognized for becoming first critical access hospital in state By CArmeN eNSiNger Greene Prairie Press Thomas H. Boyd Hospital in Carrollton has received another accolade from the healthcare community. The facility was recognized by the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network for more than a decade of service during the annual CAH Conference and Member Meeting held at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield on Nov. 6-7. Boyd Hospital was the first hospital in the state of Illinois to receive the Critical Access Hospital designation in August of 1999, something Hospital Administrator Deborah Campbell is
very proud of. “This concept had been going on for four or five years out west and I had been keeping up on it and made sure I knew what was going on with because I thought it was something we needed here,” Campbell said. Critical Access Hospitals are hospitals certified to receive cost based reimbursement from Medicare. This reimbursement is intended to improve their financial performance and reduce hospital closures. Each hospital is responsible for reviewing its own situation to determine if CAH status would be advantageous. “Early on, we saw that the critical care aspect was the better way for us to
be paid,” Campbell said. “We get paid our cost plus one percent. I don’t know that I can put a dollar amount to how much additional funding this move has meant to us but I can say that it is the reason our doors are still open.” There are 51 CAHs in Illinois and 1,332 throughout the United States. The only other CAHs in the immediate area are Carlinville and Staunton. To be a CAH, a hospital must have 25 beds or less and must provide 24-hour emergency services with medical staff on site or on call and available on site within 30 minutes or 60 minutes if certain frontier area criteria are met. “We decided that at our facility
since we didn’t do obstetrics anymore or surgery, that we didn’t have the number of patients and this would be a good fit for us,” Campbell said. Staffing requirements are slightly different for a CAH as compared to an acute care hospital. Midlevel practitioners can be an independent part of the medical staff and can provide direct service to patients. “We are required to provide guidance by a physician, but the provisions are very liberal,” Campbell said. “This is especially useful in smaller communities that may have trouble recruiting physicians to the area. CAH also have more flexibility regarding staffing levels for nurses.”
Staying warm during Carrollton Home for the Holidays. See page A4
SCHOOL
See page A6
SPORTS
Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
Lakyn gardner, 14, of Carrollton makes a substantial donation to the Operation Christmas toy drive box in Pharmacy Plus . gardner, who has become an expert at the iron claw machine, donated more than 25 stuffed toys he has won from playing the machines .
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© 2013 Greene Prairie Press
Operation Christmas is going to see a lot more toys this year thanks to a Carrollton 8th grader with a unique talent and an even bigger heart. Lakyn Gardner, 14, donated more than 25 toys to Operation Christmas, all of which he won by playing with the Iron Claw machines – a machine it is known for being extremely hard to beat. After inserting either 50 cents or a dollar, depending on the machine, the player has so many seconds to position the iron claw over an item and drop it down and hope it snags the item. For all intents and purposes, the machines are not set up to win – at least, that is, until Gardner came along. He said he started playing when he was around 8 years old. “I just liked playing the game and just kept on playing,” Gardner said. “Once in a while I would win and that kept me coming back and playing again and again.” That all changed about a year ago. “I really didn’t start winning a lot until a little over a year ago,” Gardner said. “Since then, I’ve found out I really have a knack for it and I win quite often now.” It was great to win a stuffed toy as a younger child, but there aren’t many teenage boys who collect stuffed animals. So, rather than quit his hobby, he just found some-
Pension reform hits local Former school districts’ faculty probation By BOB CrOSSeN Greene Prairie Press
Spartan Classic tips off. See page B1
This flexibility has allowed Boyd Hospital, though it is a small rural hospital, to have some of the most updated equipment there is. “This has basically helped us utilize more money for capital expenses,” Campbell said. Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network Executive Director Pat Schou said Boyd Hospital is a pioneer for the concept. “We are forever grateful to Thomas H. Boyd Memorial Hospital for leading the way for our Illinois critical access hospitals,” Schou said. “This honor is well deserved and will always be remembered as an integral part of ICAHN’s history.”
Teen uses unique talent to help others at Christmas By CArmeN eNSiNger Greene Prairie Press
North Greene Elementary’s Students of the Month.
75¢
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the pension reform bill Dec. 5, which will reduce the pensions teachers through the state receive due to changes in cost of living adjustments (COLA) to the retirement salaries. Upon passage of Senate Bill 1, a number of agencies lobbying on behalf of teachers, administrators and other school personnel challenged the bill’s constitutionality, taking the issue before the courts to reverse the bill’s approval. Illinois Senator Sam McCann, who represents the state’s 50th District, opposes the bill’s passage because contents of the bill were not negotiated with those it will affect. “While there are some aspects of this bill that might have a positive effect, the lack of transparency and the fact that all stakeholders weren’t at the negotiation table are just two of the massive failures of this bill,” McCann said in a press release issued Dec. 3, the day when the bill passed both houses. According to state law, legally, the state cannot diminish the pension of an employee who has paid into the program. Kate Sievers, Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 superintendent, said the changes to COLA are the biggest factor in the reasons for a current court challenge. The adjustments to cost of living for teachers’ pensions were shifted under the new bill based on the retiree’s years of service. Current retirees will not see lower checks, but COLA accrues slower than before, and those who retire after the bill takes effect June 1, 2014 will notice pauses in COLA every other year. Pensionable salaries are also capped under the new law to $109,971 in 2013, the employee’s current sal-
ary, or the salary at the end of the collective bargaining agreement. Sievers said the changes are wideranging enough to affect every teacher in her district, especially those looking to retire in the next few years. “The ones that are close to retirement are more anxious. Because it’s close, it’s more real to them,” Sievers said, “but even myself – I have several years yet in education – I’m worried. I’m worried it’s not going to be there when I retire.” The retirement age also changes based on a sliding scale relative to the teacher’s age. Those older than 46 at the time the bill goes into effect will not see a change in their retirement age, but those younger could be required to work additional years – up to a maximum of five years – before retiring. Another change forbids teachers hired after the bill goes into effect from using up to two years of sick leave toward early retirement. Younger teachers are also planning for their retirement at an earlier ages, despite having just entered into the professional world of teaching, Sievers said. “They shouldn’t have to worry about it at this point in time, but they are having to worry about it. It’s a concern,” Sievers said. Ron Edwards, Pleasant Hill Community Unit School District 3 superintendent, said the constant changes and arguments in the legislature about pensions for teachers has cast an ugly shadow on the profession in Illinois. He worries teaching will become a much less desirable career choice because of the changes to pension. Dave Roberts, Winchester Community Unit School District 1 superintendent, agreed with Edwards’ sentiment, adding he wasn’t surprised by many of the changes to pension as (See, pension, A2)
IT'S GARY
thing rewarding to do with those wins - donate them. “I would have had a lot more toys to donate to Operation Christmas this year, but I have given a lot of them away as gifts for birthdays and such,” Gardner said. “The last time I was at Pizza Hut, I played five times and got a prize out every single time. I ended up giving them to the little kids who happened to be eating in there. One time a kid was crying because he was trying and trying to win and couldn’t. I went up there and won the football player he was trying to get, so I just gave it to him.” Years of practice have helped to hone his skills, but there are a few secrets to being successful at the claw machine. “When the guy restocks the toys in the machine – that is your best chance of winning one – especially if he sets them up in the back,” Gardner said. “You can knock them over and get them almost every time. Also, once the machine is restocked the ones on top are not buried so they are easier to get. Sometimes you have to spend a couple tries trying to get the item you want into a position to pick up.” Gardner estimates over the past year he has won between 100 and 120 prizes – most of which he has given away but as the pile kept growing, he decided to let more than just his younger friends and the kids that just happen to be (See, christmas, A2)
AND THE
BEAV
officer accused of theft By CArmeN eNSiNger Greene Prairie Press Charges have been filed in Greene County Circuit Court against the county’s former probation officer, Candice Osborne, with charges alleging theft of county funds and official misconduct. Osborne, of Roodhouse, has been charged with one count of Official Misconduct and one count of Theft over $10,000 but less than $100,000. According to the charges filed on Dec. 3, in a series of acts between Sept. 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2011, Osborne allegedly committed the offense of theft by falsely overstating the number of miles traveled in her monthly claims for mileage reimbursement and in doing so received more reimbursement money than she was entitled to. The Official Misconduct charge alleges while acting in her official capacity, she overstated the number of miles she had driven in the month of December 2011 in her claim for mileage reimbursement and therefore received more money than she was entitled to. Osborne submitted her resignation from the position effective June 1, 2012, four months after her husband, Terry Osborne, was arrested on drug charges in January and again in March where he was also charged with Witness Tampering. Charles R. Zalar, a special prosecutor from the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor Office, has been brought in to try the case on behalf of the state. The Theft charge is a Class 2 felony while the Official Misconduct charge is a Class 3 felony. Candice Osborne was issued a summons to appear in Greene County Circuit Court at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 to answer to the charges C
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Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
gary Hillis of Carrollton caught this giant beaver recently on the illinois river . And by giant - he means giANT, weighing in at over 70 pounds . This makes the fourth biggest beaver he has bagged this year, though he said he has bagged many more of normal size . Hillis said he sells the hides .