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OPINION: Veterans ceremony crowd sets good example: Page A4 NEWS: Veterans, other honor those that served: Page A2
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JERSEY COUNTY
JERSEYVILLE, IL 62052
INSIDE NEWS Jerseyville Library celebrates reading night with bingo. See page A3 JCBA taking nominations for Business of Year . See page A3
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
Kaylee is one. See page A6
SPORTS
JOURNAL VOL. 17, NO. 46 - 75¢
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
Jersey sees several slide-offs, crashes after first snow By JARAD JARMON Jersey County Journal After some nice weather over the weekend, Jersey was greeted with its first real snowfall of the season, and with that came several slideoffs and car crashes common for the first snowstorm of the year, according to local officials. “People need to be re-acclimated (to driving in snow),” Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen said. Ringhausen said there were several accidents in the county that police responded to following the snowfall—even into Tuesday. Over the period of two days, Jersey deputies handled 15 traffic crashes, according to a news release from the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office. These crashes did not result in any major injuries. Deputies also responded to nine other vehicles that slid off in the ditch during the same time. The news release states the first snow of the year is always the worst for crashes, but this year is very similar to years past. Ringhausen said the timing
A mixture of quick, heavy and wet snowfall, high winds and drastic temperature drops in the area made Jersey County’s first real snow of the season a potentially dangerous and surprising one Monday. Tom Klasner, county engineer, said it wasn’t long after it started snowing that snow drifted off the ditches, into the roads, exacerbating road conditions. All things considered though, Klasner said it as best as could be expected for an especially early and quick snowstorm. Notably, Klasner said in his 17 years at the county highway department, he could not recall a snowfall this early in the season. Crews were out from approximately 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. clearing roads. Klasner said crews focused on ensuring the roads were “passable” and curves and intersections were safe. This did not bar the need to go a little slower on drives throughout the county, Klasner noted. But, those on the road driving with caution “would be able to get down the road.” He asserted the roads were passable.
made this event a little safer, namely having landed on Veterans Day. “Being a holiday helped us out,” he said. The holiday allowed people to stay inside and not run to school or work. Ringhausen urged residents to not drive in this weather if they do not have to, noting the greater chance for someone to slideoff or get in an accident. Should they have to leave the home, Ringhausen said people should allow themselves more time to either get to work or other engagement, stressing the need to slow down after snow events like Monday’s that quickly put a thin layer of ice on the ground. “It doesn’t take much to get off the road,” he said. The news release states most of the incidents in the county were drivers traveling too fast for conditions. After a snow event, Ringhausen said emergency services are spread thin, which means a longer response time, so he also urged people to keep the engine on if they can or have a blanket in the vehicle should they slide-off and require emergency assistance.
Jarad Jarmon/Jersey County Journal
Cars cross each other on State Street in Jerseyville Monday as snow rushes down.
“We were assuming there would be school,” Klasner said. So, crews went out with that mindset Monday afternoon into the night. The Jersey Community School District did not close the following day; however, the Southwestern School District and surrounding area districts closed on Tuesday following the snowstorm. The Jersey school district’s decision to not close schools made some, at least on social media, frustrated with several posting pictures of select areas where road conditions were — or at least appeared to be — poor.
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, NOV. 15
43 21 Low
SATURDAY, NOV. 16
42 29 High
Low
SUNDAY, NOV. 17
47 31 High
Low
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TOP STORIES ONLINE Nov. 6 - Nov. 13 1. Residents raise concern after stop to levee repair 2. Jersey Circuit judge steps down 3. Subdivision explodes with Trick-or-Treaters 4. Jersey County schools receive Report Card from state 5. Jerseyville Council OKs property purchase
INDEX Court . . . . . . . . . . . B3-4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . .A5 News . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2-3 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . A4 Our Town. . . . . . . . . .B6 Public Notice . . . . . . .B4 School . . . . . . . . . . . .B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . .B6 OBITUARIES: ANSELL, BOWMAN, BRADY, BRAINERD, JONES, KING, SCHAAF, WILLIAMS. JERSEY COUNTY
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(See, SNOW, A2)
County Board announces delays to IDOT road improvements
JCMS Tournament champs. See page B6
High
“It is not an exact science,” Jersey Superintendent Brad Tuttle said. The decision was made, as it is made with past potential snow events, after discussions with road commissioners and drives through the county. Tuttle said him and the district transportation director drove for hours Monday night and Tuesday morning to gauge how safe the roads were. “This, in particular, was a tougher decision,” he noted. However, he said they felt the buses would not have an issue. There were reports that
Jarad Jarmon/Jersey County Journal
Honor Guard perform a gun salute at the Veterans Day Ceremony Monday outside of the local American Legion post as snow falls in the background. More photos from the event can be found on A2.
Snow didn’t stop veteran ceremony crowd By JARAD JARAD Jersey County Journal Temperatures were bitter and snow was heavy at the time of the Veterans Day Ceremony in Jerseyville, and yet, it did not stop the crowds huddled under the pavilion outside of the Jerseyville American Legion Post 492 — a testament to the community’s support for veterans, according to veterans at the event. Even considering the cold, Greg Breden, ceremony organizer, was unsurprised by the turnout. “Jersey County is one of the most patriotic counties around,” he said. “…We have this participation in this quite often.” “They come out no matter what,” Elmer Heafner of the local VFW said. Heafner was one of several that took part in the event. He said it is an easy decision for him to come out when he thinks about those still serving and those who did not return from service in the military. The snow and the cold weather made for an unusual Veterans Day, Breden said. “This is one Veterans Day I am not going to forget for a while,” he said. Outside of the area where the ceremony took place, the pavilion was packed with people bun-
dled up in scarfs, thick coats and hats. Among those was a veteran, Ed Crone of Jerseyville. Crone said a little cold weather was not going to stop him from attending. “A lot of people would say, ‘well, this is a bad day,’ (referring to the days weather)” he said. “If you have never been in the service, you do not know what a bad day is.” He admitted it was certainly cold, but it was well worth attending. The ceremony was kicked off with a performance from the Jersey Community High School Band. Although they braved the elements, Erin Bittles, band director, said they do not usually see this kind of weather. This is the last marching event, and usually, it is not snowing yet. “This a little unusual for Veteran’s Day weather,” she said. Nevertheless, this did not change their resolve to perform Monday. “Especially when dealing with the veterans for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, we feel like it is our duty to do our parts since we are able to go home and be warm in our cars and in our homes because of them— because of their sacrifice,” Bittles said. (See, VETERANS, A2)
‘It was just like lightning’ Meteor flashes across Jersey sky By JARAD JARMON Jersey County Journal Area resident Jamie Simpson thought her husband, Justin, scared the literal daylights out of her at first. As they were going to bed, and Justin found an opportunity to scare Jamie. At the same time, though, a bright blue streak flooded the upstairs of their home “It was just like lightning,” she said. “It lit up the whole upstairs.” At approximately 9 p.m. Monday, a meteor was witnessed by residents all across the Midwest including Jersey County. The Simpsons did not see the streak across the sky, but burst of light that filled their home as a result of the space
rock’s entry into Earth’s sky. It happened so quick, Simpson said she had confirm Justin saw it as well and that she was not seeing lights. Jamie said she later found out by looking online that the flash was part of a meteor shower. Justin’s joking response to the flash: The aliens have landed in our front yard. Others in the county like John Critchfield of Grafton were outside to witness the meteor’s entry. “There was some coyotes barking up on the hill behind our house,” Critchfield said. “We came out (he and his daughter, Madeline) to see what was going on, and we saw something shooting out over the river.” “It lasted about three seconds before it blew up...” he
said. “There were white and blue lights that kind of blew up.” The two went inside and about half a minute later, there was a “boom.” “It felt like someone slammed the door.” The event was a part of the Taurids meteor shower, which takes place during the last week of October and early November. These Taurid meteors are known for their fireballs and pass through the night sky at a much slower rate than typical meteors, lasting up to a second compared to a typical sub-second meteor. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has called this meteor ‘Event: 20191112-025148.’ (See, METEOR, A2)
By KRIS SCHEFFEL Jersey County Journal At Tuesday’s Jersey County Board meeting, members discussed new information regarding future plans for road improvements in the county. A meeting was held on Wednesday, Nov. 6, wherein representatives of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Kansas City Southern and Stonemont Financial Group determined that the project timeline should be adjusted with an estimated completion. Chairman Don Little gave an overview of that Nov. 6 meeting in which IDOT requested more time to gather information about road usage. “It’s fair to say that IDOT wants to do a re-review of the transportation plan,” Little said. These improvements are a part of the larger Mid-American Gateway Project, which is said will bring enormous economic growth to Jerseyville and the surrounding region. These road expansions will help to relieve traffic congestion along IL-67 and IL-16. The Delhi Bypass on IL-67, in which four lanes merge into two, has been witness to a number of accidents even in the past few months. “There’s a real worry about the traffic load on Illinois Route 16 and two-lane roads,” board member Gary Krueger said. “They updated projections on the types of truck and the numbers and the pressures on the road...” Krueger said that the potential for increased usage on IL-16 was not anticipated by IDOT. “They were kind of thinking that they, (truck drivers) would go down 255 and hit 270 or go down to the St. Louis area....,” he said. At the meeting, Chairman Little also presented a proposed intergovernmental agreement for the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. The agreement would be between Calhoun, Christian, (See, IDOT, A2)
Crash involving Jerseyville man leaves one dead
By CARMEN ENSINGER Jersey County Journal A two-vehicle crash near Garner’s in Roodhouse involving residents from Jerseyville has resulted in the death of a woman and injury to another. According to a news release from the Illinois State Police, the accident happened at approximately at 2:38 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11 on State Route 67, 361 feet north of Cain Avenue. Members of the Roodhouse and White Hall Police Departments and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene along with the Roodhouse Fire Department and EMS who responded to render aid and medical treatment. “One female subject was pronounced deceased by Greene County Coroner Danny Powell at the scene,” Roodhouse Police Chief Kyle Robison said. “Another female subject was transported to the hospital for medical treatment.” State police were called to the scene to handle the traffic crash investigation and reconstruction. In their news release, state police stated Thomas L. Nail, 59, of Jerseyville driving a 2010 Chevy Silverado southbound on 67 struck a northbound 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Samantha L. Wilson, 49, of Jacksonville. The Silverado crossed into the oncoming lane and struck the Mitsubishi head-on. It was snowing and the roadway was covered with snow at the time of the crash, police noted in the release. Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in Wilson’s car, Jezlynee N. Wilson, 23, of Jerseyville, was treated for minor injuries. Nail along with passengers, Fernanda S. Nail, 43, and Toao L. Nail, 18, both of Jerseyville, were not injured in the crash. Thomas Nail was issued citation for driving too fast for conditions and improper lane usage. The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit is continuing the investigation into the crash.