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JCHS students hosting Veteran’s Day ceremony Friday By BOB CROSSEN Jersey County Journal
JCH donates to Isaac's Rays of Hope. See page A5
The fifth annual Veteran’s Day ceremony conducted by Jersey Community Unit School District 100 will be produced by students in the high school drama class Friday, Nov. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Previous iterations of the ceremony were done by the student advisory committee with the help of Lori Hopkins, who had been assistant principal at the high school. As superintendent of the district now, Hopkins did not have as much time to put together a program, and JCHS drama teacher Brett Beauchamp was tasked with organizing the event. Beauchamp said JCHS Principal Lisa Schuenke approached him during the summer to see if he’d like to create the program, and he said he didn’t want to do it with anybody other than the students in his drama class. “We’re very flexible in what we can do,” Beauchamp said. “With the numbers we had in drama, this was the perfect class. … These are the best – in my opinion – the best of the best.”
Winters twins celebrate birthdays. See page A5
SCHOOL
West Elementary first graders celebrate Halloween. See page C3
SPORTS
The drama teacher said the project was a great way to incorporate what the students learn in class and apply those teachings to a real life scenario by memorizing lines and creating transitions between speakers. He said the gravity of this program is greater than that of the normal plays and shows put on by the drama department each year, however, and as such it has presented other challenges. During the program this year, Captain Marshall Lewis, special guest, will have his retirement ceremony conducted during the program. Beauchamp said the event isn’t about the students’ performances, but rather about those who served the country valiantly. “This is lofty. The men and women that we want to honor – we don’t want any pats on the back – we want it all to be about the veterans,” Beauchamp said. “The reason we’re able to do what we’re doing right now in this class is because of the sacrifices that these people gave.” The eight students who will be running the program Friday are excited at the opportunity, which has taught
Loss of funding decreases SNAP benefits locally
them not only about the respect and reverence for those who serve and have served the country, but also about public speaking.
“The reason we’re able to do what we’re doing right now in this class is because of the sacrifices that these people gave.”
Brett Beauchamp JCHS drama teacher Jaidelynn Rogers, drama student, said the hardest part about preparing for the ceremony was breaking free of the habits and rules cemented in her mind from her work on plays and shows. She had to force herself to deliver the lines differently. “You can’t act as a character. You have to be yourself, and that’s a com-
Participants of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive less money each month due to an expiring federal act which had boosted the money offered by the program. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the stimulus which was enacted by U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009, expired at the end of October, causing a decrease in benefits for participants of SNAP, which is the state’s food stamp program, formerly known as LINK. Januari Smith, spokesperson for Illinois Department of Human Services, said it is unlikely a similar financial boost to the program will occur based on the current congressional climate in Washington. “They’re talking about even cutting even further, so I would doubt we would get this increase back,” Smith said. Funding for the program is set at a federal level, Smith said, and states are tasked with administering SNAP in their areas. The spokeswoman said the state is not responsible for the reduction in benefits which can range from $11 per month for a household of one to $81 per month for a household of 10 people. Though the reduction may look small on paper, Smith said the program is designed to issue, on average, $5 each day per household member for food, meaning the $11 lost by an individual could be two days worth of supplemental income for food. Though the program is meant to offer supplemental funds for food purchases, Smith said many families rely strongly on the service. “It will definitely impact those families that depend on this program,” Smith said, noting how much a family receives is based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, income and (See, SNAP, A2)
Robert Lyons/Jersey County Journal
National retail chain eyeing Jerseyville location
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By ROBERT LYONS Jersey County Journal
TOP STORIES ONLINE Week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 5
1) Grafton Ferry closing for winter season 2) Tree trimming destroying State Street, resident says 3) Board extends employee's suspension, restores pay 4) Lady Panthers playing for regional championship 5) Kane Baptist to celebrate 190th anniversary
INDEX Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D4 News . . . . . . . . . . . A2, A6, A7
Public Notice . . . . . D1, D4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C8 Obituaries: Bowker, Goewey, Matlack, Meuth, Sauerwein, Wisdom.
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© 2013 Jersey County Journal
the corn
Clayton Isringhausen and one of his hired workers combine corn near Crystal Lake Road in Jerseyville Monday morning.
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Our Town . . . . . . . . . . . A8
When we’re down in the Theatre Department, we’re all big and acting with faces and hands,” Hall said, gesturing with open palms to the side of her face before shifting to a more rigid sitting stance. “For [this] we had to sit there and talk, so I had to learn that.” David Bishop, who will be performing, “Hello, Remember Me?,” a poem from the point of view of the United States flag, said he does have to take on a different persona, and hopes he can do the part justice. “I want to do what I interpret the monologue as, so it’s kind of weird because you have to become something that’s so iconic,” Bishop said. “I hope people think I do it well, and I hope I do it justice and that it’s reverent and respectful.” Beauchamp said the project has been a great learning experience for the students and hopes future classes can also take on the ceremony as a class project. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8 and is open to the public, and students from all grades in the district will attend.
By BOB CROSSEN Jersey County Journal
See page C8
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
pletely different thing,” Rogers, who will perform a thank you poem Friday, said. “We train so much that we’re so used to doing things a certain way, and then you have to go and train a different way.” The experience of separating the acting part of her mind from that of public speaking has been a rewarding process, and Kristin Hall, drama student, said she, too, has learned a lot from the month-long lead up to the event. She said they got the script and learned the pieces each participant would be speaking, but they also got to put the event together and prepare outfits for the parts. Beauchamp said working with the group has also streamlined much of the ceremony because they worked on transitioning from one piece to the next. In the Theatre Department much of the speaking is paired with large gestures and facial expressions, Hall said, which is much different than standing at a podium and enunciating one’s speech. “I’m not really a public speaker.
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Panthers bow out of post season.
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . A3
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Robert Lyons/Jersey County Journal
Tony Sanderson tosses an old desktop from the second-story window of the former Williams Office Products building Friday morning at the intersection of U.S. 67 and Illinois Route 109 in Jerseyville. Sanderson, working for Chris Lorton Construction, was helping gut the building, which is being rehabbed.
Work begins to rehab prominent building By ROBERT LYONS Jersey County Journal The former site of Williams Office Products is having new life breathed into it for the first time in nearly a decade. The 9,800-square-foot, two-story structure was purchased by Chris Lorton with the intent to create commercial space. Located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 67 and Illinois Route 109, something needed to be done about the large vacant building, he said. “That location is the highest traffic location in town,” Lorton, owner of Chris Lorton Construction, said. “It’s been an eyesore for years.”
He said he tried to negotiate to purchase the building four years ago, but those dealings fell through. Now that he’s obtained the property, he said there is plenty of work to be done. Roof repair, tuck-pointing and other exterior work is just the beginning. “There’s a lot of maintenance items that have been let go for a number of years that have to be addressed,” Lorton said. There were many items left behind by Williams, most of which are being thrown out because they were damaged by the leaky roof. Lorton said he believes as many as eight 40-yard trash bins will be needed to clear the debris. (See, BUILDING, A2) C
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An entire city block in Jerseyville may be leveled to make way for a new national retail chain. The properties in the area in between Prairie, State, Carpenter and Jefferson streets have all signed letters of intent to sell to a developer said to be representing a national retailer. Included in the deal would be Shell, FS’s Fast Stop, Sammy’s Office Lounge, Funk Outdoor Equipment and a building owned by the city of Jerseyville currently housing the West Central Illinois Criminal Justice Council. A letter of intent to sell, however, does not bind the potential buyers or sellers. Nor has a final price been negotiated. Dave Boente, general manager of J.F. Boente Sons, Inc., which operates the Jerseyville Shell, said the property owners were asked to submit a figure they would potentially entertain as a selling price. “It’s all preliminary at this point. We were approached by a representative, and they’re trying to put something together,” Boente said. “They’re looking at a couple of different sites, from what I understand.” Dave Lewis, general manager of Tri County FS, agreed its too early to plan any business moves around the potential deal, but did say Fast Stop would relocate within the city if the current location is sold. “We’re planning at this point as if it’s a sure thing, even though we know that there is always something that could throw a wrench in it,” Lewis said. Boente said he would like his family-owned and operated company – based out of Carlinville – to maintain a presence in Jerseyville, as well. “We would look at some options,” Boente said. “We would like to stay
in Jerseyville, but nothing is certain. We’re just looking at it as a possibility.” The city of Jerseyville held a special council meeting Friday morning to discuss its letter of intent, which was unanimously approved. Jeff Soer, the
“It’s all preliminary at this point. We were approached by a representative, and they’re trying to put something together.”
Dave Boente General manager, J.F. Boente Sons, Inc.
city’s building/special project administrator, said the city has not been given any particulars on the potential buyer. “The developer I’ve been working with is just saying it’s a national retail company,” Soer said. The West Central Illinois Criminal Justice Council has a lease with the city, which expires in February 2014. Soer said a potential sale of the property would not interfere with the terms of the current lease. “The developer said this is just in the infancy of development and nothing is definite,” Soer said. “If things progressed along, you could be looking at nine months before they would even start anything.” A phone call to Funk Outdoor Equipment revealed the owner intends to relocate if a sale is made. Sammy’s Office Lounge is closed for business and has been listed for sale for more than six months.