50¢ JANUARY 8, 2020
PITTSFIELD, IL Thank you,
Jacob Mast of Pleasant Hill,
Pike Press
NEWS Pikeland seeking new board member. See page A2
Pittsfield pals complete labor of love. See page A6
SPORTS
MORNING
David Camphouse/Pike Press
AT THE MESS HALL
Veterans gather the first Friday morning of each month from 9-11 a.m. at the All Wars Museum in Pittsfield to drink coffee, eat doughnuts, and swap stories from their time in the service. From left to right are Kenny Davis, David Grogan, Kenny Donohoo, Lloyd Lawber, and Gene Turnbaugh.
Barry planning Bow Lake subdivision by DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press
See page B1
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, JAN. 10
55 32 High
Low
SATURDAY, JAN. 11
35 22 High
Low
SUNDAY, JAN. 12
38 33 High
Low
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INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . .B2 Community . . . . . A3 County News . . . . . . A2
VOL. 178, NO. 2
Cannabis is legal but freedoms are limited and usage could be unhealthy
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Pepper continues court dominance.
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uch of the conversation during the Monday, Jan. 6 Barry city council meeting centered around the proposed development of a subdivision adjacent to the community’s Bow Lake Golf Course. Mayor Shawn Rennecker presented to board members a draft of a development agreement with the golf course ownership group, which would be vetted by Barry’s legal counsel and presented to the developers of the site. Included in the agreement were the financial responsibilities of the city in the development project. All city investment would be contingent on the developer’s ability to presell at least two of the lots to be developed. Council members signed off on Rennecker’s proposed agreement, which would obligate Barry to invest roughly $43,000 in sewer materials, $20,000 in water lines, $20,000 in street
infrastructure, and $6,000 in engineering inspections of sewer and water lines. The developer would be responsible for excavation tied to the sewer, water, and street infrastructure. In addition, they would be responsible for Illinois Environmental Protection Agency permit fees and any additional infrastructure needs of the subdivision, including broadband and other services. The council will need to approve the agreement once it is passed through Barry’s legal counsel and signed off on by the developer. Community member Dave Bettis was present at the meeting and encouraged additional performance measures and deadlines be incorporated into the development agreement. The only other action item taken up by the council was payment of Illinois Valley Pavement in the amount of $4,700 for paving sections of streets and roads in Barry. Mayor Rennecker reported that the police report revealed that there were three arrests in the community in the last month, including two felony arrests. Rennecker went on to report
that the financial report showed that the city’s account balances were largely flat. City administrator Jeff Hogge gave an update on the progress of American Fresh Water Fish’s development of the company’s plant in Barry. According to Hogge, the plant has undergone a test of its water treatment syseem and is awaiting a health inspection on Friday. Hogge went on to add that the plant’s processing line is assembled, equipment has been tested, and the facility is getting close to being operational. Hogge went on to discuss the possibiity of contracting a patriotic mural to be painted on a downtown building. Further discussion of board members encouraged murals tied to local Barry and Pike County history in light of the upcoming 2021 Pike County bicentennial. Two new computers had also been purchased and installed for city staff. Public works director Robert Snyder gave an overview of work to clear the city’s sewers of roots and other blockages. Barry has been working with a contractor to run cameras and blockage-clearing equipment through the sewer system.
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press Recreational cannabis became legal in Illinois at midnight Jan. 1. Sales were higher than projected and several customers say they waited in line four hours or longer to even get in the dispensaries. Estimates say $11 million in sales tax has been generated by cannabis sales in the first five days of 2020. But, just because it’s available, users have to remember there are rules. “We’ve had no incidents so far,” Michael Starman, Pittsfield City Police Chief, said. “I suspect when the weather warms up there will be incidents.” Starman is referring to the law which specifically says the product may not be used in public places, such as restaurants, bars, parks, schools, businesses and other places people may gather. There is even a legal question about using cannabis outdoors on privately owned property, if neighbors are nearby.
“There is not a lot of medical information out there. Not much research has been done.” Dr. Ronald Johnson, a Pittsfield physician on the use of medical and recreational marijuana. Starman said the street price for cannabis is much less than the cost of the substance under legal means. “So people are still going to get it from their dealers and that can cause trouble for both parties,” he said. “It has to be purchased from a legal, licensed dealer.” Driving with cannabis in a vehicle also has a number of limitations. The law says no driver can use cannabis within the passenger area os any motor vehicle upon any highway in the state; no driver can possess cannabis within the passenger area of a vehicle except in an odor proof, child resistant cannabis container. The same applies to passengers in a vehicle. “Anyone violating these laws will be charged with a misdemeanor. Pike County has had it’s first violation. David Starner, 26, Barry was arrested Jan.1 at 5:48 p.m. on a charge of possession of adult use cannabis in a vehicle. The charge (See, CANNABIS, A2)
. . . . . . . . . . . A6, B2, B5-6 Court . . . . . . . . . . .B3 Marketplace . . . . . .B4 Obituaries . . . . . . .B2 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Op Ed . . . . . . . . . A5 Our Town . . . . . . .B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Obituaries in this issue: Garrett, Reinhardt, Roberts.
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Caveman nearly goes under the sea By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press Jason “Caveman” Clark, of rural Nebo, made the national news this past weekend but not for reasons he had hoped. Caveman, as he is known to nearly everyone, said he and his fishing partner had entered the Winter Blues on Wheeler Catfishing Tournament in Decatur, Ala. held at Ingalls Bay. “I’ve been getting in fishing tournaments for the past two years,” Clark said. “I work for a pipeline and right now I’m in Texas and there are lots of tournaments going on in the area.” Clark said he and his partner took off from the dock with high hopes of doing well in the tournament. “We had been fishing in the area since Monday and had caught some really nice fish,” Clark said. “ We’d caught a 65 lb. fish and several in the 20-30 lbs. range. We were feeling good about our chances.” Clark and his partner are sponsored by the Slimecat Rods, Nocturnal Nation Hooks and Partners N Slime Dragging Weights and Spread Em Plainer Boards, all prestigious members of the catfish tournament community. “We took off about 4 a.m. that morning and it was dark, rainy and cold,” Clark said. “The temperature was between 30 and 40 degrees
and the water temperature was 50 degrees.” Clark said the area the tournament was held is a lake but it has a river that runs through it. “So not only do you have the current to fight, you have a strong north, northwest wind, also,” he said. “Saturday morning, once we got out of the harbor, there were some incredible waves.” As the pair of fishermen proceeded, the waves got taller. “The waves just started slamming us,” Clark said. “One wave was so big it stood the boat up at about a 75 degrees angle. When we came down, the next wave was taller than the enclosure and started filling up the boat. We were sitting in water.” According to Clark, the boat’s bilge pump could not keep up. “I gave that 250 Suzuki all she had and headed toward shore,”Clark said. “We were able to get to calmer water and then to shore.” Clark said the police picked him and his partner up. He originally thought the boat could be salvaged but the Coast Guard rescued two other boats in the same predicament before heading to Clarks’ location and the boat had sank by then. “Everybody is okay,” Clark said. “My buddy suffered some hypothermia but there were no injures or
Submitted photo
Jason “Caveman” Clark’s boat was deemed unsalvageable after it sank Saturday morning in Alabama. Clark’s boat and two others sank after high waves overcame the boats while they were participating in a fishing tournament.
fatalities.” According to Fox News, six boats were originally reported missing but only three boats sank amidst waves averaging in the seven to eight foot range. Clark was interviewed by the local T.V station about his experience and the incident was reported on all national news coverages. Clark says he has contacted his sponsors and his insur-
Submitted photo
Jason “Caveman” Clark shows off a 65 lb. catfish he caught Monday before his boat was overcame by waves Saturday morning,knocking him out of tournament contention.
ance company and believes the boat and the equipment lost will be replaced soon. “I’m ready to get back out there,” he said.