50¢ MARCH 4, 2020
PITTSFIELD, IL
Pike Press
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VOL. 178, NO. 10
Courthouse beefing up security Thank you,
Georgia Bergman of Pittsfield, for subscribing to Pike Press!
NEWS
Barry seats new at-large alderwoman. See page A2
PHS students plan teen night around the square. See pages A3
SPORTS
Braves pin down regional title. See page B1
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, MARCH 6
48 30 High
Low
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
58 43 High
Low
SUNDAY, MARCH 8
67 51 High
Low
ONLINE pikepress.com
INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . .B3 Community . . . . . .B2 County News . . . . . A2-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6, B5-6 Court . . . . . . . . . . .B3 Marketplace . . . . . .B4 Obituaries . . . . . . A5 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Our Town . . . . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Obituaries in this issue: Ducey, Gooud, Hayden, McFall, Saxbury.
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By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press With legislation pending in the state to require all government buildings to have security measures in place, Pike County is moving ahead, trying to get ahead of the seemingly inevitable. “It’s not a question of if, it’s question of when,” David Greenwood, Pike County Sheriff, said. “There was a shooting in Milwaukee last week.” Greenwood also said the legislation is all but guaranteed. “It didn’ t pass last year but it’s back in committee this year,” he said. Several proposals regarding the security upgrades have been tossed around the last few years, but fear of ruining the architectural integrity of the courthouse has been a major controversy. Greenwood has worked with architects and engineers and has come up with a way to keep most of the renovations inside the building. “We are going to have to change out the doors on the north entrance,” Greenwood said. “They will be metal, but they will be brown and match the wood that is there. Also they will have glass and we hope to be able to get the lettering Pike County Court House on the glass, just like it is now.” The glass will be unbreakable.” Once visitors to the courthouse get inside the new metal doors, they will be in the north hallway that will have a glass partition dividing it in half. “Those coming into the courthouse will stay to the right, and go through the metal detector just past the elevator doors,” Greenwood said. “Once
Beth Zumwalt/Pike Press
Darwin Fenestra, maintenance, of the Pike County Courthouse, left, and Sheriff David Greenwood, whose duties include custodian of the courthouse, examine some of the wood salvaged from the renovation project at the courthouse. Workers are trying to save as much trim and lumber as they can in order to use in this and other projects to maintain the historical integrity of the building.
they clear the metal detectors, they deputy manning the metal detector will push a button, that will open another set a doors and let the visitor into the rotunda.” Prior to the renovations, there was no door at the entrance to the rotunda on any of the four entries. At this time, a door will be only on the north side. Those using the elevator will get on the elevator that is programmed to only go to the first floor. Once on the first floor, elevator users will use the metal detector and then be allowed to get back on the elevator and the deputy will override the program, letting the
Schools partner with Health and Wellness Foundation to address mental health By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press Starting in the 2020-2021 school year, the Health and Wellness Foundation of Pike County has announced plans to provide $50,000 to fully fund a licensed clinical social worker to help address mental health issues among Pike County’s student population. According to Foundation executive director Patty McIntosh, a recently conducted needs assessment of the county revealed a lack of access to mental health providers, as well as a lack of understanding among Pike County residents about mental health issues. “There just aren’t enough mental and behavioral health resources in Pike County,” McIntosh said. “There is also a great deal of stigma surrounding mental health issues, and the stigma is worse in rural areas.” The Foundation’s needs assessment also found high rates of substance abuse within the county. “Pike County has a higher meth arrest rate than the state and other counties in the region, and 18.7 percent of residents are at risk from binge and acute drinking” McIntosh said. “There is not enough support for those at risk of substance abuse.” According to McIntosh, the avail-
ability of mental health and substance abuse resources has only worsened over the years, due to the state’s financial situation. “Many previous services that had been in place are no longer available due to cuts in state and grant funding,” McIntosh said. While there are fewer mental health resources available, McIntosh did state that counselors from the Mental Health Centers of Western Illinois (MHCWI) do provide in-home and in-school intervention to Medicaid-eligible students referred by parents or school staff. According to MHCWI clinical supervisor Makenzie Shipman, once a referral is made, the agency’s outpatient counselors provide crisis stabilization for 30 days, providing counseling at least twice weekly. “We see students who express suicidal thoughts, are having trouble with the stress of school and peer relationships, and expressing oppositional behaviors,” Shipman said. “There is often abuse — physical or sexual.” Shipman, too, sees a clear need for additional mental and behavioral health providers/resources, stating that there is very limited access to these resources — particularly for low-income popula-
user go either to the basement or the second floor. The opening to the elevator door into the north hall way has been opened up, giving the deputy manning the metal detector a better view of the area. It will also hold a large number of visitors to the courthouse that could cause a backlog. “We used a metal detector during a recent murder trial,” Greenwood said. “We closely monitor how it went and we think that even when we have100 plus prospective jurors, the line will moved quickly.” The door to the circuit clerk’s office
in north hall will remain intact, although due to construction, it is closed now. Construction is scheduled to be ongoing through March and into April. Exiting the courthouse will utilize the right side of glass partition in the north hallway. The quilt that hung in the north hall ways since 1976 has been moved to the East Hallway, near the state’s attorney’s office. Another rule that will be strictly enforced is no cell phones in the courthouse at anytime for any reason. That policy is already in affect. “It’s been a policy for sometime in the courtroom, but people were constantly forgetting or ignoring it,” Greenwood said. “Now no cell phones in any area of the courthouse, state’s attorney, circuit clerk, probation, anywhere. Cell phones will be confiscated at the metal detector, placed in a locker and not returned without a photo identification.” Greenwood suggests just leaving cell phones in vehicles. The policy does not apply to courthouse staff or officers of the court. Cost of the project is approximately $185,000,which is being paid out of the court fund, not the county’s general fund. The government building, across the street, which houses the treasurers office, the county clerk and the accessor’s office, will still allow cell phones in their building and security will stay much the same as it is now. “We will have to do that down the road,” Greenwood said. “We are aware of that, but we do not have plans at this time.”
Voters heading to the polls By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press
Election day
is less than two weeks away in Illinois but voters are taking advantage of early voting. Election day is March 17 in Illinois. Voters will vote for presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. Representatives, circuit clerk, (an unexpired term), state’s attorney, county board, Illinois representative for this district and precinct committee persons. According to Jeana Springer of the Pike County Clerk’s office, approximately 130 voters have cast an early vote and most have liked the new voting machines. “Once they try them, they have like them,” Springer said. Republicans have a full ballot. There are two candidates for president, five for U.S. Senator and two for Pike County State’s Attorney. Uncontested races include: U.S. Representative, delegates for the Republican National Convention supporting Donald J. Trump, circuit clerk and a full slate of county board members. Thirteen presidential candidates appear on the Democratic side of the ballot, but all but four have dropped from the race. There are also multiple choices for delegates for the
Democratic National Convention but many of those are for the candidates who have discontinued their candidacy. Also on the ballot is a non-partisan question for Kinderhook residents regarding the sale of alcohol in their village. “Shall the sale of alcohol be permitted in this Village of Kinderhook, Pike County, Illinois” Residents meaning a yes vote will allow the sale of liquor in the village. Springer said the Pike County Clerk’s office will be open this Saturday, March 8 from 9 a.m until one and next Saturday, March 15 from 9 a.m until 3 p.m. for early voting. Voting at the county clerk’s office will be an option up to and including election day. “If you have a name change or an address change, you have to vote in this office,” Springer said. “The time for changing that has past to allow you to vote in your own precinct. Voters can register up to and on election day but will have to vote in the clerk’s office.” Voters who are 17, but will be 18 before the November are eligible to vote in the primary. A new law, mandating that students be excused for up to two hours to vote passed last year but does not go into effect for this election. Effective date is June 1.
(See, MENTAL HEALTH, A2)
Work Camp and DNR build fish habitat for local lakes by DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) district fisheries biologist Blake Ruebush is partnering with Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) officer Jason Taylor to construct artificial fish habitat to be installed in four western Illinois lakes. The project is designed to increase populations of desirable fish species within the lakes, by providing nesting, feeding, and breeding spaces “At the end of the day my job is to improve fishing opportunities for licensed Illinois fishermen,” Ruebush said. “Installing fish habitat is beneficial to both fish and anglers.” By using donated materials and labor from IDOC’s Pittsfield Work Camp, Ruebush has come up with a low-cost solution to providing suitable habitat for fish at Lake Pittsfield, Siloam Park, Waverly, and White Hall. The primary materials used to construct the fish habitat are sections of 20” and 6” aeration tile donated by Naples’s Consolidated Grain and Barge, sections of PVC donated by Springfield’s Plumbers, Steamfitters, and HVAC Local 137, and concrete block donated to the work camp by Brenton Dean. Ruebush said that IDNR and IDOC had previously built fish habitat out
of concrete and recycled pallet boards in 2017. According to Ruebush, Christmas trees are also commonly used as fish habitat, but break down quickly under water. The newly built fish habitat will have a longer life, as it is made from non-biodegradable materials. “Adding habitat is valuable in lakes that don’t have a lot of natural habitat where fish congregate,” Ruebush said. “It’s easy for fishermen to locate the habitat using fish finders.” According to Ruebush, the habitat to be installed will foster the population growth of desirable fish species — including flathead catfish, hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, and others. A crew of five Pittsfield Work Camp inmates, directed by corrections officer Jason Taylor, have been constructing the artificial fish habitat since January. Taylor reports only certain types of inmates are eligible to serve their sentences at the Work Camp and participate in community projects. Inmates may serve up to five years of their sentences at the Pittsfield Work Camp. “All of these guys are close to going home and non-violent offenders,” Taylor said. “If it was something violent, they wouldn’t be here.” Taylor and the inmates themselves report that participation in community projects is a productive use of the inmates’ time at the IDOC facility.
David Camphouse/Pike Press
Inmates Joseph Cole, left, and David Mathews, right, at IDOC’s Pittsfield Work Camp screw together sections of PVC to serve as artificial fish habitat to be installed in four western Illinois lakes.
“They love the opportunity to build something and not be stuck in a dorm,” Taylor said. “Some come in with no experience with tools or construction and actually wind up being pretty good.” Inmate Charles Spriggs of Chicago expressed his appreciation of the opportunity to participate in hands on activities that benefit the communities
around the Work Camp. “It’s good for guys like me, with no experience in the trades,” Spriggs said. “I’ve gotten experience with saws, driving a tractor, and driving a forklift. And it feels like we’re giving back to the community.” Ruebush and Taylor said that they expect to start installing the fish habitat at Lake Pittsfield the week of March 9.