50¢ APRIL 28, 2021
PITTSFIELD, IL Thank you,
Jamie & Sarah Sweeting of Pittsfield, for subscribing to Pike Press!
NEWS Simonson named Pikeland president after split vote. See page A2
Class of 2021 prom court. See page A5
SPORTS
Pike Press
County board keeps working on back pay By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press The county board at its Monday, April 26, board meeting declined to take action on the matter of back pay owed to members of the county’s 965 collective bargaining unit. The matter of back pay first came up in Bryce Gleckler’s Circuit Clerk’s office, when it became apparent that, in order to cover office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., employees were working above and beyond the 32.5 hours spelled out in the collective bargaining agreement. The office possesses the necessary funds to pay back wages owed to its employees, but several other department heads have reported that they have no funds to pay their employees
for time they are owed, so any back pay would need to come from the county’s general fund. In response, board members asked each department head to calculate the amount of back pay they believe their department’s employees are owed. The departments will then be asked to come to a consensus, so that the county employees can be paid back in an equitable manner. The matter will be revisited at subsequent board meetings. The board also declined taking action on approving special use liquor permits, to be used by current liquor license holders who wish to provide liquor service for special events in unincorporated areas of the county. The matter was first brought up
last June by Nebo’s Spring Creek Market, which holds a liquor license, when the business was exploring providing liquor service for weddings or other events at Heartland Lodge and other similar venues. The matter was sent back to committee to determine an appropriate fee structure for the special use liquor permits. Board members approved taking out a $500,000 loan in anticipation of the county’s property tax revenue. The board had put the loan out for bid from nine local financial institutions and received four proposals in response. The accepted loan proposal is from Farmer’s State Bank at a 0.46 percent interest rate. (See, BOARD, A2) David Camphouse/Pike Press
IT’S
A POTTING PARTY!
Saukee youth football returns to the WIVC JFL Championship.
Sonya Bishop, Kay Dunham and Barb Fosco celebrated the spring weather by meeting with other members of the Pittsfield Garden Club Friday, April 23, at the Pike County Senior Center for a potting party. The club will hold a plant sale Saturday, May 15, during Spring Pickin’ Days. Proceeds of the sale go to community projects, including the Home Community Extension. The Pittsfield Garden Club was founded in 1954 and meets the fourth Friday of each month.
See page A7
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, APR. 30
71 51 High
Low
SATURDAY, MAY 1
78 58 High
Low
SUNDAY, MAY 2
80 61 High
Low
Pittsfield McDonalds under new ownership
ONLINE
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press
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INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . A5 Community . A3, A5 County News . . A2, A5 Court . . . . . . . . . . A4 Marketplace . . . . . A6 Obituaries . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Public Notice . . . . A5 Society . . . . . . . . . A7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . A7 Obituaries in this issue: Helm, Newmann, Sapp, Williams.
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T
he local McDonalds has been sold. Pat and Pam Cooney announced recently they have sold the restaurant to Gilstrap Restaurants LTD, owned by Bob Gilstrap of Hannibal. Gilstrap owns two other McDonalds stores. Gilstrap officially takes possession Saturday, May 1. For those who think not seeing the Cooneys around the restaurant will take some getting used to, there’s more. Kim Pennock, who has managed McDonalds for the past 29 years is also leaving the business May 1. She has accepted a position with the company who owns
the Quincy and Mt. Sterling McDonalds. She will also be general manager there. The Cooneys came to Pittsfield from Pella, Iowa, in 1991 to take over the McDonalds. “We were only supposed to be here a year,” Pam Cooney said. “The interstate was opening, and the predictions were we would be closed within the year.” Instead, the Cooneys made the Pittsfield McDonalds successful and have enjoyed their extended time in Pittsfield. “The community has been what’s made us successful,” Pam Cooney said. “The community embraced us and we’ve been able to stay here and go through two remodels and a rebuild. The loyalty here is amazing.” “Leaving is bittersweet,” Pat Cooney said. “We love this community and have
so many friends. We have been very blessed.” The Cooneys say they do not expect Gilstaff to make a lot of major changes. “What we have is working,” Pam Cooney said. “I don’t think there will be a lot of changes.” Meanwhile, the Cooneys will be spending more time with their grandchildren. “We have three that play soccer and one that dances,” Pam said. “We want to be able to go to things.” Replacing Pennock as general manager will be Danae Johnson, a 17-year veteran of the McDonalds’ crew. The Cooneys say they are sorry they have to leave the store with little fanfare, because of COVID. “We’d love to have a party,” Pat Cooney said.
IDNR moves fish from Lake Pittsfield to King Park Pond By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press In an effort to maximize fishing opportunities for Pike County sportspeople, IDNR fisheries biologists Blake Ruebush and Ollie Mendenhall transferred populations of some favorite fish species from Lake Pittsfield to the King Park Pond Friday. According to Ruebush, IDNR stocked three species in the lagoon last week. “We moved bass, sunfish and channel catfish,” Ruebush said. Lake Pittsfield has been stocked with sunfish, largemouth bass and channel catfish since the lake’s construction in the early 1960s. White and black crappie, northern pike, hybrid striped bass and flathead catfish were added to the lake in the 1970s and 1980s to improve opportunities for anglers and to
help the ecological balance of the lake. Channel catfish and muskies were most recently stocked in Lake Pittsfield in 2019. Walleye and largemouth bass were both stocked last year. In fact, 1,260 5-7 inch largemouth bass were stocked, contributing roughly five new bass per acre of lake. King Park Pond is stocked with rainbow trout in the spring. Other game fish at the location include largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish. While IDNR’s goal Friday was to catch smaller bass and sunfish to stock King Park Lagoon, their efforts turned up several large fish – including those pictured. More information on Lake Pittsfield, King Park Pond and other fishing opportunities in the state can be found at ifishillinois.org.
Submitted photo
IDNR Fisheries Biologist Ollie Mendenhall shows off a large flathead catfish caught at Lake Pittsfield Friday. Flatheads have been stocked in the lake since the 1970s.
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
A large northern muskie was caught by IDNR at Lake Pittsfield Frida. Muskies were stocked in the lake in 2019.
IDNR Fisheries Biologist Ollie Mendenhall shows off a large largemouth bass caught at Lake Pittsfield Friday. Largemouth bass have been stocked in the lake since the 1960s. Bass are also taken from Lake Pittsfield to stock the pond in King Park.
pikepress.com
VOL. 179, NO. 17
Saukees switch one alumni for another
By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press For the past three years, Paul Petty, Pittsfield Class of 1986, has been the head coach for the Pittsfield Saukee football team. Last week it was announced Zack Ferguson, a 2009 alumni, will be at the helm this fall. “I said when I took the job, I only wanted it for three years,” Petty said. “I think I’ve got the program headed down the right path.” Petty said the talent has always been there, but not the attitude. “These kids didn’t know what it took to be competitive,” he said. “The first year I coached, we were giving up 50 points a game and scoring 11. Last year, it was 31-and-a-half points allowed and we were scoring 16-17 points per game. This year, we turned it around. We scored 28.7 points per game and gave up 26. All of our games were close.” Petty said the increased offense complimented a rugged defense. “Before it was three and out, and the defense was back on the field,” Petty said. “This year, when the defense would do something good, the offense would try to increase that and vice versa.” Attitude changes were the biggest part of the new and improved Saukee squad. “When we scored the lastsecond field goal and beat New Berlin, the student body went nuts and so did the adults in the crowd. It was great football,” Petty said. “It used to be the team didn’t really care if they won or lost. We have changed that. These boys care about competing. Sure they want to win, but they don’t want to get blowed out every game.” Ineligibility had been an issue in years past for the Saukees. Petty started a study hall for students who were struggling, a welcome relief for several players who were struggling because of the distance learning due to COVID. “For some of those kids who didn’t have access to good internet, the distance learning was a problem,” Petty said. “I had one player who had a 38 in Spanish. When I asked him about it, he said his family had internet, but whenever he tried to do homework, it just spun. I worked with him for an hour and half at the school, and at the end of our session, he was making a 95.” Petty said Ferguson will be employed by the school district, and he is hopeful Ferguson can find some coaches within the district. “It is vital there be coaches in the school,” Petty said. “We have coaches that are not employed by the school, and it’s a handicap.” Petty ends his coaching career at PHS with a 4-19 record, but says he is proud of the positivity he injected into the program, which he feels will set the stage for winning seasons in the future. Ferguson will inherit a program full of talented will-be seniors and juniors, as well as several starters at skill positions. He comes back to PHS after graduating from Illinois College and coaching at Staunton the past five years, four as head coach. During that time, the Bulldogs were 12-21 with a 2018 playoff appearance. “I’m excited about coming back to Pittsfield,” Ferguson said. “I will have some changes to both the offense and the defense but they won’t be major. I just want to build on what Coach Simonson and Coach Petty have accomplished. I look forward to working with the coaches, administration and board to make that happen.” Ferguson will teach physical education in the district. He will be moving to Pittsfield as soon as Staunton’s baseball season ends, as he is the varsity coach of the Bulldog baseball team. Petty says he intends to help Ferguson as much as he can. He has accepted employment with the Illinois State Gaming Board.