50¢ JULY 8, 2020
PITTSFIELD, IL Thank you,
Dan Myers of Griggsville, for subscribing to Pike Press!
NEWS
Free Press reopens as William Watson Hotel and Cafe. See page A2
COUNTRY Financial contributes to North Pike EMS and Griggsville Fire Department. See pages A7
Pike Press
By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press According to a statement from the Missouri Department of Conservation, Bruno, the adult male black bear that has been traveling south from Wisconsin and through Pike County last week, was sedated and transported from St. Charles County outside of St. Louis to suitable bear habitat in southern Missouri. Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) wildlife biologist Stefanie Fitzsimons estimated that Bruno was in Pike County from June 28 until June 30 — entering the county south of Beverly and exiting at the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Clarksville, Missouri. Local IDNR district wildlife biologist Tim Krumwiede corroborated Fitzsimons’s timeline. “Tuesday, June 30 at about dark I saw him enter the river
north of the Clarksville Dam,” Krumwiede said. “He went across the dam’s overflow. The river was above flood stage and running swiftly. The current could have sent him south.” “He was first seen in mainland Missouri in Elsberry the evening of Wednesday, July 1,” Fitzsimons said. “We are guessing he swam down the river a little to exit the river right next to that town.” From Elsberry, the bear made his way into St. Charles County in the metro St. Louis area. MDC staff received reports of the bear as he continued to travel through Missouri. MDC conservation agents say the bear appeared within the city Limits of Wentzville the morning of July 5 and cornered himself just north of I-70 and near I-40/61. MDC Protection Captain Scott Corley credited the St. Charles County and Wentzville Police Departments for their
assistance in the situation and in managing the crowd of more than 400 onlookers who gathered at the scene. “The bear found itself in a tough spot, stuck by several major roadways,” said MDC State Furbearer Biologist Laura Conlee. “Due to the proximity to the roadways, coupled with the busy travel day, MDC staff determined the bear had little chance of safely leaving the area on its own. In the interest of public safety and the bear’s safety, MDC staff made the decision to immobilize the bear and transport it to a nearby area of suitable bear habitat outside this urban corridor.” Personnel specially trained in wildlife handling successfully sedated the bear. The bear’s condition was monitored by MDC’s State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Sherri Russel. The bear was safely transported to an area of suitable habitat outside the urban area and was released unharmed
See page A6
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, JULY 10
88 69 Low
SATURDAY, JULY 11
89 68 Low
SUNDAY, JULY 12
86 67 High
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DEMOLITION
David Camphouse/Pike Press
IN THE NAME OF PRESERVATION
Steve Taylor of Nebo works to demolish a wall at the former Temptations Salon on the north side of Pittsfield’s courthouse square on Tuesday, July 7. The building was found by Pittsfield’s city engineer to be structurally unsound. In an effort to maintain the integrity of neighboring buildings, the city purchased the building and contracted LLB (Lindell and Loraine Burns) to tear the building down.
INSIDE Classified . . . . . . . A6 Community . . . . . A4 County News . . . . . A2-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6-7 Court . . . . . . . . . . A6 Marketplace . . . . . A5 Obituaries . . . . . . A4 Opinion . . . . . . . . A3 Obituaries in this issue: Brangenberg, Gates, McKee, Sidwell.
Pike Press © 2020 All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Submitted photo
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) state wildlife veterinarian Dr. Sherri Russel monitors the condition of the roving black bear named “Bruno” by social media after the animal was sedated on Sunday, July 5. The bear was safely transported from St. Charles, Missouri and released unharmed to suitable habitat outside the St. Louis urban area.
when he awoke. MDC does not generally immobilize bears and will only take this action as a last resort when the animal, humans, or property are threatened. Given the bear’s
location and safety considerations, staff on scene decided sedation and relocation were appropriate measures. “MDC thanks local law (See, BRUNO, A2)
Barry council votes to repair YMCA floor, reseal walking path
Powell pleads guilty to seven felonies in connection with Pike home invasions.
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VOL. 178, NO. 28
Bruno continues to Missouri’s bear country
COURT
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pikepress.com
Low lumber supply, high prices hit Pike County contractors, homeowners By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press Due to COVID-19 lumber mill shutdowns, contractors and lumber retailers are experiencing very low supplies of treated lumber, yellow southern pine structural lumber, trusses, and — to a lesser extent — untreated spruce, pine, and fir (SPF) lumber. “I’ve been doing this 48 years, and it’s a mess right now,” Pike County Lumber owner Steve Grote said. “When we are buying treated lumber and southern yellow pine, they won’t give me a price or a delivery date.” Grote said that his company has had to delay the construction of a large hog confinement structure near Peoria due to the lack of needed building materials. “We weren’t able to get enough two-byfours from reload centers in the quad cities, St. Louis, or Chicago,” Grote said. According to Grote, the low supply of lumber has created sharp increases in prices. “Southern yellow pine prices started the year low,” Grote said. “Since then, though, we’ve seen about a 100% price increase. Yellow pine and treated lumber has basically doubled since the first of the year.”
SPF lumber availability and prices, according to Grote, have also been affected but not as severely as southern yellow pine and treated lumber. “SPF is up, too,” Grote said. “It’s not as drastic, but it’s up about 40%.” Grote said that inventory issues have started to affect Pike County Lumber’s retail lumber business as well as Quincy’s box stores. “The box stores have called us looking for 5/4” deck boards,” Grote said. “We’re having inventory issues, too. We’ve had periods where we’ve been out of certain products.” The lumber shortages and price hikes are starting to affect other Pike County businesses as well — affecting contractors’ abilities to bid jobs with any degree of certainty. “The big thing for us is that we don’t know how much material will cost in the future,” Petty Construction Company’s Joe Petty said. “It could potentially cost us jobs.” Petty indicated that all forms of exterior building projects would be affected by the lumber shortages. “We have a lot of stuff coming up — custom homes, additions, roofing projects,” Petty said. “It’s starting to affect us, and it will be more of an issue in the future.”
By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Pike Press Barry’s city council, at the group’s Monday, July 6 meeting, resolved to repair a water damaged floor at the YMCA building, which is owned by the town. The meeting was held at the YMCA building to allow for appropriate social distancing between attendees. “During the shutdown groundwater had gotten into the room where they hold workout classes and caused the flooring to bubble,” Barry city administrator Jeff Hogge said. In addition, the council approved funds to reseal the asphalt walking path at the YMCA. Public works director Robert Snyder reported that city workers would be working this week to remove barriers and reopen Mortimer Street, which was closed to allow for outdoor seating at Barry’s downtown restaurants during state-mandated closures of indoor dining areas. Snyder also reported that the city-wide cleanup had been very successful, and in the last few weeks city workers had been occupied with water cleanup associated with heavy rains. “Your going to have a lot of water in places you don’t want it when you get six inches in a matter of a few hours,” Hogge said. Hogge added that ongoing code enforcement efforts have been effective at remedying code infractions within the community. With input from Barry’s
CJ’S
insurance provider and lawyer, the council approved a facility use agreement required for large community events and celebrations. “This isn’t needed for a family reunion at a park shelter,” Hogge said. “This is for larger community events and was prompted when the YMCA came to us wanting to do an event and create water slides in the park.” Council members also discussed a sewer lining project to protect against future damage and repairs. “We’re getting serious about this project,” Hogge said. “We’re looking particularly at Rogers Street from Mortimer to Hamilton. When we did camera work, that area looked shaky and there are portions that are 18 to 20 feet below ground.” According to Hogge, Griggsville has undertaken similar sewer-lining work, and that community has been pleased with the results. Council members went on to approve an amendment of Barry’s Motor Fuel Tax budget to allow for the chip sealing of the YMCA walking path and sections of Williams Street. “The bid came in so low for the sealing of Mason Street and 310th Avenue, we had money left over,” Hogge said. “The budget amendment is required by the Illinois Department of Transportation.” Barry will also be opening its parks and library this week. Residents are encouraged to wear personal protective equipment, observe social distancing guidelines, and practice good personal hygiene.
David Camphouse/Pike Press
GRAND OPENING A SUCCESS IN GRIGGSVILLE
David Camphouse/Pike Press
Gilbert Hernandez moves a pallet of lumber at Pike County Lumber on Monday, July 6. Lumber prices have recently spiked due to a nationwide shortage of softwood lumber, which has begun to negatively impact Pike County contractors and homeowners.
CJ’s Cafe held their grand opening on Wednesday, July 1. The cafe is owned by Jeff and Cheryl Smith. Near the end of the couple’s dinner Wednesday evening, Gilbert, right, and Janice Stewart, middle, share a laugh with co-owner Jeff Smith, who had been working in the kitchen during the cafe’s busy first lunch and dinner services. Pike County Chamber of Commerce director Christy Davenport held a ribbon cutting for the cafe at 9:30 a.m. on the same day. According to the Smiths, CJ’s specializes in fast casual dining for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. The business is located at 404 South Wall Street in Griggsville.