Scott County Times
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020
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Times NEWS
2019 Scott County Tentative Multiplier announced. See page A2 FFA celebrating Spirit Week Feb. 24-28. See page A6
LOCALS
Wears celebrate 60 years. See page A3
SPORTS
Cougars repeat as WIVC champs. See page A7
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, FEB. 28
39 24 High
Low
SATURDAY, FEB. 29
51 31 High
Low
SUNDAY, MARCH 1
56 43 High
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Scott County Times
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Scott County Times Obituaries listed in this issue: Sharrow, Stelbrink All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WINCHESTER, IL 62694
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VOLUME NO. 153 NUMBER 9
States Attorney candidates speak at Farm Bureau forum This is the first of a two-part series on the Pike-Scott Farm Bureau Candidate Forum held at the Scott County Courthouse on Feb. 19 with Scott County States Attorney candidates John Paul Coonrod, Bethany Doolin and Rick Crews By CARMEN ENSINGER Scott County Times While the Pike-Scott Farm Bureau usually holds their candidate forum just before the election, because all three States Attorney candidates are running on the Republican ticket and there are no Democratic candidates, they chose to hold it before the primary since whoever wins the primary will be the next Scott County States Attorney. Candidates John Paul Coonrod, Bethany Doolin and Rick Crews gathered in the Scott County Courthouse Feb. 19 to discuss the issues facing the county and how they are prepared to tackle those problems. Each candidate was given time to introduce themselves and five minutes to answer each of three questions. Coonrod and Doolin have law practices on the Winchester square and Crews is a member of the Jacksonville law
Carmen Ensinger/Scott County Times
Scott County States Attorney candidates squared off in a candidates forum sponsored by the Pike-Scott County Farm Bureau at the Scott County Courthouse on Feb. 19. Candidates, left to right, Bethany Doolin, Rick Crews and John Paul Coonrod, answered three questions posed by the Farm Bureau during the forum.
firm of Thompson, McNeely, Crews and Hurst. John Paul Coonrod is currently the Winchester City Attorney as well as a practicing attorney in Winchester. He is a member and former president of the Kiwanis Club, founding member of the Winchester Civic Group, founding member and board member of the Great Scott Community Market and a member of the Winchester United Methodist Church. He and his family are very involved in the Winchester Community. Coonrod graduated from Winchester High School as well as the Indiana
do if elected States Attorney. Q Put in place a formalized out-ofcourt diversion program for juveniles and young adults that emphasizes local community service as an alternative to costly court proceedings for young first time, low level offenders. Q Engage in regular sit-downs with the Sheriff and local Chiefs of Police as well as other law enforcement and local leaders to discuss issues facing their communities. Q Seek stiffer penalties for those who use and sell illegal drugs in the (See, FORUM, A3)
Bluffs School Board hears update on drug policy
Kilver grandson donates to save life of Italian girl By BETH ZUMWALT Pike Press When Zachary Stout, grandson of Wayne Kilver and the late Phyllis Kilver, both of Winchester went to Lollapalooza in 2015, he not only saw several great bands but checked out many of the booths and vendors set up at the Chicago music festival. “There was one, DKMS, a European company, that searches for donors for patients with diseases,�Stout said. Stout and his friends, all decided to do the mouth swab and went on enjoying the festival. “I had forgotten all about it,� Stout said. But in November, 2019, a phone call came to Stout that said not everybody had forgotten about his agreement to be tested. “They called my mom and my mom called me,� Stout said. “They told me my bone marrow was needed by a girl, under the age of one, who lived in Italy.� Stout agreed to donate and immediately began the procedures to make that happen. “I had to have blood work to make sure I was healthy enough to give, Stout said. Feb. 8, Stout was in Chicago, donating bone marrow from his pelvic bone to be sent to Italy. “They used two needles, that are decent sized,� he said. “They stuck those into my pelvic bone and sucked out some marrow.�
University School of Law he is a former Special Prosecuting Attorney in St. Charles County, Mo. The question of experience has come up quite a bit in the election. “At some point we have stop arguing about who has the most experience,� he said. “It gets kind of silly to keep going over who worked for what prosecutor that many years ago. Everybody at this table is qualified to do this job. We have a small criminal case load in this county and I imagine we can all do the same good job – it just takes diligence and good time management. Coonrod lists four things he would
Stout said the process was uncomfortable and he was sore for a few days after, but, the pain was “not excruciating.� “I took some over the counter pain relievers and was able to return to my student teaching job in St. Louis,� Stout said. Stout said he has been told he will not know the outcome of his donor receptant’s transplant for two years and then it will be up to her family to reach out. “I’d be open to it,� he said. “I was just excited to be a part of it.� Stout said he did not incur any expenses for his trip to Chicago or the procedures. It was fortunate Stout was in the states. He had been signed up to go to China and do his student teaching there, but in wake of the Corona Virus, his plans had to be changed. He is now student teaching at a high school in Ferguson, Mo. He is the son of Pat Kilver Stout and Chuck Stout. DKMS is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders. Founded 28 years ago in Germany by Dr. Peter Harf when he lost his wife, Mechtild, to leukemia. He promised her that he would help every blood cancer patient find a matching donor. Since them, DKMS has given more than 80,000 people worldwide a second chance at life.
By CARMEN ENSINGER Scott County Times Members of the Bluffs School Board heard an update on the proposed drug testing policy for the district at the Feb. 18 meeting. Three major changes were made to the policy. The pool of candidates was narrowed excluding band and chorus; the method of drug testing was narrowed to the use of hair samples and the initial consequence for a first offense was cut from 50 percent of the season to only 25 percent of the season. “We really want to help kids and we want them to get help and in reducing that initial penalty we may assist them in getting them the help they need without being overly harsh and punitive in the punishment,� Bluffs Superintendent Kevin Blankenship said. “So we reduced it from 50 percent to 25 percent of a season but they have to do the intake and participate in a counseling program.� The Drug Policy Committee will have a meeting on Thursday night to continue to discuss the policy and refine it.
During the Building Committee update, the board had a discussion about the needs of the district. “We are going to have a joint meeting between the building committees of both Bluffs and Winchester and will be seeking community input at this meeting,� Blankenship said. “Obviously each district has their own individual needs that ultimately impact the longer range plan that the boards are considering.� The financial report presented an unusual occurrence – the building fund is very over budget and over revenues. “That is because we got the insurance money to fix all the damages caused by the leak in the roof,� Blankenship said. “That was reported in the revenue and was twice as much as what we budgeted so that was one of the questions the board had on the financial side.� The cafeteria report showed that the cafeteria program finished $400 in the black this month. The disatrict is part of the free breakfast and lunch program for all students in the district, regardless of their families income. (See, POLICY, A2)
Willow Branch Boutique and Tanning set to open on March 2 By CARMEN ENSINGER Scott County Times Winchester’s newest business on the square, Willow Branch Boutique and Tanning, will open its doors for business on March 2 with a grand opening scheduled for March 7. Located at 8 East Cross St, between Square Trade and Marshall Tire Center, the business is owned by Jessica Rueter. They will specialize in adult and children’s boutique clothing along with a variety of other items such as bath bombs, jewelry and eventually home dĂŠcor. They will also have tanning beds. Rueter started Willow Branch Boutique as an online store back in August but always planned to have a physical storefront in Winchester. “I was really looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity that would allow me to make my own schedule,â€? she said. “I have two children who go to school in Winchester and one is only in school half of a day so its kind of hard to find a babysitter and have a full time job. Plus, it is something that I have always wanted to do –
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have my own business.� While Rueter’s two children are boys – Bryson, age 6 and Braxton, age 4, it was her friends little girls who prompted her to open Willow Branch. “A lot of my friends have children who are girls and there is not a lot o boutiques for kids around,� she said. “I thought it would be something that would be beneficial for both me and my friends so that is how I got started.� The addition of tanning beds is something that Rueter just saw a need for in the town. “Right now there are no tanning beds at all in Winchester,� she said. “If you want to tan, you have to go somewhere out of town to do it. I felt it would be a good fit for this community because it is not something that is currently offered.� Starting out online has allowed Rueter to kind of get a feel for what the people want and she has seen her business grow over the past six months. (See, WILLOW BRANCH, A3)
Submitted photo
While Triopia and West Central may be fierce competitors on the field, court or where ever the competition is, the two school came together last week to mourn the passing of 17-year-old Cody Walston, a Pittsfield senior who died unexpectedly Monday, Jan. 17 of natural causes. Both teams donned red shirts that, although had different lettering, all expressed honor of the young man who was a cousin to West Central’s Drew Evans.