Scott County Times
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020
WINCHESTER, IL 62694
VOLUME NO. 153 NUMBER 17
your
NEWS What are your plans after the Stay at Home is lifted? See page A2
State Police file emergency rules for FOID and CCL renewals. See page A2
LOCALS
WEEKEND WEATHER
FRIDAY
Submitted photo
NIGHT LIGHTS
The athletic fields of the West Central Cougars were lit up Friday night in honor of the 2020 graduating seniors and the athletes who won’t be competing in the spring sporting events after school was cancelled for the rest of the year. Chris Meyer took this picture with his drone showing the support the West Central community has for its seniors and its athletes.
By CARMEN ENSINGER Scott County TImes The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than just life as we know it – it has affected the justice system as well. “All of our court cases have been rescheduled until the month of June,” Scott County States Attorney Mike Hill said. “We have had one or two cases where we have had to get bond set but I was able to get that done by getting ahold of Judge Cherry and having bail set.” Those breaking the law will be happy to know that the last thing anyone wants right now is to have to lock someone up. “It depends on the case and circumstances but so far all of the bail we have set has been on a recognicense bond,” Hill said. “Because the jails are reluctant to take in anyone new because they don’t want to bring in anyone from the outside who might be affected by the virus and I can understand that. This is one of those times where being in Scott County is extremely beneficial because we don’t have a lot of violent crime here.” As for the courthouse itself, business is being conducted, but far from as usual. “We are still doing business at the courthouse but we are in a reactive mode right now,” Hill said. “The courthouse is physically closed to the public and the doors are locked. People can call or email whoever they need to contact and if it is determined they need to get into the courthouse for whatever business, such as recording a deed or something, then the office holder will meet them at the door and arrange for that to be done. We are just trying to cut down on the extraneous traffic in and out of the courthouse to make the work environment for our employees safer.” (See, CASES, A2)
FRIDAY, APR. 24
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SATURDAY, APR. 25
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SUNDAY, APR. 26
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Scott County Times Obituaries listed in this issue: Berry, Pence All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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COVID-19 affecting court cases
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Foiles reaches the century mark. See page A3
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Governor announces Scott County Dog schools closed Rescue plugging along for rest of the year despite pandemic By CARMEN ENSINGER Scott County Times What started out as a two-week closure of school districts across the state to combat the COVID-19 virus, turned into a month long closure that was supposed to end on April 30. Now, that closure has been extended to the end of the school year according to an announcement by Gov. Pritzker on April 17. This announcement has school districts across the state scrambling to deal this a variety of issues including graduations, proms, etc. Not to mention the issue of remote learning. “Although in person learning has been suspended for the remainder of the year, I assure you that our entire staff remains committed to learning and engaging with all students through remote learning as well as continuing with our food distribution program,” Winchester and Bluffs Superintendent Kevin Blankenship said. “We are saddened by the reality that our school community will not be able to reconvene in person this school year due to this public health crisis. Blankenship said that so many students in both districts have worked extremely hard in both the classroom and in extracurricular activities that Friday’s announcement might feel like a step back. However, that is not
the case. “The final chapter of this school year has not been written yet,” he said. “These past few weeks have proven our school communities are more resilient, more capable and more compassionate than we realized. I’m confident our collective strength will shine through during the remainder of the school year and we will emerge even stronger.” With that being said, the announcement will result in significant and multiple scheduling changes in the districts. “It will take us a few days to sort out the many schedule details, including spring sports, promotion, graduation, etc.,” he said. “Please be patient as we work as a district to get information to you in the next several weeks. All school related activities have been postponed indefinitely, including prom, senior trip, National Honor Society induction, etc.” Blankenship said now they are just trying to make the best out of a bad situation. “I know this is not the school year that any of us imagined, but I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we deal with this unprecedented situation together,” he said. “To quote Dr. Seuss – ‘ we can let this situation define us, destroy us, or make us stronger.’”
By CARMEN ENSINGER Scott County Times It’s nice to know at least one organization isn’t being affected by COVID-19. The Scott County Dog Rescue continues to care for its “wards” and according to its founder, Becky Lashmett, the pandemic has had little effect on their efforts. “I am very happy to say that this pandemic has not really affected us at all,” she said. “I have some awesome volunteers – die hard volunteers – who I can really count on.” Lashmett said the rescue is not your typical rescue in that they are not open to the public in general. “We are different in that you can’t just come by anytime and look at the dogs,” she said. “We require you to make an appointment to come and look at them. If you are interested in adopting a dog, the photos of the dogs we have available are posted online and if you see one you are interested in you talk to me about the dog and if I think it is going to be a good fit then you come and meet the dog.” As far as donations go, Lashmett said people are still bringing in food and supplies but she worries about the monetary donations. “A lot of our money comes from
the donation cans we have set up around town,” she said. “One of our big donation can is at Buck and Jo’s and since they are closed except for curbside service, we are not seeing any donations from there. However, we also have them at Scotty’s and Dorsey’s Hardware and people are still being good to us.” Volunteers are still showing up to help with the dogs as well. “I have a couple people who come down from Jacksonville every Sunday to walk the dogs and that hasn’t changed since this pandemic – they are still here every Sunday,” Lashmett said. “I also have two helpers in the morning and two in the evening who come in but they are never there at the same time so we can abide by the social distancing. I’m also never out there at the same time as them because they know what to do.” Working from home like many officer workers are now gives Lashmett more time to spend with the dogs. “It’s much easier for me to just walk out there and spend some time with them now when I’m at lunch or on a break,” she said. “I think they enjoy the extra attention they are getting from me and the volunteers.”
Farm Bureau distributes pork to food pantries By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Scott County Times The Pike-Scott Farm Bureau distributed close to 700 pounds of ground pork to food pantries in Pike and Scott counties on Friday, April 17. JBS Pork, which operates the pork plant in Beardstown, donated 24 hogs. Area Farm Bureaus (Pike-Scott, Adams, Brown, and Schuyler) paid to process the animals, which weighed more than a ton. Farm Bureau staff and volunteers then distributed the ground pork to the Barry Food Pantry, The Crossing Food Pantry, Two Rivers Reach Out Center Food Pantry, Naples Food Pantry, and the Scott County Food Pantry.
“We’re grateful that they’re working to provide nutritional assistance in our area,” Reach Out Center manager Rachel Baker said of Farm Bureau and JBS. “Our food pantry received six 20 pound boxes of pork. Right now we’re distributing a one pound package per household in addition to the protein they’re already receiving.” Baker added that the Reach Out Center had also received a donation of ground turkey from Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the food pantry has enjoyed an influx of food and monetary donations during the COVID-19 crisis. “The community has been very generous during this time — residents, organizations, and businesses,” Baker
said. Rachel Cooper, who has run the Kiwanis Scott County Food Pantry in Winchester for the past ten years, says their food pantry received 150 pounds of pork from PikeScott Farm Bureau. “We appreciate it so much,” Cooper said. “Donations really help. It allows us to serve more Scott County residents who need our assistance.” The Kiwanis Scott County Food Pantry in Winchester is located at 24 South Hill Street. Food may be picked up by Scott County families from 9-10 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Farm Bureau staff and volunteers praised the generosity (See, FARM BUREAU, A2)
Submitted photo
On Friday, April 17 Kim Curry, president, Pike-Scott Farm Bureau and Marlee Jo Schultz, chairwoman, Pike-Scott Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee, help Mike Wheelan with the Barry Food Pantry load ground pork. JBS USA donated 24 hogs, which were paid to be processed and donated by Farm Bureau.