Scott County 2023 Year in Review- Part 1

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January

The SAFE-T Act which eliminated bail for those charged in criminal cases was placed on hold. Under the SAFE-T Act, defendants were either held with no bail or released, also without posting bail. Most downstate law enforcement agencies were against the act. The matter was discussed and subject to hearings, but ultimately went into effect Sept. 14.

On Jan. 1, the Illinois State Police (ISP) reorganized from 21 patrol Districts across the state to 11 patrol troops.Scott County is included in troop 6 which also covers Adams, Brown, Cass, Christian, Logan, Mason, Menard, Morgan, Sangamon, Schuyler, and Scott. It was announced that all ISP Headquarters buildings will remain open and public access to services will not change.

Western Illinois University (WIU) and John Wood Community College (JWCC) signed an agricultural articulation agreement with both college presidents in attendance. The agreement was formalized with a ceremony at the Fred L. Bradshaw Learning Center at the JWCC Orr Agriculture Education Center outside Perry. According to JWCC Agriculture Department Faculty Chair Mike Tenhouse, the agreement will help students attain a Bachelor’s Degree from WIU within four years, even if they start their degree at JWCC.

Several Friends of the Tournament plaques and other honors were presented at the Winchester Tournament in 2023. Those honored included: the McLaughlin family and Max Greer, Mark Gillingham, Dan Bowman Bob Hembrough, Sean Knox, Jeff Krumweide, Jeff and Terry Lashmett, and Tom Welch.

The West Central Cheerleading Squad took first place in the cheer competition at the 2023 Winchester Invitational Tournament. Squad members included Halle Lawson, Izzy Wellenreiter, Audi Brown, Josey Miller,Emma Stice, Bell Brown, Emma Howard, Katie Engelbrecht, Reagan Brown, Olivia Bingeman, Myah Little, Kenley Coats, and Alli Peterson.

Danette Strang, the 2022 Miss Scott County competed in the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant in Springfield. Strang was crowned during the Scott County Fair and was the first Miss Scott County Fair Queen.

Maddox Chapman, Jerzi Clark, and Mia Sievers, each won their school shootout for their different age groups and advanced to the local Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest that took place Saturday, January 14, at the JHS Bowl.

The 24th annual Winchester EMS Chili Cook-off took place Saturday, Jan. 28. The last two chili cook-offs were canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. The chili cook-off is a critical fundraiser for the ambulance service, which relies heavily on fundraisers and donations to assist with operating expenses and the purchase of needed equipment and supplies

Jessica Goodey, a 2003 graduate of Winchester High, was recently elected a judge of a Las Vegas Justice Court in Las Vegas, Nevada. After graduating from Winchester, Goodey attended the University of Illinois.

February

After 20 years of research including interviews with former tournament officials, players, coaches, committee members and community members at large, Kent Coultas has written and compiled a book on the Winchester Invitational Tournament. The book is titled simply – “ The Winchester Tournament.”

The City of Winchester was awarded $3.4 million in grant and low-interest loan funding to upgrade the community’s water system.

Steve Doolin, chief of the Winchester Police, responded to a report of a kidnapping Thursday, Feb.9, in Winchester. The victim was located at a second location in Scott County, uninjured.

The Winchester and Bluffs junior classes sponsored a quarter auction to raise funds to support the After Prom. The event was held Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Winchester EMS building. There were dozens of baskets to bid on with a wide variety of items to suit everyone’s taste. No one went away hungry either as there was plenty of food offered for a free-will donation as well as home-made desserts, also for a free-will donation.

Steppin’ Up Dance Company began their dance competition season on Feb. 11 in Collinsville where they won numerous awards for their productions. Their “Welcome to Wonderland” number received the Costume Award, Double Platinum and Overall First Place Large Petite Group. The “Down in New Orleans” production received the Precision Award, Double Platinum and First Overall Production.

Three students representing the West Central Cougars, competed in the State Elks Hoop Shoot in Springfield, IL on Feb. 11. Mia Sievers placed 4th in her division, Jerzi Clark placed 3rd in her division and Maddox Chapman took home first place in his division along with making most free throws (24 out of 25) out of the entire competition. Maddox advanced to Nationals in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Scott County Nursing Center celebrated Valentine’s Day with their residents on Feb. 14 in the traditional way. The residents decorated Valentine’s Day boxes to put their cards, goodies and pictures in that was given to them from the staff members, schools, churches and the community. They then enjoyed eating some Girl Scout cookies and punch before choosing a King, Queen, Prince and Princess. Royalty was chosen based on the amount of time they have resided at the facility.

After spending two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, it was announced in February that Major League Baseball relief pitcher Sam Coonrod would be suiting up in a New York Mets for the upcoming MLB season. According to Coonrod, the Mets obtained him on waivers.

March

The Village of Bluffs was awarded a $600,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to upgrade its park. Bluffs was the only entity in Scott County to receive the grant which targeted economically distressed communities. The grant funds will be used to upgrade the park’s electrical system, build a new stage area, build a small walking path, add handicap bathrooms, create a small playground.

Winchester electric customers were given an option on which company to choose to provide their electrical service. The City of Winchester signed an agreement with Constellation New Energy to be the electric provider for the city. However, customers retained the right to opt-out from having Constellation as their provider, in order to stick with Ameren or choose another provider.

Westermeyer Industries south of Bluffs started rebuilding after a devastating fire destroyed much of their main building. The building lost, company owner Gary Westermeyer said, was approximately 71,000 square feet. It was replaced by a 97,000 square foot structure, increasing Westermeyer’s manufacturing capacity. Westermeyer said that the new construction accompanied several additional moves to enhance the company’s capabilities.

The Honorable David Cherry entered an order. March 7 in Scott County Circuit Court directing Scott County to adopt a tax levy and accept it for Scott County Special Service Area Number One. It also authorized and directed the Scott County Clerk to extend taxes as levied by the County Board of Commissioners for payment in 2023.

Ballard Bros. Construction poured the new concrete driveway on the north side of the Winchester Library. It was the last part of the work for the recently completed library addition.

Winchester Grade School held their annual Penny Carnival on Saturday March 11 with an absolutely fabulous turnout. There were dozens of items up for grabs in the silent auction and the gym was filled with games for the kids to play. All in all, the event raised an astonishing $8,739.42.

The Scott County Neighborhood Guys and Gals 4-H Club held their first Drive Thru Honor Flight Pancake and Sausage Breakfast Saturday, March 18. The event raised almost enough money to send three veterans on a Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

The owner of the BP Convenience Store in Winchester has been indicted on charges of sales tax fraud. According to a press release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, Surgit Singh, 38, of Clinton, the owner and operator of four convenience stores in Central Illinois has been charged with defrauding the state out of more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue.

Leland Evans had a farewell retirement party at the Winchester City Hall. Evans officially retired on Tuesday, March 28 after dedicating more than 36 years with the city.

The BP gas station and Food Mart was cited twice in March for selling both alcohol and tobacco to minors.

April

Members of the Oddfellows Lodge held their traditional burgoo April 1 in Douglas Park.

Many veterans on the the two Scott County School Boards chose not to run for re-election. The result will be new faces on the boards. In Winchester, Shanna Eddinger was the lone candidate running in her district. She collected all 358 votes cast. In the rest of the district, Aaron Littig, Thad Walker and Bill Jacquot were the top vote getters with 244, 279 and 265 respectively. Other candidates and their vote totals were, Quinn Jefferson, 178, Richard B. McKinney, 118, Avery Maul, 94, Dorinda Miller, 76, Jane Ann Hatcher, 51. At Bluffs, April Coats collected 143 votes, followed by Andrew Barnett, 124 and DeWayne Hart, 118 to take the seat. Incumbent Matt Smith chose not to run for re-election. Ryan Shaw had 100 votes, Miranada Vortman, 97, Scott Shipman, 52.

For the Winchester City Council, Jeff Pittman and Bill Jacquot were unopposed in their bids for re-election. In Ward 3, Terry Gregory edged out Scott Rodgers, 39-22. For the Bluffs Village Board, Brenda Kauffman was the leading vote getter with 96, followed by Kimberly Shaad with 82 and Tim Welch with 70. Harley Kunkel had 51. The top three were elected. Kathy Brooks was unopposed for a two-year unexpired term.

Winchester City Council approved the purchase of six new sets of bunker gear at their April 5 council meeting. The request was made by Fire Chief Fred Andrews who originally requested the purchase of only four sets, but happily accepted the two additional sets. Andrews explained that with the exception of a few sets of bunker gear purchased in 2019, almost all of their 26 sets are outdated and the department could face a fine from the Department of Labor if they are not in compliance.

Farmers State Bank in Winchester sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt in Monument Park last Friday, April 8 with hundreds of children showing up to scour the park for colorful eggs filled with candy and other prizes.

The Easter Egg Hunt in Bluffs was sponsored by the North Scott Park District.

The Winchester FFA held its fourth annual plant sale at the school’s greenhouse. It was also the fourth year since the construction of the high school’s greenhouse, which was funded by the estate of Howard Million and other funding sources, including FFA funds. According to Winchester agriculture instructor and FFA sponsor Bryan Barnett, the plant sale generates thousands of dollars and is a crucial source of funds for the FFA chapter, allowing for participation in FFA competitions and events.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that Illinois 106 just west of Winchester in Scott County was closed starting Monday, April 24, for the construction of a retaining wall. The work occurred just east of the Hillview Blacktop and was estimated to be completed by late November.

Mayor Rex McIntire announced that, as Liquor Commissioner, he was suspending the liquor license of the BP gas station and convenience store for a period of one week for selling both alcohol and tobacco products to minors twice in March.

A six week session of John Wood Community College’s (JWCC) Truck Driver Training (TDT) program started in Pittsfield on April 24. The program is held at JWCC’s Southeast Education Center (SEC) and at a range owned by LSSD Trucking. According to JWCC’s Lead TDT Instructor Phil Steinkamp, JWCC TDT program identified a need for truck driver training courses in Scott County and the eastern portions of JWCC’s district.

2021 Bluffs graduate Kaydence Gregory was seated as the student trustee on the John Wood Community College (JWCC) Board of Trustees at the college’s Wednesday, April 26, board meeting.

May

Members of the Winchester High School 2023 prom court Michael Pollard, Rylee Burk, Lily Little, Elise Brown, Abigail Havens, Emma Howard, Brody Gregory, Wyatt Schafer, Connor Herrin, Jayden Howard. Members of the 2023 Bluffs Homecoming court were Aleigha Collette, Kashton Hoots, Ayda Rogers, Jesse Lott, Maggie Beddingfield, Tucker Albers, Jade Hamilton, and Rylen Shaw. Prom was held May 5. The theme was “A Night in Vegas.”

Jesse Lott and Jade Hamilton were crowned king and queen of the Bluffs Prom Friday night. Lott is the son of Johnny Lott and Susan Lott. Hamilton is the daughter of Jacob Hamilton and Tasha White Hamilton.

Wyatt Schafer and Lilyan Little were crowned King and Queen of the Winchester Prom Friday night. Schafer is the son of Brian and Becky Schafer and Little is the daughter of Eric and Abby Little.

West Central captured its third straight Western Illinois Valley Conference girls’ track and field Championship.

The West Central Cougars baseball team claimed the regional title with a 6-3 win over Brown County.

Due to the drastic rise in prices, the City of Winchester canceled its city-wide cleanup.

llinois Electric Cooperative (IEC) unveiled its first public electric vehicle charging station at John Wood Community College’s (JWCC) Southeast Education Center near Pittsfield last Wednesday. The charging station located along Highway 54 allows two electric vehicles to charge simultaneously.

The Winchester Fire Department brought the carnival to town from May 23-27. The carnival was set up around the Winchester Square with lots of rides for the little kids and big kids.

June

On June 1, Andy Stumpf officially became the Assistant Superintendent at Greenfield and will be Superintendent in December when he receives his final certification. Stumpf had been Principal at Winchester for the past seven years, coming to the district from Bluffs.

Tyson Brown, of Winchester, was recognized as one of 30 members of the class of 2023 Farm Credit agriculture scholars during a luncheon at Carriage House Event Center in Altamont on Thursday, June 1.

The Winchester Civic Group’s Parks and Recreation Committee is kicked off the summer with their “Spring Fling” beginning on Thursday, June 1 and running through Sunday, June 4.

The Hope Winchester event, sponsored by the Winchester Assembly of God Church, was held Saturday, June 3 at the Extension Building and 4-H Fairgrounds where a large crowd gathered to receive the blessings of food, shoes, socks, hygiene products, free haircuts, free portraits and a chance to win many other items in the free drawings that were held all day thanks to the many local sponsors.

It was announced that Winchester EMS will continue to provide emergency services to the Winchester and Scott County area after the Scott County Commissioners officially accepted their bid to provide those services at the June 5 meeting.

The Winchester City Council voted to purchase cameras and a video recording system to cover the park and pool area and a special License Plate Reader (LPR) camera for the three-way stop at a cost of $8,100 at their June 7 council meeting.

The Winchester American Legion Post 442 hosted its annual “Race With Veterans” this Saturday, June 17, in Winchester. According to Post 442 Commander Matt Barber, the event was founded with the goal of rainsing awareness about veteran suicide, which takes the lives of 22 veterans a day on average. All funds raised by this year’s race will go to the Winchester American Legion.

The West Central Shooting Sports attended the Illinois High School Clay Target League Sporting Clays State Tournament at Jokers Wild Shooting Complex. Six kids competed in the State Event which included: Dalton Hutton, Evan Weder, Jacob Morris, Trey Drake, London Adams, and Grady French. The West Central Shooting Sports Team placed second overall.