Pilbean Is 2021 MVP in Marissa by Mike Trotter Dedication and Willingness a Special Ceremony Was to Help Others
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Volume 42 Number 10 Thursday, March 11, 2021 34 Pages | 75¢ Craft stepping down Dial 618 as Perry Co. treasurer for all local First female Republican to hold post calls again A change will soon require By Travis Lott ers who voted for me, and anyone in the 618 area code Perry County’s treasurer I appreciated working with to dial the full 10 digits of a has announced her intent you all,” she said. phone number when mak- to retire, and the county A vacancy was declared ing all calls. board of commissioners in the office of treasurer, It will affect all of southern accepted her resignation and notice of the vacancy Illinois in the 618 area code, during the March 4 board will be sent to both political central Illinois 309 area meeting. parties. Because Craft is a code and a portion of the Mary Jane Craft, 62, has Republican, a member of Chicago’s 708 area code. served as treasurer since that party will be appoint- Those in the 618 area code 2014, when she was elected ed to fill the remainder of should start dialing the full area code and number by and became the first Re- her term. April 24. If you attempt to publican woman to ever Craft’s last day in office use just the seven-digit num- hold that position. will be April 1. She has ber, a recording will inform She held onto her seat been at the helm of Perry you that the call cannot be during the 2018 election, County finances during completed as dialed. when she faced Democratic the most tumultuous fiscal Mary Jane Craft resigns as Perry County treasurer. This is the second time in challenger Beth Lipe. era in recent memory. the last 40 years that this Craft grew up in Marble Craft said during a 2018 has occurred. Hill, Missouri, staying in interview that, when she All mobile contact lists, fax southeast Missouri until took office in 2014, she machines, life-safety sys- her move to Perry Coun- was immediately taken Resigning due to tems, fire or burgler alarms ty. She and her husband into a back room with a and any other programmed moved to Pinckneyville 16 group of elected officials, device will have to be repro- years ago. where she was informed health reasons gramed to dial the full 10 She said the Republican that she needed to take out digits. party was strong in Mis- $400,000 in tax anticipa- The change was ordered souri, and she wanted to tion warrants. Bloomington. In addition, ing to speak about an issue by the Federal Communica- help create the same cul- Her staff was reduced, Circuit Clerk Kim Keller- her company has had with tions Commission to allow ture in Perry County. Craft along with cuts in most of man donated money to keep the Perry County Sheriff’s for enstating an abbreviated was ultimately asked to run the county offices. payroll afloat, and county Office. number for the National for office, and she obliged. Staff in the treasurer’s officials underwent a series Laura Eaton, who man- Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Currently, if you need the Craft recently told county office went from three full- of cuts and budget restruc- ages accounts payable for suicide lifeline, dial 800-273- officials that she was step- time and three part-time turing. the trucking company, said 8255. ping down due to health employees to just two full- Craft became a central the company was recently a After July 16, you can sim- reasons and that her hus- time employees. figure in the budget re- victim of theft. ply dial 988 to reach the band accepted a job in Everything came to a structuring, working with A scammer had called the service. California, meaning they head in 2019 when the the county board to formu- company from Georgia on Nationwide, there are 37 would soon be moving county declared a state of late budgets. December 3, 2020, claim- states and 83 area codes im- west. financial emergency, when Since then, the county has ing to be with the Georgia pacted by this order where “I hate to see this, but I it was unclear whether the not taken out a tax antici- Department of Transporta- 988 is a working prefix. In understand,” said county county would be able to pation warrant, a first in tion, stating that they had southern Illinois, 988 is a board Chairman Bobby make payroll from month almost two decades. one of the company’s trucks working prefix in the Her- Kelly. to month. In other news, a repre- that had been in an acci- rin area. Craft said she didn’t want At that time, the county sentative from Southern dent in Georgia and that To learn more about this to go, but it was time. brought in financial con- Illinois Motor Express of change, visit fcc.gov/suicide- “I appreciate all the vot- sulting firm Bellwether of Cutler attended the meet- Continued on Page 5 _____ prevention-hotline. Pilbean is 2021 MVP in Marissa By Mike Trotter dedication and willingness A special ceremony was to help others. held Monday evening at Pilbean was presented the Marissa Village Hall with a plaque, and his immediately following the nameplate will be added to village board meeting. another plaque at village Troy Pilbean was an- hall that lists the previous nounced as the recipient MVP winners. of the Marissa MVP award. The board meeting itself In the past, the award was a short one, with only was presented at a dinner a few items on the agenda. sponsored by the Marissa Two sealed bids were Chamber of Commerce, but opened for village-owned last year’s disbanding of properties that had been the chamber and COVID-19 advertised for sale. restrictions required a dif- Dan Seiber offered $3,000 ferent type of ceremony for 1.76 acres of land on this year. Green Diamond Road, and Mayor Chad Easton read Clay Carmichael offered a statement thanking Pil- $500 for property at 615 bean for all of the work East Keys. Both bids were he does as the leader of accepted unanimously. Marissa’s First Responder The board agreed to issue Service. Easton’s remarks a parade permit for this 50 years in business also cited Pilbean as the year’s Coal Festival. Ronald Schenk, owner of Schenk’s Market in Evansville, was honored Monday for type of person who makes his 50 years in business. He was presented a plaque during a surprise visit from a village better due to his Continued on Page 5_____ Mayor Red Becker, local business owners, family and friends. Becker is shown presenting the plaque to Schenk. Volle will seek sheriff’s post By Travis Lott leader, in security forces Another candidate has and as a recruiter. announced that he will He then went to SIUC, run for the Republican graduating with an as- nomination for Randolph sociate degree in law en- County sheriff when Shan- forcement in 1981 and a non Wolff retires in 2022. bachelor’s degree in police Dale Volle, 66, returned to administration in 1984. his hometown of Chester He also earned a master’s in October 2020 and plans degree in public adminis- to take a run at what he tration from SIUE in 2014. said has been his lifelong Volle was a police officer ambition. for Chester from 1979 to Volle was born and raised 1983; Festus, Missouri from in Chester, graduating 1985 to 1986; Collinsville from Chester High School from 1986 to 1988; and Illi- in 1972. nois State Police from 1988 After high school, he en- to 2010. listed in the U.S. Marine While with the Illinois Corps and served six years as an infantry small unit Dale Volle Continued on Page 5_____ MVP Troy Pilbean, left, with Marissa Mayor Chad Easton Willis Publishing Inc. © Copyright 2021 MONEY $AVING COUPONS INSIDE! PAGE 2 COUNTY JOURNAL | MARCH 11, 2021 POLICE Cop injured in arrest A Pinckneyville while they were in had followed her. woman was arrested the apartment, they The offi cer was able February 16 after al- saw Kara Honaker, to get Honaker to drop legedly battering two 29, of Pinckneyville the knife, but she al- people, including a push Toby Byrns, 44, legedly continued to police offi cer attempt- of Pinckneyville. resist arrest, kicking ing to apprehend her. Byrns was visiting the offi cer. According to Pinck- the apartment. The offi cer report- neyville police, of- After Honaker al- edly sustained a fi cers were called to legedly pushed Byrns, shoulder injury in the Garden Apartments Honaker ran toward altercation. in Pinckneyville in the kitchen, where Honaker will have a reference to a distur- she grabbed a knife hearing March 23 to bance. and turned toward determine her fi tness Police reported that, the police offi cer who for trial. Carbon monoxide alarm Steeleville fi remen monoxide in the base- check her appliances. Mario Dolce’s car after the wreck. Courtesy of the Pinckneyville Press were called to the home ment of the home, This is the second of Miranda Eisenhauer which is double the carbon monoxide at 305 East Broadway amount that would set alarm that has sound- in Steeleville just be- off the alarm. ed in Steeleville within Wreck in Perry Co. leaves fore 9 p.m. March 6 for Reitz said it was not a month’s time. a report of a carbon clear if it was the fur- The fi rst occurred monoxide alarm going nace or the water heat- when snowdrifts two seriously injured off.