Separate Accidents Take Two Men's Lives
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Volume 39 Number 4 24 Pages | 75¢ Sparta Home Hospital Show Pgs. 10-11 Thursday, January 25, 2018 awards Pg. 12 Separate accidents Encouragement and take two men’s lives concerns heard at four-lane meeting By Dan Zobel Bureau. Unusual car/deer accident near Chester Creating a task force is Meetings of the task For the third time in re- deer into the windshield the next step by the Four force would be open to cent memory, a Randolph of the Wolter car. The deer County Highway Coali- the public, and he said County person has died in went through the wind- tion as it continues to the group would plan to an unusual and rare car/ shield, killing Wolter. work toward connecting meet over the course of deer accident. Barbour said Wolter was the Murphysboro area to six months to find the The latest occurred Janu- dead at the scene. St. Louis via a four-lane best funding ideas and ary 18 at about 6 p.m. on Wolter worked as a parts highway. display the advantages of Route 3 just north of Ches- manager for Wm. Nobbe & Senator Paul Schimpf a potential highway. ter. Company. He was a member was at the latest meeting “I think the task force Keith Wolter, 38, of Evans- of the Evansville Fire De- of the coalition January could do the job fairly ville died in the accident. partment for 17 years. 23 at the Perry County quickly,” Schimpf said. According to Randolph The funeral was held Tues- Government Building in “We want to try to figure County Coroner Carlos day at St. John’s Lutheran Pinckneyville. out how to translate the Barbour and the Ran- Church in Red Bud. Schimpf said he plans community support into dolph County Sheriff’s Of the other two fatal car/ to file legislation in two getting state money for Department, Wolter was deer incidents, one occurred weeks to set up a task the project. We also want driving south, when a north of Chester and the force for the project to to figure out why the northbound vehicle driv- Keith Wolter other west of Red Bud. They further study it and gath- project hasn’t come to en by Jonathan Hohgrefe, in the road. were similar to last Thurs- er more information. fruition yet.” 46, of Chester hit a deer The impact threw the day’s accident. “I think this is the best Schimpf said the pro- way to get all of the data posal needs to be ready to on the table. We need a go in a fairly quick man- vehicle to make an argu- ner because he foresees Coulterville man killed east of Nashville ment for why (the high- in 2019 there being a new way) is critical for the Illinois capital bill, or on A Coulterville man was nounced dead at the scene. economic viability of the the federal level, after fatally injured in a Wash- The driver of the truck, region,” said Schimpf. the next gubernatorial ington County crash Janu- Michael Barfield, 40, of Schimpf also suggested election. ary 18. Nashville, Illinois, was ex- the name for the high- “This spring, I will have According to a press re- tricated from his pickup way be the Southwest a more aggressive legis- lease from Illinois State Po- and flown to a local hospi- Illinois Connector. lative agenda,” Schimpf lice, Matthew McKinley, 35, tal with life-threatening in- Schimpf said he would said. “This project will be was westbound on Route 15 juries. No condition report head the task force, but part of it.” near Liberty Church Road on him has been available. it would also include State Representative east of Nashville at 6:14 Route 15 was closed for other people, including Terri Bryant added that a.m., when for an unknown nearly five hours for inves- senators, representa- as long as it is an unpaid reason, his vehicle crossed tigation and cleanup. tives, stakeholders, task force, which this the center line and struck McKinley worked at Mag- members of the Illinois one will be, it generally an eastbound pickup truck num Steel Works in Mt. Ver- Department of Trans- head-on. non. His funeral was held portation and the Farm Continued on Page 5____ McKinley was ejected Monday at the Coulterville from his car and pro- Matthew McKinley United Methodist Church. Vietnam Platoon Closureleader comes to Chester for meeting with point man Leonard Nitzsche’s family By Travis Lott One of them was Private at the head of a patrol and The platoon leader for a First Class Leonard Ar- watches for enemy activity. local soldier killed in Viet- thur Nitzsche of Ellis Dotson said the patrols in- nam visited Chester over Grove. volved the group walking the weekend to find clo- Dotson said he remem- in a single file line, spaced sure for both himself and bered Nitzsche’s skill and out about 120 meters, bait- the soldier’s family. determination. ing enemy contact. This is the note that Dotson left at Leonard Nitzsche’s First Lt. Perry Dotson “Leonard was just a sol- Nitzsche was acting as grave last year. of the U.S. Army Infantry id guy,” Dotson said. “He point man for the group, a served as the leader of a was serious. He took his very dangerous position, as The slack man yelled 37-man group stationed job seriously.” they ventured through hos- village hall, and she was back to Dotson that northwest of Saigon from It was these qualities tile territory April 8, 1970. unable to locate the grave. Nitzsche had been hit. October 1969 to October that led to Nitzsche’s ap- Nitzsche died when the He found the grave of The group was pinned 1970. pointment as point man group was ambushed. Pamela Nitzsche, and she down under fire for an During his service, two for the group. A point “He was killed instantly,” was the only one of that hour until they could es- of his soldiers were killed. man is the one who walks Dotson said. name he could find. cape with Nitzsche’s body. He went to the Chester Dotson said most peo- Greenhouse to buy some ple first experience loss flowers, planning to leave through the death of a the flowers and a note on grandparent or other fam- Pamela’s grave in hopes a ily member through natu- family member would find ral causes. It’s a different them. experience for soldiers. However, just before Dot- “It’s sudden. It’s violent,” son was ready to give up Dotson said. “It took us an and head home, Nitzsche’s hour to disengage. Then grave was located just a we put him on a helicopter, few miles away from Ellis and he’s just gone. We nev- Grove in Palestine Cem- er got a chance to grieve, etery, so Dotson took the to say goodbye. flowers and note there. “There were 36 other The note read: Len, we guys trying to stay alive.” all appreciated your cour- It was this lack of closure age and selflessness. We that led Dotson to venture will never forget you. from his home in Minne- Dotson left after visiting sota to Ellis Grove in 2017. the grave. When he was He went to visit Nitzsche’s about two hours away, he grave and attempt to meet got a call from the wom- with his family. an who had assisted him He first stopped at the in Ellis Grove. She had cemetery in Ellis Grove. He found a phone number walked through the rows for Nitzsche’s sister, Linda Above are Leonard Nitzsche’s family members with his platoon leader Perry Dotson. of graves trying to locate Rader. From left are Curt and Carl Nitzsche, Dotson, LaVerne Misselhorn and Linda Rader. Nitzsche’s. He asked an Dotson is holding a picture of Nitzsche. employee in the office at Continued on Page 5_____ Willis Publishing Inc. © Copyright 2018 AURASMA Is Now Called HP Reveal PAGE 2 COUNTY JOURNAL | JANUARY 25, 2018 police Randolph Co. court Reduced Rates On Grand Tower The following cases court costs. have been terminated Abby Little of Red in Randolph County Bud, theft, dismissed. man dies after court. Terri Hatley of Til- Shawn Porter of den, battery, court su- Red Bud, criminal pervision, fine. 5’ x 10’ mixing chemicals damage to property, Kelly Keen of Sparta, A mixture of two able to make it out- dismissed. possession of narcot- STORAGE UNITS household chemicals side at the direction James Cunningham ics, guilty, jail (credit that created a poison- of a dispatcher, who of Tilden, criminal for time served), pro- ous gas left a Jackson quickly determined damage to property, bation, fine. County man dead and the gas was poison- dismissed; aggravated Jeremy Floyd of Per- Sparta Lock-UP a woman hospitalized ous. battery of a peace offi- ryville, retail theft, Tuesday, January 23. The female was cer, guilty, probation, guilty, fine. According to the eventually flown to StoRAGE Jackson County sher- a St. Louis hospital. Masonic Drive • Sparta iff’s office, the couple Her condition was Pinckneyville fire attempted to clear a not available by press Pinckneyville fire- Damage was lim- clogged drain at a time. men were called to ited to some charring 618-443-2929 Grand Tower resi- The names of the 403 E. Randolph Street of the garage interior dence by mixing com- victims were being Sunday, January 21 at and melted electrical mercial drain cleaner withheld pending no- 2:30 p.m. wire. Come See Our with bleach, which tification of family.