Volume 42 Number 3 Thursday, January 21, 2021 16 Pages | 75¢ Almost 30 years of planning is about to pay off Five busted Work begins on in Sparta on new Steeleville meth charges Baptist Church By Travis Lott Police in By Travis Lott Sparta have A project that has been in rounded up the works for almost three several sus- decades is finally coming pects who to fruition for Steeleville are accused Baptist Church. of selling McCurdy In 1992, church leadership meth last recognized the growth of summer. the congregation. At that After war- time, the church was pro- rants were viding two services to meet issued, police the needs of the crowds made five ar- that were attending. rests Janu- A building fund was es- ary 14. Green tablished that year with the Taken into goal of having at least 60 custody and percent of the total cost of charged the project in the bank be- with delivery fore starting construction. of meth were When Scott Foshie became Sparta resi- the pastor in 2015, the con- dents Terry Bennett gregation grew even more, McCurdy, to the point where three 42; Justin services had to be held. This drone photo by Eli Jeffers was taken as the project began. Green, 43; According to church re- Aldonavan cords, more than 100 people The massive new struc- Due to current COVID-19 On the upper level will be Bennett, 24; were baptised there since ture will have the capacity restrictions, the church a walking track and more Derrick Wil- 2015. to seat about 500 people can seat only 57 people per Sunday school classrooms. liams, 43; Williams Mark Bradley, head of the in the worship center and service, meaning that the The structure will also be and Lewis church’s building commit- will be able to be used as a church has to provide four able to be used as a storm Price, 57. tee, said his group began to basketball court, volleyball services on Sundays. shelter, according to mem- Price and meet in 2015 to work on the court and for indoor soccer Members of the building bers of the building com- Green were plans. Then, three years matches. committee said they are mittee. also cited ago, the church began a “We built it to be a place looking forward to getting Bradley said he antici- for driving capital giving campaign to not just for worship, but for the entire congregation pates the church to begin while their Price obtain the funds. the whole community,” said together again. holding services in the new licenses Last fall, the church Pastor Matt Collins. “Hopefully, this allows us structure by October. were revoked. reached that 60 percent The current structure to grow even more,” Brad- The original plan was to Police are still searching mark, which was around has room for around 200 ley said. connect the old structure for several other Sparta $700,000, and a proposal people, despite the con- The lower perimeter of with the new building by people who are suspected was put in place for the gregation that had about the building will contain a way of a breeseway, but of selling meth: Jared An- new structure to be built 250 members prior to the kitchen, bathrooms, class- ders, 24; Christopher Hen- in 2021. pandemic. rooms and meeting rooms. Continued on Page 5 ______ ly, 40; Kalynn Bergman, 25; Daniel Aponte, 29; and Jeanne Fisher, 52. If anyone has any in- Police reform bill changed before passage formation regarding the By Travis Lott bill after it was strongly for small municipal police Attorney Jeremy Walker whereabouts of these in- The police reform bill opposed by police, labor departments like Willis- said this version of the bill dividuals, they are asked passed the Illinois House unions and prosecutors. ville, Tilden and Ruma, is better. to call the Sparta police at and Senate last week in the Instead, the state will where departments have “I’m not here to say it was 443-4331. waning hours of the legisla- create an 18-person task little funding for such an a good piece of legislation,” Sparta Police Chief Sean tive session. force to examine how de- undertaking. Walker said. “It’s like get- Lukes said that although However, it did not pass partments apply qualified Sheriff Shannon Wolff ting kicked in the shin once those crimes had been com- in its original form, and immunity. said last week that the cost instead of three times.” mitted in 2020, the arrests many items that had caused Additionally, most of the is not only in the equip- Walker said that, al- could not be made due to dismay among police and measures will not take ment for the cameras, but though cash bail in Illinois increased COVID-19 re- prosecutors statewide were effect immediately as was also the ongoing cost of will end, the language was strictions at the Randolph removed. originally feared. storing the video footage, clarified to make it easier County Jail. The Senate began debat- One of the measures that which has to be kept on file to detain an individual who Randolph County State’s ing the bill January 13 just was strongly opposed lo- forever. should to be jailed. Attorney Jeremy Walker after 4 a.m., and it passed cally was the requirement Instead, in the final ver- The original version of added that he wanted to with a 32-23 vote shortly for all law enforcement sion of the bill, departments the bill stated that, in order hold off on making any before 5 a.m. agencies in the state to be in municipalities with less to detain someone, the pros- arrests because a confiden- Items such as ending qual- equipped with body camer- than 50,000 people will not ecutor would have to prove tial informant was used in ified immunity for law as. While local police stated be required to have body that the suspect was a dan- the investigations. enforcement, which would that they were not opposed cameras until January 1, ger to a specific person. “I always like these cases allow police to be personally to using body cameras, the 2025, giving those towns Under the new bill, the to sit around for a while sued if they violated some- immediate implementation time to save for the expendi- prosecutor has to prove to take the heat off the one’s constitutional rights, of the law would cause se- ture. were removed from the rious financial problems Randolph County State’s Continued on Page 5 ______ Continued on Page 5 ______ Legislators take oath of office Friess, Bryant and Jacobs sworn in The new legislators who residents are struggling. much power was consoli- will represent Illinois were The crisis and the failures dated in the hands of one sworn in January 13. in leadership from the person. Among them, state Sena- governor’s administration “Mike Madigan’s absolute tor Terri Bryant, who for- have created lasting dev- power absolutely corrupted merly represented the 115th astation for so many,” said him and the process in this district in the state’s House Bryant. “In this new Gen- state. I am going to sponsor of Representatives, was eral Assembly, I’m hopeful significant ethics bills, and sworn in as the successor to that lawmakers set aside I will demand they pass in Senator Paul Schimpf. political ploys and agen- this General Assembly.” “It is truly a privilege das. We have to prioritize The neighboring 116th to join the ranks of Sen- addressing our budget is- District also got a new leg- ate Republican lawmakers sues, helping the business islator after David Friess of who are representing the community of this state Red Bud defeated state Rep- conservative values of Illi- and getting people back to resentative Nathan Reitz of nois citizens,” said Bryant. work so that we can move Steeleville in the November “I look forward to getting Illinois forward.” election. to work and bringing the Filling Bryant’s role in the Friess was sworn in last same energy and passion 115th District is state Rep- week, but under interesting to the Senate chambers resentative Paul Jacobs, circumstances. that I had serving the con- who was also sworn in last Friess was in the conven- stituency of the 115th House week on a momentous day tion center in Springfield District.” in Springfield. attending the Republican Bryant said this session “I had the historical privi- caucus, when he received will be an important one lege to watch Mike Madi- a call from the Randolph as the state works through gan be unelected Speaker County Health Department, ongoing COVID-19 mitiga- of the House of Representa- informing him that his tions. tives as the first official son had tested positive for “As we continue down the action taken by the Illinois COVID-19. long road to recovery from House after I was sworn While Friess had tested the COVID-19 pandemic, into office,” Jacobs said. “I negative on rapid tests, it lawmakers must recognize hope that we see a break State Representative David Friess, taking the oath of the fact that businesses and from the past where so Continued on Page 5 ______ office from Seventh Circuit Judge John Madonia. 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