2020 was a year for the history books – prairiepress.net

By GARY HENRY ghenry@prairiepress.net

COVID-19 was the major continuing news story of 2020. The pandemic reached Illinois in early March, and the rapid spread in some parts of the state prompted Gov. JB Pritzker to close all schools March 17 and subsequently issue a stay-at-home order attempting to thwart the spread. In-person classes did not resume and schools used remote learning, via computers, the Internet and weekly paper projects through May.

Having schools closed created a problem of how to provide meals to students who were not in the building. Each local school district approached the problem differently, but all found ways to get food into the homes of students for the remainder of the academic year.

Some of the news during this period was not so much about what events were occurring but the increasing number of activities being canceled. Before the year ended, all major events in Edgar County did not happen. The Brocton Red Barn Market, the Brocton Springfest, the Chrisman Spring Fling, the Edgar County Fair, the Hume F3 Festival, Chrisman Days, the Honeybee Festival and Christmas in Paris all fell by the wayside for 2020. The annual Shrine Barbecue was held in a much-reduced fashion with only drive-up sales permitted, but none of the ancillary events like a parade were part of the event.

New terms like PPE and social distancing entered the lexicon. Shortages of PPE (personal protective equipment) became an ongoing problem throughout the country. In late March, weeks before Edgar County experienced a positive case, Horizon Health requested activation of the Edgar County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) because Paris Community Hospital was running low on PPE. The emergency activation served as a call to any local industries using N95 masks, Tyvek suits and medical grade goggles and gloves to donate what could be spared. Activation, it was hoped might move the county higher up on the states list for supplies. Many local volunteers responded to this news by making and donating cloth masks to medical facilities and nursing homes.

Edgar County went several weeks without any positive tests creating a false opinion among some residents this area was too rural and too isolated for COVID-19 to make its way here. That illusion was shattered May 29, when the Edgar County Public Health Department announced a citizen tested positive.

The first case in Edgar County occurred at the same time the state lifted some restrictions and allowed restaurants to begin serving outside.

Following directives from the Illinois Supreme Court that masks must be worn in courtrooms, the Edgar County Courthouse locked all doors except for the basement door on the northside drive. The one-door entry system made it easier for newly-placed security

personnel to monitor mask wearing by those entering the building. The new measures also banned visitors from entering with backpacks and phones as security issues.

Spread of the disease was initially slow with the weekly rate of new cases remaining low in the early phase of the local pandemic experience, but it continued to gain momentum over time. The first hospitalization of a county resident did not occur until late June or early July.

By late July, the Edgar County school districts were planning on a return to classroom teaching when school resumed in a few weeks. Those plans included a provision allowing continued remote learning for families whose parents did not want to risk their childrens health by sending them back into the classroom.

Hope that Edgar County might be spared the ravages other parts of the country experienced dimmed by the first week of September with the report two local residents died from COVID-19. The county was also placed on the states warning list because of the rising number of cases accompanied by an increasing percentage of people testing positive.

COVID-19 prompted changes in the election. Edgar County Clerk and Recorder August Griffin was forced to search for a new polling place in September to serve Paris precincts 8, 9, 10 and 12 after the First United Methodist Church declined to continue serving due to concerns about letting people into the building. An expanded interest for voting by mail was another issue Griffins office confronted. Nearly 1,100 requests for mail-in ballots were received by early September. Griffin reported after the election 8,251 people voted in Edgar County and 48% of those ballots were cast as either mail-in or early voting at the courthouse.

The Chrisman, Crestwood and Kansas School districts managed to complete the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year without a return to remote learning. High absenteeism due to students and faculty being sick or quarantined after contact tracing forced both Paris 95 and Shiloh to implement periods of remote learning, especially in December when local COVID-19 cases were rapidly escalating.

By November, it was common to set new weekly highs for new cases. The new positive case numbers for a single week broke 100 for the first time during the week between Nov. 12 and Nov. 20. A new record came about three weeks later with 171 new cases between Dec. 5 and Dec. 10. The following week set another record with 200 new cases between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18.

Also in late November, the rising number of cases in Edgar County and adjacent areas are putting a strain on local health care facilities. Paris Community Hospital opened a special COVID-19 unit to treat people when larger regional hospitals were unable to accept new patients. COVID-19 patients at Paris needed more care than was possible at home but did not require a ventilator.

The final week of the year brought the good news the COVID-19 vaccine was starting to arrive in the county. Nursing home residents and medical professional were first to get inoculated. A staged immunization was announced for others as more vaccine becomes available.

During the 26 weeks from the first local case until 2020 closed, 1,439 Edgar County residents were diagnosed with COVID-19 and 1,310 of those people were deemed as recovered. Unfortunately, the disease claimed 42 lives in the county as of Dec. 31.

Business news

GSI started a $10 million project in January to add a 150,000 square-foot expansion to the facility on state Route 133. When completed the expansion will add approximately 50 new jobs at the manufacturing plant. Part of the work involved the City of Paris receiving a $904,200 Community Development Block Grant to move Stratton Drive to accommodate the expansion. Work on that project was ongoing at the end of the year.

Going into space became a possibility for a Paris business. Aero-Gen-TEK was selected by SpaceX, a private space exploration company headed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, to fabricate four exhaust nozzles. If SpaceX is satisfied with the quality of the work, orders for nozzles to use on the companys Dragon command craft and Falcon rockets, and perhaps on craft destined for the ambitious Mars mission are a possibility in the future.

The Fizz Soda Shop & Eatery opened in May on Main Street. The drive-up facility created by Trisha Vitale offers a variety of standard and customized flavored drinks.

Another new business opened in Paris when Dee Burgin and his family converted a home on the lake to an upscale pet resort where people can board their pets while out of town. In addition to boarding, the facility offers professional grooming, doggie day care and an area where pet owners can come to conveniently bathe their animals.

Paris finally got a hotel with the opening of a Hampton Inn, part of the Hilton Worldwide Hotel Enterprise, in late November. The new hotel is a prototype for the Hampton Inn formula by incorporating long-term stay suites in addition to regular hotel rooms. Completion of the build was delayed by COVID-19 with shortages of building materials and some contractors having staff sick or quarantined.

Monthly highlights

In the Jan. 25 issue The multi-year effort to bring the Chrisman wastewater treatment plant into compliance with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regulations achieves substantial completion. While some work was left to finish, the revamped plant goes into service with a different treatment process and safeguards to keep excess water during heavy rains from overpowering the facility.

In the Jan. 25 issue Paris High School makes the switch from having two interim principals to one full-time administrator. It was announced assistant principal Mark Cox was promoted to the principals position starting July 1.

In the Jan. 25 issue Paris Fire Captain Zack Janis was severely injured after falling through a floor during a structure fire. The back injury kept Janis off the job for several months, but he did return to duty.

In the Feb. 15 issue A new adult education program though the Paris 95 School District has its first graduate. The program gives adults who did not graduate high school as teenagers the opportunity to complete course work and earn a diploma.

In the March 21 issue Local voters say yes to referendum questions and approve paying more local taxes. A 1% safety tax was approved to address staffing needs for the Edgar County Sheriffs Department, issues at the jail and perhaps eventually a new jail. The safety tax is a sales tax on some, but not all purchases, and is anticipated to generate $1 million.

Residents of Northern Edgar County approved the establishment of a special service area with an accompanying property tax to help fund ambulance service in Young America, Ross, Prairie, Brouilletts Creek, Edgar and Shiloh townships.

In the April 11 issue The Edgar County Board votes to partner with the Coles County Regional Planning Authority to seek a $150,000 United States Department of Agriculture grant for funding a study of future needs at the Edgar County Jail. The county closed the jail Dec. 1, 2019, following an Illinois Department of Corrections inspection that concluded with a threat of legal action because of the countys continued failure to staff the facility with an adequate number of corrections officers. The countys insurance provider also announced it was no longer covering the jail due to policy and management concerns.

In the May 2 issue The remains of Kimberly Mattingly, 29, Paris, were found in Effingham County after she was reported missing in April. Police arrested Christopher E. Glass, 36, and Aaron M. Kaiser, 37. A jury found Kaiser guilty of a Class 3 felony of concealing a homicidal death, and he is currently housed at the Graham Correctional Center serving an eight-year prison sentence. Glass, who remains in the Effingham County Jail, has not yet gone to trial.

In the June 6 issue The City of Chrisman takes steps to control livestock. The new measure banned residents from keeping equine, bovine and swine within city limits. Residents, however, were allowed a maximum of three dogs, three cats, six fowl and three goats.

In the June 13 issue The Edgar County Board acted to delay the date when property taxes were due and to defer when interest penalties applied in the effort to help residents facing economic difficulties because of the COVID-19 shut down and loss of work.

In the June 13 issue Brocton Police Chief Ray Sollars receives a letter of commendation for coordinating the search that saved a womans life. The Brocton resident was out of town when she had an allergic reaction that did not respond to her EpiPen. The womans husband called Sollars when he was unsuccessful in providing a location to other emergency personnel.

Sollars coordinated a search using Edgar County 911, the Edgar County Sheriffs Department, Vigo County, Indiana, 911 and other Indiana emergency services. The couple was located between Shirkieville and Libertyville, Ind.

In the June 20 issue After extensive work inside the Edgar County Jail along with the hiring of new personnel and implementing improved training, Edgar County cleared the last hurdle in reopening the jail.

Insurance Program Managers Group authorized the return of property and liability coverage at the jail. The ability to reopen the jail stopped the expense of housing local inmates in other facilities. Between Dec. 1, 2019, and May 31, the county spent $149,336 to house people in other jails. That amount did not include time and transportation costs in taking prisoners out of county or hauling them back and forth for court appearances.

In the June 20 issue The Chrisman City Council authorized changing the police chief position from part-time to full-time and eventually hired Tom Dolan as the new chief.

In the July 3 issue The Kansas Police Department becomes the first law enforcement agency in Edgar County to adopt the BolaWrap, non-lethal restraining device. Police Chief Jeff Goodwin told village board members the new device does not cause pain or chemical irritation but is a quick way to subdue a non-compliant person from a safe distance.

The device propels an eight-foot cord that can tangle a suspects feet or pin the arms against the torso. Goodwin said the binding is not so tight as to cause blood restriction, choking or breathing difficulties while giving officers time to move in with handcuffs.

He described the BolaWrap as a tool to use in situations where a firearm or baton may be excessive. He also anticipates the new device will reduce a need to resort to pepper spray and Tasers which cause pain.

In the July 11 issue A heated Brocton village board meeting discussed concerns that plans for new water mains in half of the village utilized flush hydrants rather than standard fire hydrants. The matter was referred back to engineer Lee Beckman to determine if there was a way in the financing to change out the flush hydrants for fire hydrants. Subsequently, an additional $48,000 loan was secured from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development program to cover the additional expense for fire hydrants.

In the Aug. 1 issue Edgar County is ahead of the game in emergency response. The Edgar County Emergency Telephone System (911) made the switch to Next Generation Dispatching with digital equipment capable of incorporating Geographical Information System (GIS) data to provide first responders with much more information about a location than just a physical address. Next Generation Dispatching is both a state and federal requirement, but all localities have not made the switch.

In the Aug. 8 issue After some delays caused by material shortages as a result of the pandemic, repairs and upgrades are finished at the Edgar County Jail and inmates start coming back into the facility after being housed in other jails.

In the Aug. 15 issue Longtime Paris City Council member Steve Kemper resigns after being arrested and charged with two Class 1 felonies and a Class 2 felony alleging sexual abuse of a minor. Kemper has not yet gone to trial.

In the Sept. 12 issue Horizon Health opens a new Life Center building. The new building houses Horizon Healths Senior Care program and provides administrative offices and treatment space for the Human Resources Center of Edgar and Clark Counties.

In the Sept. 26 issue Horizon Health announces another expansion at the campus on East Court Street with construction of a new, two-story, 32,000 square-foot building. Plans for the building are to move the family-practice providers to the first floor and hold the second floor empty for possible future expansion.

In the Oct. 10 issue A fundraising campaign by Friends of Edgar County Law Enforcement generates $60,000 to supply every police officer in Edgar County with improved body armor and a helmet.

In the Oct. 17 issue Multiple field fires during a hot, dry and windy day during harvest damaged hundreds of acres of standing corn and soybeans. The fires covered such an extensive area that multiple fire departments in Edgar County and adjacent areas were engaged in stopping the blazes. Local firefighters said they had never seen anything like it, and the smoke was so intense it was picked up by weather radar in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In the Oct. 24 issue A fatal apartment fire occurred in Paris. Larry Arrasmith, 54, died when a fire started in the kitchen of his apartment. The autopsy found the cause of death was a combination of thermal exposure, smoke inhalation and cardiac arrest. Evidence at the scene indicates Arrasmith was overcome and died while trying to get out of the apartment.

In the Oct. 31 issue The Paris City Council approves a new ordinance targeting unkempt properties by prohibiting the accumulation of material that presents a danger to the health and safety of residents by attracting vermin.

In the Nov. 7 issue Contractors for Ameren are busy installing lines on the Illinois Rivers High-Voltage Transmission line crossing Southern Edgar County. Construction efforts were hampered by a legal challenge residents of the area mounted seeking to stop the line. The legal effort ended when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take the case.

In the Nov. 7 issue Only one local race was on the Nov. 3 ballot. First-time Republican candidate Russ Lawton defeated incumbent Edgar County Board Member John Chittick, who ran as an independent. Local voters gave overwhelming support for the re-election of President Donald Trump, who lost nationally by more than 7 million votes to Joe Biden.

Nov. 28 issue The Edgar County Board declares a moratorium on accepting applications for wind farm developments to give the board time to replace an outdated ordinance.

Dec. 12 issue A new fire engine for the Paris Fire Department is approved by the Paris City Council. Fire Chief Brian Gates located a demonstration model Alexis Fire Equipment was willing to sell at an almost $200,000 savings.

Dec. 19 issue In what is becoming an annual tradition, the Paris City Council abated $700,000 in taxes for residents. The tax is attached to general obligation bonds the city sold for improvements to the water and sewer operations but revenue in those two departments continues to be sufficient to pay the bond debt through cash flow without the need for levying the tax.

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2020 was a year for the history books - prairiepress.net