Breese Journal began a century of covering county’s happenings
Left: Erwin “E.J.” Mahlandt (left) with employee Bernie Zinn, as seen in this photo from 1926; Center: Co-editors Vicky Albers (on left) and Debbie Rehg (now Vahlkamp) work on an edition of the Breese Journal in this photograph from about 25 years ago at the downtown offices prior to moving to the west side of town; Right: Breese Journal reporter Kelly Jo Ross and editor Bryan Hunt look over the front page of the Feb. 20, 2020, newspaper, being laid out on Tuesday. Raggedy Andy.
Something called Rubbermaid.
Traffic signals.
The 18th and 19th Amendments.
The National Football League.
The Breese Journal.
These objects and institutions are among dozens that mark 100 years of existence in 2020.
The Breese Journal's first copy left the press in February 1921.
Now, a century later, along with this issue, marks a testament to the longevity of, and one's longing for, the printed word.
The Breese Journal, over the decades, has evolved from an eight-page paper that was printed one side at a time and had over 400 subscribers, to its current form: a weekly paper with total distribution of 4,406 in circulation.
But the newspaper is but a small part of what the Breese Journal & Publishing Company is.
As the name entails, publishing is a large part of what this company does today.
Its modern printing plant houses eight offset presses, among them units with four-color capabilities, digital typesetting and 131 employees — between printing and trucking operations — who produce hundreds of publications, ranging from other newspapers to phone books, college pamphlets to glossy tabloid magazines.
Erwin Mahlandt worked as an apprentice to Guy C. Stearns, the one-time editor of the Breese Journal.
Following Stearns' departure, the paper was taken over in 1923 by Frank Dexter and Ross Harle of Missouri.
Their partnership continued for only a few months; Harle would take over Dexter's interest in the publication.
Mahlandt would purchase the paper from William Ragen, the Clinton County sheriff at the time, at a foreclosure sale on May 6, 1923, conducted by the State Bank of Breese.
A Chatham man was sentenced to prison time after pleading guilty to stealing from local churches.
Thomas Munoz, 52, appeared in Clinton County Circuit Court last Wednesday morning, Feb. 12, before Judge Joel Powless.
Per a negotiated plea, Munoz was sentenced to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two counts of Class 1 felony residential burglary.
Munoz was also placed on two years of mandatory supervised release, ordered to pay a $250 fine and restitution in the amount of $230 to St. Rose Catholic Church.
Munoz and a co-defendant, Hettie S. Colburn, 22, were both charged in January with stealing from rectories at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Germantown and St. Rose Catholic Church in St. Rose.
On Dec. 22, 2019, Munoz and Colburn allegedly entered the rectory of St. Boniface Church in Germantown with the intent to commit a theft. On Jan. 1, Munoz and Colburn allegedly entered the rectory at St. Rose Church with the intent to commit a theft. Munoz and Colburn were both charged with two counts of Class 1 felony residential burglary.
Munoz also was charged with criminal damage to property, a Class A misdemeanor, for allegedly damaging a door at the St. Rose rectory, however, per the negotiated plea, the charge was dismissed.
Detective Todd Timmermann with the Clinton County Sheriff's Department said that Munoz and Colburn allegedly stole two autographed baseballs from the Germantown rectory that have since been recovered.
Items also were stolen from other area parishes, including fleece blankets and oatmeal, however, additional charges have not been filed.
Timmermann said that a suspect was in the rectory during church services in St. Rose on New Year's Day when a maintenance man allegedly saw a male suspect exit the rectory.
"He (the maintenance man) was able to follow the suspect's vehicle and got the license plate number and we were able to get the information," Timmermann had said.
Colburn is set for an appearance in court on Feb. 26 at 11 a.m.
Cougars win Carlyle Regional title
Left: Heading to the sectional — The Central Cougars girls basketball team poses after claiming the Class 2A Carlyle Regional title with a win over Piasa Southwestern last Thursday night. (Photo by Bruce Hixon); Right: Five in a row — The Mater Dei Lady Knights basketball team celebrates after winning the Class 2A Gillespie Regional title last Thursday night. (Photo by Jeremy Chawgo) The Central Cougars girls basketball team claimed their eighth regional title in the past 10 seasons before seeing their season come to a close in the Class 2A Greenville Sectional on Monday.
The Cougars took down Salem and Piasa Southwestern to claim the Class 2A Carlyle Regional title before falling to Pleasant Plains in the Greenville Sectional.
The Cougars finished the season with a 22-8 record and they were the Cahokia Conference champs with a perfect 10-0 record.
Pleasant Plains 51, Central 37: The Cardinals led for all but three minutes in the contest as they came out firing from beyond the arc.
Plains connected on 6-of-14 in the first half and never trailed in the second half.
Central hit a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter from seniors Emma Wuest and Grace Boeschen along with another from junior Miah Weems.
However, Plains junior Asya Smith hit a pair of 3-pointers of her own while Caroline Jachino hit another as PPHS led 14-9 after the first quarter.
Jachino and Anna Kanllakan hit 3-pointers in the second quarter for the Cardinals while Central managed just a 3-pointer from Chloe Book and a layup from Wuest as they trailed 26-16 at the half.
Central would never get the deficit to single digits in the third quarter and trailed 34-23 entering the fourth quarter. Wuest had another 3-pointer in the frame for CHS.
Plains hit 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final quarter to seal the victory. The Cougars got a 3-pointer from sophomore Madelyn Santel and a conventional 3-pointer from freshman Haley Ottenschnieder but they never got back into the contest.
| Fri., Feb. 14 | 452.29 |
| Sun., Feb. 16 | 451.98 |
| Tues., Feb. 18 | 451.59 |
| Feb. 12 | .49" |
| Feb. 13 | .49" |
| Feb. 14 | .00" |
| Feb. 15 | .00" |
| Feb. 16 | .00" |
| Feb. 17 | .00" |
| Feb. 18 | .09" |
