Left: Carl Ratermann, Gary Usselmann, Timothy Schleper and Jason Davinroy are sworn in as Breese City Council aldermen by police chief Bob Fix. Right: Breese Mayor Charlie Hilmes (left) congratulates alderman Paul Steinman on his 8 years of service to the city of Breese. (Photos by Melissa Wilkinson) Paul Steinman issued a fond farewell to his compatriots on the Breese City Council last Tuesday, May 7 during a regular council meeting. Steinman officially retired from his position as Ward 3 alderman after losing a re-election campaign to newcomer Timothy Schleper in early April.
“I just wanted to say thank you very much for the years you’ve spent here,” said Breese mayor Charlie Hilmes. “People truly don’t realize the time that it takes. Congratulations Paul; it’s been a pleasure working with you.”
Schleper was sworn in alongside Jason Davinroy (Ward 1), Carl Ratermann (Ward 2) and Gary Usselmann (Ward 3), all of whom were re-elected in April’s election.
Drawing contact — Central senior Allyson Fehrmann works the ball into the offensive zone against the defense of Father McGivney’s Jayde Speight in the first half of the Cougars’ 3-0, postseason win last Wednesday. Fehrmann had two goals. (Photo by Jeremy Chawgo)
It was a two-year drought, but Mater Dei head soccer coach Jesse Essenpreis and the Lady Knights returned to glory after winning the Class 1A Central Regional title.
The Lady Knights won five-straight regionals from 2012-2016 before dropping the last two.
“When you win a few regionals in a row, you think it is just going to happen all of the time,” said Jesse Essenpreis. “You really enjoy the one when you have not won one in awhile.”
Mater Dei had no trouble in their semifinal tilt with Salem before having to come back from a 1-goal deficit in their title win over rival Central on Friday.
Mater Dei defeated Central 4-0 earlier in the season where they also had a 2-2 draw with the Cougars.
With the win over the Cougars, the Lady Knights moved to the Althoff Regional semifinal where they will face the host Crusaders on Tuesday.
Mater Dei is now 12-11-2 on the season while Althoff sits at 20-4-1. The Crusaders defeated Mater Dei 4-1 on April 24.
Central ended the season with an 8-8-1 record after winning their first six matches. They dropped eight of their last 11 matches.
Mater Dei 3, Central 1: The Cougars got off to a good start before the Lady Knights controlled the final 60 minutes.
Mater Dei has not dropped a match to the Cougars in 24 matches dating back to a 1-0 win for the Cougars on May 5, 2007.
Central had a good vibe going on early in the match when they took a 1-0 lead when Cassidy Kretschmer sent a crossing pass to freshman Ocean Reinhardt who sent the ball into the net with 29:07 left on the first-half clock.
“Marking was a bit of an issue for us today and they made us pay for that right off the bat,” said Mater Dei head coach Jesse Essenpreis. “They put a nice ball across the box and their girl finished it. It was a good play by them.”
Upper left: The original St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese before renovations, circa 1897-1926. Upper right: Sister Mary Charles Rydzewski welcomes a little boy to the open house, April 19 and April 20, 1969. Bottom: The bare bones of the current St. Joseph’s Hospital location during construction in the 1960s. This Friday, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese is celebrating 50 years of medical care in its current building on Holy Cross Lane. April 26 marked the official anniversary and HSHS is inviting the public to join in on the fun. From noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, May 17, visitors can join hospital staff in the Heritage Room for historical displays, video commentary, snacks and refreshments, all in celebration of five decades of community service at their current location.
“If you look back to 1897 when St. Joseph’s Hospital started through today, the one thing that continues to be a consistent message is that not only the community of Breese but this region of Illinois has demonstrated a continued commitment to our hospital,” said hospital president and CEO Chris Klay. “The evidence starts with Elizabeth Speckman.”
The hospital’s current building is not its first. Breese widow Elizabeth Speckman died in 1890, leaving nine acres of land in downtown Breese and $1,500 to the city in order to build the original hospital. The parishioners of St. Dominics Catholic Church in Breese took up the cause and, seven years and $18,000 later, the 2.5 story brick building was complete.
The facility was dedicated to St. Joseph by the Most Rev. John Janssen, the first bishop of the Belleville diocese, and the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ served as sponsors until withdrawing in 1917.
| Fri., May 10 |
445.41 |
| Sun., May 12 | 445.64 |
| Tues., May 14 | 445.71 |
| May 8 | .00" |
| May 9 | .80" |
| May 10 | .00" |
| May 11 |
.00" |
| May 12 | .43" |
| May 13 | .01" |
| May 14 | .00" |
