Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 3

www.lg-tc.com JG-TC THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 201 3 A3 local 'BENefit' planned to honor Newton's life 26-year-old sought In bar burglary ASHMORE (JG-TC) An arrest warrant has been issued for an Edgar County by Newton's fellow Knights of Columbus members and drinks, the release says. Individuals or businesses Bro. Insurance Agency, 1220 Charleston Ave. "He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a grandson, a best 1 friend to many and just an incredible human being," Schilling said. "This is a tight-knit community, and as this shot has damaged the heart of the community, as well as put a whole in the very social fabric that Ben helped to strengthen, I think it only appropriate that we take notice of this life," he said.

Those who cannot attend the event but would still like to contribute should send donations to 5 Pinehurst Drive, Mattoon, IL 61938. For more information, call Justin Horath at 217-254-5594 or Jordan Schilling at Newton, 33, was shot in the face at close range while he was tending bar around 7:40 p.m. March 18 at Toaster's Pub, 1408 Broadway Ave. Mattoon Police Department Chief Jeff Branson said previously that the investigation showed that money was taken from the tavern but the amount hadn't been determined. Newton's death and the robbery were discovered when customers arrived at the tavern minutes after the shooting, he said.

The suspect in the case remains at large "The life that was taken was not only in the heart of the town, but also a piece of its heart," Schilling wrote. Newton spent his life helping others in the Mattoon com munity and always gave without expecting anything in turn, Schilling added. Newton donated his time to raise funds for Camp New Hope, Big BrothersBig Sisters and various other organizations. "As fate would have it, he was helping someone else out by working the night he was shot," Schilling said. "He wasn't even supposed to be there, but his kind heart of course wouldn't let him say 'no' to helping out a co-worker and friend." His family said previously that Newton was working a 6-8 p.m.

shift for a friend the night he was killed. He had worked part-time at the bar for about a year, but was a full-time employee at Dimond Newton wanting to donate items for the auction are asked to drop them off today or at 1 p.m. Friday at the Mattoon V.F.W, 1220 South 19th St. "Last Monday in the 7 o'clock hour, in the heart of this city a shot rang out. Though no one heard it at the time, its damage and pain has been felt through this town and through cities near and far since it rang out," Schilling wrote.

MATTOON (JG-TC) The friends and family of Benjamin Newton are planning a benefit from 1-6 p.m. Saturday at the Mattoon V.F.W. Post 4325 as a memorial of his life and his mission to give back to the community. We're calling this 'The BENefit' in honor of our friend," organizer Jordan Schilling wrote in a release about the event. "We'd like to honor Ben and keep his legacy of helping others alive through his memory." Funds raised during the event will be given to Camp New Hope, Big BrothersBig Sisters and serve as an education fund for Newton's nephews.

There will be a silent auction, live music from Res-onation Station, food provided 7( IS Ym Eastern Illinois University student Leura Boldig, a Mattoon native, is Blair Hall on campus In Charleston. internship to Ghana insight into poverty Submitted photo Laura Boldig visits with young people during a daily outreach visit to one of the many villages in Ghana where she worked during her internship with Unite for Sight. man in connection with the burglary of an Ashmore tavern in January. A video surveillance recording at Blair The Place tavern helped lead to the identification of the suspect as William Ryan Blair, 26, of Kansas, according to a news release from the Coles County Sheriff's Office. The release said the burglary was reported on Jan.

16. shortly after the tavern opened for the day. It said the tavern was broken into an an undetermined amount of cash was taken. EIU observatory open Friday CHARLESTON (JG-TC) The public is invited to observe Jupiter and Orion from Eastern Illinois University's observatory at 8 p.m. Friday.

Eastern's observatory features a state-of-the-art, 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and is located southwest of the Campus Pond. For a campus map, see http:www.eiu.edumap. Even if it's cloudy, the facility will still be open for tours, a press release said. For more information, call the physics department at 217-581-3220. Protesters march against school closures BY SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO Hundreds of teachers, parents and other opponents marched through downtown Wednesday, vowing to fight a plan to close 54 Chicago Public Schools, despite Mayor Rahm Emanuel's comments that he's done negotiating and the closings are essentially a done deal.

Emanuel and schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett say the nation's third-largest district must close dozens of schools because CPS faces a $1 billion budget shortfall and has too many schools that are half-empty and failing academically. At a rally before the march, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called the closings "injustices" and said lawsuits are planned. Other speakers called for state and federal lawmakers to intervene. "There are many ways that you can show that this is not over," Lewis told the protesters, whose march filled the street and stretched a full city block. "On the first day of school you show up at your real school.

Don't let these people take your school." Stopping in front of City Hall, the protesters chanted "Save our Schools" and called for Emanuel's ouster. More than 100 people who had planned to be arrested sat down in the middle of the street, where they continued chanting until police cleared them from the area and issued citations. Retired teacher Gloria Warner, 62, was among those sitting arm-in-arm with other protesters in the roadway, which was blocked off to rush hour traffic. "We need the mayor and CPS to invest in our schools, not take them away," the grandmother of two CPS students said. "We need our schools for the safety of our children." A group of Chicago ministers also went to City Hall on Wednesday to deliver a letter asking Emanuel to halt the ft I In.

in i urn Student's gives her BY SAMANTHA BILHARZ JG-TC Staff Writer CHARLESTON Laura Boldig's internship with Unite for Sight took her on a two-month excursion to Ghana, which was a trip that the Mattoon native says she will never forget. Boldig, 23, a senior health studies major at Eastern Illinois University, was required to complete an internship in order to graduate in May and said she knew she wanted more out of her internship that's when she found Unite for Sight. "Going to Africa was more appealing to me because I wanted to experience something completely different I went on the trip with an open Ken TrevarthanStaff Photographer pictured Tuesday afternoon at were blind or had severe eye problems," Boldig said. "For me, knowing they have access to this care only once a year when we come to their village was so shocking that they didn't have these resources like we do it was eye-opening and made me appreciate what I have." In addition to her work with Unite for Sight, Boldig also was able to venture off to see the Ghana sights. She went on a safari, visited a national park, climbed a mountain, went on a canopy walk and saw a waterfall.

"The trip was a very humbling experience and when I was there I truly felt like I was a part of Ghana," Boldig said. "It was a growing experience, pending, as are the cases against the other suspects: Chad E. Lucas, 38, whose address on record is 744 12th Charleston, and William L. Reeves, 43, for whom records list a Decatur address. In other cases in court recently, guilty pleas were also entered by: Kyle B.

Grikmanis, 20, for whom records list an address of 409 W. Hayes Charleston, to a delivery of cannabis charge alleging he sold no more than an ounce of marijuana on Oct. 18. A possession with intent to deliver charge accusing Grikmanis of planning to sell between an ounce and about a pound of the drug was dismissed. He received two years of first offender probation, a sentence that means he won't have a record of a conviction if he follows requirements.

Probation terms included substance abuse treatment and more than $2,400 in fines, including about $1,300 to rep deal reached tors are optimistic the deal will be accepted. The employees went on strike for three days earlier Woman admits to meth charges, gets prison time mm ern students in hopes of getting others involved in the non-profit organization. After graduation in May, Boldig said she doesn't exactly know what she wants to do as a career. As of right now she is an assistant manager at Maurices in Mattoon, but hopes to continue to travel and maybe even work with Unite for Sight again or with various other non-profit groups. "I have always been interested in helping people I would love to work for a non-profit and travel the world," she said.

"I don't know exactly what I want to do but I know it will all fall into place Contact Bilharz at or 21 7-238-6839. months in jail. Circuit Judge James Glenn accepted a plea agreement that Assistant State's Attorney Gabe Siehr and Public Defender Lonnie Lutz recommended. Dylan S. Schedin, 19, of Mokena to a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge alleging he was intoxicated while driving a car he took without permission in Charleston on Sept.

14. A felony charge of possession of a stolen vehicle was dismissed and Schedin received two years of court supervision, so he won't have a conviction record if he fol-. lows requirements. Those included substance abuse treatment and $1,580 in fines. Shick accepted a plea agreement that Assistant State's Attorney Rob Scales and defense attorney Todd Rear-don recommended.

Contact Fopay at or 21 7-238-6858. NOTICES Readers CASTLE INN i VIDEO GAMING MACHINES ON! Stop in today and play i while enjoying $1.50 domestic I DTT LIKE NU SALE IN MALL i $1 Admit on Thurs. nite i Fri 8am-7pm i Sat 12 price, 1 1am-noon is $2 bag sale where I felt like I learned a lot about myself it felt good to be independent and survive on my own." Once Boldig returned to the United States after her trip, she said she wishes she could have stayed longer. "I miss the people in Ghana everyone was so friendly, helpful and willing to help us with anything because they were so grateful for what we were doing," Boldig said. I didn't want to go home after a few months.

I could have stayed a lot longer." Once back in Mattoon, Boldig was asked to be a campus ambassador for Unite for Sight. Boldig's job as an ambassador is to spread the word of Unite for Sight to East resent the value of the marijuana involved. Jail time was also imposed but stayed, meaning Grikmanis won't have to serve it if he complies with his probation terms. Shick accepted a plea agreement that Hitchings and defense attorney Chris Wetzel recommended. Anthony M.

Malabehar, 47, for whom records list an address of 1721 DeWitt Mattoon, to a theft charge alleging he refused to pay a nearly $100 bill for food and drinks at Hunan Restaurant in Mattoon on Feb. 2. The charge, normally a misdemeanor, was a felony because Malabehar has a prior theft conviction from Cook County. He received a year of conditional discharge, a form of supervision similar to probation but with fewer restrictions. Terms of the sentence included paying restitution to the restaurant as well as a $200 fine along with about two with of I this month.

The union negotiated with the university since last spring over wages and other issues. mind," Boldig said. Unite for Sight is a non-profit organization that pairs with local medical professionals to provide eye care to people living in villages in Ghana, India and Honduras, who are living in extreme poverty. According to the Unite for Sight website, the organization has provided eye care services to more than 1.3 million people worldwide, which includes more than 55,000 sight-restoring surgeries. Boldig was in Ghana from May 7 to July 1 and volunteered for Unite for Sight every day, where she would conduct patient intake and visual acuity for up to 350 patients a day.

"It was hard to see people come in and you could tell they ufacturing process. Charges alleging she had cold medicine with pseudoephedrine, which is a methamphetamine ingredient, and some of the drug were dismissed. Herrera also admitted violating terms of the four-year probation sentence she received in August 2011 for a methamphetamine precursor conviction. She was resentenced in that case to four years in prison, which Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick ordered to run at the same time as the sentence for the newer offense. Shick sentenced Herrera based on a the terms of a plea agreement that Assistant State's Attorney Bryant Hitch-ings and defense attorney Jeannine Garrett recommended.

Co-defendants in the case include Michael E. Armer, 36, whose address on record is 203 E. Main Trilla, and is where the drug operation was reportedly found. His case is Wednesday the union's bargaining committee recommended that employees approve the four-year offer from the university. A vote is set for Thursday and Friday.

Rosen declined to provide details on the offer. University spokeswoman Kaler says administra BY DAVE FOPAY JG-TC Staff Writer CHARLESTON A woman on probation from an earlier methamphetamine conviction received prison time when she admitted to taking part in making the drug in November. Crystal L. Herrera, 30, whose address on record is 821 N. 15th pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine manufacturing materials.

She was one of four people arrested at a Trilla residence after police records indicate that methamphetamine and drug materials were found there on Nov. 5. With the agreement reached in her case, Herrera received a four-year prison sentence for the offense that could have resulted in a three- to 14-year prison term, though prison time wasn't required. The charge to which she pleaded guilty accused her of having the lithium batteries, coffee filters and other materials needed for the drug man Union: Workers tentative CHAMPAIGN (AP) The union representing about 800 building and food service workers who went on strike at the University of Illinois this month says it has reached a tentative deal with the school. Adam Rosen is a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union.

He said BREAKING NEWS, COMMENTARY, MULTIMEDIA MORE .1.