Letters to the Editor

Plea for justice

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board had scheduled a hearing to consider Robert Turner for clemency! To say I am astounded is no measure of the outrage I am feeling. By rights, this man would have been dead long ago except for the actions of one of our renowned Illinois governors. That was all the clemency he should have ever had and should not really have had that.

The Drobneys have stated that they were never notified of this hearing. It is an example of the high handed tactics of government organizations to overturn the rights of citizens to determine the fate of criminals after legal processes. It is the holier-than-thou attitude of the far left which makes victims of the victimizers. I say this as a moderate Democrat.

Turner and his brothers were on a sex-fueled and whatever else was going on with them mission in their murderous torture and slaying of a young girl who was trying to obey the law when they stopped and brutalized her. My little nieces played at the time near Cahokia Creek in sight of the place where they, or at least Robert, worked as a handyman. I shudder to think of what might have happened if this cowardly trio had had the cover of darkness to get them.

What are Illinois legislators thinking? Why is his sentence up for review? What twisted logic is at work here? Why are such sub-groups allowed to make these kinds of decisions based on their political leanings? Is it because elected officials are so hot to stay in office for all the perks it brings, they are unwilling to review clemency pleas on their own? Surely with their staff, for which we pay, they have the manpower. If there are miscarriages of justice in sentencing needing fixing there are other means besides turning miscreants and sub-humans on the street to kill or maim again.

PLEASE do not grant clemency and please rethink your commitment. PLEASE notify injured parties in time for such hearings. I understand that your project’s motto is, “We fight against regressive policies, racist practices, and a system that treats people as disposable.” Do you see the irony here? Didn’t the Turners treat Bridget as disposable? Does the fact that she’s dead (at their hands and with their weapons) make her undeserving of justice?

Hulda Black

P.S. I have sent this letter to the above mentioned Board. Through the efforts of the Drobney family and those who supported them, the hearing has been delayed. Now is the time to act at the ballot box regarding what is happening in Illinois and across the country. I believe we, the average citizens, are standing aside, in puzzlement and fear, watching all our institutions crumble in the battle for power between the far left and far right. And we all know what it is that corrupts.

Appreciates Grandma Ali’s Daycare

I have so much that I can say about “Grandma Ali’s Daycare.” When I first moved to town two years ago, I was very nervous and skeptical about picking a new daycare for my then 2-year-old. After lots of prayers, Ali came as a recommendation to us from a family member. She knew of Ali from her church and said that I should give her a try because she was a super sweet lady.

Ali is an in-home daycare, which I had not used for my kiddos in the past, so it was a little different for me. After I met her in her home, I was still a bit nervous since her house was a little small and I was worried about the kids having enough space to do activities and having enough things to do, but I decided to go ahead and give her a shot. Let me just tell you, NEVER judge a book by its cover. This woman and her husband have been nothing short of a Godsend to my family. We absolutely love them. My now 4-year-old knew the “Pledge of Allegiance” without help by the time she was 3, they pray before meals, she has never once cried when she had to go to Grandma Ali’s and she always talks about how much fun she has there, even during her learning lessons time.

My 14-year-old also loves to go over to Ali’s on swim days to help in the pool with all the littles. I applaud Ali as well, because even after a long exhausting day, she takes classes at night to keep up on certain certificates, so she can go above and beyond for our children.

There is a national ExceleRate Program that is set up to help give childcare providers a specific process to pursue continuous quality and all DCFS State Licensed Daycares are green which is great. Ali is on a Bronze in this program and is currently the only in-home daycare ABOVE green in all of Macoupin County. The college classes that she takes at night are to help her work towards Silver, but no matter what, she will always be Gold to us. She has not only been a daycare provider, but she and her husband have become a part of our family. She and her husband attend birthday parties (and have one of their own for each kid at the daycare) and evening ball games for my older kiddos, all on their own time.What daycare provider do you know that does that?

From the ABCs, the 123s, to the “I love Yous,” the giggles, and the boo boo kisses, she is the absolute best. The amount of effort and work that she puts in each and every day with our kiddos goes without saying how much she truly loves every one of her littles as her own. We cannot ever thank Ali enough for all that she has done and all that she continues to do on a daily basis for us. We love you, Grandma Ali and Grandpa Kenny.

Love,

the Easley-Gray Family

City Gets ready for a fun weekend

The Staunton Firemen’s Picnic is this weekend. We thank all the firemen for their hard work. We appreciate their dedication and work to help keep our city safe all year, but maybe especially at picnic time for making our city fun.

Staunton city crews have been working very hard – cutting grass, pouring new sidewalks, etc., besides all their other daily duties with water lines, water breaks and road repairs. Hats off to all of them for their hard work. They are always working to make Staunton shine – especially at parade time.

IDOT has been in town working on East Main deep ditches to help move flood water faster. Even the junk dealer came back to cut the grass around his property.

City officials and our Police Department are making decisions daily to keep Staunton in line all the time.

Dennis and his crew at City Hall do a great job always making things happen. Next time you stop in and pay your water bill, give them a thanks for all they do – a Thank You hurts no one.

Being Code Enforcement officer for almost two years now and Zoning Administrator almost six months, I am amazed at what it takes to run this city. We should all be very proud of each and every one involved to make this happen.

For this upcoming Firemen's Celebration weekend and then 4th of July weekend, I am asking each and every Staunton resident to work together to make their property look its best. Rent or own – it is still your home.

Thank You,

Brad Miller