Monthly Archives: May 2010

Amber Jack’s incident sparks outrage on Facebook

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This story about an altercation at Amber Jack Ale House in Springfield came to my attention while working on Police Beat in May.

After the story was published on SJ-R.com and then the newspaper the following day, readers began calling and emailing the newspaper wanting to talk about experiences they had at the restaurant. A short time later, two sites sprang up on Facebook — one calling for a boycott of Amber Jack’s and the other asking people to share their stories about being banned by the Amber Jack’s owner who was the subject of my story. Within about 24 hours or so one of the Facebook sites had more than 1,000 “fans” and the other had more than 500. It’s a fascinating example of the power of social networking. By the way, the ‘boycott’ site later was pulled by Facebook for violating its rules about personal attacks.

Amber Jack owner, customer cited after altercation Saturday

May 10, 2010

The owner of Amber Jack Ale House and a customer face battery charges after a weekend confrontation at the Springfield restaurant that allegedly involved shoving and slapping.

Police issued notices to appear in court to Amber Jack owner Catherine D. McHenry, 53, of the 2000 block of South Willemore Avenue and customer Charles T. Silvey, 47, of Athens.

The incident happened about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the business, 3150 Chatham Road. Police said they arrived to find the restaurant’s co-owner, who is McHenry’s husband, holding Silvey down on the floor. Numerous customers were inside, including prom parties and others.

Police provided this account of the confrontation:

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Bar wars

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This story was the talker in Springfield in mid-February. I pieced it together mostly using public documents, including police reports and court filings.

Bar wars? Police investigate incidents at two downtown taverns

Feb. 17, 2010

The owner of a closed downtown sports bar was questioned over the weekend about the destruction of 10 windows at a tavern across the street that is owned by his landlord, with whom he has been at odds, according to police reports.

Tom Kelty, 39, who owns Sammy’s Sports Bar at 217 S. Fifth St., denied any role in the vandalism, which caused $6,000 damage to the front windows at Floyd’s Thirst Parlor across the street at 210 S. Fifth St. Floyd’s is owned by Dennis Polk, who also owns the building that housed Sammy’s Sports Bar.

Court records show that Kelty and Polk have been embroiled in a lease dispute over the Sammy’s building since December 2004. A judge overseeing the case last week ordered Kelty to vacate the building by noon this Friday.

About noon Tuesday, police were sent to 217 S. Fifth St. after Kelty climbed a ladder and took a knife to the property’s blue awning and cut out all of the Sammy’s Sports Bar logos.

“I did climb up out front and I cut our logo and our name off the canopy out front,” Kelty said. “Our name is registered with the state. It’s trademarked. We own it; we bought it; we paid for it.”

Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies are stationed outside the former Sammy’s building this morning to head off any problems or answer any questions that might crop up, according to chief deputy Jack Campbell.

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Food pantries always need help, not just at the holidays

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Last fall I started hearing rumblings about food pantries in Springfield running low on food long before Thanksgiving hit. In October I began chatting with some of the local pantries, and sure enough, supplies were running low, even as the need was going up as people struggled with the realities of a recession. The result was this story and a lesson learned — food pantries can use our help all year long, not just during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. In addition to the story, I compiled a list of all the food pantries in Springfield and the surrounding counties so readers could at a glance find a pantry to help. I also included tips for organizing a food drive.

Supplies tight at local food pantries

Oct. 26, 2009

On Friday, some shelves at Kumler Outreach Ministries’ food pantry on Springfield’s north end were empty.

There was no canned fruit, spaghetti noodles, chili, or pork and beans. There were four jars of peanut butter, some jelly, several bags of corn flakes and Ramen noodles, loaves of bread and a few heads of cabbage, as well as some other supplies. The freezer was stocked with bags of frozen corn, individually wrapped tilapia filets and other foods.

Tight food supplies have become the rule, not the exception, all around central Illinois. Food-pantry coordinators say they are seeing more new faces in a tough economy and are concerned about their ability to help.

Some report donations are down, while others say contributions are steady. But they all say the number of people needing food is on the rise, and that means pantries must stretch limited resources.

Pantry staffs say they are working hard to find the best bargains on food, seeking out more donations from individuals and companies, and sometimes not filling a needy family’s grocery bag quite as full, just to make sure there is enough to go around.

“There is no doubt in my mind that until they get jobs in this area, it’s going to continue,” said Rebecca Eaton, administrator of the Jacksonville Area Community Food Center, which operates a food pantry from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Between Oct. 1, 2008 and Sept. 30, 2009, the Jacksonville pantry served about 7,700 people compared to 6,600 and 5,600 the previous two years. On Friday, the pantry provided food for 15 families, of which five were new clients.

“It does that almost every day. It’s just getting crazier and crazier,” Eaton said. “We try to help the poor, the working poor and everybody in between, above or below. We just don’t want to see people go hungry.”

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Careful with that turkey fryer

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Springfield firefighters in November demonstrated what can happen when Thanksgiving chefs aren’t careful with their turkey fryers. Having written about numerous turkey fryer fires over the years, I was curious and shot a short video of the demonstration, which involved a lot of flames and a blackened turkey. And I don’t mean Cajun.

Grieving mother: Son deserved a better life

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In August I sat through a tearful interview with Dawn Whalen, whose son, Tony Mabie, was struck by three alleged drunk drivers on Toronto Road. He died from his injuries. The criminal cases against the drivers, one of whom was a firefighter, are pending. This story was the result of the interview with Whalen.

Mom: Hit-and-run victim deserved a better life

Aug. 29, 2009

Tony Mabie coped with a learning disability as a youngster, a debilitating injury as an adult and lifelong feelings that he did not measure up.

His biggest enemy was himself, but he had dreams for the future, said his mother, Dawn Whalen of Buffalo. Now, she is hurt and angered by her son’s death at the hands of multiple hit-and-run drivers.

Mabie, 26, was walking along Toronto Road about 2 a.m. Tuesday, when he was struck by as many as three vehicles, two of which fled the scene.

The driver of one of the vehicles, a Springfield firefighter, allegedly was intoxicated, based on court filings, but had the presence of mind to stop and call 911. He was arrested for driving under the influence, but has not been charged with any other crimes.

It is unclear what happened from there. Springfield police said earlier this week they’ve recovered all three vehicles involved in the crime. Investigators would not comment otherwise on Friday.

“It hurts me to think my son felt so discounted all his life, and that’s the way he left this life,” Whalen said Friday. “Tony was not a fighter, he was not aggressive. He’s never hurt a soul. He fought to try to be a better person. He deserved a chance to have a better life.”

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