Much Commendation at Tuesday's Council Meeting

There was much congratulating at Tuesday night's Effingham City Council meeting.

Three items were initiated by City Police Chief Jeff Fuesting. Two separate instances involved drug overdoses and actions by city officers to administer Narcan, believed to have been life-saving decisions.

(LT. TROY BLOEMKER, POLICE CHIEF JEFF FUESTING AND OFFICER RYAN HOLSAPPLE)

Lieutenant Troy Bloemker and Officer Ryan Holsapple were recognized for their actions May 5, while Officers Scott Volpi and Trey Dasenbrock were recognized for a similar action during an incident August 5.

(OFFICERS SCOTT VOLPI AND TREY DASENBROCK FLANK POLICE CHIEF JEFF FUESTING)

Fuesting acknowledged that the incidents addressed by the officers were the result of illegal use of drugs, but the bottom line is that the steps taken by the officers saved lives. He also celebrated the partnership involving the police department and HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital, which is making the Narcan available to the department.

Fuesting also presented a Citizen Citation Award to Scott Ruholl, who spotted a suspect taking a purse from a vehicle parked at Walmart on August 25. After contacting police, Ruholl noticed that the suspect was leaving the scene in a vehicle and followed the suspect vehicle north to the Shelby County line where police took over and arrested the suspect.

(CITIZEN CITATION AWARD RECIPIENT SCOTT RUHOLL WITH POLICE CHIEF JEFF FUESTING. NOTICE RUHOLL'S SON CALIN TO HIS RIGHT)

Effingham Mayor Jeff Bloemker also proclaimed Forget-Me-Not Days later this month sponsored by Disabled American Veterans Chapter 7, and proclaimed September 21-22 as Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Days as a fundraiser to assist citizens with intellectual disabilities.

(EFFINGHAM MAYOR JEFF BLOEMKER WITH D-A-V CHAPTER 7 REPRESENTATIVES)

Knight Greg Koester helps with the Tootsie Roll activities, while his uncle Tony Koester was on hand as a DAV representative. Greg Koester said that since the organizations' collections are on the same weekend, the DAV would get the downtown area and the Knights would take the rest.

(MAYOR JEFF BLOEMKER WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF EFFINGHAM KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL #665)