JT Build expands business to include roll-off dumpsters
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
JT Build in Breese has expanded its business to include Clinton County Roll-Off.A Breese multi-faceted general contracting company has expanded its business to include large waste containers.
John and Katie Tebbe, owners of JT Build, have started a second business out of their building called Clinton County Roll-Off. The new business venture will allow area residents the opportunity to rent a large waste container if needed.
They will be offering rental on 20-yard and 30-yard dumpsters.
John said the reason for starting the new business was because they were having trouble, especially toward the west side of Clinton County, finding a reliable roll-off company that wasn't a large corporation.
Katie said in the construction business they use a lot of dumpsters. They began to purchase their own dumpsters so they didn't have to wait or pay an extended distance fee.
"We realized that there was a void to fill," John said.
Katie said it is nice to offer a different type of service to the community. JT Build has been around for 13 years and they have gotten to know how to service, and Clinton County Roll-Off is a different type of service.
"This is a huge need in this area," Katie said. "There is really no other good option. It is exciting to bring this to the area."
They first went out and bought a few of their own dumpsters so they had options in terms of keeping them long term and also having one at the JT Build facility. They ended up buying a truck and thought they should offer the service to everyone.
The roll-offs could be used for people having house clean-outs, spring cleaning, or a small or large construction job.
"They can call here and get a local, small town business," John said. "Katie and I are really experienced in the service industry. I feel like we know how to service people, how to treat people right, and give a product that is useful to a consumer."
Clinton County Roll-Off will allow people to do business locally and when they order or need service they are talking to a person who lives in the community.
The dumpsters are 20 cubic yards and 30 cubic yards.
They have nine dumpsters and are looking to expand rapidly. Clinton County Roll-Off will deliver and pick up the dumpsters to and from the site.
They are going to offer a driveway protection where they put plywood down for an extra cost.
Dumpsters can be rented out for one week, and there will be fees for additional days after that week.
John said they would like to do business will all of his contracting friends and friends in the trades. There is an option for a business to have a continual contract for a weekly or a monthly dump.
They will have about a 50-mile radius to deliver and pick up dumpsters.
JT Build and Clinton County Roll-Off are located at 12707 Drive In Road in Breese. They moved into the property in 2023 and at the time only had three employees. There now have nine employees.
For more information, visit clintoncountyrolloffs.com or call 618-699-1044. There is an area on the website where people can specify when they want to receive the dumpster and where they would like it placed on their property. If the date is not available, they would be offered the next available date.
If people are unsure if a roll-off dumpster is a right fit for their needs, there is a spot on the website where they can read and learn about the dumpsters.
At some point, they plan on hiring drivers to help haul the dumpsters to and from sites.
Holocaust survivor's story draws more than 100 to Breese Public Library
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- Written by: Kelly Jo Ross - Breese Journal News Editor
Debbie Warshawski shows an image of her mother, Sonia, on the screen. Her mother is alive and well and living on her own at 100 years old. More than 100 people gathered Monday evening at Breese Public Library to hear the story of Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski, presented by her daughter, Debbie Warshawski.
Debbie shared the remarkable story of her mother’s survival during World War II, recounting the horrors Sonia endured as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Poland and the strength that carried her through concentration camps, forced labor and a death march.
Sonia Warshawski was 13 years old when World War II began in 1939. Her family lived in Miedzyrzec, Poland, where her grandfather owned a successful tailor business and the family operated a kosher restaurant.
“In 1939, World War II broke out and — as I’m sure most of you know — things would never be the same, and not just for the Jews in Poland or in Europe, but for everyone around the world pretty much,” Debbie said.
Debbie explained how her mother’s family was forced from their home and relocated to a ghetto area in town. Jewish residents were banned from schools, forbidden from walking on sidewalks and required to wear armbands identifying them as Jewish.
At one point, Sonia’s father created a hiding place beneath the floorboards of their small home. The family successfully hid during Nazi searches until German soldiers brought in a German shepherd that sniffed them out.
The family was then separated.
Debbie described how Sonia’s younger sister was upset and screaming, causing a scene, and their father entrusted her to a farmer (and paid money) in hopes of saving her sister's life.
Sonia and her mother (Debbie's grandmother) were later transported by train to the Majdanek concentration camp. Packed into rail cars without windows, many prisoners died from heat, thirst, starvation and disease before arriving.
Sonia Warshawski was tattooed numbers on her arm at one of the concentration camps. A painting of one of the images, alongside the actual tattoo on Sonia’s forearm.
At Majdanek, they were given tattoos on their forearm, only identifying them as a number, and worked in the fields, witnessing unimaginable cruelty.
Debbie recounted a story from her mother of a public hanging of two girls who had attempted to escape the camp. Prisoners were forced to watch as the girls were executed. Debbie's grandmother had tried to look away, but one of the S.S. guards slapped her in the face.
“And as the two young girls walked up, one of them spat in the face of the S.S. guards, and the girl stopped and yelled at the crowd, ‘Never forget. Take revenge,’” Debbie said. "But, my mother never forgot those words — 'Never forget. Take revenge.' She said she was then hellbent on surviving. And that was not going to be an easy thing to do. In some cases, survival was luck, but in many other cases, it was the will and the smarts to survive."
Sonia and her mother survived several “selections,” where prisoners were separated and sent either to forced labor or to their deaths.
Eventually, however, Sonia’s mother was selected for the gas chambers.
Lady Luxe brings home world championship from Florida
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
Youth cheer squad Lady Luxe has made history at the Hugz and Fitz Gymnasium in Breese.
Lady Luxe from Hugz and Fitz Gym in Breese won the prep 2.2 12U division during the Global World Championships in Pensacola, Florida. The members of the team are, FRONT, FROM LEFT, Clara Eversgerd, Brielle Benhoff, Olivia Holtmann, Baylor Jacob, Zoey Holtmann and Leighton Read and, BACK, are Julie Connelly, Gemma Herley, Berkeley Jacob, Audrey Leach, Lainey Hilmes, Lux Hilmes and Rayna Pigg
Lady Luxe brought home top honors in the prep 2.2 12U division during the Global World Championships on April 24-26 in Pensacola, Florida. They became the first ever Hugz and Fitz squad to win a national championship.
They scored a 99.57 to win the competition that featured over 50 teams.
"We were very excited to win a world championship this year," said 12-year-old Berkeley Jacob from Aviston. "We just put together a really good team and we went undefeated this year."
Lady Luxe opened the nationals by achieving their high team score following the opening day. On the second day, Lady Luxe were the division champs and the overall level champs. That qualified them for the World Champions round. In the champions round, Lady Luxe hit zero and had a nearly perfect score. They found out during the awards ceremony they had achieved the highest score of the entire competition and were crowned world champions.
All of the Lady Luxe participants received individual rings and they received a big ring and a banner for the gymnasium.
"When they announced that we had won the world championship, I could not believe it and was super surprised," said 11-year-old Lainey Hilmes of Breese. "I was super excited when they announced our name for first place. I was able to meet a lot of people plus we won first place at nationals."
Coaches for the team were Julianne Jacob, Megan Holtmann and Melissa Lampe. Julianne Jacob said she was pleased with how the cheerleaders handled some adversity throughout the competition. On the second day, they had a no-deduction routine despite the music going out in the middle of their performance. On the final day, they were on the mat for warm-ups when bad weather came in and they were pulled off the mat.
"I was proud of how hard they competed through some adversity," Julianne Jacob said. "Through all of the adversity, they remained unfazed and got the job done."
It was pure excitement when Lady Luxe was announced as the world champions.
"I was really excited when they called our name," said 9-year-old Julie Connelly from Damiansville. "I really liked winning the world championships and was excited when we won."
Clara Eversgerd, an 11-year-old from Aviston, said the championship came because of hard work.
"We worked very hard all season and we deserved the championship," Eversgerd said.
Lux Hilmes agreed with Eversgerd.
"We worked really hard this season," said Hilmes, a 10-year-old from Breese. "I was really excited after they announced we had won and we all celebrated after we won."
Lady Luxe received a special prize for winning the competition.
"When we got the world championship, they gave us a rainbow dumpling squishy," said 8-year-old Olivia Holtmann from Aviston. "I really liked the time at the worlds."
Baylor Jacob said their whole week in Florida was a fun experience.
"It was a pretty cool week," said Jacob, a 10-year-old from Aviston. "We all shared a big house and we got to hang out all week."
Zoey Holtmann, a 10-year-old from Aviston, said winning the worlds was a perfect end to a fun week.
"I was really excited when we won and was screaming with joy," Zoey said. "We all went running into the ocean with our uniforms on."
Brielle Benhoff, a 9-year-old from Breese, said the Florida trip was a bonding experience for the team.
"I just really enjoyed being with my team and my friends," Benhoff said. "I was really excited when we won."
Leighton Read, a 10-year-old from Breese, had the same emotions as Benhoff.
"I just liked spending time with my friends and family," Read said. "I was very excited when we won."
Gemma Herley, an 11-year-old from Aviston, said it was a fun week in Florida.
"I just enjoyed all of the friendships and bonds that we made," Herley said. "I was really excited when they announced that we had won the world championship this year."
Audrey Leach, a 13-year-old from Aviston, was on her first year on the team.
"I was really happy that we won and I enjoyed my first year on this team," Leach said. "We were undefeated, so we had a very good year."
Rayna Pigg, an 11-year-old from Breese, joined in the excitement.
"I was really excited that we won because we had worked so hard this year," Pigg said. "My favorite part of the trip was just hanging out with everybody and celebrating with everybody after we won."
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