VFit celebrates one-year anniversary with ribbon cutting
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
VFit in Breese had its one-year anniversary ribbon cutting as part of the Breese Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event on Thursday, June 25. VFit Gym in Breese celebrated a milestone on Thursday, June 25.
In conjunction with the Breese Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event hosted by VFit, the gym had its one-year anniversary ribbon cutting. VFit's one-year anniversary was on July 1.
Breese Ultimate Family Fitness turned into VFit on July 1, 2025.
"The year has been going really well," VFit owner Colbey Voss said. "We have had a lot of support from the community."
Gym membership has at least tripled in the last year.
Voss added 15 new pieces of equipment. There was new flooring added to the EmpowHER Zone, which is a girls only area that gives women an access point to work out in privacy. They have their own entrance in the back of the building and have their own bathroom. Women also have access to the whole gym.
Infrared saunas have been added to the men's and women's locker rooms.
The free weight area has been completely revitalized with a leg-only room and a core room.
Voss also added a room called "the stage" that is a posing and selfie workout room where individuals can take their progress pictures in privacy.
They have weekly classes available.
VFit owner Colbey Voss, poses for a picture with his son Brooks and wife Danielle.
Voss used the City of Breese grant to get new flooring in the EmpowHER Zone.
"Everyone has just been so supportive with just being around here," Voss said.
Voss has built partnerships with Optimized Supplements and Nutrition and Clinton County Chiropractic.
Plans for the future include more upgrades, more partnerships, and veteran-themed hikes and workouts. Voss is a veteran and is the Veterans Assistance Commission of Clinton County superintendent.
VFit is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"There is something for everybody here of all ages," Voss said. "We have personal training available as well. I'm proud of how far we have come, but there is more to come."
Turf Bar and Banquet provided samples of their Simple Solutions meal preps during the after hours event. Simple solutions are ready-to-eat meals that provide a well-rounded, nutritious option.
Breese mayor Kevin Timmermann told the crowd that the city will be starting a grant program again. The city will fund half of any $15,000 project a business has. Businesses have to be located within one of the city's business districts.
Projects have to be submitted by Sept. 15.
The Breese Chamber of Commerce just launched a new campaign asking all businesses to decorate for July 4. The community will vote for the most patriotic business in Breese at the end of July.
VFit is located at 562 North Second Street in Breese.
More than 100 participants in Bailey's Bash at Bent Oak
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
Kari Becker speaks to the golfers during the Bailey's Bash golf scramble on Saturday, June 27, at Bent Oak Golf Course in Breese. More than 100 golfers competed in a four-person scramble for a good cause on Saturday, June 27.
The ninth annual Bailey's Bash was held at Bent Oak Golf Course in Breese. It is the second straight year the event was in the form of a golf scramble.
There were a combined 108 golfers in the morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session was full with 15 foursomes. There were 12 foursomes in the second session.
Along with the golf scramble, there were basket raffles, auction items and a 50/50 drawing. Organizers are still going through all of the financials, but said it was another successful event despite a downpour of rain during the morning session.
The rain came toward the end of the morning session. The afternoon session was delayed by about a half-hour.
The event is held annually in memory of Bailey George, who passed away from cancer in 2016 at the age of 20. It is hosted by The Bailey Bunch and raises money for Love You More Foundation and Relay For Life of Clinton County.
In the fall of 2015, George, of Aviston, was a junior at the University of Evansville running cross country. She had just beaten her personal record at a race in September. She started having pains in her back and getting sick repeatedly. By November, doctors found evidence of melanoma in her spine and it was too advanced for traditional treatments of chemotherapy or radiation. The cancer spread aggressively and George died on Jan. 5, 2016.
George's parents, Shelise and Craig Zurliene, brother Caleb and sister Maris decided to carry on George's legacy and created the Love You More Foundation. 
Easton Rakers looks to make a putt during the Bailey's Bash golf scramble at Bent Oak Golf Course.The organization's mission is to provide assistance to persons and families affected by illness; to provide scholarships to high school and university students; to provide assistance to other organizations, businesses, schools, or persons through donations of money, service, time, or supplies; and to spread love and joy to those in need while carrying on George's legacy.
Love You More has given away about $10,000 per year to those in need and is funded primarily by personal donations and Bailey's Bash.
Bailey's Bash started in 2017 and has been going every year since expect 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I just want to thank everyone for coming out today," Shelise Zurliene said. "I really appreciate you guys sticking around and playing golf in the rain. I just hope everyone goes out there and has fun on the course."
Kari Becker, a board member for the Love You More Foundation and one of George's best friends, thanked everyone for attending.
"It is truly amazing to see a community come together to support Love You More Foundation and the Relay For Life of Clinton County," Becker said. "We could not have a successful event without all of you."
Becker thanked Doug Schulte and all of the Bent Oak Golf Course staff, along with all of the event sponsors.
Bartelso locals participating in Bailey's Bash
She also thanked all of the Bailey Bunch members, who wore dark green shirts on Saturday.
"Bailey George was one of our very best friends and I can speak on behalf of all of us when I say we would like to think that she is still the glue that holds the family of our friends together," Becker said. "There is countless memories of Bailey that we all love to reflect on because they remind us of her caring heart, infectious personality, and the joy she brought to everyone around her."
Becker said losing George to cancer was a difficult time for her friend group and her family. They wanted to find a meaningful way to remember her, so in 2020 they started Bailey's Bash at Hondo's Sports Bar and Grill in Bartelso. Through Bailey's Bash, they are able to make an impact around the area and beyond.
"Thank you for your continued support in honoring Bailey's memory through the Love You More Foundation and Relay For Life of Clinton County," Becker said.
Relay For Life will be Friday, Aug. 7, at Central Community High School in Breese.
The team of Landon Albers, Craig Zurliene, Grant Goebel and Troy Schroeder won the morning session on Saturday. The team of Hayden Rickhoff, Mason Shubert, Easton Rakers and Cody Dickshot won the afternoon session.
Carlyle School board approves amended FY 2026 budget
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
The Carlyle Community School District No. 1 school board approved the Fiscal Year 2026 amended budget during its meeting on Wednesday, June 24.
Superintendent Annie Gray said there were two major changes to the previous amended budget. The risk management plan was applied. The tort expenses are deducted from the tort revenue and the rest of the money is allocated based on the risk management plan to help cover salaries.
The money in the transportation fund also was changed from the previous budget because they have not received two payments from the state that have been vouchered to them but have not been released by the comptrollers. There is a payment of $45,206 for regular transportation and $11,606 for special education transportation that have not been released yet. As a result, the transportation fund is in the red by $48,000. If the money hit the bank account before June 30, they will be able to put it in that revenue with that fund. If it did not, that revenue will roll into next year.
Their overall revenue in Fiscal Year 2026 in the ed fund, ONM, transportation and working cash was $12,773,651 and total expenditures were $12,114,230, which puts a difference of just over $600,000 for the year.
The board approved changes to the e-learning plan. Gray said they really didn't make any changes. The grade school and some of the teachers at the junior high like to have paper packets. Others will continue to use Google Classroom. Gray said she is pleased with the work completion they get from e-learning days.
In her report, Gray said summer school has been completed. There were 20 students in summer school at Carlyle Grade School; 12 students at Carlyle Junior High School, five of which completed two courses each; and seven students at Carlyle High School for credit recovery, and they completed 10 courses in total.
The freshman math academy is being brought back and will be toward the start of school.
Preliminary IAR and ACT scores have been received. More information on that will be provided when the scores are finalized.
The grade school playground project is almost all set up with the exception of a couple of pieces of equipment on back order. It is not open to the public yet. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a date to be determined.
They are wanting to get some additional cameras on the playground and on the athletic field by the field events. That would be more costly than the cameras they currently have because they are away from the buildings so they have to have power and internet access. They are looking to build those cameras into the budget.
Gray has talked to two different companies about updating the equipment in the weight room. Athletic PE will be implemented next year and they want to make sure they have the right equipment for that. Even if the order is placed this summer, it will probably be late fall or early winter before the equipment arrives.
The school district has met with the City of Carlyle about moving the crosswalk in front of the junior high and talked to the Illinois Department of Transportation about adding another entrance/exit at the junior high to help with traffic flow.
Gray met with Carlyle Police Chief Jason Herzing about the memorandum of understanding with the city for the school resource officer. They have talked about extending it from a year-to-year to a three-year agreement. The city wants to look at increasing what the school pays for the school resource officer. When the agreement started, part of that was grant funded through the city. That grant is running out.
Carlyle High School principal Darin Smith said the journalism program received a 2026 school journalism grant through the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Foundation. They will receive a $1,300 check in August or September.
Tamra Gerstenecker was recognized by the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers for 25 years of service to agriculture education. She also received the NAAE outstanding service award.
The board approved the resignations of custodian Christopher Rolfingsmeyer, paraprofessional Tyler Guthrie, and high school girls assistant basketball coach Tony Hempen.
The board approved the overnight field trip request from FBLA to attend the summer leadership conference in Springfield.
The MOU for the Unit 1 Carlyle Education Association regarding adding an academic advisor as a provisional position was approved.
The student extracurricular handbook, coaches handbook and staff handbook were approved. There was a section added in the coaches handbook about high school head coaches starting the process of putting together information for their junior high coaches and support the junior high programs. There also was a section added about overnight field trip expectations.
In the staff handbook, there was a section added that states if teachers want to bring large pieces of furniture from outside to put in their classroom, that needs pre-approval from the building administration.
The board approved volunteer coaches Mark Noffke and Marc Howell for junior varsity football and Jimmy Rose for eighth-grade boys basketball.
The board approved the employment of Quinton McGuire as high school custodian, Matthew Ramirez as grade school custodian, and Dalton Tieman as junior high ISS/permanent sub.
The board approved Hayden Hoffmann as sixth-grade boys basketball coach, Chris Gustafson as fifth-grade boys basketball coach, Tony Hempen as eighth-grade boys basketball coach, Janelle Schaeffer as high school junior varsity volleyball coach, and Reagan Oster as freshman volleyball coach.
The board approved the employment of spring sports head coaches and all sponsors/stipend positions.
The next board meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on July 15.
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