Businesses benefiting from Peterson trial
<p dir="ltr"><span>As the Drew Peterson murder-for-hire trial enters its second week next week, there are some businesses that are benefiting from the increased attention surrounding the former Bolingbrook Police sergeant.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Jodie's Ol' Farmhouse and Bakery, the only restaurant located in the block that contains the Randolph County Courthouse, has been enjoying steady business from the attorneys and reporters attending the trial.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Monday was good, even last Friday with the jury selection was a really good day for us," said Jodie's Ol' Farmhouse owner Jodie Mehrer. "A lot of new people, and it's been really, really good.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"I wish we had more - not to the extent of the trial - but (the trial) is good for downtown and it's good for business."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Six TV media outlets, all three Randolph County publications and newspaper writers from Chicago and St. Louis were among those who attended the trial's opening day, with media coverage waning as the proceedings wore on during the rest of the week.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Tuesday's closing arguments and verdict are predicted to draw a crowd, but soon the out-of-town media will move on and life will return to normal in Chester.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Normally, (trials) don't last this long," Mehrer said. "They might be one day and they're done."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Mehrer said a lot of the counsel in the Peterson case have been ordering-in during the trial's lunch break.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"They took our menu down there, so it's floating around down there," Mehrer said. </span>"I've noticed a repeat in the orders and we've done very well."
<p dir="ltr"><span>Across town, the staff of Best Western's Chester hotel has also noticed an increase in reservations. As the lone hotel in the city, the Best Western has been accommodating both the out-of-town media and the attorneys of the trial.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"NBC was here and I think FOX," said the hotel's general manager, Jesse Patel. "It doesn't matter if it's just a media person or whomever, for us, all of them are the same.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Be professional, treat each of them like they are the same."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Patel said he hasn't been following any of the trial.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"There's so much going on, I hardly get a chance to," he said. "If I see a media person or an attorney, I ask them how it went."</span>
<p dir="ltr">Several members of the out-of-town media have branched out to explore the city. Patch.com writer Joseph Hosey, who has also been covering the trial, wrote a feature story (available here) on May 25 on Spinach Can Collectibles and the town's connection to Popeye.
<p dir="ltr"><span>Others viewed the statues on the Popeye Character Trail and took in other sights around the immediate area.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Our volunteer (Carl Welge) said they had several media members visit the (Randolph County) museum," said Chester Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Sympson. "They were very interested in the electric chair and got all kinds of information about the area.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Fox News said they would air a story about Chester in the future."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>While a trial may not be what some people would guess would draw tourism, any publicity is good publicity.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"The more people we can get into Chester for whatever reason, the better," Sympson said.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>While the trial has been the most high-profile legal activity going on in the courthouse, it hasn't been the only thing.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"We have had zero interruption," said Jason Coffey, an attorney with Chester-based law firm Fisher, Kirkhover, Coffey & Gremmels. "I think a lot of credit goes to Judge (Richard) Brown, (Sheriff) Shannon Wolff and the state's attorney.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"I think there was some planning on not interrupting business for anyone else in the county and I think they did a masterful job in that."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The media have had an "overflow" room - the courthouse's second floor lounge - in which Wi-Fi can be accessed and audio and video feeds from the courtroom are pumped into.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Jokingly referred by media members to as the "Press Pen," it has also had lockers available for those who wish to store their equipment while they view the proceedings in the courtroom.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"The folks at the courthouse did a terrific job," Coffey said. "I have a really good relationship with Jeremy Walker and (defense attorney) Lucas Liefer and think very highly of them.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"There was zero doubt in my head that (the trial) would be done in the right way. It's a big case."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Closing arguments in the case are anticipated to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.</span>