The ex-trooper has asked for another hearing to have his driver’s license reinstated.  I will be attending the hearing, which is scheduled for next Thursday, January 17, at 2:30 pm in Mt. Vernon to give a victim impact statement.  Back in July, many of you wrote letters supporting our position that he not be allowed to have his license reinstated.

As this new hearing date was given to us on such short notice, I would ask that if you would like your opinions heard by the hearing officer, please leave your opinion in the comments or email me at kim@jessicaandkelliuhl.com.  I will present your statements when I attend the hearing. Thank you so much for your support.

Join us for the Fifth Annual Jessica and Kelli Uhl Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday, November 24, 2012.  This year we will be hosting a trivia night – Tropical Trivia!

We will be holding the event at the KC Hall in O’Fallon, Illinois, located at 402 East Highway 50, O’Fallon IL 62269.  Doors open at 6pm, trivia begins at 7pm, and after the trivia tournament, we will have music, dancing and lots of fun!

The cost is $20 per person or $200 per table.  Feel free to bring in snacks but please note all beverages must be purchased from the KC Hall.

To reserve a table, please contact Kim Schlau at 618/407-2321 or by email at kimberly.schlau@gmail.com.   Also, if you can help us our with donations for door prizes or silent auctions, please give me a call.

Space is limited so make your reservations now!!

On November 5, 2012, we will hold our annual blood drive in memory of Jessica and Kelli.  It will be at the KC Hall in Collinsville, IL, from 3pm to 7pm.  The street address is One Columbus Plaza, Collinsville, IL 62234.

Our annual fundraiser – Tropical Trivia! – will be held on Saturday, November 24, 2012, at the KC Hall in O’Fallon, IL.  Doors open at 6, and in addition to the trivia contest, we will have a silent auction, raffles, and other fun activities.  More details will be available later this week as to costs and how to reserve a table.

As always, we thank you for your support and hope to see you there!

Today a section of Interstate 64 between Mascoutah, Illinois and O’Fallon, Illinois will be dedicated as the Jessica and Kelli Uhl Memorial Highway.

Many thanks to Sen. William Haine and Rep. Dwight Kay for their work in having Senate Joint Resolution 40 passed to bring this memorial to a reality.

We hope this memorial will serve not only as a reminder that unecessary high speed and distracted driving can be deadly, but also serve as another way to remember Jessica and Kelli, as their deaths were senseless and avoidable.

Our third fundraiser will be held Saturday, July 23, 2011, at the KC Hall in Collinsville, Illinois. The doors open at 7pm and we’ll be enjoying dinner, dancing, silent auctions, raffles and other fun stuff until midnight.

Tickets are $20 per person and can be bought online here. You can also buy them that night at the door.

If you’re in the market for a new TV, we are raffling off a 40″ flat screen Hitachi HDTV. Tickets are available for $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. We have a limited number of raffle tickets available, so get ‘em quick. Email me at kim @ jessicaandkelliuhl.com if you want to beat the rush.

All proceeds from the evening benefit the Jessica and Kelli Uhl Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to local high school students.

To mark the third anniversary of the deaths of Jessica and Kelli Uhl, I will be hosting a dinner at the Collinsville VFW, 1234 Vandalia Street, Collinsville, IL, on November 23, 2010.

Feel free to stop by anytime between 6pm and 8:30pm. A buffet dinner will be available for a $5 donation to cover the cost.

Please RSVP to me by November 16 at kimberly.schlau@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

If you missed my appearance on The Today Show or Inside Edition, here are the links where you can see the interviews online:

The Today Show:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39497907#39497907

Inside Edition:

http://www.insideedition.com/news/5120/two-teens-killed-by-speeding-cop.aspx

I will be appearing on The Today Show on Monday, October 4, to discuss Jessica and Kelli, my work with PursuitSafety, and other policy changes we hope will be made in light of the trooper’s recent workers’ compensation filing.

Today is Jun 4th. Today would have been Jessica’s 21st birthday, a day of celebration, a day where she would have been considered “legal” in today’s society.

Most young people look forward to 21 as the day they are legal to drink alcohol but turning 21 also means you are legally considered an adult. Being 21 means you are able to make your own choices and decisions about who you are, what you want to do in life, that mom and dad’s permission is no longer needed.

Sadly, Jessica is not going to get that chance to make those decisions and choices. Those rights were taken away by a so called “adult” who made a terrible and ultimately tragic driving decision.

Today Jessica would have turned 21 and it would have been a grand celebration as Jessica would have expected no less. She loved parties and it would have been done in style, there is no doubt about that. However, Jessica is no longer with us but we will still celebrate and we will celebrate with style. Flowers will be placed on the grave, prayers will be said, tears will be shed and then a beer, glass of wine or a cocktail will be raised in her honor and her life will be celebrated as it should be, with style.

Happy 21st Birthday my dear, beautiful Jessica.

The trooper entered a plea of guilty today. Here is the statement I read to the media today:

This is the statement that I read after the trooper’s plea hearing:

We, the family of Jessica and Kelli Uhl, would like to take this opportunity to express how indebted we are to the St. Clair County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for their diligence and professionalism in bringing the case to a close that is acceptable to all parties.

We would also like to express our profound gratitude to everyone who has attended our fundraisers, donated blood, ate at Applebee’s or conveyed their sympathy, thoughts and prayers. We are forever grateful for your support throughout this ordeal.

We are hopeful that this conviction sends a message not only to all first responders and law enforcement officers, but to all drivers: please slow down, pay attention, put down the phone and drive safely.

Kim Schlau and Brian Uhl