FNB’s Tri-County Banking Center in Grayville will begin serving customers from its new location on 113 South Court Street next Tuesday, January 18th. In preparation for the move, the branch will be closed this Saturday. Additionally, the ATM at the current Grayville location will move to the new facility on Wednesday. During the move, customers should visit the FNB ATM at Rest Up Campground.
Wayne County deputies arrested several people over the weekend. 27-year-old Fairfield resident Cody R. Smith was arrested Saturday night on a charge of possession of methamphetamine. He was taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the setting and posting of bond. 27-year-old Cisne resident Corey J. Rinebold was arrested Saturday night on a charge of criminal trespass to a residence, and he was released after posting bond. 47-year-old Fairfield resident Thomas J. Suddarth was arrested Friday on a Wayne County warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of driving with a revoked license. He was released after posting $595 bond.
Illinois State Police District 19 Commander Captain Nathan Douglas has announced the activity and enforcement figures for the calendar year 2021. Enforcement figures totaled 6,204 citations and 11,713 written warnings, including 3,186 speeding citations, 46 DUIs, 644 occupant restraint citations, 3,726 written warnings for speeding, and 155 criminal arrests. There were 11 fatal traffic crashes, resulting in 12 fatalities, investigated by District 19 in 2021.
The White County Farm Bureau will partner with the American Red Cross on January 17th to hold a blood drive at its office building on 304 East Robinson Street in Carmi. The drive will be held from 1 to 5, and people can schedule an appointment at redcrossblood.org. All donors will receive a free t-shirt, and each pint of blood collected can help save up to three lives. Anyone wanting to volunteer should contact Debbie Hoskins at 382-8512.
The deaths of two Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigators have prompted a new bill. The measure increases the penalties for attacking a DCFS worker; a similar law already applies to police officers, firefighters, and other first responders. Senator Doris Turner says something needs to be done after the murder of Pamela Knight in 2017 and Deidre Silas last week.
The City of Fairfield continues to investigate the possibility of implementing a Business District; Mayor Mike Dreith says a committee discussing the possibility recently learned action will have to be taken by the end of March to identify the area the district would encompass and to have it passed by the City Council. Among other things, the district could implement a one percent sales tax for businesses in its boundaries.
The Fairfield City Council will meet tomorrow at 6 at City Hall. Aldermen are scheduled to discuss two ordinances under routine business; one pertains to the regulation of video gaming, and the other concerns the electric utility and customer utility connection fees. The council is also set to authorize a lease agreement with Wayne-White Electric. AGENDA
The Fairfield Community High School Varsity Scholastic Bowl Team went 5-2 in the Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association Turnabout Tournament on Saturday, earning seventh place. Trenton Jones was named to the All-Tournament Team and paced Fairfield with 28 answered toss-ups. Edwards County went 2-5 at the tournament and finished in eighth place in the 12-team field. Emma Wiseman led the Lions with 20 answered toss-ups, which earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Emma Wiseman
Trenton Jones
According to dph.illinois.gov, as of Friday afternoon, Wayne County had administered 13,846 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine; 5,868 people, or 35.93 percent of the population, were fully vaccinated. The Edwards County Health Office said Wednesday 2,395 residents, or 37.5 percent of its population, were fully vaccinated.
Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs is touting grant opportunities for small, non-profit organizations in Illinois. He says the program has existed for some time but was only recently made available to non-profits with an operating budget under one million dollars. Eligible nonprofits can check out Charitable Trust Grants at illinoistreasurer.gov.
For the second year in a row, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza has announced a break for struggling taxpayers. Low-to-moderate-income taxpayers will not have outstanding fines like parking tickets deducted from their refunds this year, per Mendoza. She says the fines will have to be paid, but they are being deferred. The break does not apply to overdue child support, which will still be deducted.
An Illinois law aimed at ending federal immigration detention in 2022 has hit a legal snag, and the change in two counties has been delayed. Per a law signed in August by the governor, local governments in Illinois cannot enter new federal agreements allowing jails to house immigrant detainees, and they must end old ones in 2022. Three Illinois counties with federal agreements had until Saturday to end contracts, and Pulaski County complied last year. McHenry and Kankakee counties are challenging the law; their case was dismissed last month, but a federal judge last week granted an extension while an appeal in considered. Authorities now have until the Thursday to comply.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 22.07 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.69 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 8.88 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 11.07 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 24.65 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 17.30 feet.
Today’s crude oil price is $72.00, down $0.50 from Friday. The February crude oil price is $89.29, down $0.76 from Friday morning.