Wayne County EMS responded to a single-vehicle accident Wednesday night between Merriam and Golden Gate. According to county deputies, at approximately 6:57, 38-year-old Wayne City resident Matthew W. Parker was westbound on Highway 15 on a 2001 Honda Shadow when a deer entered the roadway. He put the motorcycle on its side to avoid impact and fell off while the motorcycle continued to skid west. Parker was taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital; the vehicle was towed from the scene, and it sustained over $1,500 damage.
59-year-old Evansville, Indiana, resident Corwin W. Ward was injured in a single-vehicle accident near Carmi Wednesday night. According to Illinois State Police, at approximately 10:13, Ward was southbound in a 2010 Nissan Altima on Epworth Road when he fell asleep, causing him to leave the roadway and overturn. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and state police say no other details are available at this time.
The City of Fairfield says the boil order that had been in effect for all or part of Broadway, Illinois Avenue, Southwest Third and Southwest Second has been lifted. People no longer need to boil water to be used for human consumption.
32-year-old Cisne resident Haley N. Robson was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court yesterday. She pleaded guilty to a Class 3 felony count of possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. Robson was sentenced to two years special-section probation. 32-year-old Olney resident Jourdan L. Boldrey was also sentenced yesterday. He pleaded guilty to violation of an order of protection, a Class A misdemeanor. Boldrey was sentenced to one year conditional discharge and time served.
Wayne County deputies arrested 39-year-old Wayne City resident Everett E. Irwin last night on a charge of driving suspended or revoked. Irwin was taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the posting of $270 bond.
The Fairfield Community High School varsity scholastic team claimed third place at the SIAC Conference Tournament last night. FCHS went 2-1 on the evening, defeating Salem, falling to Carbondale, and then beating Centralia to take third. Trenton Jones was named first-team all-conference as the third-leading scorer in the regular season, and Cale Simpson was named to the second team.
FCHS Varsity Scholastic Bowl Team
The Edwards County Farm Bureau and Edwards County FFA will hold their 11th annual “Farmer’s Share Breakfast” from 6:30 to 9:30 on March 19th at the Farm Bureau Community Room in Albion. The breakfast will feature pancakes, eggs, sausage, and drinks, and the cost will be 14 cents per person. The meal is open to the public.
Governor J.B. Pritzker says he is committed to eliminating the scourge of corruption in Illinois government. Following the 22-count indictment for racketeering and bribery of former House Speaker Mike Madigan, there has been a renewed push for ethics reforms at the statehouse. Some reforms were signed into law last year, but the governor says more needs to be done.
49-year-old Carmi resident Brian W. Dartt was sentenced to 13 years in prison yesterday in White County Circuit Court by Judge T. Scott Webb. He entered an open plea of guilty in January to a Class 2 felony count of Aggravated DUI Causing Death; in so doing, he admitted to driving a truck on Route 1 while under the influence of methamphetamine and getting into an accident that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Norris City resident Clinton J. Richardson.
The Wayne County Farm Bureau held its 100th Annual Meeting last night at the Fairfield First Christian Church. Robert Pearce, Fred Blessing, Tim Chambliss, Anthony Vaughan, and Randy Ellis were re-elected to the Board of Directors for two-year terms. Manager Doug Anderson gave a financial and membership report, as well; as of the end of September, the county organization had $1.16 million in unrestricted net assets, compared to about $913,000 to begin October 2020. Membership as of September 1st was at 855 regular members, compared to 852 at the same time in 2020.
The Adult Volunteer Literacy Program at Frontier Community College continues to seek tutors in the Grayville area, according to Adult Education Coordinator Angel Maguire. She says Wayne County has a good number of volunteers, but they are looking to expand their services to the surrounding areas. According to a report from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, one in six Wayne County residents is at a low literacy skill, and 24 percent of the state has a literacy problem. Anyone wanting to volunteer in the AVL program can call Sharis Wilson at 847-9154.
The IDPH reported two new cases of COVID-19 in Wayne County yesterday. Lawrence County increased by one case, White County by two, and Clay County by four. Richland and Hamilton counties held steady, and Edwards and Wabash counties each had their case totals drop on the state website. Marion County added eight cases, and Jefferson County also added two. As a state, Illinois announced 1,169 new cases and 38 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 3,035,870 cases and 32,886 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 2.9 percent on February 28th, down from 3.1 percent on the 27th.
DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick says people should expect a wild ride for weather in March. The first storm over the weekend could produce strong thunderstorms in some areas Saturday and Sunday, and he says a second storm will likely bring snow to the northern part of the state. Temperatures in the area are forecast to be in the 60s on Sunday and close to 50 on Monday.
Teachers would be reimbursed for their college tuition costs under a bill passed by the Illinois House this week. The legislation pays back teachers who went to an Illinois college and stayed in-state to teach at a public school. The goal is to address the serious teacher shortage, but opponents say the cost of the initiative, estimated at over one billion dollars, could be too high.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 24.39 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 6.22 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 11.82 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 6.51 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 31.77 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 25.04 feet.
Today’s crude oil price is $100.75, down $2.75 from yesterday. The April crude oil price is $108.80, down $5.58 from yesterday morning.