The weekend marks the return of Daylight Saving Time, as we will spring forward an hour at 2:00 Sunday morning. Daylight Saving Time will remain in effect until November 6th, though several states have filed bills in an attempt to make Daylight Saving Time the standard time year-round. Hawaii and Arizona do not change their time, and the Illinois Senate passed a bill in November 2019 to eliminate the fall time change. The bill was not brought to a vote in the Illinois House.
Wayne County is under a winter weather advisory until midnight. Up to one inch of snow is possible in a line from Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to Carbondale and Wayne City, Illinois. People should plan on slippery road conditions, and conditions could impact the evening commute. The main snow accumulation will occur from the middle of the afternoon through the evening.
22-year-old Mt. Erie resident Brynden K. Payton was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court yesterday after admitting to violating probation for a Class 2 felony count of burglary. Payton was sentenced to two years probation and was ordered to pay $2,887 in fines and court costs.
Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced a fifth $250 million installment in its Rebuild Illinois Capital Program this week. Wayne County received about $120,214 in the previous four installments for the program, and Fairfield received about $56,610. Wayne City brought in $11,335 in each installment, and Cisne received about $7,380. Edwards County received $76,452 in each installment, with Albion bringing in about $21,835 and West Salem getting $9,852.
A Cook County judge last week found Marc Smith, the Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, in contempt for holding two girls in locked psychiatric facilities unnecessarily. He has been found in contempt six times this year for failing to place children in proper homes in violation of court orders. In addition, three children in as many months have died after reports of abuse or neglect to DCFS.
The Wayne County Board met last night. County Highway Engineer Dennis Seidel reported the road project at Enterprise and the Route 161 Extension is scheduled for the next letting, which should be in June; he estimated the project will begin on or around August 1st. County Clerk Liz Ann Woodrow said 172 years of county records have been digitized; she said it was a major project, and she was proud it had been completed. In action items, Larry McCormick was appointed to a three-year term as Trustee for the Orchardville Fire Protection District. The board reviewed requests for American Rescue Plan dollars, as well. Board Chair Amy Pollard said the money must be spent for governmental purposes, per current guidance, and it can’t be held in any type of reserve. The county has received about half of its three million dollar payment.
The Fairfield Park Board met last night and approved the purchase of new playground equipment at Lakeside Park. The new feature came at a cost of $24,000 and should arrive in about eight weeks; in the interim, the park received a replacement panel for the spiral slide on the current structure to block it off to the public. In other business, Superintendent Chris Jenkins said the northeast tennis courts had sustained storm damage. The district has a $2,500 deductible, and tree removal was estimated at $2,100. New fencing will cost an estimated $3,000, but, depending on the size of the gaps in it, it could take up to seven months to replace. Additionally, the door that had been present at the location will not be replaced to save money. In the meanwhile, while not suitable for tournaments, the court is useable.
New Playground Feature Plan
Frontier Community College’s Student Senate will hold an NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge. Brackets are $5, and proceeds will go to Student Senate activities and the annual Student Senate Scholarship. The individual with the most points at the end of the tournament will win a $50 gift certificate for the Bobcat Den Bookstore or Frontier Perks. Brackets are due by 11 a.m. on Thursday, and they may be obtained through any Student Senate member or from advisor Sarah Rush at rushs@iecc.edu or 516-1200.
Illinois State Police District 19 Commander Captain Nathan Douglas says ISP will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols in White County during March. The patrols allow ISP to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws, and police say Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers, front and back, to buckle up.
The IDPH reported one new case of COVID-19 in Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, and Lawrence counties yesterday. Marion County added seven, and Jefferson County added four. Hamilton, White, Clay, and Richland counties had no new cases on the state website. As a state, Illinois announced 1,398 new cases and 42 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 3,043,893 cases and 33,052 deaths.
The Illinois Senate passed a bill last month to support the families of slain DCFS workers. The measure treats the death of a state DCFS case worker similar to the death of a law enforcement officer. Under current law, when a police officer is killed, their spouse and children are eligible to receive health insurance benefits.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, new state Director for USDA Rural Development, is offering a reminder about $215 million in grants and other support being made available to expand meat and poultry processing options. She says the funding is available to independent processors to give them the opportunity to expand, hire, and train in order to compete with larger processors. She began her new job in January.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 23.86 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 9.24 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 20.84 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 9.86 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 28.16 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 21.92 feet.
Today’s crude oil price is $99.00, down $2.75 from yesterday. The April crude oil price is $108.29, down $2.70 from yesterday morning.