Currently IDPH is reporting a total of 3,045,718 cases of COVID in Illinois with 33,075 confirmed and 4,235 probable deaths. The current positivity 7-day rolling average for case positivity is 1.3%, with test positivity at 1.5%. To date Illinois has performed 55,731,994 tests and administered 21,217,198 doses of the vaccine.
Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 was requested by the Fairfield Police Department to conduct a death investigation in Fairfield on Saturday. At approximately 8 a.m., a 28-year-old male was found deceased near the 600 block of Southeast 4th Street. The official cause and manner of death will be released by the Wayne County Coroner’s office once an autopsy is conducted and toxicology report received. This is an active and ongoing investigation, and no additional information is being released at this time.
Wayne City Matters will hold a soup and sandwich fundraiser today at J.T.’s Restaurant from 4-6:30 p.m. Dine-in, carry-out, and drive-through options will be available for chili, potato, or vegetable soup plus ham salad or peanut butter sandwiches. In addition, the group is selling raffle tickets for eight $500 cash prizes or a Golden Boy Gun from Larry’s Gun Shop in McLeansboro. Tickets are five dollars or five for $20 with the drawing to be held today as well.
The first of Grayville City Council’s two meeting for March is coming up on Monday at 7pm at the City Hall. In the Executive Session, there will be a discussion of the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of employees of the Police Department as well as the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired. Executive action includes hiring a full-time officer and the purchase of property. Old business includes the 2nd reading of ordinance 922 regulating video gaming, the water filtration plant, and the Grayville welcoming signs. New business includes the first reading of ordinance 924 approving real estate sale, authorizing the application for the PARC grant and begin preliminary engineering, authorizing the application for the Department of Transportation Raise Grant, the Rural Development Grant for Police Vehicles, paving quotes for the Police Department parking lot, heating and air installation at the Police Department building and requests for TIF assistance.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 24.29 feet, above the 17ft flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 6.07 feet (flood stage is 15ft). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 20.19 feet (flood stage is 18ft). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 4.11 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 27.37 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 22.81 feet.