Headlines for Tuesday, March 15th

The Illinois Eastern Community College Board of Trustees will meet tonight at 6:15 at Wabash Valley College. In new business, the board is anticipated to approve International Students Transportation Fees, an identity theft prevention plan, the FY21 audit, and the 2023-2025 Academic Calendars. The meeting will also be held by Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91881566935   Meeting ID: 918 8156 6935    Dial in number: 312 626 6799

Wayne County deputies arrested 31-year-old Fairfield resident Richard W. Garrard this morning on a Wayne County warrant for obstructing a peace officer. He also was issued citations for driving while suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Garrard was taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the posting of $520 bond. Fairfield police arrested 22-year-old Mt. Vernon resident Austin P. Frazier yesterday. He was wanted on a Wayne County warrant for violation of an order of protection, and he was held, pending the posting of $770 bond.

The Grayville City Council met last night. The Police Department reported 67 service calls in February, including five criminal arrests and three warrant arrests. The council approved the hiring of a fifth full-time officer, to begin April 18th, and it authorized application for a Department of Transportation Raise Grant.

Applications for the Albion Moose Family Center 621 “Deceased Pilgrim Memorial Scholarship” are now available. They may be picked up from Edwards County Guidance Counselor Kelley Biggs at ECHS; Scholarship Committee Chairman Michael Snidle says they are not available at the Lodge. Applications may also be mailed by contacting Biggs at 445-2325, and they must be returned or postmarked by Friday.

Illinois State Police say the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year will help reduce highway fatalities. The act will build and repair roads and bridges, but it also has portions dedicated to helping law enforcement keep people safe; ISP Director Brendan Kelly says those include anti-drunk driving technology and “Move Over Law” enforcement.

The Greater Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner last night at the Willow Creek Venue near Fairfield and announced, moving forward, it will be known as the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce and will incorporate businesses in the rest of the county, including Cisne and Wayne City. Tim McBride was named the 2022 Outstanding Community Service Award winner at the event, and La Fuente was honored as the Business of the Year.  In the dinner’s newest tradition, Fairfield Mayor Mike Dreith handed out his second annual SMILE Award to the director of the Fairfield Community High School and City bands, Joshua Livesay. The award stands for “Shines, Motivates, Inspires, Leads, and Excels;” last year’s honoree was Kristi Hornung.

Joshua Livesay, Tim McBride, and Danny Zaragoza

Frontier Community College has introduced a Small Business Development Center, or SBDC, in conjunction with a grant with Southeastern Illinois College. The program aims to help with accounting, financing, web development, and similar activities, all free of charge. The SBDC will hold an Open House in Clemence Elizabeth Cox Hall at FCC on April 28th from 1 to 3 p.m.

Local McDonald’s restaurants are celebrating area healthcare workers by offering a free beverage in the drive-through to any healthcare worker through Friday. To redeem, workers must show a valid healthcare ID badge when ordering in the drive-through, and no purchase is necessary. The Fairfield, Albion, Mt. Carmel, McLeansboro, and Carmi locations are participating in the giveaway.

The IDPH reported three new cases of COVID-19 in Wayne County since Friday afternoon. Wabash, Hamilton, and Richland counties each added two cases on the state website, and Edwards County increased by one. Marion County added five cases, Jefferson County four, and Lawrence County one. White and Clay counties held steady. As a state, Illinois announced 2,324 new cases and 32 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 3,048,042 cases and 33,107 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 2.1 percent on the 11th, down from 2.4 percent on the 10th. Its seven-day average availability for ICU beds was 21 percent.

The Better Business Bureau is asking people to be aware of the various aspects of supply chain issues. Investigator Don O’Brien says it has been a challenge to get products to their intended destinations, leading to empty shelves, rising prices, and angry consumers. He says people should shop around, cut back when possible, and maintain equipment that could be costly to replace.

Local and state police are beefing up patrols for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Annual enforcement is already underway and will last through the early morning hours of March 18th, per IDOT. Officials say, if people do plan on drinking, the best thing they can do is to make a plan ahead of time for how to get home safely.

River stages as of this morning:  the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 24.49 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.76 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 10.46 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 4.30 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 26.23 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 23.24 feet.

Today’s crude oil price is $96.00, down $6.25 from yesterday. The April crude oil price is $96.88, down $8.74 from yesterday morning.