Headlines for Thursday, March 24th

Seven pairs of Republicans and two pairs of Democrats have filed for Illinois Governor in the 2022 elections. State Senator Darren Bailey and running mate Stephanie Trussel will go against Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and State Representative Avery Bourne, businessman Gary Rabine and Aaron Del Mar, former State Senator Paul Schimpf and Carolyn Schofield, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan and Kathleen Murphy, lawyer Max Soloman and Latasha Fields, and Emily Johnson and Bret Mahlen. Governor J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton will face nurse and U.S. Army veteran Beverly Miles and her running mate Karla Shaw.

57-year-old Cisne resident Brian E. Fitzhugh was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to a Class 3 felony count of possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to two years probation and time served. A separate case was dismissed per his plea, and Fitzhugh was ordered to pay $3,405 in fines and court costs.

Members of the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force arrested 49-year-old West Salem resident Tamara S. Rich Tuesday, per a press release from the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department. The Task Force also arrested 30-year-old Albion resident Haleigh N. Ellis. Both were wanted on Edwards County warrants for unlawful delivery of methamphetamine. Rich’s bond was set at $3,500 cash, and Ellis was held on $3,000 bond. Members of the Task Force conducted the investigations in the cases, leading to the issuing of the warrants by the Edwards County Circuit Clerk.

Fairfield police arrested 41-year-old McLeansboro resident Randall D. Cottrill and 32-year-old Fairfield resident Adam B. Barnett, III, on charges of domestic battery yesterday. 59-year-old Fairfield resident Judy F. Tyler was arrested on a charge of battery. Wayne County deputies arrested 45-year-old Mill Shoals resident Erdest R. Embry on a charge of possession of meth, and he was cited for driving revoked. All were taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the posting of bond.

The Wayne County 4-H Foundation will hold a drive-through fish dinner tomorrow at the Wayne County Fairgrounds Floral Hall. Service will be from 4:30 to 6:30, and the cost will be $12. The menu will include two fried fish filets, hush puppies, fried potatoes, baked beans, and a cookie. Cars should enter the main gate at the fairgrounds and continue north to Floral Hall.

State Representative Adam Niemerg says the state must stabilize the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and pay back the $4.5 billion federal loan used during COVID shutdowns and the explosion of unemployment benefits demands in recent years. He says session ends April 8th, and the state must avoid defaulting on the loan, raising taxes on businesses and lowering benefits to those needing help.

Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard says human remains were found Monday near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Drive and Davidson Avenue, west of the Interstate-57 interchange and just southwest of the Mt. Vernon City Limits. He did not give many details but did say the person had been deceased for a considerable time before March began.

The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce plans to hold its town-wide rummage sale on April 30th. The rain date will be May 7th, according to Executive Director Libby Lingafelter. She says the cost to purchase a spot on the city-wide map is $5 for location only, and the cost for location and an ad listing is $10. Ads must be typed and 30 words or less. The deadline to purchase a spot on the map is April 15th at 9 a.m. Maps will be available at the Chamber Office at 121 East Main Street and in the Wayne County Press one week before the sale date.

Cisne FFA members Kevin Hyder, Emily Milner, Isabella Cline, Abigail Biggs, Noah Atwood, and Avery Smith took first place at the District V Varsity Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development event Tuesday at SIU Carbondale. The team will now advance to state competition to be held in May at Illinois Central College in Peoria. Individual honors included Hyder as first-place chairperson, Atwood as second-place floor member, Biggs fifth place, Smith ninth, Milner 10th, and Cline 13th. 60 students from 10 southern Illinois schools participated.

The Cemetery Committee of the Fairfield City Council will meet Monday at 10 at the Cemetery Office at Maple Hill. It is scheduled to discuss improvements to buildings and equipment, and it will also discuss personnel in executive session. The TIF Committee will meet Monday at 5:15 at City Hall. It is scheduled to hear a request from Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen for building improvements and to discuss payment to Connor & Connor from the TIF fund.

Chief Judge Melissa A. Morgan and the Second Judicial Circuit of Illinois have announced the appointment of Tonya R. Collins as an official court reporter. She began her appointment last Wednesday at the Gallatin County Courthouse in Shawneetown. She will serve the 12 counties of the Second Circuit, including Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, White, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lawrence, Richland, Hardin, Franklin, Crawford, and Gallatin counties. The Second Circuit is also accepting applications for additional court reporter positions. Anyone interested should submit a resume to the Office of the Chief Judge at 911 Casey Avenue, Suite HI-05, in Mt. Vernon. People can contact Amy Scott at 244-8036 for additional information.

The IDPH reported no new cases of COVID-19 in Wayne, Edwards, Clay, or Jefferson counties yesterday. Marion County added two cases, and Richland, Wabash, Hamilton, and White counties each added one. Lawrence County had its total decrease on the state website. As a state, Illinois announced 1,114 new cases and 18 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 3,058,192 cases and 33,278 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 1.6 percent on the 20th, unchanged from the 19th.

Last week, a Cook County Judge found Illinois DCFS Director Marc Smith in contempt as the agency struggles to place children in proper care settings. This is the seventh time Smith has been found in contempt, with the most recent coming after a 16-year-old spent 366 days in a DCFS shelter without proper resources.

Governor J.B. Pritzker has announced a new children’s behavioral health initiative, with the idea of evaluating current practices and making it easier for families to access the support their child needs. Areas to be examined include eligibility for levels of care, barriers to programs, and the needs of kids with various behavioral health concerns. A report is due at the end of the year.

River stages as of this morning:  the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 20.06 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 9.38 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 19.38 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 11.46 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 22.22 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 18.02 feet.

Today’s crude oil price is $108.00, up $3.25 from yesterday. The May crude oil price is $114.66, up $4.31 from yesterday morning.