Headlines for Thursday, April 28th

The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce has announced Maddison Oliver as the recipient of the annual Chamber Scholarship. The daughter of Tony and Jessica Oliver, she will graduate from Fairfield Community High School in May, and her immediate plans include attending Wabash Valley College for ag economics and business. She will be a cheerleader for the Wabash Valley boys and girls basketball teams.

Wayne County EMS responded to a single-vehicle accident one week ago between Fairfield and Boyleston. According to county deputies, 46-year-old McLeansboro resident Jason B. Irvin was westbound on Highway 15 in a 2002 Dodge Dakota when he had a coughing spell, causing him to travel off the roadway and down an embankment. He hit a culvert and went airborne before coming to rest in a yard. Irvin was taken to the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. A tow truck was called, and the vehicle sustained over $1,500 damage.

55-year-old Makanda resident Sherman D. Griswold was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to a Class 2 felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury and a Class A misdemeanor of driving suspended. He was sentenced to three years probation plus time served. Several other cases were dismissed, and he was ordered to pay fines and court costs.

Wayne County deputies arrested 27-year-old Fairfield resident Kayti M. Carter last night on a Wayne County failure to appear warrant for retail theft. Carter was taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the posting of $595 bond.

The Fairfield FFA Chapter will hold its 2022 Spring Plant Sale in the coming days. Plants will be sold tomorrow (April 29) and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Monday through Friday next week from 3 to 5 at the FCHS Greenhouse at the corner of Southwest Fourth and College streets. All proceeds go back to students enrolled in ag classes at FCHS supporting the Horticulture Program and FFA.

The Fairfield Community High School Varsity Scholastic Bowl Team has qualified for a national competition in New Orleans May 26th through June 1st, and the team will sponsor its annual Mind Bowl Trivia Night to raise money for the event. The Mind Bowl will be held in the FCHS Multipurpose Room tonight at 6:30. Teams of five members can enter for a $50 fee, and prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams. Ghost teams are welcome from any organization not wishing to compete.

The Office of Congresswoman Mary Miller is accepting submissions for the 2022 Congressional Art Competition. Submissions are due May 2nd, and winners will be announced shortly thereafter. People can visit marymiller.house.gov for details and call 217-500-7834 to coordinate a drop-off time at a District Office. The winner’s artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

The Fairfield Lions Club has named Konnor Dagg as its 2022 FCHS Star Student. Dagg is the son of Wayde and Carrie Dagg, and he received the Star Student plaque and a $400 check from the Lions Club. The Lions Club named two teachers as Co-Educators of the Year for 2022. Kevin Greathouse is the PE teacher at New Hope Grade School, and Shelly Borah is a fourth grade science and social science teacher at Fairfield District 112. JoAnn Atwood and Katie White were Dagg’s grade school and high school STAR Teachers, respectively. The club also recognized retiring educators Debbie Webb, Ruth McMeen, Robin Atwood, and Gayle McGehee for their years of service, and it said it was proud to be able to honor area teachers and administrators for all they do for their students and the future of the community.

From left: STAR Teacher JoAnn Atwood, STAR Student Konnor Dagg, STAR Teacher Katie White, and Presenter David Savage

Co-Educators of the Year Shelly Borah and Kevin Greathouse with Presenter David Savage

Retiring Educators (from left) Debbie Webb, Ruth McMeen, Robin Atwood, and Gayle McGehee

 

A 36-year-old Olney man was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Ingraham Lane in Clay County yesterday afternoon. Illinois State Police say the man, whose name was not released yesterday, was driving a pickup truck and for unknown reasons crossed the center line and struck a cargo van, driven by 34-year-old Benton resident Gregory Stewart, head-on. The Olney man was pronounced deceased on-scene, and Stewart was taken to an area hospital via Air Evac with serious injuries.

The New Hope Grade School Scholastic Bowl Team won their IESA Regional Tournament yesterday at Center Street School in Fairfield. The Panthers beat West Salem and Oblong in pool play before defeating Palestine in the Championship by a score of 215 to 85. New Hope is now 20-1 on the season and will compete in Sectional competition in Paris on Monday. Team members include Grady Simpson, Allison Breuer, Logan Hodges, Aiden Dunn, Alivia Rice, Karoline Book, Carly Fleener, and Kamden Vaughan, and the team is coached by Ardis Barbre.

New Hope Scholastic Bowl

Today is Mark Turner’s final day at WFIW Radio. He took over sports and morning show duties in November 2017 and has worked for 35-plus years in radio, including 25 years in news. He has worked in several places, including Marion, Vandalia, and Effingham and part-time in St. Louis, Chicago, and Vincennes. He will begin his new job with Raylen James Marketing next week.

Kids In Motion will hold several pre-registration events for its summer day camp in the coming days. Parents can sign up children in kindergarten through eighth grades this Saturday and May 14th at the Fairfield Public Library from 10 to noon and May 3rd and 10th at the Fairfield Park District Maintenance Building from 4:30 to 6:30. There is a $25 non-refundable fee at the time of registration, plus $15 for each additional sibling.

The IDPH reported no new cases of COVID-19 in Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Jefferson, or Richland counties yesterday. Marion County added four cases, and Clay and White counties added one. Lawrence and Hamilton counties had their totals decrease on the state website. As a state, Illinois announced 3,434 new cases and eight additional deaths.

Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford says the last six weeks have been cool and wet, and the next few days shouldn’t be much different. He does believe, by mid-to-late May, conditions do look warmer and drier for most of the state. Ford also says a stretch of three-to-four days of dry days in May will allow much more field work to get done, as even below-normal temperatures are warm enough to dry out soil.

The Illinois Commerce Commission and Operation Lifesaver are celebrating 50 years of rail safety education. 124 people railroad crossing collisions occurred in Illinois last year, down from 850 annually on average 50 years ago. The initiative works to educate people about railway safety through training, community presentations, and informational campaigns.

River stages as of this morning:  the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 21.53 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.81 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 9.11 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 15.36 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 21.26 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 13.05 feet.

Today’s crude oil price is $95.00, up $0.25 from yesterday. The June crude oil price is $102.00, up $0.43 from yesterday morning.