The City of Fairfield and Wayne County Chamber of Commerce are planning an event in conjunction with the City’s July 3rd fireworks display at Southwest Park. The entities are looking for vendors and food trucks interested in participating, with events, food, and vendors starting at 5. Live music will be on-hand from 6 to 8, and fireworks will begin at dusk. Vendors will not have to pay a fee for set-up, but no utilities will be provided. Anyone interested in setting up should contact the Chamber at 842-6116.
The Fairfield City Band will hold its second concert of the year tonight on the Wayne County Courthouse lawn at 7. City Band concerts will be held every Thursday at 7 p.m. throughout the month.
29-year-old Princeton, Indiana, resident Andrew B. Greenwood was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to a Class 2 felony count of possession with intent to deliver less than five grams of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to two years probation plus time served, and several cases were dismissed per his plea. Greenwood was also ordered to pay $1,144 in fines and court costs.
34-year-old Tyler Watson has agreed to waive a jury trial in an attempted murder case in Marion County Circuit Court and will move forward with a bench trial in August. Watson was found to be mentally fit to stand trial in April for the alleged stabbing of a caregiver in a Salem CILA home and faces charges of attempted murder, armed violence, and aggravated battery. He remains in custody on a half-million dollars bond.
Illinois State Police District 19 Commander Captain Nathan Douglas has announced the activity and enforcement figures for the month of May. Troopers in District 19 recorded of 848 citations and 1,736 written warnings, including 379 speeding citations, 132 occupant restraint citations, 40 distracted driving citations, 25 criminal arrests, and 482 written warnings for speeding.
Much of Illinois is being impacted by minor weather disturbances this week, bringing rain and possibly thunderstorms, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick. The southern portion of the state could see some heavier thunderstorms as part of the systems, and some spots could see up to two inches of rainfall. He says warmer temperatures will come late next week and should stick around for the rest of the month.
The Wayne County Quilts of Valor Chapter and FNB will hold a ceremony for Vietnam War veterans Saturday at 2 at the Fairfield First Christian Church. Lisa Konopasek says about 35 veterans are set to be honored who physically served in Vietnam, and the group will also honor one World War II veteran. All veterans who will be honored Saturday have been contacted by phone and by mail; anyone who has not been contacted by Saturday will be honored at a later ceremony.
The Fairfield Community High School Board of Education will hold a special meeting tonight at 6 in the school study hall. Members are scheduled to approve the purchase of shades in order to make an additional classroom in the former computer lab on the third floor. They are also set to approve a resolution to purchase real estate at 301 West King Street and to accept the resignation of Registrar Theresa Baker.
The Fairfield Park Board will meet tonight at 5. Following reports, the board could discuss any updates on its splash pad project before moving to new business. Members are scheduled to discuss the annual appropriation ordinance and audit, and they will also discuss accepting electronic payments at the Fairfield swimming pool.
Wayne County Circuit Clerk Pam Southerd has announced the release of her organization’s new smartphone app; the app will serve as a new way for the clerk to connect with Wayne County residents and visitors and to provide information quickly and efficiently to anyone with a smartphone; it offers quick access to several items of public interest, including features for searching court cases; making payments; e-filing; and accessing forms, jury duty information, and court information. The app is available for download at no cost in the App Story and Google Play; people should search “Wayne County Clerk, IL.”
The IDPH has released the First Quarter Report of Nursing Home Violators for 2022 on its website; three area nursing homes were cited for violations, including two in Olney and one in Mt. Vernon. Richland Nursing and Rehab was fined $50,000 for failing to provide supervision during meal service to a resident with dementia, and Helia Healthcare was fined $25,000 for failing to prevent the elopement of a resident. Mt. Vernon Countryside Manor was fined $25,000 for failing to provide adequate supervision during an episode of agitation resulting in a fall.
The IDPH reported six new cases of COVID-19 in Wayne County yesterday. Marion County added 13 cases; Lawrence, Jefferson, and White counties added five; Hamilton County added three; and Edwards, Wabash, and Clay counties added two. Richland County held steady on the state website. As a state, Illinois announced 4,901 new cases and 21 additional deaths.
Illinois Farm Bureau Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities Mark Gebhards says Illinois will get about $17.8 billion from the recently approved $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. He says there is no timeline for county farm bureaus in applying for funds, but being an early applicant is better than coming in at the last minute.
Governor J.B. Pritzker spoke about some of his future goals at the Environmental Law and Policy Center Gala in Chicago Tuesday night. The governor says there’s still work to do to get more electric vehicles and charging stations on the roads. He also noted that as the state moves towards a path of clean energy, Illinois is gearing up for federal investments in harnessing hydrogen as a power source. Other topics included protecting fresh-water resources and a major port project in Cairo.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 6.50 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.14 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 5.31 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 2.54 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 4.67 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 7.80 feet.
Today’s crude oil price is $115.00, up $2.50 from yesterday. The July crude oil price is $121.44, up $1.56 from yesterday morning.