Headlines for Monday, June 13th

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning until 8 p.m. on Wednesday for most of the listening area. Heat index values of up to 115 degrees are anticipated in the afternoon today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, and extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, especially for those working or participating in outdoor activities. Overnight lows will be in the mid- to upper-70s, providing little relief.

31-year-old Fairfield resident Steven M. Thomas was sentenced to prison in Wayne County Circuit Court last week by Judge Michael Molt. He admitted to violating probation in March on an original offense of aggravated assault, a Class 4 felony. Thomas was sentenced to two years in prison and credited with 57 days served. The sentence will run concurrently with a separate one from the county, and he was ordered to pay $577 in fines and court costs.

Wayne County deputies arrested 51-year-old Cisne resident Misty G. Kistner recently on a Wayne County warrant for possession of meth. Kistner was taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the posting of $770 bond. 31-year-old Wayne City resident Darrin A. Harrison was booked in the jail on a Wayne County failure to appear warrant for possession of meth, and he was held, pending the posting of $1,095 bond.

Frontier Community College will offer a water aerobics class Monday evenings at the Fairfield Public Swimming Pool, starting next Monday. The instructor will be Kathy Book, and the class will run from 5 to 6 p.m. from June 20th through August 8th. Students should wear water shoes or sneakers. The cost to register is $40, and registration can be completed at Student Services at FCC. Anyone needing more information should contact the college at 842-3711.

Fairfield Memorial Hospital held an Open House and Dedication for its new Surgical Pavilion yesterday afternoon. CEO Dr. Katherine Bunting opened the ceremony in front of a sizeable crowd, and Pastor Robert Koker offered a prayer of dedication. Groundbreaking was in 2019, and a host of pandemic and supply-chain related issues caused numerous delays to the project. Equipment is scheduled to be moved from the older building to the new facilities, beginning today.

The City of Fairfield Board of Fire and Police Commission will test to establish eligibility rosters for Police Department in the coming days. A mandatory orientation is scheduled for July 8th at City Hall, and written testing will immediately follow. Physical testing will take place at Fairfield Community High School July 9th. Additional information and applications may be picked up at City Hall between 7 and 4 on weekdays. They will not be mailed, but can be sent electronically upon request, and completed applications must be returned with all required documents by 4 p.m. on July 1st.

The Fairfield City Council will meet tomorrow at 6 at City Hall in the first meeting this year under Acting Mayor Gary Moore. The council is scheduled to award bids for the sale of vehicles and equipment and to reject bids for the sale of power plant property. In related action, it is set to authorize the seeking of bids for sale of the property in question. Aldermen will discuss action concerning credit and debit card usage and fees, with action possible, and they are also set to discuss pay raises for the police chief and assistant chief.

The Edwards County School District has announced registration times for Albion and West Salem grade schools and Edwards County High School. K-12 and West Salem online registration begins July 15th, and in-person registration will be August 1st from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 7 in each school office.

According to the CDC over the weekend, 6,421 people in Wayne County were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or 39.6 percent of its population, including 48.8 percent of people over 18 and 68.8 percent of people over 65. 47 percent of fully vaccinated people had been boosted. 40.6 percent of Edwards County residents were fully vaccinated, including 50.4 percent of those over 18 and 76.3 percent of those over 65. 47.2 percent of vaccinated people had been boosted.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza says the state’s Rainy Day Fund has gotten another boost. When she first took office in 2016, the fund had about $60,000, but, after a $320 million deposit last week, the total is now more than $751 million. She says the state’s recently-improved credit ratings are due, in part, to efforts to shore up the fund.

Western Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos is promoting the work of the Rural Reinvestment Task Force, which she co-chairs with Cindy Axne from Iowa. She says their most recent venture was a letter to the Secretary of Commerce requesting looking into the supply chain issues, bringing back manufacturing jobs from overseas, and how to bring back manufacturing going forward. Bustos is also a member of the House Ag Committee. She has announced she will not seek re-election in November.

River stages as of this morning:  the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 6.04 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.07 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 5.21 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 1.73 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 4.14 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 7.73 feet.

Today’s crude oil price is $113.75, down $0.75 from Friday. The July crude oil price is $118.18, down $3.09 from Friday morning.