Wayne County Mobile Home Tax Bills are due tomorrow (July 1st). Anyone paying after tomorrow will be subject to a $25 per month penalty. Payment may be made in person at the Wayne County Courthouse, in the drop box on the courthouse’s west side, or by mail. Anyone with questions can call the office of Wayne County Treasurer Donna Masterson at 842-5087. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
21-year-old Mill Shoals resident Trevor J. Edwards was sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court Tuesday. He admitted to violating his probation in March on an original offense of possession of between 30 and 500 grams of cannabis. His probation was terminated unsuccessfully, several cases were dismissed, and bond funds were forfeited. $13,807 in seized funds was also forfeited to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department.
The Fairfield City Band will hold its final concert of the year tonight at 7 at the Wayne County Courthouse. In honor of the upcoming Independence Day holiday, tonight’s performance will feature patriotic music.
Edwards County Commissioners will meet tomorrow at 9 at the county courthouse. Commissioners will discuss a building for the County Highway Department, with a decision likely, and they are also set to discuss proposed setback revisions for solar projects. At their previous meeting, commissioners were told the State’s Attorney would draft a revision changing setbacks from 500 to 200 feet from a property line containing a residence, and action on that change is possible.
Frey Farms will offer its products to Wayne County residents at two markets in the coming days. It will be at the Wayne City Market in the Park Friday at 6, as well as a Saturday market drive-through at 11 County Highway 15 in Keenes from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For the drive-through, people are asked to stay in their vehicles, and safety precautions will be in place to maintain social distancing. Watermelons will cost $5, fresh sweet corn by the crate (approximately 45 ears) will cost $20, and six packs of Tsamma and Sarah’s Homegrown Flavors will cost $10. Only cash will be accepted, and people are asked to plan ahead and bring exact change.
Extreme heat is anticipated throughout the summer months and could cause some water usage issues in parts of the state, according to Ed Shimon with the National Weather Service in Lincoln. He says, for now, the state is doing fine for soil moisture, but the drought monitor could be triggered if things continue to stay dry. So far in June, rain has been hit and miss for most of Illinois, but there are several chances in the coming days.
A structure and farm equipment were lost in a fire yesterday afternoon in Edwards County. Officials say a large barn at the Rotramel Farm southeast of Browns caught fire, and the Browns, Albion, Little Wabash, and Belmont fire departments were called to battle the blaze. A combine inside the barn was destroyed, as well as other equipment, but no injuries were reported.
41-year-old Ray E. Tate appeared by Zoom in Wayne County Circuit Court Tuesday for a status hearing. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in April after pleading guilty to the murder of Wayne County Deputy Sean Riley, and he filed a motion to withdraw that plea and vacate the sentence in May. No action was taken at the status hearing, as the court reporter asked for another 30 days to prepare transcripts from previous court appearances, as required by law, for the State and defense to review. Judge Michael Molt noted the request was reasonable, given the length of the sentencing hearing, and another hearing was set for August 9th at 9 a.m. Tate will again be able to appear by Zoom at that hearing.
Fourth District Court Judge Michael McHaney has won the Republican primary to become a Justice on the 5th District Appellate Court at Mt. Vernon, defeating incumbent Justice Barry Vaughan. Final voting tallies have not yet been made available for the district, but reports indicate Justice Vaughan has conceded the race; with incomplete votes from five counties, McHaney was up 20,000 votes.
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. tomorrow (July 1st).
The IDPH reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 in Wayne County yesterday. Jefferson County added 12 cases on the state website; Marion County added 11; Lawrence County added 10; White County added nine; Edwards, Wabash, and Clay counties added seven; and Richland and Hamilton counties added six. As a state, Illinois announced 4,645 new cases and 10 additional deaths.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced a new tool to help police investigate gun crimes in the state. “Crime Gun Connect” is an online database of gun-tracing records dating back more than a decade, per Raoul. Law enforcement agencies will have access to Crime Gun Connect as part of a larger online portal maintained by the Illinois State Police.
The Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office is urging the public to leave fireworks to the professionals. Fireworks and novelty items like sparklers can be dangerous, causing fires or a trip to the E.R. Last summer in Illinois, 202 people were injured were injured by fireworks, and one person died. Officials say more accidents likely occurred but went unreported.
June is Men’s Health Month; Dr. Andrew Peterson from OSF Healthcare says one of five men in Illinois above the age of 18 smoke, three times as many men as women in the state are considered chronic drinkers, and only 50 percent of Illinois men classified their health as “good.” One important element emphasized this month is quitting smoking. Men tend to smoke more and die from smoking-related illnesses in greater numbers than women.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 8.90 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.03 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 6.56 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 1.29 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 7.11 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 4.52 feet.
Today’s crude oil price is $104.75, up $3.25 from yesterday. The August crude oil price is $111.80, up $1.01 from yesterday morning.