Fairfield Community High School district 225 will hold a special board meeting on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 5:00 pm in the FCHS Study Hall. In new business the board will address the updated Return to School Plan. The Board will also enter into Executive Session for consideration of employment of two paraprofessionals for Special Education, a part-time bus driver, and Special Education teacher. The board will also consider increases in pay for paraprofessionals and bus drivers.
The Fairfield City Council will meet on Tuesday, August 9 at 6 p.m. In routine business the council will discuss repealing ordinance section 51.37, contractor disposal of waste. The council will also seek to approve a TIF agreement with David Savage, Trick or Treat dates, a resolution regarding the release of Executive Session, and a resolution authorizing the destruction of audio recordings of closed session meetings.
Fairfield and Albion Post Offices are currently seeking applicants for the positions of Rural Carrier Associate, and City Carrier Associate. Interested applicants my apply by visiting www.usps.com/careers. Once on the USPS website, select Apply Now, then select Illinois for the location and type Fairfield or Albion in the Keywords, then simply set up your profile and apply. Applications are being accepted until August 10th.
The Mill Shoals Ruritan Community Breakfast for Monday, Aug. 8 has been cancelled due to a death in a family.
On 08/05/2022, at 11:24 PM, Fairfield Police responded to the 407 SE 7th Street, Fairfield on a
report of a vehicle leaving the scene of an accident. They were informed the driver, Anthony C
Vasoli, 18, had driven through the yard, striking a table and left without stopping. Officers were
still on scene when the vehicle returned. They stopped it and found the driver, Vasoli, had
indications of impairment. He submitted to Field Sobriety Exercises and was placed under arrest
for Driving Under the Influence. He was transported to the Wayne County Jail where he
submitted a breath sample that indicated a Blood Alcohol content of .204. He was lodged
pending a court hearing on charges of Aggravated DUI, Criminal Damage to Property, Driving
While License Revoked, Unlawful Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor, Operating an Uninsured
Motor Vehicle and Reckless Driving.
On 08/05/2022, at approximately 9:45 AM, Fairfield officers responded to the intersection of
West Main Street and SW 4th Street to investigate a motor vehicle crash involving a bicycle. The
bicycle was operated by Rebecca Jones, 45 of Fairfield. Jones was crossing West Main Street,
while a 2017 Volvo tractor trailer, operated by Holden Allsopp, 18 of Whittington, IL was
traveling west on West MainStreet. Allsopp was in the north lane. Jones thought the trailer had
cleared the intersection, but rode into the side of the trailer, near the rear wheels. Jones
suffered injuries and was transported to Fairfield Memorial Hospital. Jones admitted fault in the
crash and no citations were issued.
On 8/5 at approximately 6:38 p.m. Wayne County Sheriff’s Department arrested 44-year-old
Daniel B.J. Brocket of Fairfield on failure to appear warrants for No Valid Driver’s License and
three counts Possession of Methamphetamines. He was also ticked for no valid driver’s license.
A court appearance deadline on the warrants has been set for September 2, with appearance
for the ticket set for September 29th, both at the Wayne County Courthouse.
On 8/5 Wayne County Sheriff’s Department arrested 32-year-old Lawrence L. Schnell of Olney
on a Failure to Appear Warrant out of White County. Schnell is being held for White County.
Bond has been set at $500.
On 8/6 Wayne County Sheriff’s responded to an accident on County Highway 16 in Cisne. 29-
year-old Kaleb J. Wheelington of St. Louis, Mo was travelling Eastbound on County Hwy 16
when for unknown reasons he left the roadway to the southside, striking a culvert causing
damage to both vehicle and property. The vehicle driven by Wheelington was registered to
Emergency Management Systems and Transportation out of Belleville, IL. The damaged
driveway culvert belonged to property owned by Deloris Atteberry of Cisne.
On 8/6 Wayne County Sheriffs ticked Brian Alagna of Fairfield for driving with no valid driver’s
license. Alagna was given a promise to comply with no court date required.
On 8/6 the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office arrested 26–year-old Andrew Noel Gregory of Wayne
City on charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Resisting/Obstructing a Police Officer, and
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Gregory was lodged in the Wayne County Jail pending the
setting of bond.
41-year-old Aaron K. Henson of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was sentenced Tuesday, July 26, 2022 to a total of 7-years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in Edwards County Case No. 2021-CF-18. Aaron K. Henson entered guilty pleas to the offenses of Burglary and Theft. Edwards County State’s Attorney Eric A. St Ledger prosecuted the case on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois and attorney Brian Shinkle represented the defendant, Aaron K. Henson.
The Blue Point Free Will Baptist Church will host a blood drive on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, from 1-6 p.m. It will be held in The Link – Gymnasium. Located on the eastside of the church. The address for the church is 1141 County Road 1975N, Cisne, IL 62823. Please visit RedCrossBlood.org to schedule an appointment. Enter code: BLUEPOINT in order to make an appointment online. For any questions please phone Connie McGrew at 839-1981 or Pastor Ernie Lewis at 618-838-6708. The church is located 8 miles south of Flora or 2 miles north off the 161 extension on the Blue Mound Road.
There will be a blood drive Thursday, August 11th at the Flora Church of the Nazarene. In recent weeks, a decline in donations has caused the American Red Cross blood supply to shrink nearly 20%. This drop in donations could lead to a seasonal blood shortage, which can negatively impact patient care at hospitals across the country. The Red Cross needs donors to make an appointment now to give in August. As a thank-you for helping, all who come to give Aug. 1-31 will be entered to win gas for a year and will also receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. To schedule your donation, call 1-800-RED CROSS, that’s 1-800-733-2767. You can also schedule a donation online by going to redcrossblood.org, then under the Give Blood tab click find a drive, then enter your zip code and clicking on the schedule button. The next Blood Drive in Flora will be on Friday, September 9th at the Flora First United Methodist Church.
Fairfield Memorial Hospital will be hosting a blood drive for the public on Wednesday, August 17th. Give blood to save lives! The blood drive will take place from 10:30am-3:30pm at Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s Educational Annex Building 203 NW 10th Street. Be sure to register online at: redcrossblood.org with sponsor code: Fairfield Memorial or contact Shauna Williams at 847-8242.
Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions will hold the next Coffee Club from 9:30am – 10:30am on Thursday, August 18th. The Coffee Club will meet in the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Cafe and is open to anyone interested in attending. This is a great opportunity to get together with other people in the community in a social atmosphere. You do not have to be a participant in the Senior Life Solutions program to attend. Free blood pressure checks and refreshments will also be offered at the Coffee Club. We look forward to seeing you there! For more information about this Club or to learn more about Senior Life Solutions, call 618-847-8298.
The Illinois Sales Tax Holiday began on Friday and continues through August 14, the state will reduce its sales tax rate from 6.25% to 1.25% for certain clothing items costing less than $125 and school supplies. The state estimated the sales tax reduction would amount to $50 million in savings for taxpayers. The holiday includes clothing items defined by the law like shorts, pants, skirts, shirts and underwear. The tax reduction will also apply to aprons, hats, caps, earmuffs, coats, belts, rubber pants, lab coats, hosiery, scarves, bathing suits, school uniforms and neckties. It also applies to shoes, shoelaces, slippers, insoles, boots, socks and sandals. Other school supplies included are binders, book bags, calculators, cellophane tape, blackboard chalk, notebooks, erasers, folders, index cards, legal pads, lunch boxes, pencils and sharpeners, supply boxes, protractors, rulers, compasses, and scissors. But the tax breaks do not apply to ballet, tap or athletic shoes, briefcases, hair bows, handbags, sports gloves, goggles, hand and elbow guards, shoulder pads, shin guards or mouth guards. Also excluded are protective equipment items such as breathing masks, hearing protectors, face shields, hard hats and helmets, respirators, protective gloves, safety goggles or tool belts. Shoppers should also not expect to see a tax break on art supplies textbooks, reference books, maps and globes, electronics and computers, which includes related supplies such as flash drives, memory cards, data storage, computer cases, cables, printers and ink.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 4,149 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease in Illinois, including 24 additional deaths. There were 69 new cases of Coronavirus in our area. Clay, Jasper, Richland, and Wayne County have all been moved into the Medium Community Transmission Level, Effingham Marion and Fayette Counties are still listed in the High Community Transmission Level. There were 12 new cases in Wayne, 15 in Effingham County, 13 in Marion, and 8 in Clay, Fayette, and Jasper Counties. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,588,158 cases, including 34,412 deaths, in Illinois. As of Wednesday night, 1,416 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 135 patients were in the ICU and 56 patients were on ventilators. A total of 23,041,731 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of Wednesday night, 4,694,845 of those have been booster doses. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 9,908 doses. Wednesday 11,186 doses were reportedly administered in Illinois.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 28.57 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 6.15 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 21.73 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 15.10 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 29.57 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 5.64 feet.
Today’s crude oil price is $82.01 up $0.47 from Friday. The September crude oil price is $88.48 up $0.01 from Friday morning.