The 14th annual Wayne County Antique Tractor Drive will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 5. All tractors that are model year 1992 or earlier (30 years of age or older) are welcome to participate. The route will begin and end at Vaughan Equipment Incorporated, located at 908 South First Street (Route 45) in Fairfield. Planned tours during the drive include Junkyard Art by Tam-I-Am and Scarbrough Trucking. Check-in will begin at 8:00 a.m. with a planned departure time of 9:00 a.m. Pictures will be taken at the time of check-in (before departure). The driver meeting will begin promptly at 8:45 a.m. Recognition will be given for the most original unrestored tractor, oldest tractor, youngest driver, and the driver who traveled the furthest to be at the event. The oldest driver will be recognized with the Earl Smith Memorial Award. Registration is $20 per tractor if registered by August 15. After August 15, registration is $30. Lunch is included with the registration fee. Drivers must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid driver’s license in order to drive in this event. It is recommended that tractors be able to keep a 10-mph pace during the drive. Other requirements including an SMV sign, and tow chain are listed on the registration form. All the details can be found at www.waynecfb.com/tractordrive.
Snoring? Can’t sleep? Keeping others awake? Fairfield Memorial Hospital Cardiopulmonary Department will start providing Home Sleep Apnea Testing starting on September 6th. The benefit of a Home Sleep Apnea tests is that you can do the testing from the convenience and comfort of your own bed! Why take chances with your health? Untreated sleep apnea can contribute to other medical conditions such as: Hypertension, Coronary Artery Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, Obesity, Depression, Diabetes, Stroke, Impotence and more. Who is at risk? Anyone at any age can have sleep apnea including children. Those most at risk are middle-aged men who are overweight and 50% of all people over the age of 60. It’s estimated that 24% of men, 11% of women and 1 to 3% of children suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and a great majority are undiagnosed and untreated. These four yes or no questions can help determine the risk for sleep apnea: 1. Do you snore loudly (louder than talking or loud enough to be heard through closed doors)? 2. Do you often feel tired, fatigued or sleepy during the day? 3. Has anyone observed you not breathing in your sleep? 4. Do you have or have you been treated for high blood pressure. All of these are potential warning signs of sleep apnea. A sleep apnea risk questionnaire has an even higher predictive value when these four questions are also answered: Is your Body Mass Index more than 35? Is your age more than 50 years old? Is your neck circumference greater than 40cm? Is your gender male? There is a high risk of sleep apnea if the answer is “yes” to three or more of the questions. If you or someone you love feel like a Home Sleep Test is right for you, please contact the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Cardiopulmonary Department by calling 618-847-8229 for more information. Get back to a better night’s sleep! These tests require a physician’s order.
The Wayne County Corn/Soybean Yield Tour has been set for Tuesday, September 6th. Gregg Barnard, Corn Grower President notes this will be the 39th year for the tour. It was first held in 1983 to assess yields during a drought. It has continued since to help farmers and the business community in adjusting plans based on expected yields. Corn and soybean yields are expected to be good, with above average rainfall during the growing season. In the history of the local tour, the lowest yields were in 1983 with 17.4 bushel soybeans and 34 bushel corn. The highest yield in corn was in 2014 with 184.8 bushel and 2018 in soybeans with 54.1. Last year was near record yields, but not enough National Ag Static Surveys were returned to get a county average. As in the past, eight teams will travel different routes, each checking at least 10 soybean and 10 corn fields for yield. The teams will leave from JT’s in Wayne City at 7 AM and meet back at the Wayne City Community Building at noon. After lunch, a marketing representative has been invited to give a market update. Anyone interested in participating in the tour should contact Gregg Barnard at 618-895-2116. The September 6th tour is sponsored by Wayne County Corn Growers and FNB Community Bank will provide lunch for team members.
The Wayne Chamber of Commerce along with Edward Jones Financial Consultant Abbi Mosson in are excited to announce a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate their Grand Re-Opening. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 7 at Noon. Edward Jones Financial Consultant Abbi Mosson has relocated to 1411 W Main St in Fairfield (The old Personal Finance). Abbi Rivers Mosson is an Albion native and started serving the area in April 2021. Abbi and her Branch Office Administrator, Susan Woods, look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, September 7. If you plan on attending please bring a business card and you will be entered in a drawing for Chamber Bucks from the Chamber.
The annual Du Quoin State Fair is continuing. Today Fire Responder Day with free admission for all police officers, firefighters, and EMT’s who show their badge, plus a car show, the Illinois Products Expo, pedal pull competition, more rodeo action, a talent contest, and ARCA Racing at 8:05 that night. The final day of the fair is Monday. For grandstand ticket sales, go online to ticketmaster.com. Stay up to date on the Du Quoin State Fair Facebook page.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that all offices and facilities will be closed on Monday, September 5th in observance of Labor Day. As a reminder, Secretary White has extended all driver’s license, ID card and learner’s permit expiration dates to December 1. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses and CDL-learner’s permits. In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the federal REAL ID deadline to May 3, 2023. Individuals can visit the Secretary of State’s website at ilsos.gov for online services including checking eligibility to renew their driver’s license online, applying for a duplicate driver’s license, renewing license plate stickers, or locating the nearest Driver Services facility.
A scathing audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security shows deficiencies throughout the Pritzker administration agency. The two-year audit from the Illinois Auditor General released this week included the first 18 months of the pandemic and shows the unemployment agency did not have proper controls over many aspects of the federally funded state agency. Of the 26 compliance findings, 23 showed significant problems. Among the findings was a failure to maintain accurate and complete data.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 6.36 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.01 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 5.24 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 1.71 feet. The Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 4.26 feet, and the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 4.33 feet.