Today is the deadline for payment of the first installment of Wayne County Real Estate Taxes. Taxes can be paid today in person at the office of Wayne County Treasurer Donna Masterson between the hours 8am and 4pm. If you need to make your payment outside of business hours, you may use the drop box on the west side of the courthouse. For more information contact the Treasurer’s Office at 842-5087. Taxes can also be paid at any of the following banking locations throughout the county: First Financial, Cisne Trust, Mt. Erie Banking Center, People’s National Bank, and Fairfield National Bank’s Fairfield and Wayne City Branches.
Fairfield Water Dept employees will be flushing hydrants in the 4th Ward today, to include all outlying areas, being Walmart, Petroleum Blvd., Brach Oaks, Highway 45 South, Highway 15 East to City’s Old Filter Plant. This will conclude the schedule hydrant flushing announced this week. Flushing of hydrants is done each spring and fall to test the hydrants and help keep your water supply clean and pure. The City of Fairfield is required by ILL EPA to inform residents of the possible lead content in the water supply during hydrant flushing. While flushing the hydrants, you may notice that your water may be temporarily discolored. While flushing occurs, you may also experience a dip in water pressure, and it might affect the lead plumbing in and outside your home, if your home is equipped with lead plumbing. If your water is discolored, it does not mean it is unsafe to drink. It just means there is a temporary increase in the concentration of iron within the water. While lines are being flushed, residents are urged to check for discoloration of your water before doing laundry or similar activities. It is also encouraged you flush your line at the kitchen tap for 1-5 minutes as recommended by the EPA. The city will have Lead Information Sheets available at City Hall and the Water Dept. upon request. For questions or to obtain more information call the Water Department during regular business hours, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Tonight is Homecoming for the Fairfield Mules, as they head into action against the Hamilton County Foxes. The Homecoming court for the 2022-2023 school year is as follows: The Freshmen attendants are: Gracie Atwood (daughter of Paul and Courtney Atwood), and Jayden Easton (daughter of Nikki and Nathan Easton). Sophomore attendants are: Cori Sutton (daughter of Brent and Karen Sutton), and Kortlyn Cronovich (daughter of Nick and Stephanie Crnovich). The Junior attendants are: Lorann Garrett (daughter of Jamey and Marcia Garrett), and Emersyn Robbins (daughter of Curt and Stacey Robbins). Senior Queen Candidates are: Chelsea Cuff (daughter of Ann and Scott Cuff), Elyiah Taylor (daughter of Ely and Jamie Taylor), and Kylie White (daughter of Keith and Casey White). Senior King Candidates are: Luke Duckworth (son of Ryan Duckworth and Amy Duckworth), Jonathon Paul (son of William and Kristi Paul), and Luke Sork (son of Stephen and Amy Sork) and Jevon Sork. Senior Escorts are: Jonah Easton (son of Patrick and Chasity Suddarth), Eric Rodgers (son of Andy and Kim Rogers), Hayden Hodges (son of Jamey and Heidi Hodges), Brandon Wood (son of Thomas and Deanna Swift and Brandon and Chasity Fry), Kaleb Gonzalez (son of Heather and Jon Sargent), Griffen Hinkle (son of Lance and Kim Hinkle), and Galen Todd (son of Jim and Shaylene Todd). The Flower Girl and Crown Bearer are: Phoenix Thomason (daughter of Anthony and Alana Like), and Jace Bridgeman (son of Bobby and Rhiannon Bridgeman. The crowning of the Homecoming Queen will be held during halftime of the football game. The Homecoming Parade is set to take place downtown today at 2:00pm. If you’re unable to attend today’s Homecoming Parade, you can watch our live video stream at wfiwradio.com.
The Fairfield Coin Club is holding its 52nd Annual Coin Show and Auction on Sunday, October 9 at the North Side Grade School. The doors will open to the public at 9:00 AM. Hourly door prizes begin at 10:00 AM, and auction lots will be on display starting at this time. At 1:00 PM there will be special awards and presentations, with the penny stacking contest at 1:30 PM and the Junior auction at 2:00 PM. The regular auction begins at 2:30 PM and raffle winners will be drawn at 3:00 PM. This year the Annual Show book and scholarships are being dedicated to James Isle, a lifetime member of the Fairfield Coin Club. Every year the Fairfield Coin Club awards two $500 scholarships to Frontier Community College students. This year the recipients are Laina McKinney and Riley Irwin. Laina and Riley are both graduates of Wayne City High School. Laina graduated May of 2021 and plans to go into nursing. Riley graduated in May 2022. Winner of the James Isle Memorial Scholarship is Nicholas Sursa. Nicholas graduated in May 2019 from Mt. Vernon Township High School and plans to go into Nursing at Frontier Community College.
This year’s raffle prizes are:
1st Prize 2022 $10.00 American Eagle Gold (¼ Ounce)
2nd Prize 2022 $5.00 American Eagle Gold (1/10 Ounce)
3rd Prize 5 Ounce Silver Bar
4th Prizes 2022 Silver Eagles (5 Drawings
5th Prizes 2022 Silver Eagles (5 Drawings)
*Must be present to win 5th place prizes only*
Raffle tickets are 6 tickets for $5.00 if you would like to purchase tickets contact a Fairfield Coin Club member. Winners must be present to win the fifth-place prize only. This raffle will be drawn at 3:00 PM.
There will be 18 tables with dealers present. Persons attending the show can buy , sell, and trade coins and currency. There will be dealers with US mint and foreign coins as well. Bring in your coins to have them appraised or to sell them. Fairfield Coin Club meets the second Sunday of each month. The meeting is held at Frontier Community College Building West. The exception is the October meeting held at North Side Grade school. Interested persons may become a member for $2.00 per year. And persons 16 and under are free. For questions contact Roberta Marshel at 599-2393, our Facebook page Fairfield Coin Club of Illinois, or email at fairfieldcoinclub@gmail.com
Edwards County Treasurer Debbie Smith has announced that the 2021 payable 2022 Real Estate Taxes have been mailed. The Tax extension amounts to $6,490,579.88, with the due dates set for Friday, October 28th and Monday, November 28. Payments may be made in person, by mail, or in the drop box located in front of the Cell Tower on the northeast side of the Courthouse (Sheriff’s side). Anyone who uses the drop box should include a daytime phone number on their information. Those who wish to pay online using a credit or debit card may go to www.govtechtaxpro.com which will add a 2.5% fee that goes to the credit card company. The instructions are listed on the back of the tax bills on how to pay online. The Mobile Home Tax due date was July 29, 2022. Unlike Real Estate taxes, the late fee is $25.00 per month on each month delinquent effective July 30th. As of September 30th, the late increased to $75.00. For additional information call the Edward’s County Treasurer’s office at 445-3581.
As a follow up to a story ran earlier in the week about the special meeting of the Grayville Board of Education on Monday regarding a recent incident at the high school. Grayville School has now issued a statement regarding the inappropriate conducted search of a female student. The statement, received by our sister stations WRUL-WROY in Carmi, reads as follows:
“On Thursday, September 29, 2022, Grayville CUSD #1 was engaged in a student disciplinary investigation. During this investigation, administration believed the student could have concealed evidence on the body. This evidence, if discovered, would have confirmed a violation of both school policy and state law. As the investigation progressed, the school administrator called the student’s mother. During the ensuing conversation, the administrator explained to the mother where items can often be concealed on the body. During this conversation, the parent told the administrator she wanted them to search the student’s body. Administration was extremely grateful for the mother’s cooperation and for her support in a potential disciplinary matter concerning her child. Administration relayed mother’s request to two female employees of the school. The instructions for conducting the search were vague and lacked specific direction. The district employees instructed to perform the search were untrained to search students and should not have been directed to conduct a student search. Admittedly, the search was intrusive, but the student never removed her undergarments. District personnel conducting the search never physically touched the student. The District acknowledges this type of student search should not have been conducted. The Grayville School District is extremely sorry for the embarrassment and stress this event has caused the student and her family. The School District is equally sorry for placing this student in a very uncomfortable situation. Administration accepts full responsibility for this incident. Administration also apologizes to the two school employees who were directed to conduct the search, a search that all parties agree the two employees should never had been in. Administration should have exercised better judgement and provided better direction. The School District’s top priority is to maintain a learning environment where all students feel safe and secure. This includes safeguarding our students’ rights and freedoms. This must remain foremost in everything that we do. The parents and guardians of our School District entrust their children to us on a daily basis. We assure you, we will do what is necessary to regain and preserve this trust. The children in our school deserve and should expect the best from all of us every day at Grayville C.U.S.D. #1. This will be accomplished by a complete review of current district policies and procedures, as well as state laws, and continuing education for all staff with periodic review. There have been many comments and accusations made on social media regarding this incident. Many of them are factually inaccurate and contain incorrect and misleading information. The parents in this case have asked the School District to reach out to the public and request those that are communicating misinformation to refrain from doing so and to please respect their privacy. The district stresses the importance of contacting the appropriate school staff members first when a concern arises to gather information before misinformation is shared that could be harmful to individuals.”
The student’s father, Kyle Bassnet, addressed the board during Monday evening’s special meeting. Addressing the claim that the search was consensual, Bassnet explained that he and his wife did not realize it would be more than a pat down. “I wanted to keep this civil,” Bassnet said. “At no point in time did [we] think my daughter was going to be violated.” Despite finding nothing on her person, the student was allegedly declared guilty and threatened with a month of detention after the search. “School is supposed to be here to help protect the students, not violate them,” Bassnet said. According to reports, school employees Rita Rhinehart and Dawn Kleinschmidt performed the strip search of the student. Bassnet met with school administrators Julie Harrelson, Jeff Fetcho, and Levi Johnson on Friday, September 30 about the ordeal. Allegedly, the three representatives agreed that the school was at fault and admitted that none of them know how to properly conduct a strip search. We will continue to follow this story and bring you more updates as further information becomes available.
In yet another story of educators acting inappropriately towards female students, Wabash Valley College released the following statement on their Facebook page on Wednesday, October 5th:
“In March of 2022, IECC received two complaints from WVC students. Given the nature of the complaints, we directed them to our Title IX Coordinator, and IECC subsequently conducted an extensive investigation that spanned six months. In compliance with Title IX regulations, this investigation resulted in a comprehensive written report we shared with the involved parties. We scheduled a formal hearing for September 26, 2022. Before the hearing occurred, IECC received a resignation from the WVC employee cited in the student complaint. This past Friday evening, an employee informed the WVC administration of a separate issue involving a different WVC employee. Campus administration acted swiftly, gathering information and meeting directly with this employee on Saturday morning. This employee submitted a letter of resignation effective immediately on Monday morning. An investigation into this matter is still ongoing. While we can make no further comments on these matters, we felt it was important for members of the College community to know that the IECC administration has been aware and active in responding to and investigating the complaints we received. We are committed to ensuring that our students and employees have safe and healthy learning and working environments. I understand that a lack of public communication on matters like this can invite rumors and speculation, including those that suggest nothing is happening. In reality, it is about protecting the privacy and due process rights that we must afford to all parties. For more information about our Title IX policies and procedures, you are welcome to visit www.iecc.edu/titleIX”
WFIW News has since discovered the employee in question is alleged to be Wabash Valley College Athletic Director Mike Carpenter. WFIW News has been in contact with Sidney Foster, of Grayville, the student who made the initial complaint. Ms. Foster has stated on the record that there has been a history of inappropriate behavior and comments from AD Carpenter, not only toward herself, but other students and athletes. According to Foster, there have been multiple other women come forward since her complaint was made public who have filed complaints of their own, some given anonymously. Ms. Foster is currently preparing her statement for release to the public, while also encouraging others who have also been victims of this type of behavior to come forward as well. WFIW News has also reached out to WVC and IECC, but at present time we have received no comment or reply. This is an ongoing situation, we will continue to bring you updates, as well as Ms. Foster’s statement, as they become available.
**Update** It has now been confirmed that the other WVC Employee to resign is Softball Coach Asa Deffendall. We have also received reports of a possible police report filed in early April of this year related to this incident. WFIW is attempting to obtain information on the police reports via the Freedom of Information Act. Stay tuned for updates as more information becomes available.
The State DNR is reminding the public that the 2022 Youth Deer Hunting Season is this coming weekend throughout the state, running from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. The three-day season is Saturday, Sunday, and next Monday, Columbus Day. It’s for those under the age of 18 who must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult. Permits are available for purchase through Monday over the counter at statewide license vendors.
The latest U.S. drought monitor shows continued dry conditions in some parts of the state, as there hasn’t been much rainfall lately. According to State Climatologist Trent Ford, the latest drought maps the most serious drought conditions are in far Southern Illinois, especially in Pulaski, Massac, and Pope Counties. Ford says maintaining soil moisture is more than just about farming. As a weak upper-level low moved across the state early Thursday morning, some much needed rain fell in our downstate area, although light in nature. Thursday was the warmest day of the week. We return to sunshine today after the morning clouds clear away. It’s all ahead of an approaching cold front moving through by tonight, bringing in cooler Canadian air for the weekend. We’ll have the first chances of frost each morning tomorrow through Sunday, then a slight warmup as we move into the new week with our next chance of rain by Wednesday.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 4.99 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.04 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 4.18 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 1.11 feet. The Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 3.36 feet, and the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 2.54 feet.
Today’s Crude Oil Price is $81.45 up $0.69 from Thursday. The November Crude Oil Price is $88.28 up $0.50 from Thursday morning.