Headlines for Wednesday, October 19th

The Edwards County Health Office in conjunction with the Edwards County Farm Bureau will be offering a drive-thru flu shot clinic today from 11:00am until 4:00pm at the Edwards County Fairgrounds in Albion, Illinois. “Offering a drive-thru clinic allows us the ability to serve our community in an efficient manner,” states Amanda McCoy of the Edwards County Health Office. The drive-thru flu shot clinic is for private pay, private insurance, and Medicare customers only.  All Medicaid customers MUST call the health office and make an appointment to get a flu shot. Anyone ages six months and over can get a flu shot, however, the drive-thru clinic is recommended for only those ages 5 and up.   Cost for private pay flu shots is $30 for low dose and $65 for high dose (for those over age 65). Anyone who wishes to get a flu shot at the drive-thru clinic will remain in their car and is urged to wear short sleeves.  Those paying with private insurance or Medicare need to bring their insurance card.  Those attending are asked to watch for traffic flow signs. This year there will be no flu shot clinics at the Senior Centers in the county.  Seniors can come to the drive-thru clinic, make an appointment at the Edwards County Health Office, or visit their primary physician to get a flu shot. The drive-thru flu shot clinic is sponsored by the Edwards County Health Office in conjunction with the Edwards County Farm Bureau.

 

The Fairfield Community High School District #255 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting on Thursday, October 20th at 6:00 pm in the FCHS Study Hall. There are no items on the agenda in old business. In new business the agenda includes approval of a new roof on the west end of the Ag Shop building, the FY22 Audit, and approval of the Dartt & Company LLC FY23 audit. The board is also set to accept the resignation of Rachael McKibben effective October 12th, and moving of the November meeting to Monday, November 21, 2022. The board is also expected to enter Executive Session for the purpose of Personnel Issues. Door 2 will be open for public entrance; the public is asked to park in the front of the school and enter through Door 2.

 

The Edwards County CUSD #1 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting on Thursday, October 20th at 7:00 pm in the AGS Cafeteria. In unfinished business the board is set to approve the second reading and adoption of 15 policies, ranging from Transportation to Education of Children with Disabilities. In new business the board is set to approve the tentative 2022 Tax Levy payable 2023, a motion to set a Truth in Taxation Hearing, a motion to review and approve policies regarding Harassment of Students and Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment, and the first reading of the Student Illness policy in the student handbook, as well as a motion to donate 50% of the gate receipts of the Pink Out Volleyball to Wabash General Hospital Foundation for Cancer Patients. The board will enter a closed session to consider the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee to determine validity, as well as collective negotiating matters, and personnel considerations.

 

Edwards County High School will be holding a college and career fair on Thursday October 20th, from 2-4 p.m. in the Linda Oxby Gymnasium. The event is open to the public. Those attending are asked to enter through the High School Entrance #3 in front of the school. There will be multiple colleges and universities present, as well as the U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, Illinois Air National Guard and Champion Labs. ECHS is also holding their FAFSA completion night for seniors and parents from 4-7 p.m. that evening in room 175. Questions about either event should be directed to Kelley Biggs, Counselor at the high school.

 

The Veterans Day Parade will be held November 5th at 2:00. The day will begin with a breakfast at St. Edwards Catholic Church from 7-9 AM. The breakfast will be for all veterans and their spouses. Please call Dian Zurliene at 516-1808 to RSVP. Festivities will begin at 1:00 PM with a flag raising at Freedom Park. Elizabeth Gonzalez will sing the National Anthem, followed by a concert by the Roasted Chestnuts. Parade line up will start at 1:00 PM on North First Street and will line up as entries arrive from Court Street north toward North Side School on a first come, first served basis. 2 Semi trailers will be provided for the veterans to ride on. We would like to encourage everyone to come out to see the parade and honor our veterans. Following the parade there will be a meal for parade participants at the Fairfield Elks Club, sponsored by FNB.

 

A reminder to Wayne City residents. The Village of Wayne City will be flushing fire hydrants through Friday, October 21. This will include the Village of Keenes. Village residents might experience periods of discolored water and pressure fluctuations.

 

State Representative Adam Niemerg has released his scheduled satellite hours for Thursday, October 20th, and Wednesday, November 2nd, with three different chances and locations to meet with the Representative. On Thursday, October 20th Rep. Niemerg will be in Lawrenceville at the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce from 8-9:30 am, then at Olney Public Library from 10:15 am to 12:15 pm, with the Representative wrapping up his day at Fairfield City Hall from 2-3 pm. On Wednesday, November 2nd, Rep. Niemerg will be at The River Church in Mt. Carmel from 8-9:30 am, followed by The Hope Center in Albion from 10:15 am to 12:15 pm, and ending his day at the Carmi Public Library from 1:45-3:15 pm. Representative Niemerg encourages all residents to take advantage of these Satellite Office Hours. “If you have questions or concerns about state programs or policies or need help with a state issue, my staff and I are happy to help,” commented Rep. Niemerg. To schedule an appointment, call the district office at 217-813-6036 or online at RepNiemerg.com.

 

Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that $3.4 million has been released through the Rebuild Illinois capital program to continue advancing plans for a new inland port under development in Cairo. The funding, part of a more than $40 million commitment to the Alexander Cairo Port District, will help to complete federal environmental requirements and studies for the project. “The Cairo port is one of the core pieces of Rebuild Illinois and critical to maintaining our state’s status as the transportation hub of North America,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “The project will put people to work and strengthen the local economy while giving the region the opportunity to compete in the global marketplace.” The Cairo port represents one of the largest investments in Southern Illinois in decades. Almost 80% of the nation’s inland barge traffic travels past Cairo, where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers converge, with the site served by three major interstate highways and Class 1 railroads. Major logistics and commodities businesses already have committed to using the new port to move crops, container shipments and bulk products. Previously, IDOT released $4 million to the Alexander Cairo Port District to launch preliminary engineering activities and other related work, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity released a $1 million grant for other related work. Passed in 2019, the historic and bipartisan $45 billion Rebuild Illinois is investing a total of $33.2 billion over six years into the state’s aging transportation system alone, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is the largest capital program in state history and touches all modes of transportation: roads and bridges, transit, freight and passenger rail, aviation, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, and, for the first time, ports and waterways. A total of $150 million is identified in Rebuild Illinois for the state’s 19 public ports. In addition to the more than $40 million committed to Cairo, Gov. Pritzker announced earlier this year that $108.3 million was being awarded on a competitive basis for eight projects, based on their ability to advance IDOT’s Illinois Marine Transportation System Plan, which prioritizes asset management performance-based decisions and projects that benefit disadvantaged or economically distressed areas.

 

River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 4.89 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.00 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 4.34 (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 1.08 feet. The Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 3.22 feet, and the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 2.36 feet.

 

Today’s Crude Oil Price is $75.82 down $2.64 from yesterday. The November Crude Oil Price is $83.79 down $1.38 from yesterday morning.