Headlines for Thursday, October 20th

As part of Make a Difference Day retail merchants and participating stores will have specials, raffles, and more during their Moonlight Madness Sales this evening from 5-8pm, with merchants donating a portion of sales to MADD. Hayden Brown will perform from 5-6:30pm, Nathanial James at 6:30-8pm. Big Boy Catering will be serving up Porkburgers and Drinks with a portion of all sales going toward MADD. Donation boxes will be available downtown, entry free by donation, all proceeds will go to FCHS for Make a Difference Day. Music and Food will be available on 2nd St.

 

Lady Mules Volleyball Senior night tonight takes place tonight, and the Lady Mules want everyone to come out and support Make A Difference Day at the Beach Night. There will be a free photo booth, the Freshman game begins at 5:15 pm, and 100% of the Gate will go to the Make A Difference Day Splash Pad Project.

 

The City of Fairfield and the Wayne County Chamber will be hosting Touch-A-Truck on Thursday, October 20th from 5-8pm at City Hall Parking Lot.

 

The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new McDonald’s in Fairfield held today at 10am at 1212 W. Main St. This is a public event.

 

Adam W. Pride entered a plea of guilty in Wayne County Court on Monday, October 17th to a Class 3 Felony charge of Unlawfull Possession of Methamphetamine. Pride was sentenced to two years in the IDOC. Pride is already serving time, so the additional time will run concurrently with his current sentence. An additional charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Pride was found to be indiginent, so court fees were waived in this case, and he was ordered to pay $2,265 in fines. Judge Tedeschi presided over the case.

 

On 10/19 at approximately 7:30 am the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department responded to a single vehicle accident on West Section Line Rd. 22-year-old Hannah D. Pierce, of Wayne City, was traveling westbound on West Section Line Rd across a culvert with a concrete barrier. Pierce struck the concrete barrier, traveled off the roadway, and struck a ditch before coming to rest. Moderate damage was reported to the front passenger side of Pierce’s 2015 Jeep Renegage.

 

On 10/20 Wayne County responded to a vehicle vs. deer collision. 19-year-old Lacey N. Allison of Cisne was traveling southbound on Co Hwy 25 near CR2250N when a deer crossed the roadway. Allison was unable to avoid the collision, causing damage to the front of the vehicle. There were no injuries reported at the scene.

 

The Fairfield Community High School District #255 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting tonight at 6:00 pm in the FCHS Study Hall. 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. 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 tonight at 7:00 pm in the AGS Cafeteria. The board is set to approve the second reading and adoption of 15 policies, ranging from Transportation to Education of Children with Disabilities. The board will also hear 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 today 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. this evening in room 175. Questions about either event should be directed to Kelley Biggs, Counselor at the high school.

 

At their regular meeting held Tuesday, October 18 on the campus of Olney Central College, Trustees accepted the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act Biennial Review Report and authorized its submission to the Department of Education. The district is required to report every two years on compliance to specific requirements set by the U.S. Department of Education. The report certifies that requirements have been met for the creation of programs that IECC has adopted and implemented to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. The Board reviewed and accepted the Institutional Record of Student Complaints. This record is reviewed annually for Frontier Community College, Lincoln Trail College, Olney Central College, and Wabash Valley College. Affiliation Agreements were approved with Flora Rehabilitation & Health Care Center and PT Solutions Holdings, LLC. The Board authorized the district to seek bids and quotes to procure used vehicles that meet required specifications, while adhering to all other procurement procedures and policies. The vehicles will be used for transporting students. The Board approved a 12-month contract with DaCott Energy Services, Ltd for electric power service. Employee health and dental insurance rates were approved for the 2023 calendar year. Trustees approved a Health Savings Account contribution of $1,000 for each eligible employee who is enrolled in the District’s Qualified High Deductible Health Plan for calendar year 2023. The Board of Trustees affirmed IECC’s Mission, Vision, and Values as presented. IECC recently introduced the forward-facing portion of a new Strategic Plan – Forward Together. Trustees approved a bid from Laerdal Medical Corporation in the amount of $77,268.38 for a SimMom Manikin for Olney Central College’s Nursing Program.  The manikin will first be used at Frontier Community College, but it is expected to travel across the district for training purposes. The Board approved the employment of Jamie Carman, Director of Academic Records, DO, effective November 7, 2022, Sueko Davis, Custodian, LTC, Avery Miller, Custodian, OCC, and Leticia Avila, Custodian, WVC, all effective October 24, 2022. A change in status was approved for Maverick Fisher, Welding Specialist, Title III, OCC, to Welding Instructor, OCC, effective January 9, 2023. Resignations were accepted from Stephen Murray, Workforce Education Instructor, effective September 30, 2022, James Brenneman, Head Baseball Coach, FCC, effective September 30, 2022, Michael Carpenter, Head Men’s Basketball Coach,  WVC, effective September 23, 2022, John Asa Deffendall, Bookstore Manager, WVC, effective October 7, 2022, Michele Anderson, Coordinator, Employment & Benefits, DO, effective October 14, 2022, Laurie Perry, HR Coordinator, DO, effective November 18, 2022, Adam Roesch, O & M Team Leader, WVC, effective October 18, 2022.  The Board granted permission to hire an Assistant Director of Human Resources prior to the November Board of Trustees meeting. Next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 6:15 p.m. at Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, Illinois.

 

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.

 

It’s deer mating season and the Illinois Department of Transportation is urging drivers to be extra careful. Deer are more active this time of year, especially at dusk and dawn, says IDOT spokesperson Paul Wappel. Deer often travel in groups, so if you see one cross the road, there’s a good chance more will follow. IDOT also advises scanning the sides of the road for eye shine from deer, especially at dusk and dawn. Last year in Illinois, there were more than 14,000 reported deer-vehicle crashes. Wappel says if you do hit a deer, pull off to the shoulder, turn on your hazard lights, and call 911 to report the accident. Information about claiming a deer killed in a crash is available online at dnr.illinois.gov.

 

River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 4.93 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 4.97 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 4.21 (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 1.07 feet. The Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 3.22 feet, and the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 2.34 feet.

 

Today’s Crude Oil Price is $78.55 up $2.73 from yesterday. The November Crude Oil Price is $87.54 up $3.45 from yesterday morning.