Unemployment Back Below 10% In Wabash County

Wabash County’s jobless rate is back below double figures according to the latest information from the state’s department of employment security. In June, Wabash County’s rate dropped to 9.8%, down from the 13.6% in May and the pandemic high of 23.5% in April. By comparison, last June, Wabash County’s rate stood at 3.9%.

In southeastern Illinois, the state reports that non-farm employment decreased by 575 over the year. Employment gains were posted in government, trade, transportation and utilities, and natural resources and mining. Employment dipped in manufacturing and leisure and hospitality.

The lowest southern Illinois jobless rate last month was in Hamilton County at 9.1% while the highest was Massac County at 16%. The statewide rate was 14.6%. 

Pritzker Tightlipped On Departure Of Nursing Home Oversight Officials

Gov. J.B. Pritzker won’t say why two employees who oversaw the state’s COVID-19 response in long-term care facilities left their positions.

The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed this week two officials with nursing home oversight roles have been removed from their positions earlier this month. One left state employment. The other was put on leave.

State Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, said there seems to have been a shakeup.

“The governor either fired or reshuffled his IDPH team that was working on the COVID-19 response in the nursing homes and long-term care assisted care facilities,” Schimpf said. “That is something that we really need to provide legislative oversight on.”

He called for a special session of the legislature with such oversight as part of the focus.
Pritzker wouldn't elaborate when asked about the shakeup on Thursday.

“We don’t discuss employment matters like this,” Pritzker said. “Information will be available as it comes forward in the normal processes of state government.”

With more than half of the COVID-19 deaths occurring in nursing homes, AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo said it’s important there be public hearings on the entirety of the issue.

“There’s been a lot of gaps and we’ve been learning a lot as we go along so the faster that we have all the knowledge we possibly can the sooner we’re going to get this under control and get it back to something that resembles normalcy in our society and in the facilities that care for people,” Gallo said.

“Transparency in what’s going on is just so incredibly important,” he said. “It’s not just for loved ones, but it’s for public health departments as well to know exactly what's going on in facilities.”

As to when families or even senior advocates will be able to visit inside, Pritzker couldn’t say.

“Even deliveries are difficult to do because we don’t want the truck drivers and other people who are bringing goods to a nursing home to, again, go in and give it to somebody inside the facility,” Pritzker said.

Of the 7,478 COVID-19 deaths recorded so far this year, there were 4,062 from long-term care facilities.

It May Take Years For Airlines To Recover From Pandemic

One of the hardest-hit sectors of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the airline industry and a full recovery may be years away.

Illinois-based United Airlines announced that it may have to lay off over 30-thousand workers, including one-third of its pilots by October. The news comes after United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline expects the recovery in air travel to plateau at around half of 2019 levels until there is a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The recent surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases has a trade association for the airline industry moving back it’s forecast for a recovery. The International Air Transport Association predicts that air travel won’t return to normal until at least 2024. IATA chief economist Brian Pierce said vacation travel is being hurt by the economy and high unemployment numbers.

“One of the critical drivers of leisure travel is the confidence of consumers, and although we can see some improvement, consumers are much less confident,” Pierce said. “The industry is seeing a rebound from the depths of the shutdowns in April, but the bad news is that any increase is barely visible.”

Gene Olson, director of Peoria International Airport, said the airline industry won’t return until a key sector of customers returns.

“For things to really come back to normal, you are going to need a resumption of business travel, and I don’t see that happening until there is a vaccine or a very good therapeutic treatment,” Olson said.

With people working from home and conventions being canceled because of public gathering limits, business travel has come to a halt. McCormick Place, which hasn’t hosted an event since February, has an enormous economic impact and draws travelers to Illinois from all over the world. Trade show losses at the facility during the pandemic reportedly have cost nearly $1.7 billion.

“To put things in perspective, we set a record for passenger count in January and set another record in February with 52,000 passengers,” Olson said. “Then the bottom kind of fell out. In April, we had 2,928.”

Calls For Madigan's Resignation Grow Louder

A bipartisan chorus of lawmakers calling on Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to step down from his leadership positions or resign from the General Assembly got louder Thursday as lawmakers also called for a special session to address ethics reforms.

Ethics reforms were top of mind of legislators earlier this year when they created a commission to formulate ideas. That was after months of revelations of federal investigations, lawmakers wearing wiretaps, indictments, and office raids. But then the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world.

Earlier this month the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois released a deferred prosecution agreement with utility ComEd that implicated Madigan. While Madigan hasn’t been charged with a crime, some expect that to come soon. It’s also brought renewed focus on Illinois public corruption problems.

Illinois House Minority Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, released a statement Thursday calling on Madigan, D-Chicago, to step down immediately from his legislative seat and for the legislature to vote on a new speaker.

“Federal charges outlined in the ComEd prosecution highlight a scheme solely for the benefit of Speaker Madigan,” Durkin said. “Madigan is unable to execute his responsibilities as Speaker of the Illinois House.”

“I call for the immediate resignation of Speaker Madigan from the Illinois House of Representatives, and will be filing a resolution to have the House Chamber vote on a new Speaker immediately,” Durkin said.

That’d require a special session. That’s something that can be called by either the governor, the Senate President or the Speaker of the House, which is Madigan.

Asked Thursday if he would rely on Madigan to call a special session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s not relying on Madigan but didn’t say if he would call for one to focus on ethics.

“There’s also more that we need to learn and the U.S. Attorney clearly is on a path here. We’re going to learn more,” Pritzker said. “There’s no doubt about it. And from that information, it will inform us on how to write the laws that will prevent that in the future.”

State Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, said enough has been made clear and called for a special session.

“The checks that ComEd wrote, they were cashed,” Schimpf said. “The cronies were hired for these jobs. That did take place and this culture of corruption that we have in Springfield, that is a leadership failure on the part of Speaker Madigan.”

Messages seeking comment from Madigan’s office regarding a special session and Durkin’s call for Madigan's resignation were not returned.

State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, told WMAY he would like to see a special session of the legislature to deal with ethics reforms.

“The time has come to do them,” Manar said. “These [various ethics reforms proposals] have been around for a very, very long time and I think most of them would receive broad bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle.”

But Manar said Madigan should only step down if he’s indicted, something he said: “could be coming at any time.”

Pritzker Thursday said the Speaker needs to speak up.

“I think the Speaker has an enormous amount to answer for,” Pritzker said. “There are questions that the public needs to hear the answer to. I do too. So that’s what I would start with here, questions, about, you know, what happened here?”

Pritzker wouldn’t say if he’d call for a special session anytime soon to focus on ethics reforms.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, joined the bipartisan chorus for Madigan to step down from his leadership roles in the House and the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Mt. Carmel Man Cited Following Traffic Stop

07/29/2020-Mt. Carmel Police cited 56-year-old Clarence Bradley Byrns of Mt. Carmel.  Byrns was stopped in the area of 2nd and Poplar after he was observed operating a motor vehicle.  The arresting officer knew that Byrns did not have a valid driver's license.  Byrns was issued a citation for driving while license is revoked and released after giving a mandatory court date.

Sullivan County Woman Charges Are Upgraded to Murder

Sullivan County -The Indiana State Police Putnamville Post was notified on July 30, 2020, that Faron D. Brown, the victim of the shooting that occurred at the Carlisle Plaza on Monday, July 13, 2020, passed away at Terre Haute Regional Hospital.  Sullivan County Prosecutor Ann Smith-Mischler  has advised that charges against Susan Brown will be upgraded to murder. Mischler stated, “Our deepest sympathies are with the family of Faron D. Brown at this time.”

Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Original Release Below

Sullivan County Woman Charged with Attempted Murder

Sullivan County -  Just before 8 o’clock yesterday evening, after being the first on the scene, Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom contacted the Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division at the Putnamville Post requesting assistance with an alleged shooting that had taken place at a local gas station on Old Highway 41 South.

Investigators arrived and found probable cause to believe the victim, Faron D. Brown, 59, of Carlisle, Indiana, was shot shortly after exiting the gas station and having a verbal interaction in the outside lot with Susan J. Brown, 65, also of Carlisle.

Area medical ambulance services and medics attended to Faron Brown and transported him immediately thereafter.

Investigators were able to recover a handgun in the gas station lot.

Susan Brown was arrested today by Indiana State Police Detective Angie Hahn without incident and is currently being held at the Sullivan County Jail on $50,000.00 cash bond only.

Faron Brown is currently receiving medical treatment for his injuries.

CHARGES –

1. Attempted Murder: 35-41-5-1, Level 1 Felony

AGENCIES ASSISTING –

Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, Sullivan City Police Department, Shelburn City Police Department, Vigo County Sheriff’s Department, Sullivan City Medic 1, Sullivan County Ambulance Service and Carlisle Ambulance Personnel.

Sullivan County Prosecutor Ann Smith-Mischler also assisted with the investigation.

Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Illinois Republicans Demand Transparency from Pritzker Regarding Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives John Shimkus (IL-15), Darin LaHood (IL-18), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Rodney Davis (IL-13), and Mike Bost (IL-12) renewed their demand for greater transparency of Illinois’ use of federal assistance. The delegation criticized Governor J.B. Pritzker for failing to fully utilize funding already allocated by Congress in multiple COVID-19 relief packages and refusing to disclose information about how smaller, rural municipalities can receive funding as Congress intended.

The U.S. Treasury Department Inspector General published data this week showing how much each state was given from the federal government and how much each state has spent as of June 30th. According to the report, the State of Illinois received $3,518,945,366 and spent only $505,085,663 or 14.4% of the federal COVID-19 relief funding allocated by Congress as of June 30th.

In May, Illinois Republicans sent a letter to Governor Pritzker requesting information about the process for smaller units of local government to obtain federal funding sent to the state and how much funding was sent to smaller units of local government. No information was provided in response to that letter.

"We continue to hear from local leaders in our districts who are struggling because of COVID-19 and Governor Pritzker’s stay-at-home orders. The lack of transparency regarding the federal funding sent to Illinois to support our communities through this pandemic is unacceptable. While Governor Pritzker continues to criticize the federal government and call for additional federal support, he must immediately provide information to the public about how the federal taxpayer money he is withholding will be disbursed and a process for how smaller units of government can get access to the funding,” said Republican members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.

Background:

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has passed four pieces of legislation to provide support to Illinois communities and families. Illinois Republicans supported all four pieces of bipartisan legislation.

On March 4, 2020, Congress passed the first emergency coronavirus package (H.R. 6074), which was signed into law by President Trump on March 6, 2020. This included $7.8 billion in funds to expand testing capabilities across the country, bolster state and local response efforts, and purchase essential equipment and supplies.

On March 14, 2020, Congress passed the second emergency coronavirus package (H.R. 6201), which was signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020. This package included paid sick and medical leave for workers, required insurance companies to cover the cost of testing for COVID-19, and increased access to telehealth.

On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act (H.R. 748), which President Trump signed on the same day. This package provided almost $2 trillion in relief, including direct financial payments to Americans, funds to support health care workers and hospitals, expanded unemployment insurance, loans for small businesses, and funds to state and local governments.

On April 23, 2020, Congress passed another funding measure (H.R. 266) to replenish programs authorized in the CARES Act. This legislation appropriated an additional $321 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (bringing total to $659 billion), $10 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (bringing total to $20B), and another $50 billion for the disaster loan programs account. It also provided another $75 billion for hospital reimbursements (bringing total to $175 billion) as well as $25 billion for testing.

Mt. Carmel Man Arrested After Going To MCPD To File Complaint

A 22-year-old Mt. Carmel man was arrested when he arrived at the Mt. Carmel Police Department to file a complaint.  Mt. Carmel Police advised that Hunter Ingram came to the Mt. Carmel Police Department to follow up on a report, file a complaint, and check on a warrant.  It was discovered that Ingram was wanted on a warrant out of Wabash County for criminal trespass to a residence.  Ingram posted a $500 cash bond and was released.  

Traffic Stop Leads To Various Charges For French Lick Man

07/27/2020- A traffic stop led to citations for a 41-year-old male from French Lick, Indiana.  Police stopped James W. Wonder in the 500 block of W. 5th Street.  During the traffic stop, it was discovered that the subject's registration plates did not match the vehicle he was driving.  It was also discovered that the subject did not have valid insurance on the vehicle.  Mt. Carmel Police cited the defendant and towed the vehicle.  During the inventory of the vehicle police located suspected Psilocybin mushrooms.   They were confiscated and will be sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab for analysis.  Further charges could be pending. 

Mt. Carmel Man Arrested Again On Disorderly Conduct Charge

On 07/25/2020, Mt. Carmel Police arrested 29-year-old Zachary Mathis of Mt. Carmel.  Police were called to the 600 block of Vine Street about a male subject acting in a disorderly manner.   The complainant signed a probable cause against Mathis for disorderly conduct.  When police went to arrest Mathis, he resisted.  Police were able to place him under arrest and charged him with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.  Mathis was transported to the Wabash County Jail and held pending the posting of bond.