WVC Concealed Carry Course Coming Up Soon

If you are interested in obtaining your Illinois Concealed Carry License, why not enroll in the next Concealed Carry course being offered by Illinois Eastern Community Colleges which will be offered at Wabash Valley College at the Advanced Technology Center on Thursday and Friday nights, September 24 and 25, from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., and on  Saturday, September 26, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Jay Carter is the instructor for this class.

Not only will attendees learn the minimum information required by the Concealed Carry Act, but through the use of lecture and range drills, attendees will learn how to safely handle a handgun and hone their skills, as a marksman, and survive a real-world encounter.  Whether you are new to handguns or more experienced, this course is designed to make everyone a more knowledgeable and accomplished shooter.  Through the teaching of current trends and techniques, students will learn and understand how to maintain the proper mindset, skills, and abilities that come with “bearing arms” for the purpose of self-defense.

Pre-registration is required.  The cost of the 16-hour course is $184 for in-District students, which includes tuition and fees, and must be paid in advance to reserve a seat in the course.  The cost for enrollees over 60 years old is $92.  For more information or to get registered, contact your local Student Services Office:  Wabash Valley College-Mt. Carmel, 866-982-4322.  If you have questions concerning the program, contact the Concealed Carry Coordinator, D Ray Etzkorn, 618-262-6346, and leave a message. 

September "Ask The Mayor" With Joe Judge

September "Ask The Mayor" With Joe Judge.

Mt. Carmel Mayor Joe Judge joins us the 2nd Friday of every month to answer your questions.

State Police Detectives Investigate Death of a 13-Week-Old Mt. Vernon Boy

Posey County – Thursday afternoon, September 10, at approximately 12:03, Posey County 911 Dispatch received a call from a Mt. Vernon mother regarding her 13-week-old boy that was not breathing. The mother performed C.P.R. until Posey County EMS arrived and continued life-saving measures. The child was rushed to Deaconess Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy was conducted this evening at the Vanderburgh County Morgue, but the manner and cause of death are still pending. Foul play is not suspected.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Investigating Officer: Detective Wes Kuykendall, Indiana State Police

Assisting Officer: Sergeant Mark Green, Indiana State Police Crime Scene Technician

Assisting Agency: Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office and Mt. Vernon Police Department

Illinois Records 1st Case Of West Nile Virus

Fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. In addition to a dry cough, they’re all the common symptoms of COVID-19. But, those are also the hallmarks of West Nile Virus, which has struck its first Illinois resident. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Illinois for 2020 on Wednesday. A DuPage County woman in her 40s became ill in mid-August and was confirmed to have WNV. 

In 2019, IDPH reported 28 human cases, including one death. The department said human cases are often underreported because many infected with West Nile Virus are asymptomatic.

Local public health officials are the front-line against the virus. In their questioning of a potentially infected resident, they often ask about many symptoms mirroring COVID-19.

“Fever, headache, muscle ache,” said Gloria Spear, director of Environmental Health at the Coles County Health Department. “Those are all common symptoms of West Nile Virus and COVID-19.”

West Nile Virus is transmitted via the bite of a Culex pipiens mosquito, commonly called a house mosquito, after it’s fed on an infected bird.

Spear says people are often surprised about how little water is needed to spawn mosquito larvae.

“The cap off of a pop bottle is enough,” she said. “If it’s turned upside down and there’s water in it, mosquitoes can breed in it.” 

IDPH suggests checking windows and doors for proper seals, wearing long pants and sleeves as well as insect repellent that contains DEET, Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, ensuring there’s no sitting water in your area, and reporting dead birds to the local county health department. 

“While we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, we must also remember to take steps to protect our health from other illnesses,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.  “In an effort to decrease our risk of contracting COVID-19 from indoor settings, many of us are spending more time outdoors while still socially distancing.  As we enjoy the outdoors, we need to protect ourselves from other viruses carried by mosquitoes by wearing insect repellent and getting rid of standing water around our homes.”

CARDONDALE POST OFFICE EMPLOYEE INDICTED FOR EMBEZZLING MAIL

On Tuesday of this week, a federal grand jury for the Southern District of Illinois returned an indictment charging Athens A. Shorey (also known as “Athens A. DeMartini”), 33, of Cobden, Illinois, with embezzling mail.

Shorey worked as a letter carrier for the Carbondale Post Office. The indictment charges that on May 23, 2020, and again on May 27, 2020, Shorey embezzled mail that had been entrusted to her for delivery. According to the indictment, Shorey embezzled ten pieces of mail on May 23, 2020, and three additional pieces of mail on May 27. The indictment charges that two of the three pieces of mail embezzled on May 27 were sent by banks.

After the alleged embezzlements were discovered, Shorey voluntarily resigned from her position with the Postal Service.

The indictment contains two counts of embezzlement of mail by a Postal Service employee. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The arraignment for Shorey will be conducted on Sept. 28, 2020, at 10:45 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Benton, Illinois.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charges until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation was conducted by agents from the United States Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, and officers of the Carbondale, Illinois, Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.

Missouri Man Arrested By MCPD On Charge Of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse

On Wednesday, Mt. Carmel Police initiated an investigation into a sexual abuse allegation that alleged a 21-year-old male, identified as Kristofer R. Litton, of Independence, Missouri, was having sexual relations with a 13-year-old female from Mt. Carmel, having started in the summer of 2020. Police were able to locate Litton at a local motel leading to the discovery of further information and evidence about the allegation, resulting in Litton’s arrest for Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse. Litton was transported to the Wabash County Jail and held on a $50,000 cash bond.

Electronics Recycling Event Planned Next Month In Mt. Carmel

Mt. Carmel residents will have the opportunity next month to get rid of their unwanted electronic devices during an electronics recycling day. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Commission Chandler Madden said he has worked to secure an Edwardsville company to come to Mt. Carmel and collect electronics that aren’t allowed to be disposed of in typical fashion. Mayor Joe Judge thanked Madden in securing the e-recycling event….

Madden said the date and details of the e-recycling event will be announced as more details are available. It’s been several years since an electronics recycling day has been held in Mt. Carmel. Madden also announced that the fall clean-up week will be held the first week of October.

WCHD Admin Reports To County Board On Local COVID-19 Situation

Wabash County’s COVID-19 positivity rate currently stands at 12.3% and if that number doesn’t come down, Health Department administrator Judy Wissel says more mitigation measures will be handed down by the state. She said the positivity rate is updated each Friday by the state. In a written report submitted to County Commissioners this week, Wissel said there continues to be a lot of large gatherings in the community and many people still don’t wear masks in public settings. She is encouraging people to wear a mask, wash their hands, and socially distance.

During an IDPH mobile testing event last week at the health department, Wissel said 106 individuals were tested last Thursday. As of Tuesday, she said two positive cases have resulted from the mobile testing so far.

Committee Begins Madigan Investigation

 A committee set to meet Thursday morning in Springfield starts the process of investigating allegations a utility allegedly hired people for do-nothing jobs to curry favorable legislation from the state’s most powerful elected official: House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Madigan was implicated in a deferred prosecution agreement federal prosecutors released back in July where utility ComEd agreed it took part in a nearly decade long scheme of giving people associated with “Public Official A” jobs with little to no work.

Republicans in the House invoked House Rule 91 to launch a Special Investigating Committee at the end of August. The committee's first meeting to go over the organization of the public investigation is Thursday in Springfield.

Madigan has not been charged with a crime and has said he has done nothing wrong.

Professor David Parker, director of the Center for the Study of Fraud and Corruption at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, said Illinoians should watch how the hearings unfold.

“I think this is historic,” Parker said. “It sends a strong signal about are we committed to change and anti-corruption, or is it going to be status quo?”

State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, is the committee’s minority spokesman. He said they’ll be calling people named and unnamed in the ComEd deferred prosecution agreement “to provide us with information that will help us answer these important questions about the conduct of Public Official A who’s been identified as Speaker of the House Mike Madigan.”

Thursday’s hearing is expected to lay out the ground rules. A Madigan spokesman said to not expect him there for the first hearing but he will be available for future hearings as needed.

It’s unclear who else will be called to testify. Republicans have said they do not want to interfere with the ongoing federal probe which produced bribery charges against a former ComEd executive last Friday.

Parker said the election year could be a factor.

“You’re going to have the Republican Party coming on fairly strong,” Parker said. “The Democrats are going to give a lot of pushback. Everybody gets to say ‘we’re doing something, we’re looking at it,’ so everybody is going to kind of step up and say ‘it is an issue and it is being addressed.’”

The bipartisan House Special Investigating Committee is a rarity. The last one for former state lawmaker Luis Arroyo was disbanded before it met because the state representative resigned. That committee was looking into bribery charges prosecutors filed against Arroyo that alleged Arroyo accepted money from an unnamed state Senator who was wearing a wire for federal investigators.

Special Investigating Committee Chairman state Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, has said the committee will give Madigan and others the appropriate due process.

ILLINOIS EASTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGES CELEBRATE CONSTITUTION DAY

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges will observe Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17, 2020.  The IECC colleges will observe Constitution Day with a variety of activities and resources to promote the study of the Constitution.

The following activities are planned at the IECC colleges:

FCC - Frontier Community College

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) and Student Senate are hosting an essay-writing contest for all Wayne County students in the 7th and 8th grade.  The essay is to be 300-500 words on “The U.S. Constitution – What It Says and What It Means.”  Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries based on a rubric created by the LRC and Student Senate.  All essays are due to the LRC by September 17, and the winners will be announced the following week.  Robert Tennyson will be on hand to register voters.  Throughout the day, the Marketing Department will record students answering trivia questions related to the Constitution.  A video will then be created and uploaded to the FCC website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.  The LRC will have a Constitution Day display and distribute free copies of the U.S. Constitution booklet. 

LTC - Lincoln Trail College

Lincoln Trail College will have a Constitution Day book display in the library as well as a replica poster of the Constitution.  Information and notices on Constitution Day also will be included on LTC’s social networking pages. 

OCC - Olney Central College

Olney Central College will celebrate Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17, 2020.  A Constitution Day exhibit will be on display in the Anderson Library and free booklets of the Constitution will be available to students.  “Creating the Constitution” will be played on monitors in the Library gallery and the hallways of the campus.

WVC - Wabash Valley College 

Wabash Valley College will have a Constitution Day display prominently featured in their Learning Resource Center.  Copies of the U.S. Constitution booklet will be available to students and WVJC-TV will telecast a reading of the preamble.

To learn more about the Constitution, visit: The National Constitution Center at www.constitutioncenter.org, Fascinating Facts at www.constitutionfacts.com, or Constitution Day at www.ConstitutionDay.com.