On January 17, 2021, at 4:31 a.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a single vehicle accident in the 5000 block of East State Road 68. Deputy Loren Barchett was dispatched to the scene and upon arriving he found a Silver 2008 Ford F150 in a ditch. Upon speaking with the driver 37-year-old Jeremy Allen of Chandler Deputy Barchett detected the odor of alcohol coming from the driver. At that point Deputy Barchett began a roadside DUI investigation. At the conclusion of his investigation Deputy Barchett transported Mr. Allen to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. He has since posted a $450 bond.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Patoka man arrested on warrant and new drug charges
On January 17, 2021, at 2:19 p.m. Deputies from the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office went to the 200 block of West Vine Street in Patoka to serve a Felony Warrant for Auto Theft on 21-year-old Colton Linxwiler. Upon entering the residence Deputy Brian Naas heard movement in a bedroom closet and located Mr. Linxwiler. Upon taking Mr. Linxwiler into custody Marijuana, Methamphetamines, and Drug Paraphernalia were found in his possession. Deputy Naas transported Mr. Linxwiler to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Methamphetamines, and Drug Paraphernalia. He remains in custody on a $1500 bond.
Assisting Deputy Naas in his investigation was Deputy U.B. Smith.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Review Of Illinois Legal Cannabis Law After First Year
After a year of unexpectedly high sales during COVID-19, Illinois’ fledgling recreational marijuana industry is looking to make 2021 an even better year.
Cannabis sales in Illinois were higher than anticipated given the COVID-19 crisis, according to a NPR report.
Adult recreational use of marijuana has been legal in Illinois for a year, and this past year has allowed the industry to learn a few things. Medical marijuana suppliers made the transition to recreational sales smoothly, but for those trying to break into the industry, last year was a total bust, said Portia Mittons from the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois.
The main problem came down to licensing.
“The licenses weren’t given out,” Mittons said. “There were a lot of holdups. No one new was able to get a license.”
After results from the license lottery showed the scoring system to be inequitable, or as Mittons called it, “jacked up,” no new licenses ended up being allocated.
Mittons, also owner of the Coughie Pot Dispensary, pointed out another problem involving the ratio of producer to dispensary licenses slated to be allocated. Right now, the state’s plan gives out more licenses for dispensaries than for growers.
“If you have 200 stores and 20 producers you’re going to have a shortage,” said Mittons. “There’s already a shortage in the existing dispensaries and cultivators.”
Mittons said that if this imbalance isn’t rectified, it will not only lead to a top heavy industry but it will eventually affect prices.
“It will drive the cost up if that is not mitigated in some way,” Mittons said.
Currently, the state allows for 40 producer licenses but they are asking for 60, Mittons said.
Going forward, the industry hopes with some tweaks they can have an even better year of sales than 2020, Mittons said. She thinks Illinois will see more people of color and small independent operators in the market in 2021.
“It looks like the marketplace the intent of the law wanted to do,” Mittons said.
One way they plan to encourage smaller operators into the industry is through education.
“Colleges and universities will have courses as well as individual organizations that do training will have courses that help people become more acclimated and learn what they need to learn about the cannabis industry.”
As a result of a diverse marketplace, the industry will get more creative with the products and provide a larger supply of quality products, said Mittons.
Ethics advocates happy Illinois Legislature’s reform attempt failed
In the rush of legislation passed in the Illinois 101st General Assembly’s final hours, an ethics reform effort was put on hold.
Surprisingly, some advocates are relieved it stalled.
From its introduction, the ethics reform bill was steeped in irony; 87 pages of unvetted legislation inserted into a shell bill via a floor amendment in the middle of the night amid a flurry of other bills to be considered by a lame-duck Legislature.
Reform for Illinois, along with Change Illinois, the Better Government Association, and Common Cause Illinois, said in a joint statement that the matter flew in the face of transparency and did little to improve Illinois’ reputation for corruption.
“We understand this is how a lot of legislation proceeds in Springfield,” it read. “But the public was promised something different this time. However well-intentioned, measures presented through this rushed process do little to restore trust in government, which is the impetus for ethics reform in the first place.”
The advocates, who have been demanding meaningful change after it was discovered that the General Assembly’s self-policing mechanism was not only powerless but vacant and several state and local politicians had been ensnared in corruption investigations, said the changes were token in some aspects and damaging in others.
“We are thankful that it failed because, as we said in our statement, that it was a deeply-problematic bill,” said Alisa Kaplan, Executive Director of Reform for Illinois. “There was no real attention to solving conflicts of interest in the Legislature. There was no attention to ethics oversight of legislators.”
For all the language in the bill, Kaplan notes it never mentions the Illinois Legislative Inspector General. That’s the office responsible for investigating poor lawmaker conduct. It’s been seen as largely toothless and opaque via legislative requirements of confidentiality.
Advocates found another issue troubling that appeared to cap what transparency measures could be taken at a local level, something that would have actually watered down the City of Chicago’s ethics provisions.
“If state law is going to preempt what they’ve done, then they have to abide by the state law,” said Ryan Tolley, Policy Advisor for Change Illinois. “It’s one of those things where we’re fixing something that’s not broken.”
Steven Berlin, executive director of the City of Chicago Board of Ethics, is hopeful for collaboration on future ethics changes at the state level.
"We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and assisting in the legislative process in any way we can," he said. "This is an opportunity to develop meaningful ethics laws."
While the measure installed a cooling-off period for lawmakers and state staff before they could become lobbyists and influence their former colleagues, Tolley said the timeline was too short.
“That means a lawmaker could retire in May and lobby his or her colleagues the next January when they get back,” he said. “We need to look at lengthening it to a two-year process that at least allows for a new General Assembly to come in before a lawmaker is able to lobby former colleagues.”
Both Kaplan and Tolley echoed the release in saying the 102nd General Assembly should go back to the drawing board and craft meaningful legislation that follows the constitutional process of how a bill should become a law.
“As the 102nd General Assembly convenes, our organizations urge members to work on comprehensive ethics reform through an open, deliberative process that includes key stakeholders and advocates, a process which will produce a far better result for the people of Illinois. Let’s get to work.”
‘Optimistic’ Pritzker urges Congress to pass Biden’s plan for billions in state aid
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said President-elect Joe Biden’s stimulus plan will help close Illinois’ multi-billion dollar budget hole.
In his news conference Friday afternoon, Pritzker said the COVID-19 pandemic has put holes in local budgets managed by Democrats and Republicans alike and the prospect of federal funds is a welcome one.
“Yesterday, President-elect Biden put out a serious and deliberate plan to accelerate bringing an end to this pandemic,” he said. “I’ve had numerous conversations with the incoming administration to share the challenges the states have faced and what role the federal government must play in our recovery. So, too, have Republican governors ... I have every reason to be optimistic for the future of Illinois and the nation. I urge Congress to take up the Biden plan immediately.”
Several states aren’t facing budget deficits, with some seeing budget surpluses.
Illinois is facing a $4 billion budget hole that could grow by up to $1 billion more if lawmakers fail to decouple from a federal tax law meant to allow businesses to write off 2020 losses immediately. State Democratic leaders wrote the federal delegation from Illinois in April saying they needed $40 billion in aid.
He was asked about whether or not the Biden plan would allow him to skip making any of the $700 million in cuts to state personnel and other services that he had announced last month.
“The loss of revenues as a result of COVID-19 is the biggest challenge in the 20-21 budget. When you look at what President-Elect Biden has proposed, it would support, not just Illinois states across the nation in their filling the hole that was left by the loss of revenues from COVID-19. It will be helpful to our budget in the fiscal year 2021.”
Many oppose sending untethered federal funds to states that have spent as if there were no budget crunch, calling Biden’s plan a bailout for reckless spending governments.
“The governor continues to hope for magic money from Washington to exempt him from the responsibility of responsibly balancing the budget,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods. “But even President Biden is unlikely to hand us a blank check. It’s time to actually buckle down and start the hard work that he’s avoided to date.”
Others criticized Biden’s plan itself.
“Bailouts for state and local governments for decades of reckless spending by irresponsible politicians have no place in a COVID relief bill and they should be rejected,” said Americans for Prosperity President Ted Phillips. “Instead, we must prioritize stopping the virus and getting people back to work as quickly and safely as possible to save the lives and livelihoods of as many people as we can.”
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, a Peoria Republican, filed legislation last September that would require states to have a certain level of fiscal health before receiving any untethered federal funds, something that would have disqualified Illinois from receiving aid.
WVC announces academic honor lists for Fall 2020
Wabash Valley College is pleased to announce its academic honor lists for the Fall 2020 semester.
Three lists have been established by Illinois Eastern Community Colleges to indicate students who have achieved academic excellence. They are the Chancellor’s Academic Honors List, the President’s Academic Honors List and the Dean’s Academic Honors List.
To qualify for any of the honor lists, a student must be enrolled full-time (12 hours or more) and must be taking college-level classes.
To be named to the Chancellor’s Academic Honors List, students must achieve a grade point average of 3.90 or greater on a 4.0 scale; between 3.75 and 3.89 for the President’s Academic Honors List; and between 3.50 and 3.74 for the Dean’s Academic Honor’s List.
The following students earned academic honors in Fall 2020:
President’s Academic Honors List:
Tanisha Adams Patoka, IN
Regan Bell Albion, IL
Jacob Bimbi Mount Carmel, IL
Emilee Bishop Norris City, IL
Madison Bogle Bone Gap, IL
Jodie Brian Bridgeport, IL
Blake Brosmer Mount Carmel, IL
Mallory Burton Olney, IL
Sumin Cho Mount Carmel, IL
Michelle Cox Mount Carmel, IL
Natalie Cox Flora, IL
Bailey Crisp Mount Carmel, IL
Alec Fewkes Ellery, IL
Andrew Gill Mount Carmel, IL
Josef Gill Browns, IL
Megan Haase Mount Carmel, IL
Katie Halbig Mount Carmel, IL
John Harrington Mount Carmel, IL
Preston Hobbs Sumner, IL
Madison Johns Geff, IL
Amber Johnson Vincennes, IN
Caterina Martineau Mount Carmel, IL
Jack Marvell Mount Carmel, IL
Paige McFarland Allendale, IL
Vaida Medler Allendale, IL
Riley Miller Robinson, IL
Ashley More Mount Carmel, IL
Auston Phipps Bridgeport, IL
Janae Pollard Rinard, IL
Valerie Ramos Allende Mount Carmel, IL
Casey Schweitzer Mount Carmel, IL
Baylee Shipley Lawrenceville, IL
Melissa Stanley Newton, IL
Rachel Thomas Mount Carmel, IL
Faith Witsman Mount Carmel, IL
CHANCELLOR’S ACADEMIC HONORS LIST:
Evan Acree Mount Carmel, IL
Trevor Arnold Mount Carmel, IL
Lexi Ballard Mount Carmel, IL
Sean Barnard Mount Carmel, IL
Branton Beard Dundas, IL
Dalton Beard Lawrenceville, IL
Anna Bedwell Lawrenceville, IL
Josie Betsch Mount Carmel, IL
Malena Bixby Mount Carmel, IL
Stephanie Blake Olney, IL
Sania Borom Mount Carmel, IL
Jakob Boulb Olney, IL
Lucas Bunting Mount Carmel, IL
Oliva Butterworth Mount Carmel, IL
Brett Carwile Mount Carmel, IL
Jason Childers West Salem, IL
Brieanna Cline Saint Francisville, IL
Darcy Clodfelter West Salem, IL
Hunter Collard Grayville, IL
Mary Collins Robinson, IL
Isaac Crabb Mount Carmel, IL
Zane Crossen Lawrenceville, IL
Coy Crull Grayville, IL
Andrew Cusick Carmi, IL
Nhut Dang Mount Carmel, IL
Kassidy Drone Mount Carmel, IL
Logan Durham Mount Carmel, IL
Brittany Eagleson Lawrenceville, IL
Karli Ellis Mount Carmel, IL
Jamison Epps Mount Carmel, IL
Ellison Goodson Mount Carmel, IL
Teagan Guard Mount Carmel, IL
Olivia Hallam Albion, IL
Alicia Harmon Oakland City, IN
Kennadi Harris Mount Carmel, IL
Joshua Hatfield Robinson, IL
Jordan Hawk Sedro-Woolley, WA
Sophie Heck Mount Carmel, IL
Gracey Himelick Mount Carmel, IL
Jennifer Holtschlag Olney, IL
Owen Kinker Stendal, IN
Ian Klingler Clay City, IL
Jaiyden Koberstein Princeton, IN
Halley Kocher West Salem, IL
Lenze Lane Fairfield, IL
Makenna Langenhorst Mount Carmel, IL
Olivia Lebrun Mount Carmel, IL
Elijah Liston Olney, IL
Jonas Martin Mount Carmel, IL
Ashlyn Matthews Annapolis, IL
Cindel McClaskey Lawrenceville, IL
James Meguiar Mount Carmel, IL
Kyle Mewes Albion, IL
Lainie Milner Mount Carmel, IL
Breanna More Mount Carmel, IL
Caelyn Nelson Albion, IL
Chelsea Ochs Olney, IL
Daxton Peach Mount Carmel, IL
Paris Pennington Lawrenceville, IL
Katie Reid Albion, IL
Jozie Rice West Salem, IL
Albert Rinehart Louisville, IL
Meghan Rinsch Flat Rock, IL
Amber Robinson Norris City, IL
Taya Rush Mount Carmel, IL
Carry Sablone Oblong, IL
Marshall Schroeder Grayville, IL
Katherine Smith Mount Carmel, IL
Haden Smock Mount Carmel, IL
Jaysa Snyder Princeton, IN
Paige Steber Claremont, IL
Briar Stenson Mount Carmel, IL
Jarred Stoll Olney, IL
Cheyenne Summerfield West Salem, IL
Zachary Talbert Fairfield, IL
Lankhanh Tran Mount Carmel, IL
Micah Trout Robinson, IL
Mersadies Wagner Mount Carmel, IL
Evan Walker Olney, IL
Jessica Wall Mount Carmel, IL
Jejuan Weatherspoon Mount Carmel, IL
Mekenzie Wheeler Flora, IL
Trenton Wilkinson Mount Carmel, IL
Dean’s Academic Honors List:
Logan Abel Keensburg, IL
Lyndsi Adamson Haubstadt, IN
McKinnon Anderson Mount Carmel, IL
Keegan Batka Mount Carmel, IL
Kristin Berberich Mount Carmel, IL
Anna Bickers Sumner, IL
Karisa Broster Mount Carmel, IL
Elijah Buscher Olney, IL
Hannah Chaney Mount Carmel, IL
Cierra Christian Mount Carmel, IL
Grace Colvin Mount Carmel, IL
Dallan Cowger Albion, IL
Tabitha Cross Mount Carmel, IL
Colin Czajkowski Mount Carmel, IL
Mackenzie Dascotte Albion, IL
Caitlin Dunkel Albion, IL
Sutton Dunn Olney, IL
Jacob Durham Mount Carmel, IL
Tessa Embry Mount Carmel, IL
Kellene Engelhart Mount Carmel, IL
Toni Fornwalt Mount Carmel, IL
John Freeland Mount Carmel, IL
Jordan Fritchley West Salem, IL
Beiker Fuentes Mount Carmel, IL
Lily Garbett Mount Carmel, IL
Megan Garner Olney, IL
Brooke Goveia Flora, IL
Shivani Hajari Mount Carmel, IL
Trevon Hamilton Mount Carmel, IL
Lydia Henson Flora, IL
Austin Holtgrave Fairfield, IL
Joshua Jones Mount Carmel, IL
Nathaniel Kiefer Fairfield, IL
Rachel Kitzinger Mount Carmel, IL
Bryce Klingler Olney, IL
Taylor Lecrone Mount Carmel, IL
Zed Markman Albion, IL
Austin McCoy Mount Carmel, IL
Freylin Minyety Mount Carmel, IL
Cole Neeley Grayville, IL
Madison Newman Robinson, IL
Keith Olivares Mount Carmel, IL
Satchel Patberg Mount Carmel, IL
Boston Polston Mount Carmel, IL
Knox Preston Mount Carmel, IL
Lyvia Proctor Newburgh, IN
Jaidan Quinn Mount Carmel, IL
Zachary Robinson Mount Carmel, IL
Nicholas Sall Mount Carmel, IL
Gregory Sandschafer Newton, IL
Olivia Schultz Mount Carmel, IL
Robert Seabrook Sumner, IL
Ryan Sleeper Mount Carmel, IL
Tyler Sloan Mount Carmel, IL
Gregory Stoltz Allendale, IL
Troy Stoltz Mount Carmel, IL
Adam Stoneberger Mount Carmel, IL
Kaylee Thaler Mount Carmel, IL
Vy Tran Mount Carmel, IL
Nicole Tretter Princeton, IN
Ices Utegg Mount Carmel, IL
Vicki Valencia Mount Carmel, IL
Katelyn Wagner Mount Carmel, IL
Kyle Westfall Mount Carmel, IL
Zachary Westphal Mount Carmel, IL
Mylee Wilson Owensville, IN
RMC Planning For Busy 2021
The Wabash County Retail Merchants Committee is hitting the ground running in 2021 with hopes of several events being held this year. Coming on the heels of a pandemic filled 2020 when many of the RMC traditional promotions and events were cancelled or severely modified, merchants met on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for events including a bridal event, ladies day out around Mother’s Day, and a big win what you spend promotion during the Fantastic 4th celebration.
In addition, dates are now available for the merchants Walk Up Wednesday starting the first Wednesday of June. To book a date, contact Sharon Harris via the WSJD Facebook page.
And the biggest event of the summer in Mt. Carmel, Ag Days, is set for August 4th through 7th, but is dependent upon the state of Illinois resuming the inspection of carnival rides.
MCPD K-9 Officer Ace Set To Retire
A long-time member of the Mt. Carmel Police Department is about to retire and his replacement is coming in from Alabama.
Police Chief Ryan Turner made the announcement at Monday’s City Council meeting that K-9 Ace is being retired after 8 years with the MCPD. He’ll be replaced with a new K-9 from Alabama that will differ in that it will not alert to marijuana as Ace has. Since marijuana laws have been relaxed in Illinois, Turner said it was no longer necessary for the K-9 unit to hit on marijuana. Instead, it will hit on hard drugs like meth, LSD, and heroin.
K-9 officer Daniel Hopper will take the new dog for 10 weeks of training at the Illinois State Police academy in August.
Turner said the $15,000 price tag will be at no cost to the city as it will be paid for through Crimestoppers and fines and fees paid through the courts.
As for Ace’s retirement plans, he’ll spend his remaining years with State Trooper Steve Perry who was Ace’s first handler when Perry was the MCPD K-9 officer.
MCPD K-9 officer Daniel Hopper and Ace.
Photo courtesy of: Daniel Hopper Facebook
WSJD 2012 File Photo:
Former MCPD K-9 officer Steve Perry and Ace at a school shooter drill at St. Mary’s School.
Frosty Road Causes Fayette County Wreck
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by
Illinois State Police District 12
WHAT: Single Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash
WHERE: Illinois 185 at 900 North, approximately 2 miles West of St. Peter, Fayette County
WHEN: Jan. 13, 2021 at approximately 7:40 a.m.
VEHICLE: Unit 1- 1998 White Ford Truck
DRIVER: Unit 1 – Alissa Smith, 25-year-old female from Farina, IL - Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.
PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling north on Illinois 185 at 900 north in Fayette County. The driver of Unit 1 lost control due to frost on the roadway and ran off the right side of the road. Unit 1 struck a ditch embankment and came to rest. The driver of Unit 1 was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.
CHARGES: Unit 1 driver was cited for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
Niemerg Sworn in to 102nd General Assembly
SPRINGFIELD…Today, Teutopolis native Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) was sworn in as the new State Representative for the 109th District. The district office will be located at 107 W. Main Street, Teutopolis, Illinois.
“I am humbled to be selected to work on behalf of our area to represent the values and concerns of the good families and businesses in my southeastern Illinois district,” said Rep. Adam Niemerg. “We have a lot of work to do to change direction and reform the budgeting process, address the pension crisis, and help create a jobs growth environment for the families of our state with common-sense tax policies.”
The oldest of five children, Adam graduated from Teutopolis High School in 2002 and then received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. Adam was a senior claims adjuster with 12 years of experience for Country Financial.
Rep. Niemerg and his wife Trina and their children reside in rural Dieterich in Effingham County. They are members of the St. Isidore Catholic Parish and they attend St. Aloysius Church.
Adam is a fiscal conservative focused on reducing taxes and fighting for limited government and pension reform to spur the growth of business and jobs in his district and all of Illinois. Adam Niemerg is pro-life and he will protect Second Amendment rights.
“I plan to host satellite office hours around the district to make it easier for people to meet with me and my legislative staff to discuss their concerns and ideas,” Rep. Niemerg added. “I encourage people to connect with me through my state web site (https://RepNiemerg.com), on Facebook, and you may sign up for my electronic newsletter to receive updates on legislative activities and state government programs.”
The 109th District includes all or portions of nine counties: Clay, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White.
