Shoals Man Arrested for Resisting Law Enforcement

Martin County-On March 24th, 2021, at approximately 1:15 pm, Trooper Ross Johnson was northbound on U.S. 150 approaching Boyd Hollow Road when he observed a passenger car coming toward him at a high rate of speed. The vehicle, a silver Chevrolet ZL1 Camaro, was passing another vehicle, which was pulling a trailer. Trooper Johnson then activated his speed timing device, which showed the vehicle's speed to be 96 mph in a 55 mph zone. Trooper Johnson activated his emergency lights before the vehicle passed him. The driver did not slow down as he passed Trooper Johnson's fully marked police car. Trooper Johnson turned around and attempted to catch the speeding vehicle.

Trooper Johnson was able to catch up with the suspect's vehicle as it turned onto Lacy Road, heading south towards State Road 550. The suspect's vehicle continued westbound on State Road 550, at a high rate of speed. Trooper Johnson was able to pull behind the suspect's vehicle and see it had one occupant. The driver continued west for a short time until coming to a stop near Progress School Road.

The driver was identified as Anthony G. Jones of Shoals. Mr. Jones admitted that he was speeding and attempting to elude Trooper Johnson. Mr. Jones was then incarcerated in the Martin County Security Center and charged with:

• Resisting Law Enforcement (vehicle) 35-44.1-3-1(a)(1) & 9-21-8-52(a)(1)

• Reckless Driving 9-21-8-52(a)(1)

All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. 

PA Man Killed In I-70 Clark County Crash

ILLINOIS STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by

Illinois State Police District 12 

WHAT:                      Two Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash       

WHERE:                   Interstate 70 Westbound, just west of the Indiana state line, Clark County

WHEN:                      Mar. 24, 2021 at approximately 4:05 p.m.

VEHICLES:              Unit 1- 2008 White Chevrolet Cobalt

                                    Unit 2- 2017 Blue Freightliner Truck-Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination

DRIVERS:                 Unit 1- Donovan Nardini, 18-year-old male from New Oxford, PA – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of injuries.

                                    Unit 2- Devinder Singh, 31-year-old male from Bargersville, IN

PASSENGER:           Zachary Reynolds, 19-year-old male from York, PA - Deceased

PRELIMINARY:      A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling east on Interstate 70 at the Illinois/Indiana state line. Unit 2 was traveling west approaching the state line. For unknown reasons, Unit 1 driver left the roadway, crossing the median and entering the westbound lanes. Unit 1 struck Unit 2 head on. The driver of Unit 1 was transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries. The driver of Unit 2 reported no injuries.  The passenger of Unit 1 was pronounced deceased on scene by the Clark County Coroner. The westbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed for approximately 3 hours during the crash investigation. This crash is still under investigation and no further information is available.

CHARGES:               Unit 1 driver was cited for Improper Lane Usage.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Clay County Motorcyclist Seriously Injured After Rear Ending SUV

ILLINOIS STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by

Illinois State Police District 12 

WHAT:                      Two Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash  

WHERE:                   Us Highway 50 at Sunset Road, Clay County

WHEN:                      Mar. 24, 2021 at approximately 5:20 p.m.

VEHICLES:              Unit 1- 2002 Maroon Harley Davidson Motor Cycle

                                    Unit 2- 2021 Green Kia SUV

DRIVERS:                 Unit 1- Michael Spitzner, 51-year-old male from Clay City, IL – Flown to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries.

                                    Unit 2- Cathy Stout, 65-year-old female from Clay City, IL

PRELIMINARY:      A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 2 was traveling east on US Highway 50 in Clay County. Unit 2 driver was stopped, waiting to turn left onto Sunset Road. Unit 1 was also traveling east and failed to slow, striking the rear of Unit 2. The driver of Unit 1 was flown to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of Unit 2 reported no 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.

I-64 Crash Sends Louisville Truck Driver To Hospital

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

WHAT:                      Personal Injury Traffic Crash                                                

WHERE:                   Interstate 64 Eastbound, approximately ¼ mile west of milepost 107, Wayne County

WHEN:                      Mar. 25, 2021 at approximately 7:20 a.m.                            

VEHICLE:                Unit 1- 2021 Red International Truck-Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination

DRIVER:                   Unit 1- John Peery, 62-year-old male from Louisville, KY

PASSENGER:           Unit 1- Charles Copeland, 75-year-old male from Louisville, KY – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.

PRELIMINARY:      Preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred:  Unit 1 was traveling east on Interstate 64, approximately ¼ mile west of milepost 107 in Wayne County. The driver of Unit 1 advised he fell asleep, leaving the roadway to the left and overturning in the median. Unit 1 driver reported no injuries. Unit 1 passenger was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

CHARGES:               Unit 1 Driver was cited for Driving While Ill or Fatigued and for Improper Lane Usage.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

TIF Help May Be Coming For Illinois Businesses

Businesses around Illinois may see some additional financial relief if the state changes the rules in the way local communities use TIF funds. At this week’s city council meeting, Mayor Joe Judge said the change is not a done deal yet as the state is working on making other TIF funds available…

In addition, Judge said the city has been working with 8 local businesses who applied for the state’s C-D-B-G grant financing program. Of the 8, only one local business—Little Italy’s Pizza—qualified for the grant assistance of up to $25,000. A public hearing finalizing the grant was held yesterday afternoon at City Hall.  

Illinois Oil Production Totaled 7.51 Million Barrels in 2020

Illinois crude oil production totaled 7,513,835 barrels in 2020, according to data compiled by the Illinois Petroleum Resources Board (IPRB) that is based on first-purchaser reports. Click here to view IPRB’s annual Illinois oil production report.

The state’s 2020 oil production was 8.9 percent below 2019 levels. A similar production drop was observed throughout the United States, as the COVID-19 pandemic-induced oil demand and price shock led to national production dropping 8.1 percent, from a record 12.3 million barrels per day in 2019 to 11.3 million barrels per day in 2020.

Though production was down significantly overall in Illinois last year, monthly production levels trended upward in the second half of the year as oil prices recovered modestly following the worst of the demand and oil price shock in the spring.

White County – by far the state’s top-producing county – actually saw strong production growth in 2020 despite the pandemic. White County oil production totaled 2,206,100 barrels in 2020 – a 7.6 percent increase from 2019 levels. White County has now topped 2 million barrels of production two years in a row and accounted it for just under 30 percent of the state’s production last year. White County’s annual production has more than doubled from levels seen just a decade ago.

The state’s top-15 producing counties – White, Marion, Crawford, Lawrence, Fayette, Wabash, Clay, Wayne, Franklin, Clark, Hamilton, Richland, Jasper, Gallatin and Jefferson – collectively produced 91 percent of the state’s oil in 2020. All 15 of those counties – as well as Edwards, Brown and Effingham counties – have recently passed Resolutions of Support for the Illinois oil production industry.

Patoka man arrested on Residential Entry charge

On March 24, 2021, at 11:21 a.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report that a male had entered another person’s trailer in M&M Trailer Park in Patoka without the owner’s permission. Upon arriving on scene Deputy U.B. Smith spoke with the caller and began an investigation. Deputy Smith then located the male who was identified as 33-year-old David Fuhs II of Patoka. Upon completing his investigation Deputy Smith placed Mr. Fuhs into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Residential Entry and remains in custody on a $750 bond.

All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Allendale Book Fair Winners

Allendale School is proud to announce winners of the contests for the Book Fair, "Jungle...Elephants, Tigers, and Books, OH MY!" The elementary had a coloring contest and the winners are: Madisyn Weiss (Kindergarten), Henry Buchanan (1st grade), Sophia Breen (2nd Grade), Grasyn Morgan (3rd Grade), Ryland Houchin (4th grade). In the junior high, they had a skittles in a jar guessing contest. The winners were: Stetson Potts (5th grade), Levi Potts (6th grade), Rhiley Byrns (7th grade), Hallie Courter (8th grade). Out of the junior high, Stetson Potts was the closest, as he was only 8 off from being correct.

front row - Ryland Houchin, Grasyn Morgan, Sophia Breen, Henry Buchanan, Madisyn Weiss

back row - Hallie Courter, Rhiley Byrns, Levi Potts, Stetson Potts

Madden Introduces Plan To Rid City Of Old Tires To Combat Mosquitoes

With mosquito season right around the corner, Mt. Carmel City Commissioner Chandler Madden wants the city to take a proactive approach in trying to combat the flying nuisances. According to Madden, one of the biggest breeding grounds for mosquitos is old tires that collect stagnate water…

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Madden said old tires are a problem year-round, but is especially more evident during the spring and fall clean-up weeks when residents set them out for pick-up, which Republic Services does not do.

MCPD Chief: Suspects Identified In Drive-By Shooting

Suspects have been identified and the investigation continues into a drive-by shooting earlier this month on Pear Street. At Monday’s City Council meeting, police chief Ryan Turner told commissioners that suspects responsible for the shooting on March 5th in the 800 block of Pear Street have been identified. According to Turner, the investigation has been hampered by the suspects moving out of the area creating travel time for authorities for interviews. Even with the inconvenience, Turner said he was confident arrests would be made in the incident in which three shots hit the home. No one was injured in the shooting.