On today’s monthly “Ask The Mayor” segment on the WSJD Morning Show, Joe Judge offered some positive updates on various Mt. Carmel vacant properties.
First the former Shopko location…..
The former IGA building at 9th and Walnut?
And how about the former Long John Silvers on West 9th Street?
The complete interview with the mayor can be found elsewhere on wsjd.fm.
WSJD File Photo
ISP INVESTIGATES FATAL TRAFFIC CRASH
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 22
WHAT: Two Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash
WHERE: Illinois Route 3, ¾ mile south of Illinois Route 127, Alexander County
WHEN: Aug. 12, 2021 at approximately 10:08 p.m.
VEHICLE: Unit 1 – White 2016 Ford Mustang
Unit 2 – White/Silver 2005 Honda motorcycle
DRIVER: Unit 1 – Mathew C. Foulks, 29-year-old male from Clarksville, TN – Transported via ambulance to a local hospital for minor injuries.
Unit 2 – Name withheld pending next of kin notification, 55-year-old female of Paducah, KY - Deceased
PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling northbound on Illinois Route 3 just south of Illinois Route 127. Unit 2 was traveling southbound in the same area. Unit 1 crossed the centerline and struck Unit 2 head-on. The rider of Unit 2 was pronounced deceased on scene by the Alexander County Coroner. IL Rt. 3 was closed for crash investigation and scene clean-up until approximately 2:30 a.m.
The open and on-going investigation is being continued by the ISP Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit and the Alexander County Coroner. There is no further information available at this time.
CHARGES: The Unit 1 driver, Foulks, was charged with Driving Under the Influence, Improper Lane Usage, No Valid Driver’s License, and Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
August "Ask The Mayor" With Joe Judge
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE FATAL TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police
District 19
WHAT: Three Unit Fatal Traffic Crash
WHERE: U.S. Route 45 just north of Cottonwood Road, Saline County
WHEN: Aug. 12, 2021 at approximately 4:28 p.m.
VEHICLE: Unit 1 – Brown 2018 Buick Envision
Unit 2 – Burgundy 2013 Ford Explorer
Unit 3 – Black 2004 Dodge Ram 1500
DRIVERS: Unit 1 – Doyle E. Prince, 80-year-old male from Carmi, IL - Deceased
Unit 2 – Brookelyn S. Bohach, 28-year-old female from Grayville, IL – No apparent injuries.
Unit 3 – Dale E. Carrell, 63-year-old male from Grayville, IL – Serious injuries – Flown to a regional hospital.
PASSENGERS: Unit – 2 – John A. Bohach, 38-year-old male of Grayville, IL – No apparent injuries.
Unit – 2 – Juvenile, 7-year-old male of Grayville, IL – No apparent injuries.
Unit – 2 – Juvenile, 5-year-old male of Grayville, IL – No apparent injuries.
Unit – 3 – Bonnie J. Carrell, 46-year-old female of Grayville, IL – Serious injuries – Flown to a regional hospital.
PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling northbound on U.S. Route 45 just north of Cottonwood Road. Units 2 and 3 were traveling southbound in the same area. Unit 1 was passing several vehicles at a time when it sideswiped Unit 2 causing Unit 2 to also strike the guard rail on the right side of the roadway. Unit 1 continued northbound in the southbound lane and struck Unit 3 head-on. Unit 1 overturned, coming to rest in the northbound lane. Unit 2 came to rest partially in the southbound lane. U.S. Route 45 reopened to normal traffic flow at approximately 9:00 p.m. after traffic crash investigation and scene clean-up was completed.
CHARGES: None
A digital civil rights group says Illinois’ “Vax Verify” program is a step in the wrong direction, and the worst they’ve seen yet.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced the new digital COVID-19 vaccine certificate Wednesday.
“As more businesses, events, organizations, and others require proof of vaccination, Illinois residents will be able to confirm using Vax Verify that they have been vaccinated for COVID-19,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement announcing the program. “With the current surge in cases, more people are making the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine and this new tool will aid residents in confirming their vaccination where needed.”
Residents accessing the program must verify their information through consumer credit rating firm Experian and could use it for certain areas of concerts at the Illinois State Fair as early as Thursday.
Unveiling the butter cow Wednesday in Springfield, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said it will be secure, despite recent cyber attacks on other state agencies.
“So we’ve got a significant effort to make sure the information is secure and that our computers across the state are secure,” Pritzker said.
Electronic Frontier Foundation Director of Engineering Alexis Hancock reviews such systems from around the country and said Illinois’ program requiring people to verify their information through credit tracking firm Experian is severely flawed.
“This system is horrible in Illinois,” Hancock said. “Using Experian is definitely one of the worst ones I’ve seen yet.”
Hancock raised concerns about what that means for people who are not vaccinated, or may even be undocumented residents with little to no trackable credit history, among other issues.
“If you have frozen your credit for whatever reason, you have to unfreeze your credit with Experian in order to actually access a vaccination record from this Vax Verify system.”
Then there’s what she called “scope creep,” and how consumers could be impacted without proper protection to prevent private businesses from tracking citizens.
“You don't have to do that everyday, right, you don’t have to swoop out your vaccination records everyday and that frequency and that scope can become an issue when companies who are holding this information and databases are holding this information aren’t necessarily being held accountable to the stricter standard of how long they should log information, if they should log information at all.”
A spokesperson for the ACLU of Illinois said showing vaccine proof is good for public health and expects such measures would withstand legal challenges.
Wabash County Commissioners have adopted an ordinance that levies a special road tax that was first implemented in 1981. Highway engineer Dustin Bunting told commissioners recently the tax is vital to highway operations and must be renewed by the board every 5 years…
From time to time, Bunting said the fund is allowed to accumulate to help pay for bigger ticket projects such as next year’s planned work in the Gards Point Road area.
The makeover of the Mt. Carmel City Park continues as the city council has approved spending $3,000 to dispose the 12 large tires that have long been a mainstay of the park for many years. Once the tires are removed, they’ll be placed on a semi and sent to a disposal site in St. Louis.
A Wisconsin man has entered a not guilty plea to four Class X felony sex crimes in Wabash County. Joseph Sellers of Janesville, Wisconsin is charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in connection to incidents that allegedly occurred between September of 1997 and October of 2000. Sellers appeared in Wabash County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday and probable cause was found in the case at which time Sellers waived formal arraignment and pled not guilty. It’s alleged Sellers molested a girl who was 7 years old at the time and a boy who was 10 years old. Sellers was arrested in April and released after posting a $12,500 cash bond. A pretrial conference in the case is set for October 12th.
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by
Illinois State Police District 12
WHAT: Four Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash
WHERE: Interstate 57 northbound at milepost 121, Marion County
WHEN: Aug. 11, 2021 at approximately 2:20 p.m.
VEHICLES: Unit 1 – 2018 Silver Dodge Journey
Unit 2 – 2015 Black GMC Denali
Unit 3 – 2016 White Ford F-150
Unit 4 – 2014 Silver Peterbilt Truck Tractor Semi-Trailer
DRIVERS: Unit 1 – Dean Weber, 52-year-old male of Jackson, MO – Airlifted to an area hospital with serious injuries
Unit 2 – Juvenile, 16-year-old female of Houlton, WI
Unit 3 – Daniel Field, 77-year-old male of Jackson, MO – Transported to an area hospital with injuries
Unit 4 – Ala S. Abdallah, 42-year-old male of Burbank, IL
PASSENGERS: Unit 1 – Rachelle Weber, 49-year-old female of Jackson, MO
Unit 2 – Kristin M. Siskow, 43-year-old female of Houlton, WI – Airlifted to an area hospital with serious injuries
Unit 2 – Juvenile 14-year-old of Houlton, WI – Transported to an area hospital with injuries
Unit 2 – Eric R. Siskow, 46-year-old male of Houlton, WI – Transported to an area hospital with injuries
PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 2, 3, and 4 were stopped on Interstate 57 northbound near milepost 121 in the left lane due to road construction. Unit 1 was traveling Interstate 57 northbound, failed to reduce speed and struck the rear of Unit 2. Unit 2 was pushed forward and struck the rear of Unit 3. Unit 3 was pushed forward and struck the rear of Unit 4.
CHARGES: The driver of Unit 1 was issued a citation for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
On August 8, 2021, at 11:37 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a 911 report of a disturbance in the 3000 block of South 100 West. Upon arriving Deputy U.B. Smith and Sergeant John Fischer began an investigation. After speaking with all the parties involved Deputy Smith and other officers on scene attempted to place 31-year-old Ruby Parker into custody, but she began to physically resist officers in their attempt. After a brief struggle Ms. Parker was taken into custody and ultimately transported to the Gibson County Jail. Upon arriving at the Gibson County Jail Ms. Parker was charged with Resisting Law Enforcement, Battery with Injury, and Battery with a Deadly Weapon. She remains in custody on a $1250 bond.
Assisting Deputy Smith in his investigation was Sergeant John Fischer. Also assisting were Princeton Officer Ben Kiesel and Haubstadt Officer Joshua Hoover.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
