Ballot Set For November Election

The filing period ended yesterday for local and state candidates running in this year’s election. And as the filing period ended, there were no last-minute surprise filings ahead of the June 28th primary in Illinois.

Among the four Wabash County offices on this year’s ballot, there’ll be only one contested race on November 8th and that’s for treasurer where long-time treasurer Beverly McBride is retiring and not seeking another term. Angela Broster has filed to run as a Republican and her opponent will be democrat Amy Conrad. The other incumbents will see no competition as sheriff Derek Morgan, county clerk Janet Will, and county commissioner Rob Dean will have clear sailing to new terms. 

And speaking of the election, Will is again reminding voters that they should have recently received a new voter ID card. The new card was necessary because of redistricting that took place after the 2020 Census. Will advises voters to contact her office if they didn’t receive a new ID card since that could be a sign something is wrong with their registration.

Driver Seriously Injured In Saline County Crash

ISP INVESTIGATES TRAFFIC CRASH

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 19

WHAT:                      Single Vehicle Traffic Crash with Injuries

WHERE:                   Illinois Route 34 approximately ½ mile south of Mt Moriah Road, Saline County

WHEN:                      March 13, 2022 at approximately 2:00 a.m.

VEHICLE:                Unit 1 – Black 2020 Lincoln Corsair

DRIVER:                   Unit 1 – Rachel R. Grubbs, 44-year-old female from Galatia, IL

 

PRELIMINARY:      Preliminary investigative details indicate the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling southbound on IL Rt. 34, approximately ½ mile south of Mt. Moriah Road.  Unit 1 left the west side of the roadway for an unknown reason, struck a tree and overturned.  The driver of Unit 1 was transported to a regional hospital for serious injuries.

 

Mount Carmel Solo & Ensemble Contest Results

Mt. Carmel 5th-8th Grade Students participated in their own solo & ensemble contest on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Mt. Carmel Grade School. 47 entries worked many hours to prepare pieces for the contest.

Receiving a “First Superior” rating on their ensemble was The Varsity show choir made up of Tessa Dewitt Ava Giese, Ryan Groah, Mackenzie Hipsher, Lilly Majors, Tucker Martin, Zeke Noll, Miley Peach, Maycee Randall, Gage Wright.

Receiving a “First Superior” rating, which is a perfect score on a Class A, B, or C solo was Eli Baker (class C vocal solo), Annelise Garrison (class C vocal solo), Aiden McBroom (class, C mallet solo) Justice Toothman (class C vocal solo) and Gage Wright (class C vocal solo).

Receiving a Division I (first) rating was Lani Bailey (class C vocal solo), Anna Hall (class C vocal solo), Taylor Dudley (class C vocal solo), Violet Miller (class C vocal solo), Ailee Seals (class A vocal solo), Ava Giese (class A vocal solo), Lilly Majors (class B vocal solo), Miranda Kennard (class C vocal solo), Tessa Dewitt (class B vocal solo), Karly Mandrell (class B trombone solo), Xander Bader (class C trumpet solo), Reece Macer (class E baritone solo), Jackson James (class C snare drum solo), Aiden McBroom (class C snare drum solo), Zane Wilcox (class C trumpet solo), Bryleigh Swatsley (class E trumpet solo), Justice Toothman (class E trombone solo), Greyson Roberts (class E trombone solo), Wyatt Rooney (class C trombone solo), Josie James (class E trumpet solo), Gage Wright (class C trumpet solo), Eli Baker (class C trumpet solo), Cameron Smith (class D trumpet solo), Kelsey Burton (class E clarinet solo), Madilyn Dawson (class E clarinet solo), Annie Kanipe (class E clarinet solo), Zeke Kasinger (class E alto sax solo), Jaylynn Biegel (class C clarinet solo), Brynlee Hammel (class E flute solo), Annelise Garrison (class D clarinet solo), Mackenzie Hipsher (class C flute solo), Emma Etheridge (class B flute solo), Aydan Boze (class E snare drum solo), Piper Wilson (class E snare drum solo), Lucy Hall (class E alto sax solo) and Zoie Randall (class D trumpet solo).

Other participants included Sakura Miller, Anna Hall, Lyndsey DeLong and Chandler Kleinschmidt.

Receiving the honor of “Best of the Day” for each of the 3 judges were Aiden McBroom for his mallet solo, Emma Etheridge for her flute solo and The Varsity show choir. 

Congratulations to all of these students for their hard work!

Judges for the day were Cori Copeland, Jennifer Gawthorp & Chris Jansen.  Ellen Wall is the 5-8 band & choir instructor.

UPDATE: Victim Identified In Fairfield Death Investigation

Carmi, IL – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 8 was requested by the Fairfield Police Department (FPD) to conduct a death investigation in Fairfield, Illinois. 

On Saturday, March 12, 2022 at approximately 8:00 a.m., Trask C. Smith, a 27 year-old-male was found deceased near the 600 block of Southeast 4th Street, Fairfield, IL.

The official cause and manner of death will be released by the Wayne County Coroner’s office once an autopsy is conducted and toxicology report received. This is an active and ongoing investigation, and no additional information will be released at this time.


ISP CONDUCT DEATH INVESTIGATION IN FAIRFIELD

Carmi, IL – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 8 was requested by the Fairfield Police Department (FPD) to conduct a death investigation in Fairfield, Illinois. 

On Saturday, March 12, 2022 at approximately 8:00 a.m., a 28 year-old-male was found deceased near the 600 block of Southeast 4th Street, Fairfield, IL.

The official cause and manner of death will be released by the Wayne County Coroner’s office once an autopsy is conducted and toxicology report received. This is an active and ongoing investigation, and no additional information will be released at this time.

Wabash Co. State's Attorney Monthly Report

Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman has released her offices monthly report for February. Last month, the state’s attorney filed 15 felony cases, 4 misdemeanor cases, and no DUI’s. There were also 15 traffic cases.  A total of $7,427.66 in fines were assessed and $1,138.39 in restitution was ordered. There were no notices sent out last month for deceptive practice.

Change Your Clock, Change Your Batteries This Weekend

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) reminds Illinoisians to test, inspect for expired alarms, and replace batteries in their smoke and CO alarms as they change the clock this weekend.

“It’s simple, working smoke alarms save lives! Replacing broken or expired smoke alarms will provide an early warning and help prevent loss of life due to fire,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez. “Construction materials used in today’s homes are made from more synthetic materials which means they burn hotter and faster, while also producing toxic smoke. This means people typically have less than 3 minutes to escape their homes, which makes the early warning that smoke alarms provide even more vital.”

The time change serves as a bi-annual reminder to test all smoke and CO alarms in your home. If you find an alarm that is not working or is expired, replace the alarm immediately with a new 10-year sealed battery alarm. Review your fire-escape plan with your family and hold a drill to practice your plan.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports between 2014-2018, almost three out of every five home fire deaths in the U.S. resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms. The chances of dying in a home fire was reduced by 55% in homes were working smoke alarms are present. In fires in which the smoke alarms were present but did not operate, more than two of every five of the smoke alarms had missing or disconnected batteries. Dead batteries accounted for 25% of smoke alarm failures. In 2021 in Illinois, 80% of pre-existing smoke alarms being replaced in homes that received the new 10-year sealed battery alarms through the “Be Alarmed!” program was found to be non-functional or were expired. Thanks to the “Be Alarmed!” program, in 2021, over 1,000 Illinois homes and 2,268 residents are now protected by new smoke alarms and were educated about the importance of having a fire safety plan.

A 2017 Illinois law requires ten-year sealed smoke alarms be installed in all homes built before 1988 or that do not have hardwired smoke detectors by January 1, 2023.

"Be Alarmed!" is a fire safety education and smoke alarm installation program administered cooperatively between the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM). “The “Be Alarmed!” program is designed to help residents in Illinois comply with the new law, but it’s really aimed at creating fire-safe communities.

For more information on the “Be Alarmed!” program visit https://www.ifsa.org/programs/alarms.

COVID Cases Down Sharply Last Month

The month of February saw a total of 212 COVID cases in Wabash County. That is a vast improvement over the January numbers when 1,167 COVID were recorded locally. Health department administrator Judy Wissel reported to county commissioners Monday that there were 8 COVID positive patients who died last month. She said the health department continues to test for COVID every day between 11 and 3.