While students and teachers are enjoying Spring Break this week in Wabash District #348, quite a bit of work is taking place in school buildings. Superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer said one area being addressed is the long suffering problem of leaks at the grade school…
When students return from Spring Break next Monday, there’ll be roughly 6 weeks remaining in the 2021-22 school year.
Meeting in monthly session Monday, the Wabash General Hospital board of directors voted to spend more than $280,000 for two new ultrasound units. WGH Chief Operating Officer Tamara Gould explained the first unit would replace a general ultrasound unit that was purchased in 2010 and had outlasted its’ usefulness. She said the second unit will be more specified to accommodate the increased case load of cardiologist Dr. Marlon Jordan. The new Samsung ultrasounds should arrive within the next three to four weeks according to Gould.
There’s a been a change recently in the work schedules of dispatchers at the Mt. Carmel Police Department. Police Chief Mike McWilliams told the city council this week, that manpower is being shifted to where it’s needed most, primarily between 12 noon and 8pm. McWilliams said that’s when MCPD receives the majority of their calls. During those busy times, there will be two dispatchers on duty handling calls. During non-peak times, there’ll be just one dispatcher.
Wabash County Commissioners have approved preliminary and construction engineering agreements for four bridge projects in the coming years. The bridges are on County Road 1100 East over a drainage ditch; one on the 400 East tributary to the Bon Pas Creek; and two over Fordice Creek- one on County Road 700 East and the other on County Road 1650 North. The timetable for the projects is still at least a couple of years away, according to highway engineer Dustin Bunting.
Problems continue with the storm sirens in Bellmont and Allendale and now state’s attorney Kelli Storckman is being called in to assist. Wabash County Emergency Management Agency director Gerald Brooks told the county board that he continues to have issues with the system’s contractor to repair the sirens. Brooks said he has exhausted other avenues even going to the manufacturer who claimed to be hamstrung by sales and service territory restrictions. Brooks, who said the problems have been ongoing for 8 months, has met with Storckman who will draft a letter looking to get some movement on the needed repairs. Brooks said Global could potentially be held liable if a storm or tornado injures or kills someone because the sirens aren’t working.
The city of Mt. Carmel is retaining a structural engineer as legal proceedings begin on the buildings at 500 and 502 Market Street. The buildings are owned by John Clancy and house the Little Egypt Arts Center. The city has attempted to work with Clancy in bringing the buildings up to code, but so far, those efforts have been unsuccessful, and the city is going to court to pursue the issue. The structural engineer will inspect the buildings and evaluate what needs to be done.
2020 WSJD File Photo
The GWRPC Board of Directors elected officers for the 2022-23 fiscal year at their board meeting on Thursday, March 24nd. All four current officers were reappointed for an additional one-year term. Joe Judge, of Wabash County, will continue as Commission Chairman; Rob Anniss, of Richland County, will continue serving as Vice-Chairman; Scott Merkle, of Wayne County, will continue as Secretary; and Randy Hallam, of Edwards County, will continue serving as Commission Treasurer. The GWRPC Board of Directors hosts members from all seven counties the Commission serves and oversees Commission activities.
The GWRPC mission is to serve the Greater Wabash District by providing local, regional, and comprehensive planning, facilitating knowledge enhancement, securing and administering funds and promoting cooperative solutions to regional issues. The seven counties in the GWRPC Economic Development District include: Crawford, Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White. For more information, please visit www.gwrpc.com.
Pictured L to R Randy Hallam, Rob Annis, Scott Merkle, Joe Judge
Wabash Area Development, Inc. (WADI), in coordination with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, through the Community Services Block Grant Program, announces the availability of one scholarship per county in the amount of $1150.00 to be made available to income eligible students in each county of Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White for use during the 2022 - 2023 school year. High School seniors and college students are encouraged to apply. Completed applications should be returned to any WADI office by 5:00 p.m. April 14, 2022.
On 3/24/22, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Dustin L. Jones, age 46, of Mt. Carmel, on a Wabash County Warrant for Delivery of Methamphetamine at a residence in the 2100 block of College Drive. Upon his arrest, MCPD officers located approximately 70 grams of suspected methamphetamine in multiple packages and $1060 of U.S. Currency. Jones was transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was issued the warrant with a $5000 cash bond. An additional charge of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver was also issued. The additional charge will require another bond setting by a judge. Both charges are Class X felonies. The warrant stemmed from narcotics investigation by the Illinois State Police with the Mt. Carmel Police Department assisting ISP in that investigation.
On 03/23/22 the Wabash County Sheriff's Office responded to 15186 Highway 1 Mt. Carmel, IL reference a stolen John Deere tractor. Over the course of the incident, it was found in addition to the tractor a 2003 Ford truck was also stolen from Highland Memorial Cemetery. Both vehicles were submerged in the mud along the abandoned railroad bed east of Highway 1.
27-year-old Travis Stout of Allendale was found hiding in the tree line when the vehicles were discovered. Subsequently Stout was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Wabash County Jail. After his first advisement Stout was charged with two counts of theft and his bond was set at $2,000 cash. Stout is currently being held pending the posting of that bond.
