Mayor Touts Upcoming Concerts

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Joe Judge promoted a couple of upcoming events in Mt. Carmel. The first is this Friday night as the city’s summer concert series continues at Merchants Park with the band Union Road performing between 7 and 11pm. Union Road is led by Mt. Carmel’s Rick Marshall. Judge said food trucks will be on hand at the concert Friday night.

The mayor also said at least one concert has already been booked for the Fantastic 4th celebration in Mt. Carmel. That concert will be on Friday night, July 1st with the possibility of another concert the following night on the 2nd at Merchants Park.

Lane Restrictions scheduled for Red Skelton Bridges

KNOX COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces lane restrictions for the Red Skelton Bridges on US 50 to allow for thin deck overlay and joint replacement.

Beginning on or around June 6, traffic will be restricted over both US 50 bridges crossing the Wabash River. During this time crews will be working to strengthen shoulders and crossovers.

Once shoulder and crossover work is complete, traffic will be diverted to one bridge at a time as crews begin the thin deck overlay and joint replacement work on the adjacent bridge. When work is completed on the first bridge, traffic will be moved and work will begin on the second bridge.

Work on both Red Skelton Bridges on US 50 are expected to last through October, depending on weather conditions.

A work zone speed limit of 55 mph will be utilized. A width limit of 11 feet will also be in effect for restricted traffic. INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert near crews.

Ameren Illinois Responds To Higher Electric Rates

Power rates are expected to rise as much as 54% this summer, and customers are frustrated. Communications Director for Ameren Illinois Tucker Kennedy explains how the power companies will not profit from the price increases.

The price increase of power is due to many current factors, including everything from inflation and the price of gas to the war in Ukraine.

Kennedy also explains that people can expect the prices to remain high for the near future.

New I-69 Portion Opens To Traffic

The first new portion of I-69 in Marion County was expected to open for southbound traffic before the morning commute today. The opening will kick off a series of temporary and permanent traffic pattern changes to advance construction of the limited-access interstate.

Southbound S.R. 37 traffic shift

Starting after 9 p.m. tonight, southbound State Road 37 traffic is expected to shift to the elevated pavement and bridges between Southport Road and Fairview Road in Johnson County. Southbound traffic will not stop for traffic signals at Wicker Road and County Line Road.

New access west of S.R. 37
New southbound S.R. 37 entrance and exit ramps at County Line Road will open to a large roundabout west of the new highway.

A new section of Bluffdale Drive will connect this roundabout with Wicker Road to the north. Another new section of Bluffdale Drive is expected to open in early June connecting County Line Road to Fairview Road.

Northbound S.R. 37 traffic shift
Northbound S.R. 37 traffic is expected to shift to the new lanes about a week later. Two-way S.R. 37 traffic will be divided by temporary barriers during construction of the new I-69 northbound lanes.

After the traffic shift, S.R. 37 northbound traffic will not stop at Wicker Road and County Line Road traffic signals. Local access points to and from S.R. 37 northbound in the area will be at the Fairview Road and Southport Road traffic signals.

County Line Road closure

The new I-69 interchange is realigning County Line Road slightly north to minimize traffic impacts during construction. As each direction of S.R. 37 shifts to the elevated pavement and bridges, access to County Line Road and its nearby intersection with Bluff Road will close temporarily for about two months.

During the closure, construction crews will complete the new County Line Road alignment underneath the future I-69 bridges and another large roundabout east of the highway. The roundabout will connect the future I-69 northbound ramps with the existing Bluff and County Line Roads

Traffic access maps
County Line Road is one of many areas along existing S.R. 37 and I-465 that will be affected by changing traffic patterns for I-69 Finish Line construction.

To help plan safe summer travels, the project website offers a graphical map that can be printed or an interactive Traffic Access Map. The maps put localized traffic patterns into context of other local roads and the larger I-69 Finish Line project.

Side By Side/Deer Crash Claims Life Of 35 Year Old

ISP FATAL TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12

WHAT:                      Single Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash

WHERE:                   600th Street at 400th Avenue, Fayette County

WHEN:                      May 31, 2022 at approximately 6:30 a.m.

VEHICLE:                Unit 1- Multi-Colored Polaris Ranger XP 1000

           

DRIVER:                   Unit 1- Ryan A. Tune, 35-year-old male from Patoka, IL – Deceased

PRELIMINARY:      A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling southbound on 600th Street at 400th Avenue.  Unit 1 struck a deer in the roadway causing Unit 1 to leave the roadway. Unit 1 driver was ejected from the vehicle and succumbed to injuries caused by the crash.  Unit 1 power unit continued southbound into a tree line where it was later discovered.

Rebecca Perry 2022 Inductee for the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame

Rebecca Perry will be honored as a 2022 inductee for the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame.  Rebecca was an 11-year 4-H member of the Caledonia Clovers in Boone County; in IL.  She received many awards and recognitions during her 4-H career.  Rebecca relocated to Edwards County as the Edwards County Farm Bureau manager; she brought the love of 4-H with her.  Rebecca is a 4-H parent, volunteer, and a former Extension Council president and member.  She goes above and beyond to see that Edwards County 4-H members are given every opportunity to explore their interests.  We are very fortunate to have her in our community.

City Officials Offer Thanks For Tornado Response & Cleanup

Tuesday’s Mt. Carmel City Council meeting was the first since the May 19th EF-2 tornado that caused considerable damage on the city’s south end and a good part of the meeting was spent reviewing what happened that Thursday night. Mayor Joe Judge thanked all first responders and city crews that headed out in the immediate aftermath of the storm. He also thanked outside groups like Samaritans Purse that have been helping remove debris and get storm victims back on their feet. Samaritans Purse is leaving Mt. Carmel today after finishing their assignment. Police chief Mike McWilliams said it was very refreshing the way the public works employees jumped into action doing what needed to be done. But, McWilliams again said onlookers were a problem the night of the storm hampering rescue efforts and pulling personnel to handle traffic control when they could have been used elsewhere.

Details Released On Weekend Side By Side Crash

On 05.28.22 at approximately 4:56pm, the Wabash County Sheriff's Office responded to a one vehicle crash on N Mesa Lake Road. It was reported that there was a male occupant standing by the white Polaris RZR side by side and a female occupant was pinned under the side by side. A witness at the scene lifted the side by side off of the female. Evidence at the scene looks like the driver of the side by side attempted to round the curve at a high rate of speed causing the side by side to roll. 

Both occupants, Jed L. Spore,28 and McKenzie M. Taylor, 24, both from Mt. Carmel were transported by helicopter to Evansville hospitals. Both have since been treated and released. 

The crash investigation remains active at this time. 

Photo Credit: Norman Cline

Road closure planned on State Road 64 for pipe replacement

DUBOIS COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a road closure on State Road 64 for pipe replacement.

Beginning on or around June 14, State Road 64 will be closed east of the intersection of SR 64 and State Road 162. The closure will allow for pipe replacement. Crews will be replacing two pipes along SR 64. Work is expected to take a week to complete, depending on weather conditions. During this time SR 64 will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

An official detour for motorists is State Road 162 to Interstate 64 to State Road 145. Residents will have local access up to point of closure.