City Drafting Ordinance Addressing Local Contractors

An ordinance is being drafted that would aim to crack down on contractors who skirt Mt. Carmel’s required permits. City Clerk Ryan Turner explained that there are contractors, many from out of town, who either don’t pay the required fee to work in Mt. Carmel or don’t pay the $15 for a required roofing permit. Turner proposed the contractor’s annual license fee go up to $50 a year while the roofing permit would go to $75….

Turner said the proposed ordinance would serve a dual purpose….

Turner said some contractors actually come into town over weekends to work thinking those that check for the permits might not be working. He said even if the fees are increased, Mt. Carmel would still be one of the lowest in the area.

County Commissioners Hear Plans For Tri-County Wind Project

A representative of a Boston company was at Monday’s Wabash County Commissioner meeting outlining details of a proposed wind energy project that would encompass parts of three counties. Brady Evans is the senior director of development for Swift Current Energy, and he explained his company’s plans…

Evans outlined a potential timeline for the project….

Evans said currently no wind turbines are planned for Wabash County as better wind speeds are further north in Richland and Lawrence Counties. He expects a substation to be built in Wabash County. An informational meeting was held last night at the Wabash County Quail Club.

Brady Evans of Swift Current Energy speaks to Wabash County Commissioners Monday.

More than 54,000 deer harvested during first weekend of Illinois firearm deer season

SPRINGFIELD - Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 54,661 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season between Nov. 22-24. Comparatively, hunters took 53,348 and 52,354 deer during the first firearm weekends in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Illinois' seven-day firearm deer season will conclude Dec. 5-8.

Remaining 2024-2025 deer hunting opportunities in Illinois include:

  • Muzzleloader-only deer season Dec. 13-15.

  • Late-winter antlerless-only and chronic wasting disease deer seasons in select counties only, Dec. 26-29 and Jan. 17-19.

  • Archery deer season continues through Jan. 19. Please note that archery deer hunting is closed Dec. 5-8 in counties open for firearm deer season.

Go online to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' website for more information about deer hunting.

A table of preliminary Illinois firearm deer harvest totals by county for the first weekend of the 2024 season and comparable totals for 2023 and 2022 follows.


County

2022

2023

2024

 

 

ADAMS

1437

1423

1414

 

 

ALEXANDER

239

199

225

 

 

BOND

537

562

594

 

 

BOONE

71

74

80

 

 

BROWN

655

591

629

 

 

BUREAU

609

695

628

 

 

CALHOUN

465

476

499

 

 

CARROLL

331

389

387

 

 

CASS

423

448

434

 

 

CHAMPAIGN

137

144

165

 

 

CHRISTIAN

403

417

412

 

 

CLARK

721

721

783

 

 

CLAY

889

1007

1118

 

 

CLINTON

606

588

735

 

 

COLES

487

415

523

 

 

CRAWFORD

673

729

788

 

 

CUMBERLAND

542

511

575

 

 

DEKALB

73

83

97

 

 

DEWITT

220

220

261

 

 

DOUGLAS

120

121

129

 

 

EDGAR

424

413

407

 

 

EDWARDS

317

283

309

 

 

EFFINGHAM

653

696

763

 

 

FAYETTE

1184

1166

1298

 

 

FORD

86

85

86

 

 

FRANKLIN

956

888

879

 

 

FULTON

1249

1296

1317

 

 

GALLATIN

305

306

301

 

 

GREENE

634

624

660

 

 

GRUNDY

172

217

204

 

 

HAMILTON

741

750

838

 

 

HANCOCK

1128

992

1102

 

 

HARDIN

548

467

366

 

 

HENDERSON

283

320

318

 

 

HENRY

275

321

300

 

 

IROQUOIS

257

344

338

 

 

JACKSON

1484

1371

1355

 

 

JASPER

794

784

851

 

 

JEFFERSON

1249

1286

1406

 

 

JERSEY

425

435

475

 

 

JO DAVIESS

843

967

936

 

 

JOHNSON

874

749

759

 

 

KANE

18

27

24

 

 

KANKAKEE

114

138

139

 

 

KENDALL

43

49

34

 

 

KNOX

737

821

715

 

 

LAKE

5

4

7

 

 

LASALLE

427

499

392

 

 

LAWRENCE

399

426

476

 

 

LEE

314

385

424

 

 

LIVINGSTON

268

310

323

 

 

LOGAN

193

215

252

 

 

MACON

155

135

156

 

 

MACOUPIN

1120

1077

1200

 

 

MADISON

509

484

549

 

 

MARION

1186

1202

1272

 

 

MARSHALL

412

429

462

 

 

MASON

249

280

239

 

 

MASSAC

268

247

235

 

 

MCDONOUGH

495

528

530

 

 

MCHENRY

129

204

152

 

 

MCLEAN

349

432

407

 

 

MENARD

215

262

260

 

 

MERCER

509

600

542

 

 

MONROE

856

821

798

 

 

MONTGOMERY

619

592

707

 

 

MORGAN

442

432

435

 

 

MOULTRIE

158

156

182

 

 

OGLE

356

503

418

 

 

PEORIA

576

581

554

 

 

PERRY

969

941

918

 

 

PIATT

89

84

100

 

 

PIKE

1129

1189

1136

 

 

POPE

1068

994

895

 

 

PULASKI

222

208

206

 

 

PUTNAM

228

244

229

 

 

RANDOLPH

1518

1506

1565

 

 

RICHLAND

487

480

533

 

 

ROCK ISLAND

408

526

480

 

 

SALINE

628

611

605

 

 

SANGAMON

327

357

358

 

 

SCHUYLER

904

875

914

 

 

SCOTT

190

254

216

 

 

SHELBY

883

895

921

 

 

ST. CLAIR

576

560

595

 

 

STARK

118

150

131

 

 

STEPHENSON

342

375

307

 

 

TAZEWELL

352

377

371

 

 

UNION

812

813

798

 

 

VERMILION

369

419

392

 

 

WABASH

122

126

156

 

 

WARREN

290

337

352

 

 

WASHINGTON

771

747

802

 

 

WAYNE

1015

938

1113

 

 

WHITE

553

542

532

 

 

WHITESIDE

335

402

391

 

 

WILL

134

167

150

 

 

WILLIAMSON

1287

1163

1165

 

 

WINNEBAGO

154

181

174

 

 

WOODFORD

434

475

528

 

 

Total

52,354

53,348

54,661

Guilty Plea Brings Abrupt End To Scheduled Trial

A jury trial scheduled to begin Monday morning in Wabash County Circuit Court was abruptly cancelled after the defendant entered a guilty plea to the charge.

21-year-old Krieg Addison of Mt. Carmel was arrested by Mt. Carmel Police following an incident on July 12th at his residence in the 500 block of West 5th Street. State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman said Addison was charged with a Class 2 felony of aggravated domestic battery after strangling and beating up his girlfriend. When officers arrived at the home, Storckman said Addison was dragging the battered girlfriend across the floor by her feet. An additional misdemeanor child endangerment charge was filed after Addison knocked over a television that nearly struck an infant that was in a car seat.

Addison had pled not guilty to the charges up until yesterday morning when the jury selection was slated to begin. As prospective jurors waited outside the courtroom, Addison changed his plea to guilty on the aggravated domestic battery charge.

The plea change was not tied to any sentencing promises as Addison will be sentenced on January 21st. He faces up to four years in prison on the charge and continues to be held in the Wabash County Jail because he has been deemed a real and specific threat to a specific person or the community.

No agreement or plea was reached on the child endangerment charge.

Wabash County Jobless Rate At 3.6%

Wabash County’s jobless rate continues to be strong according to the latest figures from the State’s Department of Employment Security. The October numbers released this week show that Wabash County’s 3.6% is one of the lowest in southern Illinois and slightly above the 3.4% rate in Hamilton County. The October rate locally is a tick above the 3.5% level in October of last year.

In the Mt. Carmel-Olney IDES region, total nonfarm payrolls increased by +150 positions between October 2023 and October 2024. Payrolls increased among employers in the Private Education, Health Services (+75), Other Services (+50), Leisure Hospitality (+25) and Government (+25) sectors. Payroll employment was unchanged for employers in the Natural Resources-Mining, Information, Professional-Business Services, Construction and Manufacturing sectors. Employers in the Financial Activities (-25) and Trade-Transportation Utilities (-25) sectors shed jobs between October 2023 and October 2024.

The highest unemployment rate in southern Illinois continues to be in Pulaski County where the rate is 7.7%. Statewide, Illinois’ unemployment was 5.2%.

Mount Carmel man arrested on DUI charge

On December 1, 2024, at 11:10 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Eric Powell conducted a traffic stop on a Gray 2019 Jeep for speeding and failure to maintain its lane of travel on US 41 near Fort Branch.  Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Powell identified the driver as 73 year old Donald Mains of Mount Carmel.  While speaking with Mr. Mains Deputy Powell detected clues that Mr. Mains was under the influence of alcohol.  At that point he began a roadside DUI investigation.  At the conclusion of the investigation Deputy Powell placed Mr. Mains into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated/ Refusal  
 
Assisting Deputy Powell in his investigation was Deputy Levi Sims.
 
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.