SOUTHGATE INDUSTRIAL PARK WAS SUB-DIVIDED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE OF MT. CARMEL CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY. THE COUNCIL THEN APPROVED PURCHASE OF THE EAR-MARKED 1.5 ACRES OF PROPERTY TO TONY DELGADO , OWNER OF T.L.D. ELECTRIC. DELGADO BOUGHT THE PROPERTY FOR 25 THOUSAND DOLLARS AND PLANS TO MOVE HIS BUSINESS THERE BY MARCH OF 2026. CITY COUNCIL, IN VOTING FOR THE MEASURES, ALSO NOTED BENEFITS OF IMPROVED SEMI PARKING AT SOUTHGATE. SOME 14 SEMIS ARE PARKED THERE NOW, SCATTERED THOUGHOUT THE INDUSTRIAL PARK.
Prep Work Starts On College Drive
DRIVERS SHOULD USE CAUTION WHILE TRAVELING ON COLLEGE DRIVE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, MAYOR JOE JUDGE AND CITY ENGINEER DAVE DALLAS NOTED THAT PREP WORK IS ONGOING FOR THE COLLEGE DRIVE REPAVING PROJECT, WHICH HOWELL PAVING IS SET TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 15TH. KIEFFER BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION IS CUTTING NEXT TO CURBS IN PREPARATION.
City Council Approves Community Event Requests
A COUPLE OF SPECIAL EVENT REQUESTS WERE APPROVED BY MT. CARMEL CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY. MELLISA SMITH REPRESENTED COMMUNITY FAIR WALK, SCHEDULED FOR THIS SATURDAY, ENCOMPASSING A 13 MILE TREK THROUGH AND AROUND THE CITY. A COUPLE OF ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE AT THE REQUEST OF POLICE CHIEF MIKE MCWILLIAMS, AND THE WALK WAS APPROVED.
MT. CARMEL LIONS CANDY DAY ALSO GOT THE NOD OF APPROVAL. DON MAINS ASKED FOR OCTOBER 10TH AND 11TH FOR CANDY SALES AT INTERSECTIONS. THE EXTRA DATE IS IN CASE OF RAIN.
IECC Board Files Unfair Labor Practice Complaint Against Faculty Association
Press Release From IECC District Office:
The Board of Trustees of the Illinois Eastern Community College District No. 529 met Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at IECC District Office, Olney, IL for a special meeting.
The Board went into executive session to discuss employment, litigation and collective negotiating matters. No formal action was taken during either the closed or open portions of the meeting.
After returning from closed session, Chairman Carter issued a statement regarding recent labor negotiations with the Faculty Association. Chairman Carter explained that earlier this year, IECC and the Faculty Association had reached a collective bargaining agreement extending through August 2026. However, two accompanying memoranda of agreement establishing committees on faculty performance evaluations and distance learning still have not been submitted for ratification by the Association despite a tentative agreement signed by the Association’s President on February 28, 2025. Instead, the Association presented its membership with two memoranda of agreement unilaterally rewritten by its leadership, rather than the MOAs negotiated and agreed upon with IECC as part of the tentative agreement.
On behalf of the Board, Chairman Carter expressed concern about the Association’s actions and its insistence on proposing different language not previously negotiated. Chairman Carter expressed his opinion that this conduct constitutes bad-faith bargaining and mirrors past delays in contract negotiations.
To protect the District’s legal rights, Chairman Carter announced that IECC’s Chancellor has decided to file a bad faith bargaining unfair labor practice charge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. Chairman Carter also indicated that the full Board supported the Chancellor’s decision. The Chairman also emphasized that the charge is not punitive but defensive, noting the charge could always be withdrawn if or when the Association decides to comply with its legal obligations by submitting the memoranda for a membership vote and using its best efforts to persuade the membership to ratify the memoranda.
The Board reaffirmed its commitment to collaboration, urging the Association to honor its obligations and work with IECC toward a constructive and cooperative relationship.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 6:15 p.m. at Frontier Community College, Fairfield, IL.
The Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging Illinois Laws Providing InState Tuition and Scholarships for Illegal Aliens
The United States is challenging Illinois laws providing in-state tuition and scholarships for illegal aliens. These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens, who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates or scholarships, in direct conflict with federal law. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the Department of Justice filed a complaint in the Southern District of Illinois against the State of Illinois, Governor Pritzker, the State Attorney General, and the boards of trustees of state universities in Illinois seeking to enjoin the State from enforcing the Illinois laws and bring them into compliance with federal requirements.
In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of Illinois laws that requires colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Illinois residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. The Illinois laws blatantly conflict with federal law and are thus in conflict with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
“Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice has already filed 9/2/25, 1:53 PM Office of Public Affairs | The Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging Illinois Laws Providing In-State Tuition and Scholarship… https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-complaint-challenging-illinois-laws-providing-state-tuition-and 1/4 multiple lawsuits to prevent U.S. students from being treated like second-class citizens — Illinois now joins the list of states where we are relentlessly fighting to vindicate federal law.”
“Illinois has an apparent desire to win a ‘race to the bottom’ as the country’s leading sanctuary state. Its misguided approach mandating in-state tuition, scholarships, and financial aid to illegal aliens plainly violates federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “This policy treats illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens living in other states and incentivizes even more illegal immigration, all on the taxpayer’s dime. Illinois citizens deserve better.”
This lawsuit follows two executive orders signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment. The first, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” orders all agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.” The second, “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens,” directs relevant officials to “take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”
Oakland City man arrested for strangulation
On September 2, 2025, at 5:34 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a disturbance in the 12500 block of East 100 South. Law enforcement from the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and Oakland City Police Department were dispatched to the area. Upon arriving law enforcement began an investigation into the incident where evidence led officers to attempt to place 66-year-old Samuel Maikranz of Oakland City into custody. After a brief struggle Mr. Maikranz was taken into custody and the inquiry was finished. Deputy Wyatt Hunt transported Mr. Maikranz to the Gibson County Detention Center where he was charged with Strangulation, Battery, and Resisting Law Enforcement.
Deputies Wes Baumgart and Eric Powell as well as Oakland City Chief Tim Gaines and Officer Mike McGregor assisted Deputy Hunt in his investigation.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Traffic stop leads to arrest of Evansville man
On September 2, 2025, at 3:12 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Eric Powell conducted a traffic stop on a Silver 2006 Toyota Camry after observing a moving violation on US 41 near County Road 1200 South. Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Powell identified the driver as 40-year-old Jose Espinoza of Evansville. During a roadside investigation Deputy Powell ran Mr. Espinoza through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and discovered that the driver had never obtained a valid Indiana driver’s license. At that point Deputy Powell placed Mr. Espinoza into custody and in preparation for the vehicle to be towed an inventory of the vehicle was conducted. During the inventory pills were located that tested positive for Methamphetamines and Fentanyl. Once the vehicle had been inventoried and towed from the scene Mr. Espinoza was transported to the Gibson County Detention Center where he was charged with Operator Never Licensed and Possession of Fentanyl.
Deputy Wes Baumgart and Haubstadt Town Marshal Jason Wright assisted Deputy Powell in his investigation.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Road closure planned for State Road 64 in Gibson County
GIBSON COUNTY Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a road closure for State Road 64 in Gibson County.
Beginning on or around Monday, September 8, crews will begin a road closure on State Road 64 between Princeton and Francisco. This closure will occur between Jefferson Street and First Street.
This road closure will allow for a chip and seal road maintenance project. Work is expected to take a week to complete, depending on the weather.
The official detour for this project is U.S. 41 to State Road 168 to I-69. Local traffic will have access during this project. INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert in work zones.
Mt. Carmel Man Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison
Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman announced that on September 2, 2025, Alvin Addison, a 60-year-old man from Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Circuit Judge William Hudson in Wabash County Circuit Court.
Addison was charged on April 20, 2024, with Domestic Battery, a Class 4 Felony, after law enforcement were called by a family member. An investigation conducted by the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department found that Addison had battered two family members following a disagreement. Addison will be placed on mandatory supervised release for 4 years following his release from the Department of Corrections.
Mt. Carmel City Council Agenda
Meeting will be Tuesday because of Monday’s holiday.
