On December 9, 2025, at 9:50 p.m. Gibson County deputies conducted a traffic stop on a Copper in color 1994 Ford F150 for running a stop sign near the intersection of Emerson and Race Street. Upon approaching the vehicle Deputies detected multiple clues that the driver was under the influence. At that point they began a DUI investigation. Once the inquiry was completed Deputy Shawn Holmes placed the driver, 27-year-old Dylan Evans of Winslow into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Detention Center where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Deputy Wyatt Hunt assisted Deputy Holmes 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.
Local Student Achieves Top ACT Score
Mt. Carmel High School Senior Rhett Andrews, the son of Ryan and Laurie Andrews, has earned the highest possible ACT Composite score of 36 on the ACT test. He has also received the Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Rhett is the President of the National Honor Society, Secretary of Student Council, and a leader in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Rhett is also a three sport athlete playing varsity football, basketball, and track.
About one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2024, only 3,041 out of 1.37 million students who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.
The ACT test consists of section tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science, each scored on a scale of 1–36. A student’s Composite score is the average of the four section test scores. The score for ACT’s optional writing test is reported separately and is not included in the ACT Composite score.
The ACT test is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students should have had the opportunity to learn in school. Students who earn a top Composite score have likely mastered all the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.
ACT test scores are accepted by major four-year colleges and universities across the U.S., and they are one of the many criteria that inform admissions, scholarship award, and course placement decisions.
Pictured with Rhett are: Aaron Croft District 348 Testing Director
and
Amy Duckworth MCHS Principal
County Commissioners Table Decision On Solar Project
The Wabash County Commissioners have delayed action on a proposal to build a large-scale solar farm in rural Wabash County.
A standing-room-only crowd filled the Wabash County courtroom Monday afternoon for a public hearing on an application from RWE to construct a 425-megawatt solar farm. Numerous representatives from the company were on hand to answer questions.
According to RWE, nearly 6,000 acres near the former Friendsville Mine have been leased for the project, with solar panels planned for about 3,000 acres. Roughly 75 percent of that land sits on reclaimed mine ground. Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and continue through the fourth quarter of 2028. The company says the project would generate enough power for 68,000 homes per year.
If approved, the solar farm would create around 300 construction jobs, but only four full-time positions once the site is operational.
Residents raised a wide range of concerns during the hearing, while supporters, including AEA President Craig Newman and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lesley Hipsher, said the project would provide a significant economic boost to the community.
Commissioners had originally planned to hold a special meeting immediately after the hearing to vote on the application, but instead tabled the decision. They said they want additional time to gather information requested by attendees that was not immediately available. The matter is now expected to be taken up again at the next commissioners meeting on Monday.
More information on the project can be found via these links:
https://americas.rwe.com/our-energy/solar-energy/solar-projects-and-locations/friendsville-solar/
The hearing can be heard here…
RWE’s Matthew Spaccapaniccia addresses the standing room only crowd at Monday’s public hearing.
Owensville man arrested on Domestic Battery charge
On December 6, 2025, at 10:59 a.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a disturbance in the 6700 block of West 400 South. Deputies Wes Baumgart and Quinten Might were dispatched to the scene. Upon arriving at the scene deputies investigated the incident and had an ambulance come to the scene to treat a person involved in the incident. At the end of the investigation Deputy Wes Baumgart placed 31-year-old Austin Martin of Owensville into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Detention Center. Upon arriving Mr. Martin was charged with Domestic Battery.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
MCHS Special Ed Students Learning Special Life Skills
A Mt. Carmel High School teacher is helping her students learn some of life’s most important lessons, from budgeting and cooking to calling the doctor’s office.
At the November Wabash District 348 School Board meeting, Mt. Carmel High School special education teacher Rebecca Hocking shared how her life skills program prepares students for life after graduation.
“My primary focus is life skills. So what that means for my students is getting them ready for what comes next after high school—whether that’s entering the workforce, moving into a group home, or getting job training. If it’s something you do as an adult, we do it in my class.”
Hocking’s class covers everything from taxes and budgeting to cooking and cleaning — even making doctor’s appointments.
“We actually set up the classroom like a doctor’s office. The students have to check in with our receptionist, provide their information, and then come talk to me— their ‘doctor.’ It’s all about building real-world independence.”
This fall, her eight students have also been busy preparing for the holidays with a hands-on cooking unit— made possible by support from the community.
“My students wrote letters to local businesses asking for donations, and I’m proud to say our class is fully funded. That means we’ll be cooking twice a week through the holiday season.”
Hocking says the goal is simple: to help her students leave high school ready to live and work as independent, confident adults.
Mt. Carmel High School special education teacher Rebecca Hocking
School Board Hears Technology Report
At the November Wabash Community Unit School District 348 Board meeting, junior high teacher Heather Borowiak gave a presentation about her recent work with the Illinois Business Education Association and the professional conference she attended last week.
Borowiak, who teaches seventh and eighth grade technology skills, currently serves as president of the statewide organization, which supports business and technology teachers through professional development, digital resources, and mentoring programs for new educators.
She told the board that the group’s annual fall conference focused heavily on emerging classroom technology , including artificial intelligence, as well as strategies for reaching multicultural students and helping every student feel seen and supported in the classroom.
Borowiak said the event was energizing and full of ideas she could bring right back to her students, calling it “a very successful conference.”
She also explained that her tech skills class is an elective, typically taken by students who aren’t enrolled in band or choir, and provides hands-on experience with digital tools and technology concepts.
Heather Borowiak, Illinois Business Education Association President
North Carolina man arrested for OWI
On December 7, 2025, at 3:23 a.m. Gibson County Deputy Michael Bates conducted a traffic stop on a White 2013 Cadillac CTS for traveling at 93 mph in a 60-mph zone on US 41 near Richland Creek Drive. Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Bates detected the odor of burnt Marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and other clues that the driver may be under the influence. At that point he began a roadside DUI investigation that resulted in the driver 6-year-old Drason Little of Jackson Springs, North Carolina being taken into custody and transported to the Gibson County Detention Center. Upon arriving at the detention center Mr. Little was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving, and Possession of Marijuana.
Princeton Officers Craig Zurliene and Jackie Wood assisted Deputy Bates 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.
DISTRICT #348 SOCIAL WORK TEAM RECEIVES GENEROUS DONATION
The District #348 Social Work Team recently received a generous donation from the Eagles FOE 3066's third annual Wings of Hope Suicide Prevention and Awareness Fundraiser.
The event was a success, raising over $4,000 for the District #348 social work team. The funds will be used to buy educational materials for suicide prevention and awareness.
Pictured from left to right are: Julie Dickerson of Mt. Carmel Grade School, Laura Taylor of Mt. Carmel Elementary School, Amy Powers of Mt. Carmel High School, Jennifer Betsch of the Eagles, and Dr. Chuck Bleyer.
County Employees Receiving $25 RMC Gift Checks
In lieu of a holiday dinner, Wabash County employees will each receive a $25 merchants gift check. At last week’s county board meeting, commissioner voted to provide the gift checks again this year saying workers seemed to enjoy them more than the holiday dinner, that not everyone was able to attend. County Clerk Janet Will said the gift checks will be distributed ahead of the RMC Gift Check shopping days on December 12th and 13th.
RMC Gift Check Program Shatters Record
There are many benefits to being a member of the Wabash County Retail Merchants Committee. But perhaps the biggest is the RMC’s gift check program. The gift checks work just like cash at any merchants business and the program has exploded in the last few years as many local businesses hand out gift checks as holiday bonuses. And, Chamber of Commerce executive director Lesley Hipsher says a gift check record has already been set for this year…
That’s $335,000 that will stay here in Wabash County and used at local businesses which the RMC is hosting a special event this weekend for shoppers with gift checks…
Gift checks can be purchased at the Chamber office in any denomination. Hipsher said businesses wishing to become RMC members and begin accepting the gift checks can contact her at the Chamber office for more details.
