Indiana Conservation Officers are searching for a man after his truck was swept off Spout Springs Road just south of Shoals, while the passenger was rescued. This location is near the White River and is prone to flooding.
Yesterday at 2:37 p.m., a 911 call for help was received by Martin County dispatch from the passenger of the vehicle who was able to climb out of a window and hold on to a nearby tree vine. Members of the Shoals Volunteer Fire Department and the Martin County Sheriff’s Department launched a boat and rescued the passenger.
Surface searches and sonar are being used to locate the driver, James Petty, 82, of Fortville and the vehicle. Search efforts for Petty have been hindered by the swift moving water conditions.
Responding agencies included the Martin County Sheriff’s Department, Martin County Emergency Medical Services, Shoals Volunteer Fire Department and Indiana Conservation Officers.
#348 School Board Approves Purchases
The Wabash District 348 School Board has approved several major purchases, including new buses and upgraded cleaning equipment.
Superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer told board members the district will purchase two new Bluebird buses as part of its ongoing fleet replacement plan. The buses, similar to those bought last year, will be equipped with modern safety features including onboard cameras. Each bus will cost 145 thousand dollars.
In addition, the board approved the purchase of updated cleaning equipment for the grade school. Bleyer said the district will buy a ride-along floor scrubber for the main building at a cost of 25 thousand dollars. The large machine is designed to more efficiently clean the school’s expansive hallways and flat surfaces.
The district will also purchase all-purpose touchless cleaning systems at 45 hundred dollars each. The equipment combines scrubbers and vacuum systems to deep clean bathrooms and other tight spaces more quickly and effectively. One unit will also be placed at the field house to improve cleaning in locker rooms.
Bleyer noted the equipment comes with lengthy warranties and will be serviced by a company based in Evansville, providing local maintenance support.
Commissioners Discuss Replacing Stolen PA System
At last week’s meeting, the Wabash County Commissioners discussed whether the county should help replace a stolen public address system from Dee White Field at county-owned Froman Park.
Commissioners were informed the PA system, which belonged to the Mt. Carmel High School baseball program, was taken during a reported break-in. The system was estimated to be about three seasons old and could reportedly be replaced for approximately $1,500. County insurance does cover such losses, but carries a $10,000 deductible.
Commissioners questioned whether the equipment would qualify under the county’s tort liability fund, which is typically used to pay insurance premiums and deductibles on county-owned property. However, since the PA system belonged to the baseball program and not the county, commissioners raised concerns about whether the loss would be eligible for coverage.
They also questioned whether a police report had been filed. Sheriff officials indicated a formal report had not yet been completed.
Commissioners agreed more information is needed, including clarification on insurance coverage and confirmation of a police report, before making any decision. The matter was tabled pending further details.
Rains Slowing Work On New Aquatics Center
Mt. Carmel Mayor Joe Judge provided an update Monday afternoon on construction of the city’s new aquatics center.
Speaking at the City Council meeting, Judge said Landmark Aquatics is now on site and will remain there through completion of the project.
The mayor noted that recent rain has made conditions muddy at the construction site, limiting some of the work that can be done. For now, crews are focusing on pinning, layout work, and preparing the site for the next phases of construction.
Judge said nine to ten dump truck loads of rock were delivered Monday to begin establishing a solid base in certain areas of the project.
As weather conditions improve, crews are expected to begin work on the bathhouse portion of the facility.
Judge says progress will continue as conditions allow, with Landmark Aquatics committed to staying on site until the new aquatics center is complete.
Commissioners Hear Update On Early Voting
Wabash County Clerk Janet Will delivered her monthly report to the County Commissioners Monday afternoon.
Will reported the Clerk’s Office received $19,323 in tax redemptions. Of that total, $2,731 was transferred to the county’s GIS fund, and $8,500 was deposited into the general fund.
Will also provided an update on early voting. Voting is currently underway in the County Clerk’s Office. So far, approximately 30 voters have cast ballots in person. In addition, 270 vote-by-mail ballots have been sent out, with about 75 already returned.
Will encouraged residents to participate in the election process, quoting Abraham Lincoln, saying, “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision.” She urged voters to make their voices heard.
Bill expanding access to discounted drugs awaits House action
Clinics accuse drug manufacturers of restricting access to drugs in federal 340B program
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
Story Summary
The 340B drug program requires manufacturers to provide steep discounts for certain medications to safety net clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and other health care providers that serve low-income and uninsured patients.
Those providers accuse the drug manufacturing industry of restricting access to those discounted medications, a charge the pharmaceutical industry denies.
Legislation to prevent manufacturers from restricting access to those drugs awaits final action in the House.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for health care providers that treat low-income and uninsured patients are pressuring state lawmakers to pass legislation they say would prevent drug manufacturers from restricting access to medications that are discounted through a federal pharmacy program.
The program is known as the 340B Drug Pricing Program. It requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to safety net clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, AIDS clinics and a variety of other health care providers that treat Medicaid patients at substantially reduced prices.
The program has been in place since 1992. But in recent years, according to the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, drug manufacturers have found ways to limit the distribution of those drugs by restricting where patients can go to fill their prescriptions.
“What pharmaceutical manufacturers began doing was limiting the distribution of these drugs to a single location,” Cyrus Winnett, executive director of the IPHCA, said in an interview. “And when I say single location, I don't mean Walgreens chain or CVS or a local independent. I mean one physical location, which for our organizations and their patients that have wide service areas, that's extremely limiting,”
Winnett’s organization represents about 430 Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs, in Illinois that serve a combined 1.5 million patients.
FQHCs are primary care clinics, often run by local health departments or nonprofit charities. They receive federal funding to provide comprehensive primary health services to underserved populations, including Medicare and Medicaid patients and the uninsured.
Winnett said the vast majority of the clinics his organization represents do not have their own on-site pharmacies. Instead, they contract with outside pharmacies to fill prescriptions that are covered by the 340B program.
He said the practice of restricting where patients can fill 340B prescriptions began in 2020 with one manufacturer and one drug. But it has since ballooned to more than 50 manufacturers and thousands of different medications.
“You have providers in the clinic assessing the patient, reaching a diagnosis, and then trying to connect them with a drug that's available to them and one that they can afford,” Winnett said. “And there was this problem that crept up where providers were having to scramble to find alternative medications, either for patients that they were newly diagnosing or ones who have even been on a particular medication but are being forced to change because they can no longer access it.”
Pending legislation
The legislation pending in the General Assembly is a Senate amendment to House Bill 2371. Sponsored by Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, it would prohibit anyone, including drug manufacturers, from imposing any restrictions on the ability of 340B-eligible clinics and hospitals to contract with outside pharmacies to fill 340B-funded prescriptions.
It also prohibits anyone, including manufacturers, from requiring 340B clinics and hospitals, or their contract pharmacies, to submit ingredient cost or pricing data about 340B drugs beyond what is required by state or federal law. And it prohibits anyone from imposing requirements regarding how clinics, hospitals or contract pharmacies manage their inventory of 340B drugs.
In testimony before the House Executive Committee near the end of the 2025 legislative session, Jessica Lynch, of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, denied that drug makers are restricting access to discounted medications and said the proposed legislation would not benefit health care consumers.
"This is not an access bill,” she said. “This bill does not directly impact patients at all in any clear or comprehensive way. A pharmacy's status as a contract pharmacy has no impact on whether or not a patient can go pick up their medicines at the pharmacy."
In an email statement Monday, PhRMA spokesperson Tom Wilbur did not comment on the specific language of the legislation. But he said the organization believes generally that the 340B program needs broader reforms that would be best addressed at the federal level.
“The 340B program was created by Congress to help low-income and uninsured patients access medicines, but there is little evidence that patients are benefiting,” Wilbur said. “Instead, large tax-exempt hospitals and their for-profit partners are exploiting the program, buying medicines at steep discounts, and then marking them up by thousands of dollars.”
The bill awaits final action in the House before it can be sent to Gov. JB Pritzker. A spokesperson for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said in an email the bill is still under review and the next steps will be determined in consultation with the Democratic caucus.
The next session of the House is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Treasurer Updates County Board On Tax Collections
Wabash County Treasurer Angela Broster provided an update on property tax collections during Monday afternoon’s Wabash County Commissioners meeting.
Broster reported the Treasurer’s Office has collected just over 95 percent of the 2024 payable 2025 tax levy. However, there are still 562 delinquent real estate tax bills and 21 delinquent mobile home tax bills outstanding.
Certified notices were mailed to delinquent taxpayers on February 27th. Broster said the deadline to pay and avoid having a name published in the newspaper is Friday, March 6th. The delinquent tax list will be published in the March 14th edition of the local newspaper.
The Treasurer’s Office will stop accepting personal checks after Friday, March 13th. The last day to make a credit card payment online is Wednesday, March 18th. Credit card payments can be made through the website listed on the back of tax bills.
The annual Wabash County tax sale is scheduled for Friday, March 27th at 10 a.m. in the courtroom.
Anyone with questions about delinquent taxes or payment options is encouraged to contact the Wabash County Treasurer’s Office directly.
Pritzker denies traveling on Epstein’s plane after Bill Clinton’s since-recanted testimony
Clinton spokesperson says president was referring to a foundation trip to Africa
By BEN SZALINSKI
Capitol News Illinois
bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com
Article Summary
Former President Bill Clinton recently mentioned Gov. JB Pritzker in a deposition to Congress regarding sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying he thought he might have traveled on Epstein’s plan with Pritzker and his wife.
The direct quote: “I think it was on one of these trips — I think — that I had my first trip for a man who is now the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, and his wife.
A spokesperson for Clinton quickly clarified the testimony, saying the former president was referring to a trip he took with Pritzker to Africa in 2008 for the Clinton Foundation, but it was not on Epstein’s plane and Epstein wasn’t present.
Pritzker said Tuesday he has never had any association with Epstein and called Clinton “clearly mistaken.”
Pritzker is a longtime friend of the Clintons and was a key supporter of both of Hillary Clinton’s campaigns for president.
Pritzker’s cousin, Thomas Pritzker, has acknowledged documented ties to Epstein.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
His denial was in response to a 90-second video clip of Clinton’s closed-door deposition before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that began circulating online Monday night.
“No, I have never, had never met Jeffrey Epstein,” Pritzker said Tuesday. “I was never on Jeffrey Epstein's plane. I was never on any plane with Jeffrey Epstein or with Ghislaine Maxwell. Never met her.”
Pritzker added he had never heard of Epstein until about 2019 when Epstein was indicted for child sex trafficking in the early 2000s.
Clinton’s testimony
In his deposition, the ex-president was asked to recall who he brought on more than two dozen flights he took on Epstein’s plane. He said it was often people who worked with him, for his foundation, including staffers and Secret Service agents, but also the governor of Illinois and his wife.
“On occasion, I had people who had volunteered to help us and wanted to see what we were doing,” Clinton said. “For example, I think it was on one of these trips — I think — that I had my first trip for a man who is now the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, and his wife. They gave me — they helped me get started.”
Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Chicago, Pritzker said Clinton “clearly was mistaken.”
A spokesperson for Clinton on Tuesday also reframed the president’s comments.
“President Clinton was simply giving an example of the many people he traveled with to see the Clinton Foundation’s work,” spokesperson Angel Ureña said in a statement to Capitol News Illinois. “Gov. Pritzker joined a Clinton Foundation trip in 2008. Not on Epstein’s plane. Not with Epstein. Not with Maxwell.”
Clinton has said he cut ties prior to when Epstein was first arrested in 2005 for sex crimes and first sentenced to 18 months behind bars in June 2008. Clinton and Pritzker were photographed by Getty Images together in Rwanda in August 2008 on a Clinton Foundation trip. Pritzker said the plane for that trip was donated by Google.
CLINTON
Neither Pritzker nor the Clintons have been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. The Illinois governor’s name appears about two dozen times in the Epstein files — all references to news stories with Pritzker in the headline. The governor’s last name appears more than 7,100 times, likely in relationship to the governor’s cousin, Thomas Pritzker, who has acknowledged a connection with Epstein.
Illinois GOP response
Illinois Republicans still pounced at the chance to tie the governor to Epstein.
“Time to do some explaining! Why were you on pedophile Epstein’s plane?” Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, posted at Pritzker on X.
One person who is mentioned in the more than 3 million Epstein documents released so far is President Donald Trump, whose name appears 38,000 times, according to The New York Times. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Illinois Republicans skipped a vote on a nonbinding resolution in the Illinois House last week that called on the Trump administration to release all files related to Epstein with redactions only for victims.
“It's a wag the dog,” Pritzker said. “Let's, you know, ‘look over here, look over here.’ Don't look at the leader of their party, the leader of this country, who is a Republican, Donald Trump, who clearly is somebody that needs to be investigated, needs to be answering for his relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, with Jeffrey Epstein, and has done none of that. You saw other people testifying. Where is President Trump’s testimony?”
Pritzker’s relationship with the Clintons
Pritzker’s relationship with the Clintons dates back two decades. According to the Washington Post, Pritzker connected as a political ally with then-New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2006 through a mutual friend.
Hillary Clinton then asked Pritzker to be co-chair of her 2008 presidential campaign in the Democratic primary against then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Pritzker remained a top fundraiser and advisor to her unsuccessful 2016 campaign against Trump.
Pritzker and Hillary Clinton even watched part of the 2024 Democratic National Convention together from balcony seats at the United Center in Chicago.
Pritzker, who is worth $3.9 billion, according to Forbes, and is one of the wealthiest elected officials in American history, also gave $17 million to the Clinton Foundation between 2002 and 2016, according to a 2018 Illinois Answers Project investigation.
Another Pritzker
The governor’s cousin, Thomas Pritzker, recently resigned from his role as the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after his association with Epstein and Maxwell came into clearer view through emails released in the Epstein files tranche.
When asked about his cousin’s connection to Epstein in a recent interview, the governor said anyone who has done something wrong should be held accountable.
“I’m not close to my cousin, but I can tell you that it’s very important that people be held to pay the price for whatever it is that they may have done,” Pritzker said.
Read more: Illinois lawmakers call for governor-appointed Epstein investigatory commission
Illinois Democratic lawmakers Monday joined advocates for women and survivors of sexual abuse to introduce House Bill 5723, called the Illinois Epstein Files Investigation Act.
The bill, if passed, would create a governor-appointed commission to investigate Illinois-based crimes connected to Epstein’s network. Those would focus primarily on the stories of victims in Illinois and crimes that may have occurred in Illinois.
Maggie Dougherty contributed.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Gov. JB Pritzker delivers his 2026 State of the State address in the Illinois Capitol on Feb. 18, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
Former DOJ attorneys intervene in lawsuit seeking sensitive Illinois voter registration data
Illinois is among 30 jurisdictions being sued by Trump administration over access to voter data
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
Story Summary
Eighteen former Department of Justice attorneys signed onto an amicus brief arguing the Trump administration has no legal authority to demand voter registration data from Illinois.
Illinois is among 29 states and Washington, D.C., being sued by the Trump administration for access to their complete, unredacted voter registration databases.
Several organized labor organizations and public interest lobby groups have also filed briefs opposing the administration’s efforts. The case has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
SPRINGFIELD – Eighteen former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys filed a brief in federal court this week opposing the Trump administration’s lawsuit that seeks access to sensitive personal information about every registered voter in Illinois.
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Springfield, the attorneys — including many who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations — argue the Department of Justice has no legal authority to demand the information.
They also accuse the agency of concealing its real purpose for seeking the data, which they argue is “to enable the federal government to conduct its own list maintenance to discover whether noncitizens or undocumented immigrants are registered to vote.”
‘Holy trinity of Identity theft’
Illinois is among 29 states and Washington, D.C., that are being sued for access to their unredacted voter registration rolls. Those databases include not just the names and addresses of every registered voter in those jurisdictions but also their dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
“The holy trinity of identity theft, as I’ve called it,” David Becker, one of the former DOJ attorneys who signed the brief, said during a media briefing Tuesday.
According to the Brennan Center, federal judges in California, Oregon and Michigan have ruled that the DOJ cannot force states to turn over voter lists as of Feb. 26. No judges have ruled in favor of the DOJ.
Becker is also the founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that conducts elections research and works with election officials around the country.
Becker said he and the other attorneys have filed similar briefs in most of the ongoing lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter information in other states. He said while it is not common for former DOJ attorneys to intervene in cases against their former employer, it is also not unprecedented.
“I don't go around looking for places to disagree with the Department of Justice. I'm much happier when I think the Department of Justice is looking out for all of us and enforcing the law as it should be,” he said. “But in these cases, we needed to point out how the department's efforts to seize sensitive voter data from every American voter from the states that hold that sensitive data, that have state laws that protect that data, how that was unprecedented.”
History of the lawsuit
The Justice Department first requested the information from the Illinois State Board of Elections in July 2025, arguing it needed the data to determine whether Illinois was complying with federal laws that require states to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter registration files. That includes taking steps to periodically purge the rolls of the names of voters who have died, moved or who are not legally eligible to vote.
The state board, however, has so far declined to hand over the information. Instead, in August, it provided DOJ with a partially redacted data file — the same file it makes available to political parties and campaign committees — that only includes partial home addresses and does not include driver’s license or partial Social Security numbers.
In December, after a series of emails in which DOJ continued to demand the information, the board of elections filed suit in federal court.
Several other organizations have also intervened in the case to oppose the administration’s efforts to obtain the data. Those include the Illinois AFL-CIO, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Common Cause and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
No hearings or oral arguments have been scheduled in the case.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
David Becker, founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, is among 18 former Department of Justice attorneys who filed a brief in federal court in Illinois opposing the department’s lawsuit seeking access to the state’s unredacted voter registration database. (Screenshot of Zoom call by Capitol News Illinois)
Former Carlyle Police Chief accused of embezzling more than $100,000
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The former police chief of the Carlyle Police Department is facing several federal charges for allegedly embezzling more than $100,000 for his personal benefit.
A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Mark A. Pingsterhaus, 52, of Carlyle, with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of theft of government funds.
“We strongly support law enforcement because the overwhelming majority of officers serve with dedication, honor, and courage. But when any officer, especially a chief, betrays the community they are sworn to protect we will take decisive action,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “I appreciate our partnership with the Carlyle Police Department and city officials, who have fully cooperated in good faith during the investigation.”
According to the indictment, Pingsterhaus is facing charges for allegedly embezzling funds from at least January 2017 to November 2025 as police chief for the City of Carlyle and as the chief financial officer for the Carlyle Fire Protection District.
Pingsterhaus is accused of using City of Carlyle and Carlyle Fire Protection District funds for unauthorized and personal expenses like travel, entertainment, goods and services. In two examples, the indictment states he used the City of Carlyle’s bank card to purchase WNBA tickets and the Caryle Fire Protection District’s bank card to purchase jewelry from Zales.
“Our partnership to combat violent crime and drug trafficking with the Carlyle Police Department and surrounding agencies has led to results that have undoubtedly made the region safer. That being said, our mission is to not only combat violent crime, but to protect against the exploitation of the very systems designed to help our communities,” said FBI Springfield Field Office’s Special Agent in Charge Ruben Marchand-Morales. “When resources meant for community elevation are diverted for personal gain, it undermines the safety we work so hard to build and harms the community we swore to protect.”
He is also accused of using funds from the Carlyle Police Department’s Drug and Education Fund for personal expenses.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Convictions for wire fraud are punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment and theft of government funds can earn up to 10 years in federal prison.
The FBI Springfield Field Office is leading the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter T. Reed is prosecuting the case.