On April 30, 2026, at 7:39 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a physical disturbance in the 5300 block of South 175 East near Fort Branch. Upon arriving at the residence law enforcement separated the parties involved and began an investigation into the incident. At the conclusion of the investigation 44-year-old Sausha Tooley of Fort Branch was taken into custody and transported to the Gibson County Detention Center where she was charged with Battery.
Arresting Officer Wes Baumgart was assisted in his investigation by Princeton Officer Logan Lashbrook.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
City Council Hears Update on 4th Celebration
At Monday afternoon’s Mount Carmel City Council meeting, Mayor Joe Judge provided an update on the city’s upcoming America 250 celebration.
Judge said planning for the event is coming together well, with a full week of activities scheduled.
The mayor noted the celebration will feature seven days of events, offering something for all ages throughout the community. He said a complete schedule of activities is expected to be released next week.
Judge also recognized a group of local high school students for their contribution to the celebration. He thanked Brianna Witsman’s class for designing the official America 250 Mount Carmel logo, which will also be unveiled next week.
City officials say more details about the week-long celebration will be shared soon as planning continues.
Illinois lawmakers punt remap amendment after SCOTUS Voting Rights Act ruling
House-approved amendment sought to rewrite redistricting guidelines
By BEN SZALINSKI
& PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
news@capitolnewsillinois.com
Article Summary
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said the Senate will not move forward with a constitutional amendment rewriting the state’s redistricting rules after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The nation’s high court invalidated Louisiana’s congressional district over racial gerrymandering, opening the door for other potential challenges to maps drawn on racial lines.
The ruling undermines a provision in the federal Voting Rights Act that has been interpreted to prohibit splitting large minority groups into multiple districts to dilute voting power. Illinois lawmakers sought to add that provision to the state constitution.
The proposed amendment passed the House last week after House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said he feared the U.S. Supreme Court could eliminate racial protections.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers are not planning to pursue a constitutional amendment on redistricting after a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday.
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, told Capitol News Illinois that Senate Democrats decided not to call an amendment that passed House last week after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a hefty blow the federal Voting Rights Act. If approved by voters, it would have rewritten the state’s redistricting rules.
“We want to spend a little bit of time unpacking the Supreme Court decision to make sure we get it right and protect the voting rights of Illinois residents,” Harmon said. “It's much better and much more important to get this correct than to do it quickly. The worst thing that would happen is if we rushed and there were unintended consequences that undermine people's voting rights.”
But that means the matter will have to wait until at least 2028, as lawmakers faced a May 3 deadline to approve constitutional amendments for voters to consider in November.
The proposed amendment would have inserted a provision from the Voting Rights Act into the state constitution to specifically direct lawmakers to consider race in drawing district lines.
The Voting Rights Act provision has long been interpreted as a ban on splitting large minority groups into multiple legislative districts to dilute their voting power.
The U.S. Supreme Court, however, struck down Louisiana’s congressional map on Wednesday, ruling a district drawn to consolidate Black voters was illegally gerrymandered based on race. While the decision did not broadly eliminate the section of the Voting Rights Act, dissenting liberal Justice Elena Kagan suggested it is “all but a dead letter.”
Racial intent
David Becker, founder and executive editor of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, called the decision a “radical” change in the way voting rights cases are now reviewed.
“When I woke up this morning, we had a functional Voting Rights Act,” he said during a media briefing on the case Wednesday. “And unfortunately, I can't say that anymore.”
Prior to Wednesday’s decision, he said, plaintiffs in voting rights cases only had to show that a set of maps had the effect of diluting a minority group’s voting strength, not that there was a specific intent to discriminate.
Wednesday’s decision, he said, reverses that standard and provides what he called “a clear roadmap” for how a state legislature can engage in racial gerrymandering without it being declared illegal.
“All it has to do is to be very careful about talking about intent,” he said. “Don't talk about intent at all. Couch everything in partisanship. And then it can't even be really reviewed because racial effects aren't going to be enough to establish a violation, even if those racial effects are stark.”
Illinois reaction
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, said fear that the court would strike down protections for racial groups inspired him to pursue the constitutional amendment. While the court did not go that far, the ruling that lawmakers cannot draw maps based on race affirmed many Democrats’ fears.
Read more: House approves redistricting amendment, fearing federal Voting Rights Act will be eliminated
“The decision by the Supreme Court today on the Voting Rights Act is an abomination,” Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters in Chicago. “It is an attack on a crown jewel of our democracy.”
Illinois’ proposed amendment would’ve established a priority list stating what factors lawmakers should consider in the redistricting process. It stated they should draw districts “to be substantially equal in population; to ensure that no citizen is denied an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of his or her choice on account of race; to create, where practical, racial coalition or influence Districts; to be contiguous; and to the extent practicable, to be compact.”
Harmon said the ruling “highlights how much the court would frown upon race being a predominant factor in drawing districts.”
The Illinois Voting Rights Act, which was established in 2011, requires lawmakers to create “crossover” districts where minority groups are a large enough share of the population to potentially elect their preferred candidate and “influence” districts where a racial minority is large enough to sway the outcome of an election toward their preferred candidate.
Political fight
House Republicans argued last week that the amendment was in response to a lawsuit they filed last year that sought to overturn the state’s legislative maps by alleging dozens of districts failed to meet a decades-old Illinois Supreme Court precedent that defined an appropriately compact map. The Illinois Supreme Court ultimately tossed the lawsuit, ruling it was filed too late.
They said the proposed constitutional amendment would give Democrats more leeway to draw heavily gerrymandered districts that snake around communities.
“This Supreme Court decision addresses the very gerrymandering efforts the Democrats are hoping to codify into Illinois law with this Constitutional Amendment,” the Illinois Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right Republicans, said in a statement. “(House Joint Constitutional Amendment 28) is now, very clearly, unconstitutional.”
New congressional maps are not in General Assembly Democrats’ plans for now either. The possibility was floated last year as other states began redrawing their boundaries to increase partisan representation in Congress, but talks in Illinois faded after Indiana Republicans decided not to attempt a mid-decade remap.
“I think we have an excellent congressional map that reflects the communities of interest across the state,” Harmon said. “I'm not sure that we could, and if we could, whether we should draw a district that leans more one way or the other.”
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.
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said state lawmakers need more time to evaluate a U.S. Supreme Court ruling before proceeding with a constitutional amendment. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE MAKES ARREST IN 42-YEAR HOMICIDE COLD CASE AND SEEKS THE PUBLIC’S ASSISTANCE
JOPPA – An Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 7 homicide investigation resulted in the arrest of 76-year-old George E. Bradfield of Owensboro, Kentucky after an extensive investigation that spanned over four decades.
On March 30, 1984, the body of 26-year-old Lisa Ann Carnes was discovered in a field in rural Massac County. She died as the result of a single gunshot wound. On April 22, 2026, the Massac County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Bradfield with five counts of Murder.
The Massac County Sheriff’s Office, the Owensboro (KY) Police Department, the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, and Parabon NanoLabs Inc., with funding from EWU Media LLC, assisted with the investigation.
ISP is continuing its investigation and is seeking the public’s assistance. If you have information about this incident or about Bradfield, please contact ISP.
Tips or information about this case or Bradfield can be submitted via email directly to ISP at ISP.CRIMETIPS@illinois.gov, or by calling ISP at 618-542-1486 and 618-542-2171 ext. 1202. Individuals providing information can remain anonymous.
Ordinance Violations Can Be Costly Warns City Attorney
City Attorney Derek McCullough reminded residents about local ordinances involving e-bicycle, golf cart, and side by side permits and animals running at large at Monday’s City Council meeting.
McCullough said while the base fines for violations are relatively small, the total cost can quickly increase once state-mandated assessments and court fees are added. He noted that a citation for an unregistered e-bicycle, golf cart, or side by side can end up costing more than 200 dollars if it goes through the court system.
He added the same applies to dogs running at large, where initial fines may be minimal but total costs rise significantly with additional fees.
McCullough encouraged residents to avoid those expenses by making sure e-bikes, golf carts, and side by sides are properly permitted and dogs are kept on a leash, emphasizing that compliance can save both time and money.
State Permitting Continues To Slow Pool Work
At Monday afternoon’s Mount Carmel City Council meeting, Mayor Joe Judge provided an update on progress at the city’s new aquatic center.
Judge said crews with Landmark Aquatics were on site Monday and are beginning work, with pool tiling expected to get underway this week. He added the project is awaiting final approval from the State of Illinois before moving into full construction mode, which could happen later this week or early next week.
The mayor expressed frustration with delays at the state level, noting the approval process has taken longer than expected. Judge said while he understands staffing challenges, the timeline has slowed progress on the project.
Despite the delays, Judge said work is now moving forward on site, with hopes the project will soon receive the necessary approvals to continue full construction.
New Ambulance Agreement Approved By WGH Board
The Wabash General Hospital Board of Directors approved an updated ambulance service agreement with Wabash County at their April meeting held on Monday.
President and CEO Karissa Turner said the agreement replaces the hospital’s original contract with the county, which dates back to 1993 and had not been updated since. She said the review was prompted by the hospital’s ongoing expansion plans.
The new agreement is structured as a one-year term that automatically renews, with provisions allowing termination either by mutual agreement or by the hospital.
Turner emphasized the importance of the long-standing partnership, noting the hospital’s paramedics and EMTs work closely with emergency room staff, assist with patient transfers, and provide additional support such as IV starts. She added the service offers paramedic-level care to county residents.
Hospital officials also noted the ambulance service operates at an annual loss of around $400,000, with the county contributing just over $100,000 through tax revenue.
Following discussion, the board approved the agreement, allowing Turner to formally sign the updated contract with the county.
WGH Board Hears Update On Strategic Plan
At Monday evening’s meeting of the Wabash General Hospital Board of Directors, President and CEO Karissa Turner provided a first quarter update on the hospital’s strategic plan.
Turner highlighted several areas of progress, including community outreach efforts. She said the hospital hosted two free foot care clinics in April, serving 107 patients in Mount Carmel and 79 in Olney.
In terms of quality and patient experience, Turner reported the hospital is performing in the 85th percentile for its “provider would recommend” score.
She also noted improvements in services, including the addition of a new CT scanner and expanded availability of MRI services.
On the workforce side, Turner announced Wabash General Hospital has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Illinois for 2026, with final rankings to be released May 7th.
Financially, the hospital continues to show growth, with cash and investments increasing by 2.6 million dollars since the end of 2025. Days cash on hand has also risen to 174, moving closer to the hospital’s goal of 205.
Turner said the report reflects the first quarter of the hospital’s new strategic plan cycle.
#348 School Board Sets Special Meeting
WABASH CUSD #348
BOARD OF EDUCATION SPECIAL MEETING
Wabash CUSD #348 District Office
Wednesday May 6, 2026
5:00 p.m.
AGENDA
1. Call to order / Roll call
2. Executive Session pursuant to Section 2(c)(1) of the Open
Meetings Act: “The appointment, employment, compensation,
discipline, performance, dismissal of specific employees, or
student discipline.”
3. Employment
4. Adjourn
City Opened Senior Center As Storm Shelter
The Wabash County Senior Center was opened as a storm shelter last night as severe weather moved through the area.
During Monday afternoon’s Mount Carmel City Council meeting, Mayor Joe Judge thanked city employees who stepped in to staff the shelter, noting many worked additional hours beyond their regular shifts.
Judge said the city no longer relies on volunteers to operate the shelter, and he expressed appreciation for those willing to come in and help during severe weather events.
The mayor also addressed questions about the facility’s policy on animals. He said pets are allowed, but must be kept in kennels due to health regulations, as the senior center also operates as a restaurant and must be ready for service the following day.
Judge added the policy also considers the safety and comfort of all individuals using the shelter, noting some people may be uncomfortable around animals.
He emphasized the senior center is not a full-scale storm shelter, but rather the basement is used as a temporary safe location during severe weather situations.