http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=newsLocal news from the south-central Illinois areahttp://www.wjbdradio.com/images/wjbd_logo_small.pnghttp://www.wjbdradio.comWJBD Online13573http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19251Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:50:59 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19251A 20-year-old Kinmundy man has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty in Marion County Court to a residential burglary charge. Travis Moeller of West Third is accused of entering the Grace Williams home on South Walnut in Kinmundy in July of this year. He is being recommended for the impact incarceration program. A 28-year-old Centralia man has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance. Joshua Phillips admitted having less than 15 grams of heroin in his possession in November 2007. A 23-year-old Centralia man has pleaded guilty to theft of services. Jacob Williamson of Deerwood Park was fined 100-dollars, ordered to serve 14 days in jail and make 15-dollars restitution. Williamson failed to pay for tax service. A 23-year-old Centralia man was placed on two years probation after admitting to a domestic battery charge. Joseph Cottrill of Levee Road was also ordered to pay a 100-dollar fine, make a 100-dollar contribution to PAVE and undergoing mental health evaluation and treatment. Cottrill is accused of grabbing and pushing Lauren Stein in August. 19-year-old Sharell Baker of Howard Street in Centralia has pleaded guilty to a battery charge. Baker was ordered to serve two weekends in the Marion County Jail, placed on one year probation, pay a 100-dollars fine, and abstain from drugs and alcohol. A 17-year-old Sandoval man has pleaded guilty to a battery charge. Donnie Randolph of South Mulberry was placed on 18 months court supervision, fined 100-dollars, ordered to complete 75 hours of public service work, and obtain a GED or high school diploma. Restitution will be set at a later date. 19-year-old Keasha Stephenson of Effingham was ordered to pay a 300-dollar fine and serve 14 days in jail for unlawful consumption of an alcoholic beverage by a minor. A 58-year-old Centralia man, Willie Jelks of McKee Street, has been sentenced to 180 days work released from the Marion County jail and fined 250-dollars after pleading guilty to felony driving on a revoked license.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19250Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:45:00 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19250United States Attorney A. Courtney Cox visited Kaskaskia College yesterday to speak about "crime and poverty" within his 38 county district. East St. Louis was the focus of the presentation. Cox illustrated how economic collapse transformed the 15-square mile area, once known as the "City of Champions." Cox says the population of East St. Louis topped out at 82-thousand in 1950, but has since dropped to 28-thousand. He also says the primary businesses in the area are nightclubs, and the average individual income is considerably lower than other areas. Cox says the combination of factors has led to a strong drug and gang element, a problem only furthered by the fact the city supplies three officers per shift to handle the massive area. The city has a murder rate of 83.8 per 100-thousand - higher than Baltimore, Detroit and Newark. Still, Cox says the area is full of good people. "If you just drive by East. St. Louis on the interstate and you don't go to East St. Louis, or sit in restauraunts and homes like I did, you would get the impression everyone there is a criminal and likes it the way it is," he says. "You would be dead wrong."Cox says you can be poor in money, but still be rich in spirit and education.He says 94 percent of 11 graders fail the reading test in East St. Louis, but some still have the spirit and succeed.Cox says it was because of the effort of some important people in their lives. "They've gone to college, they've got good jobs, and I ask them 'how'd you do it?' and the answer is always 'my parents,'" he says. "They had two parents that cared and made sure they did their homework - there is two kinds of poverty: financial poverty and povert of the spirit." Cox also says all that intelligence and spirit fades if they slip into the poverty cycle. He says it will take a lot of effort to revitalize a place like East St. Louis and the lessons being learned there can be applied state-wide.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19249Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:40:05 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19249Customers on the Odin water and sewer systems will be seeing higher bills. The village board ended several months of discussion Thursday night with the decision to raise the rates as recommended by their auditor. It's the first increase since 2006 and comes as the operation of the water department is beginning to slip into the red. Both Salem and Centralia have increased the cost of the water sold to Odin and until now the increases have not been passed along. Under the new rate structure, in town residents will pay a minimum 25-dollars-65 cents a month for water, sewer and trash pickup. That's a 4-dollar-65 cent a month increase. The cost for each additional 1,000 gallons of water and sewage will go up one dollar. The current seven dollar a month rate for trash pickup will not change. The minimum rates for rural water customers will increase 2-dollars-75 cents a month to 15-dollars-65 cents. The cost for each additional thousand gallons of water will increase one-dollar. The rate increases will go into effect with the next billing cycle. The Odin Board was told the village's Christmas decorations would be going up soon. Fairpoint Communications will be assisting the street department with the work. The Odin Police Department handled a total of 95 calls during November. The calls include four domestic problems, two traffic accidents, and 23 calls to assist the public and motorists. Ten traffic citations were issued during the month.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19248Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:23 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19248The firearm deer hunting season is now underway. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reminding hunters to stay safe. DNR Deer Project Manager Tom Micetisch says the number one cause of hunting accidents is falling out of tree stands. "Folks fail to follow common-sense tree stand rules like using harnesses," he says. Besides the harness, Micetisch says hunters should use a haul line to lift their firearm or bow into the stand. Firearm safety is also vital. Hunters should treat all guns as if they are loaded, wear bright orange, and be sure of their target before they shoot.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19247Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:36:33 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19247A 17-year-old runaway from Kids Hope United in Centralia has been arrested for alleged disorderly conduct. Centralia Police say Alexis Knox-Owens refused to voluntarily return to the children's home when she was located Thursday. She was arrested after making threats towards the staff if taken back to the home. 48-year-old Clifton Martin of South 22nd in Mt. Vernon is being held in lieu of 15-hundred dollars bond for failure to appear on a felony theft charge. 20-year-old Emilee Hodge of Elm Street in Centralia posted bond and was released for alleged driving under the influence and possession of alcohol by a minor. Two others posted bond on outstanding traffic failure to appear in court warrants and were released. They are 17-year-old Amelia Rivera of South Mulberry in Sandoval and 45-year-old James Dean Milburn of Lamar Street in Salem.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19246Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:35:45 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19246The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs will host a Helping Our Hometown Heroes event from nine to two Saturday at the Mt. Vernon American Legion at 816 Main Street. Veterans, their families, and friends are invited to attend. Federal, state and local agencies and organizations will come together for the event that is dedicated to assisting military heroes and their families in getting the benefits they deserve. Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs Director Dan Grant says local veterans and their families can receive one-on-one assistance from professionals who know about available resources. He notes it is also a great way to learn about state and federal benefits.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19245Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:34:12 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19245Kell Firemen say a fire at the Jeff Sons home at 204 Second Street in Kell early Friday morning was confined to the dryer. Firemen removed the dryer from the home and extracted smoke. The fire apparently started in clothing inside the dryer. Firemen were on the scene for just under an hour beginning at 1:36 Friday morning.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19244Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:33:32 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19244(Griard, IL) -- A trio of high school seniors is now likely looking at felony charges for what they might have thought was a senior prank. School officials in Girard say three students have confessed to a vandalism spree that left 32 windows at the local high school in pieces, and canceled school for two days because of fears of a bomb threat. The Macoupin County State's Attorney's office is handling the case, but prosecutors are not saying what charges they may bring, or when the suspects are expected in court. Girard Superintendent Marlene Brady says the teens have admitted what they did, but she says the school district is still asking for criminal charges. The students could also face threat charges. Police found a spray painted threat on a shed at the school that said "Boom 11-17-09." Brady says she doesn't think the students ever wanted to follow through. Classes at both Girard and nearby Virden high school were canceled earlier this week because of the damage and the threats.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19243Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:48:12 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19243SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois motorists have been urged to start getting ready for winter driving. The Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Tollway and Illinois State Police said Thursday that they are making final preparations for snowy and icy roadway conditions. The agencies say they're getting teams and equipment ready for emergency operations. Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig says "winter weather will be here soon enough, so it's important for motorists to get ready now because Illinois weather can become danger in a matter of minutes." The state transportation department says it spent $82.3 million on snow removal last year and spread 488,300 tons of salt.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19242Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:46:23 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19242OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - For the third straight month, a survey of rural bankers in the Midwest and Plains suggests the weak economic conditions are strengthening, if slowly. A report issued Thursday by economist Ernie Goss of Creighton University says the overall index for the Rural Mainstreet economy rose to 38.4 this month, compared with 37.5 in October and 36.5 in September.The new figure is well below the growth-neutral score of 50 but far above the record low of 16.9 set in February. The index runs 0 to 100. Organizers say a score below 50 suggests the economy will contract in the next few months; above 50 indicates the economy will expand. The survey covers Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19241Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:41:37 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19241CAIRO, Ill. (AP) - Authorities say two women found dead in a burning house in the far southern Illinois town of Cairo had been fatally shot. Illinois State Police say 29-year-old Beatrice Barber of Cairo and 27-year-old Eva Hill of Charleston, Mo., died in the fire Monday.Authorities say both women died of gunshot wounds, not from injuries resulting from the fire. The investigation continues by state police, the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Cairo police. There have been no arrests.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19240Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:40:27 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19240WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the seat once held by Barack Obama. The committee didn't recommend any punishment. Burris was appointed by disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and driven from office after he was accused of trying to sell the Senate seat. The committee's "Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" told Burris that while it found no violations of law, "Senators must meet a much higher standard of conduct." The committee wrote Burris that his phone conversation with the former governor's brother was inappropriate. It says Robert Blagojevich called Burris on Nov. 13, 2008, seeking to raise funds for his brother, and Burris appeared to agree to write a check while also bringing up his desire to seek the Senate seat. Burris is not running for a full term.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19239Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:39:30 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19239SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois is reporting nine new deaths and 241 new hospitalizations from swine flu. The Illinois Department of Public Health's weekly update brings the total number of deaths in the state from the virus to 56. More than 1,600 people have been hospitalized since April. Most swine flu deaths have been in Cook County, but there also have been deaths in central and southern Illinois. The state's Health Department has a map online that shows which counties have reported deaths. The site also has an online tool that shows where vaccine is available in each county. More than 1.6 million doses of swine flu vaccine have been shipped to Illinois. In Chicago, public health officials say more than 75,000 people have been vaccinated. Visit http://www.idph.state.il.ushttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19238Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:34 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19238ROYALTON, Ill. (AP) - An underground southern Illinois coal mine will close by the end of the year. Knight Hawk Coal says the 50 workers at the Royal Falcon mine near the boundary of Franklin and Jackson counties will be offered transfers to the company's Prairie Eagle site near Cutler, in nearby Perry County. Knight Hawk blames the closure on difficult mining conditions and geological problems at the site. Work at the Royal Falcon mine began in January 2008.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19237Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:37:32 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19237CHICAGO (AP) - Gov. Pat Quinn says the public admonishment of U.S. Sen. Roland Burris by the Senate Ethics Committee "speaks for itself." Quinn on Friday said he had nothing to add to it. The governor says he intends to work with Burris through the end of his term in 2011, especially to help veterans and their families. Burris isn't running for a full term after being appointed by disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Ethics Committee didn't recommend that Burris be punished, but it admonished him for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19236Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:34:56 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19236CHICAGO (AP) - A leading Democratic candidate for Illinois governor says his proposal for addressing crime statewide includes better tracking of statistics and coordination between agencies. Comptroller Dan Hynes is challenging Gov. Pat Quinn in the Feb. 2 primary. Hynes says his proposal modernizes incident reporting on a computer system that would map crime as it happens. He didn't give a cost estimate or details on the technology. Hynes says he'll promote working with groups like CeaseFire, coordination between jurisdictions and expanding drug courts. That's according to a draft of the five-page plan sent to The Associated Press. Hynes says he's concerned about the rise in youth violence, particularly with high profile Chicago cases like the beating death of a 16-year-old honor student.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19235Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:33:24 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19235TAMMS, Ill. (AP) - The new chief of Illinois' prison system says there's a place for the super maximum-security prison in deep southern Illinois' Alexander County. But Mike Randle says there's a reform effort under way at the Tamms Correctional Center, where critics say inmates being forced to spend 23 hours in isolation is inhumane. Randle offered reporters a tightly controlled tour of the 11-year-old prison said to house the state's most-dangerous inmates. He says inmates now can earn a transfer out of Tamms with good behavior. He says 48 prisoners have been deemed eligible for that, and 10 already have been shipped out. Inmates also will get stepped-up mental health evaluations, can take the GED and get increased incentives for good behavior, like telephone or out-of-cell privileges.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19234Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:45 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19234Marion County State's Attorney Matt Wilzbach says now that the defense has dropped an appeal the murder case against Neil Barrall can move forward. And Wilzbach says state law will require the possibility of the death penalty to be dropped if Barrall is found guilty of the October 2007 murder of Michele Cavaletto. The only question is if Wilzbach will voluntarily withdraw the certification or have Judge Michael Kiley rule in favor of the defense on their pending motion to bar the death penalty. The case has been on hold awaiting a decision by the Appellate Court on Judge Kiley's decision to find Barrall fit to stand trial with special assistance. The defense had argued Barrall was currently unfit to stand trial. Wilzbach says the finding of Asperberger's Disease and the need for special help prohibits the imposition of the death penalty under state law. A conference call between the Judge and attorney's was held Thursday morning to discuss the status of the case. No decisions were made, pending another conference call that is set for December third. Wilzbach says at that time the Judge hopes to have a report from the specialist assigned to work with Barrall to determine if Barrall is ready to proceed to trial. Wilzbach says he will make a decision on how he plans to proceed with the death penalty issue after discussion with members of the victim's family. The murder charges allege Barrall first struck Caveletto with his vehicle while she was jogging on the Schwartz Road in rural Walnut Hill, then sexually assaulted, repeatedly kicked her in the head, and stabbed her multiple times with a knife in the chest and neck. Barrall remains in the Marion County Jail in lieu of five-million dollars bond.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19227Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:38 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19227Budget talks continued yesterday at the Centralia City Hall with the City Council discussing a number of other funds for the next fiscal year. The 12.7 million dollars of "other funding" consists of 46 funds, including the Airport, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding, Economic Development loans, Swimming Pool, Park Donations, and Health insurance among others. The airport allocation will increase 200 percent in 2010. Driving that number is a 600-thousand dollar planned hangar project, with Illinois footing the bulk of the bill through a 570-thousand dollar grant. For ARRA Funds, the bulk of a two-million dollar grant will be spent on road improvements including the Wabash and East 17th street project. Economic Development loans will be reduced 75 percent to 150-thousand dollars for business expansion or startup. Opportunity funds will also drop 80-thousand dollars. City Manager Grant Kleinhenz says he is in favor of not opening the fairview park pool next year, since it isn't profitable for the city. "We spendup to140-thousand dollars out there and only bring in about 30-thousand in revenue," he says. "That's a net 90-thousand dollar loss." He says nobody wants to see the pool close, but there comes a point when it's not feasible. Park Donations were also cut 77 percent from last year to three-thousand dollars. Elmwood Cemetery saw its allocation increase five-thousand dollars from the year before. Health insurance costs jumped 25 percent from 2009, with the council showing concern over the increase. Kleinhenz says union agreements and risks are driving up the cost. The next work session to discuss Water and Sewer funds will be held next week on Tuesday from 4:30 to 6:30.http://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19222Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:25 CSThttp://www.wjbdradio.com/?f=news_single&id=19222 State Senator John O. Jones was the featured speaker of Wednesday Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting. Jones spoke to those in attendance about the state of Illinois government. "I've got some shocking news," he said sarcastically. "The state of Illinois is broke." The Senator says some state clients haven't been paid in four, five, or even six months, causing businesses to shut down, services to be cut or even some legislators to beevicted from their buildings. Illinois budget deficit has not reached a proported 13 billion dollars, but Jones says there is a way out. "We have a 60 billion dollar budget in Illinois," he says. "We have created programs over the last many years that we should have never created to begin with because it's not the government's role." The Senator says grants would should be a target for cuts, not funding for developmentally disabled, and government agencies can cut back without cutting services to people. Jones says legislators like Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan are compounding the problem. He also adds that recent "ethics" legislation accomplished nothing except increase their power. He also says the upcoming election will likely stall any efforts to dig out Illinois until after votes are cast.