On 6/16/18 Mt. Carmel Police arrested Luke J. Rhinehart, age 18, and Cutter A.K. Doerr, age 19, both of Mt. Carmel for Unlawful Consumption of Alcohol. Officers were dispatched to a report of underage drinking at a river camp off of River Road. Officers responded and found several subjects on scene. Following their investigation officers arrested both subjects and transported them to the Wabash County Jail for processing. Rhinehart and Doerr were later released with a court date.
Wilkinson Arrested On Meth Possession Warrant
On 06.14.18 at 7:10 p.m. the Wabash County Sheriff's Office served an arrest warrant at 302 N. 1st. St. in Allendale. Taken into custody was 31 year old Clyde W. Wilkinson of Allendale. Wilkinson who had an active original charge warrant for possession of methamphetamine. The warrant stemmed from a March 28th traffic stop by Mt. Carmel Police and a K9 Narcotics sniff by Deputy Bogard and K9 Roy. Items of evidence collected on that stop resulted in the issuance of this warrant. Wilkinson remains in the Wabash County Jail on a $1000 cash bond.
Man Arrested For Driving On Suspended License
On 06.11.18 at 5:34 p.m. the Wabash County Sheriff's Office conducted a vehicle stop on a 2006 Jeep on E 640 Rd. in the rural Lancaster area. The driver, Joseph A. Stevens,36 of Lancaster , was found to have a suspended driver's license. Stevens was taken to the Wabash County Jail where he was held on a $150 cash bond.
2018 RMC Duck Race Is Best Ever
As promised, the 2018 Wabash County Retail Merchants Committee’s 19th annual Duck Race was the best ever. For the first time, all 1,500 ducks were sold for this year’s race which was held tonight at the City Pool. A big crowd turned out for the free swim and hot dogs provided by the RMC.
The winners from the race and where their ticket was purchased are:
$500 Winners
Teresa Howell-MCPU
Amy Kling-The Corner
Shari Campbell-1st Bank
$100 Winners
Catherine Neikirk-Gottman
Paula Carithers-Borowiak’s IGA
Shad White-1st Mid
Laura Easter-WSJD
Vaughn Collins-Pat’s Pawn
Proceeds from this year's Duck Race will go toward the new stage at Merchants Park.
Click the photo for a gallery of photos from tonight's Duck Race.
New State of the Art Senior Living Community Coming to Mt. Carmel
The owners of Phillips Investments, LLC (Reggie, Chad and Hadley Phillips) have been working with the City of Mt. Carmel for many months to finalize plans to build a new assisted living and memory care community. The zoning commission unanimously gave its approval and sent it to the City Council. The City Council voted in favor of the proposed assisted living project. We are pleased to announce our Groundbreaking Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 10:30 AM. The address is 928 Enterprise Lane, Mt. Carmel, IL 62863.
“We’re pleased by this vote of confidence,” said Hadley Phillips, Phillips Investments, LLC partner. “We pride ourselves on the care we provide, and it will be an honor to serve families and seniors of the Mt. Carmel area.”
The new Villas of Holly Brook, Premiere Assisted Living Community, and Reflections Memory Care Residence will be located at 928 Enterprise Lane, Mt. Carmel, IL. Unique Homes, an award-winning design-build firm that specializes in health care and upscale construction, is the general contractor for the 74 unit community. Residents will be able to enjoy their state-of-the art community with beautiful common spaces and interior courtyards nestled into picturesque surroundings in summer of 2019.
Mt. Carmel marks a milestone in the expansion of the Villas of Holly Brook business operations as it continues to develop a broad portfolio of life-transforming assisted living and memory care specialty communities for seniors. This faith based, family owned and locally operated company has seventeen communities in Illinois and one in Indiana currently.
“With our focus on growing exceptional assisted livings and memory care specialty communities, we will continue to expand services throughout - creating excellent paying jobs with great benefits.
The Villas of Holly Brook and Reflections Memory Care communities have been exceptionally designed and built. “These communities are crafted with utmost attention to detail at each level from the architecture to the floor plans to the décor and even the landscaping. The extensive list of amenities in addition to the professional level of medical care reflects the commitment to creating a lifestyle which will exceed your expectations,” states Hadley Phillips.
The interior layout of this beautiful community will encompass the latest trends in the industry - elegant, yet still comfortably designed for today’s generation of seniors. Chad Phillips states, “The upscale décor will be accented with luxurious interior furnishings and finishes. Each resident has access to a personal response device which can be utilized as needed 24 hours a day. We are excited to be true pioneers in the use of technology to improve the lives of seniors entrusted to our care. Every element of technology we employ is designed to improve quality of life as well as connect our residents to their loved ones.”
The residents at the Villas of Holly Brook can choose from one bedroom, two bedroom or two bedroom deluxe apartments. One low monthly fee includes three delicious meals a day plus snacks, 24 hour medical supervision, Personal Response System, inspired daily activities, spacious common areas, beautiful courtyards and so much more. Never do laundry, housekeeping duties or lawn maintenance again (unless you want to). Do what you enjoy most and let the staff take care of the rest.
Reflections Memory Care residents can choose a suite with three delicious meals served daily, 24 hour Refreshment and Beverage Bar, assistance with all activities of daily living, RN medication management and Wellness Center. Memory care therapies include the Therapy Kitchen, Sensory Room, Horticulture Therapy and fun cognitive activities.
Reggie Phillips remarked, “Each of our communities have high scores with the Illinois Department of Health. We are especially proud of our top performing communities. Five of which received Deficiency Free State Surveys in 2017 and currently 6 communities have received perfect surveys in 2018. This distinction is held by less than 1% of assisted living communities in the nation. This demonstrates our commitment to providing our residents with the highest quality of care and recognizes the dedication of our professional staff. Each is passionate about having a positive impact every day on those we serve and rest assured that this is the care we will bring to Mt. Carmel as well."
Reggie Phillips founded Unique Homes and has over thirty years of dedication and experience in the construction industry. Now with nearly a decade of development, management and marketing services of senior living communities, this state-of-the-art facility promises to provide the very best lifestyle for seniors at an affordable price. The principals of Phillips Investments, LLC – Mt. Carmel Facility Series have a combination of experience, talents, and in-depth industry knowledge that makes them exceptionally well qualified to serve their residents’ needs. Beyond all this is the quality of life the Villas of Holly Brook and Reflections Memory Care can bring to your loved ones.
Betty Riggs has been a resident of the Villas of Holly Brook since they opened. She states, “I don’t care what was promised, life at the Villas has delivered more. I love my new family here and life is so much better than I could have hoped for. I came because I needed help and but what I received was so much more - a wonderful family with helping hands. I was in a rut at home eating simple meals that were easy to prepare, but the food here is so awesome. I rarely went out at home and life was boring but at the Villas we have so many activities daily to choose from and special outings each week. My son says he has never seen me happier, I think he’s right. They say Family is Forever . . . that’s especially true at the Villas of Holly Brook.”
About The Villas of Holly Brook
The Villas of Holly Brook and Reflections Memory Care, a Charleston, Illinois based company, employs approximately 900 people. As of June 14, 2018, the Villas of Holly Brook and Reflections Memory Care operate seventeen communities in Illinois and one in Indiana. The communities offer a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss. The Villas of Holly Brook senior living services are delivered by team members who are trained to encourage independence, preserve dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents. To learn more about the Villas of Holly Brook and Reflections Memory Care, visit www.villasofhollybrook.com.
Nighthawk Picks Unique Place To Nest
A nighthawk has built a nest and has laid eggs in the parking lot of Market Square located near 8th and Market Streets in Mt. Carmel. The night hawk didn't seem to be overly impressed with our photographic efforts.
The area around the nest has been cordoned off to alert motorists and pedestrians of its' location.
From Wikipedia: Nighthawks are medium-sized birds with long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They usually nest on the ground. They feed on flying insects. The least nighthawk, at 16 centimetres (6.3 in) and 23 grams (0.81 oz), is the smallest of all Caprimulgiformes. Nightjars are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats (the Latin for goatsucker is Caprimulgus).
Nighthawks have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves. Some species perch facing along a branch, rather than across it as birds usually do. This helps to conceal them during the day. The female lays two patterned eggs directly onto bare ground.
They are mostly active in the late evening and early morning or at night and feed on moths and other large flying insects. The bill opens very wide and has a slightly hooked upper tip.
Nighthawks are similar in most respects to the nightjars, but have shorter bills and plumage that is less soft. Nighthawks are less strictly nocturnal than many nightjars and may be seen hunting when there is still light in the sky.
Painting Work Complete On Risley Avenue Water Tower
Crews have finished painting the exterior of the city's water tower on Risley Avenue near WVC.
In March, crews started painting and repairing the water tower near Wabash Valley College. Since the work started, residents have noticed a drop in their water pressure.
Last August, the city of Mt. Carmel entered into a 10 year, $1.725 million agreement with a company to rehabilitate the 3rd Street and WVC water towers. The work will be paid for by last year’s increase in water rates. The proposal called for the installation of a new wash out system in both towers along with completely rehabbing and painting of each one.
While the painting is complete, the water tower is still empty and has yet to be filled as other work continues on the structure.
A photo taken earlier this year before the project began.
A photo taken earlier this year before the project began.
Trucker Killed In Hit & Run Wreck On I-70
UPDATE: Through a follow-up investigation conducted by the Illinois State Police a 2016 Volvo Truck Tractor Semi Trailer Combination was identified as the suspect vehicle that left the scene of a Fatal Pedestrian Crash that occurred on June 13, 2018 along I-70 Eastbound at Milepost 55.5 in Fayette County. The suspect vehicle was located in Cambridge, Ohio. (1.5 hours east of Columbus, Ohio) With the assistance of the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Fayette County States Attorney's Office the driver Ray L. Ryan, Age 60 from Buffalo, Missouri has been arrested for Failure to Report an Accident Involving Personal Injury or Death.
ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12
WHAT: Fatal Pedestrian Crash
WHERE: I-70 Eastbound at Milepost 55.5 (Fayette County)
WHEN: 06/13/2018, 08:50 PM
VEHICLES: Unit #1 – Unknown Truck Tractor/ White box Semi Trailer
Unit #2 – White 2008 Kenworth Truck Tractor/ White 2007 Reitnour Flatbed trailer.
DRIVER: Unit #1 – Unknown
Unit #2 – (Pedestrian/ Peter F. Peters, Age 46, Elmira ON. Canada)
PASSENGERS: None
CHARGES: Pending Investigation
TRANSPORTS: None
PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation revealed that Unit #2 was parked on the right shoulder on Interstate 70 Eastbound near milepost 55.5. The driver of unit #2 was standing outside of the vehicle on the driver’s side near the middle of the trailer when Unit #1 sideswiped Unit #2. The pedestrian, Peters, was pinched between both units and fatally injured. After sideswiping unit #2, Unit #1 continued traveling Eastbound on Interstate 70 and left the scene of the crash.
Traffic stop leads to the arrest of Oakland City woman on auto theft charge
On June 13, 2018, at 3:12 p.m. Deputy U.B. Smith attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Tan 2003 Chevy Traverse for failing to signal a turn onto Hall Street from Broadway in Princeton, Indiana. Upon attempting to stop the vehicle Deputy Smith identified the driver as 25 year old Heather Cox of Oakland City, Indiana. During a roadside investigation Gibson County Central Dispatch informed Deputy Smith that the vehicle that he had stopped had been reported stolen by Knox County earlier in the day. At the conclusion of his investigation Deputy Smith placed Ms. Cox into custody and transported her to the Gibson County Jail. Upon arriving at the Gibson County Jail Ms. Cox was charged with:
Auto Theft
Possession of Methamphetamines
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated
Possession of Paraphernalia
She remains in custody on a $750 bond.
Assisting Deputy Smith in his investigation was Princeton Officers Jason Swan, Lincoln Edwards, and Sheriff Deputy Jennifer Loesch.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Carmi Man Arrested On Various Charges After High Speed Chase
On 06/13/2018, Mt. Carmel Police arrested 56 year old Gregory A. Williams of Carmi, Illinois after he led them on a vehicle pursuit through the county that topped speeds of 100 mph. According to the arrest report, a Mt. Carmel Police Officer attempted to stop Williams for a traffic violation in the 400 block of W. 9th Street. Williams failed to stop and was pursued by officer's until the suspects vehicle crashed into a field off of County Road 570 E. Williams continued to resist and was the arresting officer deployed his taser. Williams was taken into custody and transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting a police officer. Williams was cited for no rear taillights, driving while suspended, and aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude a peace officer. The Mt. Carmel Police Department was assisted by the Wabash County Sheriff's Office.
