City Council Moves Forward With New TIF District

The Mt. Carmel City Council has approved an ordinance they hope will facilitate additional economic growth on the city’s west side. Keith Moran is the president of Moran Economic Development and he told commissioners this week that the development of a new tax increment financing district could hold the key to new businesses….

The new TIF 7 is also instrumental in bringing in the new Villas of Holly Brook facility on the west side. Moran said there are 135 parcels within the TIF. A public hearing will be held on the new TIF before it is officially approved.

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Keith Moran

Keith Moran

Allendale School Board Notes

At the June 2018 Allendale School Board meeting held WEdnesday night at the main office of Allendale School, the board:

Adopted the 2017-18 amended budget. It shows a budget with revenue of $1,650,953 and expenditures of $1,373,692.

Employed Mr. Terry Harper to conduct the 2017-18 school audit.

Appointed Superintendent Bowser as the district Authorized IMRF Agent for the 2018-19 school year.

Approved a Risk Management Program for the 2018-2019 school year.

Adopted the Prevailing Wage Act Resolution for 2018-2019.

Approved to abate $23,000 from Capital Projects Fund (1% Sales Tax Revenue) to the Debt Service Fund.

Adopted the Student Handbook, Student Conduct Code, and Internet/Computer Network Usage documents for 2018-2019.

Approved a bid from the Glass Doctor in Harrisburg, Illinois for 8 sets of aluminum entrance doors and 2 sets of hollow metal doors.  The approved bid for the exterior doors  is $98,000.

Accepted the resignation of Jacqi Aubrey as 1st grade teacher.

Employed Mr. Britt Shepherd as the district bookkeeper for the 2017-18 school year.

Employed Rich Casburn as Track Coach for 2019 season.

Employed Kila Garrett as Cheer Coach for 2018-2019.

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Accident On I-70 Near Greenup Ends With One To Hospital

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12

WHAT:                      Personal Injury Crash – Two Vehicle

WHERE:                   I-70 EB @ MP 122.5 (east of Greenup)

WHEN:                      06/22/18 at 4:32 a.m.

VEHICLES:              Unit #1 – Silver 2017 Toyota Corrolla – Nevada Registratino

                                    Unit #2 TT – White 2017 Freightliner TT – Arizona Reg

                                    Unit #2 ST – White 2008 Commodore ST – Oklahoma Reg

DRIVER:                   Unit #1 –  Noor, Abdullahi, 30yo male from Kansas City, Missouri

                                    Unit #2 – Fischer, Cody A. 51yo male from Watertown, SD

PASSENGER:          Unit #2 – Golladay, Gary E. 66yo male from Spangle, WA                 

CHARGES:               Unit #1- Improper Passing on the Left                      

TRANSPORTS:       Driver of Unit 1 was transported to the Terra Haute Regional Hospital

PRELIMINARY:     Preliminary investigative details indicate Unit 1and Unit 2 were traveling

                                    East on Interstate 70 near milepost 122.5 when Unit 1 began passing Unit

                                    2 in the passing lane.  Unit 1 failed to change lanes when it was safely

                                    clear of Unit 2 and struck the front brush guard of Unit 2.  Unit 1 then

                                    spun sideways off of the roadway to the right and overturned into the

                                    ditch.  The driver of Unit 1 exited the vehicle on his own and was

                                    transported to the Terra Haute Regional Hospital for treatment. 

            ###   All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law  ###

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Wreck With Semi Near Casey Results In One Injury

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

 The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12

 WHAT:                      Injury Crash

WHERE:                   I-70 E/B milepost 133.5 (3 miles east of Casey)

WHEN:                      June 22, 2018 12:46 PM

VEHICLES:              Unit #1 - 2018 White Freightliner Truck/Tractor with semitrailer with Indiana registration

                                    Unit #2 – 2014 Copper Dodge Journey with Maryland registration

DRIVER:                   Unit #1 – Rhonda S. Lathrop 63 of Indianapolis, IN.

                                    Unit #2 – Angel M. Tanner 22 of Hagerstown MD.                                                     

PASSENGERS:        N/A

TRANSPORTS          Angel Tanner transported by ambulance to Union Hospital in Terra Haute, IN.

CHARGES:               Improper lane usage

PRELIMINARY:     Preliminary investigative details indicate units 1 and 2 were eastbound on I-70.  Unit 1 was in the right lane and unit 2 was in the left lane.  Unit 1 began to make a lane change and struck the right front of unit 2 with the left rear of unit 1’s semitrailer. 

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law

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DUI Wreck On I-70 Sends One To Hospital

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT  
 
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 12
  
WHAT:  Injury Crash  
 
WHERE:   I-70 eastbound 5 miles west of Effingham
 
WHEN:  June 22nd 2018 at 9:56 PM  
 
VEHICLES:  Unit #1:  black Toyota pickup truck    

Unit #2:  white Freightliner truck tractor      
 
DRIVER:  Unit #1:  Theran A. Allee, 27, Lakeside, CA    

Unit #2:  Dustin A. Isenhart, 32, Godfrey, IL    

 PASSENGERS: Unit #1:  None
 
CHARGES:  Unit #1 driver: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident, and Illegal Transportation of Alcohol   
 
TRANSPORTS: The driver of Unit 1 was transported by ambulance to St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital.                  

PRELIMINARY:   Preliminary investigative details Unit 2 was eastbound on Interstate 70 near milepost 88 (5 miles west of Effingham) in the right lane.  Unit 1 approached Unit 2 from behind at a high rate of speed and struck rear of the trailer of Unit 2.  Both Units came to rest on the right shoulder.   
 
 All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law

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Robinson man arrested after entering motorists vehicle without permission

On June 21, 2018, at 1:50 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Jennifer Robb was flagged down by two motorists who were in the Ponderosa parking lot located at 2020 West Broadway in Princeton. Upon speaking with the motorists they advised that upon returning to their vehicle after eating they discovered an older white male sitting inside their vehicle. Further the motorists advised that upon seeing them the male exited the vehicle and attempted to flee the area. With the assistance of Princeton Police Chief Derek McGraw and Assistant Chief Mike Hurt 50 year old Guy Douglas of Robinson, Illinois was located and identified by the motorists.

At the conclusion of Deputy Robb’s investigation she transported Mr. Douglas to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Unauthorized Entry into a Vehicle a Class B Misdemeanor. Mr. Douglas remains in custody without a bond.

All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reaso nable doubt in a court of law.

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Traffic stop leads to the arrest of Bicknell woman

On June 21, 2018 at 12:18 a.m. Sgt. John Fischer conducted a traffic stop on a Gray 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander on US 41 near County Road 350 South. Upon approaching the vehicle Sgt. Fischer identified the driver as 25 year old Brittany Dangelo of Bicknell. Upon running Ms. Dangelo through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Sgt Fischer discovered that Ms. Dangelo’s drivers license status was listed as Suspended on a Prior Conviction. At that point Sgt. Fischer placed Ms. Dangelo into custody and transported her to the Gibson County Jail.

Upon arriving at the Gibson County Jail Ms. Dangelo was charged with Driving While Suspended/Prior and Operating a Motor Vehicle without Financial Responsibility. She has since posted a $650 bond.

All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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IECC Approves Violence Prevention Strategies

As a part of IECC’s commitment to provide a safe and crime free college environment, and in accordance with the Campus Security Enhancement Act of 2008, the Board approved the Violence Prevention Plan and Emergency Response Plans for each college at the regular meeting, Tuesday, June 19th, at Olney Central College. These plans outline violence prevention strategies and outlines the protocol for response should a violent act occur.

            Lease agreements were renewed for off campus locations where IECC programs are offered.

            The policy for awarding credit equivalency was revised to include credit for certain military courses.

The Board approved a one year renewal of the District’s Property, Casualty, and Liability Insurance coverage.

            Approval was given for an expansion to the Robinson Enterprise Zone to include property in Palestine occupied by Kennedy Auto Care.

            The current agreement with Pepsi Bottling Group was extended.  The Bottling Group agreement includes provisions to provide Pepsi products to Wabash Valley College. 

                       Applications for new buildings for FY2020 were approved by the Board of Trustees.   Two capital project requests in ranking order were submitted to the Illinois Community College Board for consideration of funding. Olney Central College requested funding for an Applied Technology Center - $2,413,700. Frontier Community College requested funding for a Student Education and Support Center - $3,523,900. Lincoln Trail College and Wabash Valley College capital project requests have been approved and are on the Fiscal 2020 Capital Budget Recommendation.

            Affiliation agreements were approved for Lincoln Trail College’s Certified Medical Assistant Program with Crawford Memorial Hospital and with Emerald Glen; and for Olney Central College’s Medical Office Careers and Fairfield Memorial Hospital and with Christopher Rural Health Planning.

            A resolution was adopted authorizing the permanent transfer of approximately $33,000 in interest earned in the Working Cash Fund to the General Fund.

            A resolution was adopted authorizing inter-fund loans during the 2019 fiscal year, with the loans to be repaid to the original fund within one year.

           A public hearing on the community college district budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018 was set for Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at the hour of 7:00 p.m., at Lincoln Trail College, Robinson, Illinois.  The tentative budget will be available for public inspection at the District Business Office, 233 East Chestnut Street, Olney, on or after Wednesday, August 8, 2018.

              A resolution was adopted to authorize certain expenditures from the Operations and Maintenance Fund, such as custodial salaries and utility bills.     

              Trustees conducted a semi-annual review of closed session minutes.  Under the Open Meetings Act, the board is required to examine closed session minutes at least twice a year.  The Board has not met in closed session during the past eighteen months.

            Jasmyne Lewis was employed as a Nursing Instructor located at Wabash Valley College, effective August 9th. Luke Harl was employed as Coordinator of Accreditation Compliances and Academic Services at the District Office effective July 2th. Lauren Schambach was employed as Administrative Assistant at the District Office effective July 2nd and Paul Zeilstra Jr. was employed as Technology Support Specialist for the District Office effective August 15th. 

  A change in status was approved for three current IECC employees.  Robert Conn from

Dean of Instruction at Wabash Valley College to Interim Chief Academic Officer at the District Office effective May 29th; Courtney Meadows from Assistant Program Director of Cosmetology, Olney Central College to Interim Program Director of Cosmetology, Olney Central College effective June 20th; and Erin Volk from Advisor at Lincoln Trail College to Coordinator of Advisement at Lincoln Trail College, effective June 20th.

A resignation ratification was approved for Linda Miller, Program Director of Cosmetology, Olney Central College effective May 31st, Amber Jared, District Office, effective June 30th,  and for Veronica Cox, Custodian/Groundskeeper, Frontier Community College, effective June 9th.

              Special Assignments were approved for fiscal year 2019 for all four colleges, including lead instructors, advisors, coordinators, managers, directors and some athletic personnel. 

         The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 7:00

p.m. at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel.

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MT. CARMEL ELKS LODGE #715 ANNOUNCES ESSAY WINNERS “WHY OUR VETERANS ARE AMERICA’S HEROES”

Students in grades 5th-8th in Wabash County were given the opportunity to participate in this year’s Americanism Essay Contest, “Why Our Veterans Are America’s Heroes,” sponsored by the Illinois Elks Association. Each Lodge throughout the State selected their “Top Three” essays from both divisions: Division I: 5th-6th grades; Division II: 7th-8th grades, which were then submitted to the District for judging. Each District winner was then submitted to the State for judging. State winners were announced during the May Elks State Meeting in Springfield. Over 200 essays were submitted at the local Lodge level. 1st-Place winners were awarded $50; 2nd-Place winners -$25; and 3rd-Place winners-$15. Each winner was awarded a Certificate of Merit. The Top 3 winning essays were submitted to the South Central District for District judging. Lodges in the South Central District include: Carmi, Centralia, Fairfield, Flora, Lawrenceville, McLeansboro, Mt. Carmel, Mt. Vernon, Olney, and Salem.

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman of the local Elks Lodge, was pleased to announce the local Lodge winners: Division I: 5th-6th grades: 1st Place-Madison Stevens, 2nd Place-Hallie Courter, 3rd Place-Kali Walker; Division II: 7th-8th grades: 1st Place-Molly Rafferty; 2nd Place-Carli Merritt; 3rd Place-Owen Dougherty. 1st Place winners were awarded $50; 2nd Place winners were awarded $25, and 3rd Place winners were awarded $15. Each of the winners was awarded a Certificate of Merit.

Molly Rafferty captured 1st Place in the 7th-8th Grade Division at District competition for which she received a $100 award and a Certificate of Merit.

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman, had the privilege to present awards to the students at St. Mary’s School who had winning essays. Pictured, left to right: St. Mary’s School Principal Cindy Grogan, Kali Walker (3rd-Place in 5th-6th grades), Molly …

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman, had the privilege to present awards to the students at St. Mary’s School who had winning essays. Pictured, left to right: St. Mary’s School Principal Cindy Grogan, Kali Walker (3rd-Place in 5th-6th grades), Molly Rafferty (1st-Place in 7th-8th grades & 1st-Place at District), Madison Stevens (1st-Place in 5th-6th grades), Louise Acree (Americanism Chairman.)

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman, was pleased to present an award to a student at Allendale School who had a winning essay in the Elks Lodge #715 entries. Hallie Courter was the 2nd-Place winner in the 5th-6th grade division. Pictured, left to rig…

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman, was pleased to present an award to a student at Allendale School who had a winning essay in the Elks Lodge #715 entries. Hallie Courter was the 2nd-Place winner in the 5th-6th grade division. Pictured, left to right: Louise Acree (Americanism Chairman), Hallie Courter, and Allendale School Principal Bob Bowser.

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman was honored to present awards to the students at the Mt. Carmel Junior High School who had winning essays in the Elks Americanism Essay Contest. Pictured, left to right: Louise Acree (Americanism Chairman), Carli M…

Louise Acree, Americanism Chairman was honored to present awards to the students at the Mt. Carmel Junior High School who had winning essays in the Elks Americanism Essay Contest. Pictured, left to right: Louise Acree (Americanism Chairman), Carli Merritt (2nd-Place in 7th-8th grade), Owen Dougherty (3rd-Place in 7th-8th grade), and Mt. Carmel Junior High School Principal Steve Holt.

MT. CARMEL ELKS LODGE #715 CONGRATULATES PHYSICAL THERAPY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT JAYLA SCHWARZLOSE

The judging process has been completed for the 2018-19 Illinois Physical/Occupational Therapy Scholarship and the Physical/Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. The Mt. Carmel Elks Lodge #715 is proud to announce that the Illinois Children’s Care Corporation has awarded a Physical/Occupational Therapy Scholarship in the amount of $500 to Jayla Schwarzlose of West Salem, IL, who is a recent 2018 graduate of Edwards County High School.

Jayla is currently attending summer classes at Wabash Valley College where she will continue next Fall as a full-time student. Following graduation from WVC, Jayla plans to attend the University of Evansville to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. She is the daughter of Pamela and David Schwarzlose of West Salem, and is one of five children. In commenting on her reason for choosing Physical Therapy as her career, Jayla said that she has always been interested in Physical Therapy and has had several family members who have needed Physical Therapy.

Over 85 years ago the Elks of Illinois recognized the special needs of physically challenged children. In addition to direct assistance for children, the Illinois Elks became aware of the growing need for physical therapists to help children with disabilities. Since 1970 the program has provided financial aid to college students in the physical therapy field. In 1992 this scholarship program was expanded to include the field of occupational therapy. The intervening years have seen the program grow from two applicants in 1970 to over 250 applicants in recent years. Recent years have seen over 140 students receiving assistance each year.

This is a HIGHLY COMPETITIVE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM for students currently enrolled in/or planning on entering the Physical or Occupational Therapy fields. No affiliation with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is required. The evaluation basis includes: Academic Qualifications, Financial Need, and Personality and Desire. Awards for applicants include: Freshmen and Sophomores-$500; Juniors up to 2-Year Graduates-$800 - $3,000. Students are eligible for up to six years of awards.

 

 

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Photo Caption: Jayla Schwarzlose is congratulated by Louise Acree, Scholarship Chairman for the Mt. Carmel Elks Lodge #715, for being selected as a recipient of a 2018-19 Illinois Physical/Occupational Therapy Scholarship in the amount of $500 from the Illinois Children’s Care Corporation. Jayla will be enrolled as a full-time student at WVC in the Fall Semester. After graduating from WVC, she will transfer to the University of Evansville to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy.