Mount Carmel Junior High School would like to congratulate the Aces of the Month. These students have been selected by MCJHS Staff as going above and beyond at the Junior High School. Congratulations go to 7th grade students, Treyvon Mitchell & Maddisyn Weir, and 8th grade student, Brayden Neikirk. Great job students and keep it up!!!
Circuit Judge William C. Hudson Visits Local Classrooms as Part of Illinois Judges Association Reading Project
In conjunction with the February celebration of the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, William C. Hudson was among the many Illinois judges to deliver a program to grade school students based on the popular children’s book by Martha Brenner, Abe Lincoln’s Hat. Judge Hudson delivered the program to students at Allendale Elementary School, Lancaster Christian School, Mt. Carmel Elementary School, and St. Mary’s School during the month of February.
A project of the Illinois Judges Association, the reading program is aimed at children in grades K-4 to encourage the appreciation, value and enjoyment of reading. Judges dressed in their black robes, made classroom appearances, and read the book and discussed its intersection with history and the law. The books were donated to the school libraries afterward.
“Too many school children are not reading at grade level,” said Hon. Mary Schostok, a justice in the Appellate Court, Second District, and former president of the Illinois Judges Association. “This reading deficiency affects student learning and contributes to the high school dropout rate. Our reading project is one small step which we hope will inspire young students to appreciate the value of books as they learn a little about history and our system of justice directly from a sitting judge.”
Surveys by the Annie E. Casey Foundation have found that a significant percentage of fourth-graders from low-income families are not reading at grade level. Further, children who are proficient readers by the end of third grade have a greater chance to graduate from high school and become economically self-sufficient adults.
Abe Lincoln’s Hat, an illustrated account of the adventures of our nation’s 16th President, reveals the secrets he stored in his tall, black hat. The book portrays Lincoln as an absent-minded frontier lawyer who nudged his memory by sticking letters, court notes, contracts, and even his checkbook inside his trademark top hat.
The project is the latest in a series of community programs undertaken by the Illinois Judges Association that include the IJA’s Page It Forward reading and tutoring program. Other IJA programs are “Courtroom in the Classroom,” a presentation that celebrates the U.S. Constitution, and “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” covering the legal and personal consequences of drinking and driving, taking drugs, and engaging in other unhealthy behaviors.
The Illinois Judges Association is a membership organization of 1,250 active and retired judges whose purpose is to foster public confidence in the independence of the judiciary, provide services and education to its members, and information about court operations to the public. Funding for the books was made possible by a grant from the Illinois Judges Foundation.
Mt. Carmel Man Picked Up On Franklin County FTA Warrant
03/18/2019-Mt. Carmel Police received a complaint of suspicious individuals in the 400 block of W. 5th Street. Police responded and located 22 year old Caleb M. Czak of Mt. Carmel. A records check revealed he was wanted on a failure to appear warrant out of Franklin County. Czak was arrested and transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was held pending the posting of bond.
Mt. Carmel Woman Charged With No Insurance & Driving Suspended
Mt. Carmel Police arrested 57 year old Geraldine M. Ansorage of Mt. Carmel after she was stopped for driving while suspended. Police observed her in the 1500 block of W. 9th Street and knew she was driving while her license was suspended. Ansorage was arrested and transported to the Wabash County Jail where she was cited for driving while license is suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Ansorage was held pending the posting of bond.
Driving Suspended Earns Mt. Carmel Woman Trip To Jail
03/19/2019-Mt. Carmel Police arrested 35 year old Jamie E. Goldman of Mt. Carmel after she was stopped for driving while suspended. Police observed her in the 100 block of W. 9th Street and knew she was suspended. Goldman was arrested and transported to the Wabash County Jail where she was cited for driving suspended. Goldman was released after posting bond.
Big Crowd Rallies For Gun Rights In Mt. Carmel
Hundreds of Wabash County gun owners turned out Monday night to what was dubbed a “2nd Amendment Town Hall Meeting”.
The evening featured remarks from State Senator Dale Righter and State Representative Darren Bailey who touched on proposed gun legislation in Springifeld and what gun owners can do to have their voices heard and rights protected.
The meeting was sponsored by illinoiscarry.com.
Allendale School Board Expands Sports Co-Op Agreement With St. Mary's
At the March 2019 Allendale School Board meeting held tonight in the cafeteria of Allendale School, the board:
Approved an athletic co-op between Allendale Elementary School and St. Mary’s School for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. The co-op will feature St. Mary’s hosting Softball and Girls Basketball, while Allendale will host Boys Basketball and Cheerleading. This is in addition to Baseball, Girls Cross Country, and Boys Cross Country that is already in place.
Re-employed the following tenured certified staff for the 2019-2020 school year:
Mr. Kyle Buss Mrs. Darlene Smith
Mrs. Tonia Hawf Mr. Nick Waldroup
Mrs. Diana Morgan Mrs. Brittany Weiss
Re-employed the following non-tenured certified staff for the 2019-2020 school year:
Mr. Bill Hudson Mrs. Brooklynn Lezon
Ms. Elizabeth Irelan Mrs. Dena Tarpley
Mrs. Audrey McGee
Re-employed the following support staff for the 2019-2020 school year:
Aides: Ellen Grounds, Michele Loeffler, Kila Garrett
Bus Drivers: Tom Jefferson and Doug Hawf
Cook: Karla McCowen
Custodian: Lee Campbell
Assistant Cook/Custodian: Vicky DeLong
Health Aide: Amanda Hershey
Secretary: Sarah Courter
Treasurer: Debbie Hipsher
Yearbook Sponsor: Brittany Weiss
Director of Student Activities & Complaint Manager: Nick Waldroup
Approved use of the building to the University of Illinois Extension Office for Kids in the Kitchen cooking school July 22-July 26.
Approved to not release the closed session verbatim minutes of August 15, 2018; November 21, 2018; December 19, 2018; January 16, 2019; February 20, 2019.
MCES Students Win Prizes
MCES held a drawing today for gifts for those students who missed 2 or fewer days in 3rd quarter. We had 142 students that qualified for the drawing, which is amazing with all the virus germs going around.
Pictured from left to right are: Harper Warnken, Benjamin Kullberg, Aiden Dunkel, Cade Tillotson, Kelsey Perry, Alyssa Sayge, Christian Dill, Connor Spore and Greyson Roberts. Not pictured is Arianna Glick.
IECC Board Of Trustees Meeting Recap
The Board of Trustees of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges met for the regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at Frontier Community College, Fairfield. The trustees and administration gave special recognition to Haylee Neuman, Student Trustee, and expressed appreciation for her service on the Board of Trustees during the past 12 months. She is a student at Frontier Community College and her term on the Board ended with the March meeting. She was presented a plaque in recognition of her service to the Board of Trustees and the IECC district. A new student trustee will be seated at the April Board meeting.
The Board approved acceptance of a bid received for student activities covered by the TRIO Upward Bound Grant Program, from Brightspark Travel.
A program to provide pharmacy delivery service to the college locations of maintenance medications for employees was approved.
Tuition rates were clarified for students who are employed in-district, but reside outside the IECC District.
Board approval was given for updates to guidelines for the Allied Health program that include test scores for admission ranking purposes, readmissions policy, and a cost recovery fee for required Allied Health program testing.
The Board approved initial negotiations for the sale of property located in Olney near the Olney Central College campus.
An affiliation agreement between the District and Oakview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Mt. Carmel was approved for the Basic Nurse Assistant Program at Wabash Valley College.
Employment was approved for Lindsey Buck as TRIO/Upward Bound Coordinator, located at OCC, effective March 25th.
Resignation ratifications were approved for Phillip Brooks, Workforce Education Instructor, effective June 1st, for Brenda Grove, Assistant Professor, LTC, effective March 4th, and for Destiny Stambaugh, Coordinator of Financial Aid, LTC, effective March 20th.
A retirement ratification was approved for Judith Hudson, Associate Professor, WVC, effective June 29th.
Next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, April 16, at 7:00 p.m. at Lincoln Trail College, Robinson.
Left to Right Dr. Andrew Fischer, Board Chairman, Haylee Neuman, Retiring Student Trustee, Terry L. Bruce, CEO
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE ANNOUNCES WABASH COUNTY ROADSIDE SAFETY CHECK RESULTS
Illinois State Police (ISP) District 19 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, announces the results of a Roadside Safety Check (RSC) held in Wabash County from late night 03/16/2019 to early morning 03/17/2019. District 19 Officers conducted the RSC at Illinois Route 15 and Southgate Drive in Mt. Carmel.
Violations Enforcement Activity
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Citations 0
Other Alcohol/Drug Citations 1
Occupant Restraint Offenses 1
Registration Offenses 5
Driver’s License Offenses 6
Insurance Violations 7
Total Citations/Arrests 11
Total Written Warnings 15
Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, and throughout the U.S., nearly 10,000 people die each year due to alcohol-impaired driving. RSCs are designed to keep our roads safe by taking dangerous DUI offenders off the road. This project was funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.