Despite the sweltering heat, the Wabash County Health Department is gearing up for flu season. Administrator Judy Wissel told county commissioners Monday their drive thru flu clinic will be October 4th at the public utility fleet garage. Wissel said the health department is also working with the Wabash County Community Health Center to plan an additional clinic in October or November for flu and COVID vaccines. She said the date will depend on when the new COVID vaccine arrives at the health department. Again this year, the health department will be visiting local businesses to administer flu shots along with helping the Edwards County Health Office with their flu clinic.
Trailer Park Dispute Results In Arrest Of Mt. Carmel Woman
On 8/22/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Doreen K. Powell, age 44, of Mt. Carmel for Aggravated Assault. Police were called to the T.P. Trailer Park to investigate a claim that Powell had threatened physical harm to a neighbor while holding a 2 x 4 with screws protruding from it. It was alleged that Powell had returned to the neighboring trailer due to a recent dispute. When the alleged victim called 911 Powell dropped the piece of wood and returned home. An uninvolved witness confirmed the allegations and that Powell made statements of wanting to hurt the other party as she walked to their trailer. Powell was placed under arrest and transported to the Wabash County Jail where she was charged and held pending the posting of bond.
Shoplifting Investigation Leads To Meth Possession Charge For Mt. Carmel Woman
On 8/23/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Karabeth Edmondson, age 44, of Mt. Carmel for Possession of Methamphetamine following an incident at Casey’s in the 400 block of W 9th Street. Police were called to the scene by an employee who suspected Edmondson of shoplifting. Officers made contact with Edmondson when leaving the store at which time she admitted to taking items without payment. As she began removing items from her purse the arresting officer observed a chap stick tube that contained a clear bag of a white crystalized substance inside a cellophane wrapper. The officer believed the substance to be methamphetamine which Edmondson acknowledged and a field test later confirmed. Edmondson was placed under arrest and transported to the Wabash County Jail where she was charged accordingly and held pending a bond setting by a judge. Charges regarding the retail theft are pending. MCPD was assisted by the Wabash County Sheriff’s Office.
MCPD Releases Statement On MCGS Incident
From Mt. Carmel Police Chief Mike McWilliams: On 8/24/23 at approximately 1215pm, Mt. Carmel Police responded to the Mt. Carmel Grade School regarding an out-of-control child that had walked out of the school and was allegedly hitting parked vehicles. Officers arrived to the scene and found numerous MCGS staff and administrators working to keep the involved child from stealing another child’s bike in an attempt to leave the property. Officers worked to keep the child from leaving property and the child’s guardian was already on scene and present. During this time, the child also attempted to start the guardian’s vehicle and attempt to drive away. A Wabash County Deputy and three MCPD officers worked to restrain and monitor the child as reasonably as possible to keep the child safe as did school staff.
Once a social worker that is involved with the child arrived, she worked with the guardian and child to deescalate the situation as best she could. Officers stood by until it was safe for the guardian to leave the scene and take him home. The child was not “thrown” by a law enforcement officer as indicated in a Facebook post; however, he was placed on the ground due to the unsafe behaviors exhibited. Body camera footage has been reviewed and illustrates these accusations to be completely exaggerated, if not completely false. Body camera footage has been reviewed by Wabash County States Attorney Kelli Storckman, who concluded no improper actions occurred. I welcome a meeting with the concerned party regarding their concerns over law enforcement actions; however, I will not discuss any matters involving District 348 actions.
Jury convicts Madigan’s longtime chief of staff on perjury, obstruction of justice charges
Tim Mapes was charged with lying to grand jury investigating Madigan and his inner circle
By HANNAH MEISEL
Capitol News Illinois
hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com
CHICAGO – A federal jury has convicted the once-top aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, finding Tim Mapes guilty on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury investigating Madigan and his inner circle.
The jury of six men and six women reached its verdict in a little more than five hours. Mapes, who spent more than 25 years as Madigan’s chief of staff, sat stone-faced between his attorneys at the defense table while Judge John Kness read the verdict Thursday afternoon. The obstruction of justice charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. His sentencing date was set for Jan. 10, 2024.
In the nearly three weeks of trial, the jury heard the entire two-plus hour recording of Mapes’ March 2021 grand jury testimony – proceedings normally kept totally secret. They also listened to hours of wiretapped calls that seemed to contradict what Mapes said in front of the grand jury.
About six weeks before his grand jury testimony, Mapes sat for an FBI interview in February 2021. During the trial, prosecutors hinted at the fact that Mapes ended the interview after agents broached the subject of Madigan and his close confidant Mike McClain. The FBI was interested in whether McClain, a longtime influential lobbyist in Springfield with whom Mapes also shared a friendship, acted as an “agent” of Madigan.
Shortly after Mapes’ FBI interview, he was subpoenaed for testimony in front of the grand jury, but roughly 10 days later, asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. In response, prosecutors requested the court put Mapes under an immunity order, meaning that in exchange for his truthful testimony, Mapes couldn’t be charged in the investigation.
However, the immunity order also meant that if Mapes lied while under oath, he could be charged. It was under those circumstances that Mapes entered the grand jury room in late March of 2021, where during those two hours of testimony, he was reminded three times of the stakes of lying under oath.
“For whatever reason in his heart and his mind, (Mapes) chose loyalty over the truth,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur said during closing arguments Wednesday.
Prosecutors used evidence and witnesses to establish for the jury an image of Mapes as both extremely meticulous and detail-oriented and extremely loyal to Madigan – both things Mapes was known for during his decades in Springfield.
In addition to serving as Madigan’s chief of staff, Mapes also worked for 20 years as executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois under Madigan’s chairmanship, and for the last seven years of his career, he was clerk of the Illinois House, keeping legislative session days moving in the manner the speaker wanted.
But all that came to an end on June 6, 2018, when Mapes was forced to resign from all three of his roles after being publicly accused of sexual harassment and bullying.
Mapes’ attorney, Andrew Porter, sought to poke holes in the government’s theory of motive during his closing arguments.
“Three years after (his forced resignation), why would Tim Mapes – who’s been immunized – why would he fall on the sword for a guy who kicked him to the curb three years before?” Porter asked the jury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz said during her closing arguments that Mapes had the opportunity to be a “star witness” in the government’s cases against Madigan and McClain. But Mapes’ attorneys balked at that assertion, casting the specific questions and answers for which Mapes was indicted as having to do with benign subjects that were “immaterial” to the grand jury’s criminal investigation.
At the time of Mapes’ grand jury interview, McClain had already been indicted on bribery charges for his role in a purported yearslong scheme involving his biggest and longest-running client, electric utility Commonwealth Edison. In May, McClain – along with two other ex-ComEd lobbyists and the utility’s former CEO – were convicted for their roles in a purported bribery scheme, through which Madigan allies were given jobs and contracts with ComEd in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield.
And even without Mapes’ cooperation, the feds managed to hit Madigan and McClain with bribery and racketeering charges last year. The March 2022 indictment – which was followed up by a smaller superseding indictment in October – alleges the two were instrumental in creating and running a criminal “enterprise” with Madigan in the center, benefitting from his positions of power in politics, state government and even his partnership in a real estate law firm. That trial is scheduled for April 2024.
Illinois heat wave is the latest of several weather extremes in the state
Dangerously high heat follows drought conditions earlier this summer
By ANDREW ADAMS
Capitol News Illinois
aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com
Illinois is roasting in triple digit temperatures this week, forcing the state and schools to cancel some outdoor activities and modify class schedules.
Every county in Illinois was under an excessive heat warning Thursday morning, with some areas expected to continue to be under advisory until at least Friday evening.
The heat index, a measure that combines air temperature with humidity, reached higher than 128 degrees in Galesburg Wednesday. Chicago’s O’Hare airport recorded an air temperature of 98 degrees, the highest temperature for Aug. 23 since 1947, according to the National Weather Service. The heat index there peaked at 116, just two degrees shy of the record high that came during Chicago’s infamous 1995 heat wave.
“Exposure to extreme heat can cause serious health complications, including heat exhaustion and heatstroke,” IDPH Director Sameer Vohra said in a Tuesday news release. “With dangerously high temperatures and humidity in the forecast, I urge everyone to take precautions and protect themselves and their families from overheating and heat related illnesses.”
Vohra added that very young children, pregnant people, older adults and those with chronic health conditions should be particularly wary.
IDPH issued several guidelines to protect against heatstroke and heat exhaustion, including seeking air-conditioned areas like shopping malls or libraries during the day, wearing lightweight and light-colored fabrics and reducing strenuous and outdoor activities, particularly between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
People experiencing body temperatures above 103 degrees, difficulty breathing, elevated heart rate, skin that is hot to the touch, dizziness, nausea or disorientation should call 911 immediately, IDPH advised.
The state’s emergency management agency also updated its website to point to a list of “cooling centers” around the state compiled by an interagency group, although as of Thursday afternoon the webpage does not list any cooling centers south of Urbana.
The state also canceled several upcoming outdoor events, including the Du Quoin State Fair parade which was scheduled for Friday evening.
“With forecasts projecting a high of 100 degrees and heat indexes between 111 and 117 degrees, we feel canceling the parade is in the best interest of our parade participants,” Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said in a Wednesday news release. “This is not to take away from people enjoying the fair safely, but to avoid a clustering of families along the parade route and parade participants in costumes and uniforms from overheating.”
The Department of Agriculture, which manages the fair in Du Quoin, also canceled Thursday’s Illinois Product Farmers Market in Springfield due to the heat.
Other state agencies have also had to adjust to protect workers from the heat, including the Department of Transportation. A department spokesperson said that, in addition to monitoring for pavement buckling, state crews and some contractors have had to adjust their work schedules to avoid the hottest part of the day.
Communities across Illinois are also being forced to alter school schedules to accommodate the heat.
Schools in Champaign-Urbana canceled class Thursday. Champaign’s school district reported “major failures” at two of their largest school campuses. In northern Illinois, Maple Park schools closed, citing “extremely challenging” circumstances for drivers and students on buses.
Beyond academics, schools have also canceled and modified plans for athletic events.
While the Illinois High School Association, which sets rules for high school athletics, does not track changes to athletic events during the regular season, IHSA spokesperson Matt Troha told Capitol News Illinois the heat has had a “significant impact” on IHSA sports.
IHSA requires schools to move practices and games indoors or cancel then if the “wet bulb globe” temperature exceeds 89.9 degrees. Wet bulb globe temperature combines air temperature, sun exposure, humidity and wind.
While the IHSA does not require schools to let them know of changes to athletic schedules, Troha noted that the association was anecdotally aware of many games being moved to later times of day or to different days.
Natural disasters bring federal aid
Before this week’s record heat, much of Illinois experienced severe drought conditions from May through July, with the peak of the drought coming in June.
This led to the federal Department of Agriculture to issue a series of disaster designations. The designations, which are centered on McDonough, McHenry and Mercer counties, are a follow-up to a previous set of disaster designations from earlier this season. The classification allows the USDA to provide emergency loans to farmers recovering from the droughts.
“While we are seeing improvement in drought conditions across the state, we know that crops and livestock have been impacted,” Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II, said in a news release Wednesday announcing the designations.
Jeff Kirwan, a farmer in Mercer County and board member of the Illinois Farm Bureau, said the droughts have negatively impacted crops in Illinois.
“Especially in June, that’s the most stressful time for farmers,” Kirwan said. “We had a good crop, but then it didn’t rain.”
Kirwan later added that overall, he expects the corn and soybean crop to be around average, although some farmers in areas hit hardest by drought may struggle more.
“The emotion that goes with that was extremely unsettling, very stressful," he said of the recent drought.
In addition to the heat wave and drought, Illinois has also seen several damaging storms and the most tornadoes of any state so far this year.
A series of severe storms and flooding between June 29 and July 2 also drew the attention of the federal government, with President Joe Biden approving federal assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This assistance will go to individuals and businesses in Cook County and can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-interest loans to cover property losses.
“Residents and businesses, especially those on the West Side of Chicago who were most brutally hit, are now able to access additional resources necessary to rebuild and revitalize, and I know Cook County will build back stronger than ever,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in an August 15 news release.
Chicagoans look to beat the heat at the Crown Fountain in downtown Millennium Park Thursday afternoon. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams)
MCGS Parents Notified Of Thursday Afternoon Incident
Parents/Guardians of Mt. Carmel Grade School students received this text this afternoon. No other information is available on the incident.
Wabash #348: MCGS Families, I want to inform you about an incident at MCGS this afternoon. MCPD were called to assist with a student. No other students were involved. Due to the the police presence and the timing of the event, students in recess (5th grade) were directed by supervisors to shelter in place in order to avoid the incident. Our school is committed to the safety and education of all our students and we also want to clearly communicate with parents about safety issues when they arise. Thank you.
Parent Brings Concerns To District #348 School Board
At Monday night’s Wabash District #348 school board meeting, parent Shelly Harris presented a list of concerns to board members. Among her concerns is the way parking passes are distributed at the high school. Harris said, under the current process, those with high grade point averages are given first crack at the most coveted parking spots. Harris said the experience can be humiliating for those with lower GPA’s…
Harris also said more needs to be done to let students and parents know about available academic assistance. Board president Tim Schuler told Harris her concerns would be looked into.
Vincennes Man Arrested for Operating Power Wheels Jeep while Impaired
Knox County – Wednesday night, August 23, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Trooper Buchanan was patrolling in the 2500 block of North 2nd Street in Vincennes when he observed a male operating a Power Wheels Jeep in the roadway. Trooper Buchanan stated the vehicle had no lights or reflectors and was difficult to see. The Power Wheels Jeep was stopped on 2nd Street and the driver was identified as John McKee, 51, of Vincennes. McKee displayed signs of impairment and failed field sobriety tests. Further investigation at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes determined McKee was under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana. He was arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail.
Arrested and Charge:
John McKee, 51, Vincennes, IN
Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated with a Prior Conviction, Level 6 Felony
Arresting Officer: Trooper Buchanan, Indiana State Police
Assisting Officer: Trooper Hurley, Indiana State Police
124 MPH On I-69 Earns Jail Trip For Indy Man
On August 22, 2023, at 7:03 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch relayed a message to all city and county units that a Pike County Officer was attempting to catch up with a vehicle that was traveling 124 mph on Interstate 69 near the 40 mile marker. Sgt. Loren Barchett located the vehicle driving 105 mph at the 22 mile marker. Sgt. Barchett and Deputy Logan Lashbrook approached the vehicle, a Black 2023 Fiat Alfa Romeo and detected the odor of Marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. At that point deputies began a roadside drug investigation. When the roadside investigation was complete the driver 21 year old Donavan Golder of Indianapolis was taken into custody and transported to the Gibson County Jail. Upon arriving at the Gibson County Jail Mr. Golder was charged with Possession of Marijuana over 30 grams with a Prior Conviction, Driving While Suspended Prior, and Reckless Driving. He has since posted a $650 bond.
Assisting Deputy Lashbrook and Sergeant Barchett in his investigation was Haubstadt Officer Bryan Munnier.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
