WHITE CO., Ill. - An Omaha resident is okay, but her vehicle isn't, and a deer may not be, after they were all involved in a collision this morning.

White County Sheriff's reports indicate that Kayla N. Weaver, 26, of Omaha, was driving her 2015 Dodge Journey northbound on Illinois Route 1 at White County Road 450N this morning (Thursday, March 9, at 7 a.m.) in Indian Creek Township when a deer ran out into the roadway.

The deer struck the vehicle on the right front portion.

Weaver was abel to drive the vehicle from the scene to her place of employment, but it was necessary to tow it from there.

Weaver was uninjured. No citations were issued, and there was no word of where the deer ended up.

WABASH/EDWARDS COs., Ill. - Illinois State Police (ISP) District 19 Commander, Captain Cory Ristvedt, announces the results of an Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrol (OREP) held in Wabash and Edwards counties during March.

This OREP provided extra patrol coverage for the ISP so officers could focus on saving lives by making sure all vehicle occupants were buckled up.

Most motorists know that safety belts save lives, but some ignore their safety and that of their families by neglecting to use safety belts and child restraint devices. These patrols reinforce the occupant protection message by focusing on those who ignore the law. Lives can be saved if people simply "buckle up!" This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Greg O'Neal

WHITE CO., Ill. - Sheriff's department reports indicate that a Crossville man has been jailed following a warrant arrest Thursday.

Information supplied by the White County Sheriff's Office shows that Gregory B. O'Neal, 47, of rural Crossville, was taken into custody by Illinois State Police yesterday (Thursday, March 9) at 8:27 p.m.

O'Neal, son of former and well-known White County Sheriff Jerry O'Neal, was picked up on warrants dating back to a 2015 case in which he was convicted of a Class 3 felony Possession of Meth less than 5 grams, and received 30 months probation, ordered to do 240 hours of public service, and ordered to pay fines and fees in the amount of $650, none of which have been paid.

A misdemeanor charge of Possession of Cannabis less than 2.5 grams was dismissed with the plea to the meth.

Sheriff's department documents don't show the circumstances under which O'Neal was arrested, nor exactly what it was for: Not paying fines and fees, not appearing for hearings, or another violation.

If we learn anything further, we'll post. Keep checking back...and be sure you pick up the current issue on stands now. With the latest attacks on real news online, many platforms are blocking or at least making it difficult to reach this page. The print version may be all you get in the future...so if you're not a subscriber, you might want to consider it. More information is available in my column this month, which is NOT available at the e-Edition due to the nature of it. So pick up a print version at one of our vendors today.

WHITE CO. – It’s not an “off” year for White County’s ballot, meaning that the cities and villages alike this election will be choosing their leaders on April 4.

Carmi

The city of Carmi is front and center, where Mayor Jeff Pollard is being challenged by Lance Yearby, after Pollard has had an embattled four years. While Pollard has made considerable advancements within the city of Carmi since 2013, including expanding businesses through such support systems as revolving loans and siting new businesses, detractors aren’t as positive, and seek to point out that Pollard has only enriched himself (he started a business – a small restaurant – and that’s where detractors choose to point). However, the fact is that any advancement is good for downstate Illinois towns where business is concerned, especially given the hideous economic climate the previous presidential administration exposed the various states to in the past eight years.

The Yearby squad has attempted to pick nits with Pollard over the most mundane things during the past two years or so, so his presence on the ballot isn’t too unexpected. But whether he will prevail or not remains to be seen.

There’s also a challenge on the ballot for city clerk: Brian K. Allen and Cynthia Attebury are facing off in that race.

Alderman candidates in Carmi are as follows: Ward One, Jack Bradshaw versus Sheila Jo Headlee; Ward Two, Doug Hays alone on the ballot; Ward Three, for a 4-year term, Doug Redman versus Steve Winkleman; and Ward Four, Tracy Nelson versus Keith Davis.

Burnt Prairie

The little village of Burnt Prairie on the far north portion of White will elect Carroll D. Dozier as their president, since Dozier is alone on the ballot.

There is no candidate in BP for clerk; Mary E. Short is on alone as candidate for treasurer.

There are three positions for 4-year terms as village trustee, but only one candidate, Jerry Rockett.

There are two positions for unexpired 2-year terms on the board of trustees…and no candidates, meaning there will be appointments as opposed to elected officials.

Crossville

There are no ballot challenges in the village of Crossville, meaning that mayor Henry Feldman will serve another term; and the three open positions on the board of trustees will have to see one person appointed, as there are only two on the ballot: Billie F. Mullins and Jeffrey R. Spencer, both of whom will be seated.

Enfield

In the village of Enfield, there’s a race for village president: Tom Harbour and Tim McGehee will be battling on the ballot for that office.

Deborah Stone is on the ballot alone for village clerk, so no contest there; same for village treasurer, which will be held by Angela Carter.

There are three 4-year terms for village trustee, but William M. Black IV is the only one on the ballot, so the rest will have to be appointed.

Maunie

The village of Maunie on the Wabash River has Matthew Pollard on the ballot for village president; Brittany Pollard on as clerk; and Donna Evans as treasurer.

Maunie is also blessed to have a full slate for three for village trustees: Wilma Burnett, Laurie Frashier, and Mark R. Frashier will be doing their civic duty in that respect.

Mill Shoals

In the village of Mill Shoals up in north White, Ronald Gray will hold the office of village president. There are no offices of clerk or treasurer. For the village board of trustees, three folks will hold four-year terms: Joshua D. West, Sheila M. Titzer and Sylvia Jean Murphy.

Norris City

In the village of Norris City, Roy A. Kissel will retain his office as mayor, as he’s running unopposed.

James Crouch will hold the office of village clerk.

Three 4-year terms are available on the board of trustees, and Joe Skaggs, Carl Whipple and Sue James will be taking those, as there are no other challenges.

Phillipstown

There is, however, a challenge for village president in the village of Phillipstown: Stan Maurer is challenged by Eric Henning for that position.

Julie Irwin is alone on the ballot for clerk.

And a full slate of four is on for Phillipstown trustees on the 4-year term side: Chad Whitley, Doyle Irwin, Justin Catlin and Ford Johnson will take those seats.

On the 2-year unexpired terms, there are two available and two running: Cindy Maurer and Kerri Whitley will claim those.

Springerton

In the village of Springerton, Curtis R. Rush will be president; and there are no other single offices, much like Mill Shoals.

However, three 4-year terms are on for village trustee, and those will be filled by Billy C. Harl, Christopher York and Matt Lydick.

New Haven

The village of New Haven sits in part in White and in part in Gallatin; this material was covered in Gallatin’s ballots article, but here they are again: A contest for village president in New Haven has emerged, and that’s between Kevin J. Edmonds and Amy Lashley. As well, there’s a contest for clerk, between Erin Gmerek and Riley Wiggins.

Village treasurer will be claimed by Cathy Duffy.

Terra Abell, Zella Medlin and Brigitte Browning will take the three available trustee seats.

Townships

In the various townships in White, there are few races but, admirably, few blank spots on the ballots.

Mill Shoals Township kicks off the list, with Linda South to take the office of supervisor, Stephanie Taylor will be in as clerk, and Dennis Woodrow as highway commissioner.

Four are on the ballot for four trustee positions; those are Harlan Dozier, Ricky South, Mark Sefton and Bill Terrell.

In Burnt Prairie Township, Sheila Westfall will be supervisor, Marcy Fechtig will be clerk, and Alan Williams, highway commissioner.

Four candidates will fill the four trustee positions: Tim Hunsinger, Dennis Heil, Brandon Barbre and Ben Vaupel.

Enfield Township has challenges in the trustee positions, for those that are attempting to fill the 4-year terms: Bill Williams, Scot Weiss, Zach Cushman, Chris Mitchell, Karen McKinney, Heather Smith and John Gunter are all on the ballot for those terms. 

A face-off for highway commissioner is also on the ballot in Enfield Township: Jonathan Anderson and Joe Allen are seeking that office.

Otherwise in Enfield Township, J. Bryan Williams will be supervisor and Ronnie York, clerk.

In Carmi Township, the main offices are single-name features on the ballot: Pam Deig will be supervisor, and Jack I. Martin, clerk; however, there is no name on the ballot for township assessor.

However, the challenges come in with the office of highway commissioner. Jason Draper and Chris McEwing both are running for this.

And then in the township trustee race, there are four positions with six running: Rod Matsel, Mike Baxley, David Hall, Tim Scates, John Romig and Kim Egbert seek those seats.

Indian Creek Township has Kern L. Doerner on the ballot as the lone name for supervisor; Virginia Bryant Norton as clerk; and James Hoskins as highway commissioner. There is a position for township assessor, but no candidate. For the offices of trustees – four seats available – David L. Spence, Luther R. Johnson, Nancy Hill and Jeromy Johnson are on the ballot.

Gray Township, located in northeast White, has no ballot battles.

JD Horton will be supervisor; Janet Woolever will take clerk; and Bill Baxter will be highway commissioner. There is no candidate for township assessor. On the board of trustees, Charles Seifried, Roy Woolever, Paul Bova and Bill Waggoner will carry the four seats.

Hawthorne Township has no challenges: Susan Wenzel will be supervisor, Cynthia J. Attebury will be clerk, and Jeff Kisner will be highway commissioner. Trustees will be Arthur Ackerman, Douglas Ackerman, Don Duvall and Kent Williams.

Down in Heralds Prairie Township, the story is the same: Andrea Hays will be supervisor, Carolyn Williams will be clerk, and Scott Hoskins, highway commissioner.

The township board of trustees will be made up of the four running for the four positions available: Lyndel Chapman, Barry Rynkeiwich, Charles E. Mick and David K. Hays.

There’s a bit of a challenge in Phillips Township, this for the board of trustees, where four will be seated but five are competing: Cindy Hodgson, Terry Oeth, Brad Cox, Nicholas Combs and Ruth Ridenour are the candidates. Otherwise, in Phillips, Diana Campbell is on as township supervisor, Riley Matz as clerk, Denny Coston as highway commissioner, and there is no candidate for assessor.

Emma Township has a set of challenges, the first being for highway commissioner. The choice is between Andrew Holtzclaw and David Delong for that office.

Then, for the township board of trustees, four will be selected from a heavy field: Terry Frashier, Thomas Scates, James Pumphrey, Davy L. Miller, Willam Shockley, Helen (Jo) Allen and Jessica Wooten are giving voters choices for that board.

Otherwise, Gidget Wagner will be supervisor, and Laurie Frashier, clerk.

There are two multi-township assessment districts, but no candidate in Mill Shoals-Burnt Prairie-Enfield. However, for the Emma-Hawthorne-Heralds Prairie district, William Gary Baxley is on the ballot alone, and will take the office as assessor as a result.

Library, schools

One library district will be on the ballot this time, and that’s Norris City’s; Alice Sutton and pat Anderson will fill those two 6-year terms.

There are some school district overlaps, and the first available on the ballot in White is that of New Hope in south Wayne; voters will get to elect Nate Carter, Jason Simpson and Daniel Devous for three of four members of the school board there.

Fairfield Community High School’s district also overlaps into White, and voters there will find Tony Conrad on their ballot for an unexpired 2-year term; and on the 4-year terms, Scott A. Merkle in the incorporated area, and Jeremy Carter, Dana Gilbert, Rebecca August and Brent Ellis in the unincorporated areas.

As mentioned in the Edwards County ballot material, there are no candidates for the waning Grayville CUSD.

At Norris City-Omaha-Enfield (NCOE), Bart Henson, Mike Hite, Karen Weiss, Joe Lane and Scott Riggs will be on White’s ballot for school board.

Gallatin County does have overlap in white, and voters there will fine Richard Case, Rob M. Wood and Gary Clayton on their ballots.

And finally, Carmi-White County CUSD 5 has on the ballot four people seeking three seats for 4-year terms: Kent “Pete” Fulkerson, Lee Hicks, Kelli M. Chapman and Marcie Hoskins.

White County is taxed for Illinois Eastern Community College’s District, Rend Lake College’s District, and Southeastern Illinois College’s District, so the names for those will appear on the ballots, and there are no challenges.

The Regional Board of School Trustees in Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White will be selected in White, with Larry E. Peterson, Les Oyler, John Metcalf, Fred Blessing, Tim Scates, Patrick Abell and Suzanne Dutton facing no challenges for the full board.

This was the scene at the Union Hall in McLeansboro in April of 2014, when a huge number of people showed up in opposition of the rezoning proposition that may have been what prompted several races in and around McLeansboro and possibly throughout Hamilton County.

HAMILTON CO. – In Hamilton County, the ballot situation is much like that in Edwards: Every municipality and village will be electing representatives, just like townships and other public boards.

This differs from some locales, such as Harrisburg in neighboring Saline County, which is off by two years from the local municipalities that are experiencing the elections, a fact that makes things a lot easier for county clerks in ballot prep.

McLeansboro

This, however, is the first year for elections in McLeansboro since the failed attempt three years ago to re-zone areas both within and outside the city limits, which attempt cause a huge backlash and forced the council at the time to withdraw the proposal as something that might work in a place the size of St. Louis…but which is ridiculous in a place the size of McLeansboro

That attempt is likely what has prompted the ballot contests nearly across the board in the city.

The big race is for mayor, wherein long-time mayor Dick Deitz is being challenged by Rodney Hart this year. Deitz has been unbeatable in contests past; however, many are hoping that memories of the voting populace aren’t short, and that the attempt three years ago to impose zoning restrictions on people who aren’t taxpayers in McLeansboro might translate to votes for Hart from those within McLeansboro who are.

The real problem back in 2014, however, with the re-zoning proposal came from the city clerk, Fred Vallowe, who, citizens discovered, was the one pushing for the idea. And no one is running against him for clerk, so he’ll retain his seat.

Sharon Ingram as city treasurer is unchallenged.

There’s a huge field for alderman in Ward 1, however. One person is to be selected from five: Billy Glenn, Tom Maulding, Rodney Campbell, Stevan R. Lapington and Robert Scott. Voters are urged to consider who  has the city’s interests in mind, or whether a candidate is running simply because the powers-that-be want to ensure there’s presence on the board that will abide by suggestions such as the re-zoning effort that caused so much disruption.

In Ward 2, James P. Mason is running unopposed.

There is a contest in Ward 3: Dale Biggerstaff and Richard Lasswell.

Belle Prairie

In the village of Belle Prairie, there are no contested offices, but at least there are people willing to fill them.

Jerry D. McGill will be village president; Sara Grubb, village clerk. Kenneth Grubb will take the office of treasurer, and Charles G. Reyling, village trustee in the only open seat on that board.

Broughton

While the office of mayor is unchallenged, and David R. Essary will be seated in the village of Broughton, there is a contest of sorts for village clerk.

Carolyn Pruitt is on the ballot, but a write-in space has been made available, which, depending on how many Broughton voters turn out and use the option, might lean the contest away from the listed candidate.

There’s a similar situation for the office of village trustee, wherein there are four available seats, but only two on the ballot – Lisa Essary and Tina Barker – but also a write-in spot, which will make things interesting in Broughton on election night.

Dahlgren

In the village of Dahlgren, Steve Wilkerson will be mayor; Sueann Wilkerson will be village clerk; and two are seeking two of the three available positions for village trustee: Brandon Reyling and Steve Drenner. There is no write-in space available, so the third will have to be appointed.

There are no candidates on the ballot for a single office of library trustee for the Dahlgren Library District; that position will have to be appointed.

Macedonia

In the village of Macedonia, Hobert Campbell Jr. will be seated as mayor as he’s alone on the ballot.

The offices of clerk and treasurer are not elected offices, so there is no ballot spot for those. There are three seats for 4-year terms on the village board, however, so Aaron Miller, Jimmie Ray Harrelson and Kevin Vaughn will be seated as trustees.

Ralph Billington is on the ballot for a single 2-year unexpired term as trustee.

Townships

There are very few contests for Hamilton County township offices, but there are at least candidates to fill most offices.

In Beaver Creek Township, Jason R. Woodrow will be supervisor, Sean York will be clerk, and Vuel York will be highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, four seats will be filled by four candidates: Steve Braden, Jake Welch, Nathan Birkner and Luke Thomas.

In Crook Township, Sharon Wilson will be supervisor, and Peggy Vaupel will be 

clerk.

However there is a race for highway commissioner: Wilburn E. Wheeler faces Kyle Poore for that position.

Trustees will be Bernard Mitchell, Alan Thompson, Randy Barnett and Brad Miller.

In Crouch Township, Jackie Rubenacker will be supervisor, Kenneth Grubb will be clerk, and Alan Wellen will be highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, it’s four for four, with Richard Hatfield, Ronnie Webb, Dwayne L. Smith and James M. Allen will be seated.

Dahlgren Township has one race, and that’s for highway commissioner: Ronald Winternheimer and James C. Shelton both seek that office. Otherwise, John S. Ewald will be supervisor, and Aaron M. Perryman will be clerk. Four will be selected for trustee on the board, and those will be John. W. Rapp, Mark S. Miller, Rodney L. Trotter and David B. Gage.

Highway commissioner is also a popular office in Flannigan Township: Richard Flannigan and Loyd Darnell are both seeking that office there. For township supervisor, Mark McDaniel is alone on the ballot, as is Trey McDaniel for clerk. Flint B. Taylor, Frank Roper, Brian Magsig and Winston Maxwell will all be seated as trustees.

There’s also a race for township clerk in Knight’s Prairie Township – Bret Webb and Chuck Hart are contending for that. Further, the office of highway commissioner is being sought by two: Tony Steele and Tad Ziehm.

Four will be selected from the field of five in Knight’s Prairie for the board of trustees: Phillip Payne, Sam Myers, Chad Erwin, Matt Schilling and Jim Bowling.

Lewis Winemiller will be seated as supervisor, as he’s the only one in Knight’s Prairie alone on the ballot. 

In Mayberry Township, there are no challenges for any of the offices, but there’s at least a full slate with no blanks. Michael S. Simpson will be supervisor; Anna Lee Short, clerk, and Charles R. Healy, highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, Roy Clark, Stewart Phelps, Tyler Sidwell and Donna Brinkley will be seated.

McLeansboro Township is one of the few where there is a blank, for that of township assessor. Otherwise, Clydus Gray will take the supervisor position; Richard H. Woods, clerk; and Bob Drake, highway commissioner. On the board of trustees, these candidates will be seated: Kyle Ingram, Rebecca Sue Cross, Jamie Ellis and Dennis Johnson.

South Crouch Township has no contests: Dennis “Doc” Lynch will be supervisor; Virginia Rubenacker, clerk, and Troy Rubenacker, highway commissioner. The board of trustees will be Dustin Parmley, Brenda Thomas, Darin Webb and Kenneth Waier.

South Flannigan Township has the same situation: Cindy Thompson will be supervisor, Bruce Adkisson will be clerk, Shannon McFarland, highway commissioner. James E. Sullivan, Gary E. Thompson, Bruce D. Christian and Lucas Adkisson will compose the board of trustees.

They’re short a candidate for South Twigg Township board of trustees, but a write-in spot might take care of the matter: James H. Davis Jr., Steven Douglass and Sarah Davis are otherwise on the ballot for that board. Bryan Logan O’Neal will be supervisor; Mary Kaye Davis, clerk; and George H. Logan Jr., highway commissioner.

In Twigg Township, there’s interest in the board of trustees, where six seek four seats: Shane Barker, Rex Hall, Sherry Henderson, James Parker, Cal Muehlenbein, and JR Lee are on the ticket.

There’s also a contest for highway commissioner in Twigg; Jeffery T. Wheeler and Randall D. Price face off for that.

Otherwise, Ron Smith will be supervisor; and Vickie Muehlenbein, clerk, in Twigg.

There are no candidates for any of the multi-township assessor positions.

Library district and 

school district overlaps

Other library districts with overlaps in Hamilton will have some candidates on the ballot.

Eldorado Memorial Public Library District, Galatia Public Library District, and Norris City Memorial Public Library District will each have trustees on some of HamCo’s ballots; not all, however.

In school districts, Akin Community Consolidated Grade School District 1 has three 4-year terms available: David Shelton, Jeff Wilkerson and James Mark Genet seek those.

Eldorado Community Unit School District (CUSD) 4 will choose Austin Bradley, David Bartok, Ron Bradley and Keith Oglesby for the board of education there.

Galatia CUSD 1 will select Robert J. Pigg and Elaine Jackson on their overlap in Hamilton.

Hamilton County CUSD 10, however, has a contest: four 4-year terms are being sought by Jeff Lueke, Danny Anselment, Clint W. Ragan, Bob Gray, Chris Howton, Francis E. Benbrook and C. Devan Welch, along with one write-in spot, are all on the ballot.

Norris City-Omaha-Enfield (NCOE) CUSD 3 is an overlap, and four can be voted upon by those Hamilton County residents who find it on their ballots: Bart Henson, Mike Hite, Karen Weiss, Joe Lane and Scott Riggs.

Thompsonville CUSD 174 will be on some HamCo ballots, with Natalie K. Dixon, Michael A. Miller, Krista McFarland Shelby and John Bush up for four 4-year terms.

Wayne City CUSD 100 will be on north Hamilton ballot, and four of six will be chosen: Brandon Thomason, Kirk Barnard, Asley Musgrave, Teresa White, Clinton Lane and Michael Ehrhart are the six.

At Benton Consolidated High School District 103 on the ballots of those in west Hamilton, three will be chosen from four: Robin S. LaBuwi, Mark D. Minor, Ronald E. Slayton and Mark Franklin.

Hamilton is in Illinois Eastern Community College’s taxing District, as well as Rend Lake’s and Southeastern Illinois Community College’s districts, so trustees for those will be on overlapping ballots.

The Regional Board of School Trustees covers Hamilton, with John Metcalf from their county joining Larry E. Peterson, Les Oyler, Fred Blessing, Tim Scates, Patrick Abell and Suzanne Dutton on the ballot.

A diversion here is the Regional Board of School Trustees for points further south and west from HamCo: Franklin, Johnson, Massac and Williamson, where Louis I. Parker, Wesley D. Lehman, David Goss and Shawn Tuthill are on the ballot.

Fire and water

At the end or Dahlgren’s ballot will be trustees to be seated for Dahlgren Fire District, Micheal Hart and Sueann Wilkerson.

And there’s an Akin Water District for those with an Akin ballot, and seven are on for seven slots on that board: James Sullivan, CL Carlile, Gaylen Jackson, Jason Bennett, Derek Johnson, Dennis Summers and Dennis Clark.

LAWRENCE CO. – A bad case of apathy has unfortunately settled on Lawrence County over the past couple of years, and that reflects on this election season’s ballots in the county’s cities, villages, townships and other boards and councils.

Lawrenceville

No one is challenging anyone in the city of Lawrenceville for any office.

But at least there are people running for office.

Mayor Don Wagner, who has held the office for the past four years after the dismal eight that former mayor and now-felon Brian Straub inflicted on the town, will once against be seated as mayor, facing no opposition to the office.

City clerk James Rodney Nolan will retain the position of city clerk.

Tommy Vaught will be the city’s treasurer.

In the various Wards 1 through 4, the aldermen will be, in order, Wendell Stevens, Ron Waldrop, David Courtney, Janice Holcomb and Leslie Ann Howder.

Bridgeport

The city of Bridgeport, by contrast, has a three-way ballot for mayor, with the outgoing mayor, Brad Purcell, not running.

Instead, there are a new batch, and not a bad one at that.

Michael Crask, who had served a number of years on the Bridgeport city council, is hoping to make a return – as mayor. Crask was one whose adherence to the law in past years (namely, 2012) was in large part responsible for calling attention to the little idiotic mistakes former mayor/now federal convict Max Schauf was making, which mistakes (like holding meetings on holidays, thus nullifying decisions made at the meetings…which included issuing a liquor license…which is what ultimately drew Schauf to the attention of the feds) were Schauf’s undoing.

Joining Crask on the ballot is Jason Thacker, who ran against Schauf in 2005, and whose wife, Lori, was city clerk for awhile (during Schauf’s first term  and both of whom were definitely against the pathetic way Schauf was running the town.

Then there’s Lawrence County board member Bill Gray, who has also run for mayor in the past and was defeated.

As if to underscore the whole thing, Lori Thacker is back on the ballot, to reprise her role as city clerk. Challenging her is Jessica Zellars.

For treasurer, the two-way is between Bonnie Griffin and Tammy Tate.

Running unopposed in the Wards are: Michael Dawson for a 4-year term in Ward 1; former county deputy Hal Pargin for a 2-year unexpired term in Ward 1; Ldora “Button” Laughlin, for a 4-year term in Ward 2; and Tyler Griffin for a 4-year term in Ward 2.

Sumner

There’s also a mayoral contest in the city of Sumner.

Mayor Gary Hutchinson is being challenged by former mayor Betty Brian. There’s not been much griping out of Sumner since Hutchinson took office four years ago; however, there was a LOT of griping when Brian was in office, so it’s anticipated that Sumner residents will vote carefully.

Blanche Piper is the only candidate for city clerk; there is no candidate for city treasurer, so that position will have to be appointed by the new council.

In the various Wards, Brent Perrott will retain his seat in Ward 1; Dennis Kimmel will be seated in Ward 2; and Jed Brian will be seated in Ward 3; each of those are 4-year terms.

St. Francisville

The office of mayor isn’t challenged in the city of St. Francisville: Only Anthony Moyes Jr (known as TJ) will be named to that office.

Perennial city clerk Terri Wease will be city clerk for the nth term (Wease has been clerk since before Disclosure was in existence, and likely knows where ALL the skeletons are hidden there.)

Jeffrey J. Tussy is alone on the ballot for treasurer as is Jamie Tussey for alderman in Ward 1.

There appears to be a couple of challenges in the other wards, though: David Deckard in Ward 2 appears to have a challenge in the form of Lee J. Campbell as a write-in (the ballots themselves weren’t available when Disclosure picked up election paperwork, just a candidate’s list, so the word “appears” is used judiciously here.)

And then the other contest in St. F is for Ward 3 alderman, which is a face-off between incumbent Carolyn Hoh and challenger Carla Moyes.

Russellville

There’s a full slate for the village of Russellville; just…no challenges.

Heather Blasingame will be mayor; Julie Harrington, cler.

Three will be seated as aldermen: Betty Shultz, John Pierson and Stephen Auteberry.

Townships

Allison Township has the full slate/no challenges situation: Keith Kocher will be supervisor, Brenda Weiler will be clerk; and Darryl Robinson will be road commissioner.

There are four trustees positions open, and four running: Roseann M. Cogdill, Anne Horrall, Bill Kocher and Bonnie Kocher.

And there is a multi-township assessor position open for Allison-Denison, but no candidates.

In Bond Township, Patty Wesley will be supervisor; Billie Taylor, clerk.

There is a challenge for road commissioner: Eric Shroyer and Jeff Mumaw are on the ticket for that office.

Four seats on the board of trustees in Bond are being sought by seven candidates: Byrl Taylor, Wilma Shroyer, Ashley Medlen, Brad Blomgren, Keeley L. Meek, Russell Morris and David Miller.

There’s only one candidate for the multi-township assessor that covers Petty-Bond-Russell, and that’s Virgil L. Potts.

Bridgeport Township will have the perpetually-disagreeable Gary A. Huber as their township supervisor with apparently no one else daring to go up against the guy.

Lisa A. Lemeron will be township clerk.

Stevan J. Moore will be road commissioner.

Four will be seated as township trustee, but there are five running. The candidates are Dee Jennings, Justin Sherer, Jeff Lynn, Donald Heath and William W. Gray Jr.

There is no candidate for the office of Bridgeport Township assessor.

In Christy Township, Karen Ulrich will be supervisor, with Jenny L. Roark as clerk, since they have no challengers.

However, there’s a three-way race for road commissioner: Lee W. Bridwell, Michael Brian and Charles Roark are seeking that office.

And the interest is high for Christy Township trustee; there are four seats available, and seven candidates: Dave Ulrich, Deon Ulrich, Donald Bridwell Jr., Tony R. Clark, Thomas Wehrheim, Ryan K. Roark and Stephanie Roark.

There are no candidates for the multi-township assessor position covering Christy-Lukin.

Denison Township will see Charles Burns as supervisor, Daniell Padgett as clerk, and Ryan Red Moyes as road commissioner.

Six candidates seek the four seats on the board of trustees: Michael Floyd, Dora Glenn, AJ Mushrush, Sue Tillotson, John R. Clark and Tim York.

There are no candidates for multi-township assessor for Allison-Denison.

Surprisingly, there are no challengers for most of the offices in Lawrence Township. The board of trustees will have a one-out, as there are four seats and five candidates, the closest thing to a challenge in the township: Jeff Grove, Terry Goff, Debbie Shoulders, Traci Ladson and Doug York will battle for the votes for a seat on the board.

Otherwise, Jenny Shick Chapman will be supervisor; Greg Lewis, clerk; Bill Shick, road commissioner.

There is one candidate for township assessor, and that’s Chris Winkles.

In Lukin Township, there are no challenges at all: Diana Floyd will be supervisor; Dinah Jackman, clerk; and Larry Jackman, road commissioner.

Jay Dee White, Jeff Correll, Robert Ulrich, and Chris Jackman will be seated as township trustees.

There are no candidates for multi-township assessor in Lukin-Christy.

Of course, Jess Angle has to turn up somewhere in order to justify his existence, and that’s in Petty Township, where he’s the only candidate running for township supervisor. Tammy Judy will be clerk, and Bryan K. Angle, road commissioner.

Four township trustee seats are available, and four are running: Reid L. Thacker, Shane Thacker, Jim D. Rosborough and Aaron Ferguson.

In Russell Township, Gary Decker will be supervisor and Marjorie Painter will be clerk, both running unopposed.

However, there’s a face-off for road commissioner, between Mike Pinkstaff and Kevin Meek.

There is a full slate for the board of trustees, with four of four – Jacob Benson, Alexandra Woods, Sue Gerhart and Alan Thompson – on the ballot.

Schools, parks, library

Red Hill Community Unit School District (CUSD) 10 has three running for 4-year terms to the board of education: Bob Christy, Dixie Purcell and John Phipps. Cathy ray is a write-in candidate; there is a 2-year unexpired term that has no candidate.

At CUSD 20, there’s a challenge in District 3, where one will be selected for a 4-year term between Kenneth A. Waller Jr. and Haley Hoke. Ron Walrop will be seated in District 5 to a 2-year unexpired term as he’s on the ballot alone; as is Andy Shick in Dist. 6 and Shane Gray in Dist. 7, both 4-year terms.

In the overlap with adjoining counties, on the Wabash side, some voters will select Allendale school board members, which are Beth Etzkorn, Mike Wilson, Richard Gochenour and Tia Morgan.

In the overlap with Richland, those voters will see Alex Cline, Timothy Musser, Leon Redman, Cynthia Lockly and Steve Marrs on their ballots.

The Regional Board of School Trustees from Clay, Crawford, Jasper, Lawrence and Richland County have Travis Farley and Sheila Mikeworth on the ballot out of Jasper and Crawford, respectively; Marilyn Holt from Richland; and Julia Laroche-New from Lawrence.

For the Regional Board of School Trustees involving Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White counties, some Lawrence voters will see this on their ballots due to Lawrence’s proximity to Wabash, so they will be voting on Larry E. Peterson, Les Oyler, John Metcalf, Fred Blessing, Tim Scates, Patrick Abell and Suzanne Dutton.

Lawrence, while not hosting any Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (what eventually became Lincoln Trail in Robinson was initially attempting to site in Lawrenceville, but at the time, Lawrenceville wouldn’t have it), is still in the taxing district; so Lawrence will have 6-year term trustees Brenda Culver and Gary Carter on their ballot, and unexpired 4-year term Jan Ridgley as well.

And finally, for Lawrence Township Park District commissioner, there are two candidates seeking a 6-year term available: Patrick Halter and Robert Johnson.

There is no candidate for a 6-year term on Lanterman Park District’s board in Bridgeport.

And on the Lawrence Public library board, trustee candidates will be seated, four for four (one a write-in): Deanna M. Ratts Boyd, Janet Faro and James Michael Neal are on the ballot, and Julie Mieure is the write-in.

EDWARDS CO. – While several major cities in the coverage area are on an “off-year” with municipal elections, every city or village in Edwards County is having an “on year” this year.

Albion

There’s a challenge for mayor after Steve McMahel opted not to run this time.

Wes Harris and Dennis Turpin have been placed on the ballot for that office, both of them very qualified candidates; voters will have to go by personal experience when making their choice for mayor, but both men are very popular and the race might be extremely close.

Melissa Felling is on the ticket alone for city clerk, so she’ll be seated in that office.

There is no candidate for city treasurer. A write-in box appears on the ballot, however. If there’s no write-in, though, that position will have to be appointed by the new council. No names have been floated out there as a write-in or appointee, but there are plenty of qualified people in Albion to tend to the job.

Arrol Stewart will retain his seat as alderman in Ward One.

There is no candidate for Ward Two.

And Quentin Speir is on the ballot alone as alderman for Ward Three.

Bone Gap

The village of Bone Gap will have Troy Bunting as village president; Cheri Sutherland as clerk; and Tammy Parisher and Jill Rigg as trustees, as all are on the ballot unchallenged. There are three trustee seats for 4-year terms, so someone will have to be appointed to the third.

There is also an unexpired 2-year term with no candidate on the ballot, so there will have to be an appointment to that, too.

Browns

The village of Browns survived four years of Todd Bailey as their village president, so apparently it’s all good in there with him and he’s running again unopposed for the office this year.

There is no candidate on the ballot for clerk.

There is, however, interest in the village board of trustees, and five seek the three 4-year terms available: Misty Pearson, Rockelle Smith, Kristina Leveque, Glen Iles and Jimmy Duncan are in the running.

There is also a single 2-year unexpired term to be filled; Jeanette McCorkle and Lonnie Knowles are both seeking this.

West Salem

In the village of West Salem, Larry Simms will retain his seat as village president.

Four are seeking three 4-year terms: Robert Hahn, Jay D. Stroud, Courtney Malone and Paul Butler.

Three are seeking two 2-year unexpired terms: Donny Knackmus, Lisa Taylor and Dennis Shular.

The village has library trustees that must be elected, and there are three positions for full 6-year terms, which will be filled by Darrell Troyer, Gretchen Gerlach and Ellen K. Smith.

There’s a single 2-year unexpired term for which there’s no candidate.

Parks, road districts

There are no candidates on the ballots at all for four positions on the Albion Park District board. These will have to be appointed.

In road districts, there are no candidates in Districts 1 and 2 for commissioner and clerk.

In District 1, Michael R. Harris will be seated as commissioner, and Merilee McKinzie will be seated as clerk as they are on the ballot alone.

In Districts 4 and 12, a race for commissioner will be between David Glover and Travis Sharp. Clerk will be Debbie Glover as she’s unopposed on the ballot.

In Districts 5 and 11, Loren Pollard will be the commissioner and Glenna Bunting, clerk.

In District 6, Wayne Michels will be commissioner, with Richard Sherrick as clerk, as they’re on the ballot unopposed.

In District 7, Donnie Perkins will be commissioner and Sharon Mason will be clerk. Also in District 7 there’s a ballot question: Shall the present maximum rate of 16 ½ percent of the value as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue on the taxable property of the Road District #7 Township Road District for road purposes be increased to a maximum rate of 33.3 percent on such taxable property?

In Districts 8 and 10, Johnnie G. Sturm will take the commissioner position, and Carol A. Garner, the clerk.

In District 14, Wayne Hinderliter will be commissioner and Beth Cullison, clerk.

And in District 15, Lester L. Shaw will be commissioner, and Eugenia L. Shaw, clerk.

Edwards County Community Unit School District 1 will select Lawrence Speir, Dale Woods and Jayare Buerster Jr. for the board.

On the overlap with Grayville (which sits in both Edwards and White counties), there are no candidates for the school board of Grayville Community Unit School District 1, but there are three write-in spots, all of this for three positions on the board. Why there’s no interest, when in past years this has been a hotly-contested matter, is a puzzle, unless the apathy Disclosure warned about years ago has taken hold and infected a large swath of southern Illinois.

Edwards is a taxpaying entity for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges with Wabash Valley College to the east in Mt. Carmel and Frontier to the west in Fairfield. Therefore they’ll be electing trustees Brenda Culver and Gary Carter to that board for 6-year terms, and Jan Ridgely for an unexpired 4-year term.

And Edwards is part of the Regional Board of School Trustees, in that county as well as Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White; so they will vote in the panel: Larry E. Peterson, Les Oyler, John Metcalf, Fred Blessing, Tim Scates, Patrick Abell and Suzanne Dutton.

RICHLAND CO. – The ballot situation in Richland is a full-coverage deal: Every municipality in the county, every village, every township, has candidates, some excellent, some questionable.

The presence of a few ballot battles speaks well for the parties and precincts that encourage folks to run, and might even improve the voter turnout for Richland, which is notoriously pathetic.

Olney

The city of Olney gets a reprieve from a one-term mayor, Ray Vaughn, who tried hard to make effective changes in the city and the way things were run during the previous mayor’s term, but didn’t quite get there due to the number of holdovers on the council.

That previous mayor is back on the ballot this year – Mark Lambird, who was mayor from 2009 to 2013.

Word around town is that Lambird will likely prevail over challenger Belinda Henton, who has been on the city council for the past four years under Vaughn, and prior to that, was the city clerk. 

Olneans’ faith in their mayors – and in this particular arrangement, it’s not a “strong mayor” form of government, but instead is a city manager form, which, when it all boils down, means the mayor is little more than a figurehead and deciding vote – has been fickle the past couple of administrations. Streetwork that seems interminable, little development on the industrial side (which Vaughn, to his credit, did try to expand), and few viable businesses being sited in the city are but a handful of complaints that Olney residents have expressed as their main concerns. They generally blame the mayor. Their blame is misplaced. The city manager (currently, Alan Barker) is the one with whom residents need to take issue. Further, it would help if the residents would actually attend a few meetings and make those concerns heard in the presence of the full board. However, so few Olneans remain who will take an active part in politics, since the city is nearly equally split among those who work to maintain what they have and don’t have time to get to the meetings, and those who are so stoned or strung out that they are oblivious to everything going on around them except where they’re getting their next fix or how they’re going to avoid people snitching them out.

Such is life in Richland County as a total, and it’s taking its toll on the political aspect. That fact can be seen in the candidates for office, including those on the city council.

The one holdover from previous is the one councilman who’s actually helped things progress, John McLaughlin.

However, there are three newcomers (and bear in mind…all four will be seated, as no one is challenging them): Greg Eyer, Bryce Fehrenbacher and Morgan Fehrenbacher.

The presence of Fehrenbachers on the ballot is not unexpected, and Bryce is a pretty good guy with decent values.

However, Morgan, as the daughter of former mayor Tommie Fehrenbacher, who left a legacy of questionable activity regarding state property while former governor/now-convict George Ryan was in office, is a concern. “Decent” isn’t exactly the best term to use when considering Tommie’s kid for a public position, especially in light of the drama she caused when working with the county fair queen candidates (years ago, she made candidates uncomfortable with what many of them termed “the way Morgan was looking at us” when they were in the process of changing clothing in the back rooms at the fairgrounds). However, with such trendy changes in the way society views these things, her proclivities might be a little more acceptable…as long as she keeps the leering down.

Competing as an “also-ran” on the mayoral ticket, incidentally, is perpetual pest Brian James O’Neill II. Disclosure’s guess for how many votes he’ll get this time is 10, with a plus or minus of three, which doesn’t sound like a wide margin until previous voting records are examined and it’s seen that O’Neill has averaged 11 votes per each office for which he’s run. As in years past, Disclosure calls for whomever casts a vote for O’Neill to lose their voting privileges, as the man is descending more and more into bizarre behavior, which could ultimately endanger himself or others.

Calhoun

The village of Calhoun, where the roads resemble the surface of the moon, has Spencer Brock on the ballot as mayor; and Cherri Hayes on as a write-in for clerk (how that works hasn’t been explained as of press time).

However, there appears to be a full contingent for village trustee: Bradford Hayes, Beverly Bissey-Bower, Richard Snyder, Donald Shipley, Josh Hayes and Marcy Oesch are the concerned enough citizens to take on the job of seeing to it whether or not a vehicle can approach or drive through the village at the posted speed limit without losing hubcaps, oilpans or throwing even the toughest four-wheel-drive out of alignment in one trip.

Claremont

In the village of Claremont (pop. 175 according to the 2010 census), the ballot offerings are about as sad as they’ve ever been: Irish national John Joyce, who, if  he’s not managed to attain his citizenship yet (he hadn’t as of four years ago, which hadn’t stopped him nor the 13 or so people who voted him into office, as they remain either largely oblivious or completely indifferent), is running for mayor/holding the office illegally as an illegal, is running again…as a write-in candidate. That, incidentally, doesn’t absolve his presence in office…again, as an illegal, if indeed he is.

The people of Claremont – all 175, which amounts to voters in the low double-digits – therefore have no choice.

There’s only one person on the ballot for trustee, as well: Mark Goss, who, at least, is a citizen of the country at last check.

Noble

The village of Noble has no such concerns…and even has a challenge for the office of mayor.

Mayor Richard E. Clark is being challenged by two: Jerry Britton, and John C. Mason.

Tresa Hundley will retain her seat as village clerk, as she is unchallenged.

On the ballot for village trustee are Carol O’Dell, and incumbents Paul Summers and Judith Anderson for 4-year terms; and incumbent Janet Pflaum for a 2-year unexpired term.

Parkersburg

It’s a minimal ballot in the village of Parkersburg, with Tom Hanna in as mayor, and one trustee entering an appearance: Gary Waxler.

Townships

There is plenty of activity in townships this election, a credit to the activity of the parties in Richland who encourage their members to run.

In German Township, there’s a race for road commissioner: James Dehlinger and Timothy Ginder face off for that.

James Schneider will be supervisor, and Barbara Ochs, township clerk.

Competing for the board of trustees will be Henry Ginder, David Kocher, Chad Boughan, Gretchen Ginder and Bret Ernst.

Preston Township Has a three-way race for road commissioner: Phil Kuenstler, Chad Stanley and Derek M. Patton all are competing for the office.

Otherwise, Joni E. Ginder will be supervisor; Kim Kuhl will be clerk, and Cathy Bromm, assessor. Battling for the trustee seats is a huge field: David Dehlinger, Rod Dickerson, L. Sue Ginder, Wade Wilson, Dennis Graves, Kyle Henton, Leslie West and Dee White.

In Denver Township, there are no contests for the main offices of supervisor (Paul E. Kocher), clerk (Gregg Weber) and road commissioner (Lee Rudolphi).

The board of trustees will be composed of Charlie Coan, Greg Rudolphi,  Philip F. Volk and Anthony J. Kuenstler.

Noble Township also has a race for road commissioner. Tony Steber and Pat Morgan will do battle on the ballot for the office. Don Carlyle will carry the office of supervisor, and Gary Ulm, of clerk.

Trustees for the board will be Dennis R. Herdes, Brandon Van Blaricum, Michael Shan and Brian Van Blaricum

A three-way road commissioner race is the highlight of Decker Township. There, George Westall, Ryan Runyon and Clint Fulk compete, the latter two noted on the ballot material as write-in candidates.

Otherwise, Barbara E. Wade will be seated as supervisor; Brenda Hemrich, as clerk. Four seek the seats available for trustees: Jeremy Berger, Tony Prosser, Dennis Hancock and Tim Bursott.

There’s also a three-way road commissioner contest in Madison Township. Scott Hughes, Verlin E. Cokley III, and Clifton V. Luthe all seek that office. Trevor Ridgely will continue as supervisor, Jordon Ridgely as clerk, and for trustees, David M. Bricker, Shawn Rose, Robert Ritter and Anthony Kuenstler are on the ballot.

Bonpas Township has a full ballot but no challenges. Patty Leist will be supervisor, Loleta Yonaka will be clerk, and Donald P. Gayer will be road commissioner. The board of trustees will be selected from Darrell Slunaker, Carrie Ochs, Clay Seals and Cody Smith.

A race is on in Claremont Township for road commissioner as well. Perry Mitchell and Emerson Mitchell Jr. are seeking that office. Cindy Fritschle will be unchallenged as supervisor, Cindy L. Harlan, as clerk. The board of trustees will be selected from Ron Steber Jr., Stan Crites, Patrick Corcoran, James Ochs and Scott Dowty.

And in Olney Township, Mike Hahn will be supervisor, Tony Zuber will be clerk, Kimberly J. Houchin, assessor, and Mike Lambird, road commissioner. On the board of trustees will be Jeff Fleming, Carmen Kowa, Stephen J. Hough and Heather Cecil.

Schools

Overlaps in the Richland County school districts have voters selecting school board members for Clay City Community Unit School District (CUSD) 1: Stacy Kessler, Rachel Bruner, Darren Lewis, Misty Lindeman, Tonya Zuber and Linda J. Schnepper.

To the south, overlaps for Edwards County CUSD 1 have Lawrence Speir, Dale Woods, and Jayare Buerster Jr. on that ballot.

To the north, overlap with the Jasper County CUSD 1 have Mandy Rieman, Gordon Millsap, Holly Farley and Joshua Kuhl on that ballot.

And on Richland County’s own CUSD ballot selections, voters will choose Alex Cline, Timothey Musser, Leon Redman, Cynthia Lockley and Steve Marrs.

WHITE CO. – A serious and dangerous situation emerged in early March at a location in Norris City that involved a person with a weapon and some sore feelings.

Sheriff’s deputy George Spencer and Norris City police officers Dustin Dale and Shane Stokes were called to the scene of the incident on March 3 at about three minutes til 9 p.m. The call was made from a location on the 800 block of County Road 400 East, Norris City, as placed by Lance M. Price, 27, whose residence it was.

Price told the officers that a William P. Smith, 42, of an address right up the way from Price, had come to the Price residence at about 8 p.m. that evening, noting that the girl Price lives with, Corrin Russell, 33, used to date Smith; Price said he’d never had any problems with Smith up to this point.

But on this evening, Price had been inside the built-in front porch of his residence working on his motorcycle when Smith “opened the door and entered without permission.”

Price said Smith “immediately produced a handgun which Smith had concealed beneath his shirt,” according to sheriff’s department reports.

Pointing the handgun at Price’s head, Smith is alleged to have told Price “Get your stuff and get the f^*k out.”

The report indicates that at one point, Smith moved closer to Price and pressed the handgun, which Price believed to be a .45-cal Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol, into the side of Price’s head.

Price stated he believed Smith was going to kill him with the handgun, and so Price begged for Smith to put the gun down and talk to him, but Smith refused.

At that point, Price told officers, a 12-year-old child in the household came into the room, and when Smith saw the child, he attempted to hide the handgun behind his back, but the girl had already seen it. As a result, she began telling Smith to put the gun away.

Price said that at that point, he located the keys to Corrin’s car and exited the residence, stating that he heard Smith say “If you come back around and I see you I’ll kill you.”

Price started to drive away so he could contact police, and said that as he was leaving the property, he observed Smith walking back to his own residence, located immediately to the south of the Russell residence.

It was at that point Price told officers he’d like to pursue charges against Smith.

Officers went to Smith’s residence and the man met them on his front porch.

When the police explained why they were there, Smith advised that he had indeed gone to Corrin’s residence, but told them that he’d entered the residence and told Price to leave the home and not return. He said he’d not had a handgun with him when he was there; and he then denied the responding officer’s request to search the residence for the handgun.

At one point, while speaking with officer, however, Smith made the statement that while speaking with Price, “I had it pointed.” At that point, Smith stopped and attempted to explain to officers that he had held his hand like a gun and pointed this at Price’s head.

But while Smith was speaking with officers, Spencer said he detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from Smith.

When Spencer entered Smith’s residence to speak with Smith’s sister and her husband, the sister stated she hadn’t been home when the incident took place; however, her husband stated he had observed Smith leave the residence, and hadn’t known where Smith had gone; he also noted he didn’t observe Smith with a firearm of any type.

The decision was reached to take Smith into custody, primarily based on the statements of Price and the little girl in the home.

As it turned out, Smith had a Franklin County warrant for his arrest, on a misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct charge dating back to July of 2015. He’d entered a plea that same month and received a sentence of a fine ($537, of which only $150 has been paid) and 24 months conditional discharge.

The new charges in White County will likely exacerbate the Franklin County sentence (if in fact Franklin officials are paying attention and are concerned at all): He’s charged with a Class X felony Home Invasion while armed with a Firearm, Class 4 felony Criminal Trespass to Residence with Persons Present, two Class A misdemeanors, Aggravated Assault Using a Deadly Weapon and Battery, and a Class C Disorderly Conduct.

An arresting charge of No FOID Card didn’t make it to formal charges.

OPs have been taken out against Smith, who remained jailed as of press time and had been set for a preliminary hearing March 27.

Omar Natividad Gutierrez

WABASH CO.— Southern Illinois residents are waiting to find out if the man behind the wheel of a fatal traffic accident that claimed the life of a Grayville man is in the country legally.

On Sunday, February 26 at approximately 8:19 p.m. the Wabash County Sheriff’s Office responded to what was initially reported as a one-vehicle crash, with the vehicle being on fire.

Once authorities, including the Mt. Carmel Fire Department, Keensburg Fire Department, Wabash and Bellmont Fire Department, arrived on scene on Hwy 1, just south of East 920 Lane near the Sugar Creek subdivision, they determined there were two vehicles involved.

The fire was extinguished quickly and authorities realized they had an empty 2004 Nissan Armada and no sign of a driver.

The driver of the other vehicle, a 2004 Buick LeSabre, identified as Phillip E. Orr, was cut out of his car and rushed to Wabash General Hospital where he died of his injuries.

It took authorities several minutes of searching the area south of Hwy 1, but they finally located the driver of the Nissan, identified as Omar Natividad Gutierrez, hiding in the woods.

Gutierrez was transported from the scene with a broken femur, also known as the thigh bone.

He was transported to Wabash General and later to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Ind.

Investigators have determined that Gutierrez was northbound on Hwy. 1 in the southbound lane.

A witness turning in to Sugar Creek spotted the LeSabre, driven by 67-year-old Phillip E. Orr in their lane in an attempt to get out of the way of Gutierrez and his Nissan.

Orr is said to have even driven off the roadway to avoid the collision but Gutierrez’ vehicle continued its track and struck Orr’s vehicle head-on.

Gutierrez was charged the next day with Aggravated Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and taken into custody by wEvansville authorities before being transported to the Wabash County Jail.

Gutierrez is being held on $50,000 cash bond.

Given the current state of affairs nationally some readers of the online breaking story of the crash were upset because Gutierrez was identified as a hispanic, which he is, and the question was posed whether or not he is in the county legally, which still has yet to be determined.

Wabash authorities told Disclosure on deadline that they won’t know whether Guiterrez is legal or illegal until he’s sent back to Wabash from Indiana.

WHITE CO. – The EF-3 tornado that moved through White County in the late evening hours of Tuesday, February 28, 2017, killed a Crossville man and damaged/destroyed houses across an uninterrupted 44.6 miles that spanned into Oakland City, Indiana.

In the cleanup and recovery, many are relying on insurance, family or neighbors to help them get back on their feet, as happens following these devastating storms.

However, one Crossville man has found a bit of resistance from those who might have been in a position to help, leaving a dark spot on an even darker day when a little bit of human compassion might have gone a long way.

The situation with James Duckworth, 53, was chronicled at Disclosure’s website in full: Residing in a 1964 trailer for the past several years, he had gone up the road to visit an uncle at shortly before 10 p.m. He knew that the storm was blowing over, mentioning to his uncle that he thought it “might be a bad one” when the tops of the trees outside the residence were making strange noises in the extremely high winds.

However, Duckworth had no idea that his home was completely flattened, and contents scattered everywhere, until he pulled into his driveway at about 10:15 p.m. and saw the wreckage.

Duckworth was pulled away from his own home when messages began coming in on his phone that there were others in the area who needed help, including an elderly woman in the early path of the tornado as it hit the rural area outside of Crossville, as well as the death of Thomas McCord, 71, that happened after McCord and his wife took shelter in an outbuilding that was struck directly by the twister.

Duckworth was so busy helping others with cleanup and comfort that he let his own issues go, contacted the Red Cross, was able to gather up his dogs and get a room at the Super 8 in Grayville north of Crossville, and hope that his cats came back.

In the ensuing days, Duckworth, who is a Marine vet and used to work for McDonnell Douglas but who is currently unemployed, attempted to reach out to various agencies for assistance while he himself was busy assisting other who had been victims of the storm.

Living in a camper on the property (which had, miraculously, not been touched by the storm), he had no running water, since the trailer had had water fed to it by the well on the property, and that connection was broken in the wreckage.

However, former tenants on the property had had water service from the village of Crossville, and when they had left, the village had come to reclaim the water meter as they will if the property sits vacant for a period of time.

So Duckworth went to village hall and inquired of the office staff there about getting a meter reset on the property. The office staff, he said, was very courteous and helpful, assuring him that this could be done; then he would have water.

However, at that moment, Crossville village president (mayor) Henry Feldman came in.

The mayor advised Duckworth that the installation fee for a new water meter was $750…and he was kind of crappy about it.

Duckworth explained that there was tension between the two, stemming from a years-old issue wherein Feldman has been seeing a relative of Duckworth’s…while Feldman was still married to his former wife (Feldman, to his credit, ended up marrying the Duckworth relative.)

But the seriousness of the situation with Duckworth being unemployed, his living quarters destroyed, and no water on the temporary premises – along with the fact that, as mayor, Feldman could have waived or reduced the fee – didn’t alter Feldman’s crappiness in the least.

Duckworth also hit dead ends with the Disabled Veteran Outreach Program he contacted in Evansville. They made weak motions toward the Red Cross (which he’d already contacted), Volunteers of America-SSVF that had what appeared to be a complicated “assistance program” he would have to go through the process of, and a suggestion to update his resumé and attend a “hiring event.” None of it was immediate, and he needed help…immediately.

So, with his cats still missing, Duckworth set up a GoFundMe page…and with a goal of $2,000, he raised more than half of it in just three days.

Duckworth fully anticipates that he’ll reach his goal, as he has had friends from long ago coming out of the woodwork to donate, some of them with hundreds of dollars.

Still, in this election season, and with the hot topics of illegal immigration, the terrible economy trying to turn around like a battleship, veterans still being ignored and politicians that don’t really care about their constituents, the whole thing is somewhat reflective of what’s going on on a large scale across the nation.

“The illegals are living better than I am,” Duckworth told Disclosure. “I mean, I’m homeless. I’m running a power cord out to an old ambulance right now. There’s no reason he (Feldman) couldn’t have come off that cost of that water meter even a little. It’s just petty crap.”

Disclosure called village hall in Crossville to speak with Feldman, but he wasn’t available and didn’t return any calls as requested. The employees there were, however, very courteous, and submitted to Disclosure the 2001 ordinance, signed by former mayor John Mike Parsons, that sets the meter cost at $750.

Whether there’s an emergency contingency, or emergency funds for township residents, is unknown.

And Duckworth mulled the notion that he could try to move into Crossville village limits and run against Feldman as a write-in…but there’s not enough time to establish residency prior to the April 4 election.

Feldman hasn’t been winning any friends in Crossville; complaints continue to be issued about his bad temper and often-bizarre behavior, including an incident wherein it appears that he was behind the wheel of a truck that deliberately ran over a family’s cat in the village recently.

He is running unopposed on the ballot April 4, and so will be in office for the next four years…unless he’s charged in the incident with the cat, which may or may not be worthy of a felony, the only way an elected official can be booted out of office in the state other than a laborious recall effort.

The link to the GoFundMe page is https://www.gofundme.com/pjg33-place-to-live

Veterans, pet lovers, previous storm victims, and everyone else is urged to donate to Duckworth can find a place to live.

BRUCE MAXWELL

LAWRENCE CO. – After what appears to have been a lengthy investigation, a charge was finally filed against a former Lawrence County ambulance employee.

Bruce E. Maxwell, 57, of Bridgeport, was charged March 8, 2017, with a single count of Unauthorized Videotaping.

It’s alleged that Maxwell, who has spent the past several years working for various ambulance services in the area including as a director, had secreted a camera or even multiple cameras of some sort in locations at the new ambulance base in Lawrence, and images and even live streams were being fed into Maxwell’s office computer.

The images, it’s been unofficially reported, were of women in various stages of disrobing or undressing, as there are sleeping quarters in the ambulance base.

Who the women allegedly were remains unknown and undisclosed in court documents.

The discovery came about when Maxwell was terminated from the ambulance service, and, as he was not allowed to go back onto the premises, he couldn’t get the images nor any other material cleaned of the computer, and when these were subsequently examined, he was, in effect, “caught.”

It’s being reported that there was a camera in his office as well, but whether that was for allegedly capturing images the likes of which were reported found on his computer, or whether this was just a standard thing or even used as surveillance, also remains unknown.

Reports to Disclosure about Maxwell’s alleged activity at the ambulance barn with other employees had been coming in since late 2012. It’s reported that the actual investigation into the current charge has only been going on since late 2015.

Maxwell was terminated from the Lawrence County Ambulance Service through Lawrence County Memorial in Lawrenceville about a year and a half ago.

Previously to that, he had worked at United Life Care Ambulance out of Robinson, and at Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney.

He currently claims to be employed at Paris Community Hospital in Paris up in Edgar County, but that claim couldn’t be substantiated on deadline.

The entire matter only came to Disclosure’s attention because of sharp-eyed readers who checked it on judici after hearing of it through the grapevine and discovering it to be true. However, on judici information, dates of when these images and streams were supposed to have occurred were not available, as Lawrence County is still working on scanning in electronic documents.

While the complaint was filed on March 8, and warrant reported served on the Class 4 felony the same day, it doesn’t appear that Maxwell – if he was indeed taken into custody – had bonded out.

There is a bond date hearing set for April 19 at Lawrence County Circuit Court.

Tara Keown

CARMI, Ill. - Another frequent flyer has been jailed and released on bond after an incident yesterday morning in Carmi.

Carmi police report that on Monday (March 13) at 11:08 a.m., an officer observed a person whom he believed to be Tara Keown, 29, now of Carmi, get into a gray Honda Civic parked in front of 602 Ninth Street and back out onto the roadway.

The officer followed the vehicle on Fackney Street eastbound, knowing that Keown was driving suspended and had a warrant for her out of Saline County. He followed as it turned in the alley between Fifth and Sixth streets northbound, then Keown pulled into Mears Market parking lot and the officer pulled up beside her car.

The officer asked and received an affirmative answer that the driver was Keown. When asked for her license, she said she didn’t have it on her, and offered a state ID card when asked. A quick check with dispatch returned that Keown was indeed driving suspended and wanted out of Saline County…for Failure to Appear on a citation for Driving Suspended.

She was taken to jail, booked, issued a citation, posted $150 for the current White County charge and $300 on the Saline charge (along with attendant booking and FTA fees) and was released.

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - The meeting agenda for the upcoming Lawrence County Board meeting has been made available.

Attend your local city and county board meetings; see what they do (and don't do) at them (tip about LC: Most of the action takes place at the COMMITTEE meetings, of which there are a plethora, and for which each board member gets paid...so this is an example of you'd better hope they are covering in the full board meeting what they've done in committee, where no one attends....)

Approximate area of incident, west of arrow

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - A situation was occurring at a location in Bridgeport at shortly before 3 p.m. today (Tuesday, March 14).

This was happening outside a house on the west side of the street on what's called the Bridgeport Blacktop (County Road 800E/Judy Avenue) between U.S. 50 and Illinois 250, north of the city.

A passerby sent us this photos, which was shot from inside the vehicle, as authorities were allowing people to drive past the residence, but apparently not to stop.

Taken at shortly after 3 p.m. today, March 14, 2017

An ambulance was on-scene, but whether that was as a precaution or whether there was someone injured, it's unclear.

When we learn more, we'll post. Be watching...and feel free to post what you know. Unlike other sites, we're happy to take information from the public....YOU, after all, know what's going on in YOUR area. Tell us!

FLORA, Ill. - Chief John Nicholson has release City of Flora Police Department information for the second week of March.

Monday, March 6 at 12:18 pm, Flora Police arrested Jeff Brown, 52, of Flora for Disorderly Conduct, following an incident in the 300 block of South Locust Street. Brown was taken to Flora Police Department for booking procedures and released with a Notice to Appear.

Monday, March 6 at 1:32 pm, James Duff, 39, of Flora was issued a Local Ordinance Citation for Disturbing the Peace, following an incident in the 300 block of Valbert Street.

Tuesday, March 7 at 4:39 pm, Flora Police arrested Brittney Brown, 27, of Flora for Driving While License Suspended. Brown was transported to Flora Police Department, where she was photographed and fingerprinted before being released with a Notice to Appear.

Tuesday, March 7 at 8:37 pm, Lance Davis, 46, of Flora was issued a Citation for Speeding, following a traffic stop in the 700 block of Vincennes Avenue.

Thursday, March 9 at 1:26 pm, Melissa Schnepper, 35, of Flora was arrested for Driving While License Suspended, following a traffic stop in the 400 block of Seminary. Schnepper was transported to Flora Police Department for booking procedures and released with a Notice to Appear.

Friday, March 10 at 1:10 am, Flora Police arrested Phillip Backstrom, 43, of Cisne for Driving While License Revoked, Improper Lane Usage, Failure to Signal, Failure to Wear Seatbelt and Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver. Backstrom was taken to Flora Police Department for booking procedures and then transported to Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Friday, March 10 at 9:18 am, Christy Rascher, 51, of Flora was issued a citation for No Valid Driver’s License, following a traffic stop in the 300 block of North Sycamore.

Saturday, March 11 at 10:14 am, Jennifer Cochran, 26, of Florida was issued citations for Operating Uninsured and Failure to Wear Seatbelt, following a traffic stop in the 1000 block of East North Avenue.

Saturday, March 11 at 4:50 pm, Flora Police arrested Misty Hill, 47, of Clay City on an outstanding Clay County warrant for Failure to Appear on a Traffic Violation. Hill was transported to Flora Police Department and was released after posting necessary cash bond.

Saturday, March 11 at 10:17 pm, Derik London, 22, of Louisville was issued a citation for No Valid Driver’s License and Local Ordinance Citations for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Cannabis, following a traffic stop at Presley and 4th Street.

Sunday, March 12 at 4:43 pm, police arrested Chase Runyon, 22, of Noble on a Clay County Warrant for Possession of Meth. Runyon was issued Citations for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Cannabis and No Front Registration Plate, following a traffic stop in the 100 block of Short Street. Runyon was taken to Flora Police Department and then transported to Clay County Jail.

Photo submitted by a reader

BRIDGEPORT, Ill. - The situation that emerged earlier today in Bridgeport, which some people were calling a "standoff," proved to be something close to that...but it was brought under control quickly.

The incident started out as an altercation among the family in the home, located on the blacktop between the two main highways running east-west in Lawrence, U.S. 50 to the north of the location and Illinois 250 to the south, on the north part of town just down the road from KBJ's.

The gentleman in the home was said to have been highly upset, had a weapon, and was threatening to shoot two others in the home, his wife and son. This gentleman, whose name we have but are holding for the time being, is described as an older man (late 60s-early 70s) who has had some similar problems in the past.

Word got out to authorities about what was going on and they all converged on the scene, quickly talking the man down and encouraging him to get some help from a medical professional. He was talked into going to Good Samaritan in Vincennes. As far as can be ascertained at this time, he hasn't been arrested nor charged with anything.

While that might change, the good news is that no one was hurt.

Police were advising those in the neighboring houses to stay indoors until the situation was over.

Good job, Lawrence County lawmen and ambulance personnel! We'll bring more as we learn it.

Kedley Newlin, Crawford County mug

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - Kedly G. Newlin, 57, of Lawrenceville, was recently sentenced to federal prison on methamphetamine related charges, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Robinson, Illinois Police Department, the Bridgeport, Illinois Police Department, the Lawrenceville County Sheriff’s Office, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Robert A. Belka

WHITE CO., Ill. - A Carmi man is being sent off to the Illinois Department of Corrections after entering a plea in White County Circuit Court this morning.

Robert Anthony Belka, 27, entered the plea to a Class 3 felony charge of Retail Theft, which he caught back in mid-December 2016.

In exchange for the plea, he was sentenced to three and a half years IDOC, to be followed by one year mandatory supervised release (MSR, or, parole).

He was ordered to pay all mandated fines, fees, costs, assessments and restitution in the amount of $913, none of which has been paid.

It's unclear whether a recent meth possession charge (March 10) that Belka caught had any bearing on this plea.

He's set for an appearance on the meth charge April 10.