We take a lot of abuse around here; in this "Ah'll do whut Ah WAWNT" society, people don't like it when the details of their antics come to light, and frequently, they'll turn on us and send us abusive missives which, for the most part we ignore (including threats, as you can't take these dweebs seriously anyway).

Occasionally, these mental midgets are so hung up on themselves and/or their mission du jour that they provide full-scale entertainment for us, so much so that we opt to bring it to you, our sensible readers.

On Friday (December 18), as we were getting ready to hit Kroger for a big fruit-and-vegetable run (we juice most of them, for health purposes), we were stalled getting out the door by a message from one Megan Martin on the backside of our Facebook page, which went thusly:

Ms. MeganMoo, as her Fecesbook url says (it really does; hit it; I like poking fun at the chubsters but you can't make this stuff up), is referencing an article in the current edition, all 400 words of it, Wife held against her will at Dolan Lake, which we appreciate, as it provides us with the opportunity to present to you a Read the Lead:

HAMILTON CO.— A McLeansboro man has been charged with violence after authorities say he refused to allow a woman out of his camper at Dolan Lake State Park.

According to court documents, on November 27, Billie Webb, 27, who gave an address of Dolan Lake State Park, Campground Lot 10, committed the offense of Domestic Battery when he hit Teri J. Webb in the face with his hands.

He is also charged with a single count of Unlawful Restraint with authorities alleging that he detained Teri Webb against her will by forcing her to remain in his camper and not allow her to use the phone.

Read the rest by hitting the headline link if you have an online membership to the e-Edition; if you don't, it'll take you to the signup page so you can get on there and see what all the fuss is about.

Anyway.

Here's the rest of it:

So she's saying that her sister is lying...? the mind boggles.

But wait. It gets worse.

False documents? What has this kid been watching on TV?

Anyway, we turned the computer off because we were headed out the door and that was the last of the exchange. Here's the judici link in case you're interested in seeing what Mr. Webb was actually charged with and Oh! yep. There's unlawful restraint right there in Count 2.

I'd like to chalk it up to MeganMoo having watched too many true crime stories on TV and thinking that "unlawful restraint" means bound and gagged and tied to an immobile object for long stretches of time, unfed, unwatered, unpottied, etc. In Illinois, however, it doesn't have to rise to that. It can simply mean that at one point, Teri Webb (the sister in question) attempted to get out of the camper/trailer/residence/tent/whatever, and Billie Webb blocked her way. Once is all it takes; that's "unlawful restraint." Maybe MeganMoo is now cringing because she's experienced that a time or two...? Who knows. Anyway.

It's not "false documents." It's in the courthouse. You can go view it same as we do, MeganMoo. I challenge you to go up to prosecutor Justin Hood and get as nasty to him in person as you did to us on Fecesbook.

It'll give us something else to write about coming out of Hamilton County for next month.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, has some weather information for us showing a soggy outlook for the rest of the week; instead of a white Christmas, looks like we're going to have brown.

What it's doing right now.

Here's the information for most of South and Central counties in the coverage area:

JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
342 AM CST MON DEC 21 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO IS FORECAST FOR SMALL PART OF THE
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI FOOTHILLS AND TOWARD THE I-64 CORRIDOR THIS
MORNING. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO FORECAST FOR THE SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI DELTA AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF WEST KENTUCKY THIS
EVENING.

ANY THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS.

MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE ALONG SOME
LOCATIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. PLEASE REFER TO FLOOD
WARNINGS FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST FOR TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH
WEDNESDAY EVENING, THEN AGAIN FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA IN
A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR MAINLY WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY HAZARD WOULD BE DAMAGING WINDS
AND HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE COMPLETELY RULED OUT OVER
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST KENTUCKY.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD FOR THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE ALONG SOME
LOCATIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. PLEASE REFER TO FLOOD
WARNINGS FOR DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

Here's the information for North Counties, this out of Lincoln, Illinois NWS:

CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT-
DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MCLEAN-MENARD-
MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SHELBY-VERMILION-
1038 AM CST MON DEC 21 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND
SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO MIDDAY WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST
WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS OF 30 TO 35 MPH POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. AT THIS
TIME THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD
BECOME SEVERE...MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF I-55. GUSTY WINDS AND
SMALL HAIL WOULD BE THE MOST LIKELY SEVERE THREAT WITH ANY STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT.

LAWRENCE/JASPER COs., Ill. - Remember this pervert?

Lynn A. Like

This was the gal who was caught in June of 2014 having sex with two boys, between the ages of 13 and 17. Way too young to have sex with anyone...especially with a 40-something. But then again, 40-somethings, you'd think, are old enough to know better. And Lynn Like, apparently, does not.

While she was on a pay-or-appear status in Lawrence County on her felony Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Child out of Lawrence (which she entered a plea to in February of this year, and was placed on 24 months PROBATION [caps used for emphasis....you know exactly what we're emphasizing]). she apparently offended again...she neglected to report a change of address.

Apparently she was living in Ste. Marie and moved to Willow Hill, and while she's registered as a sex offender in Jasper County, she didn't tell them, either...and now she's charged with felony Failure to Register in BOTH counties.

We'll have the full run on the repulsive Ms. Like in the next issue; meanwhile, pick up this fresh December 2015/January 2016 edition on stands NOW, in Lawrence at Deja Vu north of Lawrenceville, Circle K in Lawrenceville, Lawrenceville Vape Shop, Jim's Guns between Lawrenceville and Bridgeport, and Bridgeport Liquor Locker. In Jasper, we have plenty of vendors, too: Marathon in Newton, Bottle Junction of Newton, MPV Happy Holler north of Newton on the river, and of course The Gas Station in Ste. Marie!

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WABASH CO., Ill. - The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced the results of a Roadside Safety Check (RSC) held during the late evening hours of Saturday, 12/19/2015, and early morning hours of Sunday, December 20, 2015.

The detail was conducted at Illinois Route 15 and Southgate Drive in Mt. Carmel by ISP District 19 officers.

Alcohol is involved in nearly 40 percent of fatal crashes in Illinois. RSCs are designed to remove alcohol-impaired drivers, however, when other violations are observed such as driving with a suspended or revoked license, operating a vehicle without a valid registration or valid proof of insurance, or safety belt violations, enforcement action may be taken.

A total of 270 vehicles were checked and the following citations were issued at the Roadside Safety Check:

EDWARDS CO., Ill. - Probable cause was found this morning to bind over a Wabash County miscreant for trial under current court case in Edwards.

Unfortunately for the public at large, Justin Koonce, 34, of Mt. Carmel, is only charged with one felony at the present time: Unlawful Use of Weapons, a Class 3 felony in which it's alleged that Koonce, on December 17, had in his possession a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches (sawed-off shotgun).

Koonce is the guy who prompted a big stand-down in West Salem last week at the Country Market, which he owns after having purchased it from the Alumbaughs, long-time operators of the place. Locals tell us it's gone downhill since Koonce has been in charge, and that he'd been sleeping on a mattress in the back and allegedly cooking pot brownies in the grocery's kitchen, which used to be a nice place to get a hot meal.

Reported drugs and other items were said to have been seized in the raid of the place, but no charges have been forthcoming on those.

Koonce was already in trouble in Wabash County after an incident in which he was popped on a motorcycle allegedly running 98 in a 55 mph zone in that county, with a 12-year-old on it, and with no helmet on the kid.

Koonce has a long and ridiculous criminal history; the latest arrest might actually get him put behind bars for some kind of meaningful term, since it's Mike Valentine at the prosecutorial helm.

He pled not guilty this morning at a preliminary hearing and formal arraignment was waived. The next court setting will be on delivery day for this next issue, January 5. Be sure you pick up the current edition (in Edwards County, at Bruce Lee's in Albion and Liquor Barn in Grayville), or log on to our e-Edition at this link, and be watching for the next one, January Special Edition 2016!

WABASH CO., Ill. - There were fewer arrests this past weekend in Wabash County than in previous weeks, but some were a little more meaningful.

On Thursday of last week (December 17), Mt. Carmel Police arrested Michael A. Hurst, 46, of Mt. Carmel, after they were notified of a retail theft at Family Dollar, this according to Mt. Carmel Police logs. Mt. Carmel Police responded and found Hurst inside of his vehicle. It is alleged that he stole a pair of pliers from the store. A search was conducted and a new pair of pliers was found on Hurst. Hurst was arrested and charged with retail theft. Hurst was also found to be in possession of a stun gun, which was confiscated by the police. Hurst was transported to the Wabash County Jail and held pending the posting of bond.

Also on Thursday, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Jacob Hattaway, 19, of Mt. Carmel, after he was stopped in the 200 block of West 3rd Street. During the traffic stop it was determined that Hattaway was driving on a suspended license. Hattaway was transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was charged with driving while suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Hattaway was held pending the posting of bond.

Nothing was reported on Friday, Dec. 18. However, there was a little bit of activity on Saturday, the 19th.

On that day, Mt. Carmel Police were called to the Safe Haven Women's Shelter early in the morning reference an assault. Tina R. Birkhead, 46, has been accused of threatening a staff member with bodily harm. Birkhead was located not far from the shelter and placed under arrest, and was transported to the Wabash County Jail where she was charged with Assault. Birkhead was being held in the Wabash County Jail pending the posting of bond.

Sarah Kocher

And then an out-of-towner was busted later on that same day. Sarah M. Kocher, 35, of Olney, was arrested after she was stopped for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop K-9 Ace and handler Sgt. Steve Perry arrived on scene, where Ace alerted on the vehicle, leading officer to believe narcotics were in the Kocher vehicle. A search was conducted and suspected cannabis was located along with a smoking device and open alcohol. Kocher was arrested and charged with illegal transportation of alcohol, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kocher was transported to the Wabash County Jail and held pending the posting of bond.

EFFINGHAM, Ill. - Captain Kelly Hodge, District 12 Commander, announced the results of an Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrol which was conducted in Effingham and Clay Counties on Friday, December 18, 2015.

Results are as follows (scroll down):

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MARION CO., Ill. - A Salem man is deceased following a single-vehicle accident on Illinois 37 in Marion County last night.

Illinois State Police in District 12 report that Michael G. Becker, 46, of Salem, was driving a 2005 black Dodge Ram Crew Cab pickup southbound on 37 two miles south of Salem at 8:57 p.m. last night, Tuesday, December 22.

While approaching C J Heck Road, the truck left the roadway right into a steep ditch. It impacted the ditch embankment and became airborne. The truck landed and proceeded to enter into another steep ditch. The truck then rolled out of the ditch into the southbound lane of traffic, where it came to a rest.

Becker was transported by ambulance to Salem Township Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased.

On December 22, 2015, Joshua L. Millman, 44, of West Salem, Illinois, was sentenced to 114 months in federal prison, four years’ supervised release following his imprisonment, and fined $600. Millman had previously pleaded guilty to three counts in a federal indictment.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Flora Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Illinois State Police.

The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney George Norwood.

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Publisher's note: Millman and his buddy Nathan Headley were both instrumental in bringing down a number of other locals across the readership area, including those featured in this article, and their exploits were outlined in this, this, and this article. Get an online membership to the e-Edition today if you want to read em from the back issues, many of which sold out while on the stands, and find out if you or someone you care about might be the next one that one of these meth-heads is gonna roll on.

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Hit our Facebook page (yes we still have one), and this post on it if you'd like to discuss this subject on Facebook; and be sure you check your "get notifications" selection under the 'like' button on our page; recent Facebook upgrades have booted many of our followers off from getting our posts. Also, check us on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr!

MT. CARMEL, ILL. - The arrests continued to slow down as the weather got crappier last weekend in the city of Mt. Carmel, according to the most recent run-down on the police blotter.

A familiar name returned to the docket, however, on December 23 when Mt. Carmel Police arrested Ryan S. Eckiss, 26, of Mt. Carmel and of the infamous Eckiss criminal clan. Police say the arresting officer noticed Eckiss in the 500 block of Market Street and knew he was wanted on a Wabash County warrant for trespass to real property. Eckiss was arrested and transported to the Wabash County Jail where he was released on a $300.00 cash bond.

On Christmas Day, not everybody was in the spirit and some weren't event TRYING to get along. Mt. Carmel Police arrested Lacy D. Peach, 26, of Mt. Carmel, for domestic battery after police were called to the 1200 block of Mulberry Street reference said battery. When police arrived on scene they were informed that she struck a family member during the Christmas altercation. Peach was arrested and transported to the Wabash County Jail where she was charged with domestic battery. Peach was held pending the posting of bond.

And then Mt. Carmel police advised that a third individual has been arrested in connection to the September 21, 2015 robbery at 713 N. Mulberry Street in Mt. Carmel. On December 21, an arrest warrant for Rontray Chavis was signed by Second Judicial Judge Michael J. Molt charging Chavis with Conspiracy. On the 22nd, Chavis was taken into custody by the Princeton Police (Indiana) and later transferred to the Wabash County Jail. Chavis is being held in the Wabash County Jail on a $500,000.00 bond. Two other individuals are awaiting trial on connection with the robbery.

We'll have lots more coming up in the print version and of course e-Edition, with the latter being available next Monday night at 8 p.m., and the former being delivered the next two days to our vendors; be watching for announcements!

Taken at 3:38 p.m., headed due east. Rain was falling in Olney according to our correspondent there, resulting in the rainbow. But, for the storm....It's over.

For awhile, anyway.

Now, we wait for the backwater and see what happens.

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Hit our Facebook page (yes we still have one), and this post on it if you'd like to discuss this subject on Facebook; and be sure you check your "get notifications" selection under the 'like' button on our page; recent Facebook upgrades have booted many of our followers off from getting our posts. Also, check us on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr!

MARION CO.— Heavy rainfall and water-covered roadways sent a truck driver off the road and his passenger to the hospital yesterday (Monday, December 28, 2015).

According to Illinois State Police Master Sergeant Bruce Waggoner, Joshua DeHaven, age 34, was southbound on Interstate 57 at milepost 132 at approximately 12:06 p.m. when he encountered near-blinding heavy rain which caused him to run off the road and into a ditch on the west side of the interstate.

Waggoner said that a preliminary investigation shows the 2009 Kenworth truck tractor traveled 630 feet before striking a concrete drainage culvert.

While DeHaven was uninjured, a passenger, identified as 30-year-old Elizabeth DeHaven, was transported from the scene to the Salem Hospital where she was treated for unspecified injuries.

Joshua DeHaven was issued a citation for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident.

Bill Johnson's Williamson County mug

WAYNE CO., Ill. - From the “things that make you say ‘huh?’” department comes this tidbit of information: Wayne County’s latest accused murderer has hired the area’s best defense attorney to represent him in court.

William (Bill) D. Johnson, the man accused of shooting to death Jeffrey Montgomery, a sex offender, on the west side of Fairfield December 5, was somehow able to hire Alan Downen, one of downstate Illinois’ pre-eminent criminal defense attorneys, after his court-appointed attorney, Matt Vaughan, dumped him.

Johnson, regular readers will recall, was in a dispute with Montgomery over a female on that Saturday for whatever reason (locals say she isn’t much to be fighting over) when, authorities allege, Johnson pulled a small-caliber handgun and shot Montgomery once in the chest, fatally wounding him, this in front of an eyewitness at a nearby trucking company, at about 7:30 that evening.

Typical of what happens in Wayne County, authorities didn’t let anyone know what was going on until much later that evening, including whether or not the general public was in danger.

Disclosure was able to confirm the identity of the accused early the next morning, however, because Johnson had fled south (ostensibly on the way to Arkansas, which from the looks of him seems like a good place to which he should escape) and was apprehended in Williamson County. Jail officials there had no compunction against giving his identity, since after all, that IS public information.

What the public didn’t learn until a couple of days later was Montgomery’s sex offender status, however (also courtesy of Disclosure)…and at that point, public sentiment sort of turned Johnson’s way. It also didn’t hurt that Johnson had been falsely accused, in an unrelated incident this past summer, of a child molestation situation himself.

A grand jury failed to indict Johnson, and he has been no longer under that suspicion. And most people are saying that Montgomery’s status had nothing to do with anything….except that now, not a lot of people are feeling sorry for the deceased, and more and more people are feeling sorry for Johnson.

Add to this mix the presence of Downen, one of the most reputable criminal attorneys in the state, and things might be looking up for the accused. We know for a fact that Downen has a hefty price tag, however, as he’s well worth it; how Johnson was able to come up with said funds is a matter of conjecture, although quiet crowdfunding isn’t out of the question, give public sentiment against sex offenders.

Johnson’s set for arraignment January 5. We’ll have an update as we can get it.

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HAMILTON CO., Ill. - We were stopped while traveling south out of McLeansboro today, just past Dale on 142, due to the Department of Transportation trucks running a blade on the highway.

Like they do snow.

Except it wasn't snow they were pushing; it was debris.

And it wasn't just debris (otherwise we're not sure how effective that blade would've been) it was pushing; it was water, too.

The blade truck was slinging water and debris off the west (southbound) lane of 142 south of Dale, in particular. Because a bunch of debris-choked water was just sitting there, and the highway would have otherwise been passible.

We stopped and talked to a neighbor who said that they'd been at it for awhile out there. She opined, as we have in the past, that the floods get more and more unusual. Back in the day, you could pretty much count on what was going to flood where. These days, however, and beginning about the past 17 or so years, you can never tell, and you can never tell what the floods are going to contain. It might be branches and leaves (like what was being removed today), but it also might be farm detritus, bales of straw or hay, for example...or worse, pieces of irrigation machinery. And it flows across and backfills our roads and ditches so badly in such unusual places because the water is being re-routed...by tile drainage, or tiling. And this neighbor, who's watched some weird flooding literally in her backyard, agrees.

Tiling is what subsidy-propped-up farmers do to their fields to get their drainage right and maximize both moisture AND drainage. The drain tilings are laid into the field which is mapped prior to it in order for the field to get maximum effect, and then they're routed to the nearest ditch, creek, other water runoff, etc.

The problem is...this is effectively creating a new waterway. And when that happens, the ditch or creek selected often becomes overflowing, even in regular precipitation conditions. Give us a downpour the likes of which we saw over the weekend, and we have a mess. And...places that never flooded before suddenly flood.

Most of the time, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) helps mitigate this as a problem. However, there are many counties in southern Illinois which aren't part of NFIP, Richland being one of them. And we have flood problems in Richland. We've owned a rural home there since 2005. We've lived in Harrisburg, however, since 2013. Every time we go back to the farm, we never know what part of our road is going to be flooded. We also never know what the road's going to look like; right now, it looks like the surface of the moon. With water-filled craters.

And then, there are places where NFIP is in place, and way to the the approval process to put in a tiling system or other big agricultural doing (irrigation is one of the biggies) is often paved with hundred dollar bills....lots of them. Not outright, mind you. But, often in the form of political favors. And if you're from around here, you'll know that most of the big subsidy farmers are politically connected.

So, until something changes (and don't hold your breath on that), there are going to be floods in "places where it's never flooded before," in manners in which it's never flooded before, and this will take travelers off guard. We'd hate to think that the deaths of the Schutt family from Kentucky, who were swept off a road near Patoka Saturday in Marion County, were caused by "unexpected" or "unusual" flooding, made that way because the waters coming off the fields in the rain were rerouted by man-made intervention instead of the natural effect of "course of least resistance." We may never know. And we certainly won't know if the politically-connected are the only ones who are holding all the answers...and keeping them from everyone else.

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WAYNE CO., Ill. - A 15-year-old boy is fortunate to be alive today after an unattended ATV accident last night in Wayne County that left him lying facedown in a ditch for an unknown period of time.

The accident, according to Illinois State Police in District 19, occurred yesterday (Tuesday, December 30) on Wayne County Road 250N, just east of Wayne County Road 175E to the south of the village of Keenes on the west side of Wayne. ISP says the time of the accident was "unknown," but the boy was spotted at 8:19 p.m.

According to the preliminary traffic crash investigation, the 15-year-old driver of the Yamaha YFZ450 ATV (whose name we have learned from the family is Cody Johnson; ISP says he's from Mt. Vernon; family says he's from Marlow, which is not far from Mt. Vernon in Jefferson County) was traveling eastbound on Wayne CR 250N, approximately 350 feet East of Wayne CR 175E, when he lost control of the ATV due to his speed on the gravel roadway and overturned. The ATV and driver went off the north side of the roadway and into a ditch. The driver was found near the ATV face down and unconscious in a small puddle of water by a passer-by at approximately 8:19 p.m.

LifeFlight transported the driver from the crash scene to a hospital in Evansville, Indiana. Family is saying that he's improving, with the worst problem being the cold temps to which he was exposed, as it was difficult to get his body temperature up after such exposure.

ISP District 19 was assisted at the crash scene by the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, Wayne City Police Department, Fairfield Rural First Responders, and Wayne City Ambulance Service; ISP says charges are pending.

U.S. DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS - James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today, that Lewis Johnson, 35, of Florissant, Missouri, pled guilty in federal court to Conspiracy to Possess and Pass Counterfeit United States Currency. Sentencing has been set for March 31, 2016, in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. At sentencing, Johnson will face up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Carlyle and Sandoval Police Departments, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ranley R. Killian.

The break in a levee east of O'Neal Airport, Lawrence County, June 9, 2008

LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - Sheriff Russell Adams has issued notices today to those residents in the floodplain on the east side near the Wabash and Embarrass Rivers.

In a notice to the residents, which were displaced in severe flooding June of 2008, Adams said "current levels and with the predictions placing the Embarrass River at 41 feet, will place Lawrence County floodplain in a Level 3 alert, which will include a recommended evacuation. There is no levee breach at this time. With the current rainfall, backwaters have put all the drainage ditches at maximum capacity. Because of the backwater, response and evacuation times in this region will be significantly reduced if the levees were to breach.

"Residents should make preparation at this time.

"At the direction of the Lawrence County Board, Lawrence County Emergency Management, Lawrence County Highway Department and local law enforcement, several roads will be closed to ensure public safety and levee maintenance. These road closures will be announced at a later time. Officials are again going door to door in the affected areas."

We received word at 2:30 that phone calls are being made regarding the breach to the south; here's the substance of them by a correspondent in Lawrence:

Due to a levee break near Saint Marie, Illinois, the Lawrenceville Rod & Gun Club has implemented their flood action plan and telephone call list. If you have a camper at the campground it is recommended that you bug out NOW.

Please mark a tab for this page as we anticipate we'll be bringing information to you as it develops out on the floodplains in the coverage area.

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LAWRENCE CO., Ill. - The bridge over the Embarrass River just north of Lawrenceville on Illinois Route 1 has been closed to through traffic, as a log jam on the west side is impinging on the structure.

The bridge was shut down by local authorities about 4:30 p.m. according to our correspondent there.

Hazard lights are up a block into town (by the auto parts store) to warn motorists.

Scroll down for pics.

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The log jam, on the west side (facing west off the north-south bridge)

Facing north, on Illinois 1, just outside the cemetery

Facing north, on Illinois 1, where flares are position to warn motorists

In the historic Lawrence flood of June 2008, a log jam shut down the U.S. 50 bridge over the Wabash into Knox County. Structural engineers at that time told us that the log jam could undermine the structure to the point that the bridge would give. That would in turn cause the bridge debris (rebar, concrete, asphalt) to wash down the river, thus impinging on other bridges along the way, including the one between Mt. Carmel and Gibson County. So it can be a dangerous situation.

We'll let you know if/when this situation changes. Keep a tab up.

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LAWRENCEVILLE, Ill. - The flooding Embarrass River that runs through/around Lawrenceville has encroached upon the city streets.

Our correspondents in Lawrenceville have submitted the following photos of activity going on down on Third, Fourth and Jefferson streets, where flooding has occurred before, but locals are saying this is some of the worst yet.

Scroll down for captioned photos, as we've opted to run them large.

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Getting around on Third Street

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Fourth Street

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The parking lot of Lawrenceville's Wesleyan Church

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No levee breaches in Lawrence just yet; hopefully, there won't be. The bridge over the Embarrass on the northwest side of town remains closed due to a logjam as far as we've been able to ascertain. Stay with us as we have more coverage coming up.

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Hit our Facebook page (yes we still have one), and this post on it if you'd like to discuss this subject on Facebook; and be sure you check your "get notifications" selection under the 'like' button on our page; recent Facebook upgrades have booted many of our followers off from getting our posts. Also, check us on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr!

WAYNE/EDWARDS COs., Ill. - The Little Wabash River has joined other area rivers (the Embarrass to the northeast being most notable) as raging out of its banks...just past the county line of Wayne in Edwards county, it's at some of the highest levels seen in a while.

Lifelong Mt. Erie resident Martin Mayes told us earlier that in his more than five decades in the area, he couldn't recall seeing the Little Wabash at the river south of Bennington (formerly known as Blood), which is just inside the Edwards County line from Wayne on the 161 Extension, this high and lapping at the underneath of the bridge.

Local residents know Mayes as a horticulturist, specializing in daylilies; but he's also a talented photographer, artist and videographer (as well as a lifelong friend of my beautiful wife Ang; they went to school together all through Mt. Erie Grade School and Cisne High); he created the amusing graphic above (Mt. Erie, fortunately, sits on a high elevation point in northeast Wayne and heavy rains just run off from the hill, which is why the graphic is so tongue-in-cheek.) Here are some shots Marty took at the 161 earlier today, as the New Year's Eve 2015 flood is sweeping through several locations in southern Illinois; the first photo and arrow shows, on google maps, where the location is that he shot the photos; the shots are facing west up the 161 toward the West Salem Crossroads at Illinois 130 where noted, and taken from both the north and south sides (westbound and eastbound, respectively) of the bridge abutments.

Red arrow denotes the location of the shoot, from the west side. CR 1850N is the 161 Extension that runs from Mt. Erie to the west into West Salem to the east.

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Taken from the north side, facing east.

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Facing east

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A shot of how close the water is to the levee, that strip of green.

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Another view of how close the water is to the levee (on the left in the pic); this is facing north.

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More levee perspective

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Back to the west side, facing east; this is the north side of the bridge you're looking at.

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And now you're seeing the water as it's rushing against the north side of the abutment

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This is what's scary for Edwards/Wayne residents in the area...that water pushing against the abutment is fierce, and is what can cause damage to the bridge if there's debris...or just enough momentum to erode the material surrounding the bridge itself.

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A close-up of the rushing...good job, Mart!!

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Flood coverage continues...send us your flood pics if you'd like. Keep a tab up so you can see the latest.

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Hit our Facebook page (yes we still have one), and this post on it if you'd like to discuss this subject on Facebook; and be sure you check your "get notifications" selection under the 'like' button on our page; recent Facebook upgrades have booted many of our followers off from getting our posts. Also, check us on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr!