The Illinois Department of Transportation reports scattered slippery spots remain on even the major highways in Marion, Fayette and Clay Counties. Major roads in Clinton, Washington and Jefferson County are now reported clear. A semi truck hit a patch of ice on a bridge three miles north of Kinmundy around five Tuesday morning and ran into the medium, rupturing a fuel tank. Kinmundy-Alma Firemen were called to assist in putting down chemicals to soak up the spilled fuel. A vehicle hit a pat...

By Steven Stilt The Wamac City Council on Monday evening approved a new water shutoff fee structure for customers who are failing to pay their bills. Under the new plan, a first shutoff fee will be $50, with the penalty increasing to $75 for a second shutoff incident occurring within 12 months of the first one. A third or subsequent shutoff within 12 months of the initial incident will carry a $100 fee. Previously, all shutoffs carried a $50 fee regardless of the number of incidents. City off...

The Centralia City Council approved the city's FY26 budget at the regular council meeting on Monday night. The budget shows an overall surplus of roughly $455,000. A public hearing was held before the meeting to present the budget. No members of the public gave any questions or comments on the budget at the hearing. The council also approved the annual property tax levy, keeping it the same as the previous year's levy. Centralia city manager Galen Mahle said that due to increased revenue from...

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that some Ameren Illinois (Ameren) customers in central and southern Illinois will receive a credit on their upcoming power bills. The credits are the result of a $38 million settlement Raoul's office reached with Dynegy Inc. (Dynegy), a subsidiary of Texas-based Vistra Corporation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the settlement in August 2025, resolving 10 years of investigation and litigation by the Attorney General's office an...

The Bryan Family Christmas Open House will be held this Sunday from five to eight pm. You'll be able to celebrate the Christmas Season with Mrs. William Jennings Bryan and her children at the birthplace museum at 408 South Broadway. Myron Lloyd and Jim Koehler of the Historical Society have organized the second annual event. Koehler explains what all is planned. "We are planning on having a number of cars out front from the period, weather permitting," Koehler said. "Cindy...

The Salem Township Hospital's $16-million renovation and expansion project is on schedule and on budget. That is according to hospital CEO James Timpe in a report to the hospital board last week: "They're putting walls up inside what's going to be the new same-day surgery area where people start and finish before and after surgery," Timpe said. "That will be the temporary emergency room during phase 2, which will be some time later in next spring." The hospital will have ...

A winter weather advisory has been issued until midnight Monday night. One to three inches of snow is possible. Slippery road conditions may result. Here's the more specific forecast: This Afternoon A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 31. Calm wind. Tonight Snow, mainly before 1 am. Low around 19. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%-new snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Tuesday Partly sunny, with a high near 2...

The Salem City Council Monday night will be asked to approve up to a $2-million loan from the Illinois EPA to fund sanitary sewer improvements. The council will also be asked to allow the police department to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Marion County Circuit Clerk's Office to switch to e-citations from Quicket Solutions. The switch will improve efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness in processing traffic and certain criminal offenses. The in-car printers include a scanne...