Defense attorneys try to undercut Fidel Marquez's credibility after gun purchase attempt By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO - Before the sun rose on a cold Wednesday morning in January 2019, Fidel Marquez agreed to a life-altering assignment as a cooperating witness in a criminal case the government was building against his colleagues at electric utility Commonwealth Edison and powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Marquez agreed to the r...

The Marion County Board has unanimously agreed to end its contract with the City of Centralia to house dogs picked up in unincorporated parts of the county. The decision comes when Centralia doubled the cost to $6,000 a month and dogs no longer being accepted when the pound is full. Community Relations Committee Chair Bill Henson says the contract with Centralia ends on December first. "At this time we don't have a contract with the city of Centralia, but we do have options," Hens...

By Steven Stilt The Centralia City Council on Tuesday evening approved proposals for the city's insurance coverage services, accepting a proposal from Illinois Counties Risk Management for liability insurance and the Illinois Public Risk Fund for workers' compensation. There were two options provided by Illinois Public Risk Fund for workers' comp - a $966,400 proposal that includes no deductible, and an $826,720 option with a $50,000 deductible. City Manager Kory Smith notes that the $50,000 ...

Fall firearm turkey hunters harvested 292 bids in the late October season. That's up ten percent from the previous harvest but well below the record harvest of 1,218 birds in 2005. Jefferson County was the top county, with 17 birds harvested. Marion and Jasper County were tied for second, with 16 birds harvested apiece. Jefferson County's harvest increased from just nine last year, while the Marion County harvest increased two birds. In other area counties, four birds were harvested in Cla...

The Marion County Board has approved a 3.4 percent increase in its tax levy that would result in a $230,000 increase in property tax collections next year. Finance Committee Chair Chris Krupp said the increase was needed to help cover a projected deficit in next year's budget. Krupp said the $353,000 deficit would increase to $577,000 without the increase. Some board members were concerned they were being asked to approve the tax levy without ever seeing a budget. Krupp said the budget wo...

Centralia City Schools District 135 officially hired Beth Hollenkamp, current assistant principal at Centralia Junior High School, as assistant superintendent beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Hollenkamp will fill the position currently held by Christina Becker, who will become superintendent upon the departure of Craig Clark. Hollenkamp said she is looking forward to taking on the new role and working with the school board. In other business, the board approved the tentative tax levy wit...

A group of organizations have come together to provide meals to the homebound in Salem and a large part of Marion County until Project Bread gets the funding they need to reopen. The meals are starting today and will be a bag lunch today as well as Thursday and Friday of this week. The goal is to provide hot lunches beginning on Monday of next week. If you were served by Project Bread in the Salem, Odin, Sandoval, Patoka, Iuka, Alma, and Kell area, you may call Salem City Hall at 548-2222 to...

The Marion County Sheriff's Department has arrested a 67-year-old rural Centralia man for allegedly firing a shotgun near two homes and initially refusing to put the gun down and move away as ordered by the sheriff. Dennis Spenner of Cheyenne Road has been charged in Marion County Court with reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm with a revoked FOID card, and illegal possession of ammunition without a FOID card. During his first court appearance, Judge Mark Stedelin found c...