BCMW Community Services is now welcoming summer youth programs interested in partnering to support summer programming for youth across the four-county service area of Bond, Clinton, Marion and Washington counties. Through this collaboration, BCMW will support programs that help deter at-risk youth from crime, juvenile delinquency, substance use, and teen pregnancy, while promoting personal responsibility, integrity, discipline, and respect. According to BCMW, partnering with the organization ...

The Illinois State Police (ISP) is announcing all 169 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) throughout Illinois, commonly called 911 call centers, have successfully transitioned to Next Generation 911 (NG911). NG911 upgrades the traditional 911 service from voice-centric networks to secure, IP-based infrastructure designed to support today's communications. "This milestone reflects years of coordinated work by the ISP Division of Statewide 911, PSAPs, Emergency Telephone System Boards (...

There were 1,200 free Easter dinner's served Saturday thanks to the work of volunteers in the Salem area. For the second year in a row, the free dinner was coordinated by Saved with Amazing Grace, the Grace United Methodist Church, and the Salem Apostolic Church. Chris Watkins with Saved with Amazing Grace says 95 hams were smoked for the dinner. "We did the hams last night," Watkins said. "We started at eight o'clock and finished at about three o'clock. We let them cool off an...

The Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce is happy with the results of the first Regional Business Expo held at the Kaskaskia College gym on Saturday. Chamber Executive Director Marcus Holland wraps up the day's activities. "The first year for the Regional Business Expo to be at Kaskaskia College was really great," Holland said. "We attracted an audience of people who were interested to see the vendors that we had. It was maybe a little slower with a little less people, but it ...

A 15-year-old Cisne boy was killed when the side-by-side he was operating collided with a semi. Clay County Coroner Bryce Henry identifies the victim as Owen W. Bailey. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on U.S. 50 at Ironwood Road early Sunday night. Henry says it appears that Bailey was traveling westbound on the shoulder of US 50 and was attempting to make a left-hand turn onto Ironwood Road when for unknown reasons he pulled out in front of an eastbound semi, causing the se...

This weekend was busy for the Salem Fire Protection District as they fought three fires and helped free a man from an elevator. Firemen were called at 4:19 Sunday afternoon to the Georgia Turner home in the 1900 block of Kaskaskia Lane on Lake Centralia. A fire started for an unknown reason in a trash bag sitting on a patio table. The fire spread from the patio to siding on the home, scorching it. Firemen stopped the fire before it got inside the home. Turner was asleep inside and di...

A vacant farmhouse on the Bob Grote Farm at 9002 Shattuc Road in rural Centralia was destroyed in a late Sunday afternoon fire. Centralia Fire Protection District Chief Ross Boshera says the fire started from a fire in a brush pile. The house was fully engulfed and falling in when firefighters arrived. The house had been vacant for several years. Firemen were able to largely contain the fire, despite the high winds. There were a few spot fires started nearby from flying embers. The Cen...

Centralia Police arrested 19-year-old Hannah Berry of McKee Street in Centralia for domestic battery. She was taken to the Marion County Jail. A 46-year-old Jesse Blades of North Elm in Pana was arrested by Central City Police on outstanding no bond felony failure to appear warrants issued in Fayette and Sangamon Counties. Blades was later transferred to the Fayette County Jail at Vandalia.