The Marion County Board Wednesday night adopted regulations, created a fund-raising account, and approved a memorandum of understanding for hazardous waste cleanup assistance for the new emergency management agency. EMA Subcommittee chair Cody Rose says the EMA policy outlines how the agency that was formerly emergency services and disaster agency will operate. The new fundraising account has more stringent controls than the former account that was operated without county board oversight or a...

by Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois August 26, 2026 Article Summary JB Pritzker signed a new law to establish statewide rules and regulations for electric bikes and scooters, also known as e-bikes. The new law establishes rules about where "micromobility" devices can be used along with speed limits and age restrictions. Supporters of the bill say it's a necessary framework to improve safety as more people, especially teenagers, are getting injured in accidents while using the de...

by Peter Hancock, Capitol News Illinois August 26, 2026 Article Summary The lawsuit seeks to block the Postal Service from enforcing new rules prohibit transmitting mail ballots to or from anyone not listed on a federally approved database of U.S. citizens. The case comes two days after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court injunction blocking implementation of the rules, which stem from a March 31 executive order by President Donald Trump. The Supreme Court's ruling came exactly one mo...

Salem Police have arrested a Salem man for reckless driving following an argument at the gas pumps at Moto Mart that ended when he allegedly tried to hit two people with his car. 35-year-old David Garden of West Rogers allegedly tried to hit the man he was arguing with as he began to drive off and then backed up and tried to strike both the male and female. Police report no one was hit or injured. After reviewing video of the incident, police went to Garden's home where he was arrested. H...

Centralia Police have arrested 48-year-old Benjamin Lee of East 2nd in Centralia for domestic battery, aggravated assault, battery, and obstructing a police officer. He was taken to the Marion County Jail to await a decision on formal charges and a first appearance in court. Salem Police arrested 38-year-old Walter Williams of North Broadway in Salem for retail theft at the Salem Walmart store after he was held by loss prevention. Marion County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 25-year-old Anthony...

A 73-year-old Iuka man has been arrested for misdemeanor battery after allegedly pushing a man causing him to fall and then dragging him down the driveway by his belt. Salem Police say Ray Krutsinger of Sullens Road had gone to a home on Allman Street late Tuesday afternoon to help someone move. Another person asked him to leave, when the altercation allegedly occurred. The alleged victim did not require hospital treatment. Krutsinger was still at the home when police arrived and arrested ...

United Way of South Central Illinois joins people around the world in mourning the loss of Dolly Parton, while celebrating a legacy that has reached far beyond music and directly into the homes of thousands of children across South Central Illinois. Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, was one of the most recognizable singers and songwriters of her generation. But to families participating in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, she was also the woman who believed every child deserved the chanc...

A 72-year-old Mt. Vernon man has been ordered held without bond after being charged with failure to register as a sex offender and five new counts of being in possession of child sex abuse material. The judge found Virgil Higginson to be a real and present threat to the safety of young children in the community, noting similar convictions in 2008, 2010, and 2014 for which he was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections. It was also noted with the new arrest he had already violated...