Kinmundy Police say both the driver of the truck and eight cattle being hauled in a trailer escaped injury when the truck ran into the roadside ditch trying to avoid a riding lawn mower in the road. Police Chief Joe Duffy reports 29-year-old Jacob Hotze of Teutopolis was traveling southbound on Illinois Route 37 coming around the curve at the Kin-Lou Road intersection when he swerved to avoid the riding lawn mower. The weight of the cattle shifting apparently helped pull the truck onto its ...

A detached garage of a rural Salem home received minor damage from fire, but heavy smoke damage late Wednesday night. Salem Fire Protection District officials say the fire was in a detached garage at a residence occupied by Zach Brewer of the 2400 block of Sands Road south of Salem. It started from a battery charger on a wooden bench. While the fire was quickly knocked down, there was considerable smoke damage. Initially it was feared the fire might spread to the nearby home, but that neve...

Centralia Police have arrested a 35-year-old Centralia man for domestic battery. Aaron Hubbard of East Gragg was taken to the Marion County Jail to await a final decision on new charges. A 29-year-old Odin woman, Autumn Respondek of DeWolfe Street, was taken to the Marion County Jail after being arrested on a failure to appear no bond Marion County misdemeanor warrant. A 30-year-old Centralia woman, Marie Anderson of West Third, was taken to the Marion County Jail after being arrested by Cen...

The central route of the Run for the Wall in Washington DC will once again stop in Mt. Vernon. More than 300 bikes are expected to arrive in Mt. Vernon via I-64 at the Route 15 exit at 10:45 next Tuesday morning, May 21st. The mission of the 34th annual program is to promote healing among all veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those killed in action from all wars and to suppo...

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com One week after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an elections-related measure that his fellow Democrats quickly muscled through the General Assembly, Republicans sued over the new law, alleging the majority party is blocking ballot access to would-be legislative candidates. The law, passed early this month as the legislature's spring session ramps up to its scheduled May 24 adjournment, bans the long-running practice of political p...

Sandoval Elementary School recognized the Students of the Month for May. The students were chosen because of their outstanding display of COURAGE, such as doing the right thing in the face of difficulty and being a leader not a follower. The assembly this month was sponsored by our Sandoval PTO. Those selected were Malcolm Reynolds, Hunter Avants, Rhett McHenry, Gracelyn Hernandez, Jayden Lagone, Aliyana Timmons, Deacon Moseley, Declan Tongate, Journey Bryan, Alaric Hunter, Kyler Skurat, Ke...

The South Central School Board has agreed to sign a 25-year agreement to have solar energy fields installed at all three of its campuses, South Central Elementary and Middle School in Kinmundy and South Central High School in Farina. Superintendent Kerry Herdes sees big savings in the cost of electricity when the project is completed sometime next year. "We are excited to get the ball rolling on the solar project. That is a solar array at each site. I think we can save in the neighborh...

A 28-year-old Mt. Vernon man has been sentenced to 30 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty in Marion County Court to aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. Alexsis James of Isabella Avenue will serve the time concurrently with a prison term handed down earlier in Jefferson County. James is accused in the Marion County charge of fleeing Centralia Police in October of last year and in the process violated two or more traffic control devices...