Reps. Severin Bryant meet with state officials to address wrecks on 57

Press release from State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton)

State Representative Terri Bryant and I were on a conference call with the Illinois State Police District Commander this past Friday about solutions to these concerns.

ISP has increased patrols and is trying to slow people down and increase awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. We’re working on possible solutions through the Illinois Department of Transportation and IDNR.

Also we are , reviewing options for legislation to make changes in lane regulations and speed in some stretches. In the meantime everyone please be vigilant and slow down

Here comes the heat again on Wednesday

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
309 PM CDT Mon Jul 24 2017

Advisory: Special Weather statement …Heat and humidity will be a concern into mid week…

…Heat and humidity will be a concern into mid week…

With high temperatures around 90 degrees, heat index values of
100 to 105 degrees are expected Tuesday afternoon across southeast
Missouri, far west Kentucky and extreme southern Illinois. By
Wednesday, afternoon highs will reach the lower to middle 90s.
When combined with high humidity, these conditions will produce
heat indices of at least 100 to 105 degrees across the entire
region.

Heat index values in southeast Mi ssouri, far west Kentucky and
southwest Illinois could reach around 107 degrees Wednesday
afternoon. A heat advisory may be needed Wednesday if forecast
models continue to indicate these conditions.

Anytime it is hot and humid, take extra precautions if you work
or spend time outside. When possible…reschedule strenuous
activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and
symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear light weight and
loose fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.
For full details, view this message on the web.

 

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Real-time Traffic Info on I-57 Project Available on Getting Around Illinois Website

Press Release from Illinois Department of Transportation District 9

CARBONDALE, IL  – As part of its commitment to provide the public with the latest information to plan their trips, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is sharing additional details on travel conditions in the Interstate 57 work zone near Marion through the Getting Around Illinois website.

To access, simply click here and select the “D9” traffic layer. Green cones signify vehicles are moving freely, yellow cones represent moderate reductions in speeds, orange ones show an even greater reduction and red cones indicate traffic is stop and go. Clicking on each cone displays the average rate of speed in which traffic is moving on northbound I-57 and the approaching westbound lanes on Interstate 24. Clicking on the sign icons shows the messages currently being displayed to drivers via digital message boards.

The information is made possible through IDOT’s use of Smart Work Zones. The system utilizes sensors to relay traffic information in advance of a work zone so motorists are aware of any backups and can elect to use detours or seek alternate routes.

The I-57 project is the first time IDOT is expanding the technology to share information with the public online. The project currently consists of reconstructing the northbound lanes from approximately Marion to I-24. The southbound section was completed earlier this year. The entire project is scheduled to be completed this fall.

GettingAroundIllinois.com debuted 10 years ago and relaunched earlier this year in a mobile-friendly format. The site is a one-stop shop for visitors seeking traffic counts, road conditions, weather radar and other travel-related information.

Marion man jailed on DUI Charges in Jefferson County

Press Release from Travis Allen, Jefferson County Sheriff

MT. VERNON, IL – On 07/23/17 at about 9:52 PM our office began receiving 911 calls about a blue van speeding up, slowing down, and swerving lane to lane on I-57 north bound from about the 92 mile marker.

While Deputies were responding to the interstate at least two callers reported what they thought were gun shots coming from inside the van. Deputies got behind the blue van as it approached the Mt.Vernon 95 mile marker.

The van exited I 57 eastbound onto Broadway. As the vehicle turned onto Broadway the Deputy activated his overhead lights and preformed a traffic stop on the vehicle. Another Deputy and Officers from the Mt.Vernon Police Department assisted as the Deputy preformed a felony stop on the vehicle.

Two occupants in the vehicle were both compliant. Inside the vehicle Deputies discover beer and M-80 style fire crackers. No weapons were found. The driver 28 year old Brent A. Tite of Marion was arrested for Driving on a revoked license from a prior DUI. Deputies suspected Tite to be under the influence at the time of this stop.

Field sobriety testing was conducted and Tite was arrested for DUI. Tite is charged with Driving while license revoked, Felony Driving under the influence while revoked for DUI and improper lane usage. Breathalyzer results indicated his alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.

He is currently in the Jefferson County jail awaiting bond to be set.
I want to publicly thank our Deputies and all Officers involved for doing a great job in getting this guy off the road. This reckless behavior could have caused an accident or got someone seriously hurt in other ways. Good job guys! Chief Deputy Taylor

Gas prices likely to rise after state budget strips tax exemption on ethanol

https://www.ilnews.org/news/economy/gas-prices-likely-to-rise-after-state-budget-strips-tax/article_3a76b51e-7013-11e7-86ed-7329c341da0e.html

SPRINGFIELD, IL (Cole Lauterblach, Illinois News Network.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

An advocate for gasoline wholesalers says they’ve been betrayed by the newest Illinois budget and could see a shift away from ethanol-mixed fuel because of it.

E10 gasoline, which is regular gas with ten percent ethanol blended in, has had a 20 percent tax exemption at the wholesale level since 2011. The budget passed by lawmakers earlier this month removed that discount that would have been up for renewal in 2018, which industry experts say will likely result in an increase of between 7-10 cents per gallon at the pump.

Bill Fleischli, Executive Vice President of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, said his members could stop using the E10 gas if straight fuel gets cheap enough.

 

City Makes Final Payment on 9th Street Sidewalk Project

http://www.wfgazette.com/news/city-makes-final-payment-on-th-street-sidewalk-project/article_412409c8-6eee-11e7-8461-73ad5e1750fd.html

WEST FRANKFORT, IL  (West Frankfort Gazette.  Please click on the link above to read the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

The City of West Frankfort wrapped up payments on a big sidewalk project at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The City Council voted to approve a payment of an engineer’s final payment estimate, for K.R.B Excavation, INC. in the amount of $26,853 for work performed on the 9th Street Sidewalk Project. The motion to pay the estimate was made by Commissioner Tara Fasol-Chambers and approved with a unanimous vote.

West City Water Tower Project Gets New Lease on Life

http://www.bentongazette.com/news/west-city-water-tower-project-gets-new-lease-on-life/article_bcd4e0a2-6cd6-11e7-a0d7-4f7c35e3cbb5.html

 

Benton Gazette photo

WEST CITY, IL – (William McPherson, Benton Gazette.  Please click on the link for the full story.)

West City Attorney Ronald Giacone reports that the Village’s proposed Water Tower Project received a favorable ruling recently in Washington D.C. but that there’s still work to be done before the issue is resolved.

The project had been brought to a halt due to a study which found the building permit to be in violation of FAA policy due to its’ proximity to the Benton Municipal Airport. One issue of contention for the Village Board, and for Benton Airport Board members has been the reported number of flights, said to be 22 per day, which allegedly take place at the Benton Airport. (www.airnav.com/airport/H96)

 

USA Today poll – Americans split on impeaching President Trump

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/24/impeach-donald-trump-poll-americans-split-remove-president/501871001/  

 

NOTE:  Here is a link to a story from USA today, that from a poll that Americans are split on the impeachment of Donald Trump.

I want to know what you think?  Trump Carried Franklin County by 71%.  The only one that might have carried the county stronger was when Glenn Poshard ran for governor.

Polls can be skewed in the way people want them to read, in my opinion.  The only one that matters is on election day.

Strong storms roll through the region overnight

by Steve Dunford

There was a line of strong storms that rolled through the region in the overnight hours.  The storms prompted Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in the counties along I-64.  There was a Tornado Warning issued for Wabash County as rotation was detected in the Mt. Carmel area.

There were power outages across the county overnight.  At this time, Ameren Illinois’ website is reporting 68 homes in Franklin County that are still without power.  Most of them are south of Christopher near Yellowbanks Road, in the Lake Moses area, and a few in the village of Orient.  Southeastern Illinois Electric Co-op is showing scattered outages in the Southwest part of the county.

There were no damage reports across the county, but there are several reports of small limbs and brush down.  Regionally, there was a 59 mph. wind gust reported at Mt. Vernon Outland Airport, and trees and power lines down in the Dix area.

The heat will be with us for one more day.  Here are some of the heat indices reported across Southern Illinois yesterday afternoon.

…Peak heat index reports for Saturday through 4 PM…

Location                     Temp      Time/Date       Provider

…Illinois…

…Alexander County…
Cairo                        109 F     0415 PM 07/22   AWOS
Bean Ridge                   107 F     0208 PM 07/22   RAWS
2 ESE East Cape Girardea     106 F     0325 PM 07/22   MESOWEST

…Franklin County…
Christopher                  110 F     0225 PM 07/22   AWS
Zeigler                      103 F     0210 PM 07/22   MESOWEST

…Jackson County…
Southern Illinois Airport    106 F     0152 PM 07/22   ASOS
1 N Carbondale               104 F     1115 AM 07/22   AWS

…Jefferson County…
Mt Vernon/outland Airport    114 F     0156 PM 07/22   AWOS
Dix                          111 F     0313 PM 07/22   CWOP
2 ENE Mount Vernon           107 F     0130 PM 07/22   AWS

…Johnson County…
Vienna                       110 F     1109 AM 07/22   AWS
Goreville                    109 F     1139 AM 07/22   AWS

…Massac County…
Metropolis                   110 F     0215 PM 07/22   AWOS

…Perry County…
Du Quoin                     107 F     1220 PM 07/22   AWS

…Pope County…
Dixon Springs                114 F     1208 PM 07/22   RAWS

…Saline County…
Harrisburg                   113 F     0255 PM 07/22   AWOS
Harrisburg                   107 F     0240 PM 07/22   AWS

…Wabash County…
Mount Carmel                 106 F     0404 PM 07/22   AWS

…Wayne County…
Fairfield                    110 F     0315 PM 07/22   AWOS
Fairfield                    109 F     0326 PM 07/22   CWOP

…White County…
Carmi                        110 F     0335 PM 07/22   AWOS

…Williamson County…
Crab Orchard                 109 F     1248 PM 07/22   RAWS
Williamson County Rgnl Airpt 107 F     0245 PM 07/22   AWOS
Crainville                   107 F     0130 PM 07/22   AWS
Marion                       105 F     0115 PM 07/22   AWS

 

 

Florida man jailed over bomb threat to Sesser-Vailer schools

Press Release by Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones

Sheriff Don Jones announces the arrest of Gabriel Isaiah Estrada Age 19of Fort Walton Beach Florida. The arrest occurred Wednesday, July 19th in Florida. Estrada is being charged with making two bomb threats that closed the Sesser-Valier Schools February 21st, 2016 and January 17th, 2017 as well as other crimes in Franklin County. Earlier this week, a Detective with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and a Detective with the Benton Police Department traveled to Okaloosa County, Florida to participate in his arrest with officers from the Okaloosa County
Sheriff’s Office.

Estrada was recently indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury for falsely making a terrorist threat (Class 1 felony), disorderly conduct (Class 3 felony), intimidation of a minor (Class 3 Felony), and harassment of a minor by electronic means (Class 4 felony). Estrada is currently being held in the Okaloosa County Jail pending an extradition hearing. It is anticipated that he will be transported to Franklin County, Illinois in the very near future.

This investigation is ongoing and more charges are anticipated. There are currently no charges pending in Florida against Estrada.

This investigation is a complex forensic computer and other electronic media investigation and has been ongoing for a number of months. The Sheriff’s Office gratefully acknowledges the assistance and cooperation of the following agencies, without which this outcome would not have been possible: The Benton Police Dept., Sesser Police Dept., The United States Marshall’s Service and the Okaloosa County Florida Sheriff’s office.

Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News