A 37-year-old Decatur man is in custody following a car chase and foot pursuit that lasted into Friday morning. The suspect has been identified as 37 year old Philip Joshu of Decatur, IL. 

On Thursday night at approximately 8:45 p.m. Benton officers were requested for assistance by the West Frankfort Police Department who was pursuing a fleeing driver northbound on route 37. 

The West Frankfort Officer relayed that the driver was armed with a handgun.  Upon entering Benton, the suspect turned westbound on Hudelson Street.  The driver then left the roadway west of the intersection of Hudelson and DuQuoin Street, coming to a rest on the railroad tracks.  The driver fled on foot in to the woods near the Benton Park.  Officers from West Frankfort, West City, Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Illinois State Police, Christopher and Benton responded, conducting searches and investigating leads throughout the night. 

This morning at approximately 7:45 a.m. an off duty officer from the West City Police Department spotted the suspect near Greenwood Street on the south east side of town.  Our schools were requested to go on lock down as a precaution.  Officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, West City and Benton ultimately located the suspect, capturing him near the 1000 block of South Mcleansboro Street. 

During the arrest, a handbag was recovered containing ammunition and a significant amount of narcotics.  Approximately two pounds of suspected methamphetamine, commonly known as’ ice’, a half pound of marijuana, 30 grams of mushrooms, and suspected LSD was seized.  The methamphetamine has an approximate street value of $80,000.00.     

At approximately 8:15 a.m. an Ameren employee reported finding a handgun just off Route 37 south of Benton.  This was a .45 caliber pistol later determined to be stolen out of Christian County, IL.

Joshu is currently being held at the Franklin County Jail on an arrest warrant out of Macon County for a weapons offense. The investigation continues and further charges are pending at this time. The suspect is presumed innocent of all charges against him.

 

First Special Olympics was held July 20, 1968, at Soldier Field in Chicago

 

CARBONDALE — Gov. Bruce Rauner today joined athletes and volunteers for the Special Olympics Illinois 50^th Anniversary Kickoff celebrations at the Touch of Nature Environmental Center in Carbondale.

 “The Special Olympics has its roots in Illinois and is a major source of pride in our state history,” said Gov. Rauner. “For the past fifty years, the Special Olympics has made the world a more compassionate and inclusive place. We thank those who laid the foundation for this life-changing organization.”

 In the 1950’s, Southern Illinoisan Dr. William H. Freeberg, an early leader in therapeutic recreation, started a camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at what later became the Touch of Nature Environmental Center. His pioneering work provided invaluable guidance as Eunice Kennedy Shriver built out programs across the country for the special needs community through The Kennedy Foundation. Dr. Freeberg was also a consultant for Shriver and co-founder Anne Burke as they collaborated to plan the first Special Olympics, which was held at Chicago’s Soldier Field in July of 1968.

“On that beautiful day in Soldier Field, while observing the gorgeous sunrise over Lake Michigan, 1000 athletes from twenty-six states and Canada competed in the first Special Olympics,” Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke said. “Fifty years later, the games that were ‘born in Chicago’ started earlier as seedlings at Touch of Nature Educational Center in Carbondale. Special Olympics changed the world forever by celebrating the abilities of people who have disabilities.” 

 

“The chance to share in the history of Special Olympics is very exciting and it is great to see so much support from Chicago and Springfield, as well as the whole state,” said Special Olympics Illinois Assistant Director Shane Bennett. “Today is also a way for us to showcase the park and facilities that Touch of Nature has to offer.”

The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games will be held in Seattle, Washington from July 1 to July 6. The Games will host 3500 athletes from across the country competing in 14 sports.

For more information about Special Olympics Illinois, click https://www.soill.org/.

 

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY

…Minor accumulations of snow possible later tonight into
Saturday morning…

Rain should transition to light snow tonight across southeast
Missouri, southern Illinois, southwest Indiana and west Kentucky.
The snow may linger Saturday morning across western Kentucky.
Snowfall amounts should generally be 1 inch or less. Minor travel
impacts cannot be ruled out.

The Winter Storm Watch was cancelled early this morning. The
forecast data has had tremendous difficulty handling snowfall
amounts with this system. All of the latest data points to lower
accumulations.

With the U.S. Supreme Court now having heard two cases concerning how political maps are drawn, advocates for bringing change to Illinois say there seems to be a light at the end of the gerrymandering tunnel.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Significant snow accumulations possible Friday night… .A storm system will approach the mid Mississippi and Ohio Valley regions late Friday. Rain is expected to change over to wet snow Friday evening and become heavy at times overnight. Several inches of accumulation are possible generally north of a Perryville Missouri, to Calhoun Kentucky line. This includes the cities of Carbondale, West Frankfort, Harrisburg, Mount Carmel, Evansville, Henderson and Owensboro. …WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING…

* WHAT…Moderate to heavy wet snow possible. Total snow accumulations up to 4 inches are possible. Cannot rule out isolated higher amounts.

* WHERE…Portions of southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky and southern Illinois.

* WHEN…From Friday evening through Saturday morning.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Plan on difficult travel conditions. Significant reductions in visibility are possible.

* AFFECTED AREAS: EDWARDS … FRANKLIN … GALLATIN … HAMILTON … HARDIN … JACKSON … JEFFERSON … JOHNSON … PERRY … POPE … SALINE … UNION … WABASH … WAYNE … WHITE … WILLIAMSON

Instructions:

A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY OFFICIALS EXECUTE DISASTER DECLARATION

(MARION-ILLINOIS) — On Wednesday morning, Williamson County Board Chairman Jim Marlow signed a disaster declaration upon the recommendation of Williamson County Emergency Management Agency Director Kelly Urhahn. The Williamson County EMA has confirmed that a tornado developed in the County on 4/3/2018 and caused significate damage to local homes and businesses. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. The execution of the disaster declaration officially recognizes the event as a disaster and activates Williamson County’s Emergency Operations Plan.

The following disaster response efforts are ongoing at this time:

– Teams from Williamson County EMA, assisted by personnel from Franklin County Emergency Management Agency are conducting a detailed field damage assessment of all residential and business structures that were affected.

– Teams from the National Weather Service are conducting a detailed assessment to determine the path and strength of the tornado.

– Officials from the American Red Cross will be deployed to reach out to citizens affected to aid in recovery efforts. Home Depot out of Marion has graciously donated supplies to assist local residents.

Williamson County officials are asking citizens to report significant structural damage or any assistance needs the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at (618) 997-6541.

A government finance watchdog has raised questions about who profits from a state policy in Illinois that penalizes state agencies that don’t pay bills on time.

Here’s the link at Illinois News Network.

Heavy rains, winds and the threat of tornadoes hit parts of Southern Illinois on Tuesday, causing some substantial damage.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

 

Elementary and middle schools across Illinois can apply before April 13

CHICAGO —  The Governor’s Office of the Illinois Bicentennial is awarding 25 schools across the state a 3-year technology program as a signature legacy project of the Bicentennial Celebration.  The highly renowned IMSA Fusion program presents a unique curriculum for middle school teachers to inspire 4^th through 8^th graders to study math and science and pursue careers in technology, medicine, education and business. The effort is a partnership with the Illinois Math and Science Academy.

The application deadline for schools is April 13.  Applications can be submitted through http://bit.ly/FusionBicentennial.

Wintrust and Abbott are the presenting sponsors.  All Bicentennial Office programs are privately financed.  Additional funding for this campaign is provided by Boeing, Ingredion and Motorola.

IMSA Fusion is a teacher professional development and student STEM enrichment program.  IMSA Fusion places a special emphasis on students who are historically underrepresented in those areas. 

A five person school selection committee will review the applications.  The committee includes:  Emily Bastedo, Senior Advisor to the Governor; Dr. Kevin Pitts, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education- University of Illinois; Ross Hemphill, Board Member- IMSA Fund for Advancement of Education; Jenna Daugherty, Divisional Vice President of Global Social Responsibility- Abbott; and Susana Meza, Vice President, Marketing- Wintrust Financial.

The schools will be chosen based on serving predominately underrepresented populations, commitments to embedding IMSA Fusion into the regular school day as an elective/encore/CTE course and requiring teachers to undertake 5 full days of professional development, and a sustainability plan to continue the IMSA Fusion after the 3-year award expires.

ABOUT ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL

On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. The Illinois Bicentennial is a yearlong celebration of what has been BORN, BUILT & GROWN in the state and a reminder of why we are #IllinoisProud.  Citizens are encouraged to participate in the celebration by visiting www.illinois200.com.

Illinois will spend $194 million over the next five years on projects intended to make railroad crossings in the state safer.

 

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.