The Wayne City School Board met last night and approved use of its parking lot for the Wayne City Matters Trunk or Treat on the 31st. The board also discussed the tax levy, and a 9.99 percent increase was recommended for the next two years. The board will hold a final vote on the levy in December. The North Wayne Christmas for Kids Annual Halloween Chili Supper Fundraiser is scheduled to be held next Friday, October 29th, at the Cisne Fire Department. The event will run from 4 p.m. to sell out, and it will be drive-through only due to COVID restrictions. The cost is by donation, and all profits will be used for Christmas for Kids in the North Wayne area. The City of Fairfield reminds people of the city-wide scheduled power outage this Sunday at 5 a.m. The outage is anticipated to last approximately 45 minutes to one hour, and it is necessary to replace damaged equipment and to perform maintenance on the electric system. The City appreciates people's patience and understanding during the outage. The City of Fairfield says the boil order issued earlier this week for the 300 block of West Sibley and the 600 and 700 blocks of George Street has been lifted. The Greater Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce plans to hold its town-wide rummage sale on October 23rd. As in previous years, a map of sale locations will be available at the Chamber of Commerce office and in the Wayne County Press. In other action in Fairfield this weekend, Wayne County Quilts of Valor will hold a ceremony honoring Korean War veterans Sunday at 2 at the First Christian Church in Fairfield. The state has launched a new school safety initiative, called Safe2Help Illinois. The idea is to give students an easy way to report concerns, whether they are a suicidal friend, bullying, sexual assault, or threat of school violence. Safe2Help is available 24/7 and comes at no cost to a district. It can be accessed at safe2helpil.com. The Fairfield Community High School Board of Education met last night and discussed the possibility of naming the gymnasium and establishing a Hall of Fame. The board appeared to be less than enthusiastic about naming the gym, but it was on board with establishing a Hall of Fame. Superintendent Jill Fulkerson will name a committee to study both issues and report to the board in the future. The Fairfield Police Department is asking Wayne County Crime Stoppers for assistance in solving a hit-and-run that occurred at the corner of Southwest 11th and Delaware streets last Friday at 9:43 p.m. Police are looking for a white Toyota Sienna with driver-side damage. Anyone with information should call or text Crime Stoppers at 842-9777. FCHS finished fourth in a Varsity Southern Illinois Academic Conference Scholastic Bowl meet last night at FCHS. Fairfield finished 1-3 on the night, falling to eventual champion Marion, Salem, and Herrin and defeating Mt. Vernon. Cale Simpson of FCHS tied with Marion's Drew Jones for tournament MVP by answering 14 toss-ups. Last month was wetter and warmer than one year ago. At the WFIW/WOKZ studios, we received two inches and 62 hundredths of rain in September, with a single-day high of an inch-and-a-quarter on the 22nd. Last September, we recorded just 61 hundredths, with a single-day high of 36 hundredths. The average high for September was 83.4 degrees, compared to 81.9 last year. COVID-19 cases in the area appear to be on the decline. The Egyptian Health Department announced one new case in White County yesterday to reach 3,056, and Jefferson County reported six cases. It said Wednesday it had seen 21 cases in teens or younger in the past week, which was down from its previous total. Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, and Hamilton counties did not issue updates. The state Department of Public Health announced 2,146 new cases and 36 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 1,677,939 cases and 25,563 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 3.4 percent on the 18th, down from 3.5 percent on the 17th. The Illinois FFA has reached record membership, and Executive Director Mindy Bunselmeyer says numbers continue to grow, even during a pandemic. She said they expected a drop in membership due to challenges last year, but the organization has done a good job in weathering the initial storm. The National FFA Convention in Indianapolis is scheduled for next week. The State Senate approved a bill licensing Illinois midwives on Wednesday. It sets up a credentialing process and education standards and has been negotiated for many years. Supporters say families across the state seeking an at-home birth can feel more comfortable with a professionally-licensed midwife on hand. The measure still needs to be passed by the House. River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 8.96 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.16 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 6.63 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 2.11 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 7.04 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 9.23 feet. Today's crude oil price is $75.50, down $1.25 from yesterday. The December crude oil price is $82.62, down $0.14 from yesterday morning.