The Wayne City School Board met Thursday night and took up several items of business. The board approved raises and contract extensions for administrators, and approved the school calendar for the next year. The year will start for students on August 11th, with two full weeks off for Christmas break. The board rehired Bethany Reyling as a new elementary teacher and approved Misty Boyd to continue as the long-term substitute art teacher. It was also announced that several students would be representing the district for the Principal's Breakfast, including Zoey Conover and Cole Tucker representing the sixth grade, and Ellie Dickey and Nick Lambert representing the senior class. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 3,013,709 total cases of the coornavirus in Illinois as of this morning, along with 32,299 total deaths. The Marion County Health Department this week announced two more COVID-19 related deaths, a female in her 70s and a female in her 80s. Neither were vaccinated. The latest deaths brings the total number for the county to 207. Hamilton Memorial Hospital District in McLeansboro has announced changes to their visitor policy. Emergency room patients will be allowed two visitors per adult patient and two per pediatric patient, and two visitors will be allowed for surgery patients. Patients isolating with COVID-19 will not be allowed in-person visits. More information is available by calling (618) 643-2361 extension 0. Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller has released a statement concerning plans to close or downsize units at the Vandalia and Pontiac prisons. Miller stated, "I am very concerned by Governor Pritzker's plan to quietly close or downsize prisons without the public's knowledge or input. Governor Pritzker used COVID as an excuse to release criminals into our communities and refused to accept transfers from county jails into state facilities as part of his "woke" soft-on-crime agenda that has made Illinois more dangerous." Area river stages as of this morning: Little Wabash River east of Fairfield is at 24.43 feet. Flood stage is 17 feet. At Clay City the stage is 21.86 feet. Flood stage is 18 feet. At Carmi the stage is 26.74 feet. Flood stage is 27 feet. The Skillet Fork at Wayne City is at 16.05 feet. Flood stage is 15 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel is at 18.69 feet. Flood stage is 19 feet. Flood warnings are in effect along all the area rivers, with moderate flooding expected next week along the Wabash at Mt. Carmel. Two chances for precip are in the forecast for next week.