The Fairfield City Council met last night and unanimously approved a change in fees for video gaming machines in Fairfield. Under prior law, municipalities could charge a maximum license fee of $25 per machine per year, but a recent update in the law allows them to charge $250 per machine. The licensing period was also changed to coincide with the City's fiscal year. The council heard concerns from Sheila Titzer regarding the appointments of Police Chief Richie Fulkerson and Assistant Chief Keith Colclasure, and Alderman Gary Moore questioned Chief Fulkerson's fulfillment of residency requirements to hold his job. Aldermen entered executive session after discussing the matter, but no action was taken. Mayor Mike Dreith recognized Gayla Grote last night with his quarterly SMILE Award. He says the Grotes decorate their home for the holidays, bringing in hundreds of visitors to the City. Last Halloween, they hosted over 2,000 Trick-or-Treaters, and he says the family is an example of how a single home can transform a community. In his report at last night's meeting, Mayor Dreith said the county Humane Society sent out a new contract in December but did not give notice they wanted out of the existing contract, which pays them $1,500 per month. The new proposal asked for $3,100 per month and maintained the Society would not deal with biting dogs or come after business hours on weekdays or on weekends. The mayor consulted with the police committee chair, contacted the Society Representative, and sent notice this week the City is ending the contract. The Wayne County Health Department is reminding the public of changes to contact tracing and COVID-19 case reporting. Effective tomorrow, all cases will be sent to the IDPH Surge Center to help automate the information provided so people have quick access to it. As of December 28th, all cases receive an automated message informing them of quarantine and isolation information. The center will prioritize cases and calls, but, if people don't receive a call, it doesn't mean they don't need to quarantine or isolate. People should follow current recommendations, and they can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/confirmed-or-possible-covid-19.html Contact-Tracing-Centralization-Press-Release-1-2022-Wayne-County The Egyptian Health Department reported 32 new cases of COVID-19 in White County yesterday morning, bringing its total to 3,667. Jefferson County reported 70. The state Department of Public Health announced 28,110 new cases yesterday and 92 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 2,488,380 cases and 28,660 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 15 percent on the 8th, up from 14.7 percent on the 7th. River stages as of early this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 20.36 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.75 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 9.24 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 8.48 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 22.89 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 15.18 feet. Today's crude oil price is $74.25, up $3.00 from yesterday. The February crude oil price is $81.92, up $2.69 from yesterday morning. Community Connection will feature a replay of the Best of RFD Illinois from last week. Community Connection airs at 7:30 on AM 1390 and 103.3 FM. "Morning Coffee" will feature Mark Turner and Ken Otey. "Morning Coffee" is between 8-9 a.m. on 104.9 weekdays. To listen to a podcast of Morning Coffee and Community Connection, click on "About Us" on the top right of wfiwradio.com. Then, from the dropdown, make your choice of program.