The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that Future Farmers of America dues for every student taking agriculture education classes across the state will be covered starting this fall. The $550,000 appropriation is spearheaded by State Senator Doris Turner. FFA is a national organization for young adults interested in leadership and agriculture. It has been a priority of the Pritzker administration to make farming and agriculture more accessible, and these dollars help to diversify the make-up of the FFA organization. The elimination of dues makes Illinois a FFA affiliation membership state, ensuring every student that is enrolled in agricultural education will have FFA membership dues automatically paid, making them an FFA member. In 2021, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 3218 and Senate Bill 1624, two measures that add "agriculture education" to the list of acceptable electives that qualify a student for admission to state universities, and "agricult
Fairfield Mayor Mike Dreith has announced his nomination for the city's Police Chief. He says he intends to nominate former Fairfield police officer and mayor Brent Maguire at tomorrow's city council meeting. The 48-year-old Maguire served as mayor from 2017 to 2020 and was a police officer from 1997 to 2011. He defeated four people to become mayor by a wide margin but resigned his seat in August 2020 to accept a lecturer position in criminal justice at Oakland City University. The Fairfield City Council will meet tomorrow at 6 at City Hall. Outside of appointments, aldermen are anticipated to award a bid for the new water tower; they are also scheduled to discuss an ordinance setting fees for the new Class Q Liquor License established earlier this month. Other agenda items include approving the FOP Contract, seeking bids for a salt storage shed, and an ordinance authorizing the sale of property. Edwards County Schools held their graduations on Saturday. For ECHS, Rylan Robb
COVID-19 vaccinations are currently available for Fairfield residents, and will be distributed on Tuesday, March 16
th. Anyone interested in making an appointment to receive the vaccine should contact the Wabash County Health Department at 263-3873.
The much-anticipated decision on the fate of the Wayne County Courthouse will not be known for at least some time. The board failed to take any action during the meeting concerning the building, but an Executive Session at the conclusion of the meeting concerned the possible purchase, lease or acquisition of property. No action was taken by the board at the conclusion of the Executive Session. David Harl addressed the board in support of keeping the courthouse, citing its architectural and historic value to the community. Jail Committee Chairman Nathan Jones stated that the board was investigating its options if the Qualified Immunity for Police Bill passes in the Illinois Legislature. Jones stated that the board fully supports the Wayn