According to the website "Best Value Schools," Illinois Eastern Community Colleges have the second-best valued Associate Degree in Liberal Arts in the nation. The group used a matrix of cost, faculty-to-student ratio, and graduation rates to determine the value. The IECC has a tuition rate of $135 per credit hour, a faculty-to-student ratio of 14:1, and some of the highest retention and completion rates in Illinois. 20-year-old Fairfield resident Brandon E. Garrett, Jr., was arrested by Wayne County deputies yesterday on a Wayne County warrant for grooming. Garrett was taken to the Wayne County Jail and held, pending the posting of $1,020 bond. Fairfield police arrested 51-year-old Geff resident William J. Jelley, Jr., and 26-year-old Cisne resident Haley N. Morgan yesterday. Jelley was charged with aggravated assault and felony criminal damage to property, and Morgan was charged with domestic battery. Both were held, pending the setting and posting of bond. 56-year-old Vanda
The first installment of 2020 payable 2021 Edwards County Real Estate Taxes was due November 30th. The total extension was $6,276,962, and, as of Tuesday, 71 percent of that total had been paid, according to County Treasurer Debbie Smith. The second installment is due by December 30th, and payment may be made in person, by mail, or in the drop box on the northeast side of the courthouse. People can also pay online at govtechtaxpro.com, though a 2.5 percent fee will be added for the credit card company. Certified delinquent letters will be sent out January 5th, and people must pay delinquent taxes by January 13th to avoid publication in the newspaper on the 19th. The tax sale will be on February 9th. Illinois firearm deer hunting totals were down this year, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Hunters took 71,675 deer over the two firearm weekends, compared to more than 77,000 last year. Wayne County totaled 1,414 deer in the two weekends compared to 1,446 in 2020. Ed
Fairfield businessman Gary Carter has officially announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for the Illinois House of Representatives. New legislative maps have put Wayne County in District 116, pitting Carter against incumbent Dave Severin in 2022. Carter says he enters the race with $100,000 on hand for his campaign. Carter is billed as a political outsider, and he says he is a pro-life conservative who supports the Second Amendment and eliminating FOID cards. He also says he intends to stand up for freedoms and fight to defend, not defund, law enforcement. With the ongoing pandemic, he also intends to fight against the governor's mandates, saying there is no reason he should try to force kids to wear masks in schools, force a vaccine, or attempt to shut down businesses. Fundraising efforts continue for the Wayne County Senior Citizen and Community Center Project. Center Advisory Committee Chair David Savage said yesterday on the WFIW Radiothon they are nearing their $
Winners have been named in Saturday's Fairfield Lighted Christmas Parade. First place in the Youth-School-Adult Organizations went to the Flora Apple Queen Pageant and second place to Frontier Community College. In the Church category, first place went to the entry from the Lebanon North Cumberland Presbyterian Church and second to the First United Methodist Church. In the Business category first place went to Fairfield Banking Company's entry and second to the CRHPC Fairfield Community Health Center. In the Individuals-Animal-Antiquie-Golf Cart-Side by Side category, first place went to the Fairfield Rural Fire Department and second to the Clark Family entry. The Grand Marshal Award was given to the Snow Globe by Jim and Sheryl Musgrave and the Best Overall Use of Lights Award went to the Flora Apple Queen Pageant. Wayne City's 5th annual Hometown Lighted Christmas Parade is set for this Saturday night at 7. Parade Marshals will be Scott and Lisa Clark. Those wishing to
The Edwards County Health Office announced 30 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week, bringing its total to 1,173; 21 cases were in unvaccinated individuals. Wabash County announced 24 cases in the past week to reach 2,254 cases; 22 people were in isolation. Hamilton County added seven cases yesterday and sat at 1,384; one person was hospitalized, and 19 were in isolation. White County added three to reach 3,141, and Jefferson County reported nine. The state Department of Public Health announced 6,119 new cases yesterday and 45 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 1,815,994 cases and 26,459 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 4.7 percent on the 28th, down from five percent on the 27th. Currently the State of Illinois is reporting a total of 1,815,994 cases of COVID-19 in the state, with 30,274 variant cases. The state is also reporting 26,459 confirmed deaths and 2,973 probable deaths. The current positivity 7-day rolling average for case positivity is