84-year-old former Wayne City resident, Audrey Ruth Wegner died at 7:26 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Way-Fair in Fairfield.

Survivors include sons, Carl and wife Vesta Wegner of Cliffton Park, NY and Darrell Wegner of St. Louis; a daughter, Ellen and husband Kerry Shreve of Wayne City; a sister, Joyce Weaver of Tuscola, IL; 3 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

Services for Audrey Ruth Wegner will be 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Olive Branch Church in Wayne City with burial in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be 6 – 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Richardson Funeral Home in Wayne City, which is in charge of all the arrangements.

The post Audrey Ruth Wegner appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

A Sturgis, Ky. Man who led police on a high-speed chase across Southern Illinois Thursday night in a stolen pickup truck has been jailed. Nicholas I. Pinkerton, 32 told police after his arrest that he “had killed several people, including Spiderman.” Jefferson County, Ill. Sheriff’s Police began pursuing Pinkerton on Ill. Rt. 15 after spotting a 2009 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck that had been reported stolen in the Washington County, Ill. community of Nashville. Wayne City Police Chief Anson Fenton and County Deputy Lee Rankin eventually cornered Pinkerton on a county road just off Starvation Curve.  Pinkerton faces numerous charges in Wayne and Washington Counties as well as Sturgis, KY.  Police stated that Pinkerton was “either under the influence of drugs or was mentally disturbed.”

A line of severe storms moved through the region Thursday night, triggering tornado warnings for parts of Wayne and Edwards Counties. While funnel clouds were spotted by trained weather observers, no major damage was reported.

43-year-old David Michael Chargaulf of Evansville was injured Thursday night when high winds blew his semi over on Interstate-64 in rural White County.  Chargaulf was headed eastbound shortly after 6 p.m. when a gust of wind blew his Freightliner semi over at the 128 mile marker. He was taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital.  Eastbound traffic was re-routed for much of Thursday evening because of the wreck.

The Fairfield Community High School Board has set graduation for Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. The ceremonies will be held in the FCHS Gym.  The board also appointed Jenna Montgomery as a volunteer girls’ softball coach and re-employed the spring coaches for next school year.

The Jasper Grade School Board has set graduation services for Thursday, May 15 in the Jasper gymnasium. The board also accepted the resignation of Beth Meeks as bookkeeper and treasurer this July after 40 years of service to the district.

A proposal to ban smoking on public college campuses is advancing in the Illinois Legislature.  The bill would ban smoking on all properties belonging to state-supported colleges and universities starting July 1.  The measure passed out of a House committee and now goes to the full House for further debate.

The post Headlines for Friday, February 21, 2014 appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

62-year-old Fairfield resident, Maudie McGill died at 8:55 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 at her home. She had been a CNA.

Survivors include her husband, Kenneth McGill of Fairfield; a step-daughter, Roxanne Crow and husband Rinni of Mt. Carmel; sons, Henry and wife Dixie McGill and Eugene and wife Amy McGill, all of Fairfield; stepsons, Ray and wife Lisa McGill of Mt. Vernon and Walter McGill of Topeka, KS; sisters, Minnie Morgan Hosick of Fairfield and Myrtle Kieser of Mt. Erie; step-brothers, Charles and wife Alma Holstein of Barnhill and Lushie Holstein of Wayne City and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Maudie McGill will be 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield with burial in Buckeye Cemetery.

Visitation will be 11 a.m. until the time of service Monday, Feb. 24 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Memorials may be made to help with the funeral expenses.

The post Maudie McGill appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

61-year-old Fairfield resident, Jan McGaha died at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Fairfield Memorial Hospital.

Survivors include a daughter, Michelle and husband Wade Gregory of Fairfield; sons, Gabe and wife Stephanie McGaha and Nate McGaha, all of Fairfield and four grandchildren.

Funeral services for Jan McGaha will be 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield with burial in Pleasant Grove Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 until the time of the service at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Memorials may be made to the Little League Baseball or Girls Softball Programs and will be accepted at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

The post Jan McGaha appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

45-year-old Fairfield resident, Michele Lea Allen died at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 at her home.  She was a homemaker and had worked at Brookstone Estates.

Survivors include her boyfriend, Kevin Brand of Fairfield; parents, Junior and Treva Lane of Cisne; two daughters, Amber Lane of Bloomington, MN and Megan York of Tolono, IL; her grandmother, Elizabeth Lane of Cisne; two sisters, Lisa Lane of Wentzville, MO and Melissa Weidner and husband George of Noble, IL.

Cremation rites will be accorded with a private family service at a later date.

The Hosselton Funeral Home of Cisne is in charge of all the arrangements.

The post Michele Lea Allen appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

73-year-old McLeansboro resident, Frank Van Winkle, died at 4:52 p.m. Thursday, February 20 at Hamilton Memorial Hospital in McLeansboro.  He was a refining worker in the oil field.

Surviving are his wife, Clara Van Winkle of McLeansboro; three daughters, Penelope Van Winkle of Culleoka, TN, Robin Van Winkle of Mt. Carmel, IL and Jody Bedwell of Robinson, IL; one step-son, Kelly Karcher of McLeansboro; one step-daughter, Stacy Webb of McLeansboro; ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Jean Catt of Oblong, IL and Shirley Pippin of Robinson, IL.

A Memorial Service for Frank Van Winkle will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 25 at Turning Point Church of God in McLeansboro.  The church will open at 10 a.m.

Memorials may be made to Turning Point Church of God Hand of Hope Food Pantry.

Harre Funeral Home in McLeansboro is in charge of the arrangements.

The post Frank Van Winkle appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

Flood warnings have gone up for the Little Wabash River at Clay City and the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, IL due to recent rain and snow melt.  The Little Wabash at Clay City was at 19.4 feet this morning, a foot and a half above flood stage, with a crest of 20.5 feet expected Monday.  The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, IL was at 15 feet this morning and forecast to climb to 23.2 feet by Monday afternoon, more than four feet over flood stage.  Dry weather is currently in the forecast through the end of next week.

32-year-old Nicholas I. Pinkerton of Sturgis, KY was arrested Thursday night after leading police on a high-speed chase through southern Illinois in a stolen pickup truck.  Jefferson County Sheriff’s police began pursuing Pinkerton on Illinois Route 15 after spotting a 2009 Chevrolet pickup that had been reported stolen from Nashville, IL in Washington County.  Wayne City Police Chief Anson Fenton and County Deputy Lee Rankin cornered Pinkerton on a county road just off Starvation Curve.  Pinkerton faces numerous charges in Wayne and Washington counties, as well as Sturgis, KY in connection with the chase.  Police said Pinkerton told them as he was being arrested that he “had killed several people, including Spiderman.”

During this week’s meeting of the North Wayne District school board, the board accepted the Intent to Retire resignations from Cary Pond, Elizabeth Pond and Lisa Fearn at the end of the Fiscal Year 2017.  The board approved setting graduation dates for Saturday, May 17th at 2 p.m. for Cisne High School and Friday, May 16th at 7 p.m. for Cisne Middle School.  Nikki Basnett was hired as the Title I aide at Johnsonville and Mt. Erie schools, replacing Debra Collier, and Rick Dennison was hired as a special education aide at Mt. Erie school for the remainder of the current school year.

47-year-old Sammy R. Kehrer of Mt. Vernon, IL has been formally charged with three counts of First-Degree Murder in the stabbing death of 37-year-old Eric Houser of Mt. Vernon, IL outside the Mt. Vernon Gun and Sportsman’s Club on Tuesday.  Bond on Kehrer was set at $3 million, according to Jefferson County States Attorney Douglas Hoffman.  Hoffman alleges that Houser and Kehrer got into a physical altercation that ended with Kehrer fatally stabbing Houser in the chest.

A report from Springfield, IL says all four Republican candidates for Illinois Governor agree that the state’s prison system is overcrowded that action is needed to address what they say is a public safety hazard.  State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, one of the candidates, was quoted as saying the population in the correctional facilities is “dramatically overcrowded” and said “there are 49,000 inmates in a system designed for 32,000.”  The Republican candidates include State Senators Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, along with venture capitalist Bruce Rauner and Rutherford.

The post Headlines for Saturday, February 22, 2014 appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

88-year-old McLeansboro resident, Hershel E. Campbell, died at 9:35 a.m. Friday, February 21 at Hamilton Memorial Hospital in McLeansboro.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Gholson Funeral Home in McLeansboro.

The post Hershel E. Campbell appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

Former Fairield resident, Nancy O’Leary Lyftogt, died Thursday, February 19 in Scottsdale, AZ.

Surviving are her husband Rick; two daughters, Michelle Quindry O’Neal of San Diego, CA and Shannon Lemons of Queen Creek, AZ; one sister, Marsha O’Leary Sork of Fairfield; and seven grandchildren.

A celebration of Nancy O’Leary Lyftogt’s life will be held in Scottsdale, AZ at a later date.

The post Nancy O’Leary Lyftogt appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

90-year-old Mt. Vernon, IL resident, formerly of Enfield, Bernice R. Dolan, died Friday evening, February 21 at Countryside Manor in Mt. Vernon, IL.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Stendeback Family Funeral Home in Enfield.

The post Bernice R. Dolan appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

86-year-old Carmi resident, Mary Genevieve Cashen, died at 4:57 p.m. Saturday, February 15 at Wabash Christian Retirement Center in Carmi.  She had been a hairdresser.

Surviving are her husband James of Fairfield; two brothers, Edward and wife Mary Paul of Fairfield, and Eldon Paul of Auxvasse, MO; and several nieces and nephews.

Graveside services for Mary Genevieve Cashen will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, February 26 at Ebenezer Cemetery.  There will be no visitation.  Family and friends are asked to go directly to the cemetery.

Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield is in charge of the arrangements.

The post Mary Genevieve Cashen appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

Elsie Sons of Fairfield died Friday, February 21 at her home in Fairfield.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

The post Elsie Sons appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

38-year-old Fairfield resident, Christina Lynn Digby Gollner, died Friday morning, February 21 at her home.  She had worked as a clerk at the Casey’s store in Fairfield.

Surviving are two sons, Austin of Fairfield and Sebastian of McLeansboro; two daughters, Rebecca Gollner of Fairfield and Shannon Gollner of Arizona; her mother, Ruth Young of Carmi; two grandchildren Tayleigh Pulliam and Audrey Crow; four brothers, Jason Digby of Carmi, Perry, Paul and David Wilburn all of Portland, OR; four sisters, Melissa Jonas, Mandy Digby and Brandy Minder of Carmi and Heather Wilburn of Portland, OR; her companion, Tim White of Fairfield; and her special friends, Linda and Randy Duckworth of Enfield.

Funeral services for Christina Lynn Digby Gollner will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 25 at the Stendeback Family Funeral Home in Enfield.  Burial will be in Digby Hills Cemetery near Dale.

Visitation will be from noon Tuesday, February 25 until the time of service at the Stendeback Family Funeral Home in Enfield.

Memorials may be made to the family to help defray funeral expenses.

The post Christina Lynn Digby Gollner appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

Fairfield Community High School had a very successful day Saturday at the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics regional at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL.  Several teams and individuals brought home hardware, with many advancing to state competition.   Those advancing to state competition included the geometry written team, the Freshman/Sophomore 2-Person team and the Freshman/Sophomore 8-Person team.  Individually, Senior Cody Simpson placed second in the PreCalculus competition, Junior Samantha Ochs placed second in the Algebra II competition and junior Dakota Young placed third.  The three also advance to state competition.  Four other teams for FCHS placed second on Saturday.

Flooding is expected to continue through mid-week on the Little Wabash River at Clay City and until further notice on the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, IL.  The Little Wabash at Clay City was at 19.2 feet Saturday night, and expected to crest at 20.5 feet early Monday morning.  Flood stage is 18 feet.  The Wabash at Mt. Carmel, IL stood at 15.6 feet Saturday night, with a crest of 23.2 feet expected Monday morning.  Flood stage at Mt. Carmel, IL is 19 feet.

The Fairfield City Council meets Tuesday night starting at 6 p.m.  During the meeting the council is expected to award bids for the sale of the old Red & White store sign, the sale of a grader and mosquito chemicals for the coming summer.  Also on the agenda is the next payment to the contractor building the city’s new water treatment plant, amounting to nearly $200,000.  Discussion is also expected on the city’s smoke-free policy, and a comparison of Fairfield’s gas and electric rates with surrounding towns.

State Representative David Reis has announced his latest round of traveling office hours.  A member of his staff will be at the Carmi City Hall on Wednesday from 9 to 10 a.m., at the Mt. Carmel City Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and at Fairfield City Hall from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.  Residents are welcome to address any concerns they may have about government.  Residents can also call his office at (618) 392-0108 or stop by his office in Olney at 219 East Main Street to address any concerns they may have.

All four Republican candidates running for Illinois Governor agree that the state’s prison system is overcrowded and action is needed to address what they believe is a public safety hazard.  Three of the candidates, including State Treasurer Dan Rutherford and State Senators Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard said in a report that they would consider reopening the super-maximum security lockup at Tamms in southern Illinois to help with the overcrowding.  The facility was closed by Governor Pat Quinn in 2012, along with the Dwight women’s maximum-security prison in upstate Illinois.

The post Headlines for Sunday, February 23, 2014 appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

88-year-old McLeansboro resident, Hershel E. Campbell died at 9:35 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21 at Hamilton Memorial Hospital in McLeansboro. He was a retired oilfield worker.

Survivors include two sons, Rex Campbell of Morris, IL and Pia Campbell of McLeansboro; two daughters, Sherry Lea (Paul) McIntosh of Verona, IL and Donita Fern Marciniec of Roscoe, IL; 5 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and a brother, Halbert Campbell of Peoria, IL.

Funeral services for Hershel E. Campbell will be 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Gholson Funeral Home in McLeansboro with burial in Prospect cemetery near McLeansboro.

Visitation will be 11 a.m. Tuesday until the time of service at the Gholson Funeral Hom ein McLeansboro.

Memorials may be made to the donor’s choice.

The post Hershel E. Campbell appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

92-year-old former West Salem resident, Warren Clark died Sunday, Feb. 23 at Rest Haven Manor in Albion.  He was a retired supervisor at Champion Laboratories in West Salem.

Survivors include his wife, Glenna; two boys they raised as their own sons, Chris (Nellie Schafer) Murphy of West Salem and Jim (Vickie Lomas) Murphy of LaPeer, MI; a sister, Bea Prezioso of Mt. Vernon, IL; 5 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren and a niece, Alice Baker of Clarksville, TN.

Per Mr. Clark’s wishes, cremation rites will be accorded and there will be no formal services.

The Ingram Funeral Home of West Salem is in charge of all the arrangements.

The post Warren Clark appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

90-year-old former Enfield resident, Bernice M. Dolan of Mt. Vernon, IL died Friday evening, Feb. 21 at Countryside Manor in Mt. Vernon. She was a member of the St. Patrick Catholic Church of Enfield.

Survivors include two sons, Larry Dolan of Enfield and John and wife Gerry Dolan of Chesterfield, MO; a daughter, Madonna and husband Scott Imel of Paris, IL; two grandchildren; two sisters, Alice Kreher and Virginia Rubenaker, both of Mt. Vernon, IL.

Funeral services for Bernice M. Dolan will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Enfield with burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

Visitation will be 4 – 8 Monday evening, Feb. 24 at the Stendeback Family Funeral Home in Enfield with a Rosary Service at 4 p.m.

Memorials may be made to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Enfield and will be accepeted at the Stendeback Family Funeral Home in Enfield.

The post Bernice M. Dolan appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

88-year-old Carmi resident, Roy Clark, Jr. died Saturday, Feb. 22 at Wabash Assisted Living in Carmi.

Services for Roy Clark, Jr. are pending at the Stendeback Family Funeral Home in Carmi.

The post Roy Clark, Jr. appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

59-year-old Randy C. King of Fairfield entered a guilty plea Monday to two class-2 felony charges of being in possession of child pornography. Sentencing has been set for April 21. King entered the negotiated guilty plea Monday afternoon before Circuit Judge Tom Dinn.  In return for the guilty plea, the state’s attorney dropped three Class-X felony charges against King.   Judge Dinn ordered a pre-sentencing investigation and advised King that the sentences on the two separate charges will have to be served consecutively.  King was arrested in September of last year as a result of an investigation by agents of the Illinois Attorney General’s office.

Due to recent rainfall and snow melt, area rivers are on the rise. The Wabash at Mount Carmel is forecast to crest more than three feet above flood stage by Sunday.

An Olney man is being held in the White County jail on home repair fraud cases dating back to 2006. In Wayne County Circuit Court last week, home repair fraud charges against Lawrence Meyer were dropped by the state’s attorney. However, $2,140 bond posted in his 2006 case was assigned to a local victim – Ruth Ann Young. Meyer is currently being held in jail on an Edwards County home repair fraud charge from 2007.  Meyer is expected to appear in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing in Edwards County Circuit Court.

The FCHS Math Team had a very successful day at a meet Saturday on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Several FCHS Mathletes will advance to state competition.

The City of Fairfield’s utility payment plan is expected to be discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Fairfield City Council.  The issue arose earlier this month after a number of residents expressed difficulties in paying higher than normal heating bills brought about by the harsh winter.

An autopsy has revealed a Southern Illinois University student found dead in a wooded area last week likely died of exposure to the cold.  19-year-old Parvin Varughese had been missing for a week.  He was a criminal justice major at SIU.

A member of State Rep. David Reis’ office will be at Fairfield City Hall this Wednesday from 2:30 – 3:30.   He will also be at the Carmi City Hall Council Chambers from 9 – 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The post Headlines for Monday, February 24, 2014 appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.

81-year-old Fairfield resident, Patricia Ann Davis died at 3:05 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at Fairfield Memorial Hospital. She had been a homemaker.

Survivors include her husband, Jack Davis of Fairfield; sons, Brad (Barbara) Davis, Richard Davis, Jack Ray (Dawn) Davis, Morris Todd (Sue) Davis and Joey (Kristen) Davis, all of Fairfield; a sister, Pam (Richard) Windland of Fairfield; brothers, Harold Morris of Mississippi, Jesse Morris of Louisiana and Roland David Morris of Fairfield plus several nieces and nephews.

Services for Patricia Ann Davis will be 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield with burial in Maple Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be 11 a.m. until the time of service Thursday, Feb. 27 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Memorials may be made the Comfort Room – Third Floor of Fairfield Memorial Hospital and will be accepted at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

The post Patricia Ann Davis appeared first on WFIW - WOKZ Radio Fairfield IL.