75-year-old former Kentucky resident, Rex Davidson of Fairfield died at 1:10 p.m. Thursday, April 10 at the home of his daughter in Fairfield. He had been a truck driver.

Survivors include daughters, Dana and husband Jason Robinson of Fairfield, Stella and husband, Lucien Stemper and Melanie and husband Chris Lake, all of Florida; three sisters, two brothers, 3 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Per his request, the body will be cremated and no services held.

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

76-year-old Bone Gap resident, Clara “Darlene” Short died at 3:30 a.m. Friday, April 11 at Way-Fair in Fairfield.

Survivors include three sons, Roscoe of Albion, Tim of Princeton, IN and Victor of Bone Gap; two daughters, Carol Short of Albion and Cindy Rhodes of Texas; three sisters, Beulah Thompson of Albion, Velma Brown of Allendale and Rosie O’Neil of Ohio;  7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Services for Clara “Darlene” Short will be 2 p.m. Sunday, April 13 at Nale’s Funeral Home in Albion with burial in Bone Gap Cemetery.

Visitation will be 1 p.m. until the time of service Sunday, April 13 at Nale’s Funeral Home in Albion.

Justin and Jessica Westall of Olney, IL are thrilled to announce the birth of their son and little valentine, Kasen Wayne Westall.  Kasen was born on February 14, 2014 (Valentine’s Day) at 3:09 AM at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon, IL.  He weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 20 ¼ in long.  Kasen is welcomed home by his very excited big sister Karleigh!  

Grandparents who are ready to spoil him include Randy & Carol Vaughan of Fairfield, IL and Doug & Cheryl Westall of Olney, IL.  Proud Great-Grandparents include Pat & Richard Vaughan, Ken & Harriet Nale, Tom & Nita Seaman (all of Fairfield, IL), and Gene & Alberta Diesser and the Late Donald & Marjorie Westall both of Olney, IL.

77-year-old Grayville resident, Patricia L. Bush, died Wednesday, April 9 at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN.  She was a homemaker and enjoyed working crossword puzzles and gardening.

Surviving are a son, Leslie Bush of Grayville; two daughters, Patty Jo Cox of St. Louis, MO and Marie (David) Boyd of Fairfield; one sister, Ramona Rudolph of West Salem; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In keeping with her wishes, Patricia L. Bush’s remains were cremated.  A private family memorial honoring both Patricia and her late husband Jack will be held at a later date.

Cook Funeral Chapel in Grayville is in charge of the arrangements.

80-year-old Wayne and White County resident, Verdonna (Bircket) Harl, died at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 10 at Wabash Christian Retirement Center in Carmi.

Surviving are a her husband Bill Harl of Springerton; one daughter, Debbie (Lawrence) Fitch of Flora; one son, Randy (Kathy) Bircket of Barnhill; one step-daughter, Beverly Mead of McLeansboro; one step-son, Billy Harl Jr. of Springerton; three grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild; and one brother, John Yow of Carbondale, IL.

Funeral services for Verdonna (Bircket) Harl will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 15 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.  Burial will be in Bestow Cemetery at Geff.

Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Monday, April 14 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Memorials may be made to Wabash Christian Retirement Center or the Alzheimers Association.

78-year-old Kennett, MO resident, formerly of Flora, Mrs. Mine Clark, died at 3:42 a.m. Saturday, April 12 at Poplar Bluff Regional Hospital in Poplar Bluff, MO.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Kohn Funeral Home in Flora.

The trial of suspended White County jailer, 38-year-old Phillip Lowery, ended in a mistrial late Friday night after the jury was deadlocked following nearly 12 hours of deliberations.  Lowery stood trial on a class-2 felony charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.  Lowery was accused of fondling a four-year-old girl.  The case against him began to unfold in June of 2012 when the alleged victim’s mother was scrolling through some photos on her cell phone and pointed out a picture of the suspect.  The girl told her mother that Lowery had made her fondle him.  Lowery’s trial was delayed earlier this year after allegations surfaced that one of his co-workers, Melissa L. Kittinger, a 911 dispatcher for the White County Sheriff’s Department, had contacted potential jurors in the case.  Kittinger was charged with unlawful communications with a juror and is free on $1500 bond.

The Cisne FFA Livestock team finished as the 3rd place team in Section 23 competition held this past week at the Richland County Fairgrounds in Olney.  115 students from 13 schools competed at the event.  The team is made up of Noah Barnard, Emily Benca, Jayden Brown, Marissa Byars, Bryan Bailey, Kirsten Rodgers, Russell Hilliard, Samantha Brookman, Jared Taylor and Justin Gill.  Barnard earned 4th place overall individually and Benca finished 6th overall.

The Little Wabash River at Carmi and the Wabash River at New Harmony has crested, and both are beginning a slow fall.  At Carmi the Little Wabash River should fall to around 32 feet Monday.  Flood stage is 27 feet.  The Wabash at New Harmony should fall below its flood stage of 15 feet by next Sunday.  Some more rain is possible in the area tonight and into Monday, and again on Friday.

Illinois has no areas in drought for the first time since last August, but reports say the rains have not helped with spring planting chores.  The rains of the past few weeks have helped with soil moisture and the flow of streams, but have put spring planting on hold.  The average precipitation for the past week was 50 percent above normal, with nearly 20 percent of the state’s topsoil rated as saturated.  The 30-day forecast is indicating above-normal rainfall and below-normal temperatures, the same conditions that led to delayed planting last spring.

An Associated Press story says Illinois is slated to receive $22 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for fish and wildlife conservation efforts in the state.  The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says they’ll use the money to fund current projects, including research on deer and catfish.  The report said deer in Illinois have been found to have diseases affecting population for the past 12 years, and the state has been making efforts to limit the spread of the diseases.  The state is also monitoring the sustainability of catfish in the Wabash River.

The National Weather Service has issued a “Freeze Watch” from late Tuesday night through Wednesday morning.  Temperatures are forecast to dip to as low as 28 in many areas of the region.  With little or no wind expected, widespread frost cannot be ruled out.

The aggravated criminal sexual abuse trial of suspended White County jailer Phillip Lowery ended in a mistrial Friday night. Special prosecutor Michael Valentine says it will be up to the victim’s family if a second trial will take place.  Valentine says he is willing to re-try the case; but only if the victim and her family are willing to go through the stress of another trial.

Michael Bonan of Illinois Avenue in Fairfield reports to local police that someone entered his home Friday afternoon and stole two rings. No value was listed on the loss.

26-year-old Shawn E. Webb of Fairfield has been sentenced to 4 years in prison after pleading guilty in Clay County Circuit Court to a charge of being in possession of pseudoephedrine – an ingredient in the manufacture of meth.

DuQuoin-based inmates have been helping restock sandbags for area levees.  Non-violent offenders have filled about 12,000 sandbags.  The sandbags will be available to anyone requesting them and can be accessed through your local emergency management agency.

A prescription drug take-back program has been set for Saturday, April 26 in Wayne County.  Individuals will be able to drop off un-used and outdated prescription medication at Fairfield Memorial Hospital between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday the 26^th.

83-year-old Wayne City resident, Phyllis M. Breiling died at 11:56 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at her home. She was a homemaker.

Survivors include sons, David Squires of Wisconsin, Paul Squires of Albuquerque, NM and Joe Squires of Oilton, OK; daughters, Barbara Haller of Wayne City and Diane (Charles) Turner of Harrisburg, IL.

Graveside services for Phyllis M. Breiling will be 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15 at Crouch Cemetery at Belle City, IL.

Visitation will be 11 a.m. until the time of service, Tuesday, April 15 at the Richardson Funeral Home in Wayne City, which is in charge of all the arrangements.

Jack H. Arnwine, 69, of Cisne, IL passed away at 8:00PM Sunday, April 13, 2014 at his home.  He was a Sales Territory Manager for Becker Underwood/BASF and previously taught at Cisne High School.  He was a member of the Anthony Doherty Lodge 1111 in Cisne, IL and was a lifetime member of the Cisne FFA Alumni.

Jack is survived by one son, Robert, of Cisne, IL; one daughter, Crystal of Evansville, IN; one sister, Betty Hickman, of Knoxville, TN; one nephew and two nieces.

Funeral Services for Jack Arnwine will be Wednesday, April 16, 2014, at 11:00AM at Hosselton Funeral Home in Cisne, IL.  Burial will follow in the Cisne Cemetery.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 9:00 AM until time of service.

Memorials may be made to Cisne FFA Alumni, and will be accepted at Hosselton Funeral Home.

32-year-old Harrisburg resident, Pauline Catherine Claro died at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at her home. She had been a CNA.

Survivors include her mother, Dianna Schell of Summerfield, FL and father, Richard Claro of Alabama; a sister, Kimberly Davis of Fairfield; two nieces and one nephew.

The body is to be cremated with a memorial service set for 2 p.m. Thursday, April 17 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.  There will be no visitation.

Memorials may be made to the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield to help with funeral expenses.

78-year-old Albion resident, Duane “Keith” Reid died at 8:06 a.m. Sunday, April 13 in Evansville. He had been an auctioneer and worked in real estate for 47 years.  He was a member of the Hermitage Lodge #356, the Ainad Shrine, Moose Lodge and National and Illinois State Auctioneer’s Assn.

Survivors include two sons, Kent (Lori) Reid of Albion and Kevin (Patricia) Reid of Dallas, TX; sisters, Yvonne Reid of Albion and Phyllis White of Kennesaw, GA and four grandchildren.

Funeral services for Keith Reid will be 10 a.m. Thursday, April 17 at Nale’s Funeral Home in Albion with burial in West Village Cemetery.

Visitation will be 6 – Wednesday evening, April 16 at Nale’s Funeral Home in Albion.

Memorials may be made to the Shriners Children’s Hospital and will be accepted at Nale’s Funeral Home in Albion.

84-year-old former Grayville resident, Donald Lee Graham of Adamsville, TN died Monday, April 14 in Jackson, TN.  He had been the owner and operator of Graham Insurance and Real Estate  of Grayville and the president of Petro-Halogen Corporation, an oil and gas exploratory company. He was also one of the seven original investors of the Windsor Oaks Hotel development in Grayville. He was previously president of the Grayville Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in helping Spartan Manufacturing and Kasha Industries relocate in Grayville. He was also a member of the Grayville Community Arts Association that secured the downtown theater and had served on the Tri-County Planning Commission.

Survivors include his wife, Ann Graham; two daughters, Jan Melton and husband Rob of Evansville, IL and Sherri Cupples and husband Eddie of Jackson, TN; a son, Scott Graham and wife Michelle of Florissant, MO; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild; three brothers, Densil Graham and wife Gail of Grayville, Retired Col. Bobby Graham and wife Shirley of Centerville, GA and Larry Graham and wife Jean of Gold Canyon, AZ.

Funeral services for Donald Lee Graham will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 16 at the Shackelford Funeral Home in Adamsville, TN with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery in Grayville.

Visitation will be from 6 – 8 Thursday evening, April 17 at the Cook Funeral Chapel in Grayville.

Memorials may be made to the Love and Truth Church in Savannah, TN or the Tupelo Children’s Mansion in Tupelo, MS and will be accepted at the Cook Funeral Chapel in Grayville.

James Eugene Osborne, 69, of Grayville, Illinois, died April 15, 2014, at his home.   He was a truck driver and attended the Cowling Free Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Ann Osborne; son Jeff (Shelly) Osborne, all of Grayville; daughter Jammie (Jeff) Knight; sisters Kay (Bill) Wheatcroft, Nancy (Buddy) Johnson, Mickie (Duane) Smith, all of Mt. Carmel; seven grandchildren, Jeremy (Rachel) Stoneberger, Kinzie Knight, Colby Knight, Alisha Osborne, J.C. Osborne, Sidney Osborne, Cameron Osborne; two great-grandchildren, Isabella Stevenson and Annabelle Stoneberger.

Funeral Services for James Eugene Osborne will be 1 p.m. Friday, April 18 at the Cook Funeral Chapel in Grayville with burial in Antioch Cemetery near Cowling, Illinois.

Visitation is at 11 am until the time of service at the Cook Chapel in Grayville

Memorials may be made to Riley’s Children’s Hospital.

The public library in Albion and the Frontier Community College library have been issued $5,000 grants through the Illinois Secretary of State’s “Back to the Books” program.  A $4,000 grant was issued to the Norris City Memorial Library.

Health officials are investigating a report of food poisoning in Mount Vernon.  The food-borne illness apparently came from Kreiger’s Sports Grill in Mount Vernon.  Of the 90 people who dined at their buffet on Sunday, April 6, 21 became ill. The Jefferson County Health Department is investigating.

Officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation are adding extra safety precautions to work zones around the state after the speed limit was increased on rural Interstates.  Extra signs, along with speed indicators are being added to work zones.

The Fairfield Business and Professional Women’s Foundation is accepting applications for Wayne County high school senior girls and mature women returning to college. Each scholarship will be valued at $2,000.  Senior applications are available in the high school guidance office. Mature women scholarship applications are available on the Frontier community College web-site.

The Fairfield Agriculture Education Department is opening their greenhouse for a pre-Easter plant sale today.  The greenhouse will be open from 8 – 5 today.  A wide variety of vegetable plants, flowers and hanging baskets will be available to the public.

60-year-old Fairfield resident, Sam Harrawood died March 20 at his home.

Survivors include his wife, Sandy Harrawood of Fairfield; daughters, Samantha Harrawood of Decatur and Cecilia and husband Brian Kushave of Madison, WI; one grandchild; a sister, JoLynne Atkins of Fairfield a brother, Eugene Harrawood of Denton, TX and several nieces and nephews.

Memorial services for Sam Harrawood will be 2 p.m. Monday, April 21 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Visitation will be 1 p.m. until the time of service Monday, April 21 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Col. Vernon Lee Musgrave, USAF Ret., of Long Beach, Ms. died Monday, April 14, 2014.   Col. Musgrave was originally from the Barnhill/ Bt. Prairie area, and was a 1965 graduate of SIU. He had been a jet fighter pilot for many years, retiring from the Air Force in 1989, and from the Mississippi Air National Guard in 2004.

He is survived by his wife, Alice (Locke) Musgrave; two sons, Lee Musgrave of Garner, N.C. and Steven (Christine) Musgrave of Petal, Ms.; two daughters, Sherri Byrd and Shannon (Jason) Crowder both of Long Beach, Ms.; four grandchildren, Brandin and Tyler Musgrave, and Kelsey and Rylie Byrd. all of Long Beach, Ms. He is survived by two brothers, Ray (Pat) Musgrave of St. Charles, Mo. and Tom Musgrave (DeeAnna) of Rineyville, Ky.; one sister, Freda Musgrave of Fairfield; a brother-in-law, Robert (Dixie) Locke of Geff; a sister-in-law, Kathryn (Dick) Curd of Mill Shoals, and several nieces and nephews.

Cremation and memorial services will be provided by Riemann Family Funeral Home in Long Beach, Ms. on Thursday, April 17.

A memorial service will be scheduled in the Fairfield area at a later date.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in his memory to the Wounded Warriors Project, at www.WoundedWarriorsProject.org.

89-year-old Fairfield resident, Genevieve Cunningham died Jan. 11 at Way-Fair in Fairfield.

Survivors include daughters, Becky (Larry) Hildebrand of Fairfield, Linda Cheatham of Chaplin, KY and Janet Stark of Louisville, KY; a brother, Virgil Sprague of Old Town, FL; 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Graveside memorial services for Genevieve Cunningham will be 11 a.m. Saturday, April 19 at Maple Hill Cemetery in Fairfield.

Friends and family should go directly to the cemetery as there will be no visitation. Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church in Fairfield.

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

88-year-old McLeansboro resident, Ethel Lois Rose died at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, April 16 at her home in Heritage Woods in McLeansboro.  She was retired from the laundry department at Hamilton Memorial Hospital in McLeansboro.

Surviving are two daughters, Barbara (and fiance’ David Musgrave) Murdach of McLeansboro and Sheila (John R.) Taylor of McLeansboro; one son, Richard (Jane) Rose of Cobden, IL; five grandchildren, Lisa (Todd) Cottle, Gregory (Donna) Murdach, David (Annie) Murdach, Victor Scott Rose and Bethany Floyd; and nine great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Ethel Lois Rose will be at 1 p.m. Friday, April 18 at the Gholson Funeral Home in McLeansboro.  Interment will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery at McLeansboro.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. Friday, April 18 until the time of service at the Gholson Funeral Home in McLeansboro.

Memorials may be made to Shriners Hospital or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and will be accepted at the Gholson Funeral Home in McLeansboro.

Fairfield City Police Chief Brad Winter has announced his retirement.  Mayor Chuck Griswold has appointed Det. Sgt. Keith Colclasure (left) as the new chief.  Sgt. Silas Eckelberry (right) will become the new assistant chief.  Current Assistant Chief Cameron Simpson will return to patrol duties.  Chief Winter is retiring after 25 years of service to the city.  The appointments will take effect when the City Council approves the appointments on May 13. Keith Colclasure is the son of the late Fairfield Police Chief Leon Colclasure and the great-grandson of former Fairfield officer Clarence Colclasure.

31-year-old Candice Brown has been sentenced to jail for her role in the August, 2012 slaying of a young Southern Illinois couple. Brown, the girlfriend of Danny K. Coston was sentenced Wednesday on a convictionof obstruction of justice.  Following a jury trial in January, Brown was found guilty of lying to Sheriff Doug Maier about the whereabouts of Danny Brown on the night that Jacob Wheeler of Centerville and Jessi Evans of Norris City were murdered. Judge Barry Vaughn sentenced Brown to 60 days in the county jail, 30 months of probation and ordered her to complete 100 hours of community service and pay $1,000 in various fines and costs. Danny Coston is currently serving a 53 year sentence for the double homicide.

Mt. Carmel firefighters were called to a fire at the Oakview Heights Nursing Home Wednesday night.  An electrical outlet overheated and burst into flames. No one was injured. The nursing home sustained minor damage.

The highest beef prices since 1987 are hitting the pocketbooks of shoppers. A dwindling number of cattle and growing export demand has tightened the supply of beef and caused the cost of fresh beef to rise to $5.28 a pound.

Frontier Community College students Emily McKibben and Sarah Vaughn have been named to the Phi Theta Kappa All-Illinois Academic Team.  They received special recognition at a ceremony last week in Springfield. Pictured left to right:  Eric Resor, FCC Academic Advisor and PTK Beta Alpha Lambda Chapter Advisor; McKibben, Vaughn, and Jan Wiles, Assistant Dean of Student Services.

The Fairfield Community High School Varsity Scholastic Team has qualified for a national competition in Washington D.C. In their efforts to raise money for the event, the team is sponsoring the 13^th annual Mind Bowl Trivia Night at FCHS on Friday, April 25.  The cost to enter is $50 per team.