80-year-old former Fairfield resident, Lula “Dutch” Pierson of Salem died Monday, May 12.  She had worked at the Fairfield Garment Factory and tended bar for the Fairfield VFW Post 4535 prior to her retirement.

Survivors include two sons, Jim and wife Alice Pierson of Lewisville, TX, Bill and wife Tracy Pierson of Phoenix, AZ; two daughters, Pat Donoho and husband Mark of Kinmundy, IL and Teresa Eubanks and husband Darrell of Kell; 5 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild; two brothers, Alfred Gunzel of Harrisburg and Danny Gunzel of Portland, OR and a sister, Mary Eubanks of Paris, TN.

A memorial visitation for Lula “Dutch” Pierson will be 5 – 7 Friday evening, May 16 at the Johnson & Vaughn Funeral Home in Fairfield with a private family graveside service at Buckey Cemetery in Geff.

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

82-year-old Fairfield resident, William “Bill” Locke died at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, May 11 at his home.

Services for William “Bill” Locke are pending at Nale’s Funeral Home in Fairfield.

99-year-old Belle Rive resident, Gladys L. Mendenhall died at 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 13 at Mount Vernon Countryside Manor.

Funeral services for Gladys L. Mendenhall will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at the Hughey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon with burial in Opdyke Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 – 8 Friday evening, May 16 at the Hughey Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon.

Memorials may be made to the Opdyke Cemetery and will be accepted at the Hughey Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon.

55-year-old former West Salem resident, James H. Lynch of Olney died Monday, May 12.  A U.S. Navy veteran, he had worked in the oil fields of Texas and lived on a working cattle ranch in Montana.

Survivors include his mother, Betty Lynch of Olney; wife, Sylvia Isaac Lynch; two sons, Larry  (Ethel) Isaac of Calhoun, IL and Douglas (Michelle) Isaac of Mt. Carmel; a sister, Kathy and husband Bill Sawyer of Fort Worth, TX ; a brother, Thomas (Kathy) Lynch of Clay City;  two grandsons, Reece and Evan Isaac; a special son, Travis Hering and special friends, Jeff and Tonya Hardy and Gary and Melinda Slunder.

A Celebration of Life Service for James H. Lynch will be 10 a.m. Thursday, May 15 at the First Christian Church in West Salem  with burial in the Moravian Cemetery with a motorcycle escort, as well as “The Final Ride”, a motorcycle-drawn hearse. Military rites will be performed at the graveside. Those attending the service are encouraged to wear casual clothes.

Visitation will be from 6 – 8 Wednesday evening, May 14 at the First Christian Church in West Salem.

Memorials may be made to the “Last Ride” or to Hospice of Southeastern Illinois and will be accepted at the Ingram Funeral Home in West Salem, which is in charge of all the arrangements.

69-year-old West Salem resident, Jerry Wayne Orel died Tuesday, May 13 at his home.  He was a veteran of the Vietnam War.

Survivors include his wife, Tonya Orel of West Salem; a daughter, Holly and husband Wade Prather of Flora; two sons, Dakota Orel and fiancee Abbie Wolfe of Flora and Dillon Orel of West Salem; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service for Jerry Wayne Orel will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Zion United Methodist Church in West Salem with a private burial in the Moravian Cemetery at a later date.

Visitation will be 5 p.m. until the time of service on Thursday May 15 at the church.

Memorials may be made to Jerry’s grandchildren to be used for college expenses and will be accepted at the Ingram Funeral Home in West Salem, which is in charge of all the arrangements.

Jerry Lisenbee has been appointed third ward alderman for the Fairfield City Council.  Lisenbee will serve the unexpired term of Harry Morlan who died last March.

Keith Colclasure is officially the new Fairfield Police Chief.  His Assistant Chief is Silas Eckelberry.  The Fairfield City Council also approved the appointment of Darin Hopper as Fire Chief and his assistant Chief, Andrew Miller.

Howell Paving of Mattoon and Charles H. Carter of Mill Shoals are the successful bidders for resurfacing of Doris Drive and Hawkins Drive in Fairfield.  Carter’s bid was for $39,425. The Howell Paving bid was for $120,653.

The Fairfield City Council has approved the purchase of 8 acres of wetlands from Richard Weingard of Eureka, IL. The land is located just south of Interstate 64. The land was purchased as part of a U.S. Corps of Engineers wetlands remediation order. The cost was $56,000.

The City of Fairfield is considering the installation of an automated river gauge at the Little Wabash River east of Fairfield.  Previously, the river was gauged manually.  The cost would be approximately $13,000 plus $5,500 per year to maintain the device.  The council tabled the issue for further study by a committee.

The Center Street School Vesper Service is this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at the First Christian Church in Fairfield.  Cory Musgrave Associate Pastor of the New Beginnings Church will give the class address.  Mark Odle, Pastor of the New Hope General Baptist Church will give the Benediction. Tim Ukena, Youth Pastor of the Lebanon CP Church will give the Invocation.

85-year-old Mill Shoals resident, Bill Curd died at 3:15 Wednesday morning, May 14 at Fairfield Memorial Hospital.

Services for Bill Curd are pending at Nale’s Funeral Home in Fairfield.

Power was knocked out for several hours Wednesday night after a tree fell across the power lines on Ill. Rt. 15 at the east edge of Fairfield.  No one was injured.  Power was restored around 1:30 this morning.

Area rivers are on the rise in the wake of significant rain this week. The Little Wabash was at 12 ft. 6 inches Wednesday and continues to rise. The Little Wabash at Carmi is forecast to rise to 25.11 feet by next Monday.

21-year-old Stephen K. Bridwell of McLeansboro is being held under $100,000 bond on multiple sex charges.  Bridwell faces charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, grooming, and two counts of indecent solicitation of a child. Bridwell is accused of having unlawful sexual contact with a victim under the age of 13.

A Southern Illinois coal miner was killed Wednesday at the Viking Mine near Thompsonville in rural Franklin County.  The name of the victim has not been released, pending notification of relatives. He was crushed by a roof bolting machine.

The coal mine rescue team from the Pattiki Mine in White County has taken first place in the annual Robert Earl Jones Mine Rescue Contest. The event was held at the Rend Lake College Sports Center in Ina.  The Peabody Energy team from the Wildcat Hills Mine near Eldorado took second place.

An Illinois lawmaker is pushing for the firing of the private firm that is managing the Illinois State Lottery.  Rep. Jack Franks says Northstar was given the contract because they promised to bring in $980 million a year in sales. The firm missed its target by $68 million in fiscal year 2012 and $170 million last year.

78-year-old former Wayne City resident, Yvonne Lowery died at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14 at Newburgh Health Care Center in Newburgh, IN.

Survivors include sons, Edward and wife Betty Lowery of Evansville, IN, Gale and wife Sherry Lowery of Bluford and Clay Lowery of Carlyle, IL; daughters, Sheila Lowery of Cisne, Audra and friend Scott Shehorn of Xenia and LaQuite and husband Kenny Johnson of Jackson, MO; a sister, Barbara and husband Larry Catton of McPherson, KS; 14 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Services for Yvonne Lowery will be 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17 at the Richardson Funeral Home in Wayne City.

Visitation will be 6 – 8 Friday evening, May 16 at the Richardson Funeral Home in Wayne City.

Wayne County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a complaint of underage drinking and drug use Thursday night at a residence in Fairfield and seized a suspected meth lab. Three suspects have been jailed. Deputies went to 502 Spring Street to investigate the complaint.  Smelling a strong chemical odor coming from the house, police gained entry to the home and seized several items commonly associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine. Those taken into custody have been identified as Kent M. Harper, 35, Ashley B. Powers, 18 and Aaron R. Goodman, 24, all of Fairfield.  Authorities also report a two-year-old boy was in the household where the meth lab was found.  The child was turned over to his biological mother.  Officials with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services were notified of the incident. All three suspects face charges of child endangerment, participating in meth manufacturing, possession of meth making materials, possession of meth and drug paraphernalia and possession with the intent to distribute meth. Pictured left to right are Ashley Powers, Aaron Goodman and Kent M. Harper.

A bank robbery in Cairo turned deadly Thursday evening.  Two bank employees were killed and a third worker critically injured when a man armed with a knife and a gun held up the First National Bank of Cairo.  A suspect has been taken into custody following a police chase and standoff.

25-year-old William Daniel Payne of Johnston City was killed Wednesday afternoon in an accident at the long wall M-Class Mine – Viking Portal near Macedonia.  Franklin County Coroner Mary P. Leffler said Payne died after being crushed by a roof bolting machine. Payne and his wife were expecting their first child in June.

A proposal to add a one percent sales tax in Wayne County to support school facilities has been tabled for one month. The proposal is being advanced by officials with Fairfield Community High School.  If placed on the November ballot and approved by voters, revenue from the tax could only be used for school facilities.

The Fairfield Community High School district will end the fiscal year in the black by about $1,100.  FCHS Supt. David Savage said the surplus would have been around $25,000 had it not been for an unexpected $17,000 bill from WOVSED and $8,300 more than expected expenditures in the transportation department.

Graduation is this evening for Edwards County High School seniors. The program is set to start at 8 this evening.  The welcome will be given by Karlin Compton, Senior Class President.  Supt. David Cowger and Principal Andy Julian will present special honors, including naming of the Salutatorian and Valedictorian.

72-year-old Ina resident, Judith L. Fry Endsley died Wednesday, May 14 at her home. She had been a teacher at the Horace Mann School in Mount Vernon for 30 years, retiring in 1994. She served as secretary of the Bonnie Camp Association since 1974.

Survivors include her husband, Rev. Edward E. Endsley of Ina; step-sons, John (Tammy) Endsley of Albion and Edward Jr. (Pamela) Endsley of North Franklin, CT 6 grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Peggy Fry; a niece, Susan (Tim) Quinton; nephews, Thomas E. Fry, III, William Lawson Fry and Steven Haskin and lifelong friends, Judy Grisley and Suzanne Rice.

Services for Judith L. Fry Endsley will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 20 at the Ina United Methodist Church with burial in the Kirk Cemetery at Ina.

Visitation will be 4 – 8 Monday evening, May 19 at the church.

Memorials may be made to the Bonnie Holiness Camp or the Inner Light Ministries in Indianapolis and will be accepted at the Johnston Funeral Home in Ina, which is in charge of all the arrangements.

63-year-old Wayne City native, Stephen Kermit Chase of Mariah Hill, IN died Wednesday, May 14.  He was a receiving clerk at Thermwood Corporation in Dale, IN.

Survivors include two daughters, Nichole Chase of Mariah Hill, IN and Danielle Chase of Evansville; a son, Kyle Chase and wife Meagan of Ferdinand, IN; a brother, Stuart Chase and wife Barb of Taylorville, IL and one grandchild.

Services for Stephen Kermit Chase will be 10 a.m. Monday, May 19 at Mary Help of Christians Church in Mariah Hill, IN with burial in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 7 – 9:30 Monday evening, May 19 at the Becher Funeral Home in Ferdinand, IN.

74-year-old Keenes resident, Raymond E. White died at 2:20 a.m. Friday, May 16 at his home. He was retired from Airtex.

Survivors include his wife Barbara;  sons, Raymond E. and Gregory White of Chicago, Tommy White of Keenes and Michael White of Wayne City; brothers, Richie, Russell, Ralph and Randy White, all from Chicago; a sister, Deloris Brady of Wisconsin; 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

A Masonic Service Service for Raymond E. White will be 7 p.m. Monday evening, May 19 at the Richardson Funeral Home in Wayne City.

Visitation will be from 6 – 8 Monday evening at the Richardson Funeral Home in Wayne City.

Fairfield Community High School seniors Kyle Ellis and Madline Richards have been named winners of the 2014 Community Bankers Association of Illinois Foundation Scholarship Program.  Eillis won $1000 while Richards won $500.  The program offers over $20,000 to several high school seniors through an essay contest.   This year, 80 member banks, including Fairfield National Bank, participated in the program.  188 students statewide were represented by the CBAI banks.

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White, along with Dennis DeRossett, Executive Director of the Illinois Press Association, honored the winners of the 2014 Spotlight on Literacy Awards, recognizing outstanding students and volunteer tutors in Illinois literacy programs.  Among the ten students recognized for the Spotlight On Achievement Awards were Kayti Carter and Sabra Dawson from Frontier Community College in Fairfield.  Both received $200 from the Illinois Press Association Foundation, along with a plaque.

Jasper Grade School Graduation Awards have been announced.  This year’s Valedictorian is Drew Boyer and the Salutatorian is Chloe Hodges.  Jase Keifer and Katelyn Harrison won the American Legion Awards.  Recognized as honor graduates for maintaining a 4.75 or higher GPA were Drew Boyer, Katelyn Harrison, Chloe Hodges and Lillian McDannel.  The Citizenship Award was presented to Natalie Dillon and Drew Boyer, and the Leadership Award to Katelyn Harrison and Kobi Dagg.

Three suspects were jailed Thursday night at a residence in Fairfield after Wayne County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a complaint of underage drinking and drug use and seized a suspected meth lab.  Those taken into custody were 35-year-old Kent M. Harper, 18-year-old Ashley B. Powers and 24-year-old Aaron R. Goodman all of Fairfield.  Authorities said a two-year-old boy was in the household at the time the meth lab was found, and was turned over to his biological mother.  All three suspects face charges of child endangerment, participating in meth manufacturing, possession of meth making materials, possession of meth and drug paraphernalia and possession with the intent to distribute meth.

Illinois State Police have released the names of the two bank employees stabbed to death Thursday evening during an armed robbery of the First National Bank of Cairo, IL.  52-year-old Anita J. Grace of Olive Branch, IL and 52-year-old Nita J. Smith of Wickliffe, KY died in the incident, while a third employee, not identified by police, was critically injured in the robbery.  The suspect, James Nathaniel Watts, a convicted felon from Cairo, IL, is being held in federal custody at a jail in Marion, IL.

94-year-old Lakeland, FL resident, formerly of Johnsonville, Louise E. Henson, died at 10:31 a.m. Thursday, May 15 at Lakeland Memorial Hospital.

Funeral arrangements are pending at the Hosselton Funeral Home in Cisne.

Fairfield Community High School’s graduation ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. today in the FCHS gym.  Principal Jill Fulkerson will give the welcome, with Senior Class President Daniel Altizer addressing the Class of 2014.  Principal Fulkerson will also recognize the honor graduates who maintained a 3.5 or higher grade point average and announce the Valedictorian and Salutatorian.  School Board President Larry Vest will present the diplomas.  Honorary ushers from the junior class will be Alexander Brake and Samantha Ochs.  The public is welcome to attend today’s graduation.

Cisne Middle School held its graduation Friday night in the Cisne Middle School Gym.  The Valedictorian Award was presented to four students, Josh Farris, son of Bill Farris of Cisne and Cathy Farris of Cisne, Noah Hill, son of Paul and Kim Hill of Cisne, Jordan Hosick, son of Shannon and Kim Hosick of Cisne, and Samantha Robertson, daughter of Robbie and Rhonda Robertson of Cisne.  The Salutatorian Award was presented to Karley Dagg, daughter of Wayde and Carrie Dagg of Xenia.

Minor flooding is expected the next couple of days along the Little Wabash River at Clay City and the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel.  The Little Wabash at Clay City was at 19.4 feet early this morning, and should hold around that level today and fall below the 18-foot flood stage by Monday evening.  The Wabash at Mt. Carmel, IL was at 17.2 Saturday and should crest just above flood stage at 19.6 feet by Wednesday morning.

The northbound lanes of I-57 at the 127-mile marker in Marion County were blocked for a time following an accident early Saturday morning.  State police said 47-year-old James Wesley Bunce of Troutman, NC was southbound and lost control of his 2010 Freightliner semi, causing it to go through the median and overturn, blocking both northbound lanes.  Bunce and a passenger, 49-year-old Timothy Allen Schild of Portsmouth, VA were taken to the Salem hospital with serious injuries.

Area bicycle riders are being encouraged to mark their calendars for Saturday, June 7th for the “Tour de Teach”, a recreational bicycle ride that will begin and end at the one-room school museum behind the VFW on East Robinson Street in Carmi.  Participants will have four routes to choose from east and south of Carmi.  The routes can be viewed on the White County Retired Teachers Association website.  The cost for participants is $10 for youth 12 years of age and younger and $20 for those 13 and older.  To be guaranteed a t-shirt on ride day, registrations must be received by next Sunday, May 25th.  Forms are available at First Bank in Carmi.

Pet owners are being encouraged to prepare and stock a pet preparedness kit, as the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and local emergency management agencies work together to increase awareness of pet preparedness during May.  IEMA Director Jonathon Monken says a pet preparedness kit should include at least a three-day supply of food and water and extra supplies of pet medicines, along with other items and pet idenfitication.  More information is available at www.Ready.Illinois.gov

A Cisne man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for DUI after police found him passed out behind the wheel of his Ford Explorer with a can of industrial strength aerosol dust off up to his face. Scott D. Land, 42 faces a charge of DUI-drugs for allegedly inhaling the substance.  When a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a driveway on N.W. 7^th Street in Fairfield around 4:45 Wednesday afternoon, Land was said to be “unresponsive”.  Police snapped a couple of photos of Land with the can of aerosol up to his face before trying to wake him.  Once awake, police stated that Land sprayed the substance into his mouth and shouted “Yaaaaaaa Hooooooo!”  The deputy then grabbed the can out of Land’s hand and threw it to the ground. Land refused to submit to a blood or urine analysis at Fairfield Memorial Hospital and was booked at the county jail for DUI Drugs.

34-year-old Michael J. Pentecost of Thompsonville was injured Wednesday afternoon when the semi he was driving missed a curve on U.S. Rt. 45 south of Norris City and ran into a ditch.  The semi was towing a flatbed trailer, which struck a utility pole.  Pentecost was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. He was taken to Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado.

Edwards County 911 officials will be testing their new Code Red reverse calling system today.  Test calls will be going out around 7 o’clock this evening.  The short test call message will introduce residents to the system.

The Fairfield summer concert season starts next week.  Concerts will be performed on the Wayne County courthouse lawn at 7 p.m. every Thursday in June and on the 3^rd of July.  The band is under the direction of David Kosmatka.

The Illinois House has voted to expand Medicaid for adult dental and podiatry services.  Those services were cut in 2012 as a cost saving measure.  Turns out patients wound up in the emergency room, where their care was much more expensive.

New Hope Waterworks employees will be flushing their hydrants June 2 – June 30.  The process is completed each spring and fall to keep the system clean and to provide safe water.

60-year-old Wayne City resident, John W. Lauramore died at 7:58 p.m. Saturday, May 24 at his home.  He had been a tire builder for General Tire in Mount Vernon.

Survivors include his wife, Terri Lauramore of Wayne City; a son, Charlie Lauramore of Wayne City; two daughters, Lona Claybourn of Tucson, AZ and Shauna Trotter of Dahlgren.

Graveside services for John W. Lauramore will be 11 a.m. Thursday, May 29 at Thomason Cemetery in Wayne City.

There will be no visitation. Friends and family should go directly to the cemetery.  The Richardson Funeral Home of Wayne City is in charge of all the arrangements.

Gary Edward Chalcraft, age 78 of Mt. Carmel, IL died Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at his home. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he was employed by Champion Laboratories for several years as a compounder.

Survivors include his wife Mary Ellen; one daughter, Mitzi Jo (David) Hutton of Ragley, LA, three sons:  Greg (Vanessa Fewkes) Chalcraft of Hokes Bluff, AL, Marcus Chalcraft of Mt. Carmel, IL, Gerald (Shannon Willson) Chalcraft of Robinson, IL, eight grandchildren:  Sinjun Chalcraft, Christopher Hutton,  Cassie Hutton, Abigail Compton, Matthew Hutton, Joseph Hutton, Kelsie Willson and Karlee Willson; special friends, Anita Becker of Germany, John Willson, Jr.  of Robinson, IL and Mike Cooper of Alton; in-laws:  Dale and Dot Clark of CA, Evelyn Compton of Albion, IL, Charles and June Clark of Bluford, IL, Russell Clark of Alton, IL, Rodger and Jenny Farmer of Springfield, IL and Elmer Baker of Flora, IL., and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Per Gary’s wishes, cremation will take place and there will be a graveside service at 11AM, Monday, June 2nd, 2014 at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, north and west of Albion, IL. Military honors will be given at the graveside.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Albion Senior Citizens.

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

Found

Approximately 1 year old female cat now with 5 kittens found in Fairfield around 6th Street.  Very lovable, very small. 618-842-3783