For the second straight weekend, strong and severe thunderstorms moved through Wayne and surrounding counties, dumping heavy rainfall in much of the area and leading to some brief flash flooding. The storms hit around 8 p.m. Saturday and were accompanied by strong winds and intense lightning. The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Clay County shortly before 7:30 last night as the storms moved through. Here at the studios of WFIW/WOKZ, 1.49 inches of rain was recorded.
The 32nd annual Wayne County Corn/Soybean Yield Tour is set for Monday morning. Eight teams will leave from JT’s at 7 a.m. Monday and check at least ten soybean and ten corn fields to determine this year’s yield. The teams will meet back at JT’s at noon to compile the results. Yields are expected to be good this year due to adequate rainfall and an overall mild summer. Anyone interested in participating in the tour needs to contact Ron Loker at Consolidated Grain and Barge in Wayne City at 895-2181. Fairfield National Bank and Bean Capital Banking Center will provide lunch for the team members on Monday.
Wayne County’s unemployment for the month of July was 7.4 percent, according to the latest numbers from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Edwards County’s jobless rate for July was 7.5 percent. The IDES said all southern Illinois counties had lower unemployment rates for July compared to a year ago, with Clinton County reporting the lowest rate in the region, at 5.5 percent. Employment gains were noted in July in construction, retail trade and recreation.
The Fairfield City Council meets Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The council is expected to award bids for the sale of municipal property and seek bids for a new mower for the city’s Cemetery Department. Also on the agenda is an engineering estimate on the cost of restoring the bridge on Andrews Drive.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn participated in a parade Friday which opened this year’s DuQuoin State Fair. The fair runs through Labor Day, September 1st, and will feature entertainment each day. The theme for this year’s fair is “Love A Fair”. Today’s entertainment includes harness racing and a performance by country music star Kenny Rogers.