At least three winning tickets were sold in the record $1.5 billion Powerball drawing Wednesday night. Winning tickets were sold in Florida, Tennessee and suburban Los Angeles. The odds of winning were 1 in 292.2 million.
36-year-old Danny L. Stephens of Carmi has been sentenced to 5 years in prison on a conviction of aggravated battery. Stephens was on probation when he was arrested for being in possession of meth. He drew a concurrent 4 ½ prison sentence on the meth possession conviction.
32-year-old Jennifer Renee Stuill of Grayville has been arrested on a charge of retail theft. She is accused of stealing underwear, gloves, a greeting card and other items from the Dollar General Store in Grayville.
48-year-old Todd William McWhirter of Buckner died Wednesday when he fell out of a tree trimming bucket. McWhirter was working for Mysons Tree Service, trimming trees at a church in Benton when he fell 50 feet to his death. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
Long-time local family nurse practitioner Mike Davenport and his staff are joining the Hamilton Memorial Hospital family beginning February 1. The business will be called the Hamilton Memorial Hospital Downtown Family Clinic and will remain at its current location at 208 South Washington Street in McLeansboro. A resident of Dahlgren, Davenport has been in practice since 2007.