Carmi businessman Henry E. Matz was killed Tuesday afternoon in a traffic accident south of Albion. Matz, 62, was traveling northbound on Ill. Rt. 130 near Olive Church when his pickup truck drifted across the centerline and struck a semi. Matz was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 1 p.m. The semi driver, 35-year-old Rodney Ezra Sedrick of Mill Springs, MO was not injured. Matz was the owner and operator of Tie-On Roofing in Carmi. Edwards County Coroner Mark Curtis said Matz died from massive blunt force trauma.
Volunteers with the West Salem Fire Department made a dramatic high water rescue Tuesday afternoon in the flooded Mount Erie bottoms. A woman apparently followed the GPS in her car and drove into high water around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon. West Salem volunteers used a pumper truck to reach the stranded motorist. She was taken to a local hospital after being rescued. The name of the victim – said to be an area salesman – was not immediately available.
The Little Wabash River east of Fairfield has risen to 24.38 feet and is now flooding a wide area of the bottoms in parts of Wayne and Edwards Counties. The river continues to rise. The Little Wabash at Carmi is now forecast to rise to 32.8 ft. by Saturday – nearly six feet above flood stage.
The Village of Geff is still under a boil order. Geff grade school students are being asked to bring bottled water or a reusable cup with a lid that can be refilled when they return to school next Monday. The school will provide clean water each day.
Clay County Hospital in Flora has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration. The money will be used to support the hospital’s Chronic Care Management program for Medicare patients.