LOCAL PILOT DIES IN ULTRA LIGHT CRASH – A McLeansboro, Ill. pilot died Tuesday afternoon when the ultralight aircraft he was flying crashed into a soybean field short of the airport in Mount Vernon, Ill. The victim has been identified as Jason Pearson, 39 of McLeansboro. An eyewitness told Jefferson County Coroner Eddie Jo Marks that the ultralight spiraled down to the ground in an area about a half mile south of Mt. Vernon’s Outland Airport. Marks pronounced Pearson dead at the scene shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday to determine if the pilot may have had any underlying health issues that could have contributed to the crash. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have also joined the investigation.
Frontier Community College is planning a 40th Anniversary celebration on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Fairfield Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The evening will feature a murder mystery dinner and show. Tickets for the event are $40 each and can be purchased in the Richard Mason Building or from any Frontier Foundation member.
Charges are pending against an Elizabethtown man who crashed his four-wheeler into a police car on Sunday. 44-year-old David Thomas was injured and taken to an Evansville hospital. Police say alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Statistics show that Illinois’ prison population has dropped by more than 4,200 since fiscal year 2014. Governor Bruce Rauner says he wants to reduce the state’s prison population by 25% over the next decade. As of July 1, inmate population in Illinois was 48,921.
The Grayville Community Arts Association Talent Show has been set for Thursday evening at the Wabash Theater in downtown Grayville. The Grayville Days celebration continues through Sunday. The annual parade will be 3 p.m. Saturday with fireworks at dusk.