Merry Christmas!
A Dahlgren man has been arrested for forgery. In November, police in McLeansboro and in Paducah conducted investigations into counterfeit money being passed at area businesses’. On December 14th, Hamilton County state’s attorney Justin Hood issued a warrant for the arrest of Bradley Peters, 53. Peters faces a class 3 felony charge of forgery. On December 20th, McLeansboro Police performed a traffic stop on Peters and took him into custody. He was released on $3000 cash bond.
Two Mt. Vernon residents were arrested on drug charges early Thursday morning after Jefferson County canine Tico alerted on a car stopped by a state trooper. 25-year-old Mary Krause and 31-year-old Christopher Williams were both taken to the Jefferson County Justice Center for drug charges with bond to be set. Police say they recovered quantities of Heroin and Marijuana in the car.
Unemployment across the region dropped again in November. Labor Market Economist Dennis Hoffman says the Wayne County rate dropped from 7.8%, in October to 7.3% in November, and is .3 higher than a year ago. Hoffman says most of the region is following the same trend. “Good weather during November did help construction and other outdoor activity and course retail trade is usually very strong in the fall. “There were also payroll advances in professional business services and of course the health care services”
A Christmas dinner for the low income and lonely of Wayne County will be served Christmas day at the Kon-Tiki in downtown Fairfield. Serving of ham and all the trimmings will be from 11:30 – 1 p.m. There is no need to dress up and there will be no charge for the meal.
Sixty-five years later, relatives and friends gathered in West Frankfort to remember a mine disaster that killed 119 men. Candles were lit for every victim and names were read Wednesday night at Trinity United Methodist Church in West Frankfort. In 1951, a methane gas explosion occurred at the Orient 2 coal mine in Franklin County. It was to be the last shift until after Christmas. Steve Sawalich, who hosted the service, says the explosion was a “tragedy that forever will be remembered.” Marla Summers says three of her five relatives at the mine died that night. Her grandfather, the mine manager, helped people escape.