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Domestic Disturbance Friday Night in Benton Leads to Man’s Arrest

BENTON – A Benton man is facing charges after Benton Police were sent to the 1000 block of North Fairland Street in reference to a domestic disturbance around 7:40 Friday night. According to a Benton Police press release, through investigation, police arrested 28-year-old Joshua C. Sims for aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and resisting

Sesser-Valier School Board Approves Blended Learning Plan for Return to School

3Augustadmin

SESSER – The Sesser-Valier School Board approved a blended learning plan for their return to school at their meeting Thursday night. Students will be divided into two groups and will attend in-person classes either on Monday and Thursday or on Tuesday and Friday. The days they do not attend school physically, they will attend remotely.

$750,000 Bond Set for Mt. Vernon Man Charged in Connection with Wednesday Shooting

3Augustadmin

MT. VERNON – Bail was set Friday at $750,000 for a 44-year-old Mt. Vernon man charged in Jefferson County Court with multiple Class X felonies in connection with the shooting of two people Wednesday in Mt. Vernon. Alvin Clay Smallwood was arrested shortly after Mt. Vernon police officers responded to a 911 call reporting shots

State Grants Heading to Local Government Entities for Transportation Projects

3AugustBarry

SPRINGFIELD/SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation recently announced the second of six $250 million grants to counties, municipalities and townships to address local transportation needs. Made possible thanks to the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the first infrastructure program in Illinois in nearly a decade and the largest in

Demolition of 145-year-old Franklin County Courthouse to Start Wednesday

3AugustBarry

BENTON – Demolition of the 145-year-old Franklin County Courthouse in Benton is set to begin this week Franklin County Board Chairman Randall Crocker says the demolition crew will probably start tearing down the structure early Wednesday morning and have the site cleared by Friday, Aug. 21. Barriers were installed Friday around the courthouse to help

Franklin County Board Expected to Award Bid for New Courthouse Construction Aug. 18

3AugustBarry

BENTON – The Franklin County Board opened and discussed bids for construction of the new Franklin County Courthouse in Benton at a special meeting Thursday afternoon. Board Chairman Randall Crocker says there were six bids all within budget. Crocker says he was very pleased with the bids and the contractors who chose to participate. Crocker

IDPH Sunday Announced 1,467 New Positive Cases of COVID-19 in Illinois

3AugustBarry

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Sunday announced 1,467 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 14 additional confirmed deaths. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 181,943 cases, including 7,517 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total

Ameren Illinois Providing $8 Million in Bill Payment Assistance to Those Impacted by COVID-19

31Julyadmin

MT. VERNON – Ameren Illinois is doing its part to help those affected financially by the coronavirus pandemic. The utility provider has set aside $8 million for bill payment assistance for those who qualify to help reduce or eliminate a past-due account balance. Ameren spokesperson Brian Bretsch says if you need assistance, please don’t hesitate

Preparations Begin Today for Wednesday’s Demolition of Franklin County Courthouse

31JulyBarry

BENTON – Preparations to demolish the Franklin County Courthouse on the Benton Square are set to get underway today. According to the Benton-West City Chamber of Commerce, a traffic control map with the layout of traffic flow around the Benton Square is available at the Chamber office on North Main. Crews will be setting up

IDPH Announced Thursday 1,772 New Positive COVID-19 Cases in Illinois

31JulyBarry

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Thursday announced 1,772 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 18 additional confirmed deaths. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 176,896 cases, including 7,478 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 41,134 specimens for a