The Wayne County Covid-19 Update for September 27th through September 30th shows 71 new cases of the virus reported. That brings the overall total Wayne County Covid-19 Cases to 2,866, with 201 currently isolating. There was one Covid-19 related death reported, which brings the total overall Covid-19 related death count to 58. There were seven new cases reported in White County. For additional information go to the IDPH Covid-19 website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics. Currently Illinois is reporting 1,630,864 Total Cases of the virus in the state with 19,295 variant cases and confirmed deaths at 25,017 and 2,697 probable deaths. The positivity 7-Day rolling average for case positivity at 2.2%, and test positivity at 2.8%. To date the state has performed 32,034,910 tests and administered 14,571,537 doses of the vaccine. A Carmi woman charged with violating an order of protection is due in court for a first appearance in November after turning herself in Thursday afternoon. 39-year-old Nicole Rapp turned herself in at the Carmi PD just before 1:45pm on the warrant. Online court records show both she and 31-year-old William Scott South had filed Orders of Protection against each other in early September. Rapp is due in court the morning of November 23rd on the charge. She was booked at the Carmi Police Department Thursday afternoon and bond was set at $350 cash. Additional charges have been levied against two different Carmi men following unrelated, separate instances. White County States Attorney Denton Aud filed five new charges against 48 year old Brian Dartt of Carmi in late September. Dartt was driving one of the vehicles involved in a crash in late July that claimed the life of 18 year old Norris City resident C.J. Richardson. The new charges include five felonies, 3 of them Aggravated DUI charges and 2 Driving While License Suspended or Revoked. Dartt was in court last week for a first appearance. He's due back for a status hearing on Wednesday, October 6th and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for October 18th. According to the affidavit filed by Aud, the charge alleges Dartt was knowingly driving his Dodge pickup with meth and THC in his system when the accident that claimed the life of Richardson took place. A 74 year old Carmi man, Donald Jordan of Crebs Avenue is now facing 5 additional charges following his original arrest on September 24th. Judy Pennington of rural Carmi at the time had set up a camera on her property and was able to obtain video evidence of a male on camera as well as a GMC truck with license plates matching those belonging to Jordan. Pennington turned that video evidence over to the Sheriff's Department and a deputy spoke with Jordan who allegedly admitted it was him on camera and that while he didn't remember doing it, it must've been him. Jordan was originally charged with Theft of Property valued less than $500. Last Tuesday, September 28th, felony charges including Theft Over $500, Theft Under $500, Burglary, Criminal Trespassing, and Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property. Jordan was in court for a status hearing on Wednesday, September 29th. He's due back in court for a pre trial on November 29th. Johnson is currently free after posting $5,000 cash bond. The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage. Donors of all types, especially with Type O, and platelet donors are urged to make an appointment to give now in the weeks ahead to overcome this current shortage. The national Red Cross blood inventory is the lowest it's been at this time of the year since 2015. On Monday, October 4th, The White County Farm Bureau is proudly partnering with the American Red Cross to hold their fifth "People Live When People Give" Blood Drive. The drive will be held at 1:00 pm to 5pm at the White County Farm Bureau Building, 304 East Robinson Street in Carmi. Schedule your appointment by going to www.redcrossblood.org, or by downloading the Red Cross app from your phone's app store. You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2676) All donors will receive a free t-shirt as our way of saying "Thank you" for your blood gift. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Debbie Hoskins at 618-382-8512. Another blood drive will be held on October 7th at the First Christian Church, 504 Bohleber Drive in Carmi, from 2 pm-7pm. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving. Olney Central College will host a Virtual FAFSA Night from 4 to 7 pm on Oct. 13. Financial aid experts will be available to help students and their families fill out the FAFSA and answer other financial aid questions. Students can visit iecc.edu/fafsa to register for the free event and get additional tips on how to fill out the FAFSA, which opens today. Students who complete the FAFSA and apply to OCC by the October 29 Priority Deadline will be first in line for the Knight Success Scholarships. To learn more, visit iecc.edu/priority. The Richland County School Board of Education has announced a special meeting will be held this coming Monday afternoon, October 4th, starting at 5:00, at the Richland County High School in Olney. The agenda includes an executive session to discuss personnel and also discussion of a maintenance grant and more. While the general public is welcome to attend, the meeting will be viewable by the public via a live stream online at live.rccu1.net. Comments can be emailed to smusic@rccu1.net. An Adams County judge says a health care employer cannot terminate employees who aren't complying with Gov. J.B. Pritzker's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate has health care workers having to prove they are vaccinated or submit to weekly tests. If not, they aren't allowed to work. Attorney Thomas DeVore filed the lawsuit in Illinois' Eighth Judicial Circuit on behalf of several employees of the Quincy Medical Group, Quincy Physicians and Surgeons Clinic and Blessing Corporate Services, Inc. The staff members, the lawsuit says, are "currently facing imminent termination of their employment solely due to not agreeing to be vaccinated or submit to testing for COVID-19." Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation report two people have been taken into custody in connection with the death investigation and suspected home invasion of an 80-year-old rural Edgewood man in northwest Clay County. The names of those being held have not been released as the Clay County States Attorney's Office is reviewing the case and formal charges are expected. A Clay County Judge has found probable cause to detain the two men. DCI is being assisted in the open and ongoing investigation by the Clay and Marion County Sheriff's Departments as well as Centralia Police. The death of an Illinois State Police trooper on a Chicago expressway has been ruled a suicide. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Saturday that an autopsy found 35-year-old District Chicago Trooper Gerald Mason died of a gunshot wound to the head a day earlier. The 11-year state police veteran died shortly after the Friday 2 p.m. shooting on the Dan Ryan Expressway on the city's South Side. Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office says more than $443 million in emergency rental assistance has been paid on behalf of 49,100 state households through the Illinois Rental Payment Program. The program was launched in May 2021. It provides up to $25,000 in emergency rental assistance to cover up to 12 months of past-due rent and up to three months of future rent payments for tenants suffering a financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Payments are made directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant, but only if the landlord does not pursue eviction. Pritzker says Friday in a release that "having a roof over your head is the foundation of a thriving life." River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 5.73 feet, below the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.09 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Cl