Wayne County Senior Citizen Center Advisory Committee Chair David Savage says the group was able to raise $764,300 in pledges and donations for the project, meeting and surpassing its goal. He says the Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission worked on the Rebuild Downtown and Mainstreet Capital Grant and will be ready to submit it in the coming days, but, until the state makes a determination on the application, the project is in limbo. Edwards County Treasurer Debbie Smith reminds taxpayers the second installment of county real estate taxes is due this Thursday. As of Thursday, 85 percent of the total extension had been collected. Payment may be made in person, in the drop box near the courthouse, or by mail. Payment made by mail must be postmarked by Thursday by the U.S. Postal Service to avoid a late fee. Beginning in January, roughly 15,000 ag producers across the nation will receive an invitation to assist in the online 2022 Census of Ag Content Test, per the USDA. The test will run through spring and is a critical part of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service's preparation for the Census of Ag, which takes place once every five years. Participants will be asked to complete the 2022 Census of Ag online questionnaire via a new Respondent Portal, aimed at improving the reporting experience for all producers. The Wayne County Health Department announced 96 new cases of COVID-19 from December 17th through Sunday and one additional death. County totals sat at 3,528 cases and 65 deaths. White County reported 31 cases from Wednesday through Sunday to reach 3,346, and Jefferson County reported 65 since Friday. The state Department of Public Health announced 55,958 cases since Thursday afternoon and 153 additional deaths. Statewide totals sat at 2,077,260 cases and 27,588 deaths. The Southern Region had a seven-day positivity rate of 8.4 percent on the 24th, up from 7.8 percent on the 23rd. Its seven-day average availability for ICU beds was 10 percent. River stages as of early this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 18.21 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 5.49 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 7.20 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 2.82 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 17.39 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 10.48 feet. Today's crude oil price is $68.50, up $1.75 from yesterday. The February crude oil price is $75.94, up $2.91 from yesterday morning. The guest today on the Community Connection will be Fairfield Mayor Mike Dreith. Community Connection airs at 7:30 on AM 1390 and 103.3 FM. "Morning Coffee" will feature Mark Turner and Jeremy Smith. "Morning Coffee" is between 8-9 a.m. on 104.9 weekdays. To listen to a podcast of Morning Coffee and Community Connection, click on "About Us" on the top right of wfiwradio.com. Then, from the dropdown, make your choice of program.