Headlines – Thursday, December 8th : vimarsana.com

The District V Ag Education Career Development Event was held on Tuesday, December 6th at Mt. Vernon High School. Students participating submitted a lesson plan, prior to the event, that they would teach to an Introduction to Agriculture Education class. Participants then presented a ten minute segment of their designed lesson to a room of students while the judges observed. The individuals participating were scored on their lesson plan, delivery of lesson as well as follow-up questions in addition to their provided reflection and a written test. Chloe Iles, from Edwards County FFA, participated in the competition. She received 8th place. She also competed in the Section 23 Ag Education CDE and placed in 2nd. Congratulations to Chloe! Fairfield Chamber of Commerce would like to announce the Annual Senior Citizen's Christmas Light Tour Monday, December 12 th . To nominate a home for the tour, please call the Chamber Office on or before tomorrow. Locations must be within the city limits. 1st , 2nd and 3rd place prizes will be awarded. If you have not signed up for the tour and need a ride, call the chamber office. Rides Mass Transit will be picking up participants at the Highrise, Brookstone, and Fairway Apartments, beginning at 5:00 PM. Entertainment will be provided at the conclusion of the light tour by the Roasted Chestnuts and refreshments will be served at Ellen Moore Church. A special thanks to our sponsors, Vic and Marty Both. The Illinois Commerce Commission has announced a new area code is coming to southern Illinois. The new 730 area code will "overlay" the existing 618 area code to address the depletion of prefixes available for assignment within the region. The first prefix in the new area code will not be introduced until after July 7, 2023. The 618 area code covers all or parts of 37 counties in Illinois and includes communities such as Alton, Belleville, Cairo, Carbondale, Centralia, E. St. Louis, Edwardsville and Marion. The 618 area code is one of the original, eighty-six area codes in the United States, assigned by Bell Laboratories in 1947. It has not undergone any substantive changes to its boundaries since then. A Fairfield man is behind bars facing charges of Criminal Trespass to Vehicles, Obstructing Justice/Resisting Arrest, and Aggravated Battery of a Peace Officer following an altercation Tuesday in Fairfield. 29 year old Jacob Ferranti is being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail. He was arrested in May of this year on a violation of an order of protection filed by Victoria Greer in April. Fairfield Police found him Tuesday evening and brought him into custody. Ferranti is due back in court January 5th. Governor Pritzker is signing off on a series of amendments to the controversial SAFE-T Act. The governor signed a bill that he says clarifies multiple aspects of the criminal justice reform law, which ends the cash bail system in Illinois beginning January 1st. The changes clarify court authority in controlling electronic monitoring and escape, outline specific guidelines for trespassing violations, and create a grant program to aid public defenders with increased caseloads. The number of voters using early voting and vote by mail is growing in Illinois. The State Board of Elections says 21-percent of the more than four-million votes cast in the November 8th were submitted at early-voting sites, while nearly 18-percent were cast through the mail. That is an increase from the last midterm election in 2018. The board certified the election results Monday. llinois reported 4,019 new COVID cases and 9 new deaths Wednesday. The Illinois Dept. of Public Health says "daily deaths reported on weekends and at the beginning of the week may be low" and "those deaths will be captured in subsequent days." As of Tuesday night, 1,639 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 177 patients were in the ICU, and 72 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. Democrats are moving ahead with their plan to ban assault weapons in Illinois. They have now filed legislation in the House and are looking to move quickly on the bill. But gun rights groups are already planning legal challenges. The proposed legislation would not only ban the future sale of assault weapons, but also high capacity-magazines. Just five months after the tragic shooting at the Highland Park 4th of July Parade that killed 7 and wounded dozens more, Democrats are pushing a state-wide ban on assault weapons, like the AR-15 used in that attack. A Richland County man is behind bars after Wayne County Deputies made an arrest Tuesday. Taylor Deon Charles of Dundas was wanted on multiple warrants out of Wayne County. Charles was originally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Meth Possession back in October. He's due in court on December 29th according to the warrant. Bail has been set at $10,000 or $1,000 in cash. A Wayne County Deputy found a Florida man a long way from home and driving while license suspended Tuesday in Wayne County. 31 year old Andrew Ridenour, who hails from Altamonte Springs in the Sunshine State was pulled over on Highway 15 near County Road 840 North and found to be in violation of the law. 20 year old Tanner Burgess made a plea deal in Wayne County court Tuesday afternoon. The Grayville man was arrested in early October of 2021 and charged with Obstructing Justice by way of destroying evidence, a Class A Misdemeanor. Following multiple rescheduled arraignments and pre-trials, Burgess agreed to a deal which will only levy against him a year of supervised release, but also fines and court costs totaling $1,665. Also in Wayne County Court Tuesday, 20 year old Andy Bailey pled out after failing to comply to probation on a Class 3 felony charge of Unlawful Possession of Meth. The original arrest happened back in January of 2020. Bailey was originally sentenced to a year of probation and fined. As per the new deal, Bailey will serve 2 years supervised release, allegedly in St. Clair County according to court documents. Bailey also faces no additional fines. Two local men were sentenced in White County Court yesterday to the Illinois Department of Corrections. 28 year old Levi Sork of Norris City was convicted of Residential Burglary, class 1 felony.he got 6 years. Sork's case was investigated by the Norris City Police Department. 38 year old Chance Young Fairfield was sentenced to three years for Unlawful Delivery of Methamphetamine, a class 2 felony. Young was investigated by the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force. The Second Judicial Clrcuit is pleased to announce Michael M. Strange has been sworn in as the Resident Circuit Judge of Lawrence County. Judge Strange was elected in the November general election to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of the Honorable Robert Hopkins following his 30 years of service on the bench. The official swearing-in ceremony took place Monday morning in the Lawrence County Courthouse where Judge Strange was surrounded by family, friends, and other members of the judiciary. Judge Strange formerly served as the Lawrence County States Attorney from 2016-2022, as well as, an Assistant States Attorney in the counties of Crawford, Richland, and Lawrence. A lifelong resident of Lawrence County, Judge Strange graduated Lawrenceville High School in 1999. He received his Bachelors Degree from Saint Louis University in 2003 and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2006. Second Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Melissa Morgan stated, "l am honored to welcome Judge Strange to the judiciary. He brings with him extensive experience and a commitment to serving the people of Lawrence County. The Judges of the Second Circuit congratulate him and we look forward to serving alongside him." The Second Judicial Circuit is comprised of the counties of Crawford, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White. The Second Judicial Circuit is honored to recognize Lawrence County Resident Circuit Judge Robert Hopkins in his recent retirem