Rockford-Based Airline Lays Off 200 Employees

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Rockford-based Ryan International Airlines has announced it will lay off about 200 pilots, flight attendants and other workers. The Rockford Register Star reports Thursday that the airline will make the cuts at four U.S. bases and said the reduction reflects less business coming from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Much of the company's business has come from moving troops around the world. Ryan executive vice president Mark Robinson says there is "just less military flying." Robinson says the airline will restructure over the next six months to add more charter flights. The airline employs 585 people. Those affected by the layoffs are based in Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and Rockford.

A spokeswoman for the Airline Pilots Association says the union was notified of the layoffs on Wednesday.  full story

One Person Injured in Jefferson County Accident Thursday Afternoon

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and the Jefferson Rural Fire Department responded to an accident early Thursday afternoon. The accident occurred at Route 37 and Idlewood Road north of Mt. Vernon at 1:02pm. One person was taken to a local area hospital. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department would not release the names of those involved in the accident, or any specific details regarding the accident.  full story

Two arrests made, cash and drugs seized

An investigation into an alleged criminal sexual assault led to two
arrests, a cache of money and drugs, and the seizure of four dogs and a
pet snake in rural Jefferson County earlier this week.

Richard M. Foutch Jr., 39, and a juvenile were arrested after Jefferson
County detectives executed a search warrant at 4588 E. Dix-Irvington
Road in connection with the assault investigation Monday, Jefferson
County Sheriff Roger Mulch said.

During the search, officers discovered $16,685, more than 500 grams of
cannabis and drug-related paraphernalia inside the residence, Mulch
said.

The juvenile was charged with criminal sexual assault and taken to the
Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton, while Foutch was
charged with manufacture/delivery of cannabis more than 500 grams.

Both Foutch and the juve-nile lived at the residence in northwest
Jefferson County.

Foutch is scheduled for a first appearance in Jefferson County Court at
9 a.m. March 2.

Four dogs and a pet snake were taken from the resi-dence and placed with
the Jefferson County animal warden.

More charges could be filed once the investigation is finished, Mulch
said. - http://goo.gl/0lx4N