Centralia Declares A Snow Emergency, No Parking Allowed On Designated Snow Routes

The City of Centralia has declared a snow emergency from nine Monday night until noon Tuesday. A snow emergency simply means that residents should not park their vehicles on designated snow routes and instead should park in the alley or in their driveway.

That will allow city crews to clear snow more quickly along the major streets. Parking is not allowed on these roads during a snow emergency: Poplar Street McCord Street Broadway Street Rexford Avenue from Pleasant to Poplar Gragg Street Hickory Street Brookside Avenue from 7th to Broadway 7th Street from 4th to Brookside 5th Street from Brookside to Elm Country Club Road 4th Street from Lincoln to Locust Frazier from Pleasant to Lincoln 13th Street from Lincoln to Locust Perrine Avenue from second to 14th Elm Street One Way Section of Noleman Street Pleasant Avenue Locust Street from Rhodes to 17th Lincoln Boulevard from Gragg to 14th 10th Street from Hickory to Brookside 4th Street from Seventh to Brookside Calumet Street Airport Road 2nd Street from McCord to Locust 7th Street from Poplar to Lincoln Martin Luther King from Pleasant to Lincoln.

Failure to comply with the request could mean that your vehicle will be towed and you will be issued an ordinance violation ticket in the amount of $150. If you have any questions about the rules that govern snow emergencies,  full story

Midwestern Herb and Garden Show held

MT. VERNON — — Those with a passion for plants mingled this weekend at Times Square Mall for the 24th Annual Midwestern Herb and Garden Show.
The show, hosted by the Herbs for Health and Fun Club, featured speakers, classes and more than two dozen vendors spread through the mall’s center court and corridors.

This year’s featured speaker was Deborah Lee, an herbal educator who has hosted more than 4,000 classes in the U.S. and Europe in the last 30 years.
Treasa Brookman, a member of the Herbs for Health and Fun Club and the Home and Community Education District 7 Director, said Lee believes that a clean, healthy global environment begins with personal health.
She said Lee works to create a greater understanding of how to be in greater harmony with the outdoors.

Lee on Saturday gave a talk called “Wild and Free,” about how to find wild edible plants.

“I just have a passion for being outside in nature,” she said. “I was an only child, the only grandchild, and I was always going on walks with my dad and grandfather. We would hunt for morels, and when we would go fishing, we’d find persimmons. I just thought it was so fascinating.”

Lee said she found a couple field guides on wild edibles and “just started trying things,” while on hikes or camping trips.  full story

Amtrak Files Complaint Against CN Over Delays

CHICAGO (AP) - Amtrak has filed a complaint against the Canadian National Railway over delays to its passenger trains caused by freight transportation. The complaint was filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board. It asks the board to investigate and make recommendations for improving the on-time performance of Amtrak trains operating on CN's tracks.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says CN's performance in dispatching Amtrak trains has been dismal. There were nearly 4,100 instances where freight trains slowed two Amtrak routes last year - the Chicago-New Orleans route and the Chicago-Carbondale route. Freight train delays were imposed on 99-percent of the Chicago-New Orleans trains that year.

Canadian National Railway Co. spokesman Patrick Waldron says the railroad is disappointed Amtrak filed the complaint instead of continuing negotiations.  full story

Marion County Police Beat for Monday, February 13th, 2012

A 38-year-old Salem man has been arrested for alleged driving under the influence after his car crashed into another vehicle in the Guesthouse Inn parking lot on West Main Street in Salem early Monday morning.

Salem Police say Dennis Albert of Lowery Road was taken to the Marion County Jail where he later posted $100 bond and was released. Police report the other car was parked. There were no injuries. The incident was reported at 12:11 Monday morning.

A 19-year-old Salem man remains in the Marion County Jail after being arrested for alleged theft. Salem Police say Xavier Goostree of North Broadway was taken into custody following a traffic stop after a banner stolen from Wendy's and a yard ornament taken from a home in the 900 block of North Senneff were discovered in the car.

Police say Goostree was stopped for traffic reasons after the car matched the description of one reportedly involved in an attempt to take a yard ornament from a home on Lackey Street.

A 16-year-old juvenile boy with Goostree was also arrested, but released to the custody of his parents. 36-year-old Paul Hickey of Randolph Drive in Centralia is being held on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a disorderly conduct charge. Bond is set at $365 cash. - http://goo.gl/5LVxp

Marion County Court System Taking Steps to Go Paperless

The Marion County Court system is taking another step towards becoming paperless. Circuit Clerk Ronda Yates says Chief Circuit Judge Gene Schwarm has agreed to allow $30,000 in court automation fees collected by the circuit clerk's office to be used to install a system that will allow the paperless filing of charges in the State's Attorney's office.

State's Attorney Matt Wilzbach says the system will save a considerable amount of time, paperwork, and travel between the two offices. "All the charges are already in the system. I just add to the particular facts, date, defendant's information, hit a button, and Ronda's office has got it. They can just print it off right there and they can put it in the court file, and eventually they won't even go to a paper court file. It can go to the judge's terminal on the bench.

Yates says the program is another piece of the system that could eventually do away with paper files. "The integrated court's judicial program brings all offices together within the court system and integrates the state's attorney with the circuit clerk and the probation already has the program. So it will allow electronic filing between the state's attorney and myself. It will be a lot more efficient, it will be more efficient for our recording mechanisms", said Yates.

Yates says there are already pilot projects in other parts of the state that are taking additional steps towards a totally paperless system. - http://goo.gl/249vE