Mt. Vernon City and Bluford Firemen were called for mutual aide assistance to bring additional manpower and water to the scene. There were no injuries. Firemen had the fire under control in about a half hour and were on the scene for about an hour and 45 minutes beginning at 9:18 Sunday morning. full story
A propane gas explosion rocked a rural Salem home early Sunday afternoon. Salem Fire Marshall Bill Fulton says Paul Bumgarner and his son were both inside the home at 2649 Miles Lane north of Nation Road when the explosion occurred. The two escaped injury, but the home received substantial damage. Fulton says the explosion blew out the framing of a sliding glass door, cracked a wall in the dining room, caused a living room window to bow out, pushed a dining room light fixture into the attic and damaged the washer and dryer.
Bumgarner's son put out a small fire near the hot water heater with a fire extinguisher before the fire department's arrival. Fulton says it appears a small piece of gas piping connected to the hot water heater was somehow knocked loose, allowing the propane gas to escape into the air. He notes the elder Bumgarner, who had just returned home, was asking his son about an unusual smell in the home at the time the explosion occurred. Fulton says the LP gas service was turned off along with the electrical box until the gas piping system in the home can be checked for any other problems.
The call came in at 1:30 Sunday afternoon. Full Story
His vehicle crashed into a creek bed. Manley was pronounced dead on the scene by the Fayette County Coroner. Two other passengers in the vehicle during the crash were able to get out of the vehicle with only minor injuries and flagged down help from a passing motorist. Illinois State Police are continuing their investigation. Full Story
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Lincoln tomb is in need of repair. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency spokesman Dave Blanchette says the tomb will undergo $700,000 in structural repairs to fix water damage and other interior damage. Lincoln's tomb is in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery. It is the final resting place of the 16th president, his wife Mary, and three of their four sons. The tomb was dedicated in 1874.
The water damage is most visible on the ceiling of the entrance foyer. Blanchette tells The State Journal-Register there have been problems with the roof since the tomb was dedicated. State officials have released the $700,000 and an Indiana architectural firm is working on the project. Renovations also will include refinishing the tomb's decorative plaster and moldings, marble wall panels and brass plaques. Full Story
HARRISBURG, Ill. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has toured damage caused by a deadly tornado in the southern Illinois city of Harrisburg. Durbin toured the damage in Saline County on Saturday. Durbin says he'll work with members of Illinois' congressional delegation to make sure the area receives the help it needs to recover. Durbin says he's seen tornado damage in the past, but he's "never seen anything this bad."
Six people were killed in the Wednesday storm and about 100people were injured. Durbin visited with a woman who was buried under the rubble of two homes. Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Jonathon Monken accompanied Durbin. Monken credited local emergency workers who responded immediately after the storms. Durbin says federal emergency workers are expected in the area on Monday. Full Story
A 23-year-old Richview man has been arrested by Centralia Police for alleged robbery and felony theft. Dustin Atteberry of West Broadway was taken into custody in connection with a purse being stolen from Rejects Bar late Saturday night.
Police reports indicate Atteberry grabbed a purse belonging to Jennifer Casseday of West 17th in Centralia when being kicked out of the bar following a fight. A group chased Atteberry from the bar. Police report after allegedly striking Casseday with the door of his car and nearly hitting Casseday and several others in the area, he fled the scene.
Centralia Police later spotted a car matching Atteberry's pull into a parking spot in the Amtrak lot. When he let, police say what turned out to be Casseday's purse was found lying in the area the car had just left. Atteberry was taken into custody during a traffic stop that following a short time later. Atteberry is also wanted by Wamac Police in connection with two purses allegedly stolen from the Industrial Tavern on February 12th. JelissaMorgan of Clinmar Street in Centralia and Jennifer Barezewski of Isle Street in Sandoval told police they had placed the purses under a table and gone to the bathroom.
They were gone when the two returned. Barezewski later found her purse submerged in a men's toilet with the credit cards and a digital camera missing. An employee of the Industrial later identified Atteberry as the person who took the purses from a video surveillance tape. Atteberry was taken to the Marion County Jail. - http://goo.gl/MSp7t
A 39-year-old Salem woman is being held in the Marion County Jail after being arrested early Sunday morning for alleged disorderly conduct. April Adkins of North Broadway was taken into custody after her car was located in a ditch on Hotze Road northwest of Salem.
22-year-old Josh Wilkerson of Middleton Street in Iuka was arrested by sheriff's deputies for violation of an order of protection. The Marion County Sheriff's Department is investigating a criminal damage to property complaint. The AC Pit Stop in Walnut Hill reported a front window was broken out. It appears the window was hit by rocks thrown by vehicles in the parking lot. - http://goo.gl/JjdMM