Salem Man Injured When His Pickup Runs Into Creek

A 24-year-old Salem man has been injured in a one vehicle crash at the Radio Tower and Baker Road intersection northeast of Salem. Marion County Sheriff's Deputies say Curtis Denzik of Oglesby Street was westbound on Baker Road when he failed to negotiate the turn onto Radio Tower Road, went into the creek, with his pickup coming to rest on the passenger side.
Denzik was able to get out of the truck on his own. He was taken to Salem Township Hospital for treatment. The wreck occurred just after midnight Thursday morning. - http://goo.gl/IBGZV

Sandoval Village Board Discusses Three New Businesses and Hires Two Part-time Police Officers

Sandoval will soon have three new businesses in operation. Mayor Ron Kretzer says Granny's Donuts opened on U.S. 51 South this week. A grand opening scheduled at noon Saturday.
Gifts and More has opened in the former barbershop building on Main Street. Kretzer says the new owners of Taylor Made have taken applications for jobsand plan to reopen in later February or March.

The Sandoval Village Board has hired two part-time police officers. Zach Lowery of Salem will be paid $9 an hour and $10 an hour after completing the part-time police officer school.
The board also made a committment to hire Garrett Wade within the next 30 days. Kretzer reported that the village is maintaining a positive cash flow, but there are still some issues that need to be addressed. He is not recommending that the village join the Route 50 Coalition because of the $1,000 they would be asked to commit to the lobbying effort for the four lane highway from Lawrenceville to Lebanon.
The board was told $3,421 has been raised for upkeep of the cemetery from the recent Chilli Supper. - http://goo.gl/rufjJ

Mt. Vernon/Jefferson County Daily Record Jan. 19, 2012

MT. VERNON - Mt. Vernon Police Arrests

• Jacob D. Nichols, 23, of the 3000 block of Jamison Avenue, was arrested Tuesday at 4:03 p.m. on a charge of aggravated domestic battery. Bond was set at $20,000.
• Jessica L. Marten, 27, of Fairview Heights, was arrested Tuesday at 6:54 p.m. on a charge of theft of labor or services. Bond was set at $1,000.
• Dasmin Q. Young, 21, of the 1000 block of Prairie Avenue, was arrested at 11:08 p.m. Tuesday on charges of residential burglary and contempt of court. Bond was set at $35,000.

Thefts

• A resident in the 2400 block of Casey Avenue told police someone stole his Xbox at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
• Tuesday at 3:04 p.m., a resident in the 900 block of Salem Road told police someone stole her trash can.
• Police responded to a report of a cab customer not able to pay at 3:32 p.m. Tuesday.

Incidents

• Personnel at King City Liquors told police someone paid with bad checks at 12:04 p.m. Wednesday.
• Police responded to a report of the sound of gunshots in the 200 block of North 11th Street at 2:08 a.m. Wednesday.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Arrests

• Michael A. Tolka, of the 600 block of Oak Avenue, was arrested Tuesday at 9:10 a.m. on an in-state warrant.

Fires

• Woodlawn Fire Protection District personnel responded to a report of a tractor trailer parked on the shoulder beneath the I-64 overpass on fire at 6:32 a.m. Tuesday. - http://goo.gl/fR7sT

Illinois inmate pleads guilty: 'I strangled my cellmate'

JOLIET, Ill. -- A life sentence has been handed a convicted murderer who pleaded guilty to strangling his cellmate in 2009.

Richard Conner, who is serving a life sentence for the 1991 murder of a Chicago jewelry store clerk, was placed in a Stateville Correctional Center cell with Jameson Leezer, who was near the end of his five-year sentence for car theft.

The 37-year-old Leezer was transferred to Stateville from the medium-security prison in Pinckneyville, after allegedly making lewd comments to a prison guard. Prison records labeled Leezer, described as a member of a white supremacist gang, as vulnerable.

Connor was transferred to Stateville after attempting to hang himself at the super-maximum-security Tamms Correctional Center.

Platek said after the murder, Connor, an African American, came out the cell saying "'I strangled my cellmate." - http://goo.gl/lWvAd

Sandoval Mayor Expresses Concern About Proposed New Grade School

Sandoval Mayor Ron Kretzer says he supports the need for a new grade school, but does have some concerns about the project. He talked about those concerns at Wednesday night's village board meeting. At the top of the list is the impact the increased property taxes will have on village residents. Kretzer also wants to make it clear the village will not be responsible for constructing new roads or sewer lift stations that might be required if the new grade school is constructed next to the Junior-Senior High School. The board has not yet decided where the new grade school would be built if approved by voters on March 20th. Kretzer fears a big increase in property taxes if the proposed two-million dollar bond issue to pay for the 25-percent local share of the cost of the new grade school is combined with a 1.1-million dollar health life safety bond issue to replace the windows in the junior-senior high school building. No vote is needed for the school board to approve the window replacement project. School district officials have said the alternative to constructing the new grade school is to pay twice as much in local property taxes to make four million dollars in needed health life safety improvements to the current grade school building that would not need voter approval. Kretzer is questioning why everything needs to be fixed now and hopes the school board will look at delaying the window replacement project. - http://goo.gl/Ofi1W

Illinois Backlog of Unpaid Bills Nears $8.5 Billion

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka says the stack of unpaid bills in her office tops $4.2 billion and even more bills are piled up in other government departments. She said Wednesday the state's overall backlog is about $8.5 billion. That means organizations that provide services for the state, from businesses to hospitals to charity groups, must wait months to be paid for their work. Topinka's office is still paying bills that date back to September 1st, four and a half months ago. Illinois is behind on its bills even after officials cut spending and raised taxes. Topinka's report predicts the backlog will continue at similar rates. Some officials want to borrow money so state government can pay its vendors, but Topinka argues against more borrowing.  full story

Attorneys: Teen May Get Deal in Clock Factory Fire

PERU, Ill. (AP) - Attorneys say they expect to work out a plea deal for a teen charged in a fire that destroyed part of a massive clock factory in northern Illinois. Attorneys told LaSalle County Judge Daniel Bute on Tuesday that they anticipate an agreement by the time the 15-year-old Peru youth returns to court next week.

The boy is accused of helping set fire to the Westclox building on New Year's Eve. He is not subject to prison time in the Illinois Department of Corrections. But that's not the case for his alleged accomplice.

A La Salle County grand jury on Tuesday returned a one-count indictment against 17-year-old Steven Gallacher of La Salle on a charge of aggravated arson.

Gallacher will appear Thursday before a judge, who may schedule a jury trial. - http://goo.gl/IUPnX

Mo. student loses driving rights for Confederate flag

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri student lost his driving privileges at school for flying a Confederate flag on his truck.

The Republic school district twice suspended Riley Collier's driving privileges because of concern that the flag distracted some students and was offensive to others.

Collier says he does not understand why he can't fly the flag while driving to and from Republic High School. He does not consider the flag racist. He says it's about history and the way of life where he grew up.

Republic School District Superintendent Vern Minor says he can't talk about the situation because it involves a student. - http://goo.gl/mMZ1A

Illinoisans urged to take part in earthquake drill

CHICAGO - Authorities want more Illinoisans to register for the "Great ShakeOut."

It's not a new dance or exercise craze. It's a multistate drill meant to raise awareness about potential earthquakes in the region.

More than 152,000 Illinois residents have already signed up to participate in the second annual "Great Central U.S. ShakeOut" on Feb. 7. The drill starts at 10:15 a.m.

The director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Jonathon Monken, says the mantra of earthquake preparedness is "Drop, Cover and Hold On."

That is a reminder for people during an earthquake to drop to the floor, take cover under something sturdy and hold on to it until the shaking stops. - http://goo.gl/2aMIG

Autopsy Shows Centralia Woman Found Dead in Alley Apparently Died From Natural Causes

Preliminary autopsy results indicate a 62-year-old Centralia woman found dead in a city alley Monday morningdied from natural causes. Mary Brenton of South Poplar Street was pronounced dead on the scene by Marion County Deputy Coroner Roger Sutherland after her body was found lying face down in the middle of an alley about a half-block from the Huck's Store at Calumet and Poplar. The coroner's office reports pending toxicology and microscopic examination, the preliminary results show that Brenton died of a massive heart attack due to extreme blockages of coronary arteries and resulting enlargement of the coronary walls. There was also a significant amount of fluid surrounding the heart, making it work even harder, and ultimately contributing to her death. The examination revealed no signs of foul play. Brenton appeared to have been walking the short distance home with groceries she had bought at the Huck's store when she collapsed. - http://goo.gl/wi4uy