Branson hospital treated 33 people after tornado

BRANSON, Mo. -- A hospital in Branson treated 33 people in the hours after a tornado hit the tourist destination.

A spokeswoman for Skaggs Regional Medical Center says most of those treated early Wednesday suffered only cuts and bruises.

One person who was injured when a roof collapsed was transferred to a Springfield hospital.

Spokeswoman Michelle Leroux (LA-roo) says the hospital's urgent care department treated four people for minor injuries.

The hospital was not damaged. Leroux says power was out at two non-clinical buildings but otherwise the hospital is operating. - http://goo.gl/kXA6b

Thousands without power after Southern Ill. storm

HARRISBURG, Ill. -- Emergency crews are working to assess the damage after strong storms hit Southern Illinois, downing power lines and leaving thousands of electric customers without power.

WSIU Radio reports that authorities in Saline County are asking residents to stay off the streets while emergency workers deal with the storm's aftermath. There are reports of damage in Harrisburg, and the school superintendent there has canceled classes Wednesday.

Ameren Illinois reports that service is out to about 13,000 customers, including more than 6,000 in Saline County.

Harrisburg is about 110 miles southeast of St. Louis. - http://goo.gl/VVNF7

Mt. Vernon/Jefferson County Police Arrests Daily For February 29, 2012

Natasha A. Hill, 27, of the 600 block of South 23rd Street, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of drugs. Bond was set at $3,000.

Joshua R. Williams, 21, of the 4400 block of Logan Street, was arrested Monday at 3:07 p.m. on an in-state warrant. Williams was released.

Sam Gabbart, 31, of the 300 block of North Jackson Street in Dix, was arrested Monday at 5:56 p.m. on a charge of stalking.

Kaitlyn M. Welch, 18, of the 300 block of North Sixth Street in Bonnie, was arrested Monday at 10:42 p.m. on a charge of obstruction of justice.

George W. Flanders, 19, of the 300 block of North Sixth Street in Bonnie, was arrested at 4:58 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of failure to report as a sex offender. - http://goo.gl/L0k23

Benton Public Library among state’s grant recipients

Secretary of State Jesse White has awarded grants totaling $11.9 million to 620 public libraries statewide.

The awarded funds come from the Fiscal Year 2012 Illinois Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grants.
Locally, the Benton Public Library District received $12,974.63 in Illinois Public Library Per Capita grant funding.

Christopher Public Library received $2,442.74.
The Royalton Public Library District received $1,180.35. Sesser Public Library received $1,980.24. West Frankfort Public Library received $8,390.64. Zeigler Public Library received $361.29 from the FY 2012 Public Library Equalization Aid grant and $1,846.93 in per capita grant funds.   full story

Small Earthquakes Strikes Southwestern Illinois and Missouri Monday Evening

A small earthquake struck just outside of St. Louis in southwestern Illinois Monday evening. A magnitude 2.2 quake struck at 6:52pm three-miles north of O'Fallon and 18-miles east of St. Louis. There were no reports of damage or injuries with the quake. A second earthquake occurred before 9:00pm.

A magnitude 2.0-quake struck t3-miles southeast of St. Louis near Frohna, Missouri. There were no reports of damage or injuries with that quake. The United States Geological Survey says minor quakes in the New Madrid Fault Zone are very common, with 1.3 million quakes with magnitudes between 2.0 and 2.9 occurring every year. - http://goo.gl/FiKmO

Tax revenues are up

MT. VERNON - Tax revenues are up in the city, with numbers showing the local economy is better than the state economy.

"The economy of Mt. Vernon is still doing well," City Manager Ron Neibert reported Monday during a third quarter budget review workshop of the city council. "We really didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the makeup of the revenues. We're not relying on any one sector for our tax revenues, and overall, our economy is well balanced in terms of retail."

The 1 percent sales tax is showing a 6.1 percent year-to-date increase over the same time period last year and the 1 percent home rule tax is showing a 3.3 percent increase over last year. However, the income tax, which is a per capita tax based on population and state receipts, is showing a decrease of 3.2 percent.

"It's at 6.8 percent below what we anticipated on the budget," Neibert said. "That's due to two factors. One is that we over-projected and the other is the 6 percent reduction in population that went into effect when the new numbers from the Census came out."

One month in particular for 1 percent sales tax receipts caught everyone's attention, with Mayor Mary Jane Chesley calling the increase "amazing." In November, 1 percent sales tax receipts went up by 24.1 percent over last year, with $482,427 collected. The 1 percent sales tax receipts through the third quarter of the fiscal year for the city is at $3.58 million. - http://goo.gl/L9HyM

Shell to Close Operations in Illinois and Missouri

ROXANA, Ill. (AP) - Shell Oil Co. plans to close its oil blending and packaging plant in Roxana, where Shell began operations in 1918. A company spokeswoman says the Wood River Blending Plant is closing because it needs major upgrades and because it is on property Shell doesn't own. The closure of the Shell Lubricants site will result in the loss of more than 80 jobs in Roxana, just east of St. Louis. The company says it will also close its regional distribution center in O'Fallon, Mo., which employs more than a dozen people. Shell says the distribution center will close at the end of the year, while the Roxana plant will close at the end of 2013. A Shell spokeswoman says employees will have the chance to apply for jobs at other locations.   full story

Union Will Push Tax on Wall Street at Chicago G-8

CHICAGO (AP) - The nation's largest nurses union will call for a tax on Wall Street institutions at a march and rally in Chicago the day before the city hosts the G-8 and NATO summits. Chuck Idelson of National Nurses United says thousands of nurses and activists will take part in the demonstration May 18th. He says they'll call on world leaders to adopt a so-called "Robin Hood" tax on major trading by banks and other financial institutions. The goal would be to raise money for revitalizing the economies of the United States and other G-8 nations. The rally will feature musician Tom Morello, who performs solo as the Nightwatchman and was a member of Rage Against the Machine. The G-8 and NATO summits will be in Chicago May 19th to 21st.  full story

Illinois Voters Can Officially Head To The Polls

Illinois voters can officially head to the polls. Monday marks the start of early voting for Illinois' primary election, and it's available until March 15. Voters do not need a reason to vote early in the Democratic and Republican primaries.

The primary election in Illinois is March 20. The voting includes nominating contests for the Illinois House and Senate, county offices, congressional races and several referendum questions. Sandoval School District voters are being asked to approve a bond issue to pay for 25% of the cost of building a new grade school.

All Marion County county-wide offices are uncontested in the primary. There is a race to represent the Republican Party on the ballot in County Board District Two. Those seeking the positions are incumbents Michael Ice of Salem and Erwin Hahn of Iuka, as well as Creighton Engel and William Holzhauser, Junior of Salem. Voting officials expect the close Republican presidential primary and new candidates vying for redrawn federal, state and county seats to drive early voter participation. Registered voters must show a current driver's license or a valid photo ID to participate.

Early voters cannot change their votes after final submission. Early voting locations are available statewide. In Marion County, early voting is taking place in the county clerk's office on the second floor of the courthouse. The county clerks office is also the voting location in all other area counties. - http://goo.gl/jvRad

No Structural Damage Reported in Several Out of Control Grass and Woods Fires on Sunday

Several fire departments fought grass, brush, and woods fires on Sunday. Odin Firemen fought a fire in woods at the Ruth Uhls property at 3310 Odin Road. The fire spread from weeds and grass that were being burned off around a pond. Odin Fire Chief Greg Smith reports they provided mutual aide assistance to the Centralia Fire Protection District on a grass and woods fire at 2783 Barker Road in rural Centralia.

Centralia District Firemen also fought a pasture fire at a home off of Benning Road in Clinton County. It spread out of control from a grass fire and took over an hour and a half to bring under control. Salem Firemen were called to a very small brush fire at 132 South Vincent Street. The extremely warm temperatures and humidity along with a brisk wind resulted in the National Weather Service issuing a Red Flag Warning for South Central Illinois on Sunday afternoon. The warning advised against burning because of the likelihood of fires getting out of control. - http://goo.gl/AKsTI