Ray Tate, convicted for the murder of Wayne County Deputy Sean Riley, appeared via Zoom in Clinton County Circuit Court in Carlyle last Wednesday to continue his attempt to retract his guilty plea. Tate claims he was forced into pleading guilty to multiple charges of aggravated kidnapping and armed violence, which stem...

Several area fire departments and EMS providers will be receiving much-needed equipment upgrades thanks to the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Small Equipment Grant Program. A total of $4 million was distributed among 178 departments statewide, with awards capped at $26,000 each. The program aims to help departments purc...

A special prosecutor in the murder case of Judge Michael Valentine is seeking access to defendant Megan Valentine's cell phone. Prosecutor David J. Robinson filed a motion to compel Megan Valentine to unlock her phone, arguing its potential relevance to the ongoing homicide investigation. The motion highlights that the...

Wayne County's unemployment rate for January fell to 4.4% According to the latest figures from the State's Department of Employment Security, Wabash and Richland Counties both had 3.7% unemployment. For Wabash County, that number is the same as January of 2024. For over a year, Wabash County has consistently had eith...

The Edwards County Council on Aging (ECCOA) is facing a financial crunch and has requested assistance from the Village of West Salem to maintain the local senior center. However, village board members are hesitant to commit without a clearer picture of the organization's finances. During a meeting Monday evening, ECCOA...

A meeting of the Edwards County Commissioners is set for tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Edwards County Courthouse. Some of the items on the agenda include; approval of minutes from the previous meeting, various department reports plus final approval to start construction on the Edwards 570 Solar 1 and 2 project, Edwards...

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a FLOOD WATCH from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday morning for all of Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri, Western Kentucky and Southwest Indiana. Flash flooding and flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected. Preliminary projections of up to 1 foot of tota...

Today is Election Day in Illinois for the consolidated municipal election as voters head to the polls to cast their vote for Mayor, Village President, Clerks, Trustees, Township Supervisors, Park Districts and School Board members. An interesting development in Wayne County has drawn attention as today's consolidated...

Melissa Kiefer, Dual Credit English Instructor at Fairfield Community High School, inspires her students to dream big despite all odds. To prove it, she wants to become the first deaf teacher to win the America's Favorite Teacher national contest. She also wants to show America that small, rural schools matter. Kiefer,...

Friday night at approximately 8 o'clock, Wayne County Deputies conducted a traffic stop on and located 25-year-old Alyssa M. Collins of Fairfield. Collins was wanted out of Wayne County for the charge of Methamphetamine Possession, Violation of stayed sentence. Collins was taken into custody and transported to the Wa...

TODAY AT FCHS Girls & Boys Track Co-ed Open Meet 4pm Boys Tennis vs Flora 4pm Mules Baseball vs Richland County 4:30pm with JV game to follow Lady Mules Softball vs Richland County 4:30pm with JV game to follow GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES FROM MONDAY Mt. Carmel 11, Fairfield 1 6 innings Crab Orchard 11 Zeigle...

TODAY AT FCHS Center Street Track @ The Trainyard 4pm Fairfield Lady Mules Softball @ Mt. Carmel 4:30pm GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES FROM SATURDAY VARSITY: Fairfield 10 NCOE 0 5 innings JV: Fairfield 7, NCOE 6 GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL TRACK SATURDAY Ella Sager of the Fairfield Lady Mules Track Team placed 11th in the 320...

The Spring Fling at Southwest Park in Fairfield scheduled for today has been postponed due to the expected weather conditios. Men's college basketball Friday, NCAA Tournament: Tennessee 78 Kentucky 65 Houston 62 Purdue 60 Michigan State 73 Ole Miss 70 Auburn 78 Michigan 65 Women's college basketball, NCAA T...

TODAY AT FCHS Girls/Boys Track IL Top Times Indoor Meet @ 3pm Illinois Weslyan University Fairfield Mules Baseball vs Teutopolis 4:45 pm SATURDAY AT FCHS Softball Spring Swing Tournament @ Southwest Park 9am BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES FROM THURSDAY Belleville Althoff 7, Metro-East Lutheran 3 Crab Orchard 15, NCOE...

TODAY AT FCHS Center St. Track @ The Trainyard 4pm BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES FROM WEDNESDAY Fairfield 7, Waltonville/Sesser Valier 0 ( Breychan Kovacich throws a complete game, 1 hit shutout). Anna-Jonesboro 5, Goreville 1 Belleville West 14, Mater Dei 1 Bethalto Civic 2, Mt Vernon 0 Breese Central 15, Collinsvi...