SEVERAL INJURED IN ACCIDENT ON WOBURN ROAD

A single vehicle accident Friday night on Woburn Road north of the railroad tracks resulted in several injuries.  The Bond County Sheriff’s Department, Bond County EMS, and the Greenville Fire Protection District rescue squad all responded to the scene.  A Ford Expedition left the roadway and rolled over into the ditch.  The rescue squad extricated one person from the vehicle who was then flown from the scene by ARCH to a St. Louis hospital.  WGEL has been told that ARCH later transported at least one other individual hurt in the accident from Greenville Regional Hospital.  We will have additional details on this story as they are released by the Sheriff’s Department. 

---

INJURY ACCIDENT ON HILLVIEW AVENUE

One person was injured Sunday afternoon in an accident on Hillview Avenue.  The Bond County Sheriff's Department is reporting that the driver of the vehicle was transported to Greenville Regional Hospital with minor injuries.  The Greenville Fire Protection District was initially dispatched to the rollover accident but the page was cancelled before they arrived.  Further details have not been released. 

---

STOLEN CAR SOON RECOVERED

A car reported stolen to Greenville police was recovered a short time later.  Mark Boelling of Vandalia told officers Monday night that his car was taken while it was parked at the Bond County Senior Center.  A passerby discovered the abandoned car a short time later on 8th Avenue south of Greenville. 

---

DECREASE FUNDING FOR SENIOR CENTER COULD CHANGE SERVICES

Funding for the Bond County Senior Center has always been a challenge, but recent events have had an even bigger impact.  WGEL spoke with Anna Oestreich about the decrease in grants.  She said the funding comes from the federal and state government, which is mostly through the Older American's Act.  A few years ago they decided to make a change in the way the funding was distributed by county.  There are seven counties in region; five of them are rural in nature and the other two are Madison and St. Clair. Oestreich said they decided to distribute funds on formula more closely aligned with the Illinois formula that sends money to regions.  The effect was simply that rural counties lost a significant amount of money.  Since then, the change has been phased in, however, this is the first year that the Senior Center is believed to have their set base funding.

Five years ago the base grants were at $160,000 and this year under $100,000.  Oestreich says the immediate effect of the decrease could be a waiting list for services and a reduction of services.  Oestreich stated they are trying to raise enough money locally so services aren't impacted.  This will be a test year for the center.  Oestreich also said that if after the 1st quarter they are not able to sustain service levels, they will have to be decreased.

---

NEW BOOTHS AND OTHER ATTRACTIONS ADDED TO HOLIDAY BAZAAR

While many familiar favorites will be a part of the 49th annual Greenville Regional Hospital Auxillary Holiday Bazaar, two new booths and other new attractions have been added this year. One of the new booths, Between Friends, features a variety of handmade vintage country crafts, such as pillows, scarves, quart jar candles, potpourri, wooden stars, and framed embroidered work. The other new booth is the Book Nook, which will offer children’s books for sale and a story time for children attending the bazaar. Another new addition is the first in a series of commemorative Christmas ornaments. The ornament features a bearded man driving a sleigh. While the bazaar officially gets underway at 9am, the day begins at 7:30am with coffee, homemade pastries, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Lunch is served at 11am.

TOUCH SCREEN VOTING MACHINE TO ASSIST THOSE WITH DISABILITIES

A new machine is available in Bond County to assist individuals with disabilities when they are voting. Bond County Clerk Randy Reitz about said this is a new machine that is required by the Help America Vote Act. It's supposed to aid those who either need a little bit of assistance or a lot of assistance.  The instructions are easy to follow and are printed or can be listened to through the headphones.  It will tell you how to make your vote while you are actually voting.  The options are very far reaching, and by law this machine will give people the opportunity to vote without any aid.

The "touch screen" machine will allow the individual to cast their ballot via a button on the screen or keypad while a paper copy of their vote is printed out.  Reitz said they received the machines later than expected, but still made them available for this last election. Four people took advantage of the system with no reported problems. Actual training for the public and the clerk's office will take place in January and February. There will be a machine available at each polling location on Election Day, as well as two or three in the clerk's office 28 days prior to the election for absentee and early voters.

---

ALHAMBRA MAN KILLED IN ACCIDENT NEAR MARINE

Christopher Babick, 26 of Alhambra, was killed Thursday afternoon around 4:20PM in an accident at the intersection of Marine and Fruit Roads near Marine.  Madison County Sheriff's Department responded to the two-vehicle collision.  Babick was the only occupant in his vehicle.  Two people from the second vehicle were airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital and are expected to survive, according to Lieutenant Brad Wells of the Madison County Sheriff's Department.  A third person in the same vehicle was not seriously injured.

---

DRYER VENT CAUSE FOR SMOKE IN BASEMENT

The Greenville Fire Protection District was called out Thanksgiving afternoon to a report of smoke in a basement.  Firefighters responded to the residence on Charles Street and found a clogged dryer vent was the cause.  The smoke was cleared from the basement and no damage was reported.  The department was on the scene for less than an hour. 

MONDAY SPORTS