POLLS ARE OPEN
It’s election day and polls are open until 7pm. Voters in Bond County will elect either incumbent Katie Weiss or challenger Della Field as treasurer. There are also races for three county board seats. District 1 between Frank Lucco and Justin Lurkins; District 3 between Dorine “Dodie” Price and Gerald “Spanky” McCray; and District 5 between Jill Franks and Brock Willeford. Lucco, Price, and Franks are incumbents.
There are two 3rd Judicial Circuit issues on the ballot. Voters in Bond and Madison Counties will decide whether or not to retain three judges…John Knight, Charles Romani, and Ann Callis. They will also choose either Barbara Crowder or James Hackett to sit on the bench in the 3rd Judicial Circuit.
Voters will select a full slate of statewide officers including governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, comptroller, and treasurer.
WGEL’s election coverage begins tonight at 7:30 with an election preview followed by reports every half-hour on races in Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Madison, and the longwall mining referendum in Montgomery County.
COMETS PLAYOFF GAME PREVIEW
The Greenville Comets football team has advanced to the Elite 8 in Class 3A. Greenville is now 10 and 1 on the season and they host the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats Saturday at 1:30pm. Don’t miss all of the live play-by-play on WGEL with Kent Kesner and Mike O’Boyle from Don Stout Field.
ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR PLAYOFFS
Greenville High School is selling advanced tickets for Saturday’s IHSA quarter-final game between the Comets and Anna-Jonesboro. The game kicks-off at 1:30pm at the Don Stout Field and tickets are $6. They can be purchased in advance Thursday and Friday from 8am until 3:30pm each day in the high school office. There will be three entrances to the field on Saturday. The regular ticket area at the northwest corner of the field, the south gate behind the visiting team bleachers, and the southwest gate. No one will be admitted before 12 noon.
GREENVILLE HIGH SCHOOL TO CELEBRATE VETERANS DAY
In recognition of Veterans Day, Greenville High School will hold its Veteran's Day Program on Friday, November 10 at 9AM in the high school gym. Principal Kevin Cochrane told WGEL the assembly will begin with a formal presentation of the flags and some guest speakers. The band will perform "National Anthem" along with other Veteran's Day arrangements. The names of veterans will be read and each will be presented with a small token of appreciation.
Last year students were asked to bring in pictures of family members who are Veterans. They were then displayed throughout the school's hallways and at the assembly. Cochrane would like to extend that idea a little further this time around and ask that any veterans who would be willing to share a picture of themselves in their military uniform, bring them to the school by noon on Thursday. They will be used to make a PowerPoint slide presentation in the gym during the assembly. The names of 70 Veterans were read at last year's program with the hopes of those numbers reaching closer to one hundred this year. Cochrane said it's not only the students and Veterans who will benefit from the assembly, but the community as well. Special seating for the veterans will be arranged on the gym floor, but there will be plenty of bleacher space and other seating for anyone who would like to join GHS in the celebration of honoring these men and women.
Cochrane also said that this year the Bond County Transit would be providing transportation to the assembly for veterans who need assistance. The bus will be free of charge with pick-up times around 8:30AM and a drop-off time around 10:30AM. If you are a Veteran and would like to participate in the program call the Greenville High School at 664-1370 at which time you can request transportation assistance.
SWECI MOVING MADISON COUNTY FACILITY TO ST. JACOB
After more than 20 years in Maryville, Southwestern Electric Cooperative is moving its Madison County facility to St. Jacob. Southwestern was the winning bidder on 22 acres near the intersection of Route 4 and Highway 40. The property was formerly the site of Bergmann-Taylor, a custom application, fertilizer, and seed processing operation. Included in the purchase were a 6000-square-foot office building, a 2,800-square-foot meeting room, and a shed and machine shop totaling 22,000 square feet.
Joe Richardson, Southwestern's director of communications, explained the reason behind the move. Richardson said, "We're going to miss our neighbors in Maryville. But we had to find a new site. The integrity of our Maryville facility is slowly being compromised by mine subsidence and there's no cost-effective way to salvage it."
Richardson said cracks in the foundation of the Maryville facility expanded dramatically this year. The fractures were initially attributed to settling, but an engineering assessment revealed the building was being broken by mine subsidence. The Maryville location opened for business in February 1984.
