02-13-2007

THREE FROM VANDALIA SENTENCED TO IDOC FOR CHILD BATTERY

Three Vandalia residents, who were each charged in October 2006 for alleged Aggravated Battery to a Child, were sentenced in Fayette County Court this past week to the Illinois Department of Corrections.  27 year-old Sue A. Williams, the mother of the two victims, received a 12 year prison term, 30 year-old April Denton a nine year sentence and 27 year-old Damen H. Cheek a six year incarceration.  Under the criminal "truth in sentencing" guidelines, each will serve 85% of their sentence on the Class X felonies.

According to Fayette County States Attorney Steven Friedel, the confessions from the three defendants allegedly revealed that the children had been placed in a scalding hot bathtub, and that the 3 year-old victim had received 2nd and 3rd degree burns.  The burns to the six year-old were not as severe.  Friedel praised the teacher at the Jefferson Primary School whose concerns lead to a DCFS investigation and the discovery of the three year-old, who was not receiving professional medical treatment.

Friedel believes that as the mother of the victims, Sue A. Williams had the greater obligation to protect them, and therefore received a longer sentence.  After the three were arrested, the children were placed in foster care.

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BOND IS ONE OF FEDERAL DISASTER COUNTIES

Bond County is one of eighteen Illinois counties to be declared a federal disaster from the late November ice storm.  Congressman John Shimkus made the announcement on Friday.  Other counties named federal disasters include Fayette, Madison, and Montgomery.  This designation allows local governments to be reimbursed for "emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities."  The November 30 ice storm left tens of thousands in Illinois without power for days.

ALPLM'S REUNION RETURNS

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum Presents "Reunion - A Musical Epic in Miniature".  The hit musical will return for six performances in Union Theater.  It first debuted at the ALPLM last spring and is set on April 14, 1890, twenty-five years to the day of Lincoln's death.  Reunion is a musical play about a troupe of actors performing a show about Lincoln and the Civil War.  It is an attempt to tell the story of the Civil War through the eyes of those who took up the Union cause.

The show dates for "Reunion - A Musical Epic in Miniature" are February 23-25 and March 2-4.  Performances begin at 7:30PM on Fridays and Saturdays and at 6:00PM on Sundays.  Tickets went on sale Monday, January 29.  For more information call 217-558-8934.

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RAIN TOTALS (as of 7:30am)

Rain totals for the city of Greenville since 6am Monday are .89 at the Waste Water Treatment Plant on Route 40, .82 at 6th Street, and .80 at Idler Lane and Route 140.  Rain will be changing to snow throughout the day.

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GREENVILLE JUNIOR HIGH SPELLING BEE WINNERS

On Monday, February 12, the Greenville Junior High held its annual Scripps-Howard spelling bee.  The winner was Logan Lippert, eight-grade daughter of Joe and Diane Lippert.  The runner-up was Brad Sutton, the sixth-grade son of Bob and Jennifer Sutton.  Logan won by correctly spelling "mongrel" and will be participating in the Bond-Fayette-Effingham Spelling Bee at the Mulberry Grove Elementary School on Wednesday, February 28 at 7PM.  The top four spellers will then advance to the Millikin University Regional Spelling Bee in Decatur.

Greenville Junior High language teachers give a fifty word preliminary written test to all sixth, seventh and eight graders in their language classes.  The top spellers on the written test go on to compete in the school spelling bee.