ONE MORE DAY TO FILE PETITIONS FOR SPRING ELECTION

This is the last day for candidates to file petitions for the April Election.  As of Friday afternoon, Unit 1 School Board incumbent Teresa Tompkins filed her petition for another 4-year term.  She joins William Johnson who filed last week.  Kevin Rickman holds the other open seat.

For the Village of Mulberry Grove, incumbent Ron Hartman has filed his petition to retain another 4-year term.  He joins incumbents Don Smith who filed last Monday and Karan Belcher who filed Wednesday.  David Wilson also filed to have his name on the ballot for one of the trustee seats.

In the Village of Smithboro, all four incumbents have filed to retain their trustee seats; Prudence Edwards, Barbara Obermark, Ron Primo and Laura Kennedy.  The Village Clerk's position, currently held by Sue Primo, is also open with Angela Strohkirch filing for that position on the Spring ballot.

In the race for Kingsbury Park Board, Warren R. Kennedy filed a petition Thursday morning for one of the three 4-year terms, and then later that day withdrew that petition and re-filed for the 2-year seat.  Incumbents Matt Willman, Shannon McGuire and Tommy Simpson filed earlier in the week, as well as newcomers Doug Bohannon, Tim Sandifer and William Traylor.

Today (February 5) is the last day to get your name on the ballot.  WGEL will continue to keep you up to date on the names you'll see in the Spring Election.

---

METEOR SHOWER CAUSE OF UNIQUE LIGHT SHOW

A meteor shower is being blamed for an unusual light show Sunday night in the western sky.  Metro News Source reports that some of the meteors were so big and close to Earth that they appeared to have flaming tails and some made a booming sound as they streaked overhead.  The light show was seen in a wide area of Missouri including Sedalia, Cape Girardeau, and St. Louis to Alton and Bunker Hill in Illinois.  WGEL was contacted by listeners in the Hookdale area who saw the meteor show through a west window of their house.  They described it as a round, bright spotlight that streaked across the sky. 

DRUG ARRESTS MADE ON GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Eight arrests were made Friday morning in Bond County based on indictments handed down in January by a Grand Jury.  The Bond County Sheriff's Department, Illinois State Police, the Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Marshal's office coordinated the arrests.  State's Attorney Chris Bauer told WGEL that the warrants were for either alleged Unlawful Delivery of Cannabis or Unlawful Delivery of Cocaine.  A ninth person was arrested on another warrant not related to this investigation.  The defendants appeared Friday afternoon in Bond County court for formal charges.  WGEL will have more details on this story, as they become available. 

---

CARLYLE GRAD HONORED AS IHSA BASKETBALL LEGEND

Last November the Illinois High School Association announced plans to commemorate the 100th IHSA boys basketball tournament through a series of special events.  One of these was the selection of the “100 Legends of the Tournament.”  Named to this elite list was Carlyle High School’s Tom Michael who led the Indians to the state title in 1989.  Michael scored 28 points against Rock Island Alleman in the championship game and tallied 121 for the tourney.  Following his graduation, Michael played college ball at the U of I.

On January 26th, Michael was honored during Carlyle’s basketball game as part of the “Ball of Fame Tour.”  This specially commissioned Wilson basketball is being signed by some of the living legends during a tour across the state.  Michael participated in the ball signing ceremony that night.

Also of local interest is Pleasant Plains’ coach Cliff Cameron whose teams won the state title in 2000 and 2002.  Cameron, a former teacher and coach at the Sorento School, will be honored during the “Ball of Fame Tour” at Pleasant Plains on February 3rd.

NEW FACES AND PLACES SPOTLIGHTED AT MEETING

The Greenville Chamber of Commerce held their annual New Faces and Places meeting Friday morning at the Bradford room in Greenville. Some 65 new and expanding businesses were introduced to the packed crowd of Chamber members and new faces. Chamber director Julia Jenner told WGEL it was great to see so many new and expanding businesses in Greenville.

---

ASIAN CARP CAUGHT AT CARLYLE LAKE

A recent catch at Carlyle Lake has experts talking about some un-welcomed fish.  First surfacing in local rivers and lakes in the mid-1980's, Rob Maher with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, comments about the fish.  He says there are two Asian Carp species that everyone is concerned about; the big head and the silver. 

The silver carp can jump 5-10 feet out of the water and is making boaters and skiers nervous.  The one caught at Carlyle Lake is called the big head.  They are not prone to jump but they can grow to weigh over 100 pounds. Both have been a big problem in the Kaskaskia and Mississippi rivers.  Maher hopes they don't become a problem at Carlyle.  He said since they are not native to this area and that they can grow quickly, there is no real predator for them.

Maher commented that one good thing about the lake environment is that it makes it harder for these type of fish to reproduce. Legislation in Illinois regulates the transportation of live Asian Carp into the state, however, other states do not have these regulations.  Therefore, fish are able to travel up rivers and streams from other states and make it into our local waterways.

GPD EXCEEDS GOAL FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS FOR 2006

The Greenville Police Department has been participating in fundraising for the Special Olympics for nearly 20 years.  Police Chief Lou Lorton commented on the money raised last year, and how this allows their name to be on the back of the torch run shirts for 2007. The Greenville Police Department raised over $21,000 for Special Olympics for 2006, ranking them 13th in the state. 

Coordinator for the department's fundraising efforts for the Special Olympics, Officer Russ Rieke, commented that all of the money donated goes to the athletes.  It helps them and their families to participate in events all year round as well as the Summer Games.  This allows them to not have any out of pocket expenses.

Chief Lorton then commented on how important the Special Olympics is for the participants.  He said the focus is on what the athletes can do, and they strive to be their best.  The events stress sportsmanship on the court and field and are very inspirational. Law Enforcement in Illinois is the biggest funder for the state's Special Olympics.

This year's efforts by the Greenville Police Department for the Special Olympics will get underway with the Polar Plunge in March and the Torch Run and BBQ on June 14th.

---

GFPD RECEIVES GRANT FOR GENERATOR

The Greenville Fire Protection District has received grant funding for the purchase of a generator. The announcement was made Thursday by Congressman John Shimkus that the GFPD will receive $47,500 through the Department of Homeland Security.  Greenville Assistant Chief Jeff Benson told WGEL that the money will go towards the projected $53,000 cost of installing a generator at the firehouse.  Benson said the rash of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in recent years led to the department considering a generator for backup power.  Benson indicated that once the system is installed, the department’s meeting room can be used as a public shelter during power outages.