(OLNEY)  An approaching storm system will lift northeast today, out of the Plains into the Ohio River Valley, bringing with it plenty of precipitation – while it will mostly be rain tonight thru tomorrow, it could be a wintry mixture this morning – then it dries out for Friday & the weekend ahead – listen for updates.

(NEWTON)  Illinois’ Speaker of the House Michael Madigan says Governor Pat Quinn should focus on the budget in his State of the State speech next week – Madigan says getting the $8 billion deficit under control is one of the most pressing issues facing lawmakers – the House has led the charge in scaling back spending for this fiscal year by cutting out $2 billion that Quinn wanted – Madigan says more cuts are needed.

 
(OLNEY)  A new law puts valuable school performance information in the hands of parents – the Governor signed a bill yesterday that requires schools to put more details on the student report cards, including new curriculum information, the percentage of students meeting & exceeding standards at the child’s school, & what percentage of students are prepared for college based on testing – it’s all to increase accountability.

 
(NEWTON)  Teenagers are having a hard time finding work in Illinois – a Northwestern University report finds that just about 27% of statewide teens are currently employed – that’s compared to nearly 50% ten years ago – a co-author of the report says this could mean bad news for teenagers of the future – past reports show that people who get work experience early in life tend to perform better in their mid-20’s and later.

(NOBLE)  The Noble Village Board met for an hour this past Monday night – the Board  :  approved the Village’s $53,000 share for a proposed sewer project on South Noble Avenue – that’s 25% of the project’s estimated total cost of $212,000  :  agreed to purchase two new white-colored utility trucks from Northside Ford in Effingham – the total cost of $19,000 for both trucks includes licensing & title fees, tow package, & doc fees  :  approved a motion of support for the U.S. Route 50 Four-Lane Coalition  :  discussed, but took no action on an alarm system or better security at Village Hall  :  talked about opening each meeting with prayer & the Pledge of Allegiance, but no action taken  :  the Board’s next meeting will be February 13th.

 
(OLNEY)  The East Richland School Board met last night with a special meeting – after two hour closed session, the Board appointed Steve Marrs & Jervaise McDaniel to represent the Board on the Negotiations Committee – the Board also discussed district planning, which included the vision & mission of the East Richland School District, plus future goals for the district – the Board’s next meeting is February 16th.

(NOBLE)  Wayne County authorities report a Noble man is in custody on a felony charge of theft – 20 year old Brandon Wise is accused of stealing a motorcycle from the rural Mt. Erie area – while the investigation is continuing, Wise is currently being held at the Wayne County Jail in Fairfield on a $7,500 cash bond – remember, the young man from Noble is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

(NEWTON)  The murder case against an Effingham County man has been continued for another month – court officials have granted another four weeks to the prosecution in the case of 47 year old Gary Schmitt, who’s accused of killing his father, Jack, and with aggravated battery in the stabbings of a mother and her daughter in Edgewood – while Schmitt remains in custody without bond in the Effingham County Jail, a hearing is set for February 23rd – Schmitt is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

(WEST SALEM)  Two men arrested late last week in West Salem are facing methamphetamine charges – Edwards County authorities report 33 year old Matthew Bunting of Albion and 33 year old Roy Meserole of Evansville are being held in the White County Jail – Bunting faces charges of unlawful use of property to make meth and for possession of meth & drug paraphernalia – Meserole faces multiple felony charges.

(OLNEY)  You can support the Olney Central College Radiography Club by ordering your Super Bowl Party ribs now thru next Tuesday, January 31st – the pickup date is Saturday, February 4th, with three convenient locations in Olney, Newton, and Albion – get a full rack of spare ribs for $25 each or two slabs of the ribs for $46, all with a pre-cooked weight of 4 pounds from Mike’s Market in Louisville – all of the proceeds raised will go to the OCC Radiography Club – place your order today by calling 618-843-0234.

(OLNEY)  The Lawrence County Soil & Water Conservation District is preparing for its Annual Meeting, coming up a week from tomorrow night, February 2nd, at the Central Christian Church in Lawrenceville – it’s registration at 5:30, with the buffet dinner at 6:00, all followed by the business meeting at around 6:45 – the night will include the election of three directors, awards for the Conservationist of the Year & Wildlife Manager, door prizes, a guest speaker, and highlights of the district’s past year’s activities – the $10 tickets are available at the SWCD Office in Lawrenceville or call the Office at 618-943-3211 during regular hours.

 
(OLNEY)  Richland County residents are invited to attend tomorrow night’s “kickoff” event for this year’s American Cancer Society Walk & Roll of Richland County – it’s starts at 6:00 at The Holiday in Olney and it’s again the official sponsor of birthdays for the year 2012 – in fact, since the work began with the AMS, Richland County has raised over $1.3 million to benefit research, education, advocacy, & service programs - tomorrow night’s “kickoff” is for those interested in helping out or taking part in the 2012 Richland County Walk & Roll – for details or information, call Herman at 618-395-4736 or Jill at 618-562-5159.

(NEWTON)  The Jasper County Soil & Water Conservation District & Lincoln Heritage RC&D Council will host a “used electronics collection” today at the USDA Building, along Route 130, at the south edge of Newton – from 8:00 to 4:00, area folks are encouraged to bring by their used TV’s, radios, stereos, VCR’s, DVD players, cell phones & accessories, batteries, cameras, clocks, copiers, microwaves, computers, and all computer related items for disposal – call the SWCD Office in Newton at 618-783-2319 for details.

REMINDERS
    A fundraising “soup supper” is next Monday evening from 4:00 til 6:00 at the high school in Noble, prior to the girls basketball game that night – tickets are on sale at school office or by calling 838-3536 – all proceeds will benefit the Noble Athletic Boosters and the Spanish Club’s Costa Rica trip in July

    It’s the 2nd annual Stringtown Trivia Challenge coming up this Sunday, starting at 1:30 – teams of four players can signup with a $50 entry fee – cash prizes awarded, plus free refreshments – call 618-754-3426 to signup – the registration deadline is this Friday – all proceeds to benefit the new Parish Center

 
    The next area blood drive will be this Sunday morning at the Holy Cross Parish Hall in Wendelin, from 8:00 until 12 noon – as always, all types of blood are in need – all eligible donors are urged to turn out

    The St Thomas Catholic Church in Newton will host its fourth annual “wine tasting” this Saturday night at 6:30, in the KC Hall – also includes hors d’oeuvres with a $10 donation accepted – all are invited 

    
    The Olney Knights of Columbus will have another “fish fry” this Friday night at the KC Hall along Whittle Avenue in Olney – that’s serving from 5:00 to 7:30, plus carryouts available – all ages are invited