SALINE CO.— A Harrisburg woman with a violent past has been charged with Aggravated Battery of a handicap person.

According to information in the case, on December 9, 2014, Danielle M. Henderson, 30, of 322 West Elm St., Apt. D, Harrisburg, knowingly caused bodily harm to Jeremiah H. Doublin in that she placed him into a bathtub containing hot water causing severe burns.

Henderson is a convicted felon from August 17, 2011 when she was found guilty of Aggravated Battery of a Child/Causing Bodily Harm for which she was sentenced to 52 days in the county jail and 30 months probation.

She is also currently charged with Providing False Information to the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act.

Cash bond in both cases has been set at $1,000 each.

As of publication, there was an outstanding warrant for Henderson’s arrest.

Violent Offender Against Youth

In an unrelated story, a Carrier Mills man has been charged with Failure to Report Annually Pursuant to the Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act.

According to information filed in the case Zane Horton, 34, of 1770 Jenny Ridge Rd., Carrier Mills, failed to report in person to the Saline County Sheriff’s Department annually.

He is last known to have reported in on February 10, 2014.

In addition to having been convicted of violence against youth, Horton was convicted of Theft December 16, 1998 and sentenced to 18 months probation.

He was also convicted of three counts of Burglary September 16, 1999 and sentenced to 30 months “intensive probation” (whatever that is). As of press time there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest on the failure to report charge.

SALINE CO.— When it comes to dopers, especially those who are stupid enough to shoot the stuff into their veins, its difficult to tell if they are becoming more honest or just dumber.

On March 11 deputies Mike Gooch and Chuck Welge spotted Robert Lee Snyder, Jr., 41, of 104 Main St., Harrisburg, walking westbound on West Robinson Street and knew him to be wanted on an active arrest warrant.

The officers informed Snyder they had a warrant for his arrest and during the pat-down Snyder informed them, “I have a loaded rig on me.”

Sure enough, the deputies located a cell phone case which held a hypodermic needle containing a tan liquid, tin foil that was folded in a small square, one contact lens container containing a small piece of cotton that had absorbed a blue liquid and one plastic tube believed to be used for smoking meth.

When Welge asked what was in the needle Snyder said, “meth.”

Snyder was booked into the Saline County jail on charged of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

At the time of his arrest, Snyder was serving a 24 month probation sentence after being convicted October 16, 2013 of Criminal Trespass to a Residence Knowing a Person was Present.

He was also ordered in that case to pay $3,287.25 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $2,537.25.

Cash bond in his latest case has been set at $1,000

’rado man going for a record?

An Eldorado man with four outstanding criminal cases in Saline County has been busted for his third time this year alone.

According to police Michael Ryan Brogan, age 34, of the 1900 block of Saline Ave., Eldorado, well-known for driving revoked was spotted, well… driving.

Information filed in the case claims that police watched as Brogan backed a vehicle out of his garage and headed westbound on Benton Street.

When he was stopped he claimed to be test-driving a car he had just purchased.

That was the excuse he gave for not having insurance; however, he didn’t have an excuse for driving revoked.

When he was taken into custody he decided he would practice a bit of resisting, which he wasn’t good at, either.

It took a little work, but Brogan was convinced in short order to put his hands behind his back.

When authorities searched the car Brogan was “test driving,” they found the alleged new car came complete with methamphetamine (approximately five grams) and even two hypodermic syringes to shoot up with.

If word gets out, all the area dopers will head to the drug-deals-on-wheels car lot.

At any rate, Mr. Brogan was booked into the county jail on formal charges of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving Revoked 4-9 and Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle.

At the time of his arrest Brogan was out on bond in a pending case from June 16, 2012 in which he is charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine.

And while he was out on bond in that case he was busted days later, June 28, 2012 and charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Precursors, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacture Material and Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine.

And while he was out on bond in that case he was arrested and charged April 28, 2014 with Retail Theft.

He also has a pending case from January 19 of this year, in which he is charged with Driving Revoked.

Brogan was released from police custody in his most recent case March 17 after a $1,000 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Shelly Rae Headrick, 40, of the same Eldorado address.

Headrick was busted June 20, 2010 and charged with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Manufacturing Materials, Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Possession of Hypodermic Syringe.

She pleaded to the controlled substance charge in return for the remainder of the charges being dismissed and was sentenced to two years probation.

Now with five criminal cases pending in Saline, it appears Mr. Brogan will finally get his day in court.

SALINE CO.— It appears that a chat with police while having cannabis sitting in your lap is a bad idea.

Believe it or not, that fact appears to be news for some not-so-street-wise individuals.

At approximately 3:52 a.m. on March 10, Harrisburg officer David Morris stopped to talk to occupants of a 2004 gray Dodge SUV parked cattywampus in the 400 block of North Granger Street.

While Morris was talking with one of the occupants of the SUV, Mario M. Jackson, 18, he spotted what appeared to be a large amount of marijuana sitting in Jackson’s lap.

“The smell of cannabis was strong near Jackson and his breath had a high concentration of cannabis smell,” Morris said.

Jackson, who claims to be homeless, was removed from the SUV, along with several other unnamed occupants.

Within Jackson’s “immediate area of control” Morris located a Newport cigarette pack with six individual bags of cannabis and one blue pill identified as Adderall.

Homeless Mario was booked into the county jail on formal charges of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Cannabis 2.5-10 grams.

He was released from police custody after a $500 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Nicketa Godsey, of East Walnut St., Harrisburg.

On his bond sheet Jackson listed 103 Karren Ann Lane, Carrier Mills, as his address.

Godsey is a convicted felon having been found guilty June 1, 2010 of Concealing/Aiding a Fugitive and was sentenced to two years probation.

Confesses to shooting-up meth

In an unrelated story, Cody Hoyle, age 26, of Hwy. 145 South, Harrisburg, wins some points for being honest during his arrest.

When officers arrived at Hoyle’s house to serve an Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) parole warrant, they found him in the driveway working on a vehicle.

While being taken into custody officers found an empty hypodermic syringe and needle in Hoyle’s front pocket.

Hoyle told officers he used it to “shoot up meth.”

And with that he was charged additionally with Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

No details were made available as to what the IDOC warrant was for.

Cash bond on Hoyle’s Saline charges has been set at $500.

Pills and half a bottle of vodka

A traffic stop for speeding landed a Carrier Mills woman behind bars in mid-February.

Information filed in the case alleges that on February 15, at approximately 6:05 p.m., an Illinois State Trooper stopped a 2007 Kia Optima on Ill. Rte. 13 eastbound a quarter of a mile west of College Road for speeding 70 mph in a 55 mph zone and failure to dim headlights.

The driver Kevin J. Woods, 27, of the 200 block of East Harrison St., Carrier Mills, was issued a citation for speeding.

His passenger, Candice Lynn Riggs, 24, of the 100 block of East Harrison St., Carrier Mills, was found to be wanted on a Saline County warrant.

Subsequent to being taken into custody, Riggs was searched and found to be in possession of prescription medication she had no prescription for along with an open bottle of Country Club Vodka that was half empty.

She was booked into the county jail and charged with one count each of Unlawful Transportation of Alcohol by a Passenger and Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance identified as hydrocodone.

Riggs was released from police custody Feb. 26 after a $1,000 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Woods.

Hangin’ out with an active warrant

On March 12 at approximately 2:36 p.m. officers just happened to be driving by Angie Sauls’ house, located at the 600 block of Elder St., when they spotted Jason A. Sanders, 32, who also lived at the residence, standing in the front yard.

As officers circled back around, they ran Sanders through police computers believing him to be wanted on an active warrant for Failure to Appear for a scheduled court date.

By the time they confirmed that in fact he was wanted, they were in front of the residence again.

The pair got out of the cruiser and informed Sanders he was under arrest.

As he was being taken into custody, officers found one cigarette pack opened from the bottom, which contained a baggie with 37 pills in it, two pills stuffed in that and another bag with a white powdery substance.

Sanders was formally charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine and two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance identified as Alprazolam and Hydrocodone.

He was released from police custody March 18 after a $1,500 cash bond was posted on his behalf by Ms. Sauls.

SALINE CO.—Races in only a couple of municipalities in Saline County are pretty much a guarantee that the voter turnout countywide is going to be grim, despite the crowded field within the city of Harrisburg for city commissioners.

Some village races, school board interest and at least one public question, however, might turn up the turnout in the end.

Harrisburg’s big board: Commissioners

While it’s usually a crowded field for the four open spots on Harrisburg’s council of city commissioners, this year is remarkably so.

The ballot positioning doesn’t tell the tale, as some of the better candidates are further down the line, but in order of appearance, Harrisburg must choose four of 12 for the council…and this selection could conceivably change the face of the city since the 2011 election and the massive abruptions experienced since that time: Natalie Miller, Ron Fearheiley, John McPeek, Ryan Lambert, Linda Mitacek, Richard D. Harper, Steven Larry Reed, Beth Simpson Montfort, Charlie Will, Mike Weirauch, Michael L. Smith and Wayne Horstmann are all seeking a council slot.

For whatever reason, former mayor Eric Gregg, who is now a state teat man having won the favor of former governor Pat Quinn when Gregg covered over for Quinn’s faux pas post-2012 Leap Day Tornado (Quinn neglected to follow steps to obtain federal disaster money for those in the tornado’s path in Harrisburg), has been stumping for Miller on his radio show at the local station, WEBQ.

This, Disclosure is hearing, is against protocol for state employees (Gregg is an appointed member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board) to do.

This doesn’t diminish Miller’s effectiveness in any way; most sources in Harrisburg note that she would be a good addition to the council.

However, Gregg, as usual, appears to believe he is above statutes and well below common sense, so his weekly stumping for Miller has grated on listeners’ nerves and has actually done more harm than good for the candidate.

Incumbents Fearheiley, McPeek and Horstmann have their work cut out for them by the very popular candidates Will, Lambert and in particular, Harper.

Richard Harper is the CPA, and formerly a city treasurer like Will was, who was highly critical of Eric Gregg shortly after Gregg’s 2011 election…so critical, in fact, that Gregg got rid of him early on, as in about three months.

Being turned out by Gregg soon came to be a badge of honor, however, when about a year later, Gregg also gave Will the boot.

Both men were on to something with Gregg, which ‘something’ finally came out in the 2011-2012 audit results that were released in early 2013, at about the time Gregg took the appointment (and, he’ll say, protection) of the state job.

The losses in the water department and disaster assistance fund have never been fully explained.

However, if both Will and Harper get on to the council, there could possibly be some transparency coming to Harrisburg the likes of which none have seen for a while.

Were that council to be rounded out by McPeek and Horstmann as the incumbents, with Dale Fowler in as mayor, Harrisburg could see the kind of turnaround that they’ve been dreaming of for some time now but which a poor combination of council members (Fearheiley and Bart Schiff, who isn’t running this go, are entirely too self-consumed to be concerned about constituents) has made it not quite within reach.

Of course, there are others with intense self-interests (read: business interests) and with their hands still in the Harrisburg cookie jar who wouldn’t want such a turnaround to occur, and they’ll likely be fighting tooth and nail to ensure Fearheiley stays on the council, as well as seat someone like former commissioner Mitacek to the council (there’s a reason why she was booted in 2011).

Voter turnout will be the key here. City residents are urged to get out the vote on April 7 and make a difference.

One other city in Saline…

In the city of Eldorado, it’s the same ol same ol that barely deserves a mention, but it’s going to happen anyway: Rocky James, who hates Disclosure and did everything he could to ensure it’s not sold in his town, is the only candidate for mayor of that struggling burg.

His lapdogs in the form of police commissioner Bob Briddick, as well as Jeff Minor, Tim McGrath and Robert B. Price, are all running for the four seats on city council…which proves that a stranglehold on common sense will remain in place in that town until enough people get enough of a belly full and run for office, a little at a time, to oust the powers-that-be.

Villages

In the outlying villages of Saline, Carrier Mills is stuck with Tracy Felty as a village trustee, as he and Bill Jensik are the only two running for the position, and a third open one will have to be appointed.

In the village of Galatia, Kenneth Clark, Darlene Higgins and Stephen Sloan will be filling the three open trustee positions there.

In the village of Muddy, no one is challenging John Maxwell Molinarolo for the office of village president (mayor); and Mary L. Potter, Matt Molinarolo and John Vincent Molinarolo will be rounding out the three seats up for election on the board of trustees there.

In the village of Raleigh, there’s actually a contest: five vie for three seats on the village board, those being Vince Talkington, Paul Bishop, Justin Maloney, Ollie Brown and Aaron Whitlock.

In the village of Stonefort, there is a race for village president (mayor): Ron Howard and George Jackson are on the ticket for that office. As well, there are three four-year terms on the village board of trustees, James Milburn, Sue Field and Floyd Craig; and two for two unexpired two-year terms on the Stonefort village board of trustees, to be filled by Bill Presley and Monty Dunn.

Park, library districts

Carrier Mills Township has a park district commissioner position up this election, and no candidate; a write-in line is on the ballot for that position.

Harrisburg Township Park District has two park commissioner positions to elect, and they will be filled by the two on the ballot, Richard R. Rumsey and Michael W. Williams.

Carrier Mills-Stonefort Public Library District has an election for two library trustee positions; they will be filled by ballot contenders Louise Killman and Karen Shaw.

Eldorado Memorial Public Library District has two library trustee positions to elect; these will be filled by Sheila Baird and Mike Vessell.

Galatia Public Library District has two trustee positions to fill, but only one candidate: Linda Mays.

And Harrisburg Public Library District has two trustee positions to be elected; Joseph F. Ewing and Gary W. Jones are the two on the ballot for those offices.

Schools

Several school boards are up for elected positions, all but one within Saline County.

The overlap is that of Gallatin County Community Unit School District (CUSD) 7, where there are four positions and three only on the ballot: Wesley J. Henson, Steve Galt and Olivia Bradley; two write-in slots appear on the Saline (as well as Gallatin and White) ballot.

At Carrier Mills-Stonefort CUSD 2, there are four 4-year terms to be elected, with six seeking the positions: William Clay Nolen, Zach Rister and Michael Shayne Parks in Township 9S Range 5E; John Whiting and Sherryl Case in Township 10S Range 4E; and Ryan Beck in Township 10S Range 5E.

At Eldorado CUSD 4, two will be elected from Eldorado Township 8S Range 7E for full 4-year terms: Stacy L. James, Stanley Walters, Trudy Etienne, John D. Cooley and Jason Kasiar compete; and Preston Justice will be selected from the remaining congressional townships, according to the ballot.

At Galatia CUSD, Robert (BJ) Ping will be selected for an unexpired two-year term.

For full 4-year terms at Galatia, Aaron Allen, Bryan McCabe and Joy Richey are on the full slate to be selected.

At Harrisburg CUSD 3, Billy G. Smith will be selected to serve an unexpired 2-year term as he’s the only one on the ballot in that section; and Jeffrey A. Drake and Ryan Lambert sit on the ballot for Harrisburg Township 9S Range 6E, while Chris Penrod is the candidate to be elected from the remaining congressional townships.

Ballot questions for Harrisburg

Perhaps the biggest deal on Saline County’s ballot is the Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3 public question:

“Shall Harrisburg Community Unit School District Number 3, Saline County, Illinois, be authorized to issue $15,000,000 general obligation alternate bonds of said School District to demolish, reconstruct, renovate, alter, repair and equip a portion of the Harrisburg High School Buildings and renovate, alter, repair and equip other portions of such buildings, and improve the sites thereof, as provided for by the resolution adopted by the Board of Education of said School District on the 18th day of November, 2014, said bonds being payable from collections distributed to the District from those taxes imposed by the County of Saline, Illinois, pursuant to the County School Facility Occupation Tax Law of the State of Illinois, as amended, unless said revenue source is insufficient to pay said bonds, in which case ad valorem property taxes upon all taxable property in said School District without limitation as to rate or amount are authorized to be extended for such purpose,” yes or no.

Most will likely vote no, at which time the school board, being given the go-ahead last November, will probably issue a levy to the max that they can.

As almost an afterthought, another ballot question appears for the City of Harrisburg voters:

“Shall the city of Harrisburg have the authority to arrange the supply of electricity for its residents and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such a program?”

This is the electricity aggregate program the likes of which Eric Gregg was doing well into his service as a state-appointed flunkie. It’s too bad there isn’t a codicil vote to the ballot that states “as long as Gregg nor any of his family members or associates are behind it”; the vote might be higher in favor of it.

500 block of East Washington Street, Carrier Mills

SALINE CO., Ill.---A house fire in Carrier Mills last night claimed the life of one of the occupants.

While Disclosure has been unable to talk with the Carrier Mills Volunteer Fire Department, officials with the Harrisburg Fire Department confirmed that the fire occurred shortly after midnight, as well as the fact that while HFD was battling another local house fire, they were able to send manpower to assist CMVFD.

Unofficial sources in the Mills advise that those on scene believed the fire, located in the 500 block of East Washington Street, may have been started by a lightning strike.

The Saline County Coroner's Office has confirmed that there was one fatality in the fire, and currently, a postmortem investigation is underway this afternoon. The name is not being released yet pending notification of all family members.

Our sources in Carrier Mills advise that the family in the residence, once they realized the fire was going, made their way out of the dwelling but noticed one of the younger family members hadn't made it out. Two people, one a family member, one who was not residing there but was staying there, are reported to have gone back inside and retrieved the young family member; however, one of those two didn't make it back out.

That's all the detail we have on it right now; please check back as we're going to be contacting Saline County Coroner's Office for an update in a bit.

From Ja Shawn Tate's Facebook page

CARRIER MILLS, Ill. – A Carrier Mills man was pronounced dead following a house fire early Thursday morning.

Ja Shawn Tate, 21, of Carrier Mills was pronounced dead at the scene of a house fire at 4:15 a.m. Thursday morning, by the Saline County Coroner.

The house fire broke out shortly after midnight, Thursday at 200 W. Washington Street in Carrier Mills. Tate's body was recovered from inside the residence. An autopsy was held at the White County Morgue in Carmi, Thursday evening. Preliminary autopsy results indicate Tate died of smoke inhalation.

The fire is still under investigation by the Saline County Coroner's Office, Carrier Mills Police Department, Carrier Mills Fire Department, Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office and the Illinois State Police. The Saline County Sheriff's Office, Saline County EMS, Med-Force EMS, Harrisburg Fire Department, Stonefort Fire Department and New Burnside Fire Department assisted with the fire call Thursday morning.

HARRISBURG, Ill.---The popular Mexican restaurant Don Luna on Poplar Street in Harrisburg was robbed this evening according to official reports.

The robbery occurred at about 9:15; police were called to the restaurant, known as "Taco Don's," via a 911 call.

It's unclear whether or not a weapon was involved, but our sources are not, at this time, reporting that the robbery was at gunpoint.

However, the robber, described as a tall black male, forced an employee into the freezer and locked it before taking off.

At last report, Harrisburg police were at the restaurant gathering information. No further description of the suspect, as well as a report of a vehicle or accomplices, was given.

More as we get it.

Sonny Pilgrim

SALINE CO., Ill.---The young man at the center of a massive debacle in Eldorado last year has been sentenced to Illinois Department of Corrections.

At a previously-scheduled pretrial hearing yesterday, Sonny Pilgrim, 24, went ahead and entered a plea to two of his charges, each of them filed separately: Armed Robbery in a July 2014 case, and Possession of Contraband in a Penal Institution, filed later in the year (October) after Pilgrim was found to have a homemade knife in the Saline County Detention Center.

Pilgrim, who is from Tomasville, Georgia, was in Eldorado last July 23 raising hell with some of the locals (many of those of the criminally-inclined as well) when he was taken to Ferrell Hospital on a fake "drug ingestion" medical issue, then escaped, went to the home of his girlfriend, Courtney Godwin, pretended to hold her hostage with a weapon (now being listed as a "sword," although it was originally filed as a knife) and "kidnapped" her from her grandparents' home...taking their car, as well.

The two were spotted at a truck stop in Caruthersville, Missouri, and brought back to Saline (after being charged in Caruthersville with the auto theft).

Courtney Godwin

Pilgrim was originally charged with Armed Robbery, Kidnapping by Force of Threat/with a Weapon, and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.

Godwin was charged with the Possession of a Stolen Vehicle count, too...which made it clear that there was no "kidnapping": likely, the two little dimwits staged the entire thing. However, stupidity isn't a crime on the books in Illinois (yet) so they were duly charged with what they could be charged.

Godwin pled to her stolen vehicle count in September and got 3 years probation, since she's a new felon as of 2014. We don't know what Pilgrim's history is, but apparently it's pretty bad if he got 16 years on the two counts....which is his sentence to DOC as of yesterday.

Well, here it is again, another election season upon us. This election will be for the municipalities and school districts, as well as various other little ballot questions and filling of unexpired terms. This issue gives you the run-down on our core counties that we regularly cover, their candidates and ballot issues, along with the big stories that are going on in each other regions, and for ease of your reading enjoyment, we present to you THIS MONTH'S PRINT HEADLINES.

Print headlines are they way you can preview the articles in the current issue on stands, to see whether you need to run out and get it right away, or maybe just pick one up tomorrow when you're near your favorite vendor. Or, if you have an online membership to the e-Edition, you can simply click the headline link and it'll take you straight to that article. But if you're not an e-Edition member, all you have to do is click any headline link or this link here, and it'll take you straight to the signup page...so do it! Don't miss out! Article that you find in the print version and at the e-Edition are NOT what you find here on the site...this site is for breaking news and updates; the real story is at the print version/e-Edition, and that's what you want to be reading!

Print headlines are brought to you with the dateline first (the location where the material in the article took place), then the headline link, followed by a brief synopsis delivered in our cynical Disclosure style. They are broken up by sections as they appear in the paper: Front page, back page (our second front page), pages 2 and 3, Egypt, Heartland, Central, features if there are any, and Op-Ed. And now, without further ado, here are THIS MONTH'S PRINT HEADLINES!

FRONT PAGE

Angelo Hightower, candidate for Marion City Council, campaigning to city councilman Anthony Rinella's aunt

SALINE CO.---Heavy slate for Harrisburg council: The usual suspects' names appear on this year's election selections for the city of Harrisburg...but there are some names that are new, and you should be watching for them. There's a strong possibility that, if people vote correctly in this years' municipal election for Harrisburg's city council, the tide could turn and some of the debacles over the past four years could be fully addressed...and finances returned to normal. This sizable article also contains the rest of the Saline County ballot information, including Eldorado, Raleigh, Stonefort, Muddy, Galatia and Carrier Mills...as well as the school board and school question issues (about bonds, in particular).

HAMILTON CO.---Earp caught in Hamilton theft: Finally, Hamilton County gets their Earp. And not only that, but they got another Olney punk who is alleged to have lied about the theft situation that Flav and his buddy Daniel Royse got hemmed up in last month: James L. Williams, age 27. Read this article to find out what THAT's all about.

Someone's trying to hint, we think...

GALLATIN CO.---HS graffiti artists busted after spree: A mom and her teenage son were tooling through Shawneetown on the way to church a couple of Sundays ago when they saw his name---spelled wrong, no less---on the side of a building, along with some obscene artwork. The alleged perpetrators of this misdeed, along with some other similar misdeeds, have all been rounded up. This is the article about that, and about other issues brewing at Gallatin County High School, where the big names keep getting away with things.

MARION---Nine seek council seats; three run for mayor in City of Marion Consolidated Election 2015: The headline says it all: It's a big race for mayor and councilperson in Marion, the biggest city in our coverage area, and our Williamson County correspondent has interviews with all the candidates. Don't miss this one, as it's an important election, literally one of the most important in downstate Illinois, and one that even the upstate media is watching closely.

RICHLAND CO.---Locals hoping feds take case---meth crim chokes up $20k cash bond: Who has $20,000 just laying around...? Apparently, West Salem's Brad Beehn does, and that's what was used in his recent arrest as bond money. Read about it here.

BACK PAGE

HARDIN CO.---What the Heck...? Former mayor puts in bid for village trustee in Elizabethtown: Eddie "Heck" Rose is indeed running for a seat on the village board, after bowing out as mayor a couple of years ago and leaving the town board without a president temporarily. Will his reappearance make a difference in E-town? Who knows. But this article covers it, as well as all the other elections in Hardin, such as they are (which is to say...not very many.)

Mychal Bush-King, Clay County Sheriff's Office mugshot

CLAY CO.---Accused child molester remains in custody: Mychal Bush-King hasn't made bond yet, and is asking for a speedy trial. Case hasn't gone federal yet; no one's saying whether that will happen or not.

WHITE CO.---Carmi man charged with raping teen: A fairly bad crime occurring in White County; so bad that it made the second front page.

GALLATIN CO.---Gallatin County has limited contests, but not a lot of blanks, on this year's ballot: One thing we can say about GallCo is that they do take elections seriously; turnout is high, and that's because there seems to be plenty of people willing to get their names on the ballot.

PAGE 2

Bryce Fehrenbacher, running for Olney City Council

RICHLAND CO.---Richland County may see low numbers countywide, but Olney race is of interest: It's great to see new faces emerging running for municipal and other offices, and the City of Olney has a four-way race for two seats on the council that has just that. Read this article to get informed....and don't let our numbers in Richland drop so dismally this election, okay? Oh, and IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the first time in our publication history that Brian James O'Neill Jr. didn't have a place on the ballot. This is cause for celebration if nothing else is.

WABASH CO.---Wabash County municipals: One big contest in Mt. Carmel; smaller areas having hard time getting candidates: Mt. Carmel has quite the race for the available city council seats, but they're getting to keep their mayor, the beloved Bill "Music Man" Hudson, so they're okay. Other locales like Bellmont are having a hard time filling the board by election, and will have to rely on appointment, but that may be okay in the long run, too. Read all about it in this article.

PAGE 3

This is the page where the article about the Marion city council races actually begins; while it was promo'd on the front page, it actually is situated here.

EGYPT

SALINE CO.---Granger Street weed chat lands one behind bars: Don't park your vehicle diagonally in the street and have a chat about the weed you're dealing and let the cops notice you. That's the message here, apparently.

SALINE CO.---IV drug user to cops: "I have a loaded rig on me": How anyone can voluntarily stick a sharp object in their own arm is beyond me...but then again, these are the people who put a mixture of toxic substances into their bodies in various forms, so hey...there's already something seriously wrong with them to begin with.

SALINE CO.---Woman charged with burning handicapped man: Apparently, Danielle Henderson didn't know that there's a warrant for her arrest, according to griping she was doing on our Facebook page about this early Friday morning. No, Danielle, you're not in jail...we just FOIA'd for mugs and your name was in it, so they sent an old mug. Stop doing things to get arrested, and you might not end up in the pages here.

WHITE CO.---Man taken to oil well site beaten and robbed: I know a few people who NEED to be taken to oil well sites and beaten. But they don't need to be robbed. And this guy didn't need to have either one done to him.

SALINE CO.---Stolen car on West Raymond leads to drug bust: This was the subject of a lot of interest when it was going down; we weren't in town and didn't get it as it was breaking, so we're covering it here in depth for you now.

WHITE CO.---Janitor charged with breaking woman's nose: The crimes-against-persons report out of White.

SALINE CO.---A gun, laptops and a lawn mower taken in recent thefts: Typical stolen items fare from Saline, believe me.

WHITE CO.---Teen crim graduates to felony theft, drug charges: You'd think this little Lewallen punk would maybe pick another vocation, but no...she's got to follow the family, I guess.

WHITE CO.---Pair face methamphetamine charges in White County: The dope report out of White, which got greater exposure this month (as well as placed into the Egypt section instead of the Central section, where it belongs, due to the abundance of election stories coming out of Central) because dang....Denton Aud has really been hammering the dopers lately in the courtroom, and apparently, they're still not getting the message.

WHITE CO.---Carmi teen sex offender charged with not registering: In 2009, lil 15-year-old child sex offender (with babies, no less) TNT (Tyler Nicole Tracy) Wolf was asked by Judge Tom Sutton if she understood the terms of her probation, and then the terms of what she was going to have to do for the rest of her life as a sex offender: Register her presence within three days, every time she chose to move her residence. Judging by the amount of times she's screwed that up, I think we can safely say she either didn't understand...or she's simply not capable of following through.

SALINE CO.---Pair charged following Dollar General incident: Carrier Mills Dollar General was the site of this incident involving two guys who engaged in alleged criminal activity.

PAGE 12

MARION---Marion's mayoral candidates discuss platforms, debt, business and government: This is the page where the article about the Marion mayoral races actually begins; while it was promo'd on the front page, it actually is situated here.

HEARTLAND

EDGAR CO.---Airport authority still not releasing details of mysterious crash; janitor appears to be running county airport: It's not that the janitor hired at the airport is running it; it's that the guy running the airport apparently was a janitor at the last airport where he worked. However, he's told the county that he was something else a lot "more important" than a janitor. Read here to find out what this duplicity is all about.

CRAWFORD CO.---Violent homeless man charged: It boggles me how all these guys who claim to be "homeless" seem to have an address attached to their name when they're arrested...

CRAWFORD CO.---Movement to fill the ballots with candidates going forward in Crawford, despite lack of races: It's an admirable effort on the parts of those in Crawford County who worked to get candidates to fill the available seats coming open in the Consolidated Election; not many appointments will have to be made! Now read about the races and make your decision as the day draws near.

JASPER CO.---Relatively full ballots in Jasper Co., to their credit: The same can be said for Jasper County; it's been a good effort to make sure at least the seats will be filled, and there are a few races, too. Now this movement should move a little further south, out of Jasper and Crawford counties and into Richland and Lawrence....

CLARK CO.---Clark County Park District intent on leasing private lots for 100 years: Well, the term "follow the money" holds sway in Clark, and might explain the reason why the incumbents and their ilk running for Clark County Park District board are whining about the ballot challenges...which have yet to be decided by the electoral board.

CRAWFORD CO.---Opiates, burglary and theft appear on court docket: The Crawford County crim report as it regards dope and crimes against property...which seem to go hand-in-hand these days...

CENTRAL

CLAY CO.---Big mayoral election in Flora; a little more interest everywhere else in Clay than usual: The headline says it all, and the candidates are featured here, with a lot of incumbency going on...but the return of a former mayor looking to unseat Mayor Tackitt, as well as the return of another hopeful for that position.

CLAY CO.---Ingraham couple face meth charges: The dope report coming out of Clay County features this charming couple and the alleged illicit activities.

EDWARDS CO.---Edwards County comes out of the good-ol-boys mentality and into the light: It was a rough one when we first began covering elections in Edwards County in 2003, because the GOBs (Good Ol Boys) held sway. But no more. Edwards County removed their "dry" status two years ago by ballot referendum, and now they're getting a medical marijuana grow op. One of the tiniest counties in Illinois is on the map...and the municipal/village elections countywide are featured here.

LAWRENCE CO.---Some weird races highlight municipal, school board elections in Lawrence County: It's Lawrence County. That is, in most sectors, synonymous with "weird"....so what do you expect??

HAMILTON CO.---Zoning last year prompts a bit of a contest in McLeansboro; other offices coming open: The municipals in McLeansboro are actually contested, and we're hearing it's all because of the big row that occurred this time last year over the zoning ordinances. Read about what's going on county-wide in Hamilton this election.

WHITE CO.---Few contests on the White ballot; many empty spots: We have to say...this is a rarity for White County. Usually, the ballot spots have a name on them; very few blanks abound. But this year, that's not the case. Hopefully, the interest can be spurred a little bit in upcoming elections...and the low number of names won't be too adverse on the turnout.

RICHLAND CO.---Backgrounds in violence cases prove interesting: Backgrounds are nearly always interesting, which is why we run them. In this particular instance with the crimes-against-persons report coming out of Richland, they're VERY interesting.

HAMILTON CO.---Man who rammed squad car facing serious charges: The crimes against persons and property report coming out of HamCo.

Correction/amplification: We got it wrong on a front page article last month, and here, we correct it. We bust ourselves out, so you don't have to!

OP-ED

Columns
SURLY & UNCOOPERATIVE (Jack): 'Hell to pay' doesn't begin to describe it: Some people think everydamnthing I write is a lie. Others think everydamnthing I write is the indisputable truth. The problem is, the former are talking about articles coming from official sources, court files and government meetings, and the latter are talking about columns. I'll let the discerning decide what this piece actually is.

ICY (Ang): Celebrity & news coverage: White one IS the Trib? Ang takes on the article the Chicago Tribune did on the Edgar County Watchdogs in early March...and she's not very happy with the Trib, I'm just going to warn you.

TECH TALK (Chris): Are terrorists gonna take over your car remotely? Why even ask a question like that...? Well, there is plenty of information to indicate that this might be a reality in the near future, as the technology is already there. We're warning you about stuff like this; we hope you're listening and taking steps to remedy what's coming if you don't.

MINKUS INK (Bubba): The other end of the spectrum: forms of elder abuse: It's something we don't like to think about, and yet it's happening every day. How to recognize, and more importantly, address, elder abuse.

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (letters): Being distressed by Harrisburg's Legion; strange activity at Williamson County Fire District; interesting piece on the Harrisburg school board public question; and information about ISIS.

No Back Over Your Tales this month, as this is a special edition, essentially, and we didn't have a paper five years ago; that feature will be back in the April edition! And that's it for your PRINT HEADLINES...get to clicking...or get out and pick up your issue!

SALINE CO., Ill.---We've received confirmed reports that there have been several true bills of indictment returned against the two women who have been operating the Anna Bixby Women's Center in Harrisburg.

According to our sources, ten true bills of indictment have been returned in the case the Attorney General's office has been investigating via grand jury seated in Harrisburg, these against ABC founder Barbara Wingo and her daughter, Terrie Eichorn.

It's our understanding that Wingo has already been arrested and has posted bond, and that Eichorn is in Florida.

The grand jury meets in secret, so the goings-on have not been public except for the fact that Disclosure had it confirmed this past November that it was an ongoing project. Allegations of misappropriation of funds coming in to the women's shelter agency had surfaced in August of 2013 but there had been nothing solid on that until late last year, hence the delay in reporting.

When we learn what the indictments are for, we'll bring them to you; likely Attorney General Lisa Madigan will issue a press release soon. Check back often.

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SALINE CO., Ill.---Despite all the grumbling coming from certain corners of the universe, the charges against the two women entrusted with finances at the Anna Bixby Women's Center are very much charged and will be going through the court proceedings attendant to their charges.

As it stands right now, Barbara Wingo, director of ABWC, has been arrested and has posted bond. We've heard from several sources that it was $50,000, but that hasn't been confirmed.

Barb Wingo, mugshot from Saline County Detention Center Monday, March 30.

Terrie Eichorn, her daughter, remains in Florida, her vakay probably ruined. Her bond has been set, likely at the same amount as her mother's.

More charges/individuals are being investigated at the women's center. As we learn the facts on those cases, we'll bring them to you.

SALINE CO., Ill.---A third person has been confirmed as having been involved in the alleged theft from the Anna Bixby Women's Center, and she's already made restitution in her case.

Amanda Pritchett was in court Monday, March 30, the day indictments were handed down by the Attorney General's grand jury in Saline, in order to enter a plea and make restitution to an amount she agreed with the AG's office she owed the women's center: $33,491.33.

The details of how she obtained the money, or in what form, have not been made available yet.

Online records are showing that Pritchett has not only paid back the money, but is still owing $300 in probation costs, something which she'll have to undergo for the next 12 months, as that's her sentence: Intensive probation.

More as we get it. Keep checking back.

Larry Steven Patton, defunct pharmacist

U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS---The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Larry Steven Patton, 64, of Marion, Illinois, was sentenced today, on a charge of Illegal Dispensation of a Controlled Substance.

The United States District Court in Benton sentenced Patton to probation for three years, a fine of $3,000, and a special assessment of $100. The court also ordered Patton to perform 25 hours of public service.

Court records indicate that at relevant times, Patton was an owner and a pharmacist of Medicap Pharmacy in Saline County, Harrisburg, Illinois. As a licensed pharmacist, Patton was a registrant authorized to dispense controlled substances. Patton admitted to knowingly and intentionally dispensing unlawfully four pills, each having two milligrams of Xanax, a Schedule IV controlled substance to another person requesting the medication, on July 12, 2012, at the Medicap Pharmacy in Harrisburg. Patton admitted that this dispensation was outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a medical purpose under a valid prescription.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Illinois State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.

DISCLOSURE Note: We've been covering Patton's case for two and a half years now. We will be putting up more links and examining the story more closely in the coming days and in the next print edition, April 15, 2015. Be sure your subscriptions are up to date.

Christopher Abell, Saline County mug from his arrest there a couple of years back

HAMILTON CO., Ill.---A crossover crim from Saline County has been sentenced for his badness in Hamilton, a week after Saline reinstated his charges and sentenced him on those.

Christopher Abell, 23, of Eldorado, plead to Criminal Damage to Property, Class 4 felony, receiving 2 years in D.O.C. with 1 year mandatory supervised release (parole) today (Thursday, April 2) in Hamilton County circuit court.

He took a New Holland tractor with out the owner's permission on July 17, 2011 and crashed it into a muddy ditch and did over $2,000 in damage to the tractor.

The case was investigated by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department. Hamilton County State's Attorney Justin Hood advised that Abell is currently located in Saline County Detention Center, due in large part to the fact that Abell's sentence is concurrent with a 2010 Class 2 Burglary out of Saline where he received a 6-year sentence last week.

HARISBURG, Ill.---A Harrisburg girl has been reported missing by her parents.

Laura Leonberger, age not given (but she's a senior at Harrisburg High School) was last seen at 11:30 a.m. this morning (Sunday, April 5, 2015). Circumstances surrounding who was the last person to see her are unclear at this time. Whether there's a missing person alert is also unknown.

Here's what her family has been posting on social networking sites:

Missing since 1130 AM! Harrisburg High School senior Laura Leonberger .... This is my cousin. If anyone has seen her please contact her dad, Steve Leonberger, her mom Tabitha Carmickle Leonberger, and let them know immediately. Laura hasn't been seen since 1130am today at Harrisburg McDonalds. Please share this post with everyone. We want to know she is safe and OK.

Below is a photo; please share this post in order to help the family, and keep checking back for updates.

From Laura Leonberger's Facebook page

Laura Leonberger, from her Facebook page.

HARRISBURG, Ill.---The Harrisburg High School senior who was reported missing last night was located within a matter of hours, according to friends and family.

Laura Leonberger was dropped off at Harrisburg's McDonald's restaurant where he was employed, this yesterday (Sunday, April 5, 2015) at 11:30 in the morning, by her parents. Her shift was 12 to 6. However, the parents went into McD's shortly thereafter to give Laura some keys and discovered that she had never clocked in to work at all.

Harrisburg police confirmed at about 2 a.m. this morning that Laura was located safe after an alert went out at about 10 p.m. that she was missing.

There have been no other details; if we learn anything further, we'll bring it.

HARRISBURG, Ill.---There are four open spots on the city council for the city of Harrisburg, and as usual, there are a lot of contenders.

And while this year there are none running against the incumbent mayor, Dale Fowler, for that office, something that's nearly always the case (and this year's non-interest in that office is an oddity), there are plenty to choose from in the spots for city council.

Harrisburg residents are advised to choose wisely, therefore, from the packed slate, as the downward slide we've seen occurring in the city, largely through the absent leadership of former mayor Eric Gregg, still needs arrested. Here's your front-page article on this current issue's offering on the Saline County races, Heavy slate for Harrisburg council:

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While it’s usually a crowded field for the four open spots on Harrisburg’s council of city commissioners, this year is remarkably so.

The ballot positioning doesn’t tell the tale, as some of the better candidates are further down the line, but in order of appearance, Harrisburg must choose four of 12 for the council…and this selection could conceivably change the face of the city since the 2011 election and the massive abruptions experienced since that time: Natalie Miller, Ron Fearheiley, John McPeek, Ryan Lambert, Linda Mitacek, Richard D. Harper, Steven Larry Reed, Beth Simpson Montfort, Charlie Will, Mike Weirauch, Michael L. Smith and Wayne Horstmann are all seeking a council slot.

For whatever reason, former mayor Eric Gregg, who is now a state teat man having won the favor of former governor Pat Quinn when Gregg covered over for Quinn’s faux pas post-2012 Leap Day Tornado (Quinn neglected to follow steps to obtain federal disaster money for those in the tornado’s path in Harrisburg), has been stumping for Miller on his radio show at the local station, WEBQ.

This, Disclosure is hearing, is against protocol for state employees (Gregg is an appointed member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board) to do.

This doesn’t diminish Miller’s effectiveness in any way; most sources in Harrisburg note that she would be a good addition to the council.

However, Gregg, as usual, appears to believe he is above statutes and well below common sense, so his weekly stumping for Miller has grated on listeners’ nerves and has actually done more harm than good for the candidate.

Incumbents Fearheiley, McPeek and Horstmann have their work cut out for them by the very popular candidates Will, Lambert and in particular, Harper.

Richard Harper is the CPA, and formerly a city treasurer like Will was, who was highly critical of Eric Gregg shortly after Gregg’s 2011 election…so critical, in fact, that Gregg got rid of him early on, as in about three months.

Being turned out by Gregg soon came to be a badge of honor, however, when about a year later, Gregg also gave Will the boot.

Both men were on to something with Gregg, which ‘something’ finally came out in the 2011-2012 audit results that were released in early 2013, at about the time Gregg took the appointment (and, he’ll say, protection) of the state job.

The losses in the water department and disaster assistance fund have never been fully explained.

However, if both Will and Harper get on to the council, there could possibly be some transparency coming to Harrisburg the likes of which none have seen for a while.

Were that council to be rounded out by McPeek and...

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To read the rest of the article, simply click the headline link above if you have an online membership to the e-Edition, or, if you don't, click this link here to get started. But if you prefer to read a print version, visit any one of our wonderful vendors throughout southern Illinois, where you can pick up the current issue, the Consolidated Election 2015 preview (March/April) on stands until one week post-election. Don't miss this one...you need to be informed...more posts to come!

HARRISBURG, Ill.---A very strange situation arising with the count of the final precinct in Harrisburg turned a "no" vote into a "yes" regarding whether the Harrisburg School District should sell bonds for renovation of the school building in CUSD 3.

With 16 of 17 reporting, the vote was 61 percent 'no' (with 178 votes cast); 39 percent 'yes' (with 113 votes cast).

However, when the 17th precinct came in, the vote was suddenly overwhelmingly 'yes': 1,500 yeses, to 1,010 nos.

That set of votes cast also brought a 'no' vote about electric aggregate (the thing Eric Gregg has always seemed to have his hand in): 696 to 484, keeping whoever's running the aggregate matter out of Harrisburg proper.

The city council has changed somewhat in Harrisburg: one incumbent was kept, two were booted, and of the three new faces, one is the former city treasurer.

John McPeek

Voters kept incumbent John McPeek with the highest number: 538. He's followed by newcomers Beth Simpson Montfort with 473 votes; and Steven Larry Reed with 424. Former city treasurer and one of former mayor Eric Gregg's early casualties while he was in office, CPA Richard Harper, took the fourth spot with 451 votes.

Harper was followed by Gregg favorite (and over whose stumping he MIGHT be in trouble with the state) Natalie Miller with 410 votes; then Mike Weirauch with 364; former councilperson Linda Mitacek with 331; Ryan Lambert with 359; also former city treasurer and another Gregg casualty Charlie Will with 284 (if anyone was getting the sense that Gregg was axing his money guys, they'd be right); incumbent Wayne Horstmann booted with 283; the other incumbent, Ron Fearheiley, booted with 309; and Michael Smith with 117.

More on the Harrisburg issues as we get them; read about them in the upcoming issue, on stands in a week.

Jamal Oxford's mug shot from Williamson County

WILLIAMSON CO., Ill.---A man well-known across Williamson and Saline counties for his illegal activities has been sentenced to an Illinois Department of Corrections term out of Williamson.

Jamal Oxford, 37, formerly of Johnston City, was sentenced to 7 years in DOC yesterday (Tuesday, April 7) for stealing over $16,000 from his employer, Barnett's Electric in Marion.

This isn't the first time Oxford has been behind bars for the very same thing: He was sent after a 2008 Forgery conviction, this only a three-year sentence, from which he didn't learn a thing.

That was evidenced on this go-round, where Oxford, who had spent several months on the run from law enforcement but was recently found residing in Buncombe, presented to the court medical documents showing the reason why he didn't appear for sentencing in early March and needed to continue it. The problem with these, however, is that they were forged. Oxford had done up his OWN documents.

This may have been why, at Oxford's sentencing, Judge John Speroni called Oxford a "career criminal" and a "con artist."

Whatever the case, it's a pretty sure bet another three and a half years behind bars isn't going to rehabilitate someone who has a compulsion like this...so expect to see more of Mr. Oxford in the pages here in the future after he gets out.