Area Breaking News
Lady Rocket Harriers Win Conference Championship
With the top two finishers in the race, the Okawville Lady Rockets won the Illinois Division in the Cahokia Conference Saturday at New Athens. Chloe Tepe was the individual champion, Lydia Luechtefeld took second overall, and Cindy Snyder and Sarah Cook finished in the top ten to give Okawville four runners on the All Conference…
Read MoreCounty Loses Another Resident to COVID
By Travis Volz Washington County lost its 33rd resident to COVID in the last week, even as the total number of cases remains low. The Washington County Health Department reported that a man in his 70s died as a result of COVID complications, the first death reported since early September. As has been the case…
Read MoreCounty Board to Pay COVID Test Costs
By Travis Volz A measure requiring county employees to pay for mandatory COVID tests narrowly failed at last Tuesday’s Washington County Board meeting. In a 4-5 vote, with member Victor Shubert voting “present,” the proposed requirement for unvaccinated employees to pay for their own COVID tests failed. Gary Suedmeyer of the Finance Committee made the…
Read MoreNashville Police Involved in Multi-County Pursuit
The Nashville Police Department was involved in a high-speed chase through several counties that began in Nashville Saturday night. According to a report from the NPD, an officer observed a red Pontiac Torrent commit a traffic violation while southbound on South Mill Street. A registration check on the vehicle showed that it had just been…
Read MoreGood Signs for Area Farmers
By Travis Volz Combines are in the fields and grain trucks are on the roads as area farmers are working on the fall harvest. Crop conditions are good statewide according to the USDA. The latest report shows corn conditions listed as good (50 percent) or excellent (20 percent). Soybeans have similar ratings, with 50 percent…
Read MoreLady Rockets’ Win Streak Halted at 13
After big victories over Valmeyer and Chester last week, the Okawville Lady Rockets’ win streak ended at 13 matches after a three-set loss at Alton Marquette. The match against Valmeyer last Tuesday was for the top seed in the regional, and the Lady Rockets fought back from a first set loss to win the match…
Read MoreInto The Eye Of The Hurricane
By Debby Stricker Most people flee from hurricanes. Pilot Lieutenant Commander Megan Stateler flies into them. The former St. Libory resident is now working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to gather information about hurricanes. She is part of crew of 11-12 of pilots, navigator, flight engineer, meteorologist, technicians and scientists. They fly around…
Read MoreInvestigation Into Meyer’s Death Results in Arrests
By Travis Volz Two Illinois men were arrested in conjunction with the investigation into the death of Garrett Meyer of Nashville. The Iroquois County Sherriff’s Office announced the arrests of Billy T. Roof III of Kankakee and Ryan D. Morrow of Tallula as a result of the investigation into Meyer’s death earlier this year. Roof…
Read MoreNew Press Box in Nashville Dedicated to ‘Doc’ Goforth
By Travis Volz Seven years after his death, Dr. Gary Goforth is still helping the community he called home. For almost 40 years, “Doc” Goforth served both the Okawville and Nashville communities, and not only as a doctor. His community involvement was deep, and he served a multitude of organizations and boards. Even after his…
Read MoreFinding Officials for Prep Sports Becoming Challenging
By Travis Volz The COVID pandemic has accelerated a trend that could negatively affect high school and middle school sports in the coming years: a lack of officials. Though Okawville has been proactive in hiring officials, athletic director Jon Kraus said that he is hearing from other schools that it is getting more difficult to…
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