Illinois Department of Revenue Launches Statewide Electronic Lien Registry

February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment

SPRINGFIELD – Individuals looking for tax liens filed by the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) now have a searchable database at their disposal.  A new online Statewide Tax Lien Registry (Lien Registry) provides a single-source to locate all active liens and releases filed by IDOR.

The Lien Registry is designed to improve efficiencies and incorporate technology into current work systems. It will lead to more timely information on lien filings, while reducing state filing costs.

“We filed more than 39,000 liens in all 102 counties across the state last year. That cost the Department $700,000 in fees and labor,” said IDOR Director Connie Beard. “Transitioning to an electronic registry will help drive those costs down and accelerate tax receipts going to state and local tax funds.”

The Lien Registry now serves as the only source for obtaining tax lien information. There is no cost and no sign-up required to search the registry, which can be accessed through the “Quick Links” tab on the IDOR webpage at tax.illinois.gov.

A tutorial video on the Registry may be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DITvksZs2JU. Questions regarding Lien Registry may be emailed to rev.lien@illinois.gov.

Filed Under: Breaking News, State News

Areal flood warning allowed to expire….Flood Warning still exists for the Big Muddy

February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment















Tom Dart













Former Ald. Daniel Solis leaves Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after testifying in the corruption trial of former Speaker Michael Madigan.
Happy New Year! Blessings to you and your family in 2025!

There have not been any reports of road closures this morning.   I would use my own discretion about driving on roads across the county that are flood prone.  Do not drive around barricades.  We have two days to dry out before we receive another round of precipitation again, Tuesday night into Wednesday. -sd

Flood Warning for the Big Muddy

The Flood Warning continues for the Big Muddy River near Plumfield.

* from Sunday afternoon to Thursday morning.

* At 9:00 PM Saturday the stage was 19.0 feet.

* Flood Stage is 20.0 feet.

* Minor flooding is forecast.

* Forecast…Rise above flood stage by tomorrow afternoon and continue to rise to near 21.0 feet by early Tuesday morning. The river will fall below flood stage by early Thursday morning.

* Impact…At 20.0 Feet…Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottom-land and surrounding low lying areas.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .

DAY ONE…Today and Tonight Flood Warnings remain in effect across the entire area as flood waters will be slow to recede today. Numerous river flood warnings are also in effect. Refer to the warning products and their follow up statements for more details. .

DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Monday through Saturday One to two inches of rainfall are possible during the Tuesday night to Thursday time frame. River flood warnings will remain in effect into next week. Refer to the flood warnings and statements for important river flood details, including the latest updated information. .

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT… Reports of any damage from the Saturday evening thunderstorms would be appreciated, along with any ongoing flood issues or rainfall totals.

Seven Day Forecast

Today
Sunny, with a high near 54. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Light and variable wind.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 60. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Monday Night
Clear, with a low around 37. Light southeast wind.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night
Showers likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday
A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 61. South southeast wind around 6 mph.
Wednesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 49. South wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Thursday
A chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 15 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 52. Northwest wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 52. North northeast wind around 7 mph.
Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News, Slider

Salukis earn the two seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament

February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment

LOYOLA IS TOP SEED FOR 2018 STATE FARM MVC TOURNAMENT

From the Missouri Valley Conference 

ST. LOUIS — Loyola (25-5, 15-3 MVC) is the State Farm MVC Tournament top seed after securing the league’s regular-season title with a gap of four games between it and second-seeded Southern Illinois. The regular-season title is the first for the Ramblers as an MVC member, having joined the Conference for the 2013-14 season.

In their previous four MVC seasons, Loyola has been seeded 10th (2014), 6th (2015), 8th (2016) and 5th (last year). The Feb. 24 victory against Illinois State extended Loyola’s winning streak to seven games and gives the Ramblers their most wins since 1984-85, when that squad went 27-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.

It was a record-breaking regular season for Loyola, which established a new school standard with 15 conference wins, claimed its first outright conference title since 1984-85, and won its most overall games since that magical 1984-85 campaign.

Southern Illinois (19-12, 11-7 MVC) is the tournament’s No. 2 seed after finishing the season in sole possession of second place. The Salukis haven’t been as high as a No. 2 seed in the State Farm MVC Tournament since winning the league in 2007.

Meanwhile, Drake (16-15, 10-8 MVC) and Bradley (19-12, 9-9 MVC) will play one another in the first round again, having played against one another in the Opening Round in five of the past six seasons. This time, they will play as a No. 4 seed (Drake) and No. 5 seed (Bradley). Bradley was last seeded as high as No. 5 in 2010, while Drake hasn’t been better than a No. 4 since it won the regular-season title and the tournament in 2008.

Illinois State (16-14, 10-8 MVC) is the No. 3 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker (better RPI: 84) than Drake (162). Indiana State (13-17, 8-10 MVC) is the No. 6 seed; Valparaiso (15-16, 6-12 MVC) is the No. 10 seed; and seeds 7-8-9 were determined using the league’s final tiebreaker (adjusted RPI from the Sunday, Feb. 25, report of The RPI Report/Collegiate Basketball News).

Missouri State (RPI of 133), Evansville (137) and UNI (141) all tied for 7th place with identical 7-11 records and all split with one another during MVC play. MSU was awarded the No. 7 seed by virtue of a better RPI. Last year, RPI was used to break three ties in the standings (for No. 1/2 seed; for 6/7 seed and for 9/10 seed).

This year’s tournament is the 42nd MVC post-season tourney and 28th-straight in St. Louis.

The top seed has won the title eight times in St. Louis, but just five times in the past 11 tries (Drake-2008, UNI2009, UNI-2010, Creighton-2013, Wichita State-2014). Notably, only three times has a seed worse than No. 3 won the tournament (No. 4 Creighton in 2000, No. 5 Indiana State in 2001, and No. 4 UNI in 2016). And the tourney’s top two seeds are a combined 53-1 in their first games in the 27 years in St. Louis. Of current members, Southern Illinois and UNI own the most tournament titles, with five each. Other current members who have won an MVC Tournament title include Bradley (2), Drake (1), Illinois State (4), Indiana State (3) and Missouri State (1).

The tournament features nine games in four days and ends Sunday, March 4. For the 13th-straight year, CBS Sports will carry the title game, while the first six games will air on the MVC Television Network. CBS Sports Network will the two semifinal games on Saturday for the second-straight year. All nine games will air in the St. Louis metro area. KTRS Radio 550 AM will carry all games but the semifinals (Saturday), which will air on either WSDZ Radio 1260 AM (if Missouri State plays) or KXFN Radio 1380 AM (if Missouri State is eliminated). MSU games will air on KXFN Radio 1380 AM and will co-exist on KTRS Radio 550 AM for any Bears’ games on Thursday, Friday or Sunday.

In 2011, Missouri State became the first No. 1 MVC Tournament seed and regular-season champ in 18 years not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Notably, only six top-seeded teams in 40 MVC tournaments have failed to reach the NCAAs (Bradley-1982, Southern Illinois-1990, Southern Illinois-1992, Illinois State-1993, Missouri State-2011, and Illinois State-2017).

Thirty-eight of 41 previous tournament champions were seeded 1, 2, or 3. The top two seeds have had the most success, winning a combined 31 times, and the top two seeds have won 18 titles in St. Louis (in 27 total tries). The last 12 MVC tournament champions have consisted of five top seeds, five No. 2 seeds, a No. 3 seed, and a No. 4 seed.

Since the league expanded to its current 10-team format in 1997, only one team that has played in the opening round has reached the semifinals (won twice). Bradley, seeded No. 7 in 1998 (with a 9-9 league record), beat No. 10 Drake and then upset No. 2 Creighton, before falling in the semifinals to Missouri State. Notably, the sixth-seeded teams have recorded a combined 7-27 mark in tourney games played in St. Louis, although Missouri State won its first game as a No. 6 seed in 2017

Filed Under: College Sports, Featured, Sports

Legionnaires’ Disease Case In Illinois Resident

February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting one case of Legionnaire’s Disease in an Illinois resident. Additional information about the resident, including their medical condition, is not available.

IDPH is gathering information about the individual’s recent travels to identify potential sources of exposure to the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s Disease.  Several locations are being investigated, including the Capitol Complex and a hotel where the individual stayed during a January 2018 visit to Springfield.

Out of an abundance of caution, IDPH is providing this information to the public, given that water samples recently collected from the Capitol Complex tested positive for Legionella.

Legionella bacteria occur naturally in the environment.  Water containing Legionella bacteria can be aerosolized through cooling towers, showers, hot tubs, and decorative fountains, and can cause illness when inhaled.  Approximately 300 cases of Legionnaires’ disease are reported across Illinois each year.

Legionnaires’ disease usually begins with symptoms like high fever (102 degrees F – 105 degrees F), chills, muscle pain, and headache.  Other symptoms may include cough (which may be dry or productive), shortness of breath, chest pain, or even gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea.  The incubation period, the time between exposure and onset of illness, is up to 12 days.

More information about Legionnaires’ disease can be found on the IDPH website.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Slider, State News

Flood Warning for all of Southern Illinois until 9:00 a.m. Sunday

February 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The railroad underpass on Route 14 in McLeamsboro earlier this evening. (Hamilton County EMA photo)

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a Flood Warning for… Perry County in south central Illinois… Union County in southern Illinois… Wayne County in south central Illinois… Northern Pope County in southern Illinois… Jefferson County in south central Illinois… Johnson County in southern Illinois… Williamson County in southern Illinois… Saline County in southern Illinois… Jackson County in southern Illinois… Northwestern Alexander County in southern Illinois… Franklin County in south central Illinois... Hamilton County in south central Illinois…

* Until 900 AM CST Sunday * Although rain has ended across most of southern Illinois, some creeks and streams will remain out of their banks at least through tonight. Low-lying flood-prone areas will remain inundated. Flood- prone roads will likely remain covered with water through at least early Sunday.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Franklin County EMA reports the following roads are flooded

February 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Use caution when traveling. Flash flooding has been reported on the following roadways:

West Frankfort:

Main to Horrell 
Monroe 1000 blk
Logan to Locust – E St. Louis
Highway 149 washout in front of Casey’s East-
500 Blk E Elm

Franklin County:

#9 Blktop to Taylor rd bridge overflow
State Highway 34 / Pickle City
Akin Blktp / 34
Deering / Gossett
Akin Blktp/ Buntin
Pershing Rd between Tate and Burbank
Deering/Rumbler Crossing

 

SEVERAL other local roadways are experiencing flash flooding. This list is not all inclusive. Never drive through a flooded roadway. TURN AROUND, DONT DROWN!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Wreck on I 57 between Benton and Sesser exit

February 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

WHITTINGTON –  Sesser and Benton firefighters are responding to semis wrecked in the median on I-57 at the 75 mile marker.  This could involve slowdowns in traffic both directions.

If you do not have to travel, don’t.  I know some travel is necessary to work etc.  -sd

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Flooding update

February 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

First of all this will be updated frequently.

  • There are several reports of flash flooding on Route 149 between West Frankfort and Thompsonville.
  • Several streets in Carterville, Herrin and Marion are flooded.
  • West Frankfort street commissioner Tara Chambers reports there are several places in town that are flooded and crews are trying to barricade them as quick as possible. 6:05 p.m.
  • Johnston City PD reports several streets are flooded. 6:05.
  • Water is over the road in 3 places on the Akin Blacktop, between the 4 way stop and Jackson Grove Church. The Akin 4 way has water over it. North Thompsonville Road has water over it in two or three places, from Akin to Thompsonville. Carlyle Road has water over it in 3 or 4 places, at least. Perryman Road has water over it in several places.  This is Northeast of Thompsonville.
  • From the West Frankfort Fire Department. There is widespread flooding in WF and the surrounding area. If you dont have to get out please stay home.
  • As flooding continues we ask at this time do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Please obey any road blocks that have been posted. Find alternate routes and do not drive through standing water. Please share and be safe.  From Benton FD
  • The Six Mile Township supervior reports the ditches full on Creek Nation Road, but not over the road.
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Flash Flood Warning until 9:00 p.m. for Franklin and surrounding counties

February 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a * Flash Flood Warning for… Perry County in south central Illinois… Union County in southern Illinois… Pulaski County in southern Illinois… Johnson County in southern Illinois… Williamson County in southern Illinois… Jackson County in southern Illinois… Alexander County in southern Illinois… Franklin County in south central Illinois… Scott County in southeastern Missouri… Perry County in southeastern Missouri… Cape Girardeau County in southeastern Missouri… * Until 900 PM CST *

At 354 PM CST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms with heavy rain were moving into the warned area. Close to 5 inches of rain have fallen over the past four days or so. Rainfall rates around one-half inch per hour are developing over the region. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly. * Some locations that will experience flooding include… Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Marion, Sikeston, and Herrin. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are likely in the warned area through early this evening. Rapid rises in water levels will occur. This is a potentially life-threatening situation.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Tornado Watch until 9:00 p.m. for the counties just to our south and east

February 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of Eastern Arkansas Southern Illinois Western Kentucky Southeast Missouri Northwest Mississippi West Tennessee * Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 315 PM until 900 PM CST.

COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS:  Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, and Massac

* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible Widespread damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible

SUMMARY…A line of intense thunderstorms over central AR will track rapidly eastward across the watch area this afternoon and evening. Damaging winds and a few tornadoes are the main threats. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 70 statute miles north and south of a line from 10 miles west southwest of Walnut Ridge AR to 30 miles northeast of Fort Campbell KY. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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