Debbie Reynolds dies at 84
Trump blasts Obama ‘roadblocks’ as power transfer turns increasingly hostile
Franklin County Sheriffs Office seeking suspects over stolen deer stand
Natural Gas Smell in West Frankfort not a leak
This statement was issued on the West Frankfort Fire Department’s Facebook page:
We have been receiving several reports of a natural gas smell around town. We have investigated each report but, so far, we have 
not found any sign of dangerous gas on our meters.
This problem occurs quite often in our area during the winter. We believe the odor to be Hydrogen Sulfide or a methane gas that may be the byproduct of oil wells or coal mines in the area. While these gases can be dangerous in high concentrations, when outside in open air, they generally will not reach levels high enough to be harmful.
If you smell a strange odor inside your home or near a gas line or gas meter, and have concern that it could be dangerous please feel free to contact us or your gas provider and we will gladly come check it for you.
Trump Tower briefly evacuated this afternoon over a suspicious package
Getty image
Carrie Fisher passes
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in “Star Wars”
IDOT testing drones to help with inspections
The Illinois Department of Transportation thinks that two new, 7 1/2-pound, 2 1/2-foot-wide devices will help the agency rise to new heights of safety and cost efficiency. “We’re excited to have drones 
available to help us with the work we do at the Illinois Department of Transportation,” said IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “Because drones can access places that are difficult and dangerous for people to get to, we expect this technology to enhance employee safety as well as reduce costs. “We also believe drone technology will be able to support other agencies, whether it’s during natural disasters or helping first-responders determine the appropriate response to emergency situations.” The drones and their supporting technology, purchased for $8,800 from IDOT’s operating budget, are now being tested to see how they may work for a variety of tasks, including bridge inspections, mapping, surveying, work zone progress, emergency response and other applications, according to IDOT spokeswoman Kelsea Gurski. Please click to read the rest of the story from David Blanchette of the Springfield journal-Register
Yellow ball in the sky this morning
Good Morning!!!!! Finally the clouds have moved out!!!!! Highs this week will be in the upper 40’s with lows in the upper 20’s. There is a slight chance of precepitiation on Wednesday night. Chances of rain in the forecast over the weekend.
Imprisoned Rod Blagojevich awaits Obama decision on commutation
CHICAGO – One of the last chances for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to win early release from federal prison rests on a pending decision by the man whose Senate seat Blagojevich was 
convicted of trying to sell – President Barack Obama. Blagojevich, 60, is in the fourth year of a 14-year prison term. He recently submitted a request to have his sentence on wide-ranging corruption convictions commuted, the U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed. Obama has rarely mentioned his fellow Chicago Democrat since Blagojevich’s December 2008 arrest, a month after Obama won the presidency, so it’s hard to gauge if he’d give Blagojevich’s request for a reduced sentence serious thought. A look at the commutation process and factors that could influence a decision:….Please click to read the rest of the story from the Associated Press
It is going to be a wet and warm Christmas
Merry Christmas!!!! Southern Illinois is under a dense fog advisory until 10 A.M. today. This round of showers should clear off around mid morning.
We should get another round of rain and possible thunderstorms this evening. Steady temperatures in the 60’s, until a cooling trend
Taken from WSIL’s Facebook page
late tomorrow afternoon with falling temperatures.
Highs will be in the mid 40’s the rest of the week, with lows around 30.
There is a slight chance of showers on Wednesday night. The next chance of precipitation is on New Years Eve.
