The Odin Health and Rehabilitation Center is once again brightening the holiday season with a drive through display featuring thousands of lights. The display will be lit from dusk to dawn each night through December 31st. The health care center is inviting everyone to visit the display outside the facility at 300 Green Street in Odin, just off U.S. 50. CEO/Administrator Jered Gambill says his is always a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season. He says the look of joy on the faces of...

A Centralia home received minor damage from an electrical fire early Thursday night. Centralia City Firemen say the fire at 120 North Sycamore was found in the attic above a bedroom ceiling and was quickly extinguished. A breaker had blown earlier in the day and was replaced. After smelling smoke for a few hours, the fire department was called and located a fire. All available Centralia City Firemen were called in. The owners and occupants of the home were not immediately available. The fi...

Salem Police have arrested a 40-year-old homeless Salem man for allegedly trying to enter an occupied home and later a camper on the same property. Timothy Finley was taken to the Marion County Jail following the incident in the 300 block of West Warmoth. Police say elevating the arrest to a felony was also based on the number of trespass warnings Finley has received recently.

The Marion County Sheriff's Department reports at least two vehicles slid off the road during the snow activity Thursday night. Temperatures rising to freezing overnight caused the snow on the pavement to melt. There is still the possibility of some slick spots on bridges and overpasses. The Salem Water Plant recorded an inch of snow fell during the evening, melting down to 15 hundredths of an inch of precipitation. The sheriff's department reports a car left State Route 161 Extension ne...

State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) has been ranked the 3rd most effective House Republican by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a nonpartisan research group made up of Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia, recently released their report ranking the effectiveness of legislators. According to Craig Volden, a public policy professor at the University of Virginia and co-author of the study, there are many reasons a lawmaker might...

Most of the snow late Thursday and early Friday morning will stay in Central Illinois. There's another chance of snow on Saturday afternoon. Nighttime temperatures then plunge to near zero by Sunday morning. This Afternoon A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after 5 pm. Cloudy, with a high near 36. Southwest wind around 6 mph, becoming southeast. Tonight A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before 8 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph becoming northeast after...

Keep Salem Beautiful and the Daffy Dill Garden Club have announced the winners of the downtown flower box decorating contest. The first-place winner is Rural Health and Wellness. Their planter box is located on the north side of the 200 block of West Main. Nurse Practitioner Crea Rose explained their design. "The theme this year was for silver bells. My receptionist just happens to be very artsy and crafty, so she came up with the great idea of painting some flowerpots. She painted som...

A new foundation with a well-known health care sponsor has been formed in Centralia to deal with two major health care issues. Sister Clarette of the Felician Sisters says the St. Clare Foundation is their new way of meeting their commitment to care for the people of Centralia which started with their sponsorship of St. Mary's Hospital in 1939. "Drug abuse and mental health," Clarette said. "The Felician Sisters have made a commitment to begin the establishment of the St. Clare...