A 47-year-old Centralia man has been ordered held without bond after being charged in Marion County Court on Monday with drug and weapons charges. Shaun Brown of Martin Luther King Drive was charged with armed violence, possession of under five grams of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, and resisting or obstructing arrest. Brown allegedly fled from Centralia Police who attempted to stop him while he was riding his bike on October 23rd because he was a person of inte...

Liberty Appliance on West Main Street in Salem held a grand reopening on Friday to mark an expanded showroom and the addition of bedding products. Owner Andrew Dice explains the additional offerings. "We brought in Serta mattresses along with their adjustable bases that they make," Dice said. "Between mattresses, adjustable bases, pillows and bed toppings, that's the big thing that we added, as well as more space to bring in different models of appliances. We added roughly abou...

The person who led the organization of the SCHS All Class Reunion over the weekend is pleased with how the event turned out and is ready to help with the next reunion in 2030. Debbie Woodruff admits it was harder this year to line up the acts in the Saturday afternoon variety show and it wasn't until the final days everything fell together. "It's a tremendous amount of work," Woodruff said, "but the reality is, when you look around and you see these people who come back and how...

The Salem Community High School Marching Band completed the marching season with a grand championship among all size schools at the Newton competition on Saturday. Band Director John Randolph says it was a perfect way to end the season. "We won first place drum major, which is Jordan Carter," Randolph said. "She actually got a perfect score of 100, which I've never had before. Percussion took first place, and we were first place in Class 3A and Grand Champion overall of the ent...

A combine caught fire while harvesting beans Sunday afternoon in rural Alma. Kinmundy-Alma Fire Chief Kevin Day says the combine was engulfed in flames when firemen arrived on the Judy Wilkins farm at Oak Grove and Possum Trot Roads. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The combine crew was able to knock down the flames before the fire was able to spread through the field. The fire was first reported at three Sunday afternoon.

A 36-year-old Kinmundy woman was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly trying to avoid a traffic stop by Salem Police and then fleeing towards Iuka. Salem Police say Vanessa Wilkins initially refused to stop for a traffic stop on U.S. 50 at Lakewood Drive. After accelerating to a high rate of speed through the residential neighborhood, Wilkins allegedly returned to U.S. 50 and began fleeing eastbound towards Iuka. Her car apparently developed mechanical problems and began slowing. I...

Nonprofit Keep Centralia Beautiful is hosting a community cleanup event on Tuesday from 5:30-6 pm. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Centralia City Hall parking lot to help collect trash in the downtown area where the Halloween Fall Festival events will be held on Halloween Parade weekend. Keep Centralia Beautiful will provide gloves, trash bags and pickers.

The Centralia City Council will be asked Monday night to pass a resolution to start the process of establishing a Sales Tax and Revenue or STAR bond District within the City of Centralia. The program generally includes retail and hotel/hospitality uses along with related infrastructure and site improvements. The resolution would set a November 19th public hearing for public comments and consider the proposed district and preliminary development plan. The council will also be asked to approve...