Union County workers tied to personal favors, paid by taxpayers
Sources in Union County allege county road workers did personal and political tasks for Mike Yates, longtime Democratic Party chairman and former highway foreman, rather than county business. The claims echo a pattern described in a January 8 article in The Southern Illinoisan.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jonesboro
Union County
Highway Department
Democratic Party
Mike Yates
Southern Illinoisan
Allegations of favors and duties by Union County highway workers
A former Union County highway department employee and a source familiar with operations allege that political and personal work equaled or exceeded public labor performed on county time. They say workers set up and took down county tables and chairs for Democratic events, collected contributions, butchered hogs for county staff, cleaned pools, installed private sewer lines, retrieved live animals, buried dead ones, and bought lunches using county scrap metal funds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Union County Highway Departmet
Highway Department
Illinois
Kentucky Lake
Rural Homelessness Persists Across Southern Illinois
The Southern Illinois Continuum of Care Network conducts annual point-in-time counts of homelessness. In 2011, 387 homeless individuals formed 212 households across 27 southern counties, up from 291 in 2010. Read on for personal stories of those affected and the paths that led them to life on the streets.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois Continuum of Care Network
Illinois
Major General Marcia Anderson to speak at SIU
Major General Marcia Anderson, the first Black woman promoted to major general in the U.S. Army, will speak at 7 p.m. Monday in Ballroom D, SIU Student Center. She will share her experiences and honor Black women who served before her as part of Black History Month.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marcia Anderson
Anderson
U.S. Army
SIU
Veterans Court Sought in Southern Illinois Circuit
State legislation allows veterans courts to offer treatment and rehabilitation to nonviolent veterans to avoid conviction and prison. Richard Kulich of the VA in Marion says Southern Illinois has a large enough veteran population to warrant a court. Air Force veteran Terry Bowman notes younger vets face legal trouble linked to drug abuse from military- era stress. See Veterans Court page 4A.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Veterans Justice
VA Medical Center
Marion
Illinois
Veterans Court
Richard Kulich
Department of Veterans Affairs
Kulich
Air Force
SIU
Terry Bowman
Also Mentioned on This Page
Brent Stewart
Stephen Rickers
Steve Jahnke
The
Carbondale
Rusty
Good Samaritan House
Thesouthern.com
Tith
Illinois Veterans Court
Robert Russell
Buffalo
N.Y
Sugiecen Melo Ht
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