Mount Carmel Register from Mount Carmel, Illinois • F1

Heavenly Father, let us accomplish all the things we failed to achieve in the past year. Please answer all our prayers. Heal the sick, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. Let the new year bring new and exciting things into our lives. Amen.

Comics B7 Classifieds B4 Crossword B6 Friday: Saturday: Sunday: WEATHER INSIDE DAILY PRAYER 1. 9 9 i ay- a ay, 3 0 3 1, 2 0 2 2 18 3 5 8 I I BULLDOGS DOMINATE HARDIN COUNTY PaGe b1 Hometown Register Photo by Herb Meeker A walk on Monday morning offered some frigid images likes these bird tracks in the snow. There is almost a modern art look to the scene. Bird tracks in the snow earlier this week BY HERB MEEKER HOMETOWN REGISTER MOUNT CARMEL With the retirement of the city comp- troller, the city is adjusting to keep up on accounting duties. Mayor Joe Judge thanked city employees to stepping up to fulfill dif ferent responsibili- ties on finances during the Dec.

27 Mount Carmel City Coun- cil meeting. In addition, it was noed Kemper CPA is helping on accounting duties. Finance Com- missioner Eric Ikemire was rec- ognized for offering guidance to the city staff. During Commissioner reports, Tom Meeks said city street crews have been removing trees and debris and were prepared for the recent snowfall. A new stoplight was installed at Ninth and Walnut.

Water and Sewer Commission- er Justin Dulgar discussed prob- lems for city employees caused by the freezing of water pres- sure gauges on the water tower. Mount Carmel Council discusses finances BY HERB MEEKER HOMETOWN REGISTER WEST SALEM Getting to know your village government representatives should be a goal for 2023. All members serve on vari- ous committees regarding differ- ent functions or responsibilities of the city. The committee mem- bers are listed below. notes a committee chair) Chris Ray George Gerlach Jeff Bradham Jeff Bradham Chris Ray April Campbell-Rickey PUBLIC SAFETY Shonda Summerfield Chris Ristvedt Jeff Bradham Chris Ristvedt Shonda Summerfield April Campbell-Rickey PARKS PLAYGROUNDS April Campbell-Rickey Shonda Summerfield George Gerlach Getting to know West Salem city government members, meeting dates BY HERB MEEKER HOMETOWN REGISTER The County Board met in regular session on Thursday, Dec.

15. The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by proclamation according to law by Sherif Francis. Sher- if Francis led a moment in silence and the Pledge of Allegiance. Warfel explained attendance by means other than physical presence.

If a quorum of the members of the public body is physical- ly present as required by the Open Meetings Act, a major- ity of the public body may allow a member of that body to attend the meeting by other means (Defined as video or Audio Conference) i the member is prevented from physically attending because of one of the following rea- sons: 1) Personal Illness or Disability, 2) Employment Purposes or the Business of the Public Body, 3) A Fami- ly or other Emergency. Mr. Bollman because of person- al illness is unable to attend in person this evening since we need majority consent to allow him to attend by no one objected to his attendance by Zoom. Attorney Treccia is attending a conference and is unable to be here in person this eve- ning, he is also joining us by Zoom. Members present were Bollman, Deckard, Geier, Heltsley, Judson, Pickens, Spiker, Warfel, and Weddell.

Jasper County Board holds meetings BY HOMETOWN REGISTER STAFF SPRINGFIELD The Illi- nois minimum wage is set to increase another dollar on Sunday, January 1, making the new required minimum wage $13 an hour. Minimum wage workers are encouraged to keep a close eye on their paychecks in the new year as any time worked in 2023 must reflect the new $13 an hour minimum wage. a i increases in the state mini- mum wage since Governor JB Pritzker signed historic legis- lation in 2019 that establishes a schedule of wage increases, putting Illinois on the path to a $15 an hour minimum wage by 2025. Prior to the first of these minimum wage increas- es in 2020, the last time work- ers in Illinois received an increase in the minimum wage was more than a decade ago in 2010. workers deserve a minimum wage that keeps up with the rising costs of said Governor JB Pritzker.

why, during my first year as Governor, we raised the minimum wage with a gradual ramp to $15 an hour. Star ting Januar 1st, mini- mum wage workers will get a raise and businesses will con- tinue receiving tax credits for providing their workforce with a living The minimum wage for workers who regularly earn tips will increase to $7.80 an hour on January these workers must still earn the minimum wage after receiv- ing tips, or the employer is required to make up the dif- ference. Workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours a year will earn a mini- mum wage of $10.50 per hour beginning January 1. All employers in Illinois are required to post the Rights Under Illinois Employ- ment poster in the workplace where notices to employees are regularly post- ed. The color poster, which also covers other Illinois labor laws, can be found in English, Spanish, and Polish.

i i a a improve the standard of living for all workers of our said Jane R. Flanagan, Direc- tor at the Illinois Department of Labor. and employees should be aware of the increase to the minimum wage in Increase coming for Illinois minimum wage on Jan. 1 Minimum wage rising to $13 an hour on New Day BY HOMETOWN REGISTER STAFF SPRINGFIELD Eligi- ble older adults and persons with disabilities will see their annual license plate renewal fee reduced by more than half in the new year, the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) announced Wednesday. Under Public Act 102-0807, which takes ef fect Jan.

1, drivers who qualify for Benefit Access Program will pay only $10 for their license plate stick- ers, a decrease from $24 cur- rently. this time of high inflation, many older adults are finding it increasingly difficult to cover everyday said Illinois Depar tment on Aging Director Paula Basta. income-based discount on license plate renewals is welcome news for older driv- ers, helping them save money and keep their vehicle registra- tion lower annual license plate renewal fee for qualifying seniors will help them keep more of their hard-earned money in their bank accounts to spend on other things, such as prescription said Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. applaud the Illinois General Assembly for this new License Plate Fees for low-income older drivers, persons with disabilities to drop in 2023 SEE A2 SEE A2SEE A2 SEE A5 The EGISTER Hometown CLAY COUNTY SUCCESSOR TO THE CLAY COUNTY ADVOCATE-PRESS.