Madison will call for public vote on ‘gun sanctuary’

Madison County voters will be asked if their county should be declared a “gun sanctuary,” during the Nov. 6 general election

Proponents of the nonbinding referendum, placed on the election ballot last week by the Madison County Board, say it is meant to help gauge public opinion following the introduction of gun control legislation in Illinois General Assembly. However, critics say it raises the prospect of selective enforcement of state or federal law.

The resolution will ask voters if Madison County should become a “sanctuary county for law-abiding gun owners to protect them from unconstitutional gun laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly.”

Effingham County became the first political subdivision in America to establish a self-declared gun sanctuary, with a county board resolution on April 16.

Governing boards in Christian, Cumberland, Fayette, Iroquois, Jasper, Saline, Perry and Jefferson counties passed similar resolutions over the following weeks.

Monroe County became Metro East’s first gun sanctuary with a county board action on May 7.

Although Effingham County officials reports receiving request for copies of their gun sanctuary legislation from counties in Illinois and around the nation, gun sanctuary counties appear currently to exist only within the Prairie State.

No municipalities or other local political subdivisions have yet established firearms sanctuaries, wire service reports suggest.

Madison County appears to be the first jurisdiction to call for a public voter, although nonbinding, on the gun sanctuary issue.

The gun sanctuary movement emerged after several municipalities around the nation — including Chicago – became self-declared sanctuary cities, which do not cooperate with federal authorities on various aspects of immigration law enforcement.

At least two gun-control measures were introduced in the Illinois General Assembly this year following the Feb. 14 killing of 17 by an armed assailant at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

House Bill 1457 would make it illegal to sell .50 caliber rifles, cartridges or assault weapon attachments to anyone under the age of 21. HB1467, would prohibit municipalities from regulating “the possession and ownership of assault weapons in a manner less restrictive than the regulation by the State.”

The Madison County referendum was placed on the ballot on a 15-10 county board vote; with Democrats representing all of the votes against.

Centreville has been named  poorest town in the United States, based on median income.

Centreville named nation’s poorest town by financial website

The City of Centreville is the most economically disadvantaged town in America, according to an analysis by, 247/WallSt., a financial news and commentary Web site.

“With a median annual household income of $16,715, Centreville is not only the poorest town in Illinois, but also the poorest in the United States. The median household income in both Illinois and the United States, as a whole, is more than three times the median income in Centreville.

“ The town is also one of only four nationwide where more than half of the population lives below the poverty line,” the website notes.

The St. Clair County community has a poverty rate of 50.1 percent. Median home value in the city is $48,400. Only 9.7 percent of Centreville adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education.

The population was 5,309 in 2010, down from 5,951 at the 2000 census.

By comparison, the typical American household earned $55,322 in 2016.

To determine America’s poorest towns, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in every American town with a population between 1,000 and 25,000. For comparison purposes, boroughs, census designated places, cities, towns, and villages were all considered.

Democrat State Rep. Katie Stuart of Edwardsville

Petition seeks study on SIU funding

Democrat State Rep. Katie Stuart of Edwardsville) has launched a petition drive urging the Illinois State Board of Higher Education to conduct an independent study on the allocation of funding to Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) Edwardsville and Carbondale campuses.

“SIUE has been one of the main economic engines that has helped grow this area and the entire Metro East region, and the current system should reflect SIUE’s growth that has resulted in an equal study body population at Edwardsville and Carbondale,” said Stuart, who represents the 112th District.

Stuart has already introduced legislation (HR 1052) urging the State Board of Higher Education to study the funding and governance of the two schools.

She supports measures introduced in May (HB 1292, HB 1294, HB5860, and HB5861) which would split of the two schools into two separate entities with two separate boards of trustees, restructure the SIU Board of Trustees, or guarantee equal state funding for the two schools.

SIU Carbondale currently gets about 64 percent of the university’s annual state funding, with the university’s Edwardsville campus getting about 36 percent.

SIU System President Randy Dunn — who reportedly has been in discussions regarding funding reallocation —  narrowly retained his position last week, after State Rep. Terri Bryant, (R-Murphysboro) called for his ouster during an impassioned speech on the House floor.

The SIU Board of Trustees deadlocked 4-4 on a motion to place Dunn on administrative leaving during a special meeting June 21, at SIU Edwardsville.

Bryant cited derogatory email comments about some SIU Carbondale staff, which were aired in a newspaper editorial by Kathleen Chwalisz, former faculty senate president.

Registered voters can sign the petition for a study on SIU funding by calling State Rep. Stuart’s constituent services office at (618) 365-6650, e-mailing RepKatieStuart@gmail.com or accessing the petition online at https://tinyurl.com/SIUpetition.

Telephone scammers targeting Metro East residents

Telephone con artists, posing as Madison County Sheriff’s Department personnel, are attempting to extort money from unsuspecting victims by treating arrest on supposedly outstanding charges, according to a bulletin for the department last week.

Typically, the scammers attempt to convince victims that they are the subject of an active warrant for their arrest and will be taken into custody unless they provide immediate payment, according to a department statement. Payment generally involves a prepaid credit card option or similar financial instrument.

In some cases, the scam artist misrepresents themselves using the names of real sheriff’s department officers or deputies.

County residents who receive such calls are urged to immediately hang and report the calls to the sheriff’s department (618) 692-6087.

Legitimate law enforcement agencies will not contact citizens by phone regarding warrants or similar issues, the sheriff’s department notes.

Madison County deputies always execute warrants or summons by arriving at the recipient’s home in a fully marked sheriff’s office squad car and knocking on the recipient’s door in full sheriff’s office uniform.

Meanwhile, police departments in Edwardsville and Granite City have issued warning about dubious “robo” calls, that may seem to come from Ameren Illinois.

In the Granite City area some residents report calls demanding immediate payment for allegedly delinquent electric bills.

“Beware of receiving a call from someone who claims to be with Ameren Illinois, demanding payment or be disconnected. Hang up. This is a scam.” The Granite City Police Department warned in a written statement.

Ameren and other utilities customarily address payment issues by mail rather than telephone, the department notes. Ameren customers who receive such calls should decline to provide any information (especially credit card or bank account numbers), hang up, and then contact the Granite City Police Department or Ameren at (800) 755-5000.

The Edwardsville Police Department reports at least 10 area residents have received automated calls promising 15 percent saving on electric bills.

“This is some sort of third-party power supplier, not Ameren,” the department cautions in a press release.

Although the calls received in the Edwardsville are might represent a legitimate offer to do business, consumers should make sure they understand the offer being made, who they are doing business with, and be cautious about providing information, the department advises.

“The person that comes on the line wanted our account number before more information could be provided. Where this may be a legitimate business, we suggest not providing your account details without doing research on a company,” the department cautions.

–Metro East Area News Briefs–