The issue actually began sometime ago and has been kept under wraps for nearly six years.

Sources close to the story tell Disclosure that in the year 2006 city workers entered into a contract with the elected town elders amounting to a 5 percent pay increase, compounded annually.

It appears the city elders never held up their part of the contract and kept plodding into the future, one election season after another, just ignoring the contractual agreement all together.

As the years passed and penalties mounted, city elected officials still never formally addressed the issue in a public meeting nor bothered to inform the taxpayers, who would ultimately foot the bill once the electorate was done padding their own pockets with pet projects and hiring every member of their family they could get away with.

Now, however, it seems the bill has come due and instead of “manning up” to their responsibilities, city elders are continuing to stall.

Sources indicate that more than 90 days ago the city was ordered by state officials to pay what they owe the two workers within 30 days or face additional assessed penalties.

The elders in their infinite wisdom have not shelled out a dime on the arrearages, much less address the issue of mounting fines from the state, and instead are claiming they have been in search of a CPA all this time so they can make sure the two employees involved in the back-pay issue are paid the proper amount.

“If Burtis Cook (acting Elizabethtown mayor) and the council can’t figure out how much to pay two guys they have been screwing out of money for years they shouldn’t be in elected positions,” said one critic. “I am not sure ol’ Burtis is the most honest guy in town anyway. He sure come by the house he lives in under some curious circumstances.”

Once source says the council has been saying they are going to pay the two workers all their back pay, but just can’t put a date on exactly when the two will see their money.

There is also no indication whether or not the settlement includes the back pay for the unfulfilled promise of a $500 annual Christmas bonus the pair only saw once.

After a brief check in local directories it appears certified public accountants may not be standing on street corners in Elizabethtown like ladies of the night, but they are not that difficult to find either.

Sources indicate that Mr. Vaughn took off out the front door of the sheriff’s department and hauled ass in a westerly direction.

Officers in the area were informed of an escapee and began combing local ‘burgs.

No...it wasn't THAT kind of jailbreak. Dammit.

Despite being busy threatening to arrest Disclosure staffers if they video police officers in her county while they are doing their jobs, stand-in sheriff Joyce Cullison tottered down the steps, poured her ample hips into the cruiser she inherited from late hubby and began putting around town in search of the wayward crim.

Sources indicate that Ms. Cullison found Mr. Vaughn hiding in the creek, in the woods, near the bridge on the outskirts of Elizabethtown heading in the general direction of Rosiclare.

Instead of lumbering out of her cruiser, Ms. Sheriff rolled down her window and yelled until Mr. V stuck his head up out of the weeds.

“You gonna run any more?” Joyce asked.

Vaughn said no and climbed out of the creek, out of the woods and onto the road where he then climbed into Ms. Sheriff’s squad car for his ride back to jail.

In keeping with the level of ineptitude in Hardin County (generally speaking), there has been no word from officials and nothing resembling media was informed of the escape, nor of what Vaughn was in custody for in the first place.

MARION, IL (KFVS) -

The Marion City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to let go of one of their employees.

Not much information is being released at this time, but an investigation is underway to determine whether or not anything is missing.

Linda Hyde was employed as the Marion Water Department Manager. She worked for the City for 30 years.

Mayor Bob Butler tells Heartland News, that the city council voted unanimously Wednesday night to terminate Hyde “for cause.”

The mayor says the City is doing an internal audit of the department to determine exactly what is, or is not missing.

They’re running her name as “Hyde”….we’ve been told “Heyde”…if anyone out there for sure knows, feel free to post…..and, if you have a photo, that’d be sweet.

.............

Just had this pointed out to us…..call it before the message changes and verify it yourself (618-997-1301), because we have a pretty big audience in Williamson County and we’re pretty sure they’re going to hear this and make it say something different (or at least record someone without what appears to be a slight speech impediment….not that there’s anything wrong with that….)

Sharon Sue Bauer, 43, of Harrisburg (also known as Sharon Sue Batterson and Sharon Sue Duvall), was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 8 on two meth-related counts. The grand jury charged that on April 12, 2012, in Saline County, Bauer possessed a List I chemical, pseudoephedrine, knowing that it would be used to manufacture meth; they also charged that she did the same on April 23.

Pseudoephedrine. The choice of loser methmakers everywhere.

The feds, in their ever-increasing effort to try and control meth, continue to come up with creative ways to charge a person with possession of p.e. In this instance, the counts are called “Possession of a Listed Chemical Knowing or Having Reasonable Cause to Believe it Would Be Used to Manufacture Methamphetamine”….a very long and involved way of stating she went to the drug store, got herself some cold meds with pseudoephedrine in em, and did so only for the purpose of meth making, by her or someone else.

Suzy lotsa last names.....

UPDATE: Just thought we’d add this little detail to the story; we looked at the paperwork filed in the case and noticed that this chick has been living off the taxpayer since 1992. Geesh. Didn’t know you could game the system that long.

Anyway, she was apprehended on May 10, according to court  documents, and taken in for a hearing yesterday, May 14, in front of the federal judge, who ordered her detained but in a medical center for federal prisoners. Not sure what that’s about; we’ll likely find out by press time of the next print version, which won’t be out for another four weeks, as we’re on a long schedule this month in pursuit of growing the business. Check back, however, for any updates to this story.

About $40,000 of it.

.......

While we don’t have many details, we have confirmed that a certain long-time water employee, Linda Heyde, is no longer at the Marion water department.

Heyde, reported to us as being “very politically connected,” was reportedly fired this past Friday, May 11, for what’s being called “theft of more than $40,000 in public monies from the city of Marion water department.”

We’ve received communication that “e-mail from the city tells department heads ‘NO STATEMENT is to be made about anything you know at city hall’.”

Phone calls placed to the water department by our staff have confirmed that Heyde is not available; quote, “She’s not here” with no further explanation given.

When we know more, we’ll bring it….in the meantime, keep watching.

According to these sources, E. coli has been found in the water samples, which, as we all know, means it’s been there for at least a few days if not a few weeks, as water sampling runs notoriously behind.

So, yep, there’s poop in the water again in E-town…..take appropriate precautions. And keep checking back, as we happen to have a suggestion as to why there’s so much fecal matter contaminating the area…..complete with pictures.

In a story that didn’t make print, we learned on April 23 that one William A. Scates (not sure if this is Alex Scates; we’re looking into it), 25, of South Adkin Road, Omaha, was cited April 4 with a February 19 incident of Driving Under the Influence (filed as a Class A misdemeanor) after he was popped driving allegedly intoxicated on Route 13 east of New Market Road, Shawneetown. An Illinois State Police trooper stopped Scates after he said he “improper lane usage,” and upon contact “noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath; his eyes were bloodshot and glassy; and he displayed clues of intoxication during standard field sobriety tests.”

A portable breath test showed Scates blew .150, nearly twice the legal limit; a second test showed .112 a short time later.

No explanation was given as to exactly WHY it took so long to file a charge against the Scates boy, as, were it anyone else, they’d have been cited immediately and set for hearing within 30 days.

A summary suspension (wherein an automatic suspension of a person’s driver’s license is issued when certain DUI criteria are met, such as multiple offenses) was issued by ISP. However, remarkably, little Mr. Scates had that summary suspension “rescinded” by the judge in the case. Also remarkably, the boy was allowed to take a plea in the matter on the same day it was filed (April 4). In his plea, he agreed to have a guilty verdict on the misdemeanor, in exchange for a $750 fine, payments to the Guardian Center and Gallatin County Drug Fund, have an alcohol assessment, and be under 12 months conditional discharge. He was set for a review hearing on March 4, 2012.

The judge in the case, Paul Lamar, agreed to the rescindment of the summary suspension due to, he wrote on the file, “no reasonable grounds.” There was no explanation as to why, when others in Gallatin and surrounding counties get a DUI and blow even less than what Scates did, as well as have fewer other problems attached to the stop, such as the Improper Lane Usage as well as, oh, let’s not forget this….a little matter of Giving Alcohol to a Minor. That charge was dismissed the next day due to the plea.

If anyone  knows how this Scates kid rated such preferential treatment (other than being a Scates), feel free to post….but it appears Gallatin has a long history of punishing one group and ignoring the other. We’ll see which one Mr. Holloway belongs to; we understand he has a broken pelvis and other injuries, but is otherwise expected to recover fully from the weekend rollover accident noted in the previous post.