Fatal St. Anne Crash and Rising Concerns Over Local Police Coverage - Thursday, May 14th, 2026

In this edition of the WVLI News Update, Rob West reports on a fatal motorcycle accident near St. Anne and addresses growing concerns from the Iroquois County Board regarding law enforcement coverage in Gilman and Onaga. The update includes a report on the Kankakee County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony and provides the latest figures on surging gas prices across Illinois and Indiana as the holiday weekend approaches.

Listeners will also hear updates from the Kankakee County Board's Criminal Justice Committee regarding local overdose statistics and the current status of the SAFE-T Act in Springfield. The episode further covers proposed legislation concerning inmate reentry, a significant leadership change at Riverside Health Care, and an honorary road designation in Pembroke Township. Additional segments highlight upcoming community events, including a benefit performance by Pat Tomasulo and the upcoming Senior Safety Fair.

The update concludes with a comprehensive sports report covering the White Sox, Cubs, Chicago Sky, and the latest from the NBA and NHL playoffs. Listen to the full episode for in-depth reporting on these local stories and more.

Listen to more great shows on the WVLI Podcast Network:

This One Time in Kankakee  (Narrative Storytelling)

Kankakee Valley Community Happenings  (Businesses & Non-Profits)

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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:42

A motorcyclist is dead following a crash near St. Ann Tuesday night. Illinois State Police say the crash happened on Route 1 near 4,000 South Road about 730 Tuesday night involved a motorcycle and an SUV. Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner identified the cyclist as 48-year-old Charles Allen Wickens of St. Ann. Gessner said Wickens died at the scene of the crash caused the crash, still under investigation. Concerns expressed at Tuesday morning's Iroquois County board meeting about a lack of law enforcement in Gilman and Onarga, Chairman Paul Ducat.

SPEAKER_07 1:14

We've actually had uh letters sent down to them uh stating the lack of uh police that they have down there, and we had agreements in place, and they have not come back to us yet. Uh the fear that I would have is for the citizens of both those towns uh with the lack of law enforcement.

SPEAKER_05 1:34

Ducat suggested there should be more police protection in Gilman and Onarga since they're both located near the interstate. Annual Kankakee County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony being held this morning at eleven o'clock on the courthouse lawn in downtown Kankakee. Under Sheriff Chad Gessner tells us about this year's speaker.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

It's going to be Ryan Presley. He is the uh special agent in charge of the FBI division out of the Springfield office, so he will be doing a ceremonial speech.

SPEAKER_05 2:02

Gessner adds the ceremony is open to the public and everybody's welcome to attend. Gas prices continue to climb as we get near the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Triple A says a gallon of regular no-lead gas running $5.8 now across the land of Lincoln. That's up another nickel overnight. Gas prices up slightly in Kankakee, where they went up a penny overnight to $4.93 a gallon. Triple A says a gallon of gas set you back $4.85 in Iroquois County, $4.94 in Ford County, $4.91 in Grundy County, $5.10 up in Will County. Across the state line, gallon of gas set you back $4.31 on average in Newton County, $4.56 in Benton County, $4.36 in Jasper County. Triple A says a gallon of gas running $4.25 a gallon on average across the Hoosier State. Nationwide average $4.53 a gallon. During Wednesday morning's meeting of the Kankakee County Board's Criminal Justice Committee, County Coroner Bob Gessner gave the committee an update on overdose deaths so far this year. Gessner added so far this year the average age of an overdose victim, 46 years old. Comedian in WGN TV's Pat Tomasulo will perform at the Lincoln Cultural Center in Kankakee Saturday. The event a benefit for the Kankakee Valley Theater Association. Thomas Sulo, a recent guest on the Kankakee Valley Community Happenings podcast with myself and Mike Tomano.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

We know the sportscaster, we know the comedic side of you, but what about when you're in an intimate setting? You're not on a broadcast uh you know air. What what can we expect from Pat?

SPEAKER_06 3:43

Well, listen, I've been doing stand-up comedy now for about 16 years, and I'm I'm a very accomplished stand-up, but a lot here's what here's the deal. When you go see a lot of stand-up comedians in person, a lot of them just tell jokes. Me, I do I belly dance, I breathe fire, I uh I hula hoop, it's very sporting board of everything.

SPEAKER_05 4:07

Tickets for the Thomas Zulo Show live in Kankakee this Saturday available at KVTA.org. During a Wednesday morning's meeting of the Kankakee County Board's Criminal Justice Committee, State's Attorney Jim Rowe asked about any news coming out of Springfield when it comes to the Safety Act.

SPEAKER_04 4:23

I had weekly meetings with the State's Attorney Association, with a group of state attorneys, they put together some proposals, and it looks like uh none of the bills that would make uh Illinois safer under the Safety Act are even coming out of committee or going forward. The leadership in Springfield said they were open to changing that or looking at changes, and ultimately that didn't bear out to be true.

SPEAKER_05 4:47

Rose said in his opinion, the only changes making their way out of committee and to the floor would make things less safe for Illinois residents. During that same meeting, County Sheriff Mike Downey told the committee he's been working with 79th District State Representative Jackie Haas on a piece of legislation that would return prison inmates to the county jail for the last six months of their sentence.

SPEAKER_09 5:14

When people come back to our community and try to find housing, find a job, stay out of trouble. We've said all along people come back to our community even when they get sentenced to prison. And and I think it's our I think it's our job to make sure that we don't see them again.

SPEAKER_05 5:34

Downey says he doubts the legislation will go anywhere since the state would have to pay the county to house the inmates for the last six months of their sentences. State Department of Transportation wants you to be on the alert for maintenance crews picking up trash and other debris across the state. IDOT crews have been removing litter throughout Illinois, focusing on ramps, interchanges, and known problem areas. Efforts increasing heading into the summer. They also ask that you don't litter. Last year, IDOT spent $33 million statewide picking up trash, sweeping shoulders, and removing large debris. Riverside Healthcare has a new Chief Financial Officer, Jake Lamore, has the story.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Rob, according to a press release from Wednesday, Riverside President and CEO Phil Cambic announced Richard Schildz has been promoted to the position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Schultz first joined Riverside in 2007 as their internal auditor and has spent the past 15 years as Director of Finance. Schildz promotion comes after former CFO Patricia Vilt retired after spending over 30 years at Riverside. I'm Jake Clamore.

SPEAKER_05 6:40

At Tuesday morning's Kankakee County Board Meeting, a resolution was passed to designate County Highway 2 between 13,000 East and 14,000 East Roads in Pembroke Township as Honorary Robert and Lucille Hayes Roadway, the road designation suggested by District 4 board member Rosemary Foster.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Each in their own right was just uh a pillar of strength and uh motivation to the community. Uh Mrs. Hayes, who lived a long life, she just passed a few months ago, 104. She started, she was born in Pembroke Township.

SPEAKER_05 7:17

Foster added, Lucille Hayes was a teacher, eventually became superintendent, while Robert Hayes worked for the county in the state's attorney's office, later became Pembroke Township Supervisor. During a Wednesday morning's meeting of the Kankakee County Board Criminal Justice Committee, County State's Attorney Jim Rowe said his office is looking for vendors for next month's senior safety fair.

SPEAKER_04 7:37

Uh be at the Quality Inn. If anyone represents a business, an organization that caters to seniors or caregivers, we'd love to have your agency represented there. We don't allow anyone to sell anything. It really is just for more or less social services, you know, recreational activities for senior citizens.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

The senior safety fair set for June 18th. You can contact the state's attorney's office for more information. In sports, Sox won Wednesday. The Cubs and Cards both lost. Sox beat the Royals 6-5. The Cubs lost to the Braves 4-1. The Cards dropped a 6-2 decision to the A's. Same teams go at it tonight. Chicago Fire FC beat D.C. United 3-1. They visit Montreal on Saturday. Chicago Sky still undefeated on the young WNBA season. That following a 69-63 win over the Golden State Valkyries Wednesday. They meet the Mercury tomorrow night. The NBA playoffs continued last night. Cavaliers beat the Pistons 117-113 in overtime. No games on the schedule tonight. Timberwolves host the Spurs tomorrow night. Stanley Cup playoffs continued last night. Avalanche beat the Wild 4 3. Tonight, the Sabres host the Canadians. The Ducks host the Golden Knights. That is a look at news and sports here on this Thursday. Have a good rest of your day. Be safe, everybody. I'm Rob West.