Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInFRANKLIN COUNTY (KFVS) - Crews are on the scene of a crash on Highway 37 north of West Frankfort According to the Franklin County Emergency Management and Communications Drivers are asked to avoid the area and use alternate routes We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at news@wsiltv.com or call us at 618-985-2333 (KBSI) – Mayor Tim Arview said recent online commentary has misrepresented his office’s actions and intentions “While I believe in transparency and open dialogue I also believe in protecting the dignity of our city processes and its people,” Arview said He added that he won’t engage in online arguments but will continue serving residents by working toward fairness “The truth doesn’t require volume; it requires consistency,” Arview said A recent survey regarding a proposed amendment to the livestock ordinance in West Frankfort gathered 110 responses over two months City Council: The West Frankfort City Council may consider these survey results in future discussions on the livestock ordinance © 2025 KBSI FOX23 News Cape Girardeau News | Paducah News WEST FRANKFORT – West Frankfort residents are invited to the second Bicycle Master Plan Open House Tuesday before the City Council meeting at City Hall This will give you an opportunity to review the draft bike routes and share your input on priority projects The Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission is facilitating the plan on behalf of the city The plan will guide future bike infrastructure improvements with short The master plan is expected to be completed by late summer To learn more, visit www.WestFrankfortBikePlan.com residents in West Frankfort are looking for a solution that hits closer to home — raising their own chickens The discussion over allowing backyard hens within city limits has made its way to Mayor Timothy Arview who is now working on a proposed ordinance believes residents should be allowed to raise chickens “I don’t see why there should be any issues,” Rose said “You don’t have to have roosters to get eggs so maybe they could limit roosters for the noise people should be able to have a few chickens in their yard if they want.” Concerns have been raised over the potential spread of bird flu but Rose said that with proper care and city regulations in place she doesn’t believe it would be a major issue “Infestations usually happen in bigger areas where people don’t keep things clean,” she said “I think the biggest issue wouldn’t be the residents — it would come from code enforcement.” Mayor Arview said he’s been gathering public input over the past two months which garnered 110 responses leaning heavily in favor he began drafting an ordinance based on regulations from similar towns in Illinois they wanted to have hens in town,” Arview said “Our ordinance currently doesn’t allow that I looked at how other towns worded theirs.” He referenced Carbondale as one example of a Southern Illinois town with an existing ordinance allowing backyard chickens “I don’t know how long Carbondale has had that ordinance but I modeled ours on theirs and others around the state,” he said The mayor plans to present the ordinance to the City Council on April 22 A decision is expected following that meeting WEST FRANKFORT – At a special Frankfort Community Unit School District 168 School Board meeting this week the board recommended a dozen cuts through the district The school district’s superintendent tell us music teacher positions at Frankfort Community High School Frankfort Intermediate School and Central Junior High School will be affected Donkin says the district will hire a full-time music instructor who will be assigned to several buildings Donkin says after the music program had basically been completely cut around 2016 the district had one person teaching music for the district from 2018 until about 2021 when it was able to expand out the additional person to serve more grade levels specifically for music the district has posted to shrink that back to where it had been Donkin says the district’s goal will be to bring that additional music position back when it can The school district hired a second music teacher for this school year after a previous director left That new hire left unexpectedly in December so the district had to hire someone to finish the year The district will also cut a behavioral interventionalist and social worker at Denning Elementary Donkin says several of those positions listed were already vacant and formally chose not to post for their replacements for next year The district has tried to work through attrition instead of cuts but Donkin says they weren’t able to accomplish that at this time WEST FRANKFORT – In response to the severe weather forecast predicting heavy rain and potential flooding over the next few days West Frankfort Mayor Tim Arview has officially declared a State of Local Emergency for the City of West Frankfort This proactive measure is being taken under the authority granted by the city’s Emergency Plan which exists to ensure the efficient and coordinated response of all city departments and emergency services during major emergencies The declaration enables the city to mobilize resources swiftly to protect lives safeguard property and maintain essential services City departments are working closely with emergency responders and utility services to monitor conditions provide support to the community and activate the Emergency Operations Center if needed take precautions and follow any guidelines issued by local authorities Further updates will be shared as they become available please follow the City of West Frankfort’s official website working with other law enforcement agencies has investigated the claims but found no incidents involving the drug officials are using the opportunity to emphasize the importance of drug awareness and education educators and community members to discuss the dangers of drugs with children and students The police department will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as necessary Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the department at (618) 937-1234 or email wffire@westfrankfort-il.gov Parkhill was stopped by a uniformed Christopher officer for violating the Illinois Vehicle Code He failed to provide valid insurance and proper documentation A tow inventory of the vehicle uncovered suspected contraband and Parkhill was taken into custody without incident He was transported to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and charged with possession of methamphetamine and operating an uninsured motor vehicle The charges against Parkhill include possession of methamphetamine (720 ILCS 646/60) and operating an uninsured motor vehicle (625 ILCS 5/3-701) The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law Old King Coal Festival President Marcia Raubach (right) congratulates John Smith of West Frankfort after he was named 2025 Old King Coal WEST FRANKFORT — The Old King Coal Festival has named John Smith of West Frankfort as the 2025 Old King Coal which runs May 8 through 11 in downtown West Frankfort He worked there until he moved to Old Ben No he went to work in mine safety as a state mine inspector and mine rescue supervisor until 2018 Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account (KBSI) — Police arrested a suspect in a home invasion Sunday after a brief search was taken into custody without incident after a Zeigler Police Department officer found him matching a description of the suspect’s clothing just a few blocks away from the scene Espinoza had earlier encounters with Christopher police and admitted to being under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol Espinoza was charged with criminal trespass to real property and was transported to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office The Christopher Police Department thanked the Zeigler Police Department and the Sesser Police Department for their assistance in the arrest WEST FRANKFORT – A woman has been charged for possessing meth following a traffic stop on West Main Street in West Frankfort around 10:20 Wednesday night Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon says 43-year-old April D Watson of West Frankfort is lodged in the Franklin County Jail A sheriff’s K9 was requested and arrived to do a free air sniff outside the vehicle which rendered a positive alert Watson was searched and she was found with a small silver container she said contained “the ashes of a loved one.” The deputy reported that the contents appeared to be a crystalline substance consistent with the appearance of meth A subsequent field test rendered a positive result for meth.