WMOK News Check “Yellow Sheet” – Wednesday – January 4, 2023

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Hear Today’s WMOK News Check Below:

Today – Sunny High: 49 °F

Sunset in Metropolis – 4:51 PM

Tonight – Mostly Clear Low: 34 °F

Thursday on WMOK’s Coffee Break:

The Metropolis Public Library

AP Top Stories January 4A

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Contact Kim Comer at WMOK
WMOKnews@frontier.com

Illinoisans with fingerprints on file with Illinois State Police will have their Firearm Owner ID Card automatically renewed.

As of January 1, 2023, Illinois State Police (ISP) will automatically renew Firearm Owner’s Identification cards (FOID) for individuals who have submitted a full set of fingerprints to ISP specifically for their FOID card or Concealed Carry License, upon a Firearms Transaction Inquiry Program (FTIP) approval.

The FOID card will remain active for 10 years from the date of the FTIP approval, so long as the card holder is not subject to revocation or suspension under the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act.

The new measure was part of an update to the FOID law and allows for the voluntary fingerprint option for automatic renewals to kick in at the start of the year. ISP will check the fingerprints against criminal databases for possible FOID card and Concealed Carry License prohibitors.

“The automatic renewal of a FOID card will expedite the process for many cardholders while still ensuring people who are prohibited under the FOID Act do not have legal access to a card,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in a statement.

ISP said the automatic renewal will allow staff to focus on clear and present danger reports, firearm restraining orders, and FOID correlations and enforcement.

The new cards will not include issuance or expiration dates.

If you apply for a FOID card, you can include the full set of fingerprints transmitted through a live scan fingerprint vendor. Those vendors must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Those fingerprints will then be kept on file for potential automatic renewals.

To see a list of licensed fingerprint vendors, click here.

Occasional Book Sales replaced with a Permanent Book Store at the Metropolis Public Library

The Metropolis Public Library made the decision during 2022 to replace “occasional book sales” with a permanent book store within the library.

The book store opened in April and has been a great benefit in providing additional funds for programs at the Metropolis Public Library.

Hear more about the Metropolis Public Library Book Store below:

Metropolis FD Chief Micah Tolbert Talks with WMOK regarding Updated Illinois Smoke Alarm Law Goes into Effect January 1 2023

Image: Illinois Fire Safety Alliance

Metropolis Fire Chief Micah Tolbert joined us recently to discuss the Updated Illinois Smoke Alarm Law which will go into effect in the state of Illinois in January. Public Act 100-0200, passed in 2017, requires all Illinois homes to have a smoke alarm with a sealed ten-year battery by Jan. 1, 2023. According to the bill, homeowners without an updated alarm will get a 90-day notice to get a sealed battery model, after those 90 days they can be fined up to $100.

Read more here

Metropolis Big John has announced that they are collecting money for Cash for Cats.

Customers can do this right at the register while purchasing groceries and may select a donation of $1.00, $2.00 or $5.00.

Dimpled Chad Day is observed on January 4 of every year in memory of the infamous punched card voting ballot. A chad is a small piece of paper that’s punched and removed when a hole is made in cardboard via a machine or with the force of hand. When the chad is not removed completely, though, it is called a dimpled chad. These unremoved chads brought the entire country to its knees on the eve of the 2000 presidential election. Revisit this great national spectacle as we remember the chad and the havoc it wreaked.

The 2000 presidential election was fought between George W. Bush (R-FL) and Al Gore (D-TN). As the day came to an end on November 7, 2000, all leading news channels called the election in favor of Gore. But the state of Florida was yet to declare a winner, with Bush leading the count by a few hundred votes.

More than 30 Florida counties used the Votomatic-style punched card ballots to register the votes. But as expected, many ballots weren’t properly punched. Thousands of voter rolls were discarded because of the dimpled chads, i.e. when a fragment of paper gets stuck to the cardboard even after being punched out. Because of the close count, Gore demanded an automatic machine recount, which was appealed by Bush in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, of course, stopped the recount and declared Bush the winner, a month and six days after the election.

Being one of the oldest functioning democracies in the world, the U.S. has certainly seen its fair share of election mishaps. We grew up listening to stories about John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon’s hotly contested tally, and about how the “Chicago Tribune” incorrectly listed “Dewey Defeats Truman” — it’s almost a meme at this point.

Highlights of this day in history:

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel suffers a stroke and lapses into a coma; the inventor of braille is born; Jesse Ventura sworn in as Minnesota’s governor, poet T.S. Eliot dies. (Jan. 4)

The full Wolf Moon rises on Friday, January 6, 2023. Learn more about when and where to howl at the January full Moon!

Today Is:

Congress Assembles: 4 (Unless it’s on a weekend, then following Monday)
Dimpled Chad Day: 4
Earth at Perihelion Day: 4 11:17am EST
Pop Music Chart Day: 4
Tom Thumb Day: 4
Trivia Day: 4
World Braille Day: 4 Link
World Hypnotism Day: 4 Link

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Contact Kim Comer at WMOK
WMOKnews@frontier.com

See a full listing of Massac County Food Pantries

Man suspected of intentionally driving off California cliff

MONTARA, Calif. (AP) — The driver of a car that plunged off a cliff in Northern California, seriously wounding two children and a second adult after the 250-foot drop, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

Dharmesh A. Patel of Pasadena will be booked into San Mateo County Jail after he’s released from a hospital, the highway patrol said in a statement. It wasn’t immediately known if Patel has an attorney.

“CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene,” the highway patrol statement said. “Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”

Patel, 42, was in the car with a 41-year-old woman, a 7-year-old girl, and a 4-year-old boy, according to court documents cited by CBS News. It was not immediately clear if they were all members of the same family.

Massac County School and Sports News

The Patriots had a huge second half and battled back to erase a 10-point halftime deficit to take down the previously undefeated Herrin Tigers at home yesterday evening – final score 46-41. The guys are now (2-1) in conference play as they prepare for a trip to Benton on Friday.

Hear the final moments of the game and the WMOK Post Game Wrap up with Jim Prevallet and Dale Mittendorf below:

WMOK – Metropolis · Massac V Herrin Upset 1.3.23 Final Minutes And Post Game