2023

Murbarger Sentenced

After what may be one of the highest profile murder trials in Wayne County history, 27-year-old Brodey Murbarger received a 50-year sentence in January, for the strangulation death of Megan Nichols in July 2014. Murbarger would not be eligible for his three-year parole until 2073.

The sentence was handed down by Wayne County Circuit Judge Michael Molt, who was quoted saying he was “very disturbed” by the evidence A.A.G.’s Michael Falligario and Myra

Yelle-Clark brought before the jury. Letters were read aloud in defense of Murbarger, who spoke himself saying, “I am incapable of murder,” and “I do not feel completely innocent.”

Kathy Jo Hutchcraft, mother of Megan, read aloud her own letter that said otherwise.

Murbarger started his time at Menard in February, and Murbarger’s defense requested a reconsideration of the sentence in March.

   Titzer Lawsuit Settled

Former Police detective, Justin Titzer, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit that gained traction with the deposition in April, and ultimately settled the suit with the City of Fairfield out of court in September.   The suit was settled days after Fairfield City Attorneys filed a motion

to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the former officer, who said he was discriminated against by the Fairfield Police in March.  By September, a mandatory mediation proceeding took place in St. Louis, when both sides agreed to settle what would become a civil rights lawsuit in

the amount of $295,000.  Titzer was quoted in saying of the lawsuit then, “I’m just glad it’s over,”

and “I wish the Fairfield City Police Dept. nothing but the best.” 

Tate More Charges

One year into serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of Wayne County deputy, Sean Riley, 30 more charges were filed against Ray Tate Jr. serving in the Menard Penitentiary at Chester.  The charges included aggravated kidnapping while armed with a firearm and reckless discharge of firearm, stemming from the time alluding capture in Missouri. In light of his lifetime incarceration, and no chance of parole, victims in the cases approved dismissing the charges in Missouri. Since then, Tate is still attempting to withdraw his plea, and has fired and re-hired his attorney at different times. Tate is still considered a high escape risk, and all hearings are done

by video. Ambulance Service Closes Over the course of year, the slow death of the North Wayne Ambulance Service made for several articles in 2023, with foreboding headlines of

financial difficulty in February, a closing in May, and eventually, the consolidation of the territory in September. A combination of the Bedford Fire Department, and Wayne City and the Fairfield Ambulance Services absorbed the territory once under watch by North Wayne, as well as the budget Wayne County levied of $250,000 for the defunct service.  North Wayne Ambulance covered a large area, spanning from the county line, north from Geff, west to Orchardville, and east to Mt. Erie, a swath of rural territory that demands a service to remain.

Another reason for its closure was lack of certified personnel, and general interest in the work, given the pressures and stresses of a most critical job  

FMH Financial Woes Revealed

Faced with lingering debt from the construction of a nearly $25 million building expansion and mounting cash flow problems, Fairfield Memorial Hospital officials revealed it was time to consider becoming affiliated with a regional healthcare system.  “There are perhaps four regional

healthcare systems that could be considered,” said Fairfield Memorial Hospital Board President Dr. Patrick Molt. “Those are Deaconess, Carle, Sarah Bush Lincoln and Ascension St. Vincent.” Dr. Molt stressed that no meetings have taken place with any of the potential candidates, adding that officials are just beginning to reach out to those healthcare systems. The hospital staff was made aware of the situation in a memo distributed by interim Chief Financial Officer

Dana Taylor. At the top of the stack of debt causing the hospital’s financial woes, is the

recent construction of a three-story addition to the hospital. Ground was broken on the $24.8 million addition in 2019. The recently finished project expanded surgical services, added a

new emergency department, urgent care and office space for additional specialists.  

$6.8 Million In Pension Debt

It was disclosed in November by Fairfield Mayor Gary Moore that the city owed over $6.8 million toward police and fire pensions. The mayor said the police pension was under-funded by $5.4 million with 14 drawing pensions. The fire pensions were under-funded by $1.3 million with three drawing pensions. At the most recent city council meeting, the aldermen approved a 7.99% hike in the city’s tax levy which will generate $72,341 in additional money to be allocated toward the pension debt.

 FCHS Tennis Player Dominates 

FCHS Tennis Player Dominates In one of the big surprises of the sports year, FCHS Italian foreign exchange student, Lisa Tomasi, came to town unannounced and proceeded to wreck all of her opponents. She was declared the Player of the Year in Southern Illinois tennis and

finished fifth at the Class A IHSA state tournament. She lost only one match all year at the state tournament, and later vanquished that same player in a repeat match.  A sports feature carried in the Press about the left hander described Tomasi as “Italian Dynamite.”  She will remain in Fairfield until June when she will return to Italy.  She attracted the interest of several

colleges interested in her skills.  

Streets Resurfaced

After dodging bumps and swerving pot holes in Fairfield, Mary Gary Moore finally announced city roads would be resurfaced back in April.  Announced at the Fairfield City Council meeting on April 12, at $7 Million, Main and Delaware Streets would get much-needed attention.  It had been 10 years since the last time the roads had been addressed, and the project would be funded at

80 percent by Federal monies, and 20 percent would be split by both the state and the City.

Construction rolled into town over the summer, when drivers began to navigate the day-to-day changes of orange cones by workers marking off new sections of roads.

  Electronic Billboard

Many area residents were shocked at the end of October when they witnessed the construction of a large electronic billboard being erected on the northeast corner of 1st and Main

Street in downtown Fairfield.  Amongst the reviews were unfavorable criticisms of the size and appearance of the 24-foot tall surprise signage in a historic downtown.  Many were unaware the decision to place the sign was made public at the beginning of the year, at a city council

meeting in January, when aldermen accepted a payment of $150,000 to place the sign.

The sign now lights the intersection at night with local advertisements, and the reviews from residents are still mixed.

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