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Last updated 11:43 am CT September 02, 2010.

Arrest Warrant Issued In Deadly Shooting

8/23/10

MARION -- Police continue to search for suspects in Sunday's deadly shooting in Williamson County. The shooting happened around 3:11 a.m. Sunday in Marion.
LaQuinn Hudson, 30, of Marion, later died.

Police said Monday evening they do not have an
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Manhunt Underway for Creal Springs Man

8/22/10

WSIL -- Police across Illinois are searching for a Creal Springs man, who they consider armed and dangerous.

Marcus E. Marshall, 30, of rural Creal Springs, is wanted for questioning in a homicide. He was last seen driving a black 2004 Nissan SUV
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Mt. Vernon to Hold Rally Against Violence

8/22/10

MT. VERNON -- A local town, struck by recent violence, says enough is enough. Monday night community members in Mt. Vernon will hold a town hall meeting with local law enforcement, city government, and school and church officials. The meeting is in r
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Todd Fort Out On Bond

8/22/10

MURPHYSBORO -- The Saline County Sheriff's Deputy accused of having sex with a 17 year old employee is free on bond. Officials with the Jackson County Jail say Todd Fort bonded out Saturday night after posting $25,000 cash. Fort is facing 10 felony c
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Local Town Rallies Behind Boy; Honors Brother

8/22/10

HURST -- A little boy, who was almost killed by pit bulls earlier this month, is out of the hospital. Five year old Winston Bankston is still recovering from the attack that nearly took his life. Sunday a local community showed it takes a village to
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Family Caught In Drive-By Shooting

8/22/10

MARION -- Two hours before the deadly shooting near downtown Marion, a family says they had four bullets fired at their car and home.

Robert Laudando says he will never forget what it was like pulling into his driveway just after midnight Sunday.
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Police Investigate Deadly Shooting

8/22/10

MARION -- Marion Police say the Williamson County Major Case Squad is looking into the shooting death.

LaQuinn Hudson, 33, of Marion, was shot at a home in the 400 block of South Liberty Street in Marion around 3:11 a.m. Sunday.

Hudson was take
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Making Railroad Crossings Safer

8/21/10

BENTON -- Last year more than 20 people were killed at railroad crossings in Illinois. The sixth highest in the country. News Three photojournalist Brandon Geier tags along as local law enforcement works to make railroad crossings safer.
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Local Family Proves Life Goes On

8/21/10

PITTSBURG -- Isaac Phipps didn't have much of a chance 10 years ago. He was only five months old when doctors noticed a heart murmur.

"The doctors basically told us that they've done all they could do and the only thing left to do is pray," said B
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Marion Park Gets Upgrade

8/21/10

WILLIAMSON COUNTY-- Hauling wood chips and pouring concrete isn't necessarily the ideal way many people would spend their Saturday. But more than 100 volunteers in Marion did just that for one reason.

"To pretty much give this whole, entire park
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Giannoulias Meets With Local Small Business Owners

8/20/10

CARBONDALE-- As state treasurer and democratic senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias listened to the concerns of about a dozen Jackson County business owners on Friday, one thing was apparent.

"These are actually folks who want to expand, who want t
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JALC Board Chair Passes Away

8/20/10

CARTERVILLE - John A. Logan College Board of Trustees Chair, Rev. David Hancock has died. College officials say Hancock died early Friday morning from complications from a brain tumor.

He first became a trustee in 2005 and was elected chairman in
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Blagojevich Goes On Media Blitz...Again

8/20/10

WSIL -- Former Governor Rod Blagojevich may be a convicted felon. But to hear him talk, he's the victim. Blagojevich says he was on the verge of a deal with House Speaker Mike Madigan. The former governor would put Madigan's daughter, Attorney Genera
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Quinn: Brady "Cowardly" on Budget

8/20/10

WSIL-TV--- Governor Pat Quinn has some harsh words for his Republican opponent as the budget debate continues.

"I think that its very cowardly, frankly, for Senator Brady not to spell out what he would do with the Illinois budget," Quinn said wh
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RLC-Helmets to Hardhats

8/20/10

JEFFERSON COUNTY-- The reality is that some returning troops will only be home a short time before being re-deployed to Afghanistan. But many of those staying in the United States must now find a job as a civilian. The program Helmets for Hardhats
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Local Iraq Vets React to Withdrawal

8/19/10

WSIL-- Even as combat troops leave Iraq the debate about whether the mission was worthwhile continues.

The Iraq war lasted longer than the Civil War and even longer than World War II.

While most Americans were anxious to bring our troops
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School Districts To See Stimulus Money

8/19/10

HARRISBURG -- School districts in southern Illinois are getting money from Uncle Sam, but leaders are worried that the state may hold the grants against them.

"If they're going to hand us $962,000, I'm not going to complain about how they work tha
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Fort Faces More Charges

8/19/10

HARRISBURG -- A trial date is set for the Sheriff's Deputy accused of having sex with a 17-year-old employee. Todd Fort, 43, will go before a jury November 3, 2010.

The Saline County deputy now faces ten felony counts. That includes two new char
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Union County Board Could Expand

8/19/10

JONESBORO-- Four years ago, residents in Union County made a strong push to expand the county board. Chairman Randy Lambdin says voters passed a resolution to add two more members in 2006, but there was a problem.

"The resolution that was written
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Continued Drought Impacts Farmers

8/19/10

WSIL--Hot and dry conditions have left us all in need of a little rain, but some of us need it more than others.

The moderate drought now extends from southeastern MO to western KY and even extreme southern IL in Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, south
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New Charges Filed In Bush Dog Attack

8/18/10

WILLIAMSON COUNTY-- It's been almost two weeks since a play-day at the Bush Village Park turned tragic for five year old Winston Bankston and his family. The little boy was attacked by two dogs who lived at a home on Bailey Street just a few blocks
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Things To Know Before Buying A Security System

8/18/10

MARION -- Door to door sales teams are asking people in Marion to think about improving their home security. A company is in town selling security systems that do not require a phone line to call police.

"My son is even smart enough at 10 years o
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Local Man Sentenced In International Porn Ring

8/18/10

CARTERVILLE -- A Carterville man will serve nearly two decades in prison. Federal agents say he took part in an international child porn network.

Charles Trull, 43, of Carterville, is one of 26 men federal agents busted two years ago for running
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Jurors In The Rod Blagojevich Trial Speak Out

8/18/10

WSIL -- Former Governor Rod Blagojevich says the mistrial on 23 counts proves his innocence. But the people who chose his fate say that's not necessarily the case. Juror Erik Sarnello says it was only one person who kept Blagojevich from a guilty ver
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Egg Recall: Salmonella Scare

8/18/10

UPDATE -- Health officials say thousands more people across the country are
likely to get sick from bad eggs.

380 million eggs produced by an Iowa company may be contaminated with
salmonella. That's 100 million more than first thought.

Regu
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Tower Square becomes a Religious Battle Ground

8/18/10

MARION-- The debate over putting a Ten Commandments Monument on the Marion square is only heating up.

Wednesday, the Chicago atheist battling the project gained some local support.
A Marion man stepped in saying he will file a lawsuit if the city
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Blago Juror: 11 Wanted to Convict on Senate Seat

8/17/10

CHICAGO (AP) - A juror in the corruption trial of Rod
Blagojevich says the panel was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of
convicting the former Illinois governor of trying to sell or trade
President Barack Obama's former Senate seat.

Juror Erik Sarnello
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Blagojevich Timeline of Events

8/17/10

Timeline of events in the corruption case against former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich:

2008
- Dec. 9: Blagojevich arrested by FBI.
- Dec. 15: Illinois House creates committee to consider
impeachment.
- Dec. 19: Blagojevich makes fir
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Blagojevich Trial: Jury Ask How They Should Mark Verdict

8/17/10

CHICAGO (AP) - Jurors in the corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have asked the judge how they should mark the verdict form if they can't reach a decision on a count.

Judge James B. Zagel said in his response that they should
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Coach Kill Cancer Fund Impacts Hundreds

8/17/10

WILLIAMSON CO.-Jerry Kill spent seven seasons on the sidelines at SIU.
Even though he's now coaching at Northern Illinois University, the coach's impact is still felt here through his cancer fund.

Kill went to SIH to establish the charity after h
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Blago Guilty On One Count

8/17/10

CHICAGO (AP) - A federal jury has found ex-Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents, and the judge says he intends to declare a mistrial
on the remaining counts.

Prosecutors said Tuesday immediately after
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Giannoulias Supports Mosque Near Ground Zero

8/17/10

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Democratic Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias says he supports building a mosque near the site
of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Giannoulias said Tuesday during a visit to the Illinois State Fai
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Heartland Regional Plans to Expand

8/16/10

MARION-Changes are coming to Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion. Within the next year, there are plans to make the hospital's ICU bigger.

"The demand is so significant, there are times we're at full capacity. What we need to do is build
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Crews Search For Missing Swimmer

8/16/10

CAIRO -- Officials say they will search until it is too dark, for a swimmer missing since Sunday. The 20-year-old man from Charlotte, NC, went into the Mississippi River in Cairo from the levee near 21st Street around 3:20 p.m. Sunday.

Within min
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Crowd Counters Atheist Challenge to the Ten Commandments Monument

8/16/10

MARION-- It was standing room only at the Marion City Council Meeting Monday night. A large crowd turned out to support the Ten Commandments proposal. They were countering one man's fight against the idea.

While no action was taken at Monday nig
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Winston Murder Now 3 Years Old

8/16/10

SALINE COUNTY-- Tuesday marks three years since authorities discovered 18-year-old Jade Winston shot to death in Carrier Mills. Just a day later, her brother Jerome Mitchell, died in a car crash. Some say the cases are connected; They're both growi
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Despite Tight Budgets, Families Pay For College

8/15/10

MARION -- Families are finding ways to pay for college, despite tightening the family budget across the board. The recession has kept most Americans from getting annual pay raises to keep up with inflation.

At the same time, the cost for college
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Franklin County Church Celebrates 143 Years

8/15/10

PLUMFIELD -- Plumfield Christian Church Elder Bill Gayer has been leading worship since he was a teenager at the Franklin County church. There's a funny story about how he first started coming to the church more than 50 years ago.

"I guess I kinda
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Talking Politics: The Latest Polls

8/15/10

We look at the latest polls in the race for governor and US Senate in Illinois.
For governor, Republican Bill Brady has opened up a 13 point lead in a new Rasmussen survey. This after Democrat Pat Quinn had closed the gap to just three points about
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UPDATE: No Foul Play In Toddler Drowning

8/15/10

VALIER -- The drowning death of a 22-month-old baby from Franklin County has been labeled an accident.

Franklin County Coroner Marty Leffler says Daltyn Baxter, 22 months, of Valier, was pronounced dead a little after 6 p.m. Saturday at Franklin H
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Toddler Drowns In Franklin County

8/14/10

FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Franklin County Coroner Marty Leffler says a 22-month old boy is dead after drowning at his family's home in Valier Saturday.

He was rushed to Franklin Hospital but pronounced dead upon arrival. The Franklin County Sheriff's of
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Former Cross President Faces New Charges

8/13/10

UNION COUNTY-- Former Friends of the Cross President and pastor Bill Vandergraph, was charged last month with criminal sexual assault against a four year old. Now he faces two more counts in that case.

The Union County State's Attorney's office h
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Church Beating Victim Speaks Out for the First Time

8/13/10

UNION COUNTY-- One of the victims in the Anna church beating speaks publicly for the first time.

70 year old Mary Shepard has struggled through countless surgeries for nearly a year.
She was brutally attacked last September at the First Baptist
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Murphy Sewage Upgrade

8/13/10

MURPHYSBORO -- Raw sewage at the Murphysboro Wastewater Treatment plant isn't the only thing that stinks. It doesn't take long to see it's in pretty bad shape.

"The main bodies of the plant, that's what's really of concern right now."

A new se
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Report Finds "Serious Flaws" In Secret Release Program

8/13/10

WSIL -- It's described as a "hodge podge" program that allowed more than 1,700 inmates to leave prison early. More than 100 of them were violent offenders. A new report says the program was a total failure.

"Inmates did not have to do anything to
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Back to School Tips

8/13/10

For two weeks, News 3 This Morning offered tips to parents, students, and teachers as they get ready to head back to school.

We covered topics like sleep schedules, required vaccines, healthy lunch options, and online dangers.

Click on any of t
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Unsung Hero: Cars for Kids

8/13/10

HARRISBURG -- Drag racers from across the midwest are able to face off in Harrisburg thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers... but everyone who comes to the track is serving a greater cause.

"This is a piece of history for Saline County. It wa
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Blagojevich Trial Latest

8/12/10

11:57 Thursday-
The jurors said Thursday they have not discussed 11 counts of wire fraud. They indicated they have discussed the remaining 11 counts and appear to be deadlocked on them.

11:50 Thursday-
The judge in former Illinois
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H.S. Football Players Stay Safe in the Heat

8/12/10

WILLIAMSON COUNTY--Two-a-day practices began Wednesday for local football teams, but that intense schedule comes during the hottest temperatures we've experienced all summer. Coaches are taking extra precautions to ensure their players stay safe in t
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Community Takes Action After Deadly Shooting

8/12/10

MT. VERNON -- A community is taking action to prevent further violence. It follows a shooting that claimed the life of a Deon Feggins, 15, of Mt. Vernon.

A memorial remains at the corner where Feggins was shot and killed this past Sunday. He was
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