By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — Kingdom Woman Ministry (KWM) joined with local residents Saturday to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of African Americans with a free program held in Mount Vernon called the Black History Museum. The event took place inside the Rolland Lewis Building at Veterans Park. It featured table…

  By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — Twenty area residents got an up close and personal look at law enforcement operations and procedures during Saturday’s day-long Citizen’s Police Academy, hosted by the Mount Vernon Police Department. The popular annual program aims to provide an “immersive experience” for community members, offering them an exclusive…

  By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — Many Jefferson County residents were in the mood for great chili and stimulating conversation Thursday at the Jefferson County Historical Society’s annual chili luncheon fundraiser in Mount Vernon. The event, held at the Rolland Lewis Community Building, is the Historical Society’s largest fundraiser of the year.…

  By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon Fire Department and the Illinois Army National Guard teamed up this past Saturday to host a special firefighter training session outside the MVFD Fire Station #4 on South 42nd Street. The topic of the day was vehicle fires, and firefighters from both the…

By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — It was a bittersweet morning for the Jefferson County Crime Stoppers Board Thursday as they bid farewell to local Crime Stoppers Secretary/Coordinator Randa Rowland. Rowland also serves as lead administrative assistant at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. She is stepping down from both positions at the end…

By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — The highly anticipated project to build a new indoor recreation center in Mount Vernon sparked an in-depth debate and discussion at Tuesday night’s Mount Vernon City Council meeting. Several audience members addressed the council that evening, urging them to not be short-sighted in planning the design for…