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…

By TRAVIS MORSE tmorse@morningsentinel.com   MOUNT VERNON — Pirate Pete’s Family Entertainment Center in Marion will be relocating to Mount Vernon later this year, according to co-owner Roger Loyd. Pirate Pete’s has been a Marion staple since 2009, but the business was unable to renew its lease at the former Illinois Star Centre Mall. The…