Several visitors to the Mount Vernon High School and Mount Vernon Middle School were asked to move their illegally parked vehicles Thursday afternoon after Mount Vernon Fire Chief Shawn Christy visited the schools and found the fire lanes in front of both schools completely filled with vehicles.

The Knox County Sheriff will continue to provide the village of Centerburg with contracted law enforcement services. The contract was signed by the sheriff and the Knox County Commissioners on Thursday afternoon.

TThe start of the school year is ushering in some changes at the Knox County Career Center, as the board of education learned at its meeting on Thursday. Perhaps the most welcome news is that construction and maintenance projects are nearly complete.

More than 1,000 Knox County children and their families are grateful for receiving free backpacks filled with school supplies, but some families struggling to make ends meet are disappointed that the school clothing vouchers distributed last year are no longer available.