Carlton of Pearl Arrested for Meth
By Gary Scott on November 2, 2026 at 1:20pm
A drug investigation last year in Calhoun County led to an arrest late last month. 42-year-old Joel Carlton of Pearl was arrested early last week on three drug counts. Carlton was arrested for unlawful delivery of meth and a controlled substance, and possession of meth. Calhoun County sheriff Zach Hardin says the investigation began in […]
Raynor to North Mac Super
By Benjamin Cox on November 2, 2026 at 1:17pm
A former Jacksonville School District 117 administrator has been selected as the next superintendent of the North Mac School District. The State Journal-Register reports that Sarah Raynor has been named the next superintendent of North Mac Community Unit School District 34, which serves the Virden and Girard communities. Raynor will succeed Kyle Hacke, who is […]
Jacksonville City Filings
By Gary Scott on November 2, 2026 at 10:47am
Two challengers have emerged in one of the aldermanic races in Jacksonville next spring. The filing period ran from Monday, October 19th, through last Monday. Five either appointed or elected incumbent aldermen filed during the week long period. They are Rob Thomas in Ward 1, Alison Rubin de Celis in Ward 2, Joe Lockman in […]
Jacksonville Memorial Auxiliary Offering Clothing to Discharged Patients
By Gary Scott on October 30, 2026 at 6:44am
The Jacksonville Memorial Foundation is working with the women’s auxiliary at the hospital to help those who need clothing when they leave the hospital. It is called Discharge with Dignity Jacksonville Memorial Foundation director Kristin Jamison says the auxiliary pinpointed a need for some patients at the hospital. She says patients sometimes come into the […]
Community Steps Up to Fill in Turkey Gap
By Benjamin Cox on October 30, 2026 at 6:39am
A turkey of a problem may have been solved for the Jacksonville Area Community Food Center. This past Monday night, Ward 1 Alderman and Food Center Board member Rob Thomas put out a call of action to the city council requesting funds to help with the Food Center’s annual turkey giveaway ahead of Thanksgiving. Thomas […]
Pikeland families demanding removal of book from High School English curriculum
By Benjamin Cox on October 29, 2026 at 12:22pm
The Pikeland School District is forming a committee to review classroom reading materials after a parent called for the removal of a novel from the curriculum. According to reporting from WBBA Radio in Pittsfield, parent Brian Jacques objected to Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, reportedly assigned in a sophomore English […]
Greene Co. Board Tables Action on Placing County Ambulance Service Out for Bid
By Benjamin Cox on October 29, 2026 at 11:49am
The Greene County Board has put plans to seek bids for ambulance service on hold as discussions continue over the county’s contract with Boyd Hospital. According to River County News, the board met in a special session last Wednesday to consider putting ambulance services out for bid after Boyd Hospital rejected a one-year contract extension. […]
JSD 117 Boundary Changes on the Agenda for November, Building Enclosed with proposed April 2027 completion
By Benjamin Cox on October 29, 2026 at 10:52am
The Jacksonville School District 117 board of education continued with a brief discussion about southern boundary change for the district on Wednesday night. The district had taken up a discussion with members from the Woodson community who would be affected if the southern boundary of the Murrayville-Woodson Elementary district moved north. Superintendent Steve Ptacek recommended […]
Crisis Center Foundation recipient of MacMurray Foundation Community Grant
By Benjamin Cox on October 29, 2026 at 10:38am
The MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association has awarded a community grant to the Crisis Center Foundation in Jacksonville to support healthy relationship education for teens. The funding helped expand the foundation’s violence prevention programming into Greene County, building on existing outreach in Morgan County. Lessons cover bullying prevention, healthy relationships and teen dating violence, using […]
Authorities Search for Tennessee Escaped Convict, Stolen Truck Found in Marion
By Benjamin Cox on October 29, 2026 at 10:22am
Authorities are continuing their search for an escaped Tennessee prison inmate convicted of murder after a stolen truck connected to the escape was discovered in Southern Illinois. 28-year-old Jacob Allen Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, late Sunday night. Prison officials say surveillance footage showed Morley breaching the facility’s perimeter fence […]
