New Village Storage Ordinance

By Gary Scott on December 5, 2025 at 10:43am

South Jacksonville now has a way to claim costs when it is forced to keep a vehicle. The Trustees approved the new storage fee ordinance, which was modeled after Jacksonville’s. Village board president Dick Samples says the ordinance fills a hole that was left in the current village code. He says the ordinance is patterned […]

Peters to Health Leaders’ Post

By Gary Scott on December 5, 2025 at 10:39am

An area county health department leader has been appointed as a co chair for a new partnership in Illinois aimed at developing a statewide public health blueprint. Greene County public health administrator Molly Peters has been appointed co-chair for the SHA/SHIP partnership. Peters will help steer the processes of the state health assessment and the […]

Grain Bin Rescue Equipment in Greenfield

By Gary Scott on December 5, 2025 at 10:36am

A Greene County fire department has received funding for a grain bin rescue tool. The Greenfield fire department has received financial support from the Greene County Farm Bureau, and Tri County FS to buy a grain bin rescue system. The auger used in the system helps safely extract victims who are in grain bins and […]

Public Meeting on 117 Tax Levy

By Gary Scott on December 5, 2025 at 10:33am

Jacksonville school superintendent Steve Ptacek plans to hold a meeting the third week of December on the school board’s proposed 2026 tax levy. The school board is considering seeking a 10-percent increase. Ptacek says the tax levy increase request is partially fueled by the property tax extension limitation law, or PTELL. He says he will […]

Crimestoppers Helping investigate a stolen Car

By Gary Scott on December 5, 2025 at 9:47am

Crimestoppers of Morgan County is looking for help in the search for a stolen car. The crime of the week from the Morgan, Scott, and Cass Crimestoppers is the theft of a car from a subdivision south of Jacksonville. The theft occurred between 2 and 6 AM last Saturday in the 100 block of Adele […]

Salvation Army Opened its Doors in the Cold this week

By Gary Scott on December 5, 2025 at 6:51am

The Jacksonville Salvation Army was able to open space this week to given the homeless a place to go in the cold weather. Temperatures yesterday and overnight dipped to single digits. Jacksonville Salvation Army Captain Justian Corliss says the Citadel provided space this week to keep people warm and out of the weather. He says […]

Big Donation Comes to the Proposed JCA

By Gary Scott on December 4, 2025 at 10:59am

A member of the recently formed Jacksonville Center for the Arts board offered a big Christmas gift to the proposed transformation of a downtown Theater into a fine arts center. JCA board member Cathy Randall made the pledge of $1-million toward the project. Randall is a former Jacksonville alderman and active locally. She made the […]

End of Year Deadlines for Jax Licensing and fire protection

By Gary Scott on December 4, 2025 at 10:06am

The city of Jacksonville is reminding businesses with licenses, and rural fire protection permits about an end of the year deadline. City clerk Angela Salyer says licenses expire December 31st for bowling alleys, movie theaters, skating rinks, tax services, horse drawn vehicles, and tattoo parlors. She says rural fire protection contracts also expire at the […]

Downtown Winchester Christmas

By Gary Scott on December 4, 2025 at 9:40am

A downtown Scott County community will light up with Christmas this weekend. It’s the Downtown Winchester Christmas celebration. One of the people helping getting the word out is Stevie Vandevelde. She says the town is ready to go Saturday. It will include a Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage breakfast from 8 to 10 AM at Sibert […]

South Jax meeting tonight

By Gary Scott on December 4, 2025 at 6:04am

The South Jacksonville village board will take final action on the 2026 tax levy ordinance tonight. It’s one of the action items on tonight’s agenda. Insurance coverage for village employees is driving the levy for Jacksonville. But, South Jacksonville found out last month the village increase will be less, running about 4-percent higher. Trustees are […]