A familiar Meredosia landmark could soon be serving ice cream again.

Dustin and Leslie Cowick announced Saturday that they have purchased the property formerly home to the Dosh Dari Delite, with plans to renovate the site and bring it back into operation. The property had sat idle for several years. “Over the next few months Leslie and myself will be doing some remodeling, bringing this piece of Dosh history and memories back to life. Looking forward to helping your kid’s get a sugar rush, all while you drink some coffee and try to keep up with them,” Dustin said on social media Saturday.

The Cowicks say they envision a simple menu featuring ice cream, small food options and coffee. Renovations are planned for the property, including the iconic drive-thru and short-order area, with the goal of reopening at a later date.

The Dosh Dari Delite name dates back to the 1970s, after the property was purchased by the late Henry “Joe” Smith. Before that, the location operated as the Kistner Kreme Kist, although the date that business opened is not known.

The Cowicks have not announced a specific reopening date, but say they are looking forward to bringing ice cream and food service back to the Meredosia location.

Virginia school officials are acknowledging that A-C Central has approached the district about the possibility of a future educational partnership.

Virginia CUSD 64 released a statement Thursday evening saying the discussions are preliminary and that no agreement has been reached for A-C Central students to attend Virginia School District.

The district says A-C Central’s board president and superintendent recently contacted Virginia Board President Casey French and Superintendent Mekelle Neathery as A-C Central begins reviewing its options and engaging in strategic planning for the future of its students.

Virginia says its role at this point is simply to determine whether it is appropriate to continue exploring the possibility.

Any potential partnership would have to be studied carefully, including its effect on Virginia students, staffing, transportation, classroom and facility space, finances and existing district partnerships.

Those existing partnerships could be significant.

Virginia currently operates a number of athletic co-ops with Triopia and Meredosia-Chambersburg. Virginia’s athletic department lists Triopia and Meredosia as co-op partners in football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and other activities. The current IHSA cooperative-school listing also shows Triopia, Meredosia-Chambersburg and Virginia together in several sports through 2027.

A-C Central and Virginia also have a history together.

The two districts previously co-oped athletics, including football in the Western Illinois Valley Conference. That relationship ended in 2011 when A-C Central began its current athletic partnership with PORTA.

The A-C Central and PORTA relationship has become increasingly strained in recent months.

The two districts have had an athletic co-op since 2011, and in April they agreed to conduct a feasibility study examining consolidation, deactivation and other possible forms of district reorganization. The study was required under the four-year sports co-op agreement negotiated in 2024, although neither district has committed to consolidation.

Then in June, the relationship deteriorated further.

PORTA’s board voted to dissolve its IHSA football co-op with A-C Central. A-C Central did not agree to the dissolution, saying it has students interested in playing football. Under IHSA rules, both districts must approve the dissolution of an IHSA co-op.

PORTA also argued that ending the football co-op could make the school more competitive by reducing its classification. The district cited low participation numbers and said a standalone PORTA could potentially compete in a lower class.

A-C Central subsequently delayed action on the timeline and funding for the required feasibility study.

And now, A-C Central is apparently looking beyond PORTA.

The possibility of a Virginia partnership is not entirely new. The Journal-Courier reported last October that Virginia and A-C Central had already begun preliminary discussions about potential future cooperation, including academics and athletics. Virginia Superintendent Mekelle Neathery described those conversations at the time as informal and said there were no commitments.

Last night’s statement makes clear that those discussions have not resulted in a deal.

But the timing is significant.

A-C Central has 93 students according to current IHSA enrollment figures, while Virginia has 80. PORTA has 278 students. Triopia has 120, and Meredosia-Chambersburg has 42.

That means the decisions being discussed could have implications far beyond one athletic co-op.

If A-C Central ultimately moves toward Virginia, the existing Virginia-Triopia-Meredosia athletic structure would have to be considered as well.

For now, however, Virginia officials are emphasizing that nothing has been decided.

The district says any proposal of this magnitude would require extensive study, board discussion and community input.

And A-C Central has not publicly announced that it intends to send its students to Virginia.

What is clear is that A-C Central is examining its future — and Virginia is now publicly acknowledging that it has been asked to be part of that conversation.

A Greenview man has been identified as the victim of a fatal single-vehicle crash Friday morning in rural Menard County.

According to the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, 911 dispatchers received a report of the crash shortly after 5 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Altig Bridge Avenue and Duncan Avenue.

A sheriff’s deputy arrived before fire and EMS personnel and found a single vehicle involved in the crash with one occupant. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Saturday, the sheriff’s office identified the victim as 27-year-old Chance C. Rutherford of Greenview.

An autopsy was conducted Friday, but the results are still pending.

The crash remains under investigation by the Menard County Sheriff’s Office and the Menard County Coroner’s Office. Authorities say no additional information is being released at this time.

The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by Menard County EMS, the Menard County Rescue Squad, the Greenview Fire Department, and Menard Electric Cooperative.

The Sangamon County Coroner has identified the 69-year-old Roodhouse woman who died in a two-vehicle crash near the intersection of South 7th Street and East Laurel on Thursday.

Donna Northcutt, 69, died from multiple blunt force injuries she sustained during the crash according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. In a previous release from his office, Northcutt was transported to HSHS St John’s Hospital from the scene. She was pronounced dead at 2:51 p.m. Thursday, shortly after arrival to the emergency room.

The death remains under investigation by Allmon’s Office and the Springfield Police Department.

Illinois families who rely on child care and social services could soon face serious disruptions after the Trump administration announced a freeze on billions of dollars in federal funding on Tuesday.

Federal officials confirmed late Tuesday a pause on funding tied to three major programs: the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Social Services Block Grant. Together, those programs help pay for child care, family supports, and services for seniors, people with disabilities, and families facing poverty. Illinois was among five states facing $10 billion in cuts – the cuts to Illinois funding alone was estimated at $1 billion.

According to July 2025 statistics, Morgan County currently has 77 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cases that serve approximately 192 people. Surrounding counties’ TANF numbers were not readily available online at the time of this report.

The Illinois Child Care Assistance Program—known as CCAP—currently helps around 100,000 working families, supporting care for more than 150,000 children statewide. The program allows parents to go to work, attend school, or complete job training while ensuring their children have affordable child care. Advocates warn that even a short-term freeze could force child care centers to delay payments, reduce hours, or close.

Beyond child care, the Social Services Block Grant supports more than 275 organizations across Illinois, funding programs that help prevent child abuse, assist seniors, support people with disabilities, and address food insecurity. Those services touch nearly every community in the state, including some programs administered locally through MCS Community Services in Jacksonville among others.

The Trump administration says the funding pause is tied to concerns about fraud and oversight, citing past cases in other states, including the most recent concerns coming from the State of Minnesota. Illinois officials say they have not been provided with specific evidence of wrongdoing and note that existing audit and anti-fraud systems are already in place.

State agencies say they are awaiting formal notice from federal officials and are assessing next steps. In the meantime, child care providers and social service organizations across Illinois are bracing for uncertainty.

For now, families are being told to stay enrolled in programs—but advocates warn the longer the freeze lasts, the harder it will be to protect the networks supported by the funding.