The Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court upheld an April ruling to dismiss a charge of aggravated driving under the influence against a Quincy woman involved in an August 2020 crash that killed 4 people.

The appellate court upheld then-Adams County Judge Amy Lannerd’s decision to dismiss the charge against Natasha McBride, who allegedly ran a red light at Fourth and Broadway in Quincy on August 14, 2020 while speeding, and then collided into a vehicle that killed 54 year old Jennifer Hendricks of Rushville and her three grandsons Dakota, Archer, and Ransom Corrick.

The state charged McBride on August 17, 2020, with four counts of reckless homicide, four counts of driving on a revoked license and four courts of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. The state charged McBride on August 20, 2020, in an indictment with those same offenses, plus four counts of first-degree murder.

The state charged McBride on January 11, 2021 with aggravated DUI in a 17^th count, alleging McBride operated her vehicle “while under the influence of THC.”

Lannerd dismissed the charge on April 1, 2021 saying that the state didn’t file the charge in a timely manner.

Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha expressed disappointment to Muddy River News saying he is considering options and possibly appealing the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

McBride remains in the Adams County Jail on $5 million bond. A status hearing in her case is scheduled for January 3rd.

Only one member of the Illinois GOP House delegation voted today in favor to mandate federal recognition for same-sex marriages.

Outgoing 13^th District Congressman Rodney Davis voted ‘yes’ to the measure; with Congressmen Mike Bost and Darin LaHood and Congresswoman Mary Miller all voting ‘no.’ Outgoing Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger did not vote on the measure.

In a tweet prior to the vote this afternoon Miller chided the bill calling it the “Anti-Marriage Act” saying it was an attack on “churches, religious institutions, and Americans of faith for believing that marriage is between one man and one woman.”

After the vote, Davis told the Bloomington Pantagraph: “I voted for the Respect for Marriage Act because it’s the right thing to do. Nobody should face discrimination or be subject to a different set of rules because of their race or sexual orientation. This is about equal protection under the law for all families regardless of where they live.”

Only 38 other Republicans in the House voted to clear the measure that passed 258-169. The U.S. Senate passed the bill last week 61-36. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The push to pass the legislation had been taken up by Congress in the wake of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion in the Roe v. Wade case said the higher court should also reconsider precedents enshrining marriage equality and access to contraception.

Once signed into law, the Respect for Marriage Act will prohibit states from denying the validity of an out-of-state marriage based on sex, race or ethnicity effectively repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act signed into law by former President Bill Clinton.

The City of Jacksonville is going to have a major engineering project involving the local watershed in the near future.

Lake Mauvaisterre was dredged back in 2015 to allow for more storage and to remove several tons of sediment that had built up. The city has been active with the Illinois EPA’s 319 grant program that assists with upkeep and preservation of local watersheds. Jamie Headen, Engineer of Benton & Associates, says that one solution to keep sediment from running off from the fields and into the lake has been proposed in the past: “A recommendation has been to consider an in-lake sediment dam, which would then trap sediments if we can’t keep them in the farm fields…maybe trap those in an area where we can get to them, and then, improve water quality at the intake, which is on the north side of the lake. A part of that then is also to reduce the nutrient and sediment loading, but the nutrients nitrogen, phosphorous and the other things that we’re trying to do to also improve water quality.”

The city received a $175,000 50-50 matching grant 3 years ago to continue work on water quality at Lake Mauvaisterre. Headen says that the sediment problem dates back to 1921 with the lake, with the east side now seeing the heaviest amount of settling. Headen says their some goals and limitations to the work that can be done at Lake Mauvaisterre: “Some of the product goals is to increase sediment trapping, and so, we’re trying to catch the sediment where we can get to them in the future and like we did with the dredging project, maybe we can get them to where we can handle them a little more frequently so there is less of a time period between when we need to dredge, and to make them more cost effective to get out into the dredge disposal site. Improve the water quality, of course, and protect the water supply. And, then, trying to make sure that the money that we’re spending upstream is not being wasted downstream. One limitation…and anything we do in the lake, we want to make sure we don’t increase the flood level of the area. If we are going to make investments in some portions of the lake, we are also trying to see if there is opportunities for recreational chances there. Those different things that we can do might make [Jacksonville] more grant-eligible as we go forward.”

Adam Fox, Engineer and Environmental specialist, says that the city has several options with the lake from doing nothing, installing a sedimentary dam in the lake on the east end, or doing a multi-million dollar on-lake dredging operation. Fox says that the working group of the city’s Parks & Lakes Department along with members of the City Council have selected a more recreation-friendly option: “The in-lake dam with pedestrian access, and then, bridges that could be constructed across there at the openings. There would be openings there to allow the flow of water to go through with a Weir wall and some sort of a set elevation to hold back the flow of water or slow it down to come through there. Again, it would be restricting access to the eastern portion of the lake, but that may not be a negative thing. It could be an area, if the city would so choose, to be a designated canoe/kayak portion of the lake, so [the dams] do serve a purpose. They function well. This one would have the added benefit of additional recreational opportunities out there with the Bark Park not far from there, and it would utilize the previously dredged areas to trap the sediments. Then, it would provide location where the city would be able to access that for future dredging and maintenance to get those sediments back out of the lake.”

The cost estimate on the in-lake dam with the pedestrian access was at $2.8 million. Fox says a host of agencies will have to be met with to ensure that the site plan and design meet regulations and do not cross the threshold of any restrictions.

Jamie Headen says that depending upon the permitting process, the project would come back before the City Council possibly within a year’s time. He says at that point, public hearing would need to be scheduled and more funding would have to be secured.

A Springfield area Veterinarian has been honored by the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Christina Holbrook was chosen as the recipient of the ISVMA’s Veterinary Service Award winner. The award is presented annually to a member of the association that’s demonstrated outstanding service to the veterninary profession.

Holbrook was nominated for providing compassionate veterinary care for her client’s animal’s health. She is also known to promote a consistent positive attitude in supporting continuing education for her clinic’s team and is willing to mentor a new veterinary or certified veterinary technician student or staff assistant.

Holbrook has been practicing veterinary medicine at Capitol Illini Veterinary Services in both Springfield and Chatham. Dr. Holbrook has served on the ISVMA’s Board of Directors since 2015 and as a member of its Legislative Committee. She is also a past president of the Central Illinois Veterinary Medical Association.

A Scott County man who lost election in the June primary to be a Scott County Commissioner is a commissioner once again.

Danny Hatcher, who was defeated by John Simmons in the primary in June, was recently appointed to fill the opening left on the Scott County Commissioners after the death of Weldon Fearneyhough in October.

The Scott County Times reports that Hatcher took the oath of office along with newly elected County Clerk Brooke Smith, Simmons, and incumbents Mark Ford as Treasurer and Sheriff Thomas Eddinger this past week.

The commissioners held their reorganization meeting on Monday and re-elected Bob Schaefer as chairman.

In other commissioners’ news, the three-man board is waiting until Christmas Eve to see if any petitions against the new special service area tax for EMS Service is going to be filed. Schaefer told the Scott County Times that if no petitions are passed, the tax levy for the new special service area will be passed at the final meeting in December to take effect on January 1^st.

U.S. Marshals apprehended a Sangamon County man on Monday in relation to a month long investigation into a burglary out of rural Petersburg.

On November 15^th at 1:47AM, Menard County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a reported burglary in progress at the Parkside Tavern in rural Petersburg. While en route, deputies encountered a vehicle they believed to be occupied by the suspects of the burglary. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle but the vehicle refused to stop and fled. Deputies pursued the vehicle into the City of Springfield with the assistance of multiple Sangamon County law enforcement agencies. The vehicle eventually stopped in the 2600 block of South College Street in Springfield and the occupants fled the scene on foot. Attempts to locate the suspects were unsuccessful. However, evidence from the suspect vehicle was obtained.

A lengthy investigation followed, according to the Menard County Sheriff’s Department, and through the assistance of multiple agencies, officials identified 33 year old Jonathan P. Ballard of Riverton as a suspect in multiple burglaries in both Menard and Sangamon Counties. Subsequent arrest warrants were issued out of both counties.

On Monday, Ballard was taken into custody in Riverton by members of the U.S. Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Task Force. He is currently being held at the Sangamon County Jail on bond on charges of burglary, theft, criminal damage to property, and possession of burglary tools.

The Menard County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains open and members of the public with further information are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers of Menard & Sangamon Counties at 217-788-8427.

The University of Illinois-Springfield announced today they have officially completed the purchase of a downtown Springfield building that will be the home of the new UIS Innovation Center.

UIS announced they’ve officially acquired the 3-story 24,600 square foot building located at 401 East Washington Street.

Scheduled to open in 2025, the UIS Innovation Center will serve central Illinois as part of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) to drive innovation, economic growth, and workforce development across the state.

The building is set to house a business incubator, Technology labs, makerspaces, and experiential labs, Space for the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership to collaborate with other policy institutes on research and analytical services, and house local workforce initiatives, professional education experiences, and collaborative space for local agencies to have meetings.

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the $950,000 building from the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association at its July 2022 meeting. The development of the UIS Innovation Center is funded by a $15 million state capital contribution through the University of Illinois and Illinois Innovation Network. Design work for the building renovations will soon begin, with groundbreaking and construction scheduled for mid-2024.

A Beardstown man arrested as a part of a month-long sting operation this Spring was sentenced in Cass County Court last week.

46 year old Oscar Martinez of Beardstown pleaded guilty to a single count of methamphetamine delivery less than 5 grams on September 19^th in Cass County Court. Last Tuesday, Martinez was sentenced by Cass County Circuit Judge Timothy J. Wessel to 2 years of adult probation and ordered to pay court costs and assessments.

Martinez was arrested in March as part of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office’s “Operation: March Madness,” a concentrated effort to go after individuals alleged to be peddling methamphetamine in the county.

Martinez was arrested at his residence without incident and initially cited for possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to delivery, delivery of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, animal cruelty, unlawful use or possession of firearm and/or ammunition by a felon, and possession of an open title.

All of the other charges in Martinez’s case were dropped per the plea.

Memorial Therapy Clinic in Beardstown is set to close this Friday.

The Cass County Star Gazette reports that letters were recently sent out to patients notifying them of the closure and that clinic was having difficulty recruiting staff to keep the location open.

According to the report, the clinic, located at 400 South State Street, employs 3 full-time therapists and 2 part-time therapists who see well over 100 patients per week. The clinic specializes in physical and industrial therapy, occupational therapy, lymphedema, orthopedic pain, neurological and stroke disorders, sports injuries, vertigo, and geriatric and work injuries.

Memorial Therapy Clinic in Beardstown is combining its resources with outpatient therapy located at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital upon closure. Patients have been advised they may continue treatment in Jacksonville or may transfer care to a different provider.

If you have questions or concerns about the closure, contact Manager of Memorial Outpatient Rehab Services, Jane Winders by calling 217-862-0433.