Illinois General Assembly Republicans selected new leadership yesterday. One of the selections sets a bit of history.

Illinois Senate Republicans unanimously selected 41^st District Senator John Curran of Woodridge yesterday. Curran has been in office since 2017 when he was appointed to replace Senate Minority leader Christine Radogno. Curran will replace Senator Dan McConchie of Hawthorne Woods. Curran becomes the fourth different GOP leader in the Illinois Senate in the last 6 years.

The Illinois House Republican caucus set a bit of history as they selected 71^st District Representative Tony McCombie of Savanna as the House Minority Leader. McCombie will be the first woman to serve as House Minority Leader and the second woman to ever be in legislative leadership in Illinois, following Radogno. McCombie replaces Representative Jim Durkin who announced after last week’s General Election his intentions not to seek a new term as House leader.

Democrats have never elected a female to legislative leadership in the state.

Inauguration for the upcoming 103^rd Illinois General Assembly will take place on January 11^th.

A Brown County village was able to get a major project done just in time for Veteran’s Day on Friday.

The Versailles Lions Club raised money over the years for the $30,000 needed to create a new Veterans Memorial. Local organizations the Versailles Fall Festival and United Way of Brown County also chipped in to make it possible. WGEM says that Versailles Lions Club members decided the best place for the monument would be at the site of the old school near the Versailles gym on Chestnut and 3^rd Streets.

Concrete was poured for the site last year with the setting of the memorial stone occurring on November 1^st.

The Brown County Democrat Message reports that five more flagpoles will be set at the site representing the five branches of the armed services at a later date. In between each flagpole will be benches.

The Greene County Jail inmate who attempted suicide over a week ago has died.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon says that 60 year old Kent P. Humphrey of Quincy, who was transported by EMS to St. John’s Hopsital in Springfield for injuries sustained in a suicide attempt on November 3^rd died Saturday evening in the ICU.

An autopsy has been scheduled for today. Information from that autopsy has not been released.

According to Greene County Jail records, Humphrey was arrested for two counts of deceptive practice by Greenfield Police on October 27^th. He was subsequently charged with 1 count of forgery on October 28^th in Greene County Court. On October 31^st, Humphrey was also charged with theft by deception and forgery in Scott County Court. Both cases will now likely be abated.

The Citizens Utility Board says the State of Illinois has had the lowest average electricity bills in the Midwest for the tenth straight year.

The Energy Information Administration reported last week that Illinois’ average monthly electricity bill was $95.86 last year, which was well below the national average of $121.01. According to the EIA report, Illinois had the fifth lowest average bill in the country.

The Citizens Utility Board says that work still needs to be done on utility bills in the state after electricity supply prices skyrocketed this summer. CUB says they are now seeking ways to give short-term and long-term relief to consumers in Central Illinois who operate on the MISO grid. CUB says they are currently seeking a fast track to get clean energy projects into the MISO grid to lower bills for the region.

The State Journal Register is reporting a new detail about a fatal car crash that killed a North Carolina woman on I-55 last week.

44 year old Shane Jason Woods, who faces formal charges possibly later this week in Sangamon County Court.

35 year old Lauren Wegner of Clayton, North Carolina was pronounced deceased at the scene last Tuesday when her Mercury Sable collided with Woods’ GMC Sierra that was traveling the wrong way in the southbound lanes north of mile marker 88 near Toronto Road.

According to the SJ-R, Woods was formally stopped by Divernon Police at the Chatham/East Lake Drive exit prior to the crash for about 25 minutes. Divernon Police have not said what Woods was stopped for before he sped away from the traffic stop. Divernon Police are said to have not pursued Woods’ vehicle. Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell confirmed to the SJ-R that a Sangamon County deputy was en route to back up the Divernon officer prior to the crash.

Woods remains held at the Sangamon County Jail on $2 million bond. Woods is scheduled to be sentenced on federal charges on January 13^th in relation to his role in the January 6^th Capitol Riot in which he attacked a Capitol Police officer and members of the media. Woods faces up to 8 years on those charges.

If convicted in Sangamon County for the traffic crash, there’s a probability Woods would serve his federal sentence consecutively to any state sentence.

A former Western Illinois Correctional Center prison guard convicted in August of violating the civil rights of a prisoner is seeking an acquittal and new trial.

54 year old Todd Sheffler of Mendon was convicted of 5 counts in August by a federal jury in relation to his role in the beating death of 65 year old Larry Earvin at the Mt. Sterling prison facility over 4 years ago. The former Corrections lieutenant was found guilty of conspiracy to deprive civil rights, tampering with a witness, destruction or falsification of records, intimidation or force against a witness, and depriving Earvin of his civil rights. It was Sheffler’s second trial on the charges after a separate jury in April was hung up on the charges but convicted fellow former guard 31 year old Alex Banta of Quincy on similar charges.

According to federal court records and documents, Sheffler’s attorneys filed motions on November 7^th in federal court in Springfield saying there was insufficient evidence to support Sheffler’s conviction and that federal prosecutors repeated several acts of alleged misconduct throughout the second trial.

The court has not yet scheduled a date to hear the motions in open court. Sheffler is due to be sentenced on January 6^th. Sheffler was ordered detained until sentencing after his conviction in August.

Jacksonville Police arrested a Lincoln man after an alleged retail theft and brief pursuit on Monday night.

Police responded to a call from a Wal-Mart employee at 9:51PM Monday about an individual who had come into the store in the 1900 block of West Morton Avenue and placed several items into a cart and then fled the store without paying. The employee provided a description of the individual and their vehicle.

A short time later, Jacksonville Police located the vehicle and eventually got it stopped after a brief pursuit around 10:13PM in the 2300 block of Mound Road. Police then arrested the driver, 35 year old Brett M. Rachall of Lincoln for retail theft of displayed merchandise, fleeing or attempting to elude police, and possession of methamphetamine less than 5 grams.

According to a Jacksonville Police report, Rachall allegedly took over $500 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart.

Rachall is currently being held at the Morgan County Jail. He is due to appear in Morgan County Court for arraignment on December 12th.

18th District Congressman Darin LaHood has dropped out of the race to be the next Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Politico’s Olivia Beavers reports that LaHood called North Carolina Republican Congressman Richard Hudson to let him know he is dropping out of the race this evening. Beavers says her sources say that LaHood wants to focus on family and his current panels. LaHood also told Beavers in an interview that he would support Hudson’s bid to be the next NRCC chair. Hudson is now running unopposed for the position.

LaHood easily won re-election to the new 16th District over Democratic challenger Elizabeth Haderlein, placing him in a district out of the listening area to the north. LaHood has served in Congress since 2015.

LaHood was put in charge of the NRCC’s fundraising efforts as finance chair in February 2021 and announced in January along with Hudson he would be seeking the chair of the committee. LaHood recently told WMBD he was proud of the record $300 million he helped national Republicans raise during the General Election cycle.

The Jacksonville Area Museum will have two events related to its J. Capps & Sons exhibit coming up this week.

Laura Marks says that a craft event will kick off the Capps-themed evening at the museum on November 16^th starting at 4 o’clock: “On November 16th, from 4-6PM, we’re going to make ornaments out of wooden thread spools. Our Christmas tree at the museum this year is going to have kind of a Capps and sewing theme to it since the Capps exhibit is our new exhibit at the museum this year. So, from 4-6PM, we’ll be making ornaments. That’s open to anyone who wants to come. It can be adults, kids…crafty or not, we have all of the supplies. All people need to do is show up and have some fun.”

Marks says the other event will be presentations about the Capps Factory’s history in Jacksonville: “At 5 o’clock, Donna Cody is going to speak on the Capps Indian trade blankets and their connection to Buffalo Bill Cody. Right after Donna, Terry Maggart, who worked at Capps when they closed in the mid-70s, is going to talk about the very specific qualities of a suit that Capps used that made their clothing such high quality. Then, he’s also going to talk about what happened when double-knit [polyester] became popular.”

Both events are free and open to the public. A $5 donation is suggested. Reservations can be made by calling (217) 408-1197 or emailing manager@jacksonvilleareamuseum.org. The Jacksonville Area Museum is located in the old Post Office building at 301 East State Street.