State Senator Steve McClure, Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer, State Senator Sally Turner, and former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar gathered at the University of Illinois Springfield on Wednesday as a part of McClure’s Youth Advisory Council program.

Over 100 hundred students representing 16 schools across the current 50^th Illinois Senate District were on hand to hear directly from all of the lawmakers as well as Tiffany Mathis, a local community leader and the CEO & Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Illinois about the importance of public service.

McClure says the event is all about getting the next generation involved: “When I was a kid, I had people to look up to in politics, in state government…Jim Edgar, Jim Thompson. It occurred to me that they were partially responsible for me wanting to get into public service myself. So I thought what better way to inspire kids to get more involved in state government and more involved in their communities than to have a meeting with them from kids from all over my district, all over the 9 counties I represent to talk about state government and how it works, let them pick the brains of some of their really tremendous servants. It’s really a meeting that was held to try to inspire kids to continue to serve their communities and maybe seek more ways to do that as they get older.”

McClure says the event returns after a 3-year hiatus due to Covid. McClure says the event was successful and he felt inspired by the students who attended: “I just can’t speak enough about the quality of all of the young people that live in our region that want to get involved. As I said to people at the time, it makes me inspired for the future of our state when we’ve got such great young people in the area that want to make a difference.”

Students were divided into groups to discuss current issues and government policies before conducting a mock legislative committee hearing. During the mock hearing, students assumed the various roles in the legislative process, including lawmakers, lobbyists, and concerned citizens.

Three West Central Illinois community colleges aren’t sticking with the statewide trend in year-to-year enrollment growth. The Illinois Community College System announced Friday that statewide community college enrollment saw growth for the first time since 2009. Lincoln Land, John Wood, and Lewis & Clark all saw Fall-to-Fall dips in enrollment.

Statewide, Fall 2022 enrollments increased by headcount at 1.5% and Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) enrollment by 0.3% from the previous year, according to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) Fall 2022 Enrollment Report. According to the same report, John Wood had enrollment dip by 0.5%, a 3.7% dip was recorded at Lewis & Clark, and an 8.2% dip was recorded at Lincoln Land. Full-time enrollment numbers have also dipped at all three schools.

John Wood was the only West Central Illinois community college to see a Fall-To-Fall increase in dual credit enrollments.

West Central Illinois community colleges are keeping with the national average of declining enrollment, while Illinois as a state overall is bucking that national trend.

ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham says statewide, the Fall Enrollment report shows more students are returning to the classroom in 2022: “We are seeing students post-pandemic here really starting to come back to the community colleges, and I think it’s also really notable that this is bucking the national trends where there is decline and flat numbers in the last couple of years. Illinois is really standing this way.”

Durham says the biggest growth for community colleges has been with online programs: “I think students have gotten comfortable with it as a viable alternative particularly for working adults that have busy lives and children at home.”

The full report can be found at ICCB’s website here.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting an uptick of Covid-19 cases in the state.

13,462 cases of Covid-19 infection were logged by IDPH over the past week, and that doesn’t count those who may have tested positive at home and never went to the doctor. IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra says 5 counties are at high risk and 33 counties are at medium risk for Covid transmission. Vohra says that the majority of new cases are the current Omicron variants, which are covered with the new bivalent booster shots.

Vohra says its the best time to go get your Covid booster and flu shot at the same time. He says to be sure to be updated on your vaccines before family gatherings during the holiday season. At last count from IDPH, there were more than 1,000 people in the hospital with Covid around the state. 67 deaths were attributed to Covid since October 21st.

Sangamon, Morgan, Scott, and Greene counties are currently listed at medium transmission, with Pike County one of the five counties in the state listed at high transmission. According to the CDC and IDPH’s numbers, the rest of WLDS/WEAI listening area remains at low transmission for the virus.

The Scott County Commissioners officially accepted the application for a special service area tax to fund the Winchester EMS.

The vote passed 2-0. The Commissioners have not yet announced a process to replace the late Weldon Fearneyhough, who passed away on October 7^th. Fearneyhough’s term will be up for election in 2024.

An advisory referendum to pass the special service area tax passed at the June primary 525-385. Winchester EMS President Randy Dolen says that petitions for people not wanting the tax will now circulate for the next 60 days. 51% of the registered voters and 51% of the landowners can file a petition against the tax. “It’s kind of a weird situation they have created,” Dolen says, “but that’s how it works and stacks out and many people don’t understand it. That’s where it’s at right now.” The petition period will end on December 24th.

Dolen says that a lot of discussion was around the tax rate for the special taxing area. He says that the resolution passed with the same rate that was on the ballot in June at .004: “The amount of revenue fluctuates a little bit, based upon the Annual Assessed Value of property. It will be in the ballpark, we’ve been spinning the numbers ever since started this, originally around $260,000 ballpark. At this stage of the game, [that revenue] will solely be used for personnel.”

Dolen says it would allow the Winchester EMS to employ two full-time staff members to allow operations for 24/7 operation. Dolen says as it currently stands there are 3 volunteers handling the majority of the calls for the entire southern half of Scott County.

The Scott County Times says some were opposed to the new tax because many said “it wasn’t the right time” due to inflation and rising home costs for utilities among other things. The consensus was that many agreed that an ambulance service is needed.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has tranquilized a cougar prowling on the west end of Springfield.

IDNR made the decision to tranquilize the animal after it was found in a residential area. It will now be transported to a sanctuary specializing in the care of large felines.

Wildlife experts and public safety officials from IDNR, the Illinois Conservation Police, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (USDA WS), and the Springfield Police Department determined that the mountain lion, or cougar, that had strayed into residential and business areas of Springfield posed an imminent threat to residents and property and therefore needed to be removed.

The animal, which is wearing a GPS collar and has made its way to Illinois from Nebraska, was detected by satellite in western Springfield Wednesday morning. IDNR officials conferred with their counterparts at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, who declined an offer to send the mountain lion back to their state. The Nebraska Parks Commission had outfitted the young male with a collar in November 2021 to study its movements. The animal was previously detected in McDonough and Cass Counties.

USDA WS staff tranquilized the mountain lion around noon today and will be transporting the animal to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, a 260-acre feline sanctuary in Center Point, Indiana that provides homes and veterinary care for large and exotic cats.

Earlier this week, IDNR notified residents living west of Veterans Parkway in Springfield that the mountain lion was detected on the western edge of the city and was being tracked by researchers. At least one elementary school in the area had decided to hold recess indoors while the cougar was in the area out of fear of confronting the animal.

One Illinois GOP Congressman and one Illinois Senator have reacted to the attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco.

Current, 13^th District Congressman Rodney Davis, often a critic of Nancy Pelosi, tweeted out his thoughts and prayers to Pelosi’s family today saying: “An attack on any member’s family is an attack on all of Congress. Shannon and I are praying for a speedy recovery for Paul and comfort for the Pelosi family. It’s incumbent upon all of us to condemn this attack and do everything we can to end all politically-motivated violence.”

According to Reuters, a hammer-wielding man, 42 year old David Depape, broke into the Pelosi mansion in San Francisco overnight and assaulted Paul Pelosi, who multiple reports say, was in search of the Speaker who was in Washington D.C. with her security detail. Paul Pelosi is expected to make a full recovery from significant injuries according to a press release from Pelosi’s office. It was unclear how the intruder got into the three-story red brick townhouse in the affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. Depape is being charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and several other criminal charges according to San Francisco Police.

Davis is no stranger to politically-motivated violence. Davis was at home plate during a Congressional softball game in Virginia in 2017 when a gunman shot Rep. Steve Scalise and four other people.

Comments from the rest of the ILGOP Congressional delegation and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth have not been made at this time.

John Wood Community College has named its next president.

Dr. Bryan Renfro has been named the school’s seventh president. Renfro will start his new position on January 4^th and succeeds President Michael Elbe, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Elbe’s official retirement date is December 31^st.

Renfro says he’s in familiar ground, despite not living in the area, as his wife is a Pike County native. Renfro currently works as the Vice President of Academic Instruction at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas.

Renfro says he brings years of experience from working with previous community colleges across the country starting in teaching and now working his way up to John Wood’s top executive. He says he feels very fortunate for the opportunity.

Renfro says that he likes the comprehensive two-year higher education open enrollment platform because it gives everyone the opportunity who wants a certificate or a start into bachelor’s degree an opportunity to do so.

Renfro says his first order of business is gathering the needs of the community before making any changes: “I do have lots of ideas. I have had lots of experiences. I’ve developed over 20 new programs at various community colleges, but I really think I want to spend some more time in the area, get to know the area, understand the business and industry needs, and really try to meet those needs rather than it be just what I think we should develop. It really should be what the community needs and how they are involved in it. I am excited about the agriculture program. I grew up on a farm in East Tennessee, and I have a small cattle farm down here in Texas. That’s one of the other things that’s appealing to me about the region, and when we call it home – it’s the rural component and the agricultural component that we love about it, as well.”

Dr. Renfro says he’s looking forward to traveling the region and relocating in the next few months. He says its been his professional life’s aim to expand educational opportunities for others.

A Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy had to forcibly create a car collision yesterday on Jacksonville’s west end.

The deputy forcibly controlled the crash around 3:30 yesterday afternoon on a car traveling southbound near the 1200 block of Sandusky Road due to the motorist experiencing an unknown medical episode.

Deputies had received a report of the unresponsive male motorist just minutes beforehand. Sheriff Mike Carmody told the Journal Courier that the deputy followed the vehicle to get in the proper position to forcibly stop the car. After the collision, the deputy found the car to be locked and had to force entry.

LifeStar EMS, Jacksonville Fire Department, and Jacksonville Police responded to the scene, where medical assistance was given before the unnamed driver was transported to an area hospital.

The condition of the driver, the driver’s identity, and a full report of the officer-involved crash are not currently available. Carmody told the Journal Courier that a final report on the incident will be issued by the Illinois State Police since a sheriff’s deputy was involved in the incident.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Governor JB Pritzker have released statements about the death of a 3-year old boy in Macoupin County last week.

Hunter Lee Drew died last week after being thrown against a wall at a home in Carlinville and then was driven around in a vehicle without medical attention after the incident, according to charging documents against 33 year old Ashley N. Bottoms of Carlinville who is accused of Involuntary Manslaughter and Endangering the Life of a Child causing Death in Drew’s death.

According to reports by WICS Newschannel 20 and the State Journal Register, Drew’s family had contact with DCFS in the year prior to his death about him being placed back into his father’s care.

In a statement released today by William McCaffery of DCFS, the department says that they were ordered by a court to reunify the child with his father in August after the department completed a service plan and home safety checklist. McCaffery says a DCFS caseworker visited the home 6 times in the months of September and October to ensure the child’s safety.

In a statement released by Governor Pritzker’s office, it says that the person responsible for Drew’s death and treatment should be held fully accountable. The statement went on to note the Governor’s re-investment in DCFS after the department was hollowed out under former governor Bruce Rauner’s tenure and budget impasse, saying General Assembly Republicans have not once voted for increased funding for DCFS for the past 3 years.

Drew had previously lived with his aunt and uncle for a year before being placed back into his father’s home. Funeral services have been set for Hunter Drew in Girard.

A preliminary hearing for Ashley N. Bottoms has been set in Macoupin County Court for November 10^th. She remains held at the Macoupin County Jail on $250,000 bond.