Gilham House, the former Gilham Funeral Home next to the Morgan County Courthouse, saw a successful soft opening last night.

The building will be the home of several small businesses contained in their own space offering a variety of retail options from owner Colleen Flinn’s Nothing Fancy Supply beeswax wraps to macrame and even vinyl records.

Flinn says the night was all about getting ready for the official opening on Saturday: “Tonight was just our soft opening, so it was just to get our families and friends in to see what we’ve done and to work out the kinks with all of our purchasing options. It went really well. We had a good turn out. Saturday is our grand opening. We are very excited about it. We’ve had a lot of interest on social media, and we hope to have a good turn out for that, too.”

One business that wasn’t able to be set up last night was Pizza Records. She says they are on the way early next month: “Pizza Records is on board, which they sell new and used records. They will be opening in October. Then, we have one more space available. We are hoping that we can make an announcement about that soon.”

Flinn says she’s glad to be back into a permanent retail space with Nothing Fancy Supply to talk to her customers face-to-face after spending the last few years of doing wholesale and online work: “Most of our business is in wholesale, so we are in a lot of stores. It’s a lot different than when I started. We were doing markets and we were in front of people explaining the product. Now, I feel like I get to go back to that, and it’s not just an online buyer from a store that I don’t really have that much of a relationship with. It’s a really good thing to be doing again.”

Flinn says she feels like they’ve hit the finish line for getting things ready for the opening on Saturday as far as continued renovation of the building. She says the last few spaces that are open for new businesses need some continued work and most of the other things that she would like to do is on a wish list.

Gilham House officially opens at 10AM Saturday at 326 West State Street.

Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott, and Cass Counties are asking the public to lock their vehicles in the City of Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Police Department has received 5 separate reports that parked vehicles have been entered into and rummaged through with personal property taken over the last week.

The thefts have come from Jacksonville’s North and East sides. Among the items removed include credit & debit cards, cash, and electronic devices.

Crime Stoppers says to double check locking your doors and taking all valuables inside your residence or store them out of sight.

If you have any information related to these incidents, please submit an anonymous tip by going online to morganscottcrimestoppers.webs.com and click on the “Leave a Tip” button on the homepage or place an anonymous call at 217-243-7300.

Tips may also be submitted by texting to the number 274637, the first word of the text tip must be “payout” or submit a tip on your mobile device through the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers mobile app.

Crime Stopper says if your tip leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

The start date for construction of the new Brown County Public Library could soon be set.

Muddy River News reports that the bidding process for the new building ended on August 30^th, with the Brown County Public Library Board set to review the bids in the next few days.

The current library at 143 West Main Street has just 3,100 square feet of space and has been outgrown since it first opened in 1967.

Dewberry Architects of Peoria says that the construction should take 12-14 months to complete at a new site 106 Southwest Cross Street, site of the former 666 Hotel. Size of the new site is expected to be 10,600 square feet.

Funds for the project have been raised through $1 million in small, local donations; $2 million from an anonymous donor; and over $2.2 million from through the Illinois State Library’s Public Library Construction Act grant program.

Construction and completion of the project will be the conclusion of a decades-long effort by staff and board members of the library. Library officials say that there will be no additional needs for staff or operational costs once the new building is completed.

The Illinois State Bar Association is not recommending an area judge be retained to the bench this November.

Judge Robert Adrian was not recommended for retention in the State Bar Association’s election year Advisory poll.

Adrian received a score of 29.55% by respondents who said “yes” to the “meets requirements” for retention to the bench, resulting in Adrian receiving the third lowest rating among the 117 candidates across the state of Illinois up for retention this year.

Adrian told KHQA that the poll was “meaningless” and was “only used to attack certain judges.”

Adrian was removed from criminal cases in Adams County in the Eighth Judicial Circuit in January by Chief Judge of the 8^th Circuit J. Frank McCartney after the fallout of reversing the conviction of 18 year old Drew S. Clinton for criminal sexual assault in October of last year. The overturn of the conviction drew international scrutiny and local protests calling for Adrian to be removed from the bench.

Candidates are reviewed on meeting the requirements of office, integrity, impartiality, legal ability, temperament, court management, health, and sensitivity in the Bar Association’s poll. Candidates must receive at least 65% “yes” responses to the question of whether the candidate meets the acceptable requirements for office to be recommended.

The poll results pertaining to Judge Adrian came from 46 respondents in the 8^th Judicial Circuit which covers Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Mason, Menard, Pike and Schuyler counties.

The Greene County Board finally has their engineer after nearly two years of searching.

The Greene Prairie Press reports that the county hired Aaron Haverfield of Carrollton to be the new Greene County Highway Supervisor after a special meeting on Friday, September 9th.

Haverfield fills the vacancy left by David Marth who retired from the position on December 31, 2020. The county has gone through a long saga of trying to find a new engineer since then. Marth has been providing consulting services through his current employer Volkert while the position remained vacant.

Haverfield’s employment will be effective on October 5^th. According to the Greene Prairie Press, Haverfield’s contract is for 6 years with a first-year, beginning salary of $145,000. Haverfield will also be given a $30,000 sign-on bonus for the contract, which will be paid out over the length of the contract.

Illinois College says there is still time to sign up to enter the Homecoming Parade.

The annual parade will begin at 10AM on Saturday, October 1^st at the corner of Church and State streets in downtown Jacksonville and end at the Homecoming Celebration Tent on the corner of Edgehill Road and Park Street. The parade route will travel east on State Street to the downtown square, moving clockwise around the square, and continue south on Main Street. The parade will then turn west on College Avenue heading toward Illinois College and turn south on Park Street.

Entries will be accepted through this Friday. To participate, register your parade entry online at ic.edu/HomecomingParade or for questions, call Event and Marketing Manager Kaitlyn Prehoda by calling 217.245.3112 or email kaitlyn.prehoda@ic.edu.

A bill aimed at making a Pike County historic site a part of the National Park System has passed the U.S. House.

18^th District Congressman Darin LaHood’s bill to establish the New Philadelphia National Historic Park passed the House by unanimous vote yesterday.

New Philadelphia, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark, was the first town platted and legally registered by an African American, Free Frank McWorter. McWorter founded the town in 1836, which is now part of modern-day Barry.

LaHood said in a floor speech yesterday that McWhorter’s and New Philadelphia’s history needs to be preserved for years to come: “Mr. McWhorter went on in his life and in his legacy to establish New Philadelphia, but also to demonstrate the critical role many African-Americans played in their own freedom efforts. Through the sale of land in New Philadelphia, among other business ventures, Free Frank used his earnings to free 15 other family members out of slavery. Additionally, many of the residents of New Philadelphia, both European-Americans and African-Americans, later came together to assist freedom seekers moving North from slave-occupied states and locations. The 40-acre original town site is now nationally and historically significant. It’s an archeological site advancing our understanding of free, rural communities and the abolition movement in the Antebellum era.”

LaHood went on to thank local organizations that have fought to keep the site preserved: “Many local and regional organizations have worked tirelessly for many years to preserve and protect this site, and they deserve so much credit. One organization in particular, the New Philadelphia Association, has done a tremendous job in improving, maintaining, and endorsing the site for the benefit of New Philadelphia descendants, those living in the surrounding community, and those visiting from afar. I am delighted to be here tonight to assist their efforts and support the continued advocacy of many of my engaged constituents on this issue.”

“The preservation of the town site of New Philadelphia is not only good for Western Illinois, but good for all Illinois, the nation and future generations. New Philadelphia being a part of the National Park system will ensure the story of how people of different racial backgrounds lived and worked together during a time of great racial strife in our country. This will help to inspire future generations,” said Philip Bradshaw, President of the New Philadelphia Association. “The New Philadelphia Association truly appreciates the bi-partisan support for the legislation and Congressman LaHood’s leadership.”  

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for passage.

One man was arrested after a 1-vehicle crash on East Morton Avenue near Country Club Road last night.

A caller alerted police of a possible intoxicated driver swerving all over the roadway in the vicinity of the 900 block of East Morton Avenue around 11:14PM.

Upon arrival and after investigation, police say a vehicle driven by 48 year old Perry Handy of the 1100 block of East Morton Avenue veered off the roadway in the 900 block of East Morton Avenue and struck 3 mailboxes before re-entering the roadway.

Upon re-entry, police say a tire on the vehicle blew out causing the vehicle to exit the roadway to the right, striking a curb before coming to rest in a ditch near Water’s Edge Winery. The vehicle sustained over $1,500 damage and had to be towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.

Handy was arrested without incident at the scene for possession of methamphetamine, driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and improper lane usage. He remains held at the Morgan County Jail.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a recall of a batch of popular frozen meals over the weekend.

Healthy Choice POWER BOWLS Korean-Style Beef meals are being recalled due to contamination with a known allergen. The product contains milk, which is not declared on the product label.

These items were produced on July 22nd. The products subject to recall bear establishment number “34622” on the end flap of the carton. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide. 

The problem was discovered when the producing establishment notified FSIS that it had received consumer complaints that the Korean-Style Beef cartons contained a chicken-based product. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions about the recall can contact the Conagra Consumer Care line at 800-672-8152.