A Western Illinois Corrections facility guard is facing a re-trial in federal court will begin soon. 53 year old Todd Sheffler of Mendon will once again stand trial for allegedly participating in the beating and violation of rights to inmate Larry Earvin.

Todd Sheffler was in court this morning to hear about three pre-trial motions regarding witnesses and evidence from both sides of the case.

Sheffler’s defense counsel asked the court to exclude any references to polygraph testing and results in the government’s prosecution. The government’s response that they would not be using any evidence of polygraph testing or results unless the defense were to open the door to that information. The government also said it would be redacting any references to such information and re-submitting exhibits with the redactions for discovery making the motion moot. The court concurred with the government’s response and denied the Defense’s motion.

Sheffler is also seeking to exclude his proffer agreement with the government for cooperation about the investigation into the death of Larry Earvin. The Court found that the proffer agreement is relevant to the case and will publish the letter of agreement to the jury but redact any consequences of violating the agreement in order to not prejudice the jury.

Sheffler’s counsel also asked for the elimination of the risk of unsworn witness issues in regards to Assistant US Attorney Timothy Bass and Defense Attorney William Vig during any interviews of Sheffler or other witnesses in the case from the previous trial. The government argued that the unsworn witness problem would be eliminated if Sheffler would stipulate to the voluntary nature and circumstances to the statements he provided to the FBI during the investigation of Earvin’s death and pursuant to his proffer agreement. The government also filed a counter-motion asking that Attorney Vig could not appear as an unsworn witness at the trial. The Government asked the Court to order Vig not to act as an unsworn witness at trial and asked for a voluntary consent and waiver of any conflict of interest. The Government asked the Court to disqualify Vig as counsel and allow the Government to issue a subpoena for Mr. Vig’s testimony at trial if he denied to provide the consent and waiver. The court declined to issue the order and admonished both parties of potential ethics violations.

The Government also sought an Order prohibiting the defense from referring to the prior trial or potential sentence, which the court granted.

The Government also sought an order to prohibit the use of using unauthenticated video exhibits at trial. The defense argued that it had used clipped versions of the government’s own videos that zoomed in on certain portions of prior exhibited video and synced it with the audio of a witness’s phone call. The court denied the government’s motion citing case law and current discovery in the case.

Jury selection is slated to commence for the new trial with jury selection on Monday.

The North Greene School District has moved to approve contracted food service for the district.

The North Greene School Board approved a contract bid from Organic Life, LLC to provide breakfast, lunch, and a fresh fruit program to the district for a total just short of $700,000, according to the Greene Prairie Press. The school board had decided to table the idea at the June meeting seeking more information.

The contracted food service is estimated to cost the district $100,000 more than last year’s food program that is run by the district itself. Superintendent Mark Scott told the Greene Prairie Press that the reason the district wants to move to an outside food service is to provide more food options to students. He says if the district had stuck to their in-house program, they wouldn’t have been able to provide as many options moving forward.

With the contracted food service, the district reduced its workforce by laying off the district’s cooks. Scott says the existing cooks will be the first in line to be hired by Organic Life if they choose to take a job with the company, but the cooks will no longer be an employee of the district.

Brandt continued its longtime commitment to local healthcare with a seven-figure donation yesterday.

The Brandt Family presented a one million dollar commitment in pledged funds to the Springfield Memorial Foundation. President and CEO of Memorial Health Ed Curtis told WTAX that the funds will go towards continued education of current Memorial colleagues.

Three generations of the Brandt Family were on hand for the donation ceremony in Springfield yesterday, including soon-to-be 98-year old Evelyn Brandt Thomas who helped to found the company and still plays an active role.

Gard Elementary School in Beardstown will have a little dust to work around once school starts back up in about 3 weeks.

Renovations are in full swing at the school. Beardstown School District has been updating the public with frequent posts on the district’s social media accounts throughout the summer. The entire building is getting a remodel, and a new wing will be constructed. The building was originally built in 1959 and has needed renovations for some time, according to the Cass County Star Gazette.

The new wing is expected to house Pre-K students. Currently, Pre-K attends Grand Avenue School.

The estimated project cost has been $13 million, with the majority of the project being financed through $10 million in bonds with the rest coming from Health/Life/Safety district funds, federal ESSER funds, and a Tracey Family Foundation Grant to remodel just the library. The entire project is expected to be completed by Fall 2023.

The current phase of the project, which is replacing floors, painting, asbestos abatement, and some light renovations are expected to be finished within the next 3 weeks prior to school starting.

The construction of the new wing along with updates to the school’s gym and HVAC are expected to commence once school begins.

Another West Central Illinois School District has a new administrator.

During last Wednesday’s Pikeland Board of Education meeting, the district announced the hiring of Mrs. Brandi Pennock as the new Dpod (Grades 6-8) principal where she will serve along side Jon Frieden who oversees Cpod (Grades 3-5). According to a press release, the hiring solidified the move of Lisa Jokisch to the role of Special Education Director for the district for the upcoming school year.

Pennock comes over from the Barry-Western school district where she served as the Jr. High Principal. The Pike Press reports that Pennock is a former teacher in the district and is a Pittsfield High School graduate. Pennock says she is currently seeking a doctorate in education at Western Illinois University.

It’s been more than 2 months since a Quincy, Illinois teen has been seen.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reported 16 year old Aliyah Morrison as a missing and/or runaway juvenile back on June 16^th.

Morrison was last seen in the Quincy area on May 24^th.

Morrison is a 16 year old white female who stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs approximately 101 pounds, and has light blonde hair and blue eyes.

If you have any information about Morrison or her whereabouts, please contact the Adams County Sheriff’s Office at 217-222-9360.

Gasoline and diesel prices dropped by 20 cents at the pump in Jacksonville over the last week. An average cost for a gallon of unleaded fuel fell to $3.95 a gallon, with only two stations reporting costs above $4 today. Diesel prices dropped to $5.09 a gallon on average around Jacksonville. 25% of the reporting stations are reporting sub-$5 a gallon costs today.

Nearby Scott County sits at $4.19 a gallon on average today with Sangamon reporting the next best price in West Central Illinois at $4.12 on average.

Illinois as a state is still worse than the national average of $4.32 a gallon. Illinois’ average is still sitting at $4.73 a gallon, with Chicagoland and northern Illinois drivers reporting the highest prices in the state.

AAA says the downward trend is attributed to lackluster demand coupled with lower oil costs. GasBuddy’s Patrick Dehaan says the lowered gas prices may not be a good thing: “Figures are set to be coming out soon that could change directions are where we go in gas prices. Keep in mind that we are in the midst of hurricane season. Any major storms taking aim for the Gulf of Mexico could also push prices up. The next chapter is a little unknown. I’m hopeful that the decline may continue into another week before we could either go lower. We could pop back up.”

Volatility in the crude oil market is said to be at its highest point currently. Gas prices have experienced a perfect storm of problems already with Covid-19, inflation, and the War in Ukraine. If gas demand remains low as stocks increase, alongside a continuing reduction in crude prices, drivers will likely continue to see pump prices decline.

The City of Jacksonville is looking to go big on a renovation of the Nichols Park Pool that’s been 3 years in the making.

The City Council voted in October of last year to match $400,000 from the state OSLAD program to make the Nichols Park Community Pool more of a destination. Ward 2 Alderwoman Lori Large-Oldenettel discussed with the Parks & Lakes Committee that maybe the work can be expanded to offer even more at the pool by utilizing some under used portions of the complex to make it even more attractive to families.

Engineer of Benton & Associates Greg Hillis says that the possibility of a splash pad is under discussion: “There is some excessive concrete to the northwest of the existing pool. The discussion was could we utilize that in a better way. During discussions, a splash pad was brought up, and it made logical sense to use that area and transform it into some usable space, so it’s not what it is today.”

The addition of the splash pad to the space would add an additional $680,000 to the entire renovation project. Oldenettel suggested that the city look at using a portion of their allocated American Rescue Plan Act funding to cover the additional cost to add the feature to the pool.

Hillis says the original scope of the renovation at the pool is going to shut down the pool next summer anyway: “Right now, we are looking at replacing the gutter system – removing and replacing it with a new stainless steel gutter system around the pool. Remove the existing dive and install a new one. We have to upgrade the existing surge tank. It is not big enough to meet today’s standards. We are also going to put in a new zero-depth entry into the main pool. Then, we are also going to install a family entry and restroom so if a family comes in small children don’t have to split off into different change rooms and bathrooms. They can all enter the pool through the family restroom. We are also going to sandblast and paint the pool, as well.”

The City Council is expected to revisit the proposal for the pool at the next city council meeting.

A Greene County Elementary School District will be implementing free lunch and breakfast thanks to a national program through the USDA.

Greenfield Community Unit District #10’s elementary school will be participating in the National School Lunch & Breakfast Program called Community Eligibility Provision. The CEP is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. CEP allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Instead, schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Greenfield High School students will still be subject to paying fees for breakfast and lunch. Families in the district are encouraged to submit an application at registration for free/reduced meals for their high school student.

A second day of registration is scheduled for Thursday, August 4^th from 9AM – 1PM. For more information, call 217-368-2447.

The Texas-based company that wants to build a 1,300 mile CO2 sequestration pipeline through the heart of West Central Illinois has filed paperwork to petition for a permit.

Navigator CO2 Ventures filed an application for a certificate of authority with the Illinois Commerce Commission today to build the Heartland Greenway pipeline that would run from South Dakota and Nebraska to Christian County, Illinois.

The 47-page filing with the ICC asks for permission to operate in the state, construct the pipeline, and also would allow the company to use the law of eminent domain if a landowner refuses to sign over a land-use agreement. The updated map for the trek of the pipeline is featured on this story.

The estimated cost of the project is approximately $3 billion. Counties, townships, railroads, and floodplain permits are expected to be sought by Navigator some time in the second quarter of 2023 with possible construction slated to start in early 2024.