Jacksonville Police arrested a woman from a domestic battery incident yesterday morning that occurred on Tuesday afternoon at a business.

Jacksonville Police and LifeStar EMS were called to an office of the Morgan County Housing Authority in the 200 block of West Wolcott Street at 3PM on Tuesday. A complainant had advised that a tenant had thrown bleach in an employee’s face and the employee needed medical attention. Upon arrival, officers learned that the suspect had also struck the employee several times before leaving the area. No further information about the incident is available in police records.

At 9:29 yesterday morning, police arrested the alleged suspect from the incident, 21 year old Altavia A. Underwood of the 800 block of Hoagland Boulevard at a residence in the 100 block of West Independence Avenue. According to police reports, Underwood fought with officers while being placed in handcuffs. Underwood was cited for domestic battery from the Tuesday incident and resisting a peace officer. She is being held without bond at the Morgan County Jail.

Area farmers and agricultural landowners with property prone to flooding and nutrient runoff will have the opportunity to enroll in a state land conservation program for the first time since 2015.

The Illinois Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) – administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency is set to reopen tomorrow. Funding for the program is coming through the Rebuild Illinois capital program.

Through Illinois CREP, federal and state resources are made available to program participants to voluntarily enroll in 14-to-15-year federal CREP contracts and a subsequent 15-year or permanent conservation easement with the State of Illinois. It expands the voluntary, incentive-based Conservation Reserve Program available through FSA to Illinois agricultural producers and landowners within the Illinois and Kaskaskia River watersheds.

Illinois CREP assists farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners to improve water quality and conserve natural resources. Participants remove cropland and marginal pastureland from agricultural production and convert the land to grasses, trees or other approved vegetation. This improves water quality by reducing sediment and nutrients entering streams and rivers, and enhances fish and wildlife habitat in the project area.

In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments, a 50% cost-share payment for installing approved conservation practices, and incentive payments for certain practices. The State of Illinois provides a cost-share match in addition to a one-time payment for all land entered into an easement.

The Illinois CREP includes all or portions of 68 counties including Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Macoupin, Menard, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, and Scott counties.

Interested farmers, ranchers and agricultural landowners are encouraged to contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Farm Service Agency or their local soil and water conservation district for more information about enrolling in the program.

A rural Carrollton man turned himself into the Greene County Sheriff’s Office this morning after a warrant was issued accusing him of sexual abuse.

46 year old Ryan J. Breckon of rural Carrollton turned himself into the Greene County Sheriff’s Office at 9:34 this morning. Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen says that an arrest warrant for Breckon was issued accusing him of of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse stemming from a 16-month investigation.

According to McMillen, an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office began in February 2021 where a victim between the ages of 13-17 alleged that Breckon, who was at least 5 years older than the victim, had sexual contact with the victim, in that Breckon is accused of touching the sex organ of the victim with his hand.

Breckon was an acquaintance of the victim and the victim’s family. Once the investigation was completed, it was turned over to the Greene County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.

Breckon has posted 10% of the $25,000 bond amount and was released later today from the Greene County Jail.

Breckon is due for a first appearance in Greene County Circuit Court on July 5^th.

A Carrollton teacher and coach was arrested by Carrollton Police earlier this month after a crash in Carrollton.

36 year old Blaine Hartwick was arrested by Carrollton Police at 4:30AM on June 4^th in front of Carrollton National Bank on Illinois Route 108. Hartwick was cited for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Leaving the Scene of a Crash.

Circumstances about the crash have not been released. Communications to the Carrollton Police Department have not been returned as of press time.

According to Greene County Jail records, Hartwick posted bond and was later released from the Greene County Jail.

According to Greene County State’s Attorney Caleb Briscoe, Hartwick has retained counsel who has filed a motion for substitution of judge in the case. Hartwick’s counsel has also filed for identification, sequestration, preservation, and production of police radio transmission recordings of both audio and video in the case.

Hartwick is currently employed at Carrollton High School as a teacher and the Head Coach for Girls’ Basketball.

Hartwick is due in Greene County Court on a first appearance with counsel on July 5^th.

Quincy officials are saying former President Donald Trump’s is visiting next weekend.

Muddy River News reports that Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says the city will learn the itinerary of Trump’s visit tomorrow.

Troup told the Quincy City Council last night that he believes Trump will arrive at Quincy Regional Airport on the evening of Saturday, June 25^th with a night-time rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Mendon. Troup says that no one has asked the City of Quincy to make any special accommodations.

Trump’s visit would be the first to Quincy by anyone who has held the office of president since Barack Obama came for a two-day visit in April 2010.

NBC News reported in April that Congresswoman Mary Miller said Trump pledged to visit Illinois in June and campaign for her in her primary contest in the 15th Congressional District against fellow Republican Congressman Rodney Davis.

Pike County authorities arrested a violent sex offender from the State of Texas after juveniles reported a suspicious man on a bicycle in Barry on Sunday.

Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood reports that on Sunday at 6:34PM the Pike County Sheriff’s Department received a call of a suspicious person traveling on a bicycle in Barry. The complainant told police that her juvenile daughter and a friend were out walking around Barry when an older man riding a bicycle approached them and began speaking with them.

Subsequent to an investigation, 62 year old Robert W. Niffen of Houston, Texas was arrested on a Texas Department of Corrections parole violation warrant. The Texas Department of Corrections warrant listed Niffen’s original charges as aggravated rape and escape from a penal institution. The Texas Department of Corrections also listed Niffen as a violent sex offender absconder. Greenwood says that Niffen has a lengthy criminal history.

Niffen was further charged for obstructing justice after he allegedly provided a false name to officers and failure to register as a sex offender.

Niffen’s bond has been set at $150,000 for the new charges. Niffen’s Texas parole violation warrant has no bond. According to Pike County court records, no extradition hearing has been set as of press time.

The Illinois Prison Review Board is under fire for failing to notify a victim’s family about a planned clemency hearing for a convicted murderer.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board had been scheduled to hear a petition Wednesday from Robert Turner. Turner, formerly of Wilsonville, was convicted in 1986 along with his brother Michael Turner and Daniel Hines for the rape and stabbing death of then 16-year old Bridget Drobney of Downers Grove.

In July 1985, the three men used a flashing red light on their vehicle to pull Drobney’s car over and told her she had to go with them because she was speeding along a back road in rural Gillespie in southern Macoupin County. The case would later lead to a new state law sponsored by the late State Senator Vince DeMuzio making it illegal for the public to possess flashing red lights that impersonate police. Governor Jim Thompson signed the bill into law in July 1986.

Bridget Drobney’s body was found four days later in a corn field, twelve miles away from the initial encounter with the three men. Michael Turner confessed to the crime to his sister, who in turn, reported it to police. The younger Turner cooperated with police and was given a 5 year sentence for concealment of a homicidal death; Hines got life without parole; and Robert Turner, who admitted to killing Bridget as she pleaded for her life, was sent to death row. Former Governor George Ryan abolished the death penalty in Illinois in 2003, giving the older Turner a life sentence.

The Illinois Prison Project, which is allegedly representing Turner, says it is postponing the hearing. WMAY says the Drobney Family and other objectors to Turner’s clemency have been invited to a dialogue in the interim. The Drobney Family told the Chicago Tribune they do not feel that Turner has been rehabilitated or is remorseful for his crimes. There’s no indication when the clemency hearing might be rescheduled.

Jacksonville aldermen face a number of questions on how they will spend $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act money over the next 2 ½ years.

Morgan County Emergency Management Coordinator Phil McCarty explained to the council during workshop session that he and City Treasurer Beth Hopkins solicited projects from all of the city’s department heads over the last several months, dividing the projects in several different buckets relating to public safety, infrastructure, utilities, recreation, among others. McCarty says in total that he had received approximately $8 million worth of projects the money could be used in accordance with the rules finalized by the U.S. Department of Treasury in April.

Mayor Andy Ezard says some decisions will have to be made on which projects will get funding from the ARPA dollars: “I think in the end, it’s going to help our community whatever we choose to do. The bottom line is it’s $2.5 million, which doesn’t come out of our [property] taxes and the general fund of the city. There are going to be appropriate projects that will be funded once we kind of go through them. We just accepted one tonight, a water and sewer utility project which helps out the bottom line of the taxpayer and utility rates. I think there is a lot more discussion that needs to be made. I hear frequently that the needs are infrastructure, sidewalks, streets; but then I hear about Nichols Park pool. The pool is already a part of one thing that the council has already voted on accepting a grant. If we need to kick in more money towards that, we can make the Nichols Park swimming pool really relevant. It’s used a lot by many in the community. But, there’s no bad project in these proposals.”

Ezard says more discussions and committee meetings will be held to finalize where the money is going. The city council did approve an alternate bid on a recent water main replacement project for Morton Avenue and Finley Street that will now add in Prospect Street to the project for an additional $170,000 paid for through the ARPA Funding. Utility Superintendent Ricky Hearin says that the main services residences between College Avenue and State Street. Hearin says that the residences have issues with low water pressure problems.

Another suggestion for ARPA money was to help fund the New Directions homeless shelter. Ward 1 Alderwoman Eren White-Williams says the Special Studies Committee came to a consensus on how the city should proceed in helping the shelter stay open: “Our committee wants to help. We are actually wanting New Directions to do more things to try and get more money for themselves. We have recommended to the city council to approve, starting in August, $10,000 a month for 3 months. Then, revisit it and see if New Directions has gotten themselves any help, what they are going to do to raise funds, any grants they are working on, etc. We’ll revisit it in 3-4 months and see where things are.”

The Special Studies Committee held an hour and a half long meeting prior to the city’s workshop session. The committee heard from workers at the shelter, stakeholders, and even current homeless community members staying at the shelter. Consensus at the meeting was to approach the Morgan County Commissioners and the other municipalities about also contributing to the shelter since homelessness is viewed as a county-wide problem.

The resolution of the shelter funding will be introduced to the City Council at the next city meeting on June 27^th.

Verizon is opening up its first retail location in Jacksonville soon.

TCC, one of the nation’s largest Verizon Authorized Wireless Retailers based in Fishers, Indiana, has purchased the lease for 1699 West Morton Avenue, the former home of Title Max Loan Service and Easy Street Lounge.

Signs are already up on the building and buzz has been building locally on when Verizon cellular service was coming to Jacksonville. TCC Regional Director of Sales & Service Jennifer Sailliez says if you have a Verizon phone now, you should have service: “If you have a Verizon phone now, you would be having service in Jacksonville currently. Verizon turned on the portability of some of those numbers there in the area on May 4th. As soon as we open up our doors, we will be ready to go and either give people cellphone service for the first time or we will be ready to potentially port those customers over from other carriers in the area.”

Verizon purchased regional wireless provider Chariton Valley Wireless in Moberly, Missouri in October of last year. Sailliez says that while she drove through West Central Illinois she had to plan for drops in her Verizon coverage en route to TCC’s new store that opened in Moberly in late April. She says that Verizon took notice and wanted to come to Jacksonville: “We kept recognizing the miss in coverage there. Then, tapping into that smaller network there that was owned by someone else. Then, us deciding where do we plant those locations in order to be able to provide service to those communities and those people and have them shopping locally in our stores is why we chose Jacksonville. We are excited to be there.”

Sailliez says that the new store in Jacksonville will officially open on June 16^th. An official ribbon cutting will be the following day with members of the Jacksonville community and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. Hours at the location will be Monday through Saturday, 10AM to 7PM and Sundays 11AM to 5PM.

Saillies says besides providing phone services, TCC has community grants and outreach programs. She says TCC is looking forward to being a community partner as well as a new cellular phone service in the Jacksonville area.