The Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation gave away $10,000 and several other prizes all to Jacksonville residents last night.

Amy Albers, Executive Director of the Foundation, announced the winner of the grand prize a little after 8 o’clock last night in between a break in the music at the Downtown Concert from CJ Ryder & the Past Masters. Two students from Eisenhower Elementary School drew the winners.

The winners were:
3 Month Club Car Wash Membership – Sandy Lonergan, Jacksonville
$250 winner – Neil Maul, Jacksonville
$250 winner – Pat Bone, Jacksonville
$250 winner – Brenda Boyd, Jacksonville
$250 winner – Mickey Wood, Jacksonville
$500 winner – Dave Meyer, Jacksonville
$500 winner – Barbara Suelter, Jacksonville
$500 County Market Gift Card – Bill Blue, Jacksonville
$500 winner – Bob McBride, Jacksonville
$1,000 winner – Lauren Noll, Jacksonville
$10,000 winner – Larry Evans, Jacksonville

Evans purchased his ticket last night prior to the drawing. Albers says selling tickets the night of the drawing is common each year: “We think we sold about 3,000 tickets total. We sold quite a few tonight. We sold the grand prize winner to Larry Evans tonight. That’s always fun to have people buy them the night of the event. We usually have tickets left. This is usually about what we sell every year. It’s a great fundraiser for the Foundation.”

Albers says the Foundation uses the money for all kinds of projects and needs in Jacksonville School District 117 from helping needy students to school supplies: “It’s really across the board on what we help with. Whatever needs to be met, we try to help.”

Albers says it’s the first time in the drawing’s history that all of the winners came from Jacksonville. She says the foundation sells tickets to the drawing all around the country.

West Central Illinois will be well represented at the Miss Illinois and Miss Illinois’ Outstanding Teen pageant next week.

23 year old Juliana Fray of Pittsfield won the title of Miss Quincy in January. Fray is working towards her master’s degree in political campaigning at the University of Florida. Fray graduated from the University of Tampa in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

25 year old Darlene Steinkamp of Chatham won Miss Capital City last October. Steinkamp is a registered nurse in the trauma-burn ICU at Springfield Memorial Hospital. She is currently using her platform to talk about the stigmas of mental health. She will be a guest on AM1180 WLDS’s What’s On Your Mind? Program next week.

The winner of the Miss Illinois Pageant will be announced the evening of Saturday, June 11th. Miss Illinois 2022 will make appearances throughout the state, serve as an advocate for her social impact initiative, and compete for the title of Miss America.

16 year old Alli Peterson of Winchester won Miss Teen Quincy back in January, as well. Peterson will be a junior at Winchester High School this Fall.

The winner of Miss Illinois’ Outstanding Teen will be chosen the evening of Friday, June 10. She will go on to compete for the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen on Aug. 10-12, 2022 in Dallas, Texas.

Crimestoppers of Morgan, Scott, and Cass Counties are requesting information to assist the Jacksonville Police of a Hit & Run Crash with injuries.

Yesterday at approximately 7:13PM, a motorcyclist was struck and injured traveling northbound on North Main Street near the intersection of Dunlap Street. The motorcycle was struck by an early 2000s model Gray or Light Blue Dodge Intrepid that was traveling eastbound on Dunlap Street. Witnesses on the scene described the driver of the Dodge as a white male with long brown hair, possibly in his late teens or early 20s.

The motorcycle sustained major damage, and the driver, a 71-year old male, sustained minor injuries.

Jacksonville Police are asking for anyone with further information to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 217-245-7300 or leave a tip online at morganscottcrimestoppers.webs.com. Click on the Leave a Tip button on the homepage. Tips may also be submitted by texting 274637, with the first word of the text tip being ‘payout.’

If your tip leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

A former area radio personality and former MacMurray College Public Relations official was sentenced to prison today.

64 year old Robert T. “Bob” Tobin of Springfield entered a negotiated plea of guilty in Christian County Court this morning. Tobin was arrested in Springfield at a residence in the 400 block of West Allen Street on September 10, 2020 by agents from the Illinois State Police Zone 4 Division of Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service after Taylorville Police had determined that he had moved out of Taylorville.

An investigation into Tobin by Taylorville Police was initiated in February 2020 on accusations of possession/distribution of child pornography. At the time of his arrest in 2020, additional charges were also being investigated in Sangamon County. To date, no charges have been filed.

Tobin began his career in radio at AM1180 WLDS back in the mid-1970s. He later moved on to the midday slot on WDBR in Springfield in the mid-90s, according to a State Journal Register article. Then, moved to WFMB before becoming the head of Public Relations at MacMurray College in the early 2000s.

This morning, Tobin pleaded guilty to 3 counts of possession of child pornography. Per the plea, Tobin was sentenced to 2 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by a year of Mandatory Supervised Release on each count, with the sentences to be served consecutively for a total of 6 years in prison. Tobin was also assessed a $1,000 fine plus court costs and assessments. He was given credit for 631 days served in the Christian County Jail.

The Kiwanis Braggin’ Rights BBQ competition is returning to its normal appearances this year.

Kiwanian and BBQ Board member Rob Thomas says things will be like they were pre-Covid on Saturday afternoon: “We will be out at the Morgan County Fairgrounds this Saturday, June 4th from Noon until approximately 5 o’clock. Sometimes it will last a little longer, sometimes a little less – it all depends on when the food runs out. After the last two years of doing drive-thru due to Covid, we are finally back to our full competition that everybody enjoys.”

Gates open to the public at Noon on Saturday at the Morgan County Fairgrounds. Cooks for the competition will be allowed entry prior to the competition. Thomas says your entry fee as a taster will get you a ton of food throughout the afternoon: “Basically, it’s $5 at the door. You come in and get to sample all the teams. Currently, as of today, we have 13 teams signed up. Sometimes we get a few more the night before the competition. You can walk around and eat as much as you like. Kids 5 and under eat free. You can try things like pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausage, and all things barbeque. Many of the teams are local. We try not to get into a real serious competition, but the teams do take it seriously. We have judging, and this year, we have cash prizes for the top teams.”

The Grand Champion will receive $150, with Grand Reserve getting $100, and the People’s Choice Award receiving $75 in the competition. Judging begins at 3PM, with the winners announced close to 5PM on Saturday.

Proceeds raised from the gate will benefit the Jacksonville Roller Hockey League. The league is attempting to renovate the Eric Olson Memorial Roller Hockey Rink in Nichols Park.

Thomas says people still wanting to enter the competition can do so by contacting Marcy Patterson at 217-899-7855 or Jared Maggart at 217-491-0566. People can also reach out to Thomas by calling 217-408-0001. You can also send a message to the Jacksonville Kiwanis BBQ Bragging Rights Facebook Page to fill out a form to enter.

Entry forms can also be dropped off at The Sources Newspaper office at 2 Dunlap Court in Jacksonville.

The Grand Champion will get $150 with Grand Reserve getting $100 and the People’s Choice getting $75 in the competition. Judging begins at 3PM Saturday. Winners will be announced at 5PM.

Thomas says people still interested in entering the competition can contact Marcy Patterson or Jared Maggart. People can also reach out to Thomas by calling 217-408-0001. You may also send a message to the Jacksonville Kiwanis BBQ Bragging Rights Facebook Page to fill out a form to enter. Entry forms can also be dropped off at The Source Newspaper office at 2 Dunlap Court in Jacksonville.

The co-founder of a non-profit organization that built tiny homes for veterans pleaded not guilty yesterday to theft charges.

WGEM in Quincy reports that 63 year old Mark S. Lawrence entered the plea yesterday in Adams County Court. Lawrence has been charged with one count of theft over $100,000 and one count of theft over $10,000 after being indicted on May 18th for allegedly taking money from 2×4’s For Hope between 2019 and September 2020. Lawrence could face anywhere from 3-15 years in prison if he is convicted in the case.

Lawrence, who is free on bond, founded 2×4’s For Hope with his wife Chris in 2015. The two were removed from the organization by the governing board on November 15, 2021 and had a restraining order placed against them. The 2×4’s For Hope governing board has also filed a civil lawsuit against the Lawrences.

Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha told Muddy River News that his office learned about the issues when the group when tools donated to 2×4s for Hope by Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation — a Brookfield, Wis., company which develops, manufactures and markets power tools — began appearing at Jacksonville and Galesburg Warehouse Bargains stores. The tools were meant for use in the construction of houses for veterans. Farha said an Illinois State Police investigation discovered Quincy Warehouse Bargains did not make out checks to 2×4s for Hope but to Mark Lawrence, who allegedly did not transfer the funds into the 2x4s for Hope accounts. Farha also said 2×4s for Hope allegedly wrote multiple checks for tens of thousands of dollars to Lawrence Construction, a business owned by Mark Lawrence that ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawrence is set to return to court on a status hearing on August 17^th, with a potential jury trial coming on September 12th in front of visiting Brown County Judge Jerry J. Hooker.

The Jacksonville Downtown Concert Series kicks off summer this Friday.

Jacksonville Main Street Executive Director Judy Tighe says the series opens with returning favorite CJ Ryder & the Pastmasters: “We have had them come before. It’s been a couple of years. They play all the pop songs you remember from years past. They actually cover several decades of music. You’ll get to hear a lot of your favorites. We’re really excited to kick off the series.”

Refreshments go on sale at 6PM, with music starting at 7. Tighe says that the weather forecast is in good standing heading into Friday.

The concert will also host the Jacksonville School District 117 Early Years Program handing out books to children, and the grand prize Believe in Education drawing for $10,000 from the Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation will happen between the music.

Tighe says she’s amazed by Main Street’s Melissa Hebron’s ability to get acts calling her a “miracle worker” with her numerous contacts to booking agencies and scheduling wizardry. Tighe says that Hebron was able to get Blues-Rock act Champ Jaxon on the schedule for June 24^th after she passed along a YouTube video that she happened upon: “I happened to share [the video] with Melissa and said half joking ‘We ought to get this guy.’ She called me back about a week and a half later and said, ‘Got him.’ She’s just amazing. She’s been able to get some really unique acts that you just don’t see every weekend around Jacksonville.”

Tighe says that the concert series has really taken on a community-wide celebration through local support and sponsors. Tighe says that the series has received over 60 sponsors this year to keep the series at full strength.

Republican candidate for Illinois governor Jesse Sullivan has tested positive for COVID-19.

Sullivan was scheduled to appear Wednesday on AM1180 WLDS’ “What’s On Your Mind?” Program but canceled at the last minute after his election campaign team said that Sullivan was sick and couldn’t attend.

According to WAND-TV, while undergoing required debate protocol for ABC-7 in Chicago, Sullivan tested positive for Covid. He was notified of the results last night.

In a statement released on Twitter, Sullivan says he is looking forward to participating in the debate tonight but is disappointed he won’t be able to be in person. He will be participating in the debate tonight via Zoom.