Two people fell victim to a structure fire in the City of Greenfield this afternoon.

Greenfield Fire Chief Cory Hudson says that initial calls came in for a kitchen fire at a single-story residence on Green Street in Greenfield at 12:23PM. A Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy and Greenfield Police Officer were the first on the scene and attempted to make entry into the home. Greenfield Fire units arrived a short time later. Hudson says heavy fire had already engulfed the structure, which was a double-wide trailer. Five people were at home at the time of the fire.

Hudson says that with the new emergency dispatch system in Greene County, Carrollton Fire Department was radioed out for automatic mutual aid. White Hall and Roodhouse Fire Departments were eventually radioed for additional manpower. Firefighters were on scene until approximately 4:50PM for overhaul and suppression of hot spots.

Greene County Coroner Danny Powell later told Riverbender that a 77-year old female and an 11-month old female were pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 1:15PM yesterday. Identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The three other individuals in the home along with the two officers who first responded to the seen were taken to an area hospital for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.

Hudson says the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office was called in for an investigation to determine what caused the fire.

Fire consumed the inside of a home on White Hall’s south side yesterday afternoon.

White Hall Fire Chief Garry Sheppard says that initial calls came into local dispatch at approximately 1:40 yesterday afternoon from a neighboring residence at 301 Tunison Avenue.

Sheppard says that heavy flames were showing out of two second story windows of the structure after the first engine arrived on the scene within 3 minutes of the call. Mutual aid was radioed for from Roodhouse and Carrollton Fire Departments.

Sheppard says that after all engines were on scene, the fire was suppressed in a matter of minutes: “I had 13 firemen on scene. We were there about 2 1/2 hours. We brought the fire under control probably within the first 15 minutes. After we got the fire under control, we were able to get inside. In fact, we had to fight the fire from the inside [of the home] because it had gotten into the second story. The first story was pretty well intact, but the second story had major damage. We attacked it from inside and got it out. It appears to have started electrically in a closet on the first floor and spread up the stairs to the second story.”

Sheppard says the homeowners were not at home at the time, but the family dog was in the home. He says that firefighters were able to get the dog out safely as well as several items of belongings for the homeowners.

Sheppard says one firefighter did get injured during suppression efforts: “I did have a fireman injured in the first 10 minutes of being on the scene. We were pulling hoses off of an engine to a hydrant. We did have a bit a problems with the hydrants. The first one we hooked onto didn’t work, so we had to go to a second one. As we were going to the second hydrant, a hose came flying off the hose bed and the end struck one of my firemen in the head, and we had to send him to the hospital. They did a CT Scan on him. He’s fine. He was released about an hour and a half later. I was thankful [it wasn’t worse.]”

Sheppard says the homeowners may have found a place to stay while further investigation and determination into whether the home will be salvageable or not.

Seven registered nurses at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital were recently recognized with DAISY Awards for their extraordinary patient care during the Covid-19 pandemic surge in December

Kali Gutierrez, Sadie Coursen, Laura Ward, Marissa Lindsey, Jamie Smith, Cassidi Ladely, and Jessi Evans are members of the hospital’s post-anesthesia care unit and ambulatory surgery teams. They were then asked to serve as intensive care unit nurses while the hospital saw a surge in COVID-19 patients in the ICU this past December.

Leanna Wynn, Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer at JMH, says that the nurses had to quickly adapt to the emergency situation for staffing and the influx of patients: “We were experiencing a COVID-19 surge and we did not have enough ICU beds or ICU nurses to provide care to the critically ill COVID-19 patient population. These nurses and their families made sacrifices so they could work 12-hour shifts, night shifts and weekend shifts during the holiday season so our patients could receive care. They had to quickly learn new drugs such as sedation and paralytics and ventilator management, along with new skills, such as pressure injury prevention and central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention. Yet all of these nurses’ patients received excellent care with zero catheter-associated urinary tract infections and central line-associated bloodstream infections and zero falls.”

R.N. Jamie Smith, said it was a difficult time to shift into unknown territory at the hospital to provide the care for long hours and during the ever-changing environment of the pandemic: “It was absolutely incredible to watch [my fellow nurses] kind of blossom and learn things and understand things that they had never done before. We had nurses taking care of patients on ventilators who had never even touched a ventilator. We had nurses that were hanging all of these medications that they had never even heard of before. It was a big mental strain to try and remember everything, and it was very overwhelming but everybody did it with such grace. I am just beyond happy to be a part of the team with them.”

Smith says that one of the most difficult things for all of the team members was the extremely long shift work for several weeks on end. She says many missed the holidays with their families to provide patients care in an extremely difficult situation: “With the nursing shortage here and everywhere, we really had to step up and work extra days. There were times when I was working 5-6-7 days in a row before I would get a day off. I would do it again in a heartbeat for the good of the patients and to help out my fellow nurses. They all stepped up and did the exact same thing. That was really hard to be away from our families for that long, especially around the holidays. With the pandemic, our [extended] ICU opened the week of Christmas, so many of us missed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and every day in between. Trying to find balance between being here at the hospital and being at home over the holidays, I think was probably one of the harder things that everybody had to do.”

Smith says the other difficult part of this time for all the nurses was delivering bad news to patients’ families. She says that with any type of care, getting to know patients and their families is a part of the job, and delivering difficult or bad news is never easy. It was especially difficult seeing the pain the pandemic caused first hand.

All seven nurses received high marks during their time as ICU nurses both from the hospital’s administration and from patients and their families for their bedside manner and care.

Smith says she feels that her and her fellow nurses were proud to be recognized for all of their sacrifices and hard work during what was an extremely difficult and challenging time for everyone.

Two more members are out at the Illinois Prison Review Board on Monday.

Nominee Oreal James resigned from his nomination on Monday just hours before his confirmation hearing in front of the Illinois Senate. James announced the resignation in a letter to Governor J.B. Pritzker and leaders of the Illinois Executive Nominations committee.

Nominee Eleanor Wilson failed to receive enough confirmation votes from the Senate. Wilson’s appointment was denied in a 15-31 vote — with 14 of the no votes coming from Democrats. Twelve other Democrats opted not to vote at all.

During floor debate, 50th District Republican Senator Steve McClure criticized Wilson for her votes in releasing a number of violent criminals who re-offended upon their release on parole: “These are serious cases. When a judge looks at the evidence and decides that you need to go serve 100 to 300 years in prison because your crime was so horrific – that needs to be taken very seriously. When the victim’s family is against their release – that needs to be taken into affect and taken very seriously. And, when you have got someone who is obviously, obviously not able to be rehabilitated – that needs to be taken seriously. Any time you’ve got [Cook County] State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and the Senate Republicans on the same page about the Prison Review Board, there’s a real problem. We need to protect the public and we need to stick up for victims and their families. No matter who the victim is and no matter where they are in this state. We need to stick up to violence right now. We all do. I think we all agree on that.”

McClure would later release the following statement in a press release after the failed confirmation vote: “Each member of the Prisoner Review Board has a vote to determine whether or not to release violent convicted felons from prison. This is an incredibly important job with potentially deadly consequences. These appointments cannot, and should not, be taken lightly. I’m glad that some appointees have finally been heard and vetted by the Senate. I hope that the Governor will now change his approach and nominate individuals who will serve with the safety of the people of Illinois in mind, while honoring the wishes and concern of victims.”

Pritzker Administration spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh later released the following statement following the failed confirmation: “The governor is disappointed that a highly qualified nominee will no longer be able to serve on the Prisoner Review Board, and he thanks Eleanor Wilson for her service and dedication to justice. The Pritzker administration remains committed to ensuring that highly qualified nominees fill these critical roles on the Prisoner Review Board especially because we must fulfill our constitutional and statutory obligations for clemency and parole as well as key public safety functions of the board.”

According to the State Journal Register, there are just six members seated to the 15-member board. Of those, three – LeAnn Miller, Jared Bohland and Ken Tupy – still need Senate approval. Tupy and Bohland were recommended by the Senate Executive Appointments Committee unanimously. Miller was also recommended.

Governor Pritzker reacted with a heavy rebuke of State Republicans Tuesday at an unrelated event. Pritzker accused the GOP of attempting to tear apart the agency and cherry picking crimes and criminals as talking points: “I will say that [being on the Prison Review Board] is an incredibly thankless job. Very, very difficult. We have Republicans on that board. We have Democrats on that board. They work together across the aisle. They don’t even think, I think, of their party affiliation when they are doing the job. Now, to have Republicans attack them, and their character, and their biographies; to have Republicans essentially trying to tear apart this agency of government…I mean this is what the GQP has been all about – tearing government apart. I think we aught to stand up for the integrity of the people that get appointed and the very tough decisions that they have to make. Obviously, we are going to move forward and keep the PRB operating as best we can.”

Prtizker continued the mudslinging at Republicans when pressed further about whether he stood by his nominations: “It’s easy to do what Republican do. They take the original crime that took place often decades and decades ago and they just talk about the headline of that crime and don’t talk about everything else that’s occurred, including what the victims’ statements have been, including the victims’ families statements, including other information that may have come forward in the subsequent decades in order [for the PRB] to make their decisions. So, it’s hard to second-guess the work that they do. It’s very easy just to say ‘this person committed an awful crime some many years ago’ and it’s easy to say we are going to throw away the key and leave them all in prison. That’s what you’re going to end up with. If that’s what people want, then let’s hear it, but I don’t think that’s what people wanted when we created the Prison Review Board.”

During his floor debate speech, Senator McClure outlined the parole of Ray Larsen. Larsen was originally convicted and sentenced for rape and murder in the early 1970s in Chicago. McClure says that Eleanor Wilson voted to release Larsen despite evidence he should remain incarcerated: “[Larsen] was brought before the Prison Review Board in 2018. He was voted down 12-0. Not a single person voted to release this man. In fact, one board member in the meeting’s minutes said ‘There was something about inmate Larsen that makes him a spree offender and he may be a high risk to re-offend.’ Fast forward to this Prison Review Board and Mrs. Wilson. She voted to release him. He was released. He was a fugitive for a week. He was eventually found in a hospital. The Prison Review Board still did not revoke his parole. After that, he left the state without telling anybody to go to Cincinnati. He was going to visit a female who was his prison pen pal. Thank God he never saw her. He went back afterwards. That second strike was enough for them to finally revoke his parole. Of course, the family was totally opposed to this man being released and they were heartbroken. I can’t even image the horrible position those people were in.”

Democrat State Senator Bill Cunningham of Chicago told the Chicago Sun-Times after the vote Monday that he voted against Wilson due to her voting in favor of releasing 68 year old Johnny Veal and 77 year old Joseph Hurst last month. Veal and another man shot and killed Sgt. James Severin and Officer Anthony Rizzato in 1970 as they walked across a field in the Cabrini-Green public housing complex. Veal was ultimately sentenced to 100 years in prison. Hurst was convicted of killing Officer Herman Stallworth and wounding his partner after being pulled over for speeding in 1967. Hurst was sentenced to death. He was re-sentenced to 100 to 300 years in prison after the U.S. Supreme Court placed a moratorium on capital punishment in 1972. Cunningham told the Sun-Times that the killing of a police officer in the line of duty should never be eligible for parole.

Republican Senator Jason Plummer in a press release for the Senate GOP Caucus also had a swift reaction to the governor calling state Republicans members of the QAnon conspiracy theory group: “In the spirit of Margaret Thatcher, when one’s opponents resort to low grade personal attacks, it shows that they have no legitimate political arguments left. I am embarrassed for the Governor. While I understand he is frustrated, this entire mess falls on his lap and these comments are beneath the dignity of the Office he holds. The Governor has never been accustomed to being told “no” and now that he has been told “no” by senators of both parties, I think he should take a deep breath and reevaluate the direction his Administration is taking when it comes to public safety.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, with the ousting of three members in the last few weeks, the Prison Review Board has posted on its website that clemency hearings scheduled by the board between April 12-15 have been postponed, citing “unforeseen circumstances.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield has paid a $339,000 fine handed down earlier this month by the Illinois Department of Insurance over the company’s failure to report major changes in its provider network and policy changes stemming from its ongoing dispute with Springfield Clinic.

Roughly 100,000 people were affected by the split between the insurance giant and one of Central Illinois’ largest

The Illinois Department of Insurance issued the fine earlier this month after thousands of the company’s customers lost their access to Springfield Clinic providers.

WCIA’s Mark Maxwell later uncovered that several customers found out that other doctors within the approved network were not taking patients, and sometimes were not even located in Illinois.

In a statement released yesterday, the insurance giant said it paid the fine, but is still seeking clarification of the state’s rules and how they are enforced.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield also says it continues to seek an agreement with Springfield Clinic. WICS Newschannel 20 reports that Harmony Harrington, Vice President, Government and Community Relations, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois says the central issue to the conflict with Springfield Clinic is exorbitant demands: “The central issue remains: Springfield Clinic is a for-profit entity that is demanding a skyrocketing 75 percent increase even though its rates are the highest in the Springfield market and tower 60 percent more than Chicago. Health care is not accessible if it is not affordable.”

The fine was the first time ever that IDOI had ever fined a company for being non-compliant with the Network Adequacy Transparency Act, a law that requires insurance companies provide a list of health care settings are accessible and are within proper time and distance standards for customers.

The Eldred American Legion continues to see huge crowds and a huge draw to its Queen of Hearts drawing.

Riverbender reports that Jerseyville construction worker Clay Hansen won the grand prize Tuesday night totaling a half million dollars.

The drawing draws well-wishers and visitors from miles around the little southern Greene County village.

Hansen told Riverbender he had only purchased tickets for the drawing at a previous large event at the American Legion a few years ago, but he was glad he returned this time around to take the top prize. Hansen says he intends to pay off some personal debts with the prize money.

It’s been almost 3 years since the remains of former Jacksonville resident Alex D. Jackson was found in a ditch near Mooresville, Indiana. In May, his family may see justice in his case in an Indianapolis court room.

21 year old Justin Blake was convicted of first degree murder in the middle of February. He is due to be sentenced on May 30^th.

According to WTHR in Indianapolis, Blake’s cohort, 27 year old Britney Overton testified under “use ammunity” that Blake shot Jackson in the head after a night of drinking, drugs, shoplifting, and armed robberies. According to Overton’s testimony, Blake and Jackson had only possibly met one time before September 8, 2019 – the night Jackson was shot and left for dead.

According to WTHR in Indianapolis, Overton testified that after the spree came to a close that Blake shot Jackson out of fear he might report them all to the police. Overton says Blake also threatened to kill her, too if she talked to anyone. Overton admitted on the stand that she was a methamphetamine addict and had been a casual sex partner of Blake’s prior to the incident. A man identified as “K.J.” also was an apparent witness and culprit in the night of crime. There has been no indication that this 3^rd individual has been arrested in the case.

Overton’s use ammunity will allow everything she said on the stand to be used against her during her own trial in Jackson’s murder scheduled to begin on May 10^th. WTHR says she has not been offered a plea deal for her testimony.

According to the State Journal Register, Jackson had been living in Indiana at the time of his death studying environmental science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and working for XPO Logistics.

The trial of a Quincy woman over a fatal car crash that killed a Rushville grandmother and her grandchildren is being delayed.

The delay into the trial of 37 year old Natasha McBride’s trial in Adams County Court stems from an argument on whether the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office has leave to file an additional charge of aggravated driving under the influence in connection to the August 14, 2020 crash that caused the death of 54 year old Jennifer Hendricks of Rushville along with her three grandchildren. McBride already faces first degree murder and reckless homicide charges.

The Adams County state’s attorney’s office filed the aggravated driving under the influence charge on January 12th. Adams County Public Defender Todd Nelson previously argued prosecutors could have filed the charge earlier, saying it was based off evidence turned over in December 2020.

The trial has also been slightly delayed after Judge Robert Adrian was removed from criminal trials in Adams County Circuit Court. He has since been replaced by Judge Amy Lannerd.

Muddy River News reports that Lannerd asked that a ruling on the motion on the additional charge be delayed to Friday. Lannerd says the trial remains on the April 11^th jury call. The motion and the additional charge remain sealed in the court.

Jury selection begins today for two Western Illinois Correctional Center guards charged in the 2018 death of an inmate.

Muddy River News reports that procedures for jury selection for the trial of Alex Banta of Quincy and Todd Sheffler of Mendon were heard yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long. The two correctional officers’ trial was originally supposed to begin last summer, but has been continued multiple times due to Covid-19.

The original indictment against Sheffler, Banta, and Willie Hedden was filed in December 2019 accusing the 3 guards had conspired and agreed on May 17, 2018, to forcibly remove 65 year old inmate Larry Earvin from his housing unit to a segregation unit. The three men then are alleged to have assaulted Earvin in a blind spot from the prison’s camera system without legal justification while he was handcuffed and restrained.

The assault left Earvin with 15 broken ribs, a punctured colon and two dozen or more abrasions, hemorrhages and lacerations. Earvin, who was serving a six-year sentence for robbery in Cook County and was scheduled to be paroled in September 2018 later died at Centralia Correctional Facility as a result of his injuries on June 26, 2018. An autopsy would later reveal Earvin’s death was due to blunt force trauma.

WBEZ in Chicago later reported that a nurse at the prison in Mt. Sterling reported the incident 5 days later to another staff member and said that she was aware that the blind spot in the prison had been used for multiple beatings. She went on to tell the co-workers that another guard, Blake Haubrich of Quincy allegedly threatened her to keep quiet about the blind spot. Haurbich has not been criminally charged but is named in the Earvin family’s civil suit over the case.

The December 2019 indictment of the three guards went on to say that Sheffler, Hedden and Banta knowingly filed false incident reports, falsely describing the escort of Earvin to the segregation housing unit and failing to disclose any assault of Earvin. The three men also knowingly misled agents from the Illinois State Police about knowledge of an assault of Ervin.

The 43 year old Hedden of Mt. Sterling pleaded guilty in March 2021 to two counts of civil rights violations and one count of providing misleading information in the subsequent investigation. During his plea hearing, Hedden agreed to provide cooperation and is currently listed as one of the federal government’s 74 potential witnesses that may be called to testify in what may be a 3-week trial against Sheffler and Banta. Hedden’s sentencing is scheduled for July.

According to the Associated Press, Hedden, Banta, Haubrich, and Correctional Lieutenant Benjamin Burnett, of Winchester were all initially placed on administrative leave with pay. State records indicate Burnett and Haubrich, who make $95,616 a year, are active on the Corrections payroll. Both are listed as potential witnesses.

During opening arguments yesterday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass described the beating for the court. Defense attorneys for Sheffler and Banta argued during opening statements that their clients weren’t where others claim they were at the time of the beating and that the testimony of dozens of witnesses will prove “illusory, contradictory and ambiguous.”

All three guards face up to life imprisonment and several thousands of dollars in fines.