The Illinois Department of Insurance has fined the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for violating material change notice requirements.

For the first time ever, IDoA says they are fining the health care insurance provider $339,000 for being over 200 days late in filing the requirement notices after terminating Springfield Clinic as an in-network provider at the end of last year. The change has caused several businesses and individuals to flee from the insurance company to keep in-network doctors with Springfield Clinic.

According to a press release this morning, IDoA found that the company didn’t file a proper termination notice until this past Thursday. Under state law, insurers are required to report any material change to an approved insurance network plan within 15 days if the change occurs within a mid-plan year.

Blue Cross Blue Shield must pay the fine immediately, and the company has 10 days to file an appeal.

This comes on the heels of a WCIA investigative report exposing a string of consumer protection concerns that include a ghost network of doctors and a lack of in-network specialists. Some Illinois General Assembly members are now calling for an attempt to end the health insurance giant’s tax exempt status in the state during this legislative session.

The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office has released a new mobile app.

The app is available for download on both Android and Apple products.

Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl says it was released to keep residents of the county informed of any updates and information from the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office: “One of the main reasons we did this was it gives The Sheriff’s Office a lot more transparency. And, if we have some sort of emergency within our county, it’s going to be a good tool to – I can get on there and I’ve got 5 other employees with access – and we can get on it and send out an emergency notice. It will alert on your phone, so whoever has the app can go on their phone and hit the notification and then, it will show what we’ve got going on. It might be a tornado warning. We might be looking for a missing person and things like that.”

The free download also includes an inmate search function, a jail information section, a sex offender registry, and a place to submit a police tip. Kahl says some of the largest volumes of calls to the Sheriff’s Office is questions about the Macoupin County Jail, and this app will provide a quick way to search for that information or to find out how to get in touch with an inmate.

Kahl says the app was designed by TheSheriffApp. He says the cost to design and set up the app came at no cost to Macoupin County’s taxpayers: “The initial cost was of no cost to the taxpayers of the county. We were able to purchase this through our commissary through the jail. The initial cost was right around $15,000, and the yearly maintenance fee is about $6,000. It’s one of those things where we didn’t have to go through taxpayer money to get it. We used commissary money through the jail.”

Kahl says that the app is easy to navigate for those who aren’t tech savvy. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s app can be found in Apple’s Itunes or on the Google Play store.

Three men suspected of committing a triple homicide in Springfield have been formally indicted by a grand jury.

The Sangamon County State’s Attorney Office announced the indictments handed out on Wednesday of 20 year old Larry McClain, Jr. of Springfield, 33 year old Joseph Hembrough of rural Jacksonville, and 21 year old Kelton Galmore of Jacksonville and Chatham on multiple charges revolving around homicides that took place in the 2500 block of South 10th Street last August.

The three suspects are accused of killing 27-year-old Bryant K. Williams of Houston, Texas and formerly of Springfield; 27-year-old Savante English of Springfield, and 25-year-old Keyera Gant of Springfield. Their bodies were found by a friend who came to the house on Aug. 9^th.

McClain, Hembrough, and Galmore have each been charged with 9 counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery, armed violence, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.

Additionally, McClain and Galmore have been charged with possession of a firearm by a Street Gang Member. McClain and Hembrough have each been charged with obstruction of justice. Hembrough has also additionally been charged with manufacture and/or delivery of a controlled substance.

All 3 men remain held at the Sangamon County Jail in lieu of $5 million bond.

The Eldred and Hardin communities may want to pay close attention to a recent lawsuit filed by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against the company 3M alleging that it improperly handled PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment – resulted in ongoing contamination at and around its facility in Cordova.

The lawsuit is a result of the Illinois EPA’s ongoing test of the state’s drinking water for the chemicls. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John J. Kim announced Wednesday the completion of statewide sampling to investigate the prevalence and occurrence of PFAS in finished drinking water at all community water systems around the state. Illinois EPA began the investigation in the fall of 2020 and completed sampling earlier this year.

Data gathered as part of this investigation will aid in the development of future Maximum Contaminant Level drinking water quality standards.

The Illinois EPA says PFAS detections were found to be similar to other Midwest states. According to data collection, The Eldred Treatment Plant’s sample on January 4^th was greater than or equal to the guidance level for EPA standards on the forever chemicals. The same could be said for the Hardin Treatment Plant’s sample on February 10^th. The Eldred sample showed 3 of the 7 chemicals that the Illinois EPA was testing for. The Hardin sample showed 2.

Raoul’s lawsuit says that 3M’s Cordova operations specifically leaked and spilled PFAS and PFAS waste contaminating the Mississippi River.

Raoul’s lawsuit seeks to require 3M to address PFAS contamination and protect public health and the environment. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties of up to $50,000 for each violation of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and associated regulations, and additional civil penalties of $10,000 for each day the violations continue. In addition, the lawsuit seeks damages arising from PFAS contamination and injury of natural resources.

Western Illinois University’s School of Agriculture has honored a retired Pleasant Hill High School Teacher as a Distinguished Alumni.

Retired Ag Teacher Mary Barnes, a 1985 graduate of Western Illinois University, will be honored as one of the school’s distinguished alumni during their Agriculture Awards Banquet next month.

According to a press release, Barnes was the first female graduate from WIU to secure a secondary ag teacher position in the state, and was one of just 4 women who taught ag in the state in 1985.

Barnes has served on multiple local, county, regional, state, and national boards, and has been awarded multiple times for her work in agriculture and FFA.

Barnes retired from Pleasant Hill High School in 2019 after 35 years in the classroom.

Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott, and Cass counties are asking for the public to assist the Jacksonville Police Department in locating a person of interest in an alleged vehicle break in.

According to a Jacksonville Police report, a vehicle was broken into in Duncan Park on Jacksonville’s west end between the hours of 3:20PM-4:30PM on March 17th and the vehicle owner’s personal identification and multiple credit cards were stolen among other items.

Jacksonville Police believe the individual depicted in the photo in this story may have information concerning this crime and wish to speak to them.

If anyone has any information concerning the identity of this individual or about details of the crime, you may contact the Morgan, Scott, Cass County Crime Stoppers anonymously by submitting a tip online at morganscottcrimestoppers.webs.com. Click on the tipsubmit link on the homepage.

You may also phone anonymously at 217-243-7300, or text in your tip anonymously at 274637 (CRIMES). The first word of the text tip must be “payout.” Tips may also be submitted via the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers app available in Apple’s ITunes or the Google Play Store.

Crime Stoppers says if your tip leads to an arrest or solving of a crime, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

A Pike County man missing since March 7 has been found deceased.

Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood reports that 30 year old Austin J. Shaw of Fishhook was located Sunday morning by a search team.

Shaw had been missing since the early evening of March 7^th after being dropped off in rural Fishhook to go rock hunting. 

Multiple agencies have been searching for Shaw since Monday, March 14th. 

Greenwood says more information will be released this Monday pending an autopsy.

This story is developing.

South Jacksonville and Jacksonville Police responded to a call Sunday morning of a vehicle striking a business on Comfort Drive.

An initial call came in at 7:16 Sunday morning from an employee of the Qik-N-Easy at 103 Comfort Drive about an individual striking the building multiple times. 

According to a South Jacksonville police report, a vehicle driven by 48 year old Jose A. Aviles of the 600 block of Reid Street struck the northeast side front of the building near the entrance while attempting to pull into a handicap parking space. The impact damaged both the exterior and interior wall causing an interior counter to separate from the wall. 

Aviles then allegedly reversed the vehicle, made a loop around the building and proceeded to strike the southeast front exterior wall and an ice machine causing interior and exterior damage. Officers were able to stop the vehicle before it left the scene and arrested Aviles from criminal damage to property over $10,000 and reckless driving. 

Aviles remains held at the Morgan County Jail awaiting a first appearance in court.

Multiple fire departments were called out to a large structure fire near Loami on Saturday afternoon.

The Loami Fire Department received a call out at 2:35PM on Saturday to a structure fire to 9328 John’s Creek Road. Upon arrival, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Huesing says that a garage and a portion of a two-story barn-style home was fully involved with fire. Mutual aid was radioed for water tankers as attack on the structure and rescue efforts began. The homeowner along with a number of pets were able to get out of the home to safety. 

Responding to mutual aid was Waverly Fire & Rescue, Auburn, Chatham, New Berlin, and the Sangamon County Rescue Squad. Waverly Fire & Rescue transported one Loami firefighter from the scene to Springfield Memorial Hospital for severe smoke inhalation. Huesing says that the firefighter was released from the hospital on Sunday and is recovering at home. No other injuries were reported.

Firefighters were on the scene for approximately 6 hours. Huesing says that the fire’s origin was in the connected garage, but what started the fire is still under investigation. Firefighters were called back out to the scene Sunday morning for a rekindle, and quickly suppressed it. Huesing says the home is likely a total loss.

“Operation: March Madness” in Cass County has netted three more arrests on various charges.

Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn says that deputies were dispatched to a call of suspicious persons at a business in Virginia just before 10AM on Saturday. Deputies were able to locate the suspicious persons at a nearby business.

Subsequent to an investigation, three individuals were arrested on various charges:

45 year old Robert O. Poole of Waverly was cited for possession of a narcotic instrument, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction of justice, possession of methamphetamine between 100 and 400 grams, possession of a controlled substance, and a Menard County warrant for aggravated fleeing or eluding a peace officer.

34 year old Christine M. Marcum of Mason City was cited for possession of a controlled substance and illegal possession of adult use cannabis in a vehicle.

30 year old Rachel O. Power of Springfield was cited for possession of a controlled substance, illegal possession of adult use cannabis in a vehicle.

All three remain lodged at the Morgan County Jail awaiting a first appearance in court.