Illinois College’s annual day of giving surpassed expectations yesterday.
The college surpassed their 800 separate donor goal by 25%, with 1,006 donors donating over $398,432 yesterday. The total nearly matches the $400,000 total from last year.
The Class of 2024 had the most individual donors with 25. The Class of 1966 had the highest dollar amount donated with their 12 individual donors hitting $12,925.
Illinois brought back the hunting of bobcats almost six years ago. Sightings of the animal have increased rapidly across the state. West Central Illinois appears to be the prime place to come looking for one during its regulated hunting and trapping season during the winter. Prior to 2016, the species was considered a protected species due to over hunting in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Program Manager for the Wildlife Diversity Program Stan McTaggart says that the bobcat population and species is a true conservation success story. He says over harvest of the animals occurred due to a lack of any conservation laws. He says that over the past century the state was able to bring back several animals from near extinction by protecting their habitat, encouraging growth of population through monitoring efforts, and creating regulations on hunting and trapping.
McTaggart says that the West Central Illinois habitat along with bobcat prey population makes it an ideal place to hunt or trap bobcats as one of the state’s 14 fur-bearing species’ hunting seasons. Brown, Macoupin, Morgan, and Schuyler were all in the top 10 counties for harvested bobcat this year with double digits. It was nearly double what many had brought in compared to previous years’ harvest numbers.
Overall, for the 2021-2022 season, 290 bobcats were harvested by hunters and trappers. That number is slightly down compared to the previous year’s 339.
McTaggart says that bobcat are hunted and trap for a number of reasons. He says some people hunt and trap them because the last 6 years was the first time the animals were allowed to be hunted since the early 1970s. Others, he says, hunt bobcats due to being a nuisance on farm ground while others hunt and trap them for their fur despite the fur market being depressed for a number of years.
The bobcat season in Illinois runs from November 10th to February 15th annually, with the exception of being closed for firearm deer season. To find out more, visit this link.
Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested one woman yesterday after conducting a search warrant.
Deputies executed the warrant at a residence in the first block of Frank Wessel Drive in Beardstown. According to Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn, the search warrant was obtained on information from an investigation involving the theft and forgery of stolen checks. Stolen checks were allegedly written in Cass and neighboring counties.
Deputies arrested 48 year old Rebecca L. Spears of that vicinity for Forgery, Possession of Methamphetamine less than 5 grams, and possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She remains held without bond at the Schuyler County Jail.
A Springfield man involved in a high speed chase through Sangamon, Morgan, and Greene County last year has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges.
WICS Newschannel 20 reports that 36 year old Vonta L. Commer of Springfield has been charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Commer has a long line of felony arrests dating back to the early 2000s in the area including robbery, armed robbery, and miscellaneous drug charges.
A State Journal Register story indicates that Commer was arrested in May 2013 for a shooting in the 2100 block of South Renfro Street in Springfield. Commer was cited with a parole violation, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery/discharge firearm in the arrest by Springfield. Commer was later charged in Sangamon County Court for manufacture and delivery of cocaine. Commer would go on to plead guilty to the drug charges and be sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, along with 3 years of Mandatory Supervised Release.
In May 2021, Commer would lead multiple agencies on a high speed chase through Sangamon, Morgan, and Greene County after refusing to pull over for a traffic stop for Illinois State Police after they allegedly observed traffic violations on Interstate 72. Commer was eventually stopped after a high speed chase down Illinois Route 267. Greene County authorities performed a pit maneuver on Commer’s 2020 Nissan just north of the Illinois Route 108 intersection and took him into custody. Commer would plead guilty to aggravated fleeing of police in August 2021 and was sentenced to 1 year of conditional discharge plus fines, fees, and court costs.
The plea was also pending deferred prosecution in Sangamon County Court on charges of armed habitual criminal, manufacture and delivery of methamphetamine, and possession of a weapon by a felon charges. Commer was also wanted in May 2021 for a parole violation and a Sangamon County traffic warrant. He is scheduled to have a trial call on April 11th.
Yesterday, the federal grand jury indicted Commer as a part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. Commer is currently being lodged on undisclosed charges at the Macon County Jail in Decatur.
Governor J.B. Pritzker visited Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey on Monday to announce a nearly $40 million investment in the college’s buildings.
The project includes a complete renovation of the Main Complex, which includes 5 historic buildings (Baldwin, Caldwell, Wade, Fobes, and Reid) at approximately 170,000 square feet. The renovations are partially being funded by $37.5 million in Rebuild Illinois capital plan funds as well as an additional $12.5 million local match from the school.
Pritzker says that community college investment is just as important as 4-year institutions because of the variety of programs and certifications they offer to students: “It’s another thing we can do to lift up learners all across the State of Illinois. Serving 15,000 students, Lewis and Clark is exactly the kind of institution we should be investing in to fuel economic opportunity in this region – and thanks to our Rebuild Illinois capital plan, we’re celebrating nearly $40 million worth of renovations on the L&C campus.”
State Senator Steve McClure says community colleges are an economic driver for their localities: “I don’t think people realize that people tend to stay where they go to college. Lewis & Clark has a particularly strong impact on that because of all the trades [programs] that they offer. I remember the first time I toured this campus – number one, you see what a beautiful campus it is; number two, you just see the impact it has on the entire economy. The fact that so many come from across the country to come here and so many stay in the area afterwards is a real testament to the impact this school has.”
In addition to the Main Complex, the funding is also a part of 3 deferred maintenance projects at Lewis and Clark Community College totaling just over $1 million in investments. The projects will address fire alarm system and fan coil unit replacements, as well as critical structure and foundation repairs.
The current renovation work, scheduled to begin next year, will include mechanical, electrical, and plumbing upgrades, health and life safety improvements, the replacement of the fire suppression and fire alarm systems, ADA, lighting, and elevator upgrades, interior finishes, and upgrades to the roofing systems, windows, and building envelopes.
The school has been working on securing the funding for the renovations for nearly a decade.
Mediacom has moved into its new location at 1223 West Morton Avenue. Mediacom’s Senior Director of Area Operations Dan Stuhr says the new location will update the look and feel of their retail location after leaving their previous location at 409 Massey Lane.
Stuhr says it will provide a new customer experience while also providing their continued customer service: “We’ve been in the building on Massey Lane location for over 40 years. It was just time to update things. The cable business has changed. The video business is changing. The Internet is growing, and we have done this change in other markets across Central Illinois. We thought it was time to do it in Jacksonville, as well. It gives [our office] a little more of a retail flavor. If people are familiar with the retail locations of cell phone companies, it is the same type of thing where you can come in and touch and feel the product, talk to sales representatives, start new service, and of course, we can still take payments and answer billing questions. It’s just an updated feel with a more modern look.”
Mediacom also automatically boosted speeds across their network this week. The company’s Access Internet Basic tier will rise to 100 megabytes per second download speeds. They also doubled download speeds for the Connect – 2 – Compete service through the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program. Stuhr says the program is designed to give low income households that qualify broadband Internet access: “As times change, the speeds go up. People need to use the Internet more – it seems like several new devices come out each day that connect to your home network. People work from home or are going to school from home, which we have seen more of over the last couple of years. Speed is important. Just a couple or three years ago, people were coming in [signing up for our service] at 60MB download speeds. Now, we are seeing most people coming in and signing up at the 100MB and 300MB levels, which is now automatically become 200MB and 400MB. As people use [the Internet] more for home and school and it seems like everyday something else is coming out on the marketplace that connects to your WiFi, speed is important. We are lucky that our founder had the foresight to sink some money into our network several years back to be able to offer 1GB speeds. We’ve done that for 5-6 years now, and that really helped prepare for something that nobody was prepared for, which was the pandemic.”
Stuhr says with the increased speeds and now the increased visibility of the retail location that more changes may be on the way in the future for Mediacom.
Illinois State Police have cited a driver after striking an Illinois Department of Transportation truck on Interstate 72 this morning.
According to an Illinois State Police report, just after 10AM this morning, troopers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 72 westbound at Milepost 30 about 5 miles west of Pittsfield. An IDOT truck was stationary in the right lane with emergency lights activated, protecting workers in the area. A 2014 Western Star truck tractor semi-trailer was traveling westbound on Interstate 72, in the same area. For an unknown reason, the truck tractor, driven by 28 year old Lovedip Singh from Richmond Hill, New York struck the truck mounted Attenuator that was attached to the IDOT truck.
No injuries were reported in the crash.
Singh was issued citations for Failure to Yield to a Stationary Emergency Vehicle (Scott’s Law violation) and Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash.
Today, Illinois College is asking the community to wear and show their “True Blue.”
The 5th annual day of giving known as ALL IN 4 IC kicked off this morning. Last year, the college raised $400,000 for the IC Fund.
Illinois College Vice President of External Relations, Stephanie Chipman, says no matter the donation today, every gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar to go into the fund: “Every donation made today really has double the impact on this very special day. There is a lot going on on campus today. We’re having student events and faculty and staff events. Twyford’s Food Truck is going to be on campus, so we hope a lot of people stop by campus and join us to celebrate just how special Illinois College is and how important it is to support our students.”
Chipman says that the IC Fund pays for many student opportunities beyond what normal tuition pays for in the IC experience: “The tuition that students pay only covers about a third of the amazing experience that our Illinois College students receive. The tuition covers the basics. It helps keep our faculty teaching and helps keep our lights on, but the remainder of what makes Illinois College special and what makes the incredible experiences possible for students are supported by other things besides tuition. The IC fund is one of those annual things.”
Chipman says all digital forms of payment can be used via the “donate” button on the homepage today.
Chipman also encourages everyone far and wide to sport their Illinois College apparel for photos and post them across social media to show support for the annual day of giving.
For questions about giving to Illinois College, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at 217-245-3046 or email development@ic.edu.
A Franklin High Schooler is headed to a national competition in poetry reading.
Cole Delaney placed first at the state Poetry Out Loud Team! Competition. Delaney’s teammate Thaddeus Bergschneider placed third.
Delaney will receive $500 for poetry materials for a virtual submission for the semifinals on May 1st. If Delaney advances from that stage, he will be a part of the final competition on June 5th for a chance at a $20,000 scholarship.
This is the second year in a row that Franklin has sent two students on to the state competition in the contest.
A person of interest connected to a suspicious death in Springfield’s west end has been apprehended on drug charges.
33 year old Lamar M. Beck of Springfield was arrested on Thursday, March 10th and is currently lodged at the Sangamon County Jail. Beck was named in an Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network Broadcast for a possible connection to the suspicious death in the 3400 block of Freedom Drive at The Sleep Inn in Springfield last Wednesday. Beck was believed to have been traveling in a stolen vehicle at the time, according to the ISP alert.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon would later identify the decedent as 47 year old Lesli Lundquist of Champaign. According to autopsy reports, Lundquist died of a single gunshot wound.
Beck’s possible connection, if any, to the case has not been made public by the Springfield Police Department, and the investigation remains open.
Beck has been formally charged by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office with manufacture and/or delivery of a controlled substance, manufacture and/or delivery of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of methamphetamine. He remains held on bond at the Sangamon County Jail.
The Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and the Springfield Police continue to investigate Lundquist’s death. A request for further information about Beck’s charges from the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office has not been returned.
