A Cass County man accused of reproduction and possession of child pornography has been found fit to stand trial.

40 year old Jared A. Logsdon of Virginia was arrested by Illinois State Po lice investigators on January 18^th after a nearly 2 year investigation.

On February 14^th, Logsdon’s defense counsel, Cass County Public Defender Denise Barr requested the court have Logsdon receive a mental fitness evaluation by Dr. Terry Killian.

On Monday, the court received Dr. Killian’s findings with the conclusion that Logsdon is fit to stand trial. He was remanded back to the Schuyler County Jail where he is currently being held on $250,000 bond.

Logsdon is facing up to 30 years or more in prison and fines in excess of $100,000 on the 9-count criminal information in the case.

Logsdon will return to Cass County Court on March 21^st for a preliminary hearing.

Springfield Police are on the scene investigating a suspicious death in the 3400 block of Freedom Drive in Springfield’s west end.

According to an Illinois State Police District 18 bulletin at 12:12PM, authorities are looking for 33 year old Lamar M. Beck of Springfield as a potential homicide suspect. Beck is described as a black male, 5’11”, 232 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. Beck is believed to be driving an allegedly stolen Red 2013 Hyundai Sonata with the license plate DD68524.

According to the State Police bulletin, the alleged homicide occurred at The Sleep Inn located at 3407 Freedom Drive in Springfield’s west edge.

From Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon’s Office:
A 47 year old female was found deceased in a hotel in the 3400 block of Freedom Drive in Springfield. The death is considered suspicious in nature. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. The death is being investigated by the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and the Springfield Police Department.

This is a developing story.

One person was injured when a car crashed on Interstate 72.

The crash occurred in the eastbound lanes around 2PM near the Jacksonville Prison exit.

Initial reports to West Central Illinois Joint Dispatch reported a silver passenger car versus a semi tractor trailer.

This is a developing story. We will provide more information once it becomes available.

The Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau of Southwest Illinois is seeking a grant to attract more visitors to Historic Route 66 and revitalize and create landmarks along the legendary highway.

Riverbender reports that the tourism bureau has applied for a grant under the Route 66 Grant Program administered by DCEO and the Illinois Office of Tourism. If approved, the grant would fund the projects throughout communities along the Last 100 Miles of the historic highway in Illinois.

The grant funds are available to certified Destination Marketing Organizations in Illinois who represent and promote the Mother Road.

The projects include development of a mural trail that would have stops in Virden and Girard. The postcard-style, matching murals in 11 locations would highlight Route 66 facts.

Another project would be revitalization of the historic Macoupin County “Cannonball Jail”. Grant funds would be used to complete structural updates and parking lot repairs needed to reopen the historic jail to Route 66 visitors. The jail, located across from the famed “Million Dollar Courthouse”, was constructed after the American Civil War with surplus cannonballs placed between stones to make prisoner escape impossible.

The proposed projects are receiving support from local governments to state lawmakers all along the historic highway.

he Lake Jacksonville fishing season opens tomorrow.

The official open to camping season at the lake is April 1^st at 8AM and will close on October 19^th.

Boat stickers will be available for purchase exclusively at the concession building at Lake Jacksonville starting on April 1^st.

Lakes Superintendent Brett Gilbreth says this year is a return to normal at the lake: “Daily passes will be available on the west side of the concession building. 2021 season permits will be valid until we start selling the new ones on April 1st when we open up the concession building and the camping season. I don’t think there is anything really different. To be quite honest, I think we are kind of going back to where it was before Covid hit. I don’t believe we’re going to go through any restrictions that we have had in the last two years. Everything else is pretty well the same.”

The seasonal camping lease payment deadline is April 30th and a $50 late fee will be applied until May 5th. Lease payments won’t be accepted after May 5th. Lots at the lake that are not paid for by May 5th will be entered into the 2022 permanent camper lottery which will be held on May 14th at 10AM at the concession building.

Hours of the concession stand and shower house at Lake Jacksonville are Monday through Thursday 8-6. Fridays and Saturdays 8-8, and Sundays 8-4. The concession building will be closed April 17th for the Easter holiday.

For more information or questions, contact Gilbreth at 217-408-8771 or via email at bgilbreth@jacksonvilleil.gov.

Jacksonville’s gas prices are feeling the crunch from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The average cost for a gallon of gas in Jacksonville is $4.43 a gallon, the highest its been since at least 2008. It’s a penny higher than the state average of $4.42 a gallon, and 26 cents higher than the national average of $4.17. Eight of the 14 reporting stations have $4.59 a gallon listed as their price today. The lowest listed Jacksonville price is $4.19 a gallon.

Only one county in the region is reporting gas prices under $4 a gallon. Scott County is coming in at $3.93 on average today, according to AAA.

Last week, the International Energy Agency announced a coordinated release of 62 million barrels of crude oil from its 31 member countries’ strategic reserves, including the U.S., Germany, Canada, South Korea, and Mexico, to help counter the impact of rising crude prices. This amount—half of which is expected to come from the U.S.—is the largest coordinated release since IEA was founded in 1974. Despite this announcement, the impact on pricing has been limited given that the amount of oil planned for release is small in comparison to the amount that flows daily from Russia to other countries around the globe.

Barrels of crude oil were trading at just under $100 a barrel today during the opening of the stock market.

The market is going to be roiled further after President Joe Biden announced this afternoon a ban on the import of Russian energy products.

The instability of the market coupled with domestic oil production’s ramp up to meet demand will likely see the current trend at the pump to continue long as crude oil prices climb and the war in Ukraine continues.

A Jacksonville woman is headed to prison after pleading guilty to aggravated driving under the influence.

41 year old Beth E. Atkins pled guilty to the charge in Morgan County Court yesterday. The charge stems from a December 29^th, 2020 car crash in which Atkins hit a parked car and a house in the 600 block of South Diamond Street.

According to police reports, several 9-1-1 calls were placed around 9PM on December 29, 2020 after witnesses reported a black Chevy Cruise driving recklessly at the intersection of South Diamond and Anna Street. Atkins’ vehicle sideswiped an unoccupied park car, then continued north on South Diamond, exiting the roadway to the right striking a street sign. Atkins then made an improper right turn onto Anna Street from South Diamond and struck a house located at 542 South Diamond. Atkins then backed into a Jacksonville Police squad car with its lights activated, causing her vehicle to become inoperable.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Atkins was sentenced to one year in the Illinois Department of Corrections, up to 1 year of Mandatory Supervised Release, a $500 fine, plus fees and court costs. Atkins was credited for 20 days served in the Morgan County Jail. All other traffic citations were dropped per the plea.