A Roodhouse man charged for first degree murder in Macoupin County for the death of an infant in 2020 was acquitted by a jury this week.

29 year old Allan Castleberry Jr. of Roodhouse was accused of striking 23 month old Gracie Ellen Rose Nance of Carlinville’s head against a wall on February 3, 2020. Nance would die on February 5, 2020 at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.

Castleberry was the live-in boyfriend of the child’s mother Courtney L. Rice of Carlinville who reported the child not breathing to 9-1-1.

According to the Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat, Castleberry’s trial lasted for four days with the jury returning the verdict on Tuesday after 30 minutes of deliberation. Castleberry was facing 20-60 years in prison.

WLDS News has reached out to Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison for comment. Garrison took over the case in 2020 after he won election against Jennifer Watson who originally brought the charges against Castleberry while still in office.

This story will be updated.

One of Jacksonville’s Internet service providers is moving to a new retail location in town.

Mediacom Communications announced today it will open the doors to its new customer service center on Monday at 8AM located at 1223 West Morton Avenue. Mediacom’s Senior Director for Area Operations, Dan Stuhr, said in a press release that the new location was chosen to provide a more convenient location, better and ample parking, and a significantly larger customer area. The retail space was previously occupied by a Payless Shoe store.

Mediacom says they contracted locally with Mike Griffitts of Griffitts Properties of Jacksonville to convert the space.

For the past 40 years, Mediacom and its predecessor companies operated from a building at 409 Massey Lane. The company will vacate that leased space by April 30^th, with broadband technicians and other “back office” operations transitioning to the new location over the coming weeks.

The new customer center will maintain its previous operating schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Stuhr says they are working with the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce to schedule a ribbon-cutting and customer open house later in the spring.

Mediacom’s move to the new service center follows on the heels of its construction of a new fiber-optic network in nearby Franklin that now provides access to Gigabit-speed broadband service. The broadband service has been delivered throughout Jacksonville, Chapin, and South Jacksonville for nearly five years.

John Wood Community College President Michael Elbe announced yesterday his plans to retire, effective Dec. 31^st.

WGEM reports that Elbe told staff and faculty during a college-wide meeting that he felt it was a good time to begin the transition. Elbe has been president at JWCC for the past 8 years, succeeding John Letts in 2014. Elbe, a native of Camp Point, had been with JWCC since 1990 in various capacities.

According to Muddy River News, Elbe has been in higher education since 1987, previous serving in roles as the director of student life (1999-2002) and assistant dean of students (1998-99) at the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa. He was an academic advisor (1988-90) for the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and served as a resident director (1987-88) for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C. Elbe also coached the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team for 13 seasons, compiling a 246-165 record. He led two teams to top-seven finishes in the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament.

JWCC Board of Trustees Chair Diane Ary said that the board would begin a thorough and collaborative process to find Elbe’s process.

The fallout of the Michael Madigan’s federal indictment has stretched to his family.

The wife of the former Illinois House Speaker has been ousted from her long-time position as the chair of the Illinois Arts Council. Governor JB Pritzker removed Shirley Madigan as chair of the organization this week.

On Thursday, Pritzker told the press that he spoke with Michael Madigan on Tuesday saying he was making changes at the Illinois Arts Council.

In a letter obtained by Capitol Fax, Shirley Madigan announced on Thursday she was stepping away from the arts council due to personal reasons.

Shirley Madigan had been with the arts council since 1983. Pritzker says that the decision was made before her husband’s indictment and that he wants to take the arts council in a new direction.

The Village of South Jacksonville was barely able to hold a meeting last night. Two members of the Board of Trustees – Stacy Pinkerton and John Stewart did not show to the meeting. The meeting was also again not attended by Village Treasurer Tiffanee Peters. South Jacksonville Fire Chief Rich Evans Jr. was also not in attendance. Village President Dick Samples says that Evans called ahead prior to the meeting saying he would not be able to attend so his absence was excused.

Samples says he doesn’t know why the two trustees didn’t show: “[I have] no idea. I was not informed of anything. Nobody called. Nobody emailed. Nobody texted. They just aren’t here.”

Samples says he still hasn’t had any interested parties come forward for the clerk position right now. Currently, Village Office Employee Clay Johnson is filling the role on an interim basis. Samples says he’s got bigger jobs on his plate right now: “I haven’t done a thing with [the clerk’s position] to be truthful. I haven’t worried about it. I have a clerk here that’s filling in the job so far and we’re getting by. I know we need a clerk but that requirement or that deal is at the low end of the requests right now.”

The attending board members failed to approve Samples’ second appointment to the trustee position at the meeting, Jason Hill. Hill resigned in the summer last year after an altercation with then-Mayor Tyson Manker that lead to a police investigation over alleged eavesdropping and harassment. No charges were ever filed against Hill. Hill and former Village Clerk Krystin Hill, who happens to be his wife, submitted their letters of resignation in June, just a month following the incident.

Trustee Tom Jordan made the motion to accept the appointment, but the motion died for a lack of a second. Hill was not in attendance for the meeting. Samples says he purposely didn’t invite Hill to the meeting: “I told him not to come. I wasn’t going to embarrass him in the event that he was not installed tonight. I wasn’t going to go through that again like Todd [Warrick] had to go through last month by not getting voted in. If Jason had been voted in tonight, you know, I would’ve called him and we would’ve had a special meeting probably and put him in before the Committee of the Whole meeting this month.”

According to state statute, Samples now can appoint anyone he chooses to the position after 30 days is up from this meeting. Samples says that Warrick will be his choice once the time is up.

Samples says the past few months in his position has been frustrating at times: “I think we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s one step forward, two steps back every time you turn around.”

In other business, the trustees approved 13 sets of session minutes dating back to October 7, 2021; February payable bills in the amount of $244,395; and discussed personnel in executive session.

The trustees also heard a presentation by Village Chief of Police Eric Hansell about a proposal to update body cameras, tasers, and squad car cameras with the Axon Software Company. The cost would be approximately $84,000 spread over annual payments over the next 5 years. Hansell invited the trustees to visit the police department for further demonstration and explanation about the system’s potential upgrades to the department’s current equipment.

The village board will next meet during Committee of the Whole on Thursday, March 17^th at 6:30.

Jacksonville is one step closer to having its first adult use cannabis dispensary.

The Jacksonville Plans Commission approved the rezoning of 1112 Veterans Drive from business-4 to business 4 special use zoning by a vote of 4 to 1. Nick Little was the lone ‘no’ vote on the council. Little did not wish to be interviewed in concern to his vote.

Kenny Pleasant of Bellevue, Washington was in attendance for the meeting. The former real estate entrepreneur said that he was originally opposed to cannabis usage because of its detriment to the Black community’s progress. However, as a Black man, he saw that many of the customers to the industry were older people and those with mental health problems seeking the drug for therapeutic use. He says that a main component of his 10 other dispensaries is education and being a good municipal partner with the cities in which they operate. Pleasant says he hopes to use the dispensary as a way to partner with the City of Jacksonville’s other businesses and help the community grow and succeed.

Plans Commission Chair Mike Oldenettel says that Pleasant’s petition for rezoning checked all the boxes under the city’s ordinance for placement of the business: “I was very impressed actually with [Mr. Pleasant’s] presentation. It was comforting to know that isn’t his first dispensary – this isn’t his second one – this is his 10th or 11th, so we are dealing with an entity that I think that they know where they are going and they know the hurdles that they have to get through. He had mentioned issues with the State of Illinois, whom they are waiting on for some finalization of things. My comfort level was raised with him being here this evening and talking about his business, and his business’ operations. The city already made the decision to allow this to happen. It was just up to us to decide where it could go. I feel this is a good location and so did the committee.”

City Development Director Brian Nyberg believes that Pleasant’s company is the perfect fit for Jacksonville. Nyberg believes that city is missing out on large revenue stream as many in the city already go to Springfield or Quincy for dispensaries anyway. Nyberg says he’s also been impressed by the blue prints of the business when it comes to security: “I know the State of Illinois puts regulation on as far as cameras and what the Illinois State Police has to have access to those cameras 24/7, so I think that will make policing for any city, local or municipality that much easier when it’s 24/7. They know exactly what’s going on. I know it’s even more strict with craft grow facilities that you have to have card swipes to go in any rooms so they know where everybody in the building is at any time and they know exactly how many plants are in the building. I’m not sure if that’s the same type of strict things that [dispensaries] have to have, but I know that the State Police will be involved and they will have close contact with the city police.”

With the Plans Commission making their recommendation, the special use permit will now head before the Jacksonville City Council for final approval.

In other petitions, the Plans Commission approved Chehog, LLC’s petition to rezone 117 East Morton Avenue from Business-3 to Business-3 with Special Use. The proposal indicates that a drive-thru Pizza Hut will go in the location. Tom Richards of Chehog, LLC says they will also be constructing a concrete pad to have their own dumpster to the east of the business. Local neighbors had questions about the business after complaining of alleged health code violations and problems with the dumpster currently behind Dunkin’ Donuts. The petition passed unanimously.

The final petition was to rezone the old Lafayette School at 747 West Lafayette Avenue from public to Business-4 for the relocation of The Little Red Wagon Daycare. After a neighbor voiced concerns about the daycare’s hours of operation bringing noise and traffic concerns as well as concerns about the daycare’s miniature ponies and a proposed barn to be constructed on the property, the commission approved the rezoning.

The commission also discussed potential zoning ordinances for an upcoming city licensing ordinance of long-term rentals, bed & breakfasts, and AirBnBs. City Attorney Dan Beard says that the ordinance would require everyone in the city who currently operates one of those types of business to be registered and licensed by the city. The plans commission’s input to the ordinance would be just exactly where those types of businesses could be located. Further discussion with the city council and the plans commission is expected before the ordinance is finalized.

The Jacksonville Kiwanis have announced the recipient of proceeds for this year’s .5K.

The Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation will be this year’s benefactor.

The charity event has raised nearly $60,000 over the past decade under the direction of Jacksonville residents Bruce and Dessa Surratt.

This year’s event is being run by a Kiwanis committee.

The .5K committee is accepting registrations from race participants, as well as sponsorships from businesses or individuals. The cost to participate is $25 or $30 after March 21st.

Participants will receive a long-sleeved shirt.

Contact Gary Scott at 217-370-9058 or gscott@wlds.com; Lauren Dwyer at lauren@beardimplement.com or 618-946-2323; or Kristin Jamison at kristin@jredc.org or 217-719-9215 for more information.

A Jacksonville man arrested in November for molesting two minors may spend the rest of his natural life in prison.

62 year old John A. Levins of the 100 block of Woodfield Boulevard pled guilty to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Assistant State’s Attorney Chad Turner says that the investigation into Levins’ behavior began with an out-of-state phone call to local authorities, leading Jacksonville Police Detectives to arrest Levins at his residence on November 17^th: “There were two [minor] victims. One of them was a little bit older than the other, who was very young. How it came about that the investigation got initiated was that the older victim who does not live in Illinois told her parents about [the crime] and they contacted the parents of the younger victim who does live here, and they asked their daughter about it. Then, all of the floodgates opened and everything started to come about in the mid-to-late summer last year. That led the parents to call the authorities here and the investigation got under way and that led to some obviously very credible evidence to some very bad behavior.”

Levins’ plea led to a sentence of 23 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Turner says due to Illinois’ truth in sentencing law, Levins must serve at least 85% of his sentence. Levins will be credited for 107 days served in the Morgan County Jail.

Turner says that Levins’ court proceedings aren’t over yet: “Part of the investigation, as I said, was initiated by a victim that lives in Ohio. The Ohio authorities have alleged that in addition to victimizing that young girl that lives in Ohio while he was here in Illinois with her, he also victimized her in the State of Ohio and they are prosecuting him for that. I don’t know what their analysis is going to be in relation to whether or not they want to go forward with their charges based upon the significant nature of the sentencing here, or whether they might forego that given that I think it’s quite likely that the defendant, Mr. Levins, is going to die in prison or they may so ‘no.’ The people of Ohio may want their pound of flesh as well, so to speak, so there will be more court proceedings, just not in the State of Illinois.”

Levins remains at the Morgan County Jail awaiting transfer into the Illinois Department of Corrections.