The final public hearing about the Winchester High School building is being held tomorrow night.

The district administration and school board are seeking the public’s input on the three options to either renovate or replace the current Winchester High School building.

The building is currently 103 years old and poses several operations and maintenance hurdles both for the district’s employees, students, and its finances.

Superintendent Kevin Blankenship says that the whole process with the public meetings is allowing residents to make informed decisions on what comes next: “We want to provide the information and the data, provide the facts so that all of our parents and community members have them to make an informed decision. I would encourage anyone to come to the forum. We’ve been very open. We’ve set things up so people can ask questions. They can call me directly. They can set up appointments with my office administrator. I don’t have a problem meeting with folks and having these discussions. They can also email me at the school if they prefer to ask questions that way. I really would encourage everyone to come to the forum on April 24th.”

Blankenship says more opportunities to speak to the community and various civic groups are also forthcoming. The third public hearing session is scheduled from 6:30-8PM tomorrow night at the Winchester Grade School Gym.

A Springfield man was cited after his vehicle struck a State Police squad car on I-55 near Benld over the weekend.

According to a press release from the Illinois State Police, on Saturday at around 9PM, an ISP squad car was parked and blocking a lane of traffic on Interstate 55 northbound near milepost 45 in Macoupin County with emergency lights activated, handling a previous traffic crash.

The trooper was outside of the squad when it was struck by a white Toyota. The trooper and the driver of the Toyota, 76-year-old Fred J. Stewart of Springfield were uninjured.

Stewart was cited for a Scott’s Law violation for failure to yield to a stationary emergency vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a traffic crash.

It was the 13^th Move Over Law-related crash for the State Police this year.

A Carrollton man has pleaded guilty to sex crimes involving minors.

20-year old Harley D. Angel pleaded guilty to Class 2 felony Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse of a victim at least 5 years younger than the age of consent, and Class A misdemeanor Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Victim with a victim who is at least 9 years of age but under 17 years of age.

Angel was first arrested by Carrollton Police on November 30, 2022 and then later released after posting bond. He was arrested again by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department after turning himself in on a warrant on March 1, 2023 and released again by posting bond. Angel was issued a No Contact order as a condition of his bond, forbidding him from contacting the minor victims while the case was pending.

Carrollton Police Chief James Buchanan confirmed to Riverbender last May that the offenses were committed against multiple victims, all of whom were minors. According to court records, the offense involved victims who were “at least 13 years of age but under 17 years of age,” with Angel having been “at least five years older” than the victims. Angel was 19 at the time, meaning that one of the victims could not have been older than 14.

Last January, the case was reassigned to Morgan County Judge Chris Reif after a motion for Substitution of Judge was filed by Angel’s defense attorney, Joshua Evans.

Greene County State’s Attorney Caleb Briscoe recused himself from the case citing a conflict of interest. When asked about the nature of this conflict, Special Appellate Prosecutor Jennifer Mudge told Riverbender that Angel’s attorney previously represented Briscoe in a civil case. Mudge was appointed as the Special Prosecutor of this case on March 31, 2023.

Mudge indicates that incriminating evidence on Angel’s phone existed in both cases.

Angel was sentenced to 2 years of adult probation, and ordered to pay court costs. Angel will have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life per the sentencing on the criminal felony.

An Adams County man who led Roodhouse Police on a brief high-speed chase pleaded guilty to driving under the influence on Friday in Greene County Circuit Court.

54-year old Michael B. Tode of Quincy pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol on Friday in front of visiting Morgan County Judge Chris Reif in Greene County Circuit Court.

Tode was arrested by members of the Roodhouse and White Hall Police on the evening of August 19^th. According to reports, an officer with the Roodhouse Police was on duty observing traffic near the corner of North State and East North Street in Roodhouse, when the officer observed a truck traveling 70 miles per hour in the 30 mile per hour limit zone in town. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, however the driver, later identified as Tode, ignored the officer’s emergency lights and continued southbound on U.S. 67.

While Tode’s vehicle continued south, the officer reported the vehicle crossing the center line of traffic, eventually causing a northbound vehicle to be ran off the road. As the vehicle approached the railroad crossing entering into the City of White Hall, Tode struck the guardrail and the vehicle came to a stop. Tode refused treatment at the scene. No other injuries were reported. Tode was initially charged with DUI, aggravated fleeing or eluding police, improper lane usage, disobeying a stop sign, speeding 35 miles per hour over the posted statutory limit, and failure to reduce speed to avoid a traffic crash.

The remaining five charges were dismissed per the plea agreement on Friday in Greene County Court.

Tode was sentenced to 1 year of conditional discharge and ordered to pay an undisclosed county fine.

A 60-year-old Springfield man charged in federal court with operating six “houses of prostitution” in Springfield wants to transfer his ownership interest in an office building to an Illinois State Police trooper who jointly owns the building.

The Illinois Times reports that Gregory L. Fraase of Springfield asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught for permission to transfer his interest in a vacant two-level building at 2040 Timberbrooke Drive to Nathan Shanks. Fraase said in a March 22 motion that he and Shanks jointly purchased the west-side Springfield property, previously used for offices and a physician office, at an auction in July 2023. Fraase said in the motion that he wants to get rid of his ownership interest, without charging Shanks anything for it, because of Fraase’s “recently changed financial situation.”

Federal prosecutors said in a court filing that they are “aware of only one change in the defendant’s financial situation, the fact that he no longer is profiting from violations of federal law.” Prosecutors said they object to the property transfer unless Fraase provides more information about it. Prosecutors noted that Fraase’s pretrial release conditions require that he not “dissipate his assets” without court permission. Fraase has 28 days to provide the court with more information about the proposed transaction.

Fraase was indicted March 5th by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy in connection with alleged prostitution at sites advertised as Asian massage parlors throughout Springfield.

The 39-year old Shanks is a master trooper with the Illinois State Police, according to data with the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. The Illinois Times reports he has not returned comment on the proposed property transfer.

Sangamon County property records obtained by the Times indicate Shanks and GLF Group LLC previously jointly owned the one-story building behind Famous Wine & Spirits that later would become Jade Spa, located at 1560 Wabash Avenue. Jade Spa was one of several Asian massage establishments raided by the FBI in early February. Shanks transferred his half-ownership of the Wabash Avenue building to the new owners, Seven Carpenters LLC and GLF Group, in June 2021, according to property records obtained by the Illinois Times. Fraase represented the GLF Group during zoning requests with the City of Springfield in 2021. According to federal and local court records, Fraase was also paying utilities on the 6 parlors raided by federal authorities on behalf of GLF Group. The Times reports that Illinois Secretary of State records listed Fraase as a GLF Group manager as of April 16^th.

The Illinois Department of Transportation continues its move forward on replacing the Joe Page Bridge in Hardin.

The bridge carries Illinois Routes 16 and 100 over the Illinois River from Calhoun into the southernmost portion of Greene County, and is one of the only routes into and out of Calhoun County. The draw bridge was built in 1930 and is nearing its mechanical end of life and is currently a major cost to the state to repair and maintain.

Location Studies Engineer in IDOT’s District 8 Office, Cindy Stafford says that the second public meeting was held on March 21st at Calhoun High School: “We recently had our second public meeting where we brought to the public about 8 different corridors or bands that are initial starting points of what we are going to begin to evaluate to see if any of them are feasible or reasonable for replacing the bridge. The purpose of that public meeting was to get feedback from the public to see if they think those are good ideas to start looking at, if they think some of them need to be modified, or if there is another kind of band or study area they wanted us to look at in terms of corridors for replacement of the bridge.”

Stafford says that IDOT officials are currently in the midst of evaluating the feedback received from the meeting. Stafford says a working group will now begin creating alternatives to the 8 options presented to the public to figure out what works and what doesn’t: “These corridors are about 600-800 feet wide, so there is a lot of variation in terms of things that we can do with different alternatives in terms of those corridors. Some of the corridors may have fatal flaws so they may just drop out from evaluation. This is kind of that first filtering out of those options that we’re doing right now. We are going to be looking at the topography of the area to see how those corridors can access existing roadways on the east and west side of the river. We are going to look to see how those corridors work with the flow of the river, what does it do to river height, and the hydraulics of the river. We are also going to look and see what it would do to traffic patterns for both sides of the river.”

Stafford says once the alternatives are studied for each of the 8 corridor options are completed, another public meeting will be held to show which ones have fallen out of consideration due to fatal flaws and which ones needed updating. She says that after the third public meeting, another filtering down to preferred corridors will take place. She says the next meeting will likely occur later this summer or early Fall.

Stafford encourages any landowners and residents in the area to stay engaged with the process. Comment forms and more information regarding the mailing list can be found online at joepagebridge.com or call IDOT’s District 8 Office in Collinsville at (618) 346-3245.

The Jacksonville Area Museum manager has been named the state’s top young museum professional.

McKenna Servis has received the Russell L. Lewis Jr. Young Museum Professional Award during the 125^th annual meeting of the Illinois State Historical Society.

The Young Museum Professional Award is given annually to a person under the age of 30 and recognizes him or her for outstanding achievement in the museum profession. The criteria for choosing the award winner includes, but may not be limited to, leadership in the field exemplified by holding office or serving on a committee of a professional organization; presentations at workshops or conferences; publications; contributions to research in an area of expertise; and creativity and vision as it relates to his or her current position. The award was presented by the Illinois State Historical Society on Saturday, April 20 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield.

Jacksonville Area Museum Board Chairman Allan Worrell said in a press release that Servis has been a perfect fit for the local museum: “McKenna is most deserving of this recognition and we are thrilled for her. It is another example of how well the Jacksonville Area Museum is thought of in public history circles.”

Servis was nominated for the award by David Joens, the director of the Illinois State Archives.

Servis says the nomination and win has been an honor: “It was an honor to be nominated for this award, let alone receive it. Achievements like this are not earned alone. I share this award with my family and the Jacksonville community. It is a privilege to serve Jacksonville and its surrounding communities by sharing their stories.” 

The Jacksonville Area Museum uses original artifacts, storytelling exhibits and the building itself, as well as items from the MacMurray College Foundation and Alumni Association collection, to show people of all ages and backgrounds why the Jacksonville community has been and continues to be one of a kind. The museum is located in the old Post Office building at 301 E. State Street, and its regular schedule is Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. There is no admission fee but a donation of $5 is suggested to keep the museum operating.

The museum will begin construction this summer on a major expansion project that will greatly increase its exhibit space and offer an even more innovative and engaging visitor experience. The expansion is possible thanks to generous donations to the Jacksonville Area Museum Foundation, the museum’s private, 501-c-3 fundraising organization.

To learn more about the museum visit: http://www.jacksonvilleareamuseum.org/.

The Village of South Jacksonville was the first municipality to hear in detail the upcoming changes that are being proposed to overhaul the public safety radio system.

Morgan County Emergency Management Coordinator and West Central Joint Dispatch Director Phil McCarty provided the South Jacksonville Board of Trustees on Thursday night of the breakdown that would upgrade and overhaul the emergency communication systems. The current systems that several of the first responder agencies are on are not compatible, not upgradable to a digital signal, or are nearing their end of life.

Village of South Jacksonville Chief of Police Eric Hansell, who sits on the Emergency Telephone System Board as a representative for the village, says the upgrades are timely: “Part of the reason why this is necessary is because the system that we have has been let go a little bit and not quite maintained the way it should have been. It’s going to be everybody on the same frequency as far as fire, police, and emergency services so that radio systems can be patched together a lot easier. Also, a part of is the foresight of the federal government mandating us all go to a P25-capatable radio system. That’s why we are moving forward with this. The ETSB is kicking in a huge chunk of money toward the project. It’s offsetting the cost for the other agencies. The agencies that are going to probably benefit from this the most right now is the Jacksonville Police Department and the City of Jacksonville and the Village of South Jacksonville. Our system here is an older system than what everyone else is on.”

McCarty told the board that the initial bid from Tait Communication came in at $6.1 million, but through a revised bid and a $1.75 million down payment from the ETSB, the cost for the project would be around $3 million. The new system would be on a 12-year lease and each municipality in the joint dispatch agreement would be responsible for their share based upon the percentage of their current Joint Dispatch services payment. South Jacksonville’s is a little over 11% share of the cost, making their annual payment about $44,000 more on top of their quarterly dispatch payments. The payment for the system would drop off after the 12 year lease agreement.

The Village board will take the agreement under consideration as a possible action item at their next business meeting in May. McCarty says he would like to have the bid executed with Tait by May 14^th in order to keep interest rates low.

McCarty also presented the City of Jacksonville with the project last night, saying he would like to get moving on the bid received by Tait because the loan interest to get the project has already gone up by a half percent, putting the loan’s interest at a little under 6%.

The Village is likely to have an action item to accept the agreement at their next business meeting on May 2nd, while the City of Jacksonville is expected to take action along with the Morgan County Commissioners on May 6th.

Two Greenfield men were arrested in Kampsville two weeks ago on drug charges by members of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a press release, on April 11^th, Calhoun County Deputy Nic McCall conducted a traffic stop on Crawford Creek near Illinois Route 100 near Kampsville. Subsequent to an investigation, McCall arrested the driver, 56-year old Wayne L. Decker of Greenfield for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additionally, a passenger was also arrested, 44-year old James E. Stanberry, also of Greenfield for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both were taken to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office in Hardin without incident, booked, and released with a notice to appear in court.

Both men have been set for a first appearance in Calhoun County Circuit Court for May 7^th.

A Beardstown man who allegedly pointed a gun at his landlord in the Lauderbach Trailer Court this past December has pleaded guilty.

36-year old Tyler J. Dambacher of Beardstown pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon yesterday morning in front of Cass County Circuit Judge Timothy J. Wessel.

Dambacher was arrested on the afternoon of December 12^th by Beardstown Police at the Lauderbach Trailer Court, just off of US 67 after a neighbor reported a disturbance. Dambacher, who was a tenant of the trailer court at the time, is said to have pointed a gun at his landlord in an argument. Police also cited Dambacher for being in possession of firearm ammunition as a designated felon from a case in 2008.

The ammunition charge was dropped per the plea agreement.

Dambacher was sentenced to 1 year of non-reporting conditional discharge and ordered to pay a $200 fine plus court assessment costs.