A local meat locker recently walked away from a downstate convention with a handful of awards for their service.

Terry Jones and Marty Cockerill of Jones Meat and Locker recently attended the Illinois Association of Meat Processors Convention in Effingham.

The local meat processing plant came home with eight awards, including Grand Champions in the Fully Cooked BBQ Ribs, Luncheon Meat, and Deer Jerky & Snack Sticks categories. Another distinguished award was the 2022 Innovative Beef Grand Champion, which was sponsored by the Illinois Beef Association.

These awards are an addition to multiple state and national awards for their meat and locker service they’ve won over their last 79 years of business.

The Illinois State Fair announced the first 6 acts for the grandstand for the State Fair this year.

The State Fair in Springfield will run August 11-21^st.

Sam Hunt will headline Friday, August 12^th. He’ll be followed by country duo Brooks & Dunn returning to the fair on August 14^th. The duo last appeared at the State Fair in 2008.

TLC and Shaggy will bring hip-hop to the grandstand on Wednesday, August 17^th.

Country star Jon Pardi who will have openers Lainey Wilson and Chapel Hart on August 18^th.

Metal band Disturbed with Nita Strauss will rock the grandstand on August 20^th. They’ll be followed by Sammy Hagar & the Circle on closing night.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale on March 11^th at Ticketmaster. More information can be found at illinoisstatefair.info. Future grandstand acts will be announced soon.

Prospective and current college students with a connection to MacMurray College have a few weeks left to submit applications towards the college’s scholarships.

MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association Chair David Ekin says that applicants can come from a direct connection to the college or may be majoring in a program that MacMurray was known for: “Our focus there is of course a connection with the college…might be a grandparent, might be someone who is a son or a daughter of a staff member, an employee, or a faculty member. It’s very broad in that regard. Then, also looking at those who may not have a connection but want to go into a program that is an area of emphasis that the college was known for – nursing, social work, music, deaf education, special education. So those are the things that we are looking to support students to continue that legacy of what MacMurray was. And as I’ve said to many people, the college is no more but it doesn’t mean that the impact that the college has also goes away.”

The MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association has 11 scholarships they currently offer, including one through the Jacksonville Promise.

Ekin says to get applications in now ahead of the March 15^th deadline. All awards are for one year only, but previous awardees may apply for additional years. More information can be found at https://www.macalumfoundation.org/scholarships.

The Jacksonville City Council welcomed its newest member last night.

Brett Henry was appointed to the council to the vacant Ward 4 alderman seat. Henry replaces Mike Wankel who resigned from the council in January to take a vacant seat with the Morgan County Commissioners.

Henry says he’s been thinking about a city council seat for awhile now: “I’ve got strong roots in Jacksonville. I’m not from Jacksonville originally, but I know that we have a strong future in Jacksonville. I’m hoping to do what I can to improve it. It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. The last time the Ward [seat] was up [for election], I was thinking about it but I didn’t take it back then. I didn’t talk to Andy [Ezard] back then, but once Mike [Wankel] took his new position and my ward seat was up again, it made me start to think about it again, so I called the mayor.”

Henry says he’s looking to the future of Jacksonville. By trade, Henry says his background is in information technology as he currently works as Assistant Director Of Information Technology at Central Laborers Pension in Springfield. Prior to that, he was a system administrator at the former Passavant Area Hospital and an I.T. Manager at Benton & Associates.

Henry says he’s more of a listener than a talker, and hopes that skill help bring new ideas to the table in fixing problems in the city: “I was basically writing down notes tonight. Basically, I wanted to spend most of this meeting listening. I’m new to the game, and that’s how I tend to take a lot of things – just listen, speak up when I need to or when I’m spoken to, but generally I like to listen and think things through before I make any kind of decision.”

Henry says he is familiar with some of his fellow alderman and looks forward to hearing from them and his constituents to address problems and move the city forward.

Two individuals were arrested in Pleasant Hill yesterday after an execution of a search warrant for drugs.

According to Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood, yesterday at 4:43PM, the West Central Illinois Task Force, Pike County Sheriff’s Department, and Pleasant Hill Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant at a residence located in the 300 block of Mound Street in Pleasant Hill.

Subsequent to the execution of the warrant, authorities arrested 25 year old Philip R. Stauffer of Pleasant Hill on charges of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of firearms and/or ammunition, resisting arrest, three Pike County failure to appear warrant charges for drugs, and a Calhoun County failure to appear warrant on possession of methamphetamine.

Authorities also arrested 27 year old Nickie M. Shewmake of Pleasant Hill on charges of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, obstructing justice, and concealing or aiding a fugitive of justice.

Both are currently being lodged at the Pike County Jail in lieu of a first appearance in court.

A Springfield man will have his mental fitness evaluated, while his alleged cohort in a November 2021 carjacking and sexual assault has requested a bench trial in Adams County Court.

WGEM and the Quincy Herald Whig report that 34 year old Bradley Yohn of Springfield will have his mental fitness evaluated prior to trial. Chief Judge of the Circuit Frank McCartney ordered an evaluation of Yohn on Friday after Yohn’s counsel, Adams County Public Defender John Citro raised questions about his client’s fitness. Yohn will return to Adams County Court on March 22^nd for a status hearing.

Yohn’s co-defendant, 32 year old Karen Blackledge waived her right to have a jury hear the case. Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones told WGEM that means the matter could become a bench trial or there still could be a negotiated plea. Jones says that no negotiated plea has been entered into at this time.

Yohn and Blackledge each face two counts of home invasion, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, all Class X felonies, and residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. Those charges are in connection with a Nov. 9 incident that allegedly began along the North Bottom Road. The victim in the case has since died from injuries sustained in the incident.

Yohn also is charged with vehicular hijacking stemming from a separate Oct. 31 incident.

And he faces charges of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony; two counts of theft or unauthorized control of property over $500 but under $10,000, Class 3 felonies; and criminal sexual abuse, a Class 4 felony. Those charges stem from another Oct. 14 incident.

Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Blackledge is being held at the Adams County Jail on a $5 million bond. Yohn is being held on a $15 million bond, which is believed to be the largest bond amount ever set in the county.

The Illinois State Board of Education announced today that it is putting $2 million into an effort to support and retain teachers of color.

ISBE will establish a statewide system of affinity groups in partnership with Sangamon-Menard Regional Office of Education 51 and Teach Plus. The groups will bring teachers of color together to examine issues facing them, including the causes of attrition, and to develop policy recommendations. The recommendations will inform local district leaders on ways to improve working conditions and experiences for teachers of color.

ISBE data shows that the state retains Black teachers at the lowest rate of all teacher groups. State Superintendent Carmen Ayala says that the effort is another way to create an equitable education system for the state.

The program will run for two and half years and be funded with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II funds. ROE 51 will administer the program in partnership with Teach Plus, a national nonprofit organization that develops and empowers teacher leaders. Teach Plus has facilitated projects focused on retaining teachers of color in Illinois and has implemented an affinity group structure in other states.

Educators interested in learning more about or participating in this initiative can contact Teach Plus Illinois Executive Director Josh Kaufmann at jkaufmann@teachplus.org.

This month’s winter storms had an impact on the state’s blood supply.

ImpactLife says the need for blood donors is urgent. The supply for all blood types are at less than 3 days, and even lower for Type O red blood cells and platelets of all blood types.

ImpactLife says that the winter storms caused numerous blood drives to be canceled as recently as last week.

To schedule appointments for donation, call (800) 747-5401, online at www.bloodcenter.org, or by using the blood center’s mobile app.

The Jacksonville Public Library will have a familiar face as a consultant.

The Jacksonville Public Library Board has tapped former director Sharon Zuiderveld as an administrative consultant while the board searches for a new full-time director.

Zuiderveld served as director from 2001 until her retirement in 2011. She began her duties last week. She takes over for Chris Ashmore who resigned on February 9^th. President of the Library Board Mary Fergurson says in a press release says the board is happy to partner with a familiar face as they go through a period of transition.

Ferguson says they will begin searching for a permanent executive director of the library in the coming weeks.