Illinois legislation has been filed to rid utility bills of a special surcharge. The Qualified Infrastructure Plant, or QIP Charge has been in effect in 2013.

The charge allows Ameren-Illinois and other utility companies in the state to raise bills to pay for natural gas pipe replacement and urgent infrastructure repairs. Much of the 2013 bill was due to the replacement of cast iron pipes, but lawmakers are saying that much of that work has been completed.

According to the Citizens Utility Board, Ameren raised its gas delivery rates by $76 million during the pandemic. CUB says the state’s utilities are aggressively over-spending on fossil fuel infrastructure that may soon be phased out by climate change legislation.

State Senator Cristina Castro held a press conference on Monday with the Illinois Chapter of AARP to make the public aware of the increased heating cost problem and lack of transparency by the state’s utility companies: “The bill is about transparency and holding utilities accountable. People’s Gas is overhauling their entire system rather than focusing on the most dangerous projects. Ameren and Nicor are still charging their natural gas surcharge despite already replacing their most risky systems. Together, these projects are costing hundreds of millions of dollars being paid for by the companies’ customers. By ending the surcharge, sooner rather than later, we are doubling down on the state’s commitment to protecting taxpayers and increasing transparency when it comes to our energy companies.”

AARP IL Associate State Director Jeff Scott says he’s heard stories this year of some of the state’s elderly having to make tough choices when it comes to paying their utility bill this winter: “As a part of the advocacy effort, we have worked to fight against the gas Qualified Infrastructure Plant and its assault on ratepayers’ pocketbooks since the inception of the idea nearly a decade ago. We consistently hear from our members that their utility bills force them to make extremely difficult decisions. Many of our members are on fixed incomes, and they must make unfortunate decisions between other necessities such as food, medicine, rent, or just simply taking care of themselves and their loved ones by living in hospitable conditions. Just last month, we heard heartbreaking stories from hundreds of members across the state. Some have seen their gas bill tripled in the last couple of months, and many are unfortunately behind on their bill.”

This bill is in its second life as it was introduced by State Senator Ram Villavilam in February last year. Both the House and Senate bills are currently in Assignments.

The trial for a Quincy woman charged in connection to a 2020 crash that killed a Rushville grandmother and her three grandchildren has been pushed back to the Spring.

Muddy River News reports that Public Defender Todd Nelson filed a motion last Wednesday in Adams County Court to continue the case against 37 year old Natasha McBride of Quincy to April.

A jury trial was set to begin Feb. 7. However, Nelson’s motion to continue the case attributed the delay to the state. A 17th count against McBride, aggravated driving under the influence, was added to McBride’s charges on Jan. 11. Nelson argued that the amended charge should have been filed sooner because the evidence had been in the state’s hands since December 2020.

Adams County Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones didn’t object to the request to move the case off the February trial docket but did object that the continuance be attributed to the state. Adams County Judge Amy Lannerd eventually ruled against Nelson’s motion to attribute the delay to the state. She then moved the case to the April docket, then said Nelson could file a motion on the late filing of the new charge.

The hearing on Nelson’s second motion is set for Feb. 28. If no additional motions are filed, that Feb. 28 year also will be a status hearing. A jury pre-trial has been set for April 1, with the jury trial reset for April 11.

McBride remains lodged at the Adams County Jail on $5 million bond.

Two individuals who were arrested in Springfield after a violent incident in Quincy in November have had their trials pushed back to the Spring.

Muddy River News reports 34 year old Bradley S. Yohn of Springfield and 33 year old Karen Blackledge of Quincy saw continuances in their cases in Adams County Court last week.

Adams County Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Eyler filed a motion on January 19^th for a continuance on the six counts Yohn faces in connection with an incident on Nov. 9 along North Bottom Road in Adams County. , Yohn has been charged with two counts of home invasion, and one count each of aggravated kidnapping (allegedly using a knife), aggravated vehicular hijacking, and residential burglary. He also was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault for knowingly committing the act of sexual penetration through the use of force on the victim. The 70-year-old victim Adams County woman who was the victim in the incident died in December.

Yohn also faces additional counts in a separate case from October. Eyler says the state needs the continuance in the case as they await results on DNA evidence.

Blackledge faces two counts of home invasion, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, and residential burglary from the incident in question. Josh Jones, lead trial attorney for the Adams County State’s Attorney’s office, had filed a motion to continue as he waits for lab reports from the state.

Blackledge and Yohn are scheduled to return to court for status hearings on Feb. 15. Their pretrial hearing is set for Feb. 25. Both cases are now on the March 7 jury docket.

18^th District Congressman Darin LaHood has joined a group of bi-partisan, bicameral group to help address the country’s supply chain issues by making changes to the commercial drivers licensing requirements.

Their bill, the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now Safely and Efficiently or “LICENSE” Act, would streamline licensing regulations by making permanent several waivers that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration implemented in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic last November.

The bill would allow state and third-party examiners who have maintained a valid commercial driver’s license test examiner certification and have previously completed a CDL skills test examiner training course to administer the CDL knowledge test without completing a CDL knowledge test training course.

It would also remove the requirement that CDL holders who accompany commercial learner’s permit holders to be seated in the front seat; as long as they are elsewhere in the cab.

Finally, the bill would allow states to administer driving skills tests to applicants from other states.

LaHood says some of the biggest issues he’s heard about in his district with the supply chain is the lack of truck drivers. LaHood says by streamlining the procedures for a CDL, it will loosen some of the nation’s ongoing struggle to get groceries, medical supplies, and inventories across the nation delivered into the hands of businesses and consumers.

The bill has received national support from the American Trucking Association among other trucking groups.

The bill now heads to committee assignments in the House.

The family of a Greene County woman who was found deceased in Springfield is asking for help from the public.

39 year old Randa Davidson of Hillview was found deceased from hypothermia near a pond in the west end of Springfield Tuesday evening after being missing for more than a week. She leaves behind a son and a daughter.

Davidson’s aunt, Janet Surratt in Rushville, has set up a Go-Fund-Me to help Davidson’s family pay for burial expenses and for the benefit of her children. The fundraiser has already raised over $1,600.

To donate, click on this link.

UPDATE: The family has also set up a 100% direct donation location with the Rushville State Bank, located at 100 East Lafayette Street, Rushville IL 62681. Please entitle any donations with “Benefit for Randa Long Davidson.”

Mystery still surrounds the death of a Greene County woman in Springfield this week.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon says that 39 year old Randa Davidson of Hillview died from hypothermia, according to preliminary autopsy findings from yesterday. Allmon says there was no evidence of injury or trauma. Davidson’s death is still pending a toxicology studies.

Davidson’s body was found near a pond by a Sangamon County detective in the 3100 block of Robbins Road in Springfield’s extreme west end yesterday around 5PM. Davidson had been missing for approximately a week after her car was found abandoned along Farmingdale Road along with her personal belongings and her dog.

Davidson’s death remains under investigation by the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department.

Morgan County’s property taxes have been issued a multiplier for the year by the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Morgan County has been issued a tentative property assessment equalization factor of 1.0. The property assessment equalization factor, often called the “multiplier”, is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties. If there were no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result.

State law requires property in Illinois to be assessed at 1/3 of its market value. Farm property is assessed differently, with farm homesites and dwellings subject to regular assessing and equalization procedures, but with farmland and farm buildings assessed according to standards based on productivity. The equalization factor is determined annually for each county by comparing the sales price of individual properties sold over the past three years to the assessed value placed on those properties by the county supervisor of assessments/county assessor.

If this three-year average level of assessment is one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be 1. If the average level of assessment is greater than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be less than 1. And if the average level of assessment is less than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be greater than 1.

According to the Department of Revenue, Assessments in Morgan County are at 33.38 percent of market value, based on sales of properties in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The equalization factor currently being assigned is for 2021 taxes, payable this year. Last year’s equalization factor for the county was 1.0233.

The tentative factor is subject to change (1) if the County Board of Review takes actions which significantly affect the county assessments or (2) if local officials or others can present data showing that the Department of Revenue’s estimates of the average level of assessments in the county should be adjusted. A public hearing on the tentative multiplier will be held between 20 and 30 days after the tentative factor is published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county.

A change in the equalization factor does not mean total property tax bills will increase or decrease. Tax bills are determined by local taxing bodies when they request money each year to provide services to local citizens. If the amount requested by local taxing districts is not greater than the amount received in the previous year, then total property taxes will not increase even if assessments may have increased.

The assessed value of an individual property determines what portion of the tax burden a specific taxpayer will assume. That individual’s portion of tax responsibility is not changed by the multiplier.

A former Village of South Jacksonville trustee may be returning to the board.

In an agenda released today, Village President Dick Samples appears to be appointing Todd Warrick to the open trustee position in South Jacksonville left by the resignation of Megan Davidson.

Davidson resigned from the board at the December 28^th business meeting during a special session in which Samples was appointed Village President.

Warrick was originally elected to the position for a 4-year term in 2019. Warrick resigned from the Village Board on May 28^th last year after Warrick had conflicts with former Village President Tyson Manker. In a resignation 6-page letter presented to the board in June of last year, Warrick accused Manker of intimidation, verbal abuse, and for removing him from committee assignments without input from the board. Manker would go on to appoint current trustee John Stewart to fill Warrick’s position.

Warrick later went on to file an ethics complaint against Manker in August of last year. According to the Journal Courier, the complaint alleged Manker had been involved in improper contractual violations, Freedom of Information Act and Local Records Act violations, First Amendment violations and sexual and verbal harassment. Manker would eventually resign as Village President on August 26th of last year.

Warrick’s appointment to return to the board will have to be voted on by the village board at their regular scheduled monthly meeting on Thursday.

Governor J.B. Pritzker has issued a state disaster declaration ahead of the anticipated winter storm expected to hit the state earlier this afternoon.

The declaration has activated approximately 130 National Guardsmen to ensure all state resources are available to deal with the heavy snow, ice, and blizzard conditions expected over the coming days.

The declaration also provides specific instructions to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Illinois State Police.

Pritzker said in a press release today that he wishes to support local government disaster response and recovery operations wherever necessary with state-supported resources. Pritzker has also asked all citizens to listen to local authorities to stay up to date on the latest conditions and has asked citizens to get essentials for their household in an effort to stay home ahead of the storm.

IEMA’s State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield has been activated. Representatives from relevant state agencies will staff the SEOC 24 hours a day throughout the storm and quickly deploy resources to impacted communities. The activated National Guard are assigned to support specifically in Central Illinois and will serve as a force multiplier for State Police in 18-man platoons.

Ameren-Illinois has activated its Emergency Operations Center in Collinsville at 9AM this morning across its service territory to respond to power outages that may occur. Residents are encouraged to report downed wires and power outages immediately by calling Ameren toll free at 1-800-755-5000.

Stay tuned to WLDS/WEAI for round-the-clock coverage on cancellations and further response to Winter Storm Landon.