Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation officials announced the arrest yesterday of 40 year old Jared A Logsdon, of Virginia for Dissemination and Possession of Child Pornography.

In April 2020, ISP DCI Zone 4 Agents initiated an investigation after learning that a subject was distributing child pornography via a social media application. During the course of the investigation, ISP Investigators assigned to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force gathered evidence supporting the arrest.

Yesterday, the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a nine count information, charging Logsdon with two counts of Class X Felony Dissemination of Child Pornography, two counts of Class 1 Felony Dissemination of Child Pornography, and five counts of Possession of Child Pornography.

An arrest warrant was issued for Logsdon and bond was set at $250,000 (10 percent to apply).

After receiving the arrest warrant yesterday, Zone 4 Agents located Logsdon and executed the warrant, placed him under arrest. He is currently being lodged at the Schuyler County Jail awaiting a first appearance in court.

Another suspect has been arrested in connection to a shooting that occurred on East State Street from last week.

18 year old Joseph S. Graham of the first block of Newland Lane was arrested by Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputies and booked into the Morgan County Jail at 12:13 yesterday afternoon for armed robbery.

Jacksonville Police Detectives said today via email that Graham is connected to a shots fired incident that occurred around 6PM Tuesday in the 500 block of East State Street.

According to police reports of the incident, a male victim was transported from the scene to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injures resulting from an alleged attempted robbery.

About 10 minutes later, police later located one suspect, 18-year-old Sebastian J. Eskew of the 1000 block of North Fayette Street and took him into custody i n the vicinity of the intersection of East Douglas and North Main Street to take him to the Jacksonville Police Department for questioning. He was later arrested for reckless discharge of a firearm and armed robbery.

Around 10:50PM that evening, police also recovered a pistol in the 600 block of East Douglas Avenue which had been reported stolen from out of state. Police investigators said at the time that there was reason to believe the firearm was connected to the shooting. Those suspicions have yet to be confirmed by police.

Eskew had bond set at $100,000 with 10% to apply last Wednesday. He was also ordered to have no contact with the shooting victim in the case. He is next due in court on February 1^st.

Graham remains held at the Morgan County Jail pending a first appearance in court.

The Richard Irvin-Avery Bourne ticket was announced yesterday in an attempt to win the Republican nomination for governor and lieutenant governor.

The Aurora Mayor and 95^th District State Representative unveiled a lengthy list of endorsements today in a press release from over 60 national, state, and local GOP leaders.

Former Congressman John Shimkus, 87^th District State Representative Tim Butler of Springfield, Sangamon County Auditor Andy Goleman, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine, Morgan County State’s Attorney Gray Noll, Calhoun County GOP Chairman Patrick Simon, and former Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson are all listed as those who have endorsed the ticket.

Shimkus said in the press release that he was struck by Irvin’s military service, his work as Aurora’s mayor, and his track record as a prosecutor.

Irvin and Bourne are in a crowded field of other GOP hopefuls hoping to win the nomination to unseat incumbent J.B. Pritzker. The Irvin-Bourne ticket is believed to be receiving financial backing from billionaire businessman Ken Griffin and former Governor Bruce Rauner.

Irvin and Bourne mentioned neither during their joint statements announcing their candidacy yesterday.

An area company specializing in industrial plastic drainage recently donated over $100,000 to cancer research to the Simmons Cancer Institute at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.

Known as “Drain for the Cure,” Springfield Plastics based in Auburn started the annual fundraiser after cancer started hitting way to close to home to the family-owned business.

Engineering Manager Doug Baker says the fundraiser started in 2014 when his daughter was diagnosed with terminal cancer: “We started 7 years ago, and it actually started in 2014. My daughter was actually diagnosed with breast cancer, and at the time, she was diagnosed terminal. We lost her 2 years later, but in the throes of that, decided that we would try to raise money for cancer research. Then, in the interim, we’ve had 4 or 5 actual employees that have faced some type of cancer. Then, we’ve had customers and just other relationships [be affected]. So, this has come to be kind of a company-wide, community-wide effort to support cancer research. We donated a $112,000 check to the Simmons Cancer Institute just a few weeks ago, and we have raised over a half million dollars for cancer research for the last 7 years.”

Baker personally presented the check to the Simmons Institute earlier this month. Baker says he’s really proud of not just his company but the local community stepping up to donate and volunteer for the fundraiser over the last seven years.

The MacMurray Foundation & Alumni Association has opened their applications for their 2022-2023 scholarship program.

In its first year, the Foundation awarded 31 scholarships with awards of $1000 each.

The foundation says they hope to increase the number of scholarships this year with the amount of the individual scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.

For all but two of the scholarships eligibility is limited to members of former alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, and their relatives, and priority is given to those students whose MacMurray education was disrupted by the closing of MacMurray College.

The Foundation will accept applications for its scholarships until March 15^th for assistance for the 2022-2023 school year. For more information about the scholarships and to access the application, visit: www.MacAlumFoundation.org/scholarships.

Governor JB Pritzker is reportedly set to veto a bill that would have granted paid time off to teachers kept out of classrooms because of COVID, without forcing them to use their own sick or personal time.

The bill also would provide paycheck protection for hourly employees if a school has to close because of an emergency.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Pritzker made his intentions clear in a letter to the state’s major teachers’ unions. Pritzker said in the letter he had concerns about costs, destabilization, and discouraging vaccinations.

Supporters of the measures including the Illinois Education Association, one of the state’s largest teachers unions say it is the least the state could do while most schools remain in person amid the latest surge of COVID-19.

A murder trial in Cass County has been delayed for several months.

71 year old Robert D. Harris of Virginia will have to wait until May 2nd before his trial date can get started, according to court records.

A brief phone call with Cass County State’s Attorney Craig Miller last week indicated that scheduling conflicts with both the state, judges, and the trial lawyers along with delays in processing of evidence have caused the long delay.

Harris’ jury trial was set to begin tomorrow in Cass County Court.

Harris is charged with six counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm in the January 2021 shooting deaths of 68 year old Kathleen G. Wzientek and 64 year old Brenda G. Crum in Virginia.

If convicted of the murder charges, Harris would face up to natural life in prison.

A Quincy-area State Representative has announced his intentions to seek re-election to the new Illinois 99th District, which will cover Jacksonville and northern Morgan County.

Randy Frese of Paloma told the Journal Courier on Thursday that he intends to seek re-election to the Illinois General Assembly in the newly drawn district. Frese has served in the current 94^th District since 2015. Frese replaced current State Senator Jil Tracy in the district after she chose not to seek re-election, but was Kirk Dillard’s running mate that year in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

Frese is a former small business developer prior to becoming Adams County Circuit Clerk from 2004-2012. Frese lost an initial bid to become a state senator in 2012 when he was defeated by John Sullivan.

The heavily Republican 94^th District covers Warren, Henderson, Hancock and Adams counties. Now, the new 99^th will cut off the top of that district and shift east to cover Adams, Brown, Cass, and northern Morgan counties.