A Jacksonville man facing first-degree murder charges in Morgan County is still on course to see his day in court next month.

40-year old Joshua Wilson appeared in Morgan County Court Friday morning for a status hearing. He is facing three counts of first-degree murder in the February 2021 shooting death of 26-year-old Malcolm V. Fitts in the parking lot of the Turner High Rise Apartment complex.

Visiting Macoupin County Judge Kenneth Diehl presided over the hearing via Zoom Meeting from Macoupin County due to scheduling issues. Morgan County State’s Attorney Gray Noll says, aside from one issue that still needs to be resolved, the trial remains on pace to go to trial in late April.

“There was one issue that was brought up in regard to an outstanding motion to suppress that Mister Wilson’s previous attorney had filed. That still either needs to be ruled on or withdrawn. Other than that issue, I think the parties are both ready to proceed.”

Wilson’s former attorney, Marcus Shantz of Springfield, filed a motion to suppress certain state’s evidence in April of last year. Shanz’s motion calls for the suppression of video from the Turner Highrise the night of the shooting due to time lapses totaling approximately 34 minutes of film time that the motion says is missing.

Noll said during the motion hearing that the cameras were motion-activated so no recordings were made during those 34 minutes.

During this morning’s hearing, State’s Attorney Noll said to his knowledge that the motion had not been ruled on, following Shantz’s withdrawal from the case last summer due to health reasons.

Morgan County Public Defender Devon Vaughn said he and his client needed to further discuss the previous motion, however, deciding whether to proceed with or withdraw it would not impede the trial. Noll says he and Vaughn will be meeting soon to discuss a number of details ahead of the trial, which at this time, is not being delayed.

The trial is set to begin on Tuesday, April 23^rd. If convicted, Wilson faces between 20 years to natural life in prison.

The Schuyler County Fair in Rushville is inviting everyone to a free-will meal aimed at helping the families of a recent tragedy.

On Monday the Rushville community was rocked by a tragic two-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of two adults and three preschool children from the area.

Members of the Schuyler County Fair have since come together rapidly to put together a fish fry fundraiser that will be held the majority of the day on Sunday to help not only the victims’ families but also the community as a whole.

The fish fry is a carry-out-only event and will take place at the Schuyler County Fairgrounds in Rushville. Nate Wallice with the Schuyler County Fair says the day after the accident, members began working to figure out how they could help.

“Tuesday morning a few of us got together and we were trying to figure out what we could do to help raise some money for those families. And fortunately, we’ve got a pretty good-sized fairgrounds out here and several buildings.

We have a newer food building that we can set up in and do all the fish frying in there and all the serving. We’ve got a big midway around the whole fairgrounds that we can line up cars here and we just have the space, and twenty board members to help put this all together.”

There is no cost for the carry out only fish fry as organizers wanted to make it a completely free will donation offering. Wallace says right away, many members of the community stepped up to help make the event happen.

“And now of course the volunteers are just pouring in. We’ve got tons of help and it’s been really overwhelming how much help. It’s really just incredible how much help has come out for this thing and we’re going to make it happen. It’s going to be big and we hope to raise a substantial amount of money for these families.”

Wallace says even if someone wants to contribute but doesn’t have the means to donate funds, they should consider themselves welcome to come eat as the event is intended to raise the spirit of the community just as much as to raise funds.

In a corresponding move, the Versailles Fire Department has canceled their planned fish fry that was also scheduled for Sunday, in an effort to help drive traffic to the Schuyler County event.

The carry-out-only fish fry will run from 11 Sunday morning to 7 in the evening, featuring a menu of fried fish, baked beans, potato salad, bread and butter, and a beverage.

Delivery service is available within Rushville city limits only. Anyone needing a delivery should call 217-248-5388 to place your order.

Attendees are asked to enter the fairgrounds on East Scripps Street in Rushville where you will be directed by volunteers on how to proceed through the line.

An Illinois banking group with locations in the area is warning customers of potential scam calls.

CNB Bank and Trust officials say they have been notified that some customers have been receiving fraudulent phone calls from someone claiming to be from CNB.

E-Banking Group officials are urging customers to be on alert and never confirm or give the suspected fraudster any personal information.

Instead, officials say anyone who receives one of these calls should hang up and then contact your local CNB Bank & Trust branch as soon as possible to report the call.

Branches located in the WLDS/WEAI listening area include Jacksonville, Carrollton, Carlinville, and Pittsfield.

An investigation by the Pike County Sheriff’s Office has led to the arrest of a Kansas man on multiple sex crimes.

According to a release by Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood this afternoon, his office was contacted by the parents of a child under the age of 13 after they had discovered their daughter had been communicating with an adult male via social media for several months.

Pike County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Zack Orr, who is a member of the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, took over messaging between the victim and the suspect.

According to Greenwood, Orr was able to identify the suspect who still believed he was messaging the minor victim. Via the ICAC database, numerous open cases were discovered involving the suspect for possession and dissemination of child pornography in the State of Kansas.

After obtaining an arrest warrant, Orr and Deputy Zach Hardin traveled to Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas, where along with the Kansas ICAC Task Force, the US Department of Homeland Security, and the Wellington, KS, Police Department,, tracked the suspect to an apartment in Wellington.

On Wednesday of this week, at approximately 9:15 am 22 year old Justin Lee Howard Richards-Olby was taken into custody. Additional warrants were obtained for the apartment where additional electronic devises were located and seized.

Richards-Olby waived extradition and was transported to the Pike County Jail. He is being charged with five counts of class 1 felony indecent solicitation of a child, and two class X felony counts of possession of child pornography, according to the report.

No information on Richards-Olby was available in online Pike County Court records as of press time.

In a statement included in the press release, Chief Deputy Orr says the suspect communicated to the victim he would “kidnap” and “force impregnation” on more than one occasion.

He says in the release, “The messages sent from the suspect to the victim were some of the most disturbing, horrific, and vile messages I have seen in my twenty-five (25) years of law enforcement.”

Richards-Olby currently remains held at the Pike County Jail.

Another opportunity for youth baseball is coming to Jacksonville this spring. Baseball players ages 10 to 12 years old in the Jacksonville #117 School District are invited to participate in the newly formed Jacksonville Little League.

According to an announcement by the league Friday, these registered Little League teams from Jacksonville will compete against other teams throughout Little League District 17 during the regular season.

One of the organizers of the Jacksonville Little League, Randy Plunk says he was moved to help start the movement to bring a Little League to Jacksonville after both of his sons played baseball both locally and in travel leagues.

“The important thing was kinda getting back to the grassroots of playing baseball. We all grew up playing Little League and for me, it was kind of going back to that. It’s a great organization, it’s a great opportunity for kids from the school district to get together, because ultimately, they will all play junior high ball together or play high school ball together, so we’re getting together with that opportunity or dream of potentially making the all-star team and getting to Williamsport. That was the biggest piece for me.”

The league will give players the chance to make a team that could compete for a spot in the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, each year for the postseason.

Plunk says he and the organizers of the Jacksonville Little League don’t want to take away from any other youth baseball organization in the area, they simply want to offer another option for families to let kids be kids right here at home.

“The goal is, we’ll play them all out at Future Champions during the week so that those folks that want to have weekends free, they will have the free weekends. Sometimes when it comes to other sports it turns into that is your family’s vacation and we want kids to be kids and to enjoy the summer and play a little baseball like we all used to when we grew up.”

Player assessments will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at 5:30 p.m. at Future Champions Sports Complex, Field 6. Baseball athletes who are between the ages of 10 and 12 on or before August 31, 2024, are encouraged to participate in the assessment.

The number of athletes registered will determine the number of teams organized. The fee is $100 per athlete, which includes the cost of a team jersey and hat. Fundraising options will be offered to offset the registration cost, and sponsorships are welcomed.

Home games will be played in Jacksonville at Future Champions beginning in late April. Game nights will be announced after the number of teams has been determined.

Pre-registration for the April 2 assessment is encouraged. For more details, visit www.jacksonvillell.com or Jacksonville Little League on Facebook.

Police are investigating after gunshots were fired outside of a downtown Jacksonville bar overnight.

According to a press release by the Jacksonville Police Department early this morning, officers responded to the 200 block of West Morgan Street at approximately 12:20 am for a report of shots fired in front of the West Morgan Depot tavern.

Police canvassed the area and reportedly took a suspect into custody not far from the scene. Officers were also able to locate and recover the suspected firearm along with additional evidence according to the report.

38-year-old Benjamin L. Clinton of the 600 block of East Independence Avenue was arrested and booked into the Morgan County Jail at approximately 3:45 this morning on initial charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, and possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card.

After further investigation, Clinton is also being charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm. During the course of the investigation, officers determined no one was injured in the incident.

Jacksonville Police officials say this was an isolated incident and unrelated to an incident last Sunday when officers reported hearing a single gunshot near the West Morgan Depot at approximately 1:30 am and responded to a municipal parking lot where a crowd had begun to gather.

No injuries were reported in that incident, and both shots fired incidents remain under investigation according to police.

Officials say anyone with any information on either of these incidents is urged to contact the Jacksonville Police Department by calling 217-479-4630, or by submitting an anonymous tip with Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers by calling 217-243-7300, or on the web at morganscottcrimestoppers.com.

Tickets for the Crisis Center Foundation’s Second Annual Adult Prom have been hot sellers over the last month. Executive Director Dona Leanard says, tickets will still be available at the door Saturday night but you may not get a seat.

The prom is being held at Hamilton’s 110 Northeast Saturday night. Leanard says they have 40 tables available and as of Friday afternoon had roughly 10 seats left available.

She says ticket sales for this year’s prom have already doubled compared to last year. “It’s been more work this year but it has all been worth it and we’ve had a great response. I know just this afternoon we have had a flurry of prom court donations. So after posting the tallies we’ve had quite a few donations.

The prom court was something new this year. We kind of had an idea for it last year and then expanded it this year and has just taken off like wildfire. We have ten people participating in prom court and they have been gathering a dollar per vote. All the money is donated to the Crisis Center and whoever the top two finishers are will be prom royalty.”

Voting closes at 6:00 Friday night and as of the last posting was a very heated race. The winners will be announced during the prom on Saturday night. Leanard says she and her staff at the Crisis Center are thankful for the big turnout in ticket sales and votes, as the foundation saw some major cuts in funding recently.

“This year unfortunately we did have a decrease in one of our grants. It wasn’t just us, it was across the board, every program saw their funds cut this year. Ours totaled $149,000 in what we lost this year.”

Leanard says all the proceeds will help close the gap left by the shortfall for the Crisis Center Foundation, which is a greatly needed organization for the area. “we provide services to victims of domestic violence. We’re located here in Jacksonville, we have walk-in services and a 19-bed emergency shelter. We serve Morgan, Scott, Cass, and Greene Counties.”

The Crisis Center Foundation is also celebrating its 40^th anniversary with this year’s adult prom. Leanard says there is no dress code for the event and guests have already commented on wearing everything from suit and cocktail dress to jeans and sweats.

She says it does not matter what anyone wears, the event is all about having a good time while raising funds for the Crisis Center Foundation. Live music is being provided by the Chicago area band Sushi Roll.

Doors open at 6:30 and the band takes the stage at 7:00. For more information or to order tickets, go to the Crisis Center Foundation page on Facebook. The prom will run till 11:00 pm with an after party at the AMVETS immediately after.

Aspiring Morgan County authors still have time to submit their work to become Morgan County’s Author of the Year.

The annual Friends of the Library “Author of the Year” contest allows local writers to submit their work in short prose and poetry.

Jacksonville Public Library Head Librarian Jake Magnusson says the contest is open to all Morgan County residents aged 16 and older: “You can submit in either category or both categories if you like to write fiction and poetry or non-fiction – whatever you like to write. We have entry forms here [at the library]. They are also available at Our Town Books. All entries are going to be due back on March 22nd. We’ve got cash prizes that have been provided by the Farmer’s State Bank & Trust Company. We’re pretty excited about that.”

Residents of Morgan County, as well as full-time students at Illinois College, Lincoln Land Community College, or area high schools are all free to enter the contest.

Contestants cannot be affiliated with the Jacksonville Public Library as employees, board members, or family members thereof. Winners of a category may not enter the same category for a period of two years.

Magnusson says the winners will be announced at the Friends of the Library meeting on Thursday, April 18th: “It’s always a fun time. We will have people in the community who are interested in reading their writing to kind of show what they can do and then the Friends have a big get-together after the winners have been announced. The winners, get to choose to if they are able, to read their work for an audience.”

The Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering closer relationships between the library and the community.

The group works to provide financial support to the library as well as encouraging the library’s use as a center for educational, cultural, and civic life; and assist in improving and expanding the library’s facilities, resources, and services.

To find out more about the Morgan County Author of the Year contest or to become a Friend of the Jacksonville Public Library, log on to jaxpl.org or stop by the library located at 201 West College Avenue in Jacksonville.

A former overseas recipient of a national Christian relief program is coming to Jacksonville next month to share her story.

For several years now, a number of families in West Central Illinois have participated in the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child program where gift-filled shoe boxes are delivered to needy children overseas.

One of these children, Elena Nicholson was a recipient of a Christmas Child gift box when she was a young girl living in the former Soviet Union. Elena was just 8 years old when she and her sister were moved from an abusive and poverty-stricken home to an orphanage in the U.S.S.R., where she received her shoebox. She says it was the first time she had ever received a gift. Elena and her sister were later adopted by a family here in the United States.

Elena has stayed involved with Operation Christmas Child into adulthood, and she will be telling her story during an event on Saturday, March 9^th at the First Christian Church in South Jacksonville.

According to the announcement, Elena wants to thank area residents who participated in last year’s record-setting collection season when more than 1,100 shoe boxes full of toys, school supplies, and personal care products were donated by area families.

The local collection contributed to an all-time high collection of more than ten million gift boxes that were collected and distributed last year.

Elena Nicholson will be speaking during the Operation Christmas Child celebration at First Christian Church on Saturday, March 9^th from 10 to 11:30 am.

Organizers say the public is invited to attend and refreshments will be served. First Christian Church is located at 2106 South Main Street in South Jacksonville.