A two-vehicle rollover crash led to the quick apprehension of a shoplifter who had nothing to do with the accident Friday afternoon.

Jacksonville Police, Jacksonville Fire Rescue, and LifeStar EMS all responded to the intersection of Massey Lane and West Morton Avenue at approximately 1:45 pm for a report of a three-vehicle crash with one vehicle on its side. Upon arrival, responders learned there were only two vehicles involved in the incident.

According to a crash report by the Jacksonville Police Department, a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Darrien E. Miley of Jacksonville was traveling westbound on West Morton Avenue when his vehicle reportedly ran a red light and was struck by a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Ethan E. Thornley, also of Jacksonville.

Thornley’s vehicle was traveling northbound on Massey Lane after the light had turned green. Miley’s SUV was spun into the curb from the collision which caused the vehicle to turn onto its side. No injuries were reported in the incident and no citations were listed in the report. Miley’s vehicle had to be towed from the scene, and Thornley’s was able to be driven.

During the course of the accident investigation, Jacksonville Police were alerted to a theft that had just been reported at the Walmart Supercenter located at 1941 West Morton Avenue.

According to the report, a man had removed merchandise from the store without paying for it and had last been seen running in the direction of AT&T and Dunham’s Sporting Goods.

Officers at the scene of the crash in the intersection quickly located the suspect in the adjacent parking lot, and 33-year-old Alex D. Zabuski of Beardstown was arrested for retail theft under $150.00. Zabuski was booked into the Morgan County Jail where he was later released with a notice to appear in court.

Students at an area high school will be rolling up their sleeves to help the blood supply.

ImpactLife has announced a community blood drive will be held at the Waverly High School the first week of March.

The Impact Life donor bus will be at the school from 12:30 to 5:30 pm on Thursday, March 7th. To donate, contact Theresa Roscetti at (217) 435 2211 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60087 to locate the drive. Appointments are requested. You may also call ImpactLife to schedule at 800-747-5401.

The blood drive is open to all members of the community. Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age. Those 16 years old can donate with a parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org. Donors also must weigh more than 110 pounds, and a photo I.D. is required to donate.

All donors will receive an ImpactLife promo voucher for either an Egift card that can be used at places like Walmart, Target, Amazon, and more, or donors can use points for a Green Happy Go Lucky tee shirt or direct a donation to plant trees in a US reforestation project.

For questions about eligibility, call ImpactLife at (800) 747 5401. ImpactLife officials say donors who last gave blood on or before 1/11/24 are eligible to give at this drive.

Time is running out as a local fundraising organization is inching closer to its campaign goal for the year.

The deadline for the Prairieland United Way’s 2023 campaign is the 29^th of this month and Director Karen Walker says, they are less than ten thousand dollars away from hitting the mark.

“We are very thankful for everyone who donated to help get us to this number. $467,000 is a huge number for us to raise. We’re almost there and are within just a few thousand dollars of being there so if you haven’t contributed, please I ask you to make a donation to help us reach that number.

Our allocation process will start in March, we’re about a month away from those starting, so we need to reach this goal so we can help so many people that rely on help from these programs. Whether it’s Meals on Wheels programs, nutrition programs, food programs for our pantries, daycares that need scholarships, the homeless shelter, or whatever it is. There are so many that rely on these funds, that we have to raise these funds in order to help them provide these programs.”

Walker says the total of approximately $9,000 away from hitting their goal includes the pre-sale of tickets for this Saturday’s Price is United event. She says there are still seats and some full tables available for the event, which will feature some new, never-before-seen aspects.

Walker says the hosts, David and Nicole Meyer always put a lot of work into keeping the event fresh each year. “I know they have a new game this year so if you have been before and think oh I’ve seen that show and it’s fun but I don’t want to go again, there’s something new every year.

I know they have a new game and I don’t even know what it is, so I’m always surprised every year as well. We also have something new coming out, we have a new video aspect to it this year. So again, we try to bring out new things, new prizes, new games. We change it every year so while it’s our fourth year it’s new and improved.”

Tickets for this weekend’s The Price is United event are $50.00 per person which includes a full dinner provided this year by K’s Creek. The event starts at 5:30 pm at the Midwest Athletic Center on Hardin Avenue, with dinner followed by the show, a live The Price is Right style gameshow that this year, Walker says has even more prizes for attendees to win.

She says anyone interested should contact her office to reserve a seat, and even if you don’t want to go, she asks you to please consider donating to help the Prarieland United Way close the gap and finish this year’s campaign strong.

To find out more information or to reserve tickets, contact the Prairieland United Way by calling 217-245-4557, or go online to prairielandunitedway.org.

Tickets are still available for what has become one of the area’s favorite fundraising events that gives attendees the chance to win some fabulous prizes.

The Prairieland United Way’s “The Price is United” dinner event returns this upcoming Saturday, February 24^th.

The dinner and game show event gives everyone in the crowd the chance to come on down and be a contestant in a live The Price is Right game show format.

David and Nicole Meyer who created the event approximately four years ago during their tenure as Campaign Co-Chairs, say they are excited for this year’s show as they will not only be upgrading some of the fan favorite features of the show, but they will also be debuting a brand new game at this year’s event.

The show has grown over the years to include a full Showcase Showdown Big Wheel contestants can spin.

David and Nicole say with everything that goes into putting on the show each year, they are thankful for all those who chip in to make the event happen. David says that a wealth of friends and the Prairieland United Way Board helps pitch in the night of the event to make it run smoothly each year. Nicole says that the community as a whole as well as the community’s organizations and businesses that make donations make it all possible.

The event is sponsored by Reynolds Consumer Products, along with a host of local business sponsors who all come together each February to help the Prarieland United Way meet it’s annual campaign goal for the year.

Nicole Meyer says both the reach and the people the funding is able to help, is what makes the Prairieland United Way so close to her and David’s hearts: “It’s an organization that supports so many other non-profits within our local area and it just has great reach. If you’re questioning on where you want to donate your money to make a difference in your community, we highly suggest Prairieland United Way.”

More than $10,000 in prizes are up for grabs at this year’s The Price is United dinner and gameshow event.

Individual tickets are $50.00 each with eight person tables available for $400, and a few VIP tables left at a cost of $480.00 each.

To order tickets, call the Prairieland United Way office at 217-245-4557. More information can be found at prairielandunitedway,org, or on the Prairieland United Way’s social media pages including Facebook, and Instagram.

A Pike County man has been arrested on multiple child pornography charges after a tip to the FBI.

According to a press release from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff David Greenwood was alerted of a possible child pornography suspect in the county earlier this month by agents from the FBI.

Greenwood says Chief Deputy Zack Orr, who is a member of the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, was assigned to the case.

On February 15th, 33-year old Brandon L. Frame of Barry was arrested without incident following a joint investigation by the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois State Police.

Frame was cited for 10 counts of possession of child pornography. According to the press release, Frame is alleged to have been in possession of videos of children under the age of 13 engaged in various sexual acts.

Frame made his first appearance in Pike County Circuit Court on Friday, where he was assigned a public defender. A motion to deny pretrial release filed by the Pike County State’s Attorney’s Office was granted. Frame remains lodged at the Pike County Jail. He is due to return to court for a preliminary hearing on February 27th.

A fundraiser has been set up for the victims of a fatal Scott County fire that occurred earlier this week.

The Winchester Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire in a home at 134 South Mechanic Street at approximately 2:00 am Thursday. Only one resident was home at the time of the fire.

30-year-old Christian McCombs was transported to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital by Winchester EMS and LifeStar EMS where he was later pronounced deceased by Morgan County Coroner Marcy Patterson.

A GoFundMe page has been organized by friends of Christian and his significant other Linley, who according to the post, was out of town on business when the fire occurred.

According to the post, Linley and Christian had recently renovated the home together. The house has been considered a total loss. The Winchester Fire Department and Illinois State Fire Marshall’s Office are conducting an investigation into the origin of the blaze.

To donate to the fundraiser, go to GoFundMe.com and search “Help Support Linley and Lennox”.

An area foundation aimed at helping victims and survivors of domestic violence is celebrating a major milestone with the return of a new fundraising event.

The Crisis Center Foundation in Jacksonville is hosting the 2^nd annual Spring Fling Adult Prom and celebrating its 40^th anniversary the first weekend in March.

Crisis Center Director Donna Leonard says after what turned out to be an overwhelming success at last year’s inaugural event, this year’s adult prom is bigger and better. “It’s at Hamilton’s this year, so we have a bigger space, which is great. The same band, Sushi Roll, is going to be there again and they are a very popular band around here, they have a big following.

We’re celebrating our 40^th anniversary as well so we wrapped it all into one. So it’s a 40th-anniversary celebration and a spring prom. You can dress up in your prom finest, or you can dress up in everyday clothes, we don’t care. Just come and dance and have a good time.

The AMVETS is hosting an after-prom party because the prom gets over at 11:00. It’s from 7:00 to 11:00 pm and then after you can head on over to the AMVETS for the after-party.”

New this year is a full prom court field of volunteers that Leonard says has turned into quite the friendly fundraising competition. “Last year we had a voting contest the night of. You paid a dollar per vote and could write down who you wanted to be the prom queen and prom king for the night, and that went over really well.

So then this year, my program director Danielle came up with this idea she had seen, so we recruited various people in town to have a competition for the top royalty of the prom. We’re not actually doing king and queen, it will be the top royalty and they are challenged with raising the most money. Every dollar that they raise counts as one vote and whoever has the most money, the most votes, will be the royalty that night.”

All proceeds from the adult prom go to the Crisis Center Foundation, which offers a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency shelter, counseling, and legal assistance among others to anyone experiencing domestic violence in Morgan, Scott, Cass, and Greene Counties.

The Crisis Center Foundation’s Spring Fling Adult Prom and 40^th Anniversary Party is happening on Saturday, March 2^nd at Hamilton’s 110 North East in Downtown Jacksonville from 7 to 11 pm, with an after party at the Jacksonville AMVETS Lodge immediately after.

All attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $25.00 in advance or $30.00 at the door. You can also reserve an entire table when purchasing advanced tickets.

Call the Crisis Center at 217-243-4357 to order tickets or become a sponsor for the event. To see a full list and vote for your favorite prom royalty candidates, or to find out more information about the Crisis Center Foundation and the Adult Spring Fling Prom, you can go to the Crisis Center Foundation’s Facebook page.

More information is also available online at crisiscenterfoundation.org

Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott, and Cass Counties has announced they again have a way for people to submit tips electronically.

Coordinator Loren Hamilton announced today that the group’s new website is now up and fully operational after a long hiatus. Hamilton says their previous site was plagued by continuing issues dating back to late 2022, which made them finally have to pull the plug last fall.

He says after a lot of research and work, area residents can once again submit anonymous tips online. “We looked at quite a few different companies and chose this one, which for me luckily is user-friendly. It offers everything that our old website did and more, and we’re happy to have it because the decrease in the number of tips last year were because of the website and a couple of other things we lost.”

Hamilton says the new website features photos of Crime Stoppers wanted individuals, Crimes of the Week, and crime prevention tips along with a link page to other area, state, and national law enforcement agencies.

He says the site contains a little bit of everything both old and new. “It goes into more detail. There is a lot more history of what nationally Crime Stoppers was and is, and what we do locally. It has more on our crime prevention programs and things like that. But the bread and butter of it is, having a direct link to supply us with an anonymous online tip. It’s pretty user-friendly, so we hope everybody will take a look.”

To view the new site, go to www dot morgan scott crime stoppers dot com.

You can also view information and submit tips via the Morgan Scott Cass Crime Stoppers Facebook and Instagram pages, or by calling 217-243-7300.

Hamilton says they are continuing to explore a way to replace the mobile application that also caused a drop in tips last year when the company that supported the platform went out of business.

He says that will likely be some time down the road, but they are working with two other Crime Stopper groups in Illinois who also have mobile apps to see if their platforms could serve their needs and fit within the budget.

Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott, and Cass Counties is also reminding the public that they are still in need of volunteers who would like to serve on the board of directors from the outer lying edges of the three-county area.

An area high school is doing its part to help in the fight against homelessness in the Jacksonville area.

Students at Routt Catholic High School will create 120 care kits for people experiencing homelessness as part of the school’s Catholic Schools Week celebration this week.

The students hope to give away the care kits to local business owners as well as to individuals who want to keep a care kit or two in their vehicle.

Routt Catholic High School Principal Dan Carie says “The idea is, you keep a couple of care kits in your car or behind the counter at your business so, if you notice a person who could use it, you have a kit handy to give away the moment you notice that person in need,”

The kits include items such as gloves, a stocking hat, and socks, and toiletries such as toothpaste and toothbrush, lip balm, bandages, and wet wipes.

Students will create the kits as part of the service to community component of their annual Catholic Schools Week celebration, which kicks off Sunday morning with a special Mass at the Church of Our Saviour.

Anyone who would like a care kit, or multiple kits, can message through the Routt Facebook page or email bcopper@routtcatholic.com.

The school will deliver the kits to locations in Jacksonville on Wednesday. Interested individuals and businesses outside of Jacksonville will be encouraged to schedule a time to stop by the school to pick up care kits.

Area residents are invited to help celebrate all things downtown in Jacksonville next week.

Jacksonville Main Street will be hosting its annual meeting next Thursday evening at The Plaza downtown. Jacksonville Main Street Director, Judy Tighe says the event gives everyone the chance to celebrate 2023 while getting excited for 2024.

“It’s going to be at The Plaza at 6:00 pm and it’s free, so come and get a little taste of Jacksonville. We will have a cash bar there of course and we will have a brief little meeting to elect our new officers and review some 2023 things that we have to do, and then spend the rest of the time socializing and snacking on some good food.”

Tighe says the food offerings this year will be provided by different local restaurants. She says it will be hard to top the success and growth that downtown saw last year, but it is already looking for a good start with events coming up soon.

“It was a great year, it really was. People kind of fully woke up out of the pandemic and were ready to get out and were feeling a whole lot better about just everything in general I think, and it really showed.

Businesses did very well and hey there is a lot of stuff going on after February 1^st downtown. There’s Gallentine’s, with more than twenty retailers participating in that. And first of all, we have to celebrate the fact that I can say there is more than twenty retailers downtown. Those of us that have been around for a minute know there was a period that it wasn’t that much, so that is a great thing.

Then coming up on the 10^th is the Downtown Bar 2 Bar, and that will benefit the Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen this year. So sign up at one of the bars get your team together and have fun while supporting the community at the same time.”

The 2024 Jacksonville Main Street Annual Meeting is next Thursday, February 1^st at The Plaza starting a 6:00 pm. The event is free, however, people are encouraged to register ahead of time in order to gauge how much food will be needed. To register, contact Marcy Patterson by calling 217-243-3857, or emailing her at marcy@mlpatteron.com.