An area non-profit’s new location is filled to the brim with food after Jacksonville’s newest retailer made a hefty donation this week.

The Jacksonville Area Community Food Center moved into a much larger space nearly six weeks ago and is already overflowing after Hy-Vee officials called earlier this week.

Food Center Administrator Melissa Hall says she was called earlier this week by officials from the retailer who closed on the purchase of the now former County Market on Monday.

“I joke that we are now our mini County Market. They called on Sunday morning asking if I could be there at 7:00 am on Monday and I said sure. They basically donated the entire perimeter of their store. Produce, meat, not a lot of canned goods, but the essentials.”

Hall says Hy-Vee officials told her that a substantial amount of food left from County Market was going to be disposed of. “They told me about four hundred thousand dollars worth of food that they were going to get rid of. And I said oh please don’t do that, we will be your dumpster.

We were out there and it took us over five hours on Monday just to clear the shelves. Hy-Vee has been great in letting us use their walk-in freezer and cooler.

Golden Eagle Distributing has also stepped up this week according to Hall, and is providing refrigeration for roughly 400 gallons of milk, nearly that much in various types of juice, and other refrigeration needs.

Hall says the Food Center is very thankful for the donation of food by Hy-Vee and storage space by Golden Eagle which couldn’t have come a a better time. She says since this time last year, the Food Center’s service numbers are up over 400%, which equates to about 3,000 people coming through the doors each month.

She says the Food Center knows the need for food stability is great everywhere right now, so the center welcomes anyone who is in need. “We’re here Monday through Friday from nine till noon for anyone that needs help. Just come in and we just ask that you be honest and a resident of Morgan County”

You can now find the Jacksonville Food Center in the former Production Press building, located at 311 East Morgan Street. For more information, call the center at 217-243-1122.

Area residents who are sitting on unused prescription medicines now have another option for disposing of them. The South Jacksonville Police Department recently installed a drug take-back box in the department’s lobby.

South Jacksonville Chief of Police Eric Hansell says the drug drop-off box is a program through Inmar Intelligence that came at no cost to the department. “It didn’t cost us anything for the container or to dispose of it. Nothing for shipping or to ship it back.

It’s provided free of charge by these drug companies. Per statute they have to collect this merchandise that is old and dispose of it properly so it’s not getting flushed down the toilet or going into the landfills and contaminating our water supplies or water sources.”

Hansell says the program works with most prescription drugs, however, there are some things that cannot be dropped off. “Basically it’s a program where people who have unused prescription medications, pills, inhalers, stuff like that, they can bring it into the P.D. and dispose of it here for free.

They don’t take needles, hypodermic syringes, or anything like that. Herbal remedies, or vitamins and supplements, it’s just prescription meds. It gets dropped off in the box Monday through Friday eight to noon and one to five when the lobby is open. Then when we get the bin full we ship it back to the drug companies and they incinerate it and get rid of it.”

Hansell says he felt there was a large need for another drug drop-off box in the area, as the only one he was aware of was in the lobby at the Jacksonville Police Department. “Our residents down here didn’t have a box so they would have to drive all the way up to Jacksonville P.D.

So this gives another source for residents, not just of South Jacksonville, but Morgan County and Jacksonville if they are closer to us and they don’t want to drive all the way uptown. Bring it down here and drop it in our program and we’ll get rid of it for you. It will save you a trip of trying to take it to a pharmacy or somewhere like that.”

Hansell says the drop-off box is totally anonymous to use, just bring in unused prescription medicines in and drop them in the slot. There is no registration or check-in required.

The box is available during office hours at the South Jacksonville Police Department located at 1810 Sequoia Drive.

An area high school is mourning the loss of one of its own today.

In an update this afternoon, Griggsville-Perry School District Superintendent, Jeff Abell confirmed that one of the students involved in the single-vehicle crash has passed away.

According to a preliminary report by Illinois State Police Troop 6 officials this morning, officers responded to the scene of a single-vehicle crash on Illinois Route 107 just south of Perry, Illinois at approximately 8:30 this morning.

Preliminary report information indicates that the vehicle with two occupants had struck a tree. Pike County Sheriff and Coroner David Greenwood announced late this afternoon that 17-year-old Zachary D. Thomas of Griggsville was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The other occupant was airlifted to a regional hospital. According to the update by Abell this afternoon, the second student is currently being treated in the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Abell says in the update that the district is committed to doing everything it can to help its students through the grieving and healing process. The district has activated its crisis counseling team to be at their schools through this week and into next week.

A candlelight vigil has been planned for tonight at the high school. Abell says everyone is invited to the south side of the school near the flag pole at 6:30 p.m. for prayer and a candlelight vigil.

The school will then be open for anyone who would like to visit or meet with a counselor. The school will be is session on Friday with counseling available. Abell says all academics will be paused while the district spends time supporting each other.

Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott & Cass Counties are requesting information to assist the Jacksonville Police Department in their investigation of a recent theft.

Sometime between 7:10 pm on Monday, October 2^nd, and 5:00 am on Tuesday, October 3^rd, unknown persons(s) entered a parked vehicle in the 700 block of North Prairie Street.

Upon entry, items were removed including clothing and personal Items. Authorities say the license plates were also removed from the vehicle.

Jacksonville Police are asking that anyone who has information concerning this incident, or any other crimes within the three-county area, submit an anonymous tip online by going to morganscottcrimestoppers.webs.com and clicking the leave a tip button on the home page, or calling Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.

Tips may also be submitted anonymously via the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers mobile app, or by texting to the word “CRIMES” (274637) The first word of the text tip must be “payout”.

Crime Stoppers says if your anonymous tip leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward.

A spirited discussion lasting nearly an hour was held in the Jacksonville City Council chambers Monday night over the possible expansion of certain liquor licenses.

The council heard a second reading of a proposed amendment to the liquor code which if approved would allow grocery stores to sell hard liquor. The proposal was from a request by Hy-Vee which has purchased the now-former County Market on West Morton Avenue.

During the first reading two weeks ago, the proposal passed by a 7 – 0 vote. Gurvinder (Gary) Singh, owner of three liquor stores in the city spoke against the passing of the amendment, saying that his small businesses could not compete with large stores like Hy-Vee and Walmart and their low margins on liquor sales.

Singh said if the big box stores began to sell liquor, small stores like his would be out of business in a short amount of time costing the city tax revenue and jobs.

Hy-Vee Director of Government Relations Tyler Power said he believes the increased competition in the market would be good for the consumer.

After a lengthy discussion by the council, which included talk of possibly putting a limit on the square footage a grocery store could utilize for liquor sales, a motion by Ward 2 Alderwoman Lori Large Oldenettel to table the measure failed 5 to 4, with Alderwoman Mary Watts abstaining.

The measure then passed by a slim 5 to 3 vote with Oldenettel, Allison Rubin de Celis, and Darcella Speed voting no, and both Watts and Kent Hannant abstaining.

Mayor Andy Ezard, who also serves as the Liquor Control Commissioner says that it was a spirited discussion with good points being made on all sides. “A lot of good due diligence [was done] as far as the council reaching out to Gary and Reha with their challenges, and they presented well along with the gentleman from Hy-Vee.

I know it wasn’t an easy decision for the council. They made it and we will move on from that. I think it came down to wanting to do what’s best for the consumer, and if Hy-Vee can provide a lower price, it’s more or less consumer-driven.

Now I’m all about small business too, and that was the argument on Gay and Reha’s side which, like I said was very compelling. It hit a lot of notes with the council and I believe that’s why it went from an eight to zero first reading to a five to three second reading.”

Hy-Vee closed on the sale and took possession of the former County Market on Monday. The store is currently closed for remodeling and Power says they hope to reopen by the end of the month.

He says the full beer, liquor, and wine section would take up the same footprint as the beer and wine-only section of the store.

The Greenfield City Clerk’s Office has announced that the boil order that was announced on Monday, for residents in Greenfield, on Prairie Street from Cedar to Cherry including Railroad Street, has been lifted.