More improvements are coming to the Morgan County Courthouse thanks to federal funding.

The Morgan County Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance allocating American Rescue Plan Act funding to replace all of the windows in the courthouse. The project is next in a line of improvements that have been slated for the more than 150-year-old building.

Commissioner Chair Ginny Fanning says the window replacement project is a major undertaking that is long overdue. She says the winning job bid went to a local company.

“We had a bid opening at the end of July and we were very pleased that the low bid came from our local Jacksonville Art Glass. They will be starting in January to replace the courthouse windows.

Again as we have always said, if we hadn’t had the American Rescue Plan Act funds a lot of these projects would not be available. So we are grateful to have that and see work being done at the jail and soon work here at the courthouse.”

The total cost of the project is approximately $745,000 to replace the windows, many of which are original to the building. Fanning says the replacement windows will be new energy-efficient windows that will retain the old look suitable for the courthouse’s architecture.

The project is one of several improvements happening at the Morgan County complex. Earlier this summer a new lighting system was installed in the main courtroom, and parking lots at the Courthouse, Sheriff’s Office, and Probation Office have been resurfaced.

The courthouse parking lot is set to be re-stripped this week which will see the traffic flow reversed in an effort to keep people from going the wrong way on West Court Street to get to the next row of parking spaces.

Work also continues at the Sheriff’s Office where a major security update ranging from cameras to door locks at the Morgan County Jail is currently underway. Next in line of the Commissioner’s punch list is a major update to the heating and air conditioning system in the courthouse to bring it up to more modern standards.

In other business Monday morning, the Commissioners accepted the resignation of William J. Critchelow and approved the appointment of Gary E. Strawn as Commissioner for Road District Number 8.

Superintendent Steve Ptacek said in a communication to parents this afternoon that as the area faces high temperatures all week, this Thursday is predicted to be especially hot so parents should be prepared for a possible move to the SIP schedule for an early release.

Ptacek says he cannot make the official decision to adjust the schedules for emergency weather until the day of the event so unless there is a major change in the forecast, each school will follow its SIP day schedule.

Ptacek says he will send an update tomorrow and an announcement early Thursday morning confirming if the schedule is changing.

He says in the communication that the schools are handling the temperatures very well, however, he is concerned about students who have long bus rides home in especially hot conditions.

The Village of South Jacksonville is hopeful upcoming improvements will mean a better quality of water will be flowing through their system soon.

The Village Board of Trustees approved the waiving of bids and entering into a contract with All Service Contracting Corporation to install new filtering media in the water treatment tanks at the Village’s treatment plant in Oxivlle in a special meeting held during the regular committee of the whole on Thursday.

Village President Dick Samples said during the discussion that it is the same company that recently supplied new specialty sand for the drainage lagoon, and finding contractors to do this type of work was not easy.

Samples says the new media in the treatment plant should greatly improve the quality of the water. “Usually you back flush this once a week and we are at the point of back flushing it every two to three days trying to improve it. It hasn’t been replaced that we know of in twenty years.

This media is very similar to the sand in a swimming pool filter and they recommend changing it every three or four years. And it doesn’t run twenty-four seven, three sixty-five like this water plant does. So we’ve been very fortunate not to have replaced it but it should have been replaced a long time ago, and it’s at the point it’s got to be.”

The total cost of the contract is approximately $103,000 for all of the work involved. Samples said All Service Contracting will also conduct a review of the water softening plant on Vandailia located under the water tower to determine what shape it is in and what it would take to get it back online.

Samples says the Village currently remains on water from the City of Jacksonville due to a broken pump at the Oxville treatment plant. He says he is hopeful that will be remedied sooner rather than later.

“Again through lack of maintenance over the years the pump broke, and it’s a twenty-year-old pump, it’s obsolete. We ordered two new pumps at the last meeting. I can’t tell you where they are at right now in the system but they’ve been ordered and are on the way.”

Samples says the hope is that both the pumps and the media replacement project can be undertaken soon so that the plant will not have to be taken offline at a separate time.

08/21/2023 4:00 pm

The Village of South Jacksonville issued the following notice this afternoon.

Attention South Jacksonville Residents:

A water main has been hit AGAIN by the drilling team on the South end of town. South Jacksonville officials are aware of the issue and are in the process of getting it fixed.

At this time they don’t have an estimated time of the water being turned back on. Due to the break, some residents may have experienced low water pressure, which should be resolved soon.

Residents will be notified via the Village’s Code Red system, social media, and this station when the main has been fixed and if and when a boil order is issued.

Jacksonville Police are investigating a residential burglary that occurred this week.

Officers were called to the 800 block of Myrtle Street Thursday after a caller advised West Central Joint dispatchers their rental property had been broken into.

After further investigation, police learned that sometime between 4:00 pm Tuesday and 4:00 pm Thursday of this week, someone forced entry into the vacant residence and cut copper pipping out from a water heater.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Police Investigations Division at 217-479-4630 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott, and Cass Counties by calling 217-243-7300.

A New Canton man was arrested on drug charges Thursday after Pike County Sheriff’s Deputies, along with assistance from the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police executed a pair of court-authorized search warrants.

At approximately 6:30 pm, the first warrant was executed in the 200 block of North Walnut Street in New Canton. Subsequent to the search, methamphetamine, methamphetamine-related drug paraphernalia, and ammunition was located and seized.

The second warrant was executed on a machine shed located on 220th Street, in New Canton where methamphetamine and methamphetamine-related drug paraphernalia was located and seized.

Arrested as a result of the search warrant was 28-year-old Richard Dylan Bernard, of New Canton on charges of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of firearms ammunition by a felon, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bernard was arrested without incident and lodged in the Pike County Jail. Bond was set for Bernard today in Pike County Court at $5,000 with 10% to apply. The court found probable cause to detain and he remains held at the jail.

He is due to appear in Pike County Court on Tuesday for a first appearance hearing.

A Pike County man was arrested this morning after police received a report of a known child sex offender at a school.

According to a report by Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood this afternoon, at 10:08 am, 70-year-old Roy Lee Irick of Hull was taken into custody by Pike County Sheriff’s Deputies.

The Pike County Sheriff’s Department was contacted by an unnamed Pike County school district after discovering that a child sex offender, identified as Roy Irick, attended a children’s open house event at the school without authorization from the school administration.

Irick was arrested on a charge of presence of a child sex offender in a school without incident and lodged in the Pike County Jail. Pike County Chief Deputy Zack Orr applauded the school district for looking into the matter and contacting law enforcement regarding the incident.

Deputy Orr reminds that you can go to the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Website to check for registered sex offenders in their area.

A Cass County man is behind bars following a five-week investigation by the Illinois State Police.

On July 2^nd, State Police Zone 4 Division of Criminal Investigation officials were requested by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office to investigate an allegation of Criminal sexual assault by a Bluff Springs man.

State Police investigators say after a thorough investigation, Zone 4 agents obtained an arrest warrant for 36-year-old Russell J. Lucas Jr. of Bluff Springs on Tuesday of this week.

Yesterday Lucas was taken into custody by agents from ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 4 agents along with members of the United States Marshal’s Great Lakes Region Fugitive Task Force.

According to the State Police, Lucas was arrested for one count of criminal sexual assault, one count of domestic battery, and one count of obstructing justice. Bond was set at $400,000 with 10% to apply and he was remanded to the Macon County Jail.

State Police Investigators say additional assistance was provided in the investigation by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Police Department.

The Illinois State Police says the investigation remains open and ongoing, and anyone with information concerning this case is asked to contact ISP Zone 4 agents at 217-782-4750.

You might want to check your basement if you have a dehumidifier running down there now that a major manufacturer has issued a major recall.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Gree Electric Appliances has recalled more than 1.5 million dehumidifiers due to fire and burn hazards.

The recall involves 42 models of dehumidifiers with brand names Kenmore, GE, SoleusAir, Norpole, and Seabreeze, manufactured between January 2011 and February 2014 by the Gree company in China.

The affected units were sold at the Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, Sam’s Club, Sears, Walmart, and other stores nationwide, starting in 2011 through 2014 for between $110 and $400.

According to the report, Gree has received reports of at least 23 fires, 688 incidents of overheating, and $168,000 in property damage with the recalled dehumidifiers.

The brand name and pint capacity are printed on the back, front, or side of the dehumidifier.  The model number and date code are printed on a sticker on the back, front, or side of the unit. 

The dehumidifiers are white, beige, gray, or black plastic and measure between 19 and 24 inches tall, 13 and 15 inches wide, and 9 and 11 inches deep.

Consumers should immediately stop use, unplug the dehumidifiers, and contact Gree to receive a refund.

For more information go to: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Gree-Recalls-1-56-Million-Dehumidifiers-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards-Reports-of-At-Least-23-Fires

A number of municipal locations in Jacksonville will get a major security upgrade soon.

The Jacksonville City Council unanimously approved a project bid by Global Technical Systems Incorporated of Jacksonville to upgrade security cameras around the Municipal Building, and expand coverage to other city properties during their regular meeting Monday night. The project will cost the city approximately $200,000.00.

Jacksonville/Morgan County Emergency Management Director Phil McCarty presented the project to the council and says the current camera system was installed roughly 20 years ago when Don Cook was still serving as Chief of Police and focused on the Municipal Building only.

McCarty says the expansion will utilize a Genetec camera system that combined with new infrastructure already in place, will allow for vastly greater security coverage in more locations.

“With technology, as well as the i3 connectivity we have, we’re going to pick up properties at our parks, our fire [department] substation, water treatment, and wastewater treatment plants to leverage the I.T. connectivity between those locations as well as the evolving technology in the camera industry.”

McCarty says covering all of the city’s parks will be a phased-in process, but will start with installations at both Community and Nichols Park.

Jacksonville Deputy Police Chief Rodney Cox says having greater coverage of more than just the Municipal Building will be a vital asset for police investigators who already utilize camera evidence as often as possible. “We go around when a crime is committed and search the area for Ring Doorbells or even surveillance cameras in the area as everybody has them these days.

This is going to help us solve crimes around here whether it’s vandalism in the parks, or vandalism here [at the Municipal Building]. Several years ago we had a homicide in our own parking lot and the cameras that are there helped with that investigation. So having cameras around this area is going to help us solve a lot more crimes.”

McCarty says other private entities in Jacksonville have the same camera systems already in place, so utilizing the federation aspect of the service will also help the police help the public faster.

“We will be able to grow within our partners. Not only with our public partners within the city but also the product that we have has a federation portion of it where we can have a public-private partnership where if the police department in a time of emergency needs to look at a private entities cameras, we’ll use the example of Illinois College. They could grant limited and monitored access to the police in their system. It just makes us more efficient as we move forward into the era we are in now.”

McCarty says having the i3 fiber network already in place in most of the areas of concern is a huge help in lowering the costs of both the project and the planned future expansion of the system.