Emergency snow routes have been activated in the area ahead of Friday’s predicted storm.

The City of Jacksonville has issued a snow route emergency from 8:00 am Friday, January 12th, to 8:00 am Monday, January 15th.

Emergency snow routes will be activated for West Lafayette, South Diamond, East and West College, North and South Church Street, North and South Clay Avenue, and North and South Westgate.

The Village of South Jacksonville will be under a snow emergency starting Friday at noon until Monday, at noon in anticipation of significant snowfall.

Emergency snow routes will be activated. Parking on snow emergency routes is prohibited during that time and vehicles may be towed to ensure efficient and safe snow removal.

Affected roads in South Jacksonville are East and West Greenwood, East Vandalia, South Diamond, Lincoln Avenue, and Hardin Avenue.

Officials in both the city and the village say it is recommended that people not park on the streets at all if possible, and do not put trash receptacles into the street.

Drivers are asked to watch snow removal crews and give them room to do their work. Those clearing private parking lots and sidewalks are reminded not to plow snow into the streets.

One of South Jacksonville’s storm sirens remains out of commission. South Jacksonville Police Chief Eric Hansel updated the Board of Trustees Thursday on the status of the village’s storm warning siren located near the water tower on West Vandalia Road.

Ongoing problems with the siren have become more frequent over the last year, with the unit failing to operate when needed at times, as well as one time last year when it turned on but then wouldn’t turn off.

The siren is an older model and Hansel says parts are becoming harder to obtain. During the December trustee meeting, it was decided for Hansel to continue to look into options to fix the existing siren and procure bids for a new replacement.

Hansel says they have made some progress on a possible repair to get it back online. “On the 12^th we met GTSI out there and ran a couple of tests including an audible test and function tests just to make sure it moved because the siren actually spins in a circle to actually put out the sound to everybody.

We think what is possibly wrong with it is the power supply which converts from 12 to 120 volts. So we pulled the power supply out, we pulled the motherboard out and they are going to test those in a controlled environment and see if that is the issue with it. Hopefully, we will get replacement parts for it and get it repaired until we can get a new replacement siren installed.”

Hansel says for now, the siren is not operational and he does not have an estimated time of when it could be back in service. Hansel says there are still ways residents in the area can be warned of possible weather emergencies, one of which is the Village’s Code Red mobile alert service.

“It is if they signed up for the weather warnings, if they didn’t sign up then they won’t get them. From where I’m at on West Vandalia, you can still hear the other two tornado sirens and the sirens in Jacksonville but it’s not as loud as it would be if there was one going over there.”

The Village of South Jacksonville is currently covered by three emergency storm sirens, one at the maintenance garage on Hardin Avenue, the one next to the water tower, and the newest unit which is located at the Love’s Truck Stop.

So far the village has received two bids for new replacement sirens ranging from $21,000 to $36,000. Hansel says he is still researching potential bids for a replacement. To find out more information about, or to sign up for the Code Red alert service, log onto southjacksonville-il.gov

The South Jacksonville Police Department is feeling the strain of supply and demand after two squad cars were heavily damaged last fall. Back in October, South Jacksonville Police responded to assist the Jacksonville Police who were in pursuit of an SUV that had fled from an attempted traffic stop.

Two South Jacksonville Police squad cars were hit by the SUV during the course of the pursuit. One was sideswiped by the fleeing suspect at South Main and Michigan, and the other was struck head-on by the SUV at East Michigan and South East Street.

Neither of the South Jacksonville Officers sustained injury in the crash. The two squad cars however were heavily damaged and put out of commission, leaving the South Jacksonville Police short on vehicles.

Chief Eric Hansel updated the Village Board of Trustees during the January meeting Thursday night on the status of the department’s fleet. Hansel says they were lucky with one of the squad cars, but not both.

“The first car that was damaged, car number four, it had damage to both passenger side doors, and they have been replaced. We actually salvaged those off of the other car that was damaged. We got it back on the road within about a two-week period. The other car was totaled out it had too much front-end damage so it needs to be totally replaced.”

Hansel says compounding the problem is another vehicle in the fleet was due for replacement in the regular vehicle rotation so his department needs to acquire two new vehicles, which is something he says is nearly impossible right now.

“But right now the problem is getting two new squad cars. With the auto workers’ shutdown and supply chain issues, we’ll probably be waiting six or eight months for two new cars. But we’re plugging along, we had one extra car that was a spare car, but we can’t afford to lose any extras.”

The six-week United Auto Workers strike last year caused the shutdown of Ford Motor Company’s Chicago Assembly plant between mid-September and late October where all Ford Explorer SUVs are made, including the law enforcement fleet vehicles.

Hansel says the squad due for regular replacement was already factored into the budget and insurance will help with the totaled vehicle, so the biggest problem right now is time more than funding.

The Village of South Jacksonville will be looking harder at a water rate increase in the new year. The village is still utilizing water from the City of Jacksonville as repairs to the village water treatment plant in Oxville remain stalled due to supply chain issues.

Public Works Superintendent Brian English updated the Village Board of Trustees Thursday night on the continuing work to bring the water treatment plant back online. English said the village remains on water from the City as the water plant project has been stalled due to continuing supply chain issues.

Last month the City of Jacksonville raised water rates for the new year between an average of $2.50 to $6.00 per customer. South Jacksonville Village President Dick Samples says between the cost of water from the city and ongoing expenses to get the village plant back online, the village’s budget is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He says the village’s current water rate charge is far too low to cover costs.

“Our current rates, which have not been raised since 2004, are approximately one-half of what it costs us to buy water from the City of Jacksonville. And there is nothing wrong with what the City of Jacksonville is charging us. But it’s a matter that we haven’t kept up.”

Samples says the average water customer in the Village currently pays $4.70 per 1,000 gallons used, compared to the $10.58 the City charges for the same amount. The total averaged approximately $13,000 in shortfall during December.

Samples says water rates will need to go up in the village to stop the bleeding as it could take as much as a year to get the village plant back online, with much of that being due to setbacks with delays in getting materials.

“We are looking at trying to get the stuff we had ordered, and that stuff being the media, which is the cleaning product. It’s still going back to Covid and the problems they experienced there and you just can’t get the materials.

We have two electric motors that have been on order forever and neither one has come in yet. We have a generator that’s been on order and it hasn’t come in yet. The only thing I can tell you is it’s ordered because that’s the only thing they are telling us- it’s ordered.”

Samples says it could cost upwards of half a million dollars to get the Oxville plant back online when all is said and done.

The trustees will next meet in Committee of the Whole on January 18^th where they will have further discussion on a possible water rate increase.

A Pike County man was arrested after he reportedly pointed a rifle at family members last Thursday.

Pittsfield Police were called to a residence in the 300 block of Curtis Street in Pittsfield at approximately 7:00 pm Thursday for a report of a domestic disturbance.

According to a press release by the Pittsfield Police Department, it was reported that the suspect had pointed a rifle at family members during the altercation. It was additionally reported that the suspect stated he would shoot officers when they arrived.

Officers responded to the area and observed the suspect loading guns and ammunition into a car. Chief Michael Starman, Pike County Deputy Skyler Lambeth, and Deputy Steven Watkins with his police canine, approached the suspect when he got into his vehicle to prevent him from leaving and potentially causing violence in other locations.

33-year-old Victor B. Stephens of Pittsfield was taken into custody without incident. According to the report, a loaded SKS-style rifle and a shotgun were located in the passenger seat.

Stephens has been charged with aggravated domestic battery, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, six counts of illegal possession of a firearm, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Stephens was on parole for domestic assault and illegal possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest.

The Pike County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a motion to deny pre-trial release which was granted by Judge Charles H.W. Burch. Stephens remains lodged at the Pike County Jail.

A Shelby County man was arrested twice in less than 12 hours for possession of a stolen vehicle last week in West Central Illinois.

Last Thursday night, Jacksonville Police conducted a vehicle check in the Wal-Mart parking lot after a vehicle that had been reported as stolen out of Nokomis was pinged in the 1900 block of West Morton Avenue at approximately 11:00 pm.

According to a Jacksonville Police report, during the investigation, 25-year-old Jessie R. Austin, of Herrick, Illinois was arrested and booked into the Morgan County Jail for theft by possession of a stolen vehicle, and driving on a revoked license.

Per the requirements of the Safe-T-Act, Austin was processed at the jail and then issued a citation before being released.

Just a few hours later, Austin was found in Pittsfield, Illinois with another stolen vehicle after Pittsfield Police responded to the Casey’s on East Washington Street at approximately 9:30 Friday morning for a report of a possible intoxicated driver in a red Chevrolet Camero.

According to reports by both the Pittsfield and Jacksonville Police Departments, Austin allegedly left the Morgan County Jail upon his release at approximately 8:00 am, and then made entry into the vehicle belonging to an employee of the Morgan County Jail and drove away.

Upon arrival and investigation at Casey’s Friday morning, Pittsfield Police discovered the Camero had been entered into a state database as reported stolen by the Jacksonville Police Department.

According to the Pittsfield Police, Austin resisted arrest but was taken into custody at the scene. He was booked into the Pike County Jail where he remains held on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, obstructing identification, and resisting a peace officer.

The Pike County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a petition with the court to deny pretrial release. As of the time of the press release, the pretrial release hearing had not been conducted.

Officials say more charges may be pending in Morgan County.

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

Sometime between 6:30 am on Friday, December 22^nd, and 10:30 pm on Saturday, December 23^rd, unknown person(s) entered a residence in the 800 block of West Lafayette Avenue and removed a bicycle.

The bicycle that was removed from the residence was described as a 1986 GT Pro Performer, that is yellow in color.

The Jacksonville Police Department is 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 the Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers Facebook page, or by calling Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.

Tips may also be submitted anonymously by texting to the word CRIMES (274637). The first word of the text tip must be “payout”. Crime Stoppers says if your tip leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward.

Alsey Glasgow Water Commission has announced that the boil order for all water customers in Alsey which was issued on Tuesday, January 2^nd, 2024, has been lifted.

It took a few days, but the first baby born in the new year at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital has arrived.

Joseph Raye Castleberry was born at JMH on Wednesday at 12:34 in the morning.

Joseph weighed 9 lbs, 12 oz, and was 22 inches long when he arrived. Parents Austin and Liberty Castleberry live in Jacksonville and have two older children.

Jacksonville Memorial Hospital Officials say Joseph and his family are already home from the hospital and doing fine.

The number of overdoses increased while the number of suicides went down in Morgan County during 2023.

On Wednesday, the Morgan County Coroner’s Office released the final statistics from last year, and while overall there were no changes or unusual trends associated with death counts in Morgan County in 2023, some specific numbers gave both cause for concern, and praise.

In all, there were 376 total deaths reported in Morgan County last year, down from 485 in 2022. Of those, 356 people died due to the top three natural causes of cardiac disease, respiratory disease, and cancer.

Morgan County Coroner Marcy Patterson says the number of deaths due to those top three natural causes is exactly the same as the average she has seen in her more than 13 years affiliated with the Coroner’s office.

Patterson says one statistic that is of concern, is that overdoses in Morgan County have doubled since 2022. “We had eight, and of the eight overdoses we had, one hundred percent of them had fentanyl in their system. And that’s a really scary time for a community because obviously there is no good time for anybody to be doing drugs.

But people aren’t using drugs thinking it’s going to cause them instant death, right? They’re thinking it’s going to be, you know whatever pleasure they get from their drug, and somebody’s mixed something in it that’s killing them. And that’s concerning to all of us as we watch that number rise across this community and the nation.”

Conversely, the number of suicides in Morgan County last year was down one from four to three. Patterson says even though the decrease was small, it still is a big step in the right direction.

“We always like it when suicide goes down. That’s something that our office is very passionate about, that one suicide death is too many. For it to go down twenty-five percent is significant in our community.

We were hoping for some of the programs that the community has started, like the S.T.A.R.S. group that works for suicide prevention, and they are doing work that is getting some people some help.”

Patterson says over the last year, mental health is the leading factor that contributes to suicide, while factors such as a person’s age do not. “It doesn’t, we had a young person, we had a senior citizen and we had a middle-aged person so our three deaths were across the board. And the answer is always, see if we can get the correct mental health. Everybody this year that died by suicide was actively treating their health problems- their mental health problems, and we still ended up here. It’s a really sad statistic.”

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling or texting the number 988.

You can find more information on the Jacksonville area group S.T.A.R.S. for Suicide Prevention by searching for the group on Facebook.