A Jacksonville man was arrested by Jacksonville Police Friday night for citations of burglary and possession of another person’s debit/credit card.

Officers responded to the Jiffi Stop Convenience Store in the 800 block of West Morton Avenue just before 1PM Friday to investigate reports of multiple illegal uses of a debit/credit card at the store.

According to a Jacksonville Police report, 37-year old Robert K. Sims of the 1200 block of Park Place was arrested at approximately 7:45PM Friday at his residence for possession of another person’s debit/credit cards after surveillance video captured Sims using multiple cards at both the Jiffi Stop and J.B. Hawks, located in the 200 block of East Morton, purchasing multiple items.

According to police, Sims was also a person of interest in car burglaries from March 16th in the 1300 block of South Clay, March 14th in the 1300 block of South Clay, and an unnamed instance on February 5th.

Sims has been cited for operating a vehicle with a suspended registration, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, burglary to a motor vehicle, three counts of illegal possession of another person’s debit/credit card, and possession of methamphetamine.

He has since been released from the Morgan County Jail with a notice to appear court.

A Jacksonville man who was wanted on active warrants was arrested on Friday afternoon by Jacksonville Police as a result of an investigation into a rash of vehicle burglaries.

43-year old Shawn M. Johnson, listed as homeless, was taken into custody by JPD officers in the 500 block of North Church Street at approximately 4:30PM Friday.

Johnson was wanted on active Morgan County failure to appear warrants on charges of resisting a peace officer, felony retail theft, burglary, criminal damage to property, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to Jacksonville Police reports, Johnson was also linked to several car burglaries that had occurred over the previous week throughout the city. The reports say that vehicles were accessed by Johnson on March 15th in the first block of Dunlap Court and the 500 block of South Kosciusko; and on March 19th where surveillance video captured a subject alleged to be Johnson removing items from several vehicles near Illinois College; again on March 20th in the 500 block of South Mauvaisterre and on Permac Road near Bound to Stay Bound Books where the report says more than $2,000 worth of items were removed from a vehicle.

Police officials says further charges may be pending as the investigation remains open. Johnson remains lodged at the Morgan County Jail.

The Jacksonville Area has a bright future says the head of a major Central Illinois real estate and property management group. David Plake, President and C.E.O. of The Garrison Group in Springfield says roughly two years ago they were contacted by a local broker who was helping a client with his second building purchase on the downtown square.

Rabbi Rob and Lauren Thomas wanted to find an entity to help develop and manage their new projects and partnered with Garrison Group soon after. The partnership has led to several projects on the downtown square and beyond for the company.

After developing multiple projects over the last two years, Plake says he thinks that Jacksonville is a fantastic place to do business. “And I tell my family this and I tell everybody in other communities, if Jacksonville were a stock that you were considering investing in, I think Warren Buffett would be throwing his money in Jacksonville.

And I say that because I’ve been in Central Illinois frankly my whole life. So I’ve watched Jacksonville, and what I’ve watched is I think I’m seeing the beginning of a rebirth, or maybe even beyond that.”

Plake says his experience working with the city and organizational stakeholders as a whole, working in Jacksonville is unlike any other municipality Garrison Group has done business with. “From the city, the support of the municipality, Brian Nyberg and his team, and the creativity of the economic development group..

The welcome from the Chamber of Commerce, Jacksonville Main Street- oh my goodness, it has been fantastic! This is a group of people that I don’t know that they have the word no in their vocabulary. The answer is- oh, well let’s come up with a solution for that.

I feel like we’ve got partners who want to help us create solutions for what frankly other municipalities is simply a no. That’s why I think Jacksonville is going to do some great things.”

Plake says as the level of work and number of projects is increasing in the Jacksonville area, some exciting developments are currently happening in their first two downtown projects with the Thomas’s. “In the old Sears building, the Andre & Andre Building, the first tenant will be moving in the next few days. Literally, in the upcoming days, it’s going to be so exciting. We’re accepting bids right now for the build-out of the apartments. So there will be fourteen apartments going into the upper two floors of that property.

The two apartments above Pizza Records in the Kresge Building, those will be ready to go to lease on April the second. And just, it is exciting, it’s’ so exciting to be a part of.”

Garrison Group provides commercial real estate sales, property management, and build-out coordination throughout Central Illinois and beyond.

Continued work on the downtown projects, as well as existing property management clients in the Jacksonville and Quincy areas, Garrison Group has planted roots in the area by opening a branch office in Jacksonville located in the former Gustine Building at 229 South Main Street.

A new citizen’s committee hit the ground running during its first official meeting recently. The Moving Jacksonville Forward Citizen’s Committee met for the first time a week ago Thursday in the Commission Room at the Jacksonville Municipal Building.

The committee was formed earlier this year with an aim to provide guidance from area citizens to the City of Jacksonville, Village of South Jacksonville, and Morgan County Commissioners on the direction of blighted properties in the area.

Newly elected Co-Chair and one of the original organizers of the committee, Ben Cox says, the initial primary focus of the committee is working to increase movement involving the Jacksonville Developmental Center.

“There is significant movement there with the governor’s budget proposal for the three hundred million dollars for bringing surplus property back into economic and viable use. In our instance, that money would probably go toward remediating the property- all of the fifty-plus acres and eighteen-plus buildings on that campus.

We hope to have members from Governor Pritzker’s team. Specifically, Deputy Governor Andy Manar who helps with the budget and who has met with the mayor recently. We also would like to have Dr. Charles Riggs and the students from Illinois College who are working with Benton & Associates. And the Community Development Office and Brian Nyberg to kind of make a plan for city infrastructure creating streets, water and sewer to bring in the development to that property once it is remediated.”

Cox says the committee is also thinking ahead for potential issues remediating the JDC grounds could cause after the fact. “We have a homeless issue. There’s a lot of homeless people who live in those buildings currently and where are they going to go, and how can we facilitate possibly an overnight support shelter in town? That’s low barrier that would allow those folks to have a place to go when it’s extremely hot or cold.”

Cox says beyond JDC, the Committee has a number of other properties and areas in mind for consideration. “Norris Hospital, we hope to engage with ownership of that private property. The building on the very back end of AC Humko is in very nasty repair, and it’s kind of problematic for the folks who are developing that site now. So what can we do there?

There are neighborhoods in and around our downtown square. Some are already in redevelopment, but there are others that are problematic. Engaging with the Historic Preservation Commission and the Zoning Board on how we can get those properties back into valued use. Working with the land bank on how do we attract people to those business-like areas and home-like areas, bringing in what I would say median income housing to those areas.”

Cox says he was pleased with both the turnout and interest shown during the first meeting. He says they are still looking for area residents who are willing to jump in and help with the committee. “Everybody is invited to the meetings. We’re searching for people who aren’t involved in any local government or any local entities who want to have their voices heard about this.

Currently, the Moving Jacksonville Forward Citizen’s Committee will be meeting at 6:00 pm on the second and fourth Thursdays through May, then possibly moving to once per month.

Anyone with interest in assisting with the committee or just finding out more information can go to the Moving Jacksonville Forward Facebook page, or contact Co-Chairs Ben Cox or Rob Thomas, or Committee Secretary Larry Meece.

High winds led to several fires in the WLDS/WEAI listening area on Friday, including one in Meredosia that destroyed the back half of Shady Acres Mobile Home Park.

Meredosia and Arenzville Fire Departments were called to the park just before 4:00 pm Friday for a call of an abandoned trailer that was on fire. Officials with both departments said the high winds stirred the fire into a blaze that quickly spread throughout the area.

Arenzville Fire Chief Chris Privia says multiple structures were engulfed with fire as crews arrived. “There were seven structures burning when we got there. We parked on the east side and I can’t tell you a lot about the west side because I didn’t make it over there. There was a trailer and another house that were just starting to light. It burnt some siding and stuff off of them. So we jumped on those and got them knocked down, and just tried to fight that wind back to the middle of it.

You know Phil McCarty and I had just talked a few hours before, and we talked the night before, worried about this happening. There’s been a lot of burning going on the last week or two and we knew that wind was coming, and we were worried about it kicking things up. But we didn’t even think about something like this being thrown on top of it.”

Meredosia Fire Chief Ethan Myers says the strong south winds pushed the fire northward completely through the neighborhood all the way into the timber by Meredosia Lake.

In all seven structures were completely destroyed, and three others suffered significant damage. An unknown number of animals were killed in the fire, however, no injuries to any residents or firefighters were reported as of press time.

Several eyewitnesses told firefighters at the scene they saw a fallen power line bouncing around in the wind that sparked, causing multiple small fires. The Office of the State Fire Marshal was called in to investigate the cause of the fire.

Crews from Meredosia, Arenzville, North Scott, Griggsville and Beardstown all aided in fire suppression efforts, with the last crew leaving the scene at approximately 9:30 Friday night.

While crews were fighting the fire at Shady Acres in north Meredosia, multiple area crews responded to a call of a second fire south of town. South Jacksonville Fire Chief Richard Evans Jr. says his department responded as mutual aid at approximately 4:30 pm to number 1 Upper Smith Road for a report of a cabin fire.

“There was a pretty good fire going in the cabin when we got there and a lot of area of the timber was on fire. But we were able to extinguish it all and get it cut off from spreading any further into the woods. The cabin was unoccupied. Someone doesn’t live in it, it’s more of a getaway place as I understand it. The fire got into that and up into the attic pretty good.

There were no injuries. A neighbor said he heard some cracking and popping outside and looked out and saw a real small shed that had some fuel and stuff in it on fire. And with the winds the way they were yesterday it quickly spread.”

Evans says damages to the cabin are estimated at $50,000. A cause of the shed fire that ignited the cabin and surrounding area remains undetermined.

Meredosia Fire Chief Ethan Myers says crews from both Meredosia and Arenzville were called back to the scene of the Shady Acres fire later that night. “There was a house down on the north end of that street that I don’t know if embers flew out of the trees and caught a shed on fire, but it was a total loss. But we got there in time to put the house out that was by the shed. It was on fire too, but we were at least able to get it put out where hopefully it will be salvageable. But I don’t know that for sure.”

Crews remained on scene for several hours for the second ignition.

The Shady Acres fire was just one of several calls for area fire departments Friday. Chief Priva says the Arenzville Fire Department was dispatched to assist in multiple other calls throughout the night.

“While we were at Shady Acres, we got paged to the other one at Upper Smith Road out there at Smith Lake. I had to break away a couple of units to go to Stock Lane in Cass County. They had a field fire that got into the timber down there, so one of our trucks had to go to that at about seven o’clock.

We cleared at about ten o’ clock and then went to Six Mile Road in Cass County for a structure and a field on fire over there. We didn’t get back in until- well as a matter of fact when we got paged back out to Dosh at two thirty this morning we were just leaving the firehouse.”

Chief Evans says the South Jacksonville Fire Department aided the Woodson Fire Department around noon Friday for a small ditch fire on Sheehan Road after a power line fell and ignited the dry grass. They were then called out at approximately 8:00 pm to the 1200 block of Old Route 36 for a shed that had the roof blown off.

Evans says there was no fire at that call, however, there were electrical issues so South Jacksonville Fire personnel aided at the scene while Ameren cut off the power.

Jacksonville/Morgan County Emergency Management Director Phil McCarty says at one point Friday they were managing or assisting with management of fire calls in all three counties with more than 20 active departments at one time.

He says everyone involved deserves credit for how well they worked together to keep each incident from becoming much worse.

Jacksonville Police are investigating a burglary incident at a downtown business early Friday morning.

Officers were called to Mulligan’s restaurant located at 7 Central Park Plaza at approximately 4:45 am Friday for a report of a break in. According to a Jacksonville Police report, an unknown person forced entry into the building and removed approximately $10.00 worth of quarters. No other details were provided in the report.

Jacksonville Police are also investigating a recent vehicle burglary. Sometime between 4:30 pm Thursday and 12:30 pm Friday, someone entered a vehicle in the 600 block of East Beecher Avenue and removed an undisclosed number of items.

Jacksonville Police is asking anyone who may have information on either of these incidents to call the 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 Brown County man is behind bars on drug charges following a joint effort involving the West Central Illinois Task Force earlier this week.

According to a release by the Brown County Sheriff’s Department this morning, on Tuesday, Sheriff’s Deputies, in conjunction with task force members, executed a search warrant at a residence located at 101 South Chestnut Street in Versailles.

The warrant came after an investigation by the Brown County Sheriff’s Department and Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office determined illegal drug activity was ongoing at the residence.

23 year old Jack O. Flachs was arrested at the scene and booked into the Schuyler County Jail. Agents at the scene recovered approximately 11.69 pounds of raw cannabis, 92 pounds of THC wax, 39 pounds of THC vapes, 9.4 pounds of Psilocybin Mushrooms, 1.3 pounds of Psilocybin powder, and more than 26 pounds of THC edibles.

Also seized during the investigation were two firearms, a 2019 GMG Arcadia, and $18,600.00 in cash. According to the report, one female from the residence was released at the scene pending possible criminal charges.

On Wednesday, Flachs was charged in Brown County Court with two counts of Class X felony manufacture and/or delivery of cannabis more than 5,000 grams. He is next due in court for an arraignment hearing on April 7^th, and remains lodged at the Schuyler County Jail.

A Greene County man has been charged with homicide following the drug-related death of a White Hall woman in December.

35-year-old Derek R. Nolan of Eldred was taken into custody by Greene County Sheriff’s Deputies on Wednesday after a warrant for his arrest was issued by Greene County Circuit Judge Zachary Schmidt one day earlier. Nolan has been charged with drug induced homicide, a Class X felony, Class 2 felony unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, and Class 4 felony unlawful criminal drug conspiracy.

According to charging documents filed by Greene County State’s Attorney Craig M. Grummel, on December 20^th, 2024, Nolan knowingly delivered a substance that contained fentanyl to 52-year-old Angela K. Virgin of White Hall. Virgin then ingested the substance and died at her residence on December 21^st.

Two women have also been charged in connection with the incident. 34-year-old Megan M. Henson of Roodhouse, and 55-year-old Shanda D. Griffin of Eldred are listed as conspirators in Nolan’s charging documents, accusing both women of making an agreement with Nolan to travel together and acquire the controlled substance.

Both Henson and Griffin have been charged with Class 4 felony unlawful criminal drug conspiracy in Greene County Court. Henson is also accused of accompanying Nolan to deliver the substance to Angela Virgin.

Nolan remains held at the Green County Jail. At his attorney’s request, Mark R. Gillingham of Carrollton Nolan is next due in court for a detention hearing on Tuesday of next week.

Both Henson and Griffin were also arrested on Wednesday and have since been released. Both women have pending cases in Greene County Court for possession of a controlled substance stemming from previous arrests.

Henson is next due in court on March 17^th, Griffin is next due on April 7^th.

The fate of a beloved piece of Jacksonville’s higher education history has reportedly been sealed. The MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association announced via social media Friday that “the beloved McClelland Dining Hall will be razsed in the very near future”.

The fate of the former MacMurray dining hall has been in question ever since the building, located at 438 East College Avenue, was ravaged by fire in the early morning hours of June 9^th, 2024.

Association President David Ekin says it is a sad day for MacMurray alumni and the college’s storied history. “But we understand that the damage the fire caused was so devastating. We’re trying to figure out what to do with the bricks in front of the dining hall that have the names etched of people who donated for. Some people are taking them and we will take some. We are not sure what will happen with all of them. But it’s a sad day, and as someone said earlier it’s a sad day. Lots of memories.”

According to the post, damage and vandalism from the fire that destroyed the kitchen and left water and smoke damage in the hall was too great for repairs or maintaining the building to be economically feasible.

In December it was announced that then owner Mike Hayes of Jacksonville had donated the building to Our Savior Parish and Routt Catholic High School. At that time, representatives of the school and the Catholic Diocese of Springfield were to determine the building’s structural integrity before establishing a committee made up of school community members to figure out a use for the building.

Hayes reportedly also donated an undisclosed portion of money to the Springfield Diocese to help them get started on whatever direction they choose to take with the property.

Ekin says the MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association have been working together with Routt since the ownership change and that there is still possibly some history that can be saved from the building. “Routt has been very good to work with us and communicate.”

We have been able to get a couple of plaques, I think. Because the building was named after one of the college’s former presidents, and there was a plaque indicating such. We were able to get that, and it’s my understanding that there were some items still in the basement, and we are going to be able to look at those for any value of history of the college.”

Ekin, who has served as Foundation and Alumni Association President since its inception, says some of his earliest memories of his time living in Jacksonville surround the old McClelland Dining Hall. “We are hopeful we will get some feedback from alums, just about their memories of MacMurray.

Ironically, my family lived there [in Jacksonville] from 1967 to 1969, and my first job was as a waiter in McClelland Dining Hall. Back when they also still had some formal dinners with tablecloths and all of that, so it’s very bittersweet.”

Routt Principal Dan Carie was unavailable for comment as of press time. An attempt by WLDS News to speak with representatives of the Routt Board of Directors has not been returned.

A longtime Jacksonville tradition will have a new look in a new home one week from now.

The 76^th Annual Jacksonville Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Day will be held at the Morgan County Fairgrounds this year. The non-profit service club was forced to find a new home for the event after fire severely damaged the McClelland Dining Hall in June of last year.

Event Co-Char Luke Worrell says McClelland was the event’s only home up until the fire, so the event will have a slightly different flow this year. “You know, we’re all creatures of habit, but it’s going to look a little bit different for the first time since the 50’s.

The current plan is the 4H Building, which is kind of right off Grand Avenue, that’s going to be our dining hall. That portion will look very similar to what people have kind of grown accustomed to at MacMurray.

We’re actually going to be doing all of our cooking right across the lane there at the Clover Cafe. So our product is going to take a short walk when it’s done and will go into a sort of staging area in the 4H Building, but that is going to be the bulk of the changes.”

The need to change venues is giving the club an option to expand one part of the event, as drive-through service will be offered without interruption for the entire day. In previous years, the drive-through was closed for portions of the day in order to not disrupt classes at MacMurray College or Routt High School.

Worrell says the move to the 4H Building also allows for more seating. In previous years during rush hours, overflow attendees waited in Annie-Merner Chappel for a fresh table to open.

He says along with the move to a new location, the fire caused some extra overhead expenses so the club is hopeful this year’s event is extra successful. “100 percent of what we raise in a normal year goes right back to children’s causes here in Morgan County.

Obviously this year we do have a little more upfront cost, and that is nothing to do with the fair, they are being incredibly generous. But unfortunately, with the fire we lost a few items that were stored on site. So we had to pony up a little bit more for some new stuff, so it’s very important that we try to replicate as close to possible what we typically have made.”

Tickets for the 76^th Annual Jacksonville Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Day are $8.00 ahead of time and $10.00 at the door the day of. You can purchase tickets from any Kiwanian as well as Heartland Bank, CNB Bank, Petefish, Skiles & Company Bank, The Farmers State Bank and Trust Company, or Hyvee.

Dine in and drive through service runs Monday, March 10^th from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm at the 4H Building on the Morgan County Fairgrounds.

Drive through service patrons are asked to enter into the fairgrounds via the south-most Westgate Avenue entrance.