Jury Finds Auburn Man Guilty of Predatory Sex Crimes Against Minor, Faces Over 200 Years in Prison
By Benjamin Cox on September 27, 2022 at 6:47am
An Auburn man faces the potential of spending the rest of his natural life behind bars after a Sangamon County jury found him guilty last week of several sex crimes against a minor. The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office says that 34 year old Mason E. Bertrand of Auburn was found guilty of of three […]
Stolen Car from Sangamon Found Abandonded in Middle of Jacksonville Street
By Jeremy Coumbes on September 26, 2022 at 3:45pm
Jacksonville Police recovered stolen property after investigating a traffic hazard Friday morning. According to a police report, a Jacksonville Police officer was dispatched for a report of an unoccupied or abandoned motor vehicle parked in the middle of the roadway at the railroad underpass on Routt Street just before 7:00 am Friday. The complainant advised […]
Morgan County Officially Joins Two Rivers Land Bank
By Jeremy Coumbes on September 26, 2022 at 3:38pm
The Morgan County Commissioners officially approved an intergovernmental agreement to join the Two Rivers Land Bank this morning. Morgan County was the last of four municipalities to join the land bank, with Jacksonville, Quincy, and Adams County having already joined. Chairman Bard Zeller says the county wants to be a good partner with the City […]
GoFundMe Set Up For Family of Injured Pleasant Plains Football Player
By Benjamin Cox on September 26, 2022 at 2:22pm
A GoFundMe page has been set up for a Pleasant Plains football player who collapsed during a football game in Riverton on Saturday. Jayden Veesenmeyer, a senior running back, exited the game before collapsing on the team’s sidelines. Veesenmeyer was attended to by trainers on the sideline before being taken off the field by ambulance […]
Auburn Dump Truck Driver Sentenced For 2020 DUI Crash That Killed Woman
By Benjamin Cox on September 26, 2022 at 1:56pm
An Auburn man who struck and killed a woman outside the Casey’s in Auburn in the summer of 2020 and later pled guilty to 3 counts of driving under the influence of drugs was sentenced in Sangamon County Court last week. 45 year old Bennie L. Jackson of Auburn was sentenced to 12 years in […]
Davidsmeyer Responds to Poor IDOC Audit, Director’s Conference with Audit Commission
By Benjamin Cox on September 26, 2022 at 1:52pm
An area lawmaker says West Central Illinois prisons are in fair shape despite shortcomings of leadership in the Illinois Department of Corrections. State lawmakers on the Legislative Audit Commission questioned IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys last week after a recent audit found lapses in the department’s financial reporting and several crucial unfilled vacancies. According to a […]
Jersey Co. State’s Attorney Files Suit Over SAFE-T Act
By Benjamin Cox on September 26, 2022 at 1:27pm
The Jersey County State’s Attorney has sued the state over a new criminal justice reform bill. Riverbender reports that Jersey County State’s Attorney Ben Goetten has sued the State of Illinois in regard to the SAFE-T Act. Goetten told Riverbender he’s hopeful that the Illinois General Assembly will amend the law prior to implementation on […]
Pleasant Plains Community Praying For Football Player
By Benjamin Cox on September 26, 2022 at 5:53am
The Pleasant Plains community is searching for prayers and good thoughts for a young football player this morning. Pleasant Plains’ Jayden Veesenmeyer experienced a medical emergency on the sidelines this past Saturday afternoon in Riverton causing the game to be postponed. According to WMAY, Veesenmeyer came to the sidelines late in the first half and […]
Illinois College Tops 1,000 For Enrollment for Fourth Straight Year
By Benjamin Cox on September 24, 2022 at 7:51pm
Illinois College’s enrollment remains at a near record for the fourth straight year in a row. Illinois College administration announced on Friday that the college has 1,030 students enrolled for the Fall semester on campus and online. It makes for the fourth straight year that I.C. has been at or above the 1,000 mark. The […]
Construction Truck Found On Fire on I-72, Linked to Copper Theft from Local Construction Company
By Benjamin Cox on September 24, 2022 at 5:03pm
Local authorities are looking for the identities of a man who stole a truck and trailer from a local construction company and then set it on fire and left it to burn. According to a Facebook post from the Henson Robinson Company, a man broke into their lot in the 3500 block of Great Northern […]