Hopkins Appointed Jacksonville City Treasurer
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 7:46pm
The City of Jacksonville swore in their new City Treasurer tonight. Beth Hopkins, Emergency Management Systems Program Coordinator, was appointed by Mayor Andy Ezard to fill the role left by the late Ron Smiljanich. Smiljanich died at his home on November 23rd at the age of 73. Smiljanich was in the midst of his fifth […]
Dean Testifies Death Was by Suicide During Day Five of Brown County Murder Trial
By Jeremy Coumbes on December 13, 2021 at 4:33pm
The defense continued to present its case in the John Michael Dean murder trial in Mt Sterling Monday with the accused taking the stand this afternoon. 42-year-old John Michael Dean took the stand this afternoon in Brown County Court. Dean testified that on the night of June 14th, his live-in girlfriend Rebecca Niewohner committed suicide […]
Wankel Named As Nominee to Morgan County Commissioner Vacancy
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 3:01pm
The Morgan County Republican Party announced a nominee to replace the late Bill Meier today. The Republican Central Committee met on Tuesday last week an unanimously voted to recommend Jacksonville Ward 4 Alderman Mike Wankel to fill the vacancy. The County Commissioners are expected to make the appointment official at their regular meeting next Monday, […]
Vision 117 Phase 3 Plans On Upcoming Agenda for JSD117
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 2:42pm
Jacksonville School District 117 will have a small amount of money left over after some major renovation projects are put into motion this month. Superintendent Steve Ptacek released a video presentation of projects for Phase 3 of the Vision 117 plan that outlines the budget for the district’s most recent bond sale and federal ESSER […]
Beardstown School Bus Gets Caught in Low Hanging Power Line
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 2:09pm
A Beardstown School District bus had a bit of a scare this morning. According to the school’s Twitter this morning, a low-hanging power line got caught on top of the bus’ emergency hatch near Airport Road, about 1 mile south of the Beardstown Wal-Mart. Beardstown EMS, Police, and Fire all responded to the scene. No […]
City of Beardstown Approves County Dispatch Contract
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 2:07pm
The Beardstown City Council has approved an emergency service dispatch agreement after tabling a contract last month. According to the Journal-Courier, the council approved the agreement with Cass County Dispatch in a vote of 6-1. The contract cost was around $88,000, slightly up from the year before. The dispatch service operates out of the City […]
IEA Asks to Intervene in DeVore Sangamon Co. Mask Mandate Lawsuit
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 2:02pm
75 teachers union locals around the state have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to eliminate mask mandates and other COVID mitigations in schools. Attorney Thomas DeVore filed the suit against 145 school districts, which includes many schools in the WLDS/WEAI listening area, trying to overturn the COVID-19 mitigations including exclusions […]
Two Injured in US 67 Crash in Scott County on Sunday
By Benjamin Cox on December 13, 2021 at 1:55pm
Two people were transported to an area hospital after a crash in rural Scott County last night. Illinois State Police were called to a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 67 at the Alsey-Manchester Road intersection at 9:05 last night. A preliminary investigation report says that a 2009 Gray Chevy SUV car driven by 40 year old […]
Jacksonville Dodges Severe Weather Overnight, Tornado Spotted Near Tallula
By Benjamin Cox on December 11, 2021 at 8:42am
The greater Jacksonville area mostly dodged severe weather last night. No major storm damage was reported around Jacksonville last night as storms moved east both to the north and south, causing major problems elsewhere. The Menard County Sheriff’s Office announced around 8:02 last night a confirmed tornado on the ground near Tallula. They also confirmed […]
Jury in Dean Trial Hears Testimony From Forensic Consultant
By Jeremy Coumbes on December 10, 2021 at 4:38pm
Day four of the John Dean trial continued at the Brown County Courthouse today. 42-year-old John M. Dean of Mt Sterling is facing a first-degree murder charge in the 2019 shooting death of 44-year-old Rebecca Niewohner, also of Mt. Sterling. Friday morning the jury was shown a video deposition of forensic consultant Dr. George Nichols, […]