A new restaurant in Taylorville held its soft opening on Tuesday morning and will be opening to customers on Wednesday.  Sonic held a grand opening including a ribbon cutting to a big crowd on Tuesday morning that included the Taylorville Cheer Squad, Jazz Band, and many Taylorville dignities.  Mike James, Founder and CEO of Guernsey Holdings, opened the Taylorville Store. It is the 100th Franchise for Guernsey Holdings and James says he’s proud of that number and proud to be in Taylorville. 

Sonic has one of the biggest menus in the world. James says there’s something for everyone.

James, presented two separate checks; one for the Taylorville High School and one for the Taylorville Food Pantry in the amount of $5,000.  James says it’s about giving back. 

The store is set to open Wednesday to the public. He encourages everyone to stop by and pick up something to eat. 

An emotionally charged, tense city council meeting took place Tuesday evening that saw a very full board room, a lot of anger, and clearly frustration. The question being clear: Does the city use taxpayer money to fund an advertising campaign for all of Taylorville? Several business owners were at the city council meeting on hand to discuss the topic after it was announced at the finance committee that the city was going to defund Small Town Taylorville (STT) unless STT would make some necessary changes including having a council member on the board for STT to “keep them honest.”  Alderman Randy Mitchelson voiced his concerns and clarified several topics in a rather lengthy letter that he read to the members in attendance. 

Mitchelson says that after many discussions surrounding Fur Love, he believes that no direct public tax money was used to create Fur Love. He also concluded that Fur Love is completely independent of STT and public funds for STT will NOT be used in the operation of Fur Love and haven’t been. He is concerned though over the amount of money being spent on advertising and where it is going. 

The motion to defund STT was tabled 5-2 with Alderman Steve Dorchinecz and Megan Bryant voting “no” on tabling. The discussion wasn’t over yet though.  During public comments, Alderman Chris Skultety, whom Regional Radio News spoke to last week concerning this topic, reiterated previous comments that he had stated, saying that he was supportive of STT but wanted more oversight and stressed the need for communication and better recording of what gets spent.  He also emphasized that every business in Taylorville needs to be included. 

Alderman Kathy Driskell reported that she didn’t believe there was any intent from Steve Craggs, who sits as the Chairman of STT, to sue the council. Aldermen Megan Bryant laughed at that comment and stormed out of the meeting saying that the board and the STT accountant were both “disgusting.” Many business owners spoke out in support of STT saying that with businesses returning to Taylorville, STT is a big part of it.  Nestor Lopez, owner of Nesty’s Burger Joint, spoke out, saying that the town is finally recovering from the pandemic and he doesn’t want to see that growth hindered.

Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry urged everyone to come to the Finance meeting that will take place on May 16th. 

Some attendees who spoke felt concerned about the next steps, urging everyone to ask, “Is this what’s best for Taylorville.”

Steve Craggs called for the dismissal of Megan Bryant, to which Aldermen Mitchelson vehemently came to her defense saying that Aldermen are only released from their position when they commit a felony, and she was well within her right to ask questions nor had she done anything criminal. 

The next City Council regular meeting is May 20th but again, Mayor Barry is urging everyone to come to the Finance Committee meeting that will take place May 16th.  Regional Radio News will have a separate story that will highlight the other parts of this meeting that took place. 

The Taylorville Fire Department responded to a house fire on Mark Lane in Taylorville in the Bertinetti area on Tuesday evening.  Multiple crews responded to the blaze that saw massive damage in the back of the house.  Everyone was OK and two dogs were rescued as well. Crews continued to work on fixing hot spots through a good portion of the evening.  

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club reviewed the club’s current actities benefiting children and youth, at their weekly Tuesday meeting at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.

Kiwanis Park Committee co-chair Duane Stock reported a new sign for the park will soon be installed, and the committee will be holding a Painting and Clean-Up Day in June for members to participate in.

Kiwanis Priority One chair Bruce Blanshan reported he’s working on 3 upcoming events.   The Kiwanis Club, in conjunction with the Taylorville Fire Department, will hold a child safety seat day in July with the specific date to be announced.   The club’s annual Kids’ Days, where Kiwanis members stand on street corners and collect monies for local Kiwanis projects that benefit children and youth, will take place September 20th and 21st.  And, the club’s annual Back to School Supply Drive, co-sponsored by HSHS Medical Group and the Christian County YMCA, will be held on Friday, August 23rd.

Kiwanis Spiritual Values chair Dick Wamsley reported the club’s annual Prayer Luncheon is set for next Tuesday, May 14th, with Doctor Richard Tribble as speaker.   The community’s Outstanding Spiritual Leader Award winner will also be announced.

The club announced at Tuesday’s meeting that preliminary figures show the April 27th Pancake and Sausage Breakfast netted the club approximately 25-hundred dollars.   The Kiwanis Club thanks the Taylorville community for the great turnout.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.

Missions for Taylorville, a group that assists homeowners in need by giving a helping hand is gathering volunteers and work applications for their workday on Saturday, June 1st. Project applications for homeowners must be submitted by Monday, May 13th to provide enough time to Missions for Taylorville to designate volunteers and coordinate building materials.

Ed Legg, Director of Missions for Taylorville says all volunteers are welcome, including those with no building experience. The workday is an all-hands-on-deck effort that looks to solve minor community members' home issues.

Popular jobs that have been completed in past years by the Missions for Taylorville team include gutter cleaning, general yard work, and wheelchair ramp installation. Legg notes that Missions For Taylorville looks to complete work mostly on the exterior of homes.

There are many ways to get involved in either volunteering to work or to have jobs completed at your home. Legg says many area churches are involved, handing out applications.

Click here, for more information about Missions for Taylorville.

Ed Legg appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.
 

Emergency sirens will be tested on Tuesday morning. The City of Taylorville will also be performing additional testing on its outdoor sirens.  You can expect the traditional siren test at 10 AM.  Sirens will run normally for approximately 3 minutes.  After the initial test, around 10:15, a second siren tone may be heard.  This will also run for approximately 3 minutes.  This tone may sound different than the first one at 10 AM.  

Taylorville recently had work done on its weather sirens and will be checking to make sure all components are working properly.  If there is a threat of any type of severe weather all tests will be cancelled and rescheduled at a later date. 

All testing is expected to be complete by 10:30 AM. 

A 3D archery range is now available for public use at Hidden Springs State Forest near Strasburg in Shelby County thanks to assistance from students at Stewardson-Strasburg High School.

The archery range has 22 targets with more to come. It’s available for use during normal park hours seven days a week. Hidden Springs has not had a 3D archery range for more than a decade. The range fell into disrepair and was closed due to lack of funding for repairs, then became overgrown.

In November 2023, students from Stewardson-Strasburg High School who are also youth ambassadors with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Shelbyville decided to pitch in and help, along with a teacher. They assisted staff with clearing lanes using hand tools; placed 25 signposts; removed old targets, limbs, and debris; and installed most of the new 3-D targets.

Instead of shooting at paper targets, 3D archers shoot at foam three-dimensional animal-shaped targets, which are placed on a course. Hidden Springs used nearly $20,000 in Sustainability Funds to purchase the 3D targets and $5,000 in site funds to redo the trail.

Jennifer Barker, agriculture teacher and eco club sponsor at Stewardson-Strasburg High School, said the project has been a great opportunity for students to work with site staff to improve the archery course.

Hidden Springs State Forest consists of about 1,200 acres of land 10 miles southeast of Shelbyville. The name Hidden Springs was selected because of the property’s seven known springs, which were used for drinking water by early settlers. Visitors to the site can enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, bird watching, hiking, and picnicking.

In 2023, Illinois state parks and historic sites attracted more than 40 million visitors. Admission is free at all Illinois state parks and historic sites.