The third meeting of the Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals took place Tuesday evening at 6 PM in front of a small crowd but mostly remotely, as there are still COVID-19 measures in place to limit crowd sizes. City of Roses LLC attorney Jim Griffin had his chance to call witnesses to speak on behalf of the wind turbines. Michael Hankard, a consultant on noise across the country, especially with wind turbines, spoke on the noise levels testifying that the wind turbines would fit under the noise limits. 

Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen, a medical physician who is a neurologist and a sleep study doctor, says that there is no diseases that come from wind turbines.

Other witnesses testified on behalf of City of Roses LLC on the benefits of wind turbines and Jim Griffin finished his testimony with a closing statement stating that landowners are completely reliant on other landowners to get wind turbines. 

Protect Christian County attorney Phil Luetkehans,  gave questions and started his cross-examination. The zoning board of appeals asked questions as well. Interested parties started giving testimony including a powerful speech from Daniel Nolan whose child has a medical condition that he believes could be harmed by the wind turbines, spoke on behalf of his family, and said that Christian County should support all the people of the County.      

Nolan’s testimony ended the hearing. The next hearing will be July 6th with a July 7th date as well, if necessary. 

The enrollment process at Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) has changed a little given the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Enrollment Coordinator Tisha Miller.

No in-person tours are being held at LLCC, they’re all currently being done virtually, according to Miller.

LLCC is expanding their online offerings for the Fall. The LLCC leadership team is still working through whether or not classes will be held in-person or not in the Fall. 

Employment readiness is a big focus at LLCC and so the Career Services Department at Lincoln Land put together a website of employment opportunities that are available in the Springfield area. They also offer opportunities to help LLCC students find employment. 

Tisha Miller with Lincoln Land Community College was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

United Way helps many different nonprofit organizations throughout Christian County, according to United Way of Christian County Executive Director Samantha Adermann.  

The 14th Annual Randy France Memorial Golf Outing will take place on August 28th at Lake Shore Golf Course in Taylorville and you can either signup on Facebook or with one of the United Way of Christian County Board members.

The cost for the Golf Tournament is $300 for a team of four or to be a gold sponsor the cost is $500. 

There will be three big items up for auction are a 7 night stay at the Gulf Shores Alabama, a wheel barrel filled with adult beverages, and a grill valued at over $1100. Tickets are $20 each for the Gulf Shores Alabama trip and $10 each or 3 for $20 for the grill and adult beverages. 

United Way of Christian County Executive Director Samantha Adermann was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The third meeting of the Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals will take place this evening via remote. The meeting which will take place starting at 6 PM will cover more testimony heard in the wind turbine debate in the County. The meeting will take place at the Christian County Courthouse and may be viewed online or listened to telephonically.

For more information, you can contact the courthouse. This public hearing will be conducted online and telephonically using the Free Conference Call Application which can be accessed through the following link: https//join.freeconferencecall.com/christiancounty.  Those who wish to only join via phone may attend by dialing (701) 802-5367 access code: 7943957#.  Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on this story as it develops.

For information on the previous zoning board meetings click HERE and HERE.

EDIT: ORIGINALLY THIS STORY AIRED THE TIME AS STARTING AT 7 PM. THE ACTUAL STARTING TIME IS 6 PM. 

The Clinton J. Hornbuckle Memorial Foundation’s mission is to help the different Youth Sports organizations within Taylorville, according to founding member Kate Graham.

The 3rd annual Clinton J. Hornbuckle Memorial Foundation Sand Volleyball and Bags Tournament will be held on August 22nd at the Funky Monkey in Taylorville.

The cost for the Sand Volleyball Tournament is $120 per team. Teams can pre-register at the Taylorville Chamber, Amenities on Main, or at the Funky Monkey. 

The cost for the Bags Tournament is $20 per person, according to founding member Patty Hornbuckle. 

Patty Hornbuckle and Kate Graham were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

As the fourth of July moves closer, more and more fireworks are being shot off and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office is urging all health care providers to report any firework injuries this summer. The data according to Fire Marshal Spokesperson JC Fultz goes a long way towards helping learn more about firework safety, and what can be done to prevent accidents in the future.

Fultz says 56 Healthcare facilities reported 126 injured people last year in Illinois. Fultz wants data to help get a more accurate picture.

Visit SFM.Illinois.gov and click on fireworks safety to report cases and to learn more about firework safety.

To wear a mask or not wear a mask that indeed is the question, and one local lawmaker thinks you should.

Illinois State Senator Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, indicates he has seen more and more people stop wearing masks recently. He says it is a civic duty to wear a mask.

Sen. Rose cites studies have shown the effectiveness of wearing masks. He details one recent visit to a fast-food restaurant that left him furious.

As the state starts to reopen more Sen. Rose hopes people will continue to follow the masks and social distancing recommendations.

With COVID-19 forcing many pools to close down, many people are swimming at home. While this is a great way to stay cool and relax, some people worry about the spread of COVID-19 through pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds. 

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that there is no evidence that the disease can spread to people through water, proper operation and disinfection as always, goes a long way to keeping things safe. Lakes and oceans are also safe because of the size of the bodies of water.  Dr. Robin Punsalan, pediatrician from OSF Healthcare, says that private pools are safer than public ones.

Social distance is still important at pools.  Being in close proximity with someone who may be coughing, sneezing, or even laughing could mean getting droplets of covid on you which could get you sick. You can still get covid from person-to-person contact or by touching a contaminated surface. Dr. Punsalan says to bring your own items with you to the pool or the beach.

While COVID-19 is a threat, there are other safety measures to always consider while around water. According to the CDC 10 people die from unintentional drowning every day in America. Of these, two will be children aged 14 or younger. Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages, and the second leading cause of injury death for children ages 1-14.

When heading out, Dr. Punsalan recommends putting on sunscreen and take frequent breaks in the shade. For more information contact your local physician.

The Taylorville Future Farmers of America (FFA) has elected new officers for the upcoming school year. Gracie Corso is the Vice President of the Taylorville FFA and she doesn’t come from a farming background, but she has always been interested in agriculture.

Isabelle Norris is the President of the Taylorville FFA and she said that a lot of things have already been moved to virtual competitions, but Norris is confident that despite all of the changes they’ll be a successful FFA chapter this year.

Lacey DeClerck is the FFA Greenhand Reporter and she said that her freshman year in FFA was both busy and fun. 

Record books are a huge part of FFA. Norris explained that record books are simply a complete record of everything that you do. 

Isabelle Norris, Gracie Corso, and Lacie Declerck were all guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

State public health Director Doctor Ngozi Ezike says not wearing a mask in public is like playing russian roulette. 

Wearing a facial covering around other people is one of the best things you can do to help prevent spread of the coronavirus, but some still refuse, says Doctor Ezike.

Doctor Ezike says some still refuse to wear a mask, putting themselves and others at risk. She says it’s too dangerous to take a gamble with COVID-19.

Dr. Ezike says wearing a facial covering is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus.

There is a need for blood donations in Central Illinois, according to Taylorville Memorial Hospital Lab Manager Phyllis Jachino, but it’s not as urgent of a need as it was just a few weeks ago.

If you have a surgical procedure or a sleep lab study at TMH, Jachino says that you must have a COVID-19 test done 72 hours prior to your procedure.  

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TMH is only able to do COVID-19 testing for procedures or if someone comes to the Emergency Department, and a Doctor feels that one is needed.  

Phyllis Jachino with Taylorville Memorial Hospital was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital has made safety a top priority and HSHS President and CEO Aaron Puchbauer said that they will keep people safe and you should feel comfortable coming out to your local hospital.  

No matter what your health issue, Puchbauer said that you should not be afraid to access your local hospital for healthcare.

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital is currently screening everyone who enters the hospital by taking their temperature, asking a series of questions, and asking everyone to wear a mask. 

For more information on HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Aaron Puchbauer was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The 4-H Fair this year will be done virtually in Christian County. Sara Marten is the 4-H Youth Development Educator at the University of Illinois Extension Office and she outlined what the 4-H Fair will look like this year.

Marten went on to discuss some upcoming 4-H Youth Science Camps that will take place virtually in July.

The first science camp will cover virus science and that will take place virtually on July 14th. The 2nd camp will take place the following day and will be on simple kitchen science. 

For more information on the University of Illinois Extension Office please visit extension.illinois.edu/cjmm. Sara Marten was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The Big R Store on West Route 104 in Taylorville has a new manager.

Mary Rever tells Regional Radio News she's a local native.

Rever has monthly promotions planned for the store.

Rever looks forward to serving Taylorville's Big R customers.

Big R also owns stores in Springfield and Lincoln.

With school districts resuming in-class learning this fall. Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty along with her district leadership team has released an overview of a 3-part plan as schools throughout Taylorville get ready to return to in-person instruction. 

Each part of the 3-part plan, according to Dr. Dougherty, includes increased sanitation, follows IDPH guidelines, and will be used “fluidly to address COVID-19 response as needed throughout this year.”

Part one of the plan covers the planned return to in-person instruction on August 18th.  

Part 2 of the plan is a hybrid of both remote and in-person learning. This plan would only be enacted if directed by the state. In this plan, Monday is a remote learning day for all students and students would be split into two separate groups. One group would be on campus on Tuesday and Wednesday and the other group would be on campus on Thursday and Friday, according to Dr. Dougherty. 

Part 3 of the plan is a return to remote learning for all students. This plan would only be enacted if there is a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the area. 

Online registration starts the second week in July. Anyone who is new to the school district needs to contact the school to get registered for a Skyward account. To see the letter that the Taylorville School District released, click here. 

The building formerly known as Taylorville Memorial Hospital is coming down.

The structure, dedicated in 1953, will make way for an additional building for the new TMH complex.

Taylorville Community Credit Union (TCCU) has a new member of the organizations volunteer Board of Directors, Duane Stock. TCCU President Will Perkins said that Stock’s agricultural background, experience in lending, and involvement in the community is exactly what they were looking for.  

In a press release, Stock said, “I look forward to sharing my knowledge as a member of TCCU’s Board of Directors. In the short time that I’ve been on the Board, I’ve seen the different way people view their credit union as compared to a bank.”

Perkins went on to say that we’re living in an interesting time, but things are going well at TCCU.

For more information on Taylorville Community Credit Union please visit taylorvillecommunitycreditunion.com. 

The State of Illinois has officially entered phase 4 of Governor JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. Laurrie Minor is the Executive Director of the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development and she is excited to be able to move into phase 4.  

Minor said that they have been very lucky in Sullivan and that all of the businesses in town seem to be bouncing back extremely well.

Minor said that one of the local restaurants took advantage of the pandemic by remodeling the entire inside of his building.

Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development Executive Director Laurrie Minor was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

As Illinois starts to recover from COVID-19 and move into phase 4, State Representative Sue Scherer of the 96th District is working on ways to bring telehealth to people in need. Scherer is pushing Senate Bill 1864, bipartisan legislation that gives expanded access to telehealth and mental health services in addition to proving eligibility for those services and making it easier. Scherer says this is important to her because so many people need help.

Scherer says telehealth has come a long way and is breaking down barriers.

While visiting hospitals, Scherer got experience working with telehealth systems.

For more information on Senate Bill 1864 contact Sue Scherer’s office at 877-9636 or at 524-0353.

Illinois is moving into Phase 4 of Governor JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan. Governor Pritzker at a press conference Thursday afternoon announced that bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and schools are allowed to reopen. 

Governor Pritzker went on to say that moving to Phase 4 this early was never a given.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced a brand new tool that allows individuals to track how each county in Illinois is doing in regards to meeting certain IDPH indicators. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 894 new cases of COVID-19 including 41 new deaths which brings the total amount to 139,434 cases including 6,810 deaths in 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois. IDPH tested 31,686 people in the last 24 hours and overall have tested 1,460,527 people. The 7-day rolling positivity rate is 3%.

In a 25-minute special meeting held virtually this afternoon and broadcast live on NEW Country 104.1, the Christian County Board failed by one vote to remove board chair Becky Edwards.  

Following comments by various county board members on both sides of the issue, the roll call showed 12 yes votes to replace her, and 4 against the motion.

County Clerk Mike Gianasi told the board that state statute required 4/5'ths of the board members to vote for the motion, which was 13 votes, so the motion failed by one vote.

The meeting started with the motion being made and seconded, followed by Edwards giving a statement saying while she should not have said at the end of the last County Board meeting she had heard enough testimony on the wind projects, the vote to remove her was based on her support of them.

Edwards asked board members if they had reviewed where future county revenues would come from in light of continued decreased revenue from the state.

Edwards said layoffs of county employees could happen if the revenue shortfall is not addressed.

Several board members then made statements for or against Edwards' removal.  Board member  Phil Schneider said since Edwards lost her primary election, she shouldn't be leading the County Board.

Board member Mike McClure told board members Edwards' proposed removal was a veiled threat to stop the wind projects in the county.

Board member Venise McWard said the vote to remove Edwards was not just about wind.

Board member Clark Pearce told board members the vote to replace Edwards should not have happened.

Board member Dale Livingston said the board lacked leadership.

Board member Ray Koonce called the motion with Christian County Clerk Mike Gianasi calling the roll, then declaring that the motion had failed.

The agenda then called for public comment, with several county residents voicing opinions on both sides of the issue.

The Grand Marshalls of the Taylorville 4th of July Parade have been decided. Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle talked with Mayor Bruce Barry and they decided upon Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler and Deputy Chief Vince Childers.  

The parade kicks off at 10am on the 4th of July. Hornbuckle urges everyone to be patient and to also please follow the physical distancing guidelines.

They are allowing candy to be thrown at the parade and after the parade lunch will be served outside of the US Bank building.

Patty Hornbuckle was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

The Christian County Board failed by one vote, to remove Chairperson Becky Edwards, in a virtual meeting this afternoon.

Following comments by various county board members on both sides of the issue, the roll call showed 12 yes votes to replace her, and 4 against the motion.

County Clerk Mike Gianasi told the board that state statute required 4/5'ths of the board members to vote for the motion, which was 13 votes, so the motion failed by one vote.

More information will be on air and on line at the conclusion of today's meeting, which is also being broadcast live on NEW Country 104.1.

Ground work continues on what will become Taylorville's new Industrial Park on the northwest side of town.

Excavation crews from Beyers Construction of Pana, are completing grading to prepare the site for what will be a new street, curb and gutter, and utilities for the sites.

The property is being developed by the Taylorville Industrial Association with assistance from the Christian County Economic Developmment Corporation.

The new location of Taylorville Home Source on East Park Street, is taking shape.

Contractors are finishing the inside of the structure a move of the business late this summer or early fall.

The business will move from its present location at 919 West Spresser, once the new building is completed.

The new building will provide the business more showroom and warehouse space.

Kluge’s On The Square is Taylorville’s only Steak House and they’re open for dinner from 5-8 during the week and 5-9 on the weekends, according to owner Glenn Kluge.

Steak is the best seller at Kluge’s, but some of the other fan favorites are the portobello mushrooms and pork tenderloins.     

Kluge’s is following the COVID-19 guidelines and at the end of every night they’re doing a deep clean of the restaurant. 

Kluge’s On The Square owner Glenn Kluge was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Bethany Christian Services is a global organization that has been around since 1944, according to Natalie Storm who has worked at Bethany since March of 2019.  

Bethany Christian Services was started by one individual who took in one child who was in need of a home in 1944. The program grew rapidly from there. Last year, Bethany served over 53 thousand families in some capacity around the globe.   

Clients are referred to Bethany Christian Services through the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).  

Natalie Storm with Bethany Christian Services in Shelbyville was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our downtown Shelbyville studios. 

Like most companies Tradewind Energy was impacted by the coronavirus. Vince Green is the Senior Development Manager for Tradewind Energy and he said that developing wind farms is relationship based.   

Tradewind Energy wants the wind turbines to be built much higher. Green explained that they will need to build a lot fewer turbines if they’re allowed to build them as high as they’re currently proposing.

Finally, Green talked about setbacks and the importance of them in regards to a wind farm project.

Vince Green with Tradewind Energy was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

There is more help for people struggling to pay their utility bills under a new agreement from the Illinois Commerce Commission.  The agreement covers major utilities including Ameren assisting both qualifying residential and small business customers during the pandemic. Carrie Zalewski, Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission says that it includes flexible payment plans or if you have a lot of debt.

The best part Zalewski says is that customers hit hard by the pandemic won’t have to go through red tape to qualify.

For more information on this or if you are having problems with your utility bills due to COVID-19 you can contact the ICC at icc.illinois.gov.

Day two of hearings at the Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals went a lot smoother than the previous night. In his opening remarks, ZBA board member Steve Sipes said that there were better controls in place this board meeting for muting people. He also announced that there were at least 63 people who wanted to speak, and with Christian County and Illinois moving into phase 4, he was hopeful that there would be able to be a public hearing in the near future that would be in person. 

Testimony continued as Protect Christian County called Jerry Punch to testify.  Punch, a Northwestern graduate who studied Audiology, says that noise levels from wind turbines can vary quite a bit.

Punch says that setbacks need to be a mile in a half back.

Attorney for Protect Christian County, Phil Leutkehans spoke about the reason for putting forth the amendments the group has. Leutkehans says no one should have to live with shadow flicker.

Leutkehans continued saying there are not a lot of experts in this field, and he wants people to make up their own minds about the wind turbines.

While Leutkehans says there hasn’t been an issue with decommissioning wind turbines here in Illinois it has happened in other states and according to him is a nightmare to towns when that happens.

Another witness, Larry W. Allen, an ornithologist, spoke about the impact wind turbines would have on birds echoing the statements made by Beth Wilhite from the night before. 

The meeting concluded with both lawyers; Phil Leutkehans and the Jim Griffiths, the attorney for Rose City Wind Energy argued about rebuttal times. In the end, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted Rose City an increase from 30 minutes to 45 minutes for their rebuttals. 

The next Zoning Board of Appeals meeting is set for June 30th at 7 PM. 

School districts throughout Illinois will be able to resume in-class learning this fall. Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty is working with her district leadership team to incorporate the Illinois State Board of Education’s 60 page document to make sure that all of the proper safety protocols are in place for when school returns in Taylorville on August 18th.   

Dr. Dougherty will have a lot more information for families in the next few days. 

Regional Radio News will have more on this developing story as information becomes available. For more information on the Taylorville School District please go to tcusd3.org. 

Cowden's Pioneer Days for 2020 have been cancelled. 

Officials with the committee announced late Tuesday, that this year's event, scheduled for August 21st thru the 23rd, has been called off due to the Governor closing the entire carnival inspection department. With that department not operating, the carnival Cowden Pioneer Days would have had, is not able to be inspected.

The committee added they are working on events to take place over the summer to give them a larger Cowden Pioneer Days for 2021, which will be the 50th anniversary of the celebration.

Starting on July 6th, Taylorville Memorial Hospital will begin to offer drive-up labs and this will be done by appointment only, according to Lab Manager Phyllis Jachino.   

If you need lab work done and you prefer to not come into the facility, you need to call 707-5550 for an appointment.   

The new lab at Taylorville Memorial Hospital has a lot of different benefits, according to Jachino, but the biggest one is probably how close it is to the Emergency Department.

Phyllis Jachino with Taylorville Memorial Hospital was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The Taylorville Public Library will be opening on Monday, June 29th. The Library, which has been closed for over 2 months, will be moving to their “phase 2” on Monday which will allow customers to come back into the lobby to get books and use computers. Library Director, Steven Ward, says he’s excited to be opening to the public again.

Phase 1 has been in place since June 1st, and that has included curbside pickup for books, faxes, copy, and printing via curbside services. Ward says phase 2 includes all of that but also includes the lobby being open.

Ward spoke about some of the things the library is doing to keep things sanitized including quarantining books when they come back.

Ward says that masks will be required. He understands that it’s difficult but it’s necessary due to the limited space in the lobby.  For anyone that doesn’t want to wear a mask, curbside pickup is still available. For more information visit taylorvillelibrary.org or call 824-4736.

Governor JB Pritzker gave a press conference on COVID-19 on Tuesday and along with Doctor Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Director of Public Health, says that COVID cases are way down in Illinois. 601 new cases were reported yesterday, compared to this time 6 weeks ago, when over 4,000 cases were reported. Dr. Ezike says more testing needs to be done.

There has also been a big drop in the number of coronavirus patients in the hospital, from well over 5,000 at the end of April to about 1,600 now. 

Christian County and Montgomery County both reported 0 new cases yesterday, with Christian County sitting at 45 cases and Montgomery County sitting at 41.

The Christian County Zoning Board Of Appeals met remotely on Tuesday evening for the first in what will presumably be a 3 hour, 3-night session of evidence, interviews, and questioning concerning wind turbines in Christian County. Steve Sikes, Joe Dorr, Mark Dozier, Joann Howard, Jon Rosenthal, Glen Goodrich, and David Copenbarger were all present for the board. Sikes made some adjustments to the meeting allowing opening statements from all parties involved including Rolling Wind Farms, Rose City Wind Energy, the Christian County Board, and Zoning Administrator Vince Harris. 

Michelle Pavan with Rose City Wind Energy says that turbines are getting taller and more efficient. With turbines getting taller, there will be more power given with fewer structures being built. 

Pavan went on to talk about tax benefits as well. Christian County Board Candidate Thomas Snyder Sr. along with Attorney for Protect Christian County Phil Leutkehans, informed the board that multiple people could not hear or get on and that technical issues made the meeting null and void. Snyder and Sikes had a heated debate and it would continue through most of the evening.

Snyder also grew frustrated that there was no public comment section to ask questions of the witnesses and people giving evidence informing the board that that was a violation of Roberts Rules of Order for meetings.  

Thomas D. Thunder spoke on the decibel levels of wind turbines. He is a licensed audiologist and a board certified noise engineer.  He said that we can’t expect homeowners to close their windows to block noise, retreat indoors, wear earplugs at night or to erect a tall noise barrier to shield the noise. 

Beth Willhite, who has a background in natural resources of over 40 years, spoke out against wind farms especially the damage that they could do to animals. 

Joe Tillman, a professional engineer and an instructor with Lakeland college also spoke as time ran out, and says that the setbacks that would be used in Christian County are already out of date by at least 3 years.

The next Christian County Board Of Appeals Meeting is set for Wednesday evening at 7 PM. The login information and phone numbers remain the same as they were for Tuesday’s meeting. To find out more, visit the Christian County Board’s Website.

Governor JB Pritzker says students can return to school in the fall. While there will be strict guidelines put in place for this to happen, Governor Pritzker says that there are plans in place to protect students but students have to go back.

Moving forward, Pritzker says, each school will have its own plan.

The Illinois Management Agency will provide cloth masks to all public schools in Illinois.

Governor JB Pritzker has also signed legislation to expand the use of remote learning for school due to COVID-19. Governor Pritzker signed SB1569 into law creating a blended remote learning day option that gives schools additional flexibility moving forward if there is a surge of COVID-19 cases. Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on Phase 4 as we move closer to the new phase in the Restore Illinois plan.
 

The emergency injunction that was filed by Candidate Thomas Snyder Jr. to stop the Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting tonight has been denied at this point. Attorney for Snyder, Dennis Atteberry, says that the judge has ruled that the position is “not ripe” yet. 

The court will not take any action on the matter unless technical issues happen tonight. During the hearing, Atteberry said, that there were technical issues that kicked people off and he anticipates issues tonight as well. The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6PM. 

The Christian County Board has scheduled a special board meeting for this Thursday at noon. 

According to the agenda, the only item is a motion for the removal of Board Chairwoman Becky Edwards as the current county board chairperson.

The agenda also calls for public comments.

The meeting will be held via remote participation to the public by phone.  Connection information is as follows:

Dial-in number:   (701) 802-5367

Access code:  7943957#

This meeting will be broadcast live Thursday at noon on NEW Country 104.1.

Governor JB Pritzker will be giving a press conference today at 2:30 PM. The press conference will be carried in its entirety on NEWSTALK WTIM.  The state is set to move to Phase 4 on Friday. Phase 4 is the “revitalization phase” and sees places starting to reopen such as zoos, youth and recreational sports, service counters, restaurants and bars to have indoor services, performing arts, museums, health & fitness centers, manufacturing, film production, and day camps. 

Phase 4 will also allow gatherings of groups up to 50 people. Meetings can resume with less than 50 people or 50% of room capacity. Indoor and Outdoor rec allows clubhouses to be open, and again group sizes of 50 or less. Indoor dining can reopen with groups of 10 or less with tables spaced 6-feet apart in seated areas and with standing areas at no more than 25% capacity.

Museums and zoos can reopen with no more than 25% occupancy. Guided tours should be limited to 50 people or fewer and both museums and zoos should have a plan to limit congregation via advance ticket sales. The movie theater can allow admission of up to 50 guests or 50% of overall capacity.  Concessions will be permitted with restrictions.

Outdoor seated spectator events like Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field, and Soldier Field can resume with no more than 20% of seating capacity. This would mean that Wrigley Field which can seat 40,000 people full could seat 8,000 people under the new guidelines.

Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan as we approach Friday.

Illinois State Representative Brad Halbrook represents the 102nd District and he started out by saying that if anyone is still having issues in regards to FOID or Concealed Carry cards to please contact his office to let him know.  

Another big concern that Rep. Halbrook has are the issues with Unemployment Insurance that so many residents throughout Illinois are still having.   

According to Rep. Halbrook his office gets calls every single day from residents who are having issues applying for Unemployment Insurance.   

Illinois State Representative Brad Halbrook was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our downtown Shelbyville studios. 

The Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on Tuesday evening at 6 PM at the Christian County Courthouse. The meeting is closed to the public due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting will be held remotely both online and telephonically using the Free Conference Call Application which can be accessed through the following link: https://join.freeconferencecall.com/christiancounty. Those who wish to join by phone may call at 701-802-5367. The access code is 7943957#. 

If necessary, the hearing will continue on June 24th and June 30th beginning at 7 PM. Using the same access code, phone numbers, and web addresses. For more information visit christiancountyil.com/zoning. The Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals will also accept comments in writing sent to publiccomments@christiancountyil.com.

Applications for text amendments that will be heard at this meeting include an application filed by City of Roses Wind Energy and Rolling Farms Wind Project, a proposal from zoning administrator Vince Harris, a proposal by the Christian County Board, and two applications submitted by Protect Christian County.
 

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Sullivan is hard at work on a variety of different projects, according to Mayor Richard Glazebrook.  

The two big projects that are currently underway in Sullivan are the demolition of Jibby’s and fiberoptics is also being installed throughout the town, according to Mayor Glazebrook.   

COVID-19 did have a big impact on the City of Sullivan, but according to Mayor Glazebrook, everyone seems to be bouncing back rather well.   

Sullivan Mayor Richard Glazebrook was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Memorial Health Systems have been using data and science to help patients with the COVID-19 pandemic. A custom, automated network allows officials at the five-hospital system to track positive COVID_19 cases and hospital bed capacity. This will ensure timely test results and detect hot spots in central Illinois communities.

The work that Memorial has put in on this started in mid-march when a team of scientists and data engineers joined Memorial Managers in working 60-70 hour work weeks writing thousands of lines of computer code that released real-time local, state, and national data on COVID-19 cases. That information was very useful in helping doctors take care of patients.

The organization was able to precisely compute “burn rates” for PPE.  This allowed them to get critical information and kept supplies adequate during the height of the pandemic. Memorial monitored process times as well to help reroute test samples to various lab partners to get the fastest turnarounds available.

Not only has this data helped for COVID-19, but also gives better ideas of other communicable diseases such as influenza and strep throat and also help if there is another surge in the fall.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will be working on resurfacing Illinois Route 29 between Velma Road in Taylorville and Magnolia Street in Pana. The work will require lane closures and flaggers will be present to control traffic.

Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Slow down and don’t text and drive.

When feasible, IDOT is encouraging using alternate routes. Pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones. Obey all posted speed limits and be on the lookout for workers.

For IDOT District 6 updates follow on twitter at @IDOTDistrict6 or view area construction details for IDOT on gettingaroundillinois.com

The work is expected to wrap up in November.

The Taylorville Park District met on Monday evening and taking center stage was a discussion on a storm sewer easement being put in Jaynes Park to help alleviate some of the flooding on the western side of the city. 

Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry was on hand to answer any questions that the Park Board had concerning the easement. Attorney for the Park Board, Quinn Broverman had some questions concerning some of the writing in the contract. The City agreed to stage any equipment on the fairgrounds so it wouldn’t be sitting on Park property. Mayor Barry asked that the Board work with the City Council to help the 1200 people in the area who needed help from flooding issues. He says that there is a lot more communication between the city and other cooperations.

The Mayor agreed to replant any trees that were displaced. He offered to fix everything to be the way it was, but could not overlook how much this would help the city of Taylorville alleviate flooding issues.  The motion passed by the board to go ahead with the easement as long as there were certain details hammered out in the contract. The Mayor agreed.

The budget passed as well for the next year. Thanks to the state going into Phase 4, the board said that playgrounds would reopen on Friday as long as the state proceeded into the next phase. According to MaryAnn Becker, Ameren will be replacing 1700 feet of fence at Manners Park.

The next park board meeting is set for July 27th.

The Illinois Department of Public Health Monday afternoon released guidelines to move the state to the "Restore Illinois Phase 4" track this Friday, as part of treating the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

I-D-P-H tweeked several of the items previously released regarding recreation, restaurants, retail and offices.

Outdoor recreation facilities should limit group sizes to 50 customers, with multiple groups permitted if proper social distancing and group management is enforced. Capacity restrictions and group sizes will be reassessed based on the latest science and public health metrics on an ongoing basis throughout Phase 4, according to the state agency.

Guidance on restaurants and bars released Monday afternoon says seated area capacity of restaurants and bars should be determined by arranging seating to provide a minimum of six feet between tables or other designated patron service areas. Indoor dining can reopen with groups of 10 or less, with tables spaced 6-feet apart in seated areas and with standing areas at no more than 25% of capacity. Capacity restrictions will be reassessed based on the latest science and public health metrics on an ongoing basis throughout Phase 4.  

Retail establishments can operate with 50-percent of store capacity.

Non-essential offices can re-open with 50-percent of office capacity.

Find a link to all the details on the "Restore Illinois Phase 4" plan at taylorvilledailynews.com.

A candidate for the Christian County Board has filed an emergency injunction to stop the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday. The Board of appeals meeting is set to vote on an amendment being filed to the Christian County Board of Appeals concerning wind turbines both from Zoning Administrator Vince Harris and Protect Christian County LLC. 

Candidate Thomas Snyder Jr. filed the lawsuit against the Zoning board of appeals in an effort to delay the Tuesday meeting until the group can meet in public.  Snyder’s attorney Dennis Atteberry says that this meeting violates the open meetings act in its current form.

Atteberry says his client wants the meeting to be open, in public, and in person.

The hearing will take place on Tuesday morning at 9 AM via remote. Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on this story as it develops. The meeting for the Board of Appeals is currently scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6 PM.

A severe storm ripped through Taylorville and Stonington on Saturday causing minor damage to Lake Taylorville and the surrounding area. According to Greg Nimmo, Christian and Montgomery County Emergency Management Director, there was a downburst. A downburst is a strong ground-level wind system that comes from a thunderstorm and slams into the ground sending strong winds outward. 

The hit on Lake Taylorville caused several windows to be damaged including a window of a trailer at the lake lot and caused at least one injury of a person who was struck by a falling tree limb. The storm came up pretty quick and didn’t give a lot of time to prepare.

A boil order for Morrisonville and Kincaid have been lifted. The boil order for Morrisonville was lifted over the weekend while the boil order for Kincaid was lifted early Monday morning. Continue to follow Regional Radio News for any more updates on the situation as they happen.

The Taylorville Police Department, Illinois State Police, US Marshall’s Office, and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office recently made several drug related arrests around Taylorville. Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp said that all of the credit for these arrests should go to Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler and to Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry for bringing in Chief Wheeler.  

Sheriff Kettelkamp has a lot of experience working in narcotics throughout his 40 years in law enforcement. Working a narcotics investigation is extremely difficult and a lot of hard work, according to Sheriff Kettelkamp. 

These arrests are making a huge impact not only in Taylorville, but throughout Christian County.   

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The University of Illinois Extension Office, according to Nutrition and Wellness Educator Lisa Peterson, has been doing a webinar series on filling your pantry. The webinar is free and is held each Wednesday from 1-2 in the afternoon.   

One of the topics on the webinar that they’ll be discussing this week is the topic of drying or dehydrating foods.     

There are many different ways you can dehydrate your food, but the easiest way, according to Peterson, is to purchase a food dehydrator. 

Lisa Peterson was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The Taylorville Park District will meet on Monday evening at 7 PM for their regular board meeting to discuss motions, agendas, and ordinances. Due to COVID-19, the meeting will be broadcast live on Taylorville’s New Country 104.1 FM. Any person wishing to address the board during the meeting may send an email to TaylorvilleParkDistrict@gmail.com or call 820-9031.

The Taylorville Park District Board will have a special guest. Mayor Bruce Barry will be on hand to talk about the Jaynes Park Project. Under New Business, The Board will approve adopting the annual budget for Fiscal Year March 1, 2020-February 28, 2021. There will be reports from the Maintenance Superintendent, Office Administrator, and Recreation Director as well. 

The meeting will take place at the Manners Park Dining Hall and follow a finance meeting at 6:30. 

US Representative Rodney Davis along with Gordy Hulten of the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association donated personnel protective equipment masks to the Taylorville Care Center on Friday afternoon. John Deere produced the PPE and Administrator Rhonda Hancock was very appreciative saying they haven’t had a case yet, but are prepared in case they have one.  Hulten says that these masks can be reusable.

Representative Davis says that he wanted to get masks to places that had trouble getting PPE in the past.

Hulten says that this is what manufacturers live for is to help in moments like these.

Representative Davis stressed that companies like John Deere are what will help America get back to business as usual once the pandemic is over. Representative Davis helped coordinate getting supplies at multiple care centers in Taylorville and Springfield. 

The Habitat For Humanity ReStore in Sullivan is in desperate need of donations. Store Manager Tara Reed says currently they’re getting a lot of requests for furniture and appliances.  

There are still some restrictions in place. If you want to make a donation to the ReStore, they’re still not able to enter your house, but you can leave your donations outside to be picked up or they’re able to help you unload any donations if you bring them to the ReStore.

There are some items that the ReStore cannot ever accept, according to Reed. The items they cannot ever accept include used sleeper sofa’s, used mattresses, and old electronic appliances.  

Tara Reed with the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Sullivan was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Patty Hornbuckle and the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce have taken over the responsibility for the upcoming 4th of July Parade. The parade will take place as always on the 4th of July at 10am. Lineup will begin at 9am at the County Fair Grounds.  

The Chamber is allowing candy to be thrown and Hornbuckle recommends that everyone who walks in the parade or attends the parade follow all of the social distancing guidelines.   

The Mayor always has an annual picnic. This year it will be after the 4th of July Parade on the southside of the square.  

Patty Hornbuckle with the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

A group calling themselves the Concerned Citizens of Christian County got together on the East Side of the Courthouse Lawn on Friday to express their concern for having open in-person public hearings concerning the wind turbine issue. They are pushing for the cancellation of the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday, June 23rd that will take place via phone conference at 6 PM. Dan Nolen, a concerned citizen, spoke out against the June 16th regular board meeting and talked about the many issues that happened.

Nolen continued by saying wind turbines are not essential. They can and should wait until meetings can be held in person. Multiple people urged the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting be postponed including Chuck Smedley, Venise McWard, Brian Hinn, and Craig Corzine. Nolen believes that patience is key to combat abuse of power.

Regional Radio News reached out to Christian County Chairwoman Becky Edwards for a statement. Edwards denied abusing her powers. 

Edwards says that phone call meetings will become the new norm since other counties have successfully transitioned to meetings being done remotely.  The County Chairwoman stressed that this meeting is an ordinance meeting and does not give anyone the authority to build wind turbines. 

Chairwoman Edwards says that it is not up to her to cancel the Zoning Board of Appeals. They have their own board and decided to hold the meeting. Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on the Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday Evening.

Country Financial is running a new campaign to help support our first responders. Country Financial Agent Jeff Peabody announced that Country Financial gave checks of $1,250 to both the Taylorville Fire Department and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office. The campaign’s slogan is “Better Together” and Peabody says that they are hoping to give back to the community and say Thank you.

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says donations are huge and help support the local Sheriff’s Office.

Taylorville Fire Chief Matt Adermann expressed many of the same opinions.

Peabody says we are all better working together.

Country Financial will be running their “Better Together” Campaign all Summer. They will also be making a donation to the Taylorville Police Department as well.

The American Red Cross will be testing blood, platelet, and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies.  These antibodies can give insight into whether or not they have been exposed to the coronavirus. Blood donations are still very much in need especially as hospitals resume surgeries and treatments that require blood products. 

Antibody testing determines if the donor’s immune system has produced the antibodies to the coronavirus, regardless of whether or not they developed symptoms.  Donations will be tested using samples pulled at the time of donation and sent to a testing laboratory where they will also undergo routine infectious disease testing.  A positive antibody test result does not confirm infection or immunity. 

COVID-19 antibody test results are available 7-10 days after the test in the Red Cross Blood Donor App or donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org. Donation appointments can be made by downloading the free Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org, or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. 

The Taylorville Police Department Neighborhood Watch has been reaching out and trying to help those in need.  On Monday, Taylorville Police Officer Kirsten Bolinger was contacted about an individual that needed some help and along with Aldermen Larry Budd, they jumped into action.

Bolinger says its important to continue to help those who need it.

Bolinger says if you want to reach out and help, to email community.policing@taylorvillepolice.com

If anyone is interested in donating items, the Police will take new items especially if it’s bedding items. Otherwise, Bed frames and table sets need to be in good condition but can be used. For more information email Officer Bolinger at the email above.

Richland Community College has released its guidelines for fall classes and as much as possible, classes will be conducted online.

President of the Decatur based community college, Dr. Cris Valdez tells Regional Radio News they are going to be doing as much online learning as possible and then bringing students in for any hands-on coursework they may have under the guidance of public health officials.

According to Dr. Valdez, the school has had this plan in place to a degree so they could get their semester finished out in the spring. He indicates it has worked well and so many of their programs require that hands-on learning piece.

For any return to work or class scenario, there are going to be individuals that don't mind the resumption and others that are going to be more hesitant. Dr. Valdez credits his staff for being willing and ready but indicates the feelings of each individual are not universal.

Dr. Valdez stresses they are being as cautious as they can for both their employees and their students. He adds they are trying to putting out this information because they believe students are waiting to figure out what is the best option for them. Enrollment is down over 20-percent but Dr. Valdez anticipates their fall enrollment to be down around five-to-ten percent. 
 

With summer coming and people making travel plans hitting the road shouldn’t cause any issues to your bowels.  It’s called travel constipation and can be caused from a sudden change to your internal clock, the foods you eat, the size and timing of your meals and increased time spent sitting in airplanes or in a car. 

Dr. Leonardo Lopez, a family medicine physician with OSF Healthcare says that your digestive system can also be affected by stress.

Constipation is defined as experiencing fewer than three bowel movements in a week.  A big part of constipation is hydration.

Other ways to take care of yourself on trips, is to not consume too much caffeine, don’t sit for long periods of time, don’t skip meals or fill up on junk food, and don’t ignore your body when it’s telling you it’s time.  Dr. Lopez also warns against too much alcohol saying that water is still the best option whether you are indoors or outdoors.

If all else fails, Dr. Lopez says there are over-the-counter medications that also work and can help you relieve the stress of constipation.

Regional Radio News has learned of a boil order being put into place for the villages of Morrisonville and Kincaid. The following areas of Morrisonville have been effected. South Dye Street to South Perrine Street and South 3rd Street to South 5th Street. This order is in effect until further notice. In Kincaid, the boil order runs from Division Street to Circle Place.

Boiling water is the best way to ensure that it is free of illness-causing organisms. Bring water to a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute. When it cools, refrigerate the water in clean containers. (A pinch of salt per quart may improve the rather flat taste of boiled water). 

During boil water advisories or boil water orders, you should boil all water used for drinking, preparing food, beverages, ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, or brushing teeth. Severely immunocompromised individuals should always boil their tap water for the purposes noted above. Infant formulas should be prepared using boiled tap water, at all times. 

It is not necessary to boil tap water used for other household purposes, such as showering, laundry, or bathing. Adults, teens, and older children can wash, bathe, or shower; however, they should avoid swallowing the water. Toddlers and infants should be sponge-bathed. 

Both boil orders remain in effect until further notice.

In an effort to help reduce the processing time of transactions at driver services facilities, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced a new online program for online driver’s licenses. Customers may visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com to access a preregistration application for driver’s licenses and ID cards and can input specific information regarding their upcoming transaction, which will help save time at the facility itself.

White says, “This is a forward-thinking program using technology to reduce wait times at the counter and speed up transactions at Driver Services Facilities.” 

With preregistration, customers will choose a license type, choose an application type, input designations, choose any corrections to be made to the information on file like address gender, height, name, etc., and can print that receipt with a barcode to be brought to the facility.

Customers who use the preregistration application must still bring all the required paperwork and should bring the printed receipt to the facility for the clerk to scan the barcode.  If the customer doesn’t bring the receipt, the clerk can still enter the driver’s license number to access the information.

To qualify for this program, a customer must have an Illinois driver’s license that is not suspended, canceled or revoked and hasn’t been expired for more than a year.

With Summer starting on Saturday, heat and humidity can play a huge factor on people who work outdoors. While largely preventable, heat illness kills an average of more than 600 people each year according to the CDC. The overall public health impact is hard to estimate as heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion are not required to be reported to public health agencies.

While heat affects everyone, it can pose a danger to those who do physical labor in the heat and humidity, indoors or outdoors. Heatstroke is the most serious heat-related health problem and can be fatal if not recognized and treated quickly. 

Symptoms of heatstroke include confusion; high body temperature; hot, red, dry, or damp skin; fast, strong pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and loss of consciousness. If a worker shows signs of heatstroke call 9-1-1. Assist the victim to a shaded, cool place, and help lower their temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath.

Heatstroke gives plenty of warning signs including dizziness, nausea, headache, heavy sweating, muscle cramps, and weakness. There are certain factors that can make people more susceptible such as people over 65, people who are overweight, and people with underlying conditions. 

For more information on Illinois OSHA and what you can do to prevent heat injuries visit here or here

The Christian County Historical Society and Museum is back open and Ray Gates with the Museum said that they’re practicing social distancing and that visitors should wear a mask. They’re open from 10-3 Thursday through Saturday.  

The Christian County Illinois Genealogical Society shares a building with the Historical Society and they’re open on Saturday’s from 10-3 or by appointment.

The historical society has been around since approximately 1967 and on the grounds they have a number of old original historical buildings. 

Ray Gates with the Christian County Historical Society and Museum was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The Republican Party has filed a lawsuit against Governor JB Pritzker for what they see as violations of their first amendment rights.  Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Tim Schneider, says that the lawsuit is important due to the Government overreach at this time. The Republican Party held their quadrennial convention virtually. 

Schneider says that the COVID-19 order only goes against what the Governor wants.

Schneider says that peaceful protestors have a right and a just cause, but they aren’t the only ones who should have the privilege. 

Daniel Suhr, an attorney with the Liberty Justice Center in Chicago says that the Governor’s different standards is at least partially based on political advantage.

The Governor’s office has not made a comment yet on the pending lawsuit.

Staying healthy is important and so Pana Community Hospital is excited to be able to reopen the Live Well Fitness Center. You need to make an appointment if you want to use the fitness center, according to Marketing Manager Melissa Rybolt.  

If you want a trainer to help you get healthy, the Live Well Fitness Center has trainers available to help you as well as some outdoor group classes.

You’re now able to schedule surgeries at Pana Community Hospital. You do need a negative COVID-19 test to be able to have your surgery. 

For more information on Pana Community Hospital please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Pana Community Hospital Marketing Manager Melissa Rybolt was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

A lot of people are frustrated that we haven’t been able to fully reopen the economy, according to Congressman Rodney Davis, despite having met all of the Governor’s guidelines.  

When asked about the lawsuit filed by the Illinois GOP against Governor Pritzker, Congressman Davis said that it’s common sense that more than 10 people should be allowed in some buildings.

Congressman Davis headed back to Capitol Hill last night and the big topic of conversation will be infrastructure. 

For more information on Congressman Rodney Davis please visit rodneydavis.house.gov. Congressman Rodney Davis was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The Christian County Board met remotely on Tuesday evening and discussed motions, ordinances, and committee referrals. Under public comments, there has been growing frustration of the wind turbine debate being done remotely. There were many calls for a public meeting in person, even if done outdoors as some suggested to make it easier for everyone to hear.  One caller even suggested doing it at the Christian County Fairgrounds in Taylorville.

The Executive Personnel Liquor Legislative Committee Issues that were brought up included setting a date for the second Monday of every month. The board also approved putting on the November ballot a question concerning the possibility of the formation of a new state. 

Board Member Ray Koonce says that this is not saying that Christian County would break away if this was passed. All it is doing is seeing what the people think to know whether or not to pursue it.

The motion passed to be put on the ballot by a vote of 12-4. 

GPS Monitoring, used to be covered by probation funds, but it is no longer allowed by the Circuit Judge. March, April, and May are still due with a $17,000 bill. Treasurer Betty Asmussen says there is no money in the general fund, but it should be covered by the general obligation fund.  Judge Brad Paisley explained that while it used to be paid by the probation funds, it has changed.

The three invoices are going to be paid by the general fund. The motion passed 13-3. 

The county voted to extend the emergency declaration proclamation for 30 days. The reason being that, with having the proclamation on the books will help get emergency funding later on down the road if need be. 
 

The Taylorville Police Department made a huge impact on the city of Taylorville and Christian County today according to Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler. The Taylorville Police Department along with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, US Marshall’s, and the Illinois State Police executed a search warrant on the 1100 block of Rich Street.  Four subjects were arrested for Delivery of Methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine. In what Chief Wheeler called “Operation Ice Cap”, members of all of the local Government agencies began to round up the subjects. In conclusion, 16 subjects were arrested with 5 more still on the loose. 

Chief Wheeler said this couldn’t have happened without help from all of the citizens of Taylorville. 

Arrested this morning was 22 year old James Assad Jr., 57 year old Dane Austin of Taylorville, 33 year old Christopher R. Barnes of Owaneco, 31 year old Adam Bofling of Taylorville, 24 year old Richard E. Busboom of Taylorville, 39 year old Ashley Dodd of Taylorville, 51 year old Patricia Delahunt of Taylorville, 22 year old Shilo Thomas of Taylorville, 48 year old Shawna Matthews of Taylorville, 48 year old Jason Newberry of Taylorville, 38 year old Chism L. Haworth of Taylorville, 40 year old Rebecca Ittenbach of Taylorville, 50 year old Robin R. Jones of Taylorville, 38 year old Wesley S. Kibodeaux of Taylorville, 30 year old Zachary Morrisey of Taylorville, and 35 year old Jacob A. Samson of Taylorville.

The work that multiple agencies put in to get this taken care of was on a scale Taylorville has not seen in quite a while. 

Police are still looking for 31 year old Amanda Binkley of Taylorville, 34 year old Kristopher G. Coy of Taylorville, 31 year old Erica L. Wessling of Taylorville, 30 year old Jerry W. Riggs of Taylorville, and 31 year old Jillian C. Schull of Kincaid.

Chief Wheeler praised the whole Taylorville Police Team, not just the CAT team.

Chief Wheeler thanked States Attorney Mike Havera for helping obtain the arrest warrants for methamphetamine delivery. Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp spoke at the press conference and said, if you do drugs in Christian County, you will be caught. Kettelkamp said, “Today the good guys won.”

Taylorville Police along with State Police US Marshalls, and the Christian County Sheriff's Office executed search warrants and arrest warrants Tuesday morning for the delivery of methamphetamine. The round up is still presently continuing and the Taylorville Police have confirmed they are still looking for a few more suspects. At least 20 people have been arrested. 

The Taylorville Police Community Action Team (CAT) started the investigation in Mid-December of 2019. There will be a press conference at 5PM, after which we will have more information. 

The Christian County Board will meet Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM and in accordance with executive order 2020-07 issued by Governor JB Pritzker the meeting will be conducted via remote participation only. To join the meeting dial 1-701-802-5367 and enter the access code of 7943957. 

Under executive, personnel, liquor, and legislative the board will establish a committee monthly meeting day, adopt a resolution regarding a non-binding public question on the November 3rd ballot regarding the possibility of forming a new state. There will be a discussion of different cannabis business establishments.

Under audit, finance, purchasing, and budget there will be approval of claims as presented for June. There is a request to extend Kevin Schott as the ESDA Deputy Director on a month to month basis. The board will also continue the discussion and approve payment on Probation GPS expenses. There is a request for County to front expenses until reimbursed for the Adult Redeploy Illinois Grant Program (Problem Solving Court). 

The board will vote on Roger Clymer to be reappointed for a 3-year term as a Nokomis Area Fire Protection District Trustee. Under New Business, the board will vote to extend the emergency declaration proclamation.  As always, there will be public comments and approval of all minutes.  

The next County Board meeting is set to take place Tuesday, July 21st.

Life’s Journey Senior Living in Pana, according to Regional Marketing Director Connie Young, recently held a socially distanced car picnic where family members could come and share a meal with their loved ones.  

Family members have been wanting to be able to see their loved ones and so the Executive Director in Pana came up with the car picnic.

Young said that they’re considering having a car picnic at the other Life’s Journey locations, but they’re always keeping an eye on the rules from IDPH and Governor Pritzker to see what they’re allowed to do. 

For more information on Life’s Journey Senior Living please visit lifesjourneymc.com. Regional Marketing Director Connie Young was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

A local nurse practitioner got to witness COVID-19 up close first hand. Deana Stefko, a nurse practitioner with HSHS Medical Group in Taylorville was given a 24-hour notice that she was being deployed to New York and New Jersey.

Stefko, who is a Captain in the Air Force Reserves, was stationed in New York for the past 15 years. She was one of about 120 reservists who spent 5 weeks caring for COVID patients. Stefko said it was quite the experience.

Stefko says that first she went to the Javits Center and then was sent to local hospitals afterward.

working as a bedside nurse Stefko says they had plenty of PPE and she felt safe following protocols set by the military. 

Stefko also thanked her time being in health care in the military and that it made her excited to be able to help our own people and she thanked the community for honoring them every day at 7 AM with clapping and screaming for health care workers.

On May 8th, the law firm Featherstun, Gaumer, Stocks, Flynn, & Eck LLP sued the Shelby County Board and Shelby County Treasurer, Ms. Erica Firnhaber, in regards to a debt of $15,444.43 still owed to the law firm for work performed for the Shelby County Board by Ed Flynn during the 2014-2015 fiscal year and legal fees.

In 2014 Shelby County Chairman Bruce Cannon approached the board to ask them to approve the appointment of Flynn to perform work on labor relations. Flynn had already performed work for other counties in the area. 

Another lawsuit was filed on June 9th of this year by future Shelby County Chairman Mark Bennett.  Bennett filed the lawsuit against the Shelby County Board, Ed Flynn, and his law firm. The lawsuit says that the Shelby County Board overstepped its reach by hiring Flynn to perform those labor relations. Bennett says that the contract between Flynn and the County is void from the start because the Board did not have approval to retain an attorney using taxpayer money without a court appointment, or authorization by the law. Neither of which Bennett is saying the Shelby County Board had done. 

There is concern from Bennett that taxpayers will be forced to pay the legal fee tab owed to the firm and the lawsuit states that since the contract was void from the beginning, no fees should have to be paid. 

Memorial Health System recently had to make the difficult decision to temporarily furlough 460 Memorial Health System employees. Taylorville Memorial Hospital is an affiliate of Memorial Health System and TMH CEO Kim Bourne said that it was a difficult decision, but because of a $190 million fiscal year budget deficit across MHS it was a decision that had to be made.  

Bourne went on to explain that the furloughed employees will be on an unpaid leave of absence through the summer, but they will still receive all of their health and dental insurance paid in full by MHS. Bourne hopes that all of the furloughed employees will be back by October 1st.

The construction project will not be impacted by the Memorial Health System budget issue. The demolition should be complete by the 1st of September and then construction will be able to begin on phase 2 of the project. 

Finally, Bourne discussed the urgent need for blood donors in Central Illinois. There is a blood drive scheduled for June 25th at the Christian County Extension Office. 

For more information on Taylorville Memorial Hospital please visit taylorvillememorial.org. Taylorville Memorial Hospital CEO Kim Bourne was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

The Taylorville School Board met this evening at 6 PM via Google Hangouts for all visitors. The meeting started off by recognizing the retiring staff. Staff members who were recognized include JoAnna Griffiths – 33 years with the district, Susan Jackson, Sarah Marsaglia, Dana Schmid, and Paul Held – 31 years with the district, and Karla Koenig – 20 years with the district. 

The School District also received a few donations. Diamond Bros. made a $500 donation for Tommy TV. First National Bank of Taylorville made a $5,000 donation to offset COVID-19 related expenses. The boys and girls basketball teams were also recognized by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as two of the top academic basketball programs in the state. The boys finished 1st in Division 6 and the girls finished 3rd. 

The Board also approved the unit office move to the high school. The approximate cost of the move is $38,000. The Board also approved and adopted the PRESS administrative procedures to align with policy updates, approved the final fiscal year 2020 Public School Calendar, and approved the bid for liability insurance for a total cost of $144,958.00.

Under new business, there was the first read of board policy updates, the board also reviewed and approved the food service renewal contract. The contract includes a 3.1% increase in meal rates for the upcoming school year. The board also approved the consolidated district plan. 

The majority of the meeting was spent discussing COVID-19 and the plan for the upcoming school year. Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty started out by discussing the state’s recommendation of updating the remote learning plan for the upcoming school year.

Some in-person activity will be allowed with this new plan like IEP meetings and behind the wheel driving. Registration for the upcoming school year will be done by remote and then in-person registration with social distancing for anyone who wasn’t able to register via remote will be done in August.

Dr. Dougherty doesn’t expect anymore recommendations from Governor Pritzker until after June 26th, so they will put together a remote learning plan, a hybrid that includes both remote learning and in-class learning, and a full return to campus plan. 

The next Taylorville School Board meeting is set for Monday, July 13th. 

The Taylorville City Board met on Monday evening to discuss motions, ordinances, and committee referrals. A motion was made to approve the Class O Liquor License for Quick Cash Pawn and Jewelry. The motion passed 5-3 with Aldermen Chris Skultetty, Kathy Driskell, and Lee Lanzotti voting No on it. A motion was also put forward to approve a plumbing bid for the sewer and restroom repair in the Municipal Building. The motion also passed 5-3 with Aldermen Skultetty, Ernie Dorchinecz, and Lanzotti voting no on it.

A motion was made and approved to move the Finance and Ordinance Committee Meeting to Wednesday, June 17th, and the Personnel and Emergency Services Committee Meeting to Wednesday, July 1st.  

City Attorney Rocki Romano announced that the Fire Department would be receiving their new fire engine next week.

Mayor Bruce Barry announced that the lake cabins are getting great reviews. Road construction and street repairs are well underway.  Mayor Barry also gave an update on the business stimulus applications saying that they are coming along nicely.

Mayor Barry also thanked Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler and their other officers for their hard work during the protests from two weeks ago.

A motion was also approved to increase Chief Wheeler and Deputy Chief Vince Childers salary to 110% and 105% of the highest-paid Sergeant. That motion passed 8-0. A motion to increase Water Superintendent Dave Speagle’s salary was also approved for a $15,000 per year for two years with a cap of $30,000.00. The Aldermen praised Speagle for all of the work he’s done saving the city so much money in the past. That motion also passed 8-0.

Aldermen Jim Olive informed the board that there was a sewer break on Park & Poplar Streets. The issue is that there is both sand and water and it is making it hard to do the repairs.  Mayor Barry informed the board that he believed it was progressing well and it would be complete Tuesday or Wednesday.

Firefighter Marshall Call sworn in with the oath of office at Monday Night's City Council Meeting in Taylorville.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced 473 new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois including 3 new cases in Christian County. The Chris-Mont Emergency Management Agency confirmed that there were 3 new COVID-19 cases in Christian County including 1 at the Taylorville Correctional Facility along with 49 new negative tests. Macon County had 3 new positives and Moultrie has had 2 positives in the last 2 days to raise their total cases to 15.

The IDPH also announced 19 additional deaths in Illinois. This brings the total number of cases in Illinois of COVID to 133,016 including 6,326 deaths in 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois. Within the past 24 hours, labs have reported 18,627 specimens taken for a total of 1,209,612. The rolling positivity rate is 3%. 

For more information on COVID-19 and the spread you can visit www.coronavirus.illinois/gov or visit Taylorvilledailynews.com

The Shelbyville Public Library has a brand new website and Library Director Monica Cameron put a lot of work into it.  

Cameron said that the new website is a much simpler and easier layout.

Cameron said that sometimes less is more and with this website that is the case. 

For more information on the Shelbyville Public Library, please visit shelbyvillelibrary.org. Monica Cameron was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The Shelby County Office of Tourism, according to Executive Director Freddie Fry, is back to their normal hours of operation and the Shelby County Visitor’s Guide is available for pickup. 

The Shelby County Visitor’s Guide is available at Monical’s and at the Dollar Store.

Fry is thankful for all of the wonderful partnerships including with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Freddie Fry was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The Illinois Future Farmers of America (FFA) has a new state treasurer. Emma Kuhns, attends Altamont High School and is from Mason, Illinois. Kuhns says it hasn’t sunk in yet but is happy to be part of the FFA. Earlier this week, they held a virtual convention where Kuhns was elected. She says that despite COVID, the organization has a long storied history and will continue to adapt and overcome.

Kuhns credits older FFA members for pushing and molding her.

Kuhns thanks her work on the farm as giving her the motivation for pursuing a office in FFA.

Kuhns plans on attending the University of Illinois and majoring in agriculture and consumer economics. Eventually, she is hoping to attend law school to be involved in the political system for pushing agriculture.

Phoenix Physical Therapy has locations throughout Central and Southern Illinois, according to Manager and Physical Therapist Dr. Ethan Turner. 

What makes them different from other companies like them is that they can work with any Doctor in the area and can see everyone.  

All of the Phoenix Physical Therapy locations are associated with a gym which allows them to have a lot of different tools at their disposal.

The only thing that Phoenix Physical Therapy offers is physical therapy. They also offer longer appointment times than the average appointment. 

For more information on Phoenix Physical Therapy please visit phoenix-pt.com. Dr. Ethan Turner was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The Taylorville School Board will meet virtually this evening at 6 PM via Google Hangouts. If you want to join the meeting contact the district secretary, Julie LeBeane at jlebeane@tcusd3.org. During the meeting, there will be the announcement of retiring staff, some donations that were received, along with a few other communication pieces. 

The Board will also approve the unit office move to the wing at the high school, approve and adopt the PRESS administrative procedures to align with policy updates, approve the final fiscal year 2020 Public School Calendar, and accept and approve the bid for liability insurance.

Under new business, there will be the first read of board policy updates, there will be a review and approval of the foodservice renewal contract, a review and approval of the consolidated district plan and a COVID-19 update. 

The meeting will finish with a Superintendent’s report from Dr. Chris Dougherty. 

Keeping up with your children's vaccinations is crucial, according to Public Health Services Coordinator Glenda Plunkett. 

Kids don’t need to go through chicken pox, so call the Moultrie County Health Department to get your child’s immunizations scheduled.

Plunkett also has a reminder for everyone as things start to reopen. She reminds everyone to please wear a mask in public, wash your hands on a regular basis, and keep your kids at home. 

For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department, please visit moultriehealth.org. Dr. Ethan Turner was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Taylorville City Council will meet on Monday evening at 7 PM to discuss ordinances and go over committee reports.  After an invocation by Pastor James Jones of Taylorville Christian Church, the oath of office will be given to Firefighter Marshall Call. Minutes from previous meetings will be approved.

Under ordinances, there will be discussions over the city code for hotel/motel transient occupancy rental units, an ordinance will be discussed authorizing the sale of personal property owned by the City of Taylorville, and there will be an ordinance discussing annexation agreements pursuant to Illinois State Code.

There will be a motion to approve a Class O Liquor License for Quick Cash Pawn and Jewelry. A discussion and possible motion relating to the sewer and restroom repair in the Municipal Building. The Board will also vote on a motion to appoint Attorney Beth Brotherton to prosecute City Ordinance Violations. 

Under committee reports, there will be a motion to recommend to the City Council to increase the salaries of the Police Chief, Deputy Chief, and Water Superintendent.  The motion is to increase the Police Chief’s to 110% at 2184 hours per year with the Deputy Chief at 105% at 2184 hours per year. The percentage increase is over the highest-paid sergeant on staff.  This would put Chief Dwayne Wheeler’s salary in the low $70,000’s. The average salary of a police chief in Illinois according to www.salary.com is $111,802.

There is a motion to recommend to the City Council to increase Water Superintendent Dave Speagle's salary $15,000 per year for two years with a cap of $30,000. and the Non-Bargaining Ordinance to be rewritten to reflect this.  Upon Superintendent Speagle's departure the Water Superintendent's salary will revert back to the current salary.

As always there will be City attorney and Mayoral updates from Bruce Barry.

The Shelbyville Public Library has had to cancel most of their summer events, according to the LIbraries Director Monica Cameron.  

Cameron said cancelling story time was difficult because it’s something that the kids always look forward to.

A lot of kids had a really difficult time transitioning to virtual learning and because of that they’re still figuring out exactly how their summer reading program will work. 

For more information on the Shelbyville Public Library, please visit shelbyvillelibrary.org. Monica Cameron was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

While graduation in Taylorville may have changed this year, and major events have been canceled, CTI is still trying to make sure graduates are recognized. As a way to honor the Seniors of Taylorville High School, CTI has placed banners with each graduating senior’s name around town. 

The Banners are all over Taylorville with one senior on each side. Graduating Seniors are encouraged to find their banner take a picture and tag CTI on social media. 

CTI would like to thank the Taylorville Street Department for helping install the banners.

The Illinois State Fair has been canceled for this year. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker is issuing an executive order canceling both the Illinois and Du Quoin State Fairs this year. The Department of Agriculture is working on a way to ensure that youth can still get a chance to put out their work. 

ISF State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon says this was not an easy decision.

The Department of Agriculture will host a junior livestock expo in Springfield in September for exhibitors ages 8-21 to showcase their animals. The 4-H General Project Show will take place virtually. Ribbons will be distributed by the Department of Ag. 

Gordon said a decision for the Fair that takes place in August, had to be made now.

The last time the State Fair was canceled was 1942-1945 during World War II. The fairgrounds had been used as an Airforce Supply Depot. The Fair was also canceled in 1862 due to the Civil War and 1893 was replaced by the World Columbia Expo in Chicago. 

No Grandstand announcements have been made yet for the Du Quoin State Fair.  The staff is still working on logistics. If you have purchased an Illinois State Fair mega pass, admission booklet, or parking pass please contact the State Fair office at 782-6661 or email agr.fairinfo@illinois.gov

The State Fairs are expected to return in August of 2021.

Tim Sutton has been the Energy Marketing Manager at the Christian County Farmers Supply Company for 25 years and he’s just a few weeks away from retirement. Sutton will miss a lot about his job, but he will miss all the people most. 

Business and family don’t always mix, so Sutton started looking for a new job and because of his background in sales was able to secure the position.

Things have really changed over the past 25 years at Christian County FS, but the biggest change without question has been on the technological front. 

For more information on the Christian County Farmers Supply Company please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Tim Sutton was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

As the weather warms up, and people start going outside camping, hiking, and fishing; you should be on the lookout for parasites like ticks. Tick bites can cause Lyme disease and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 300,000 people will be infected with Lyme disease this year. 

Tina Barton an infection preventionist at OSF HealthCare says that there are plenty of warning signs of Lyme disease to be aware of.

Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics, however, if it goes untreated, the disease can cause complications such as meningitis. Barton says the best way to prevent Lyme disease is to pay attention to your surroundings.

If you do come in contact with ticks, bathe or shower as soon as possible, conduct a full-body tick check, examine gear and pets, and check your children as well. Tumble drying clothes on high heat for 10 minutes will kill ticks on dry clothing.

Angelo’s Pizza owner J.I. McDowell is feeling very optimistic and is excited to get back to work. 

Angelo’s is preparing to open for dine-in service when the Central Region enters Phase 4. Angelo's is preparing for the reopening by doing some remodeling around the restaurant.

Angelo’s will be using a COVID-19 disinfectant that kills the virus in 30 seconds and will have hand sanitizing stations all around the restaurant. 

For more information on Angelo's Pizza please visit angelos-pizza.net. J.I. McDowell was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The Christian County Treasurer’s Office has mailed tax bills out on June 5th.  They are due July 10th and September 10th. Due to COVID, Christian County Treasurer Betty Asmussen says there are some changes this year. 

Asmussen says that the courthouse is open but should only be used as a last case scenario due to COVID.

There will be some changes this year, including a new drive-thru drop off.

For more information contact the Christian County Treasurer’s Office.

The University of Illinois Extension Office is taking things month by month. There will be no in person summer activities during the month of July and Christian and Montgomery Ag in the Classroom Coordinator Rebecca Livingston is getting ready for the fall despite all of the uncertainty. 

A positive that has come out of all of this, according to Livingston, is the ability to spend some time coming up with new lessons and spending some time writing grants.

Livingston has two separate plans. One if the schools are in session in the fall and one if they’re not. If school is in session in the fall and things are mostly normal, her first lesson will be a popular lesson on pumpkins. 

If Livingston isn’t allowed in the classrooms then she will create Ag bags for kids to take home to complete the lesson. 

For more information on the University of Illinois Extension office please visit extension.illinois.edu/cjmm. Rebecca Livingston was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Doing a virtual County Fair in Christian County may not be your cup of tea, but at the end of the day 4H Youth Development Educator for Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery Counties, Sarah Marten says that in reality, it’s to give the kids the best experience they can have.

While there is always a chance of technical issues and glitches, Marten says they are doing their best to eliminate those problems.

Marten says one area they are still working on is how the judging will be done.

If you are interested in judging, Marten says they are still looking for a few judges and this would be a very good time to start. Contact your local 4H if you’re interested in judging.
 

The Little Theatre on the Square has been unable to host any Movies on the Main Stage since early spring which had become a big hit recently, due to COVID-19, according to Executive Producer John Stephens.  

Stephens has been working with the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development to put together a Drive-In Movie Theatre in Sullivan. 

Stephens loves working in theatre because it’s a group effort and there is nothing better than feeling the audiences reaction to a show.

For more information on The Little Theatre on the Square please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. John Stephens was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The Moultrie County Health Department is encouraging everyone in Moultrie County to make sure that they fill out the 2020 Census. Glenda Plunkett is the Public Health Services Coordinator and she talked about how the Census can now be completely done online.  

The Census directs billions of dollars in federal funding to fire departments, supports education funding, helps fund health care and a whole lot more, according to Plunkett. 

If you don’t fill out your 2020 Census, workers will try to visit your house.

For more information on the Moultire County Health Department please visit moultriehealth.org. Glenda Plunkett was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Governor JB Pritzker along with State Senator Andy Manar was in Decatur on Tuesday to support childhood education, after school programs, and child care. State Senator Andy Manar says that the decision to protect funding for child care is something that he prioritized in the budget.

Senator Manar says that part of the reason for pushing for funding for childcare is that COVID is still very much here.

Governor Pritzker says that the budget is one of the expressions of Illinoisans and the budget is what helps these programs.

State Senator Andy Manar and Governor Pritzker toured the recently opened Boys and Girls Club in Decatur.

Phoenix Physical Therapy has partnered up with Second Chance Fitness in Sullivan, according to Physical Therapist and Manager Dr. Ethan Turner, to create an athletic training program to help protect athletes from injury and to help prepare them for when athletics do return.

As a former athlete, Dr. Turner has a passion in helping prevent athletic injuries. 

Dr. Turner has big plans for the training program. His plan is for it to become the most well rounded athlete training program in all of Illinois.

For more information on Phoenix Physical Therapy please visit phoenix-pt.com. Dr. Ethan Turner was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

While there will not be a physical county fair this year in Christian County, there will be a virtual one. 4H Youth Development Educator for Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery County, Sarah Marten says that virtual county fairs still have a lot to offer.

The hope is to also be able to do livestock virtually as well.

For the Christian County Fair, there will not be results right away, but Marten says that the event will be open for a couple of weeks and then judge it for a week.

Marten hopes entries will be the first week of July with judging taking place and having it complete by July 31st.

COVID-19 cases may be down in Illinois, but the virus is still here. The IDPH is reporting 625 new cases of coronavirus in Illinois including 78 additional deaths. Moultrie and Fayette Counties are also reporting new cases bringing up their totals to 13 and 22 total cases overall. 

Christian and Montgomery County have stayed at their respective numbers of 35 and 40 cases. The two counties have had 2 cases in over 2 weeks and both of those cases have been in Christian County. 2% of the tests that have been done have tested positive for COVID.  Out of the 62,240 residents of Christian and Montgomery County, only 3,386 tests have been done. This means that 5% of the population of the counties have received a COVID test. 

IDPH is reporting a total of 129,837 cases including 6,095 deaths in 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois. Within the past 24 hours, labs have reported 20,920 specimens for a total of 1,100,002 tests. The seven-day statewide positivity rolling rate is 4%. As always for more information visit the Center for Disease Control’s website or visit the Recover Illinois website through the Illinois Department of Public Health.
 

Protect Christian County was formed, according to member Len Corzine, to educate the public and work with the residents of Christian County to strengthen ordinances in regards to wind energy. 

Protect Christian County started out by gathering petition signatures from residents that are concerned about the long term impacts of these wind turbines.

The goal of Protect Christian County isn’t necessarily to prevent the wind turbines from being built, it’s to make sure that this is done right and that there are ordinances that protect everyone. 

One issue that Protect Christian County wants addressed is the decommissioning of the wind turbines and the cost associated with it. 

Len Corzine was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The IRS is warning taxpayers to guard against tax fraud and other related financial scams related to COVID. The IRS, has seen an increase in scams, especially in attempts to steal personal information and money. Scams have been including but not limited to stealing EIP’s from taxpayers, fake at-home test kits, fake cures, vaccines, pills, and advice on unproven treatments of COVID.

Other scams include selling medical supplies through fake online shops, websites, social media accounts, and email addresses. Don Fort, Chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation Team, says that this is a global problem that needs a global solution.

 

“We are working hand in hand with J5 partners on those COVID-19 cases that cross borders. There truly is no place for criminals to hide.” 

Some scams have involved setting up fake charities soliciting donations for individuals, groups, and areas affected by the disease. There have also been phishing schemes as well. Phishing schemes are using keywords in varying ways to get personally identifying information or financial account information. 

If you have fallen victim to a scam, or know someone who has, report coronavirus-related scams to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (or NCDF) hotline at 1-866-720-5721. There is also a complaint form on the NCDF website. You can report tax fraud to the Treasury Inspector General, and report phishing attempts to the IRS.  Learn more at IRS.gov.

The death of George Floyd should have been avoided and Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler credits the Minneapolis Police Department and the Prosecutors Office for acting so quickly in charging the responsible officers.  

The recent protest in Taylorville had Chief Wheeler concerned, but in the end he was happy with how it went and the two organizers of the event deserve the credit. 

Chief Wheeler was thrilled that the protest and the aftermath went without one single incident.

Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

If you have been hesitant to go to the hospital or doctor due to COVID-19 concerns, medical experts are saying that you should feel safe and secure to go if you need to. The Center for Disease Control released a study that emergency room visits for chest pain and heart attacks fell sharply, while the number of heart attack deaths increased.

Officials from Memorial Health System, HSHS Illinois, Springfield Clinic, and SIU Medicine have emphasized their safety precautions.  Local medical leaders agree with the CDC that some people are postponing care and urge residents to come in. If you delay care it could worsen your condition or endanger your life.

Memorial Health System, HSHS Illinois, Springfield Clinic, and SIU Medicine is following infection guidelines and have taken precautionary measures to help you ease your concern.  Among those include COVID-19 testing for anyone undergoing surgery at least 72 hours prior, social distancing measures, masks required for all, and drive up labs including video/telephone visits when acceptable.

For more information, contact your personal health care provider.

HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular this week opened a new clinic in Mattoon.

HSHS C-E-O Melinda Clark says it's the first time the 2 entities have created a joint clinic together.  Clark added Mattoon was an opportunity to lessen the drive for their patients.

Partnering with nearby HSHS St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham, the new clinic will provide advanced imaging.

Clark says a walk-in clinic is part of the new Mattoon location.

Most people using walk-in clinics at their other locations, don't have a primary care physician.

The new combined HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular clinic is at 101 Coles Centre Parkway in Mattoon.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that U.S. 51 about 1.5 miles northeast of Pana will be closed for repairs to the Union Pacific railroad crossing. Paul Wappel is a Public Information Officer with IDOT and he said that the work is expected to begin around 4 a.m. and should be completed around noon.   

A detour will be posted and no traffic will be allowed on U.S. 51 during the repairs. Motorists are urged to follow the detour and allow plenty of extra time for travel. 

For more information on IDOT please visit gettingaroundillinois.com. 

Governor JB Pritzker’s Reopen Illinois plan requirement of a 28-day waiting period before the Central Region can enter phase 4, according to Illinois State Representative Avery Bourne, shows a lack of common sense.  

It could potentially be over a year before Illinois is moved into phase 5, according to Representative Bourne. 

Rep. Bourne also had some thoughts on the recent Federal Appeals Court ruling on Dicamba saying that the courts decision isn’t fair to farmers, especially after such a bad year last year.

Illinois State Rep. Avery Bourne was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

The Virtual Master Gardener Help Desk at the University of Illinois Extension Office is up and running, according to Christian County Master Gardener Gwen Podeschi. 

When you plant tomatoes in the same place over and over again, according to Podeschi, it can harm the soil.

Another good thing to do with tomatoes, according to Podeschi, is to rotate the crops. 

Gwen Podeschi was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Despite having no revenue figures from the impacts of the coronavirus economic shutdowns, Illinois democrats led budget negotiations that passed a $40-plus-billion budget in May. 

State Senator Chapin Rose has several concerns about the budget. He has indicated he wanted to wait for figures to come out so they could better predict what they were going to be working with and was critical of the borrowing that took place. One win though for Republicans in the budget was the Governor's strings attached funding to get a progressive income tax passed in November.

The Mahomet Republican has concerns about the oversight of federal spending of federal coronavirus funds, which could easily remain in Chicago and downstate Illinois may not see any of that money.

Lack of control and ripe for corruption are just a few of the ways Sen. Rose described how the bill was written and says he warned a few of his colleagues in the Senate this could end badly.

Sen. Rose feels giving any Governor of any party the ability to spend $600-million is not a good idea but would not say he is questioning Gov. JB Pritzker or that he thought it would happen. 

With the state moving towards the $15 an hour wage law, some politicians are calling for a change in that law to help out areas that don’t have a high cost of living. State Senator Chuck Weaver has put forward a bill to help ease the stress of these pay wages in downstate Illinois.  The minimum wage is moving over a 6 year period. Weaver says that when the bill was originally pushed it was pushed to be a regional minimum wage---not a state minimum wage.

Weaver says that Governor JB Pritzker should understand that local areas would know what a better minimum wage is, than Springfield would.

Weaver is concerned that motivation will shift if we have a flat rate minimum wage across the State.

The bill is currently on hold and waiting for assignment to a committee.
 

We are all living in stressful times, especially with the coronavirus and the shelter in place order. 

Ed Lacheta is the Clinical Director of Shelby County Community Services and he said that it’s important to keep a close eye on your physical and emotional health.  

Stress usually shows up in four different areas, according to Lacheta. Those areas are emotional, behavioral, physicial, and in terms of our thinking. 

He started out by discussing the emotional area saying that sometimes stress causes us to feel very disconnected from others.

Being emotionally disconnected due to stress can even cause us to get sick.

Stress can also have an impact on our behavior, according to Lacheta. 

Ed Lacheta with Shelby County Community Serivces was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

In an age where information is available at your fingertips, it is very easy to get information that can be misleading as well. Such is the case with COVID-19, which has seen Social media outlets like Facebook and YouTube spring up with all kinds of “helpful tips” and “sources” on COVID. OSF Director of Infection Lori Grooms says thanks to unknowns, the spread of misinformation is probably spreading faster than COVID is.

There is also a danger of people tuning out real information because they just don’t know what to believe anymore.

One area of strong misinformation is in mask-wearing. The Center for Disease Control wasn’t pushing mask wearing for everyone for fear of people buying all the masks and creating a shortage.  Grooms is now concerned that the fight has become political.

Grooms recommends everyone get their information directly from the CDC or your local public health departments.

The State of Illinois went over 1 million COVID-19 tests.  Governor JB Pritzker made the announcement on Friday as that accounts for 8% of the state’s population.  Illinois has opened 11 community-based testing sites that allow anyone to get tested at no cost. Community sites can test up to 6,000 people per day.

The state announced 658 new cases of COVID-19 today including 23 additional deaths.  Monday numbers have been historically lower than any other day of the week. IDPH is reporting a total of 128,415 cases including 5,924 deaths in 101 of the 102 counties.  In the Regional Radio News listening area, there were 4 new positive cases over the weekend including 2 deaths in Macon County. 

The Governor says testing is important especially because you can be asymptomatic.

With everything reopening, Governor Pritzker says testing is important now more than ever, especially given all of the protests.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate is down to 5% from 7% last week. The Governor has also announced that the State has distributed more than 450,000 cloth face coverings to private essential businesses. More than 18,000 thermometers will be given to licensed daycares across the state in the next few days. 

For more information on Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois Plan visit coronavirus.illinois.gov.

The lake level at Lake Shelbyville as of Friday was over 11 feet high and that means that the regular boat ramps are closed and the high boat ramps are open, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Shelbyville Natural Resource Specialist Ashley Florey.  

The past few months at Lake Shelbyville has really been a juggling act, according to Florey.

Florey was excited to announce that some of the campgrounds at Lake Shelbyville are now open.  

Ashley Florey was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

The coronavirus has had a huge impact on businesses in and around Shelbyville, but the Director of the Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, Ariel Short, says that a lot of them have been able to overcome.  

The Shelbyville Chamber had their first in person board meeting last week since the start of the coronavirus outbreak and they talked about a variety of different important topics including the 4th of July fireworks.

The Shelbyville Chamber announced last week that the 4th of July fireworks have been rescheduled until the 50th anniversary of the Dam on September 12th.  

Shelbyville Chamber Director Ariel Short was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Taylorville’s Central School wants to remind everyone that preschool screenings are active. Principal Lakin Puzey says there are two ways that you can sign up for a Preschool screening by calling or going online.

There is no deadline, but the sooner you can get it done the better. Puzey says that there are some requirements for parents that you should do for the screening process.

The screening is free and Puzey says that this is the first step towards your child’s education.

For more information on the screening, call 824-5050.

The Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan is open for curbside pickup, but because books have to be quarantined the hours are limited, according to Library Director Michelle Nolen. 

Nolen hopes to be able to open up the library’s lobby by the end of June.

Children’s Librarian Laura Davison said that there are going to be some differences with the reading program this summer. You can sign up for the summer reading program right now by going to the library's Facebook Page. 

Michelle Nolen and Laura Davison were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

Pana Community Hospital is opening Fastcare, a walk-in clinic that will allow you to have clinical services, on June 29th. Originally, part of the building project and expansion, Fastcare has been on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak. Marketing Director Melissa Rybolt says the community is excited about the new addition.

For those who don’t have a family physician or offices are closed, Fastcare creates a fantastic alternative.

Fastcare is welcoming two nurse practitioners who are local to the area: Nichole McMillen from Pana and Jayne Morrison from Ramsey.

The hours for the walk-in clinic will be Monday through Friday from 7 AM-7 PM and on weekends and holidays from 10 AM- 4PM.

Kim McDonald is the owner of Kim’s Country Mall in Sullivan and she specializes in hydroponic and aquaponic gardening. 

McDonald felt that this is the perfect time to reopen her store after a crazy few years at her job.

Hydroponics and aquaponics grow plants without the use of soil. 

For more information on Kim’s Country Mall check them out on Facebook. Kim McDonald was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

The Christian County Agricultural Fair has been cancelled for 2020. The Board of Directors voted to cancel it at the June 2nd meeting. Fair Board Vice President Jim Olive says this wasn’t an easy decision to make.

The CDC would have set pretty strict guidelines had they chosen to open up the fair. Olive was also told that the FFA and 4H would not be allowed to participate in any activities until the 1st of August. Carnival would also run into some hiccups.

Olive is appreciative of all the support during this stressful time.

The fair was supposed to take place between July 21st and 25th.  It’s been a staple in Christian County since 1924. 

Regional Radio News has learned that the Christian County Agricultural Fair Board has voted to cancel the 2020 fair.  

In a news release sent to our newsroom this morning, fair officials said the safety of exhibitors, vendors, and attendees was their highest priority, and steps are being taken to implement the cancellation.

We expect to have audio from fair president Chuck Dyer in our local newscasts later in the day and on-line at taylorvilledailynews.com.  

Being stuck inside during the coronavirus outbreak has led to some weight gain. So, Physician’s Choice Wellness is waiving or writing off all expenses associated with starting a PCW weight loss program, according to Program Director Tara Nickerson.

If you come in and get started on a weight loss program in the month of June, the only cost in relation to getting started on the program would be to purchase your first week of food.

Most of us are really good at taking care of other people, but not so good at taking care of ourselves. The problem is that if we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be around to take care of those that we love. 

Tara Nickerson was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Joe Burton is the owner of Burton’s Tap in Langleyville and the co-owner of JRJ Travels in Taylorville. Burton said that it has been a difficult time, but is thankful for all of the support of his businesses.   

Burton’s Tap is open from 4pm until 9pm everyday except on Mondays for carryout and until 9:30 for outside dining.

Burton’s Tap is a passion for Joe because he really enjoys interacting with his customers.  

Joe Burton was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

We should all do what we can to reduce our ecological footprint. University of Illinois Extension Energy and Environmental Stewardship Educator Dr. Ashley Belle started out by describing what the ecological footprint is. 

Transportation consumption is a huge part of most ecological footprints. To reduce your transportation consumption, you can carpool, use public transportation, or get a car with better gas mileage.

Food consumption is another big part of our ecological footprint. To reduce your food consumption you want to look at how often you’re eating animal based products and eat local fresh foods. 

University of Illinois Extension Energy and Environment Stewardship Educator Dr. Ashley Belle was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

If you have driven past the Taylorville DMV in the last week, you’ve probably noticed the long lines. The long lines have not been exclusively at Taylorville. All Illinois DMV’s are feeling the weight of the coronavirus as there are currently more than 7,000,000 expired driver’s licenses/ID cards and over 1.9 million expired vehicle registrations.

Secretary of State Jesse White, issued a press release reminding drivers that while the DMV is open, they are open to serve only new drivers, customers with expired driver’s licenses and vehicle transactions. 

Expiration dates for driver’s licenses and vehicle registration stickers have been extended until October 1st. This extension also covers those who have June and July expiration dates.  Expired documents will remain valid until October 1st so customers do not need to rush into a facility. 

As always with long lines at the DMV, if you can go online, you are encouraged to do so. Visit cyberdriveillinois.com to see if what you need from the DMV can be taken care of online. Some services can be renewing a vehicle registration, obtain a duplicate driver’s license, obtain a driving record abstract, and renew a driver’s license through the Safe Driver Renewal program.
 

Central Illinois Smiles Family Dentistry offices in Taylorville and Decatur have added a new dentist to their practice.

Owner Doctor Amanda Lewis says Dr. Mary Katherine Buskirk from Springfield has vast experience.

Central Illinois Smiles Family Dentistry became a provider of Delta Dental Insurance on January First.

Find more information on their dental practice at c-i-smiles-dot-com.

With the words "I can’t breathe", Group organizer, Chadwick Workman spoke for 8:44 seconds. The time that George Floyd gave his last breaths. The words pierced the air as the last words that Floyd said. A peaceful protest brought the city of Taylorville together on Thursday evening with a message of hope, a message of an end to hate, and a message of equality. Workman who grew up in Kincaid, says that he has dealt with racism all his life. He said living in the Taylorville area was great at first, but only because he didn’t understand.

A young woman named Mikai spoke and said it’s simple: we as Americans only call out racism when it’s blatant.

Mikai says the narrative needs to change but it won’t be fixed if everyone isn’t involved.

The organizers and Workman thanked Taylorville Police along with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office for their support of the protest. Both Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler and Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp spoke of a need to protect the community.  A need to keep the community safe and a need for unity. 

Chillifest is on for October 3rd and 4th. Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle said that they did miss a few months of meetings, but they were able to get caught up at their last meeting.  

The 4th of July Parade has been in limbo due to the coronavirus, but it is going to happen. The Taylorville Chamber will be hosting the parade this year. The parade will take place on Saturday, July 4th at 10am.
 

The theme for the parade is going to be “I’m Proud to be an American.” 

Patty Hornbuckle with the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

3 Central Illinois TV stations will be changing frequencies by July 3rd, and that will affect you if you watch them on an over-the-air signal.

The ABC affiliate WICS Channel 20, the Fox affiliate WRSP Channel 55, and the PBS affiliate WSEC Channel 14, will all be changing frequencies by July 3rd.

On or after July 4th, you'll need to re-scan your TV to pickup the new frequencies for these stations.

Find out more information by clicking the link on this story on taylorvilledailynews-dot-com.

A peaceful protest is scheduled for Thursday evening at 6:30 PM in the downtown square over the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd. Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler says he is hoping for a peaceful protest and has talked to the protest organizers.  Chief Wheeler said in a Facebook post that the protestors have come to be heard and not to harm and the City will protect the right to protest.  

Chief Wheeler continued by saying that “Any violence, looting, and destruction of property is never the answer. Change doesn’t come when you break glass and instigate riots, change comes when you work together peacefully to eradicate injustice.”

The protest will proceed north on Walnut Street towards Main Cross and the downtown square. Parking will be located on the southeast corner of Walnut and Franklin.

A Shelby County man is dead after getting hit by a car while checking his mailbox. The accident happened at 2008 East Road on Illinois Route 16 early Thursday morning. According to the Illinois State Police, an 84-year-old man entered the road and was struck by a 25-year-old man from Neoga driving a 1992 Oldsmobile. 

The crash is still under investigation. The Shelby County Coroner has not released the name of the victim yet. 

The District Offices of Congressman Rodney Davis are back open after working remotely over the past few months.  

What makes America great is our ability to learn and adapt during difficult situations. That ability will allow us to return to some sense of normalcy.

Congressman Davis also had some strong thoughts on the recent move by House Democrats to implement proxy voting. He said that it sets a dangerous precedent.

Congressman Rodney Davis was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty said that patience was key in getting through this school year and that the coronavirus is going to be around for a while, so we’re going to have to learn how to live with it.  

The maintenance crew at the Taylorville School District has been hard at work getting the schools ready for the fall. Memorial School is installing a drainage system to address a flooding problem in the cafeteria and the other schools are getting a fresh coat of paint.

A key initiative for the Taylorville School District recently, according to Dr. Dougherty has been to bring in social-emotional counselors.

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

Pharmacies, who have been hurting from COVID-19, will receive funding particularly in downstate communities that don’t necessarily receive as much funding as other areas of Illinois. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza along with State Senator Andy Manar will be giving $1.3 million in payments towards pharmacies under the Critical Access Pharmacy, or CAP Program.

The program helps pharmacies that have experienced serious financial difficulty because of lower rates offered from the managed care program and rate cuts by benefit managers.  Senator Manar says that this helps rural communities with health and economic viability. 

“Neighborhood pharmacies are facing a double bind of predatory practices by corporate competitors and increased costs due to volatile supply chains amid the pandemic. Despite that, they’ve been a trusted source of local medical care for rural families, and these payments will ensure that service continues.”

 

This payment was the fourth payment to help pharmacies in downstate Illinois. The program gave $1 million in March, $1.9 million last December, and $4.7 million last July. 

Central Illinois Smiles Family Dentistry offices in Taylorville and Decatur are offering virtual appointments as another way to treat their patients.

Owner Doctor Amanda Lewis says it gives her an idea of what the patient will need.

While Dr. Lewis can't get x-ray's from the patient, she can diagnose and let the patient know what treatment is needed.

Find more information on their dental practice at c-i-smiles-dot-com.

Central Illinois reported only 2 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. Moultrie County reported its 12th case overall. The patient is a male in his 40s and is recovering at home in isolation. Sangamon County also reported one new case, bringing their total number of cases to 357 with over 250 already recovered.

Cases of Coronavirus were down on Wednesday as the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 982 new cases of coronavirus with 97 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting a total of 123,830 cases with 5,261 deaths overall from the virus in 101 of the 102 counties. 

Within the past 24 hours, labs have reported 24,471 tests done for a total amount of 959,175. The 7-day statewide rolling positivity rate is down to 6% from 7% yesterday.

Stay up to date on the latest on the Coronavirus and its impact on central Illinois. You can find up to date information on the Restore Illinois plan by visiting coronavirus cases by county on the top of the page online at taylorvilledailynews.com.

What happened to George Floyd shouldn’t happen to any American. We have to do better as a country and better as people, according to Congressman Rodney Davis.  

Congressman Davis said to those who are so angry to give us a chance to hold those responsible for the death of George Floyd accountable.

Congressman Davis said that we have to do what we can to come together as a country.

Congressman Rodney Davis was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

Memorial Health System has significantly expanded telehealth. Administrator of specialty services Kimberly Paskiewicz said that they began work on a two way video platform in late March so that patients could resume regular visits with their doctor while also promoting social distancing. 

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic Memorial Health System will continue to use telehealth.

Telehealth works best when a complete physical assessment isn’t needed. 

Typically, a telehealth visit is covered by insurance the same as a regular in person visit. 

For more information on Memorial Health System please visit choosememorial.org. 
 

The University of Illinois Extension Office will be holding a free stress webinar on June 10th from noon until 1:45 PM. Valerie Belusko, Community & Economic Development Program Coordinator, says that this class is for anyone feeling stress. The class teaches you ways to watch for stress.

At one point the webinar focused on farm stressors, but the speaker, Pam Schallhorn noticed that more people would need help than just farmers. 

Belusco says the nice thing about this class is you don’t have to watch for the whole session you can watch the first hour, or the last 45 minutes.

You can register for this free webinar by clicking the link here or calling the Montgomery County Extension Office at 532-3941. You can also email Valerie Belusko at valerieb@illinois.edu.

Central Illinois Smiles Family Dentistry offices in Taylorville and Decatur are now open and are making sure patients are safe.

Owner Doctor Amanda Lewis says their locations have increased safety in air filtration and aerosols.

Doctor Lewis says that their patients are excited about coming to their office after being sheltered in place for a few months.

Find more information on their dental practice at c-i-smiles-dot-com.

Central Illinois reported only 4 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, but testing is way down as well. There were only 73 reported tests that were done in the Central Illinois Region of Christian, Montgomery, Shelby, Sangamon, Macon, Moultrie, and Fayette Counties.  

Cases remained relatively the same around Illinois, as the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,614 new cases of coronavirus with 113 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting a total of 122,848 cases with 5,525 deaths overall from the virus in 101 of the 102 counties. 

Within the past 24 hours, labs have reported 16,431 tests done for a total amount of 934,704. The 7-day statewide rolling positivity rate is up to 7% from 6% yesterday.

Stay up to date on the latest on the Coronavirus and its impact on central Illinois. You can find up to date information on the Restore Illinois plan by visiting coronavirus cases by county on the top of the page online at taylorvilledailynews.com.

The Pana Police Department is investigating an incident at the local Shell Station. According to Pana Police, at 10:13 PM on June 1st, Pana PD received a call from Shell Station Management concerning two male subjects beating on the front door of the store. When officers arrived, they were informed by people outside that the clerk struck one of the male subjects in the back with a crowbar while using racial slurs, when the clerk told the subjects to leave the store. 

After interviewing the clerk, the police were told that the male subject entered the store earlier and was in the restroom for several minutes.  The clerk told police he heard a lighter being used multiple times inside the restroom. He asked the customer to leave as they were preparing to close. The clerk told police an argument ensued and the clerk allegedly used a metal bar and struck the customer in the back before locking the door behind him.  The clerk reported being shoved by the customer and was told they would return with a gun. No firearm was found during the incident and the threat could not be proven.

Police did not discover any injuries. The case remains under investigation with the clerk possibly facing charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery. Officers have asked for surveillance video. 

Central Illinois Smiles Family Dentistry offices in Taylorville and Decatur have re-opened, and patient safety is at the forefront of all they do.

Owner Doctor Amanda Lewis says their locations have always done a great deal of disinfection, even before the coronavirus outbreak.

Protective uniforms and masks have also been protocol at their office.

Find more information on their dental practice at c-i-smiles-dot-com.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club collected a total of 1328 pounds of dry goods and 3-thousand 42-dollars in cash, all benefiting the Taylorville Food Pantry, during their 4 drive-thru donation days in the Miller Media Group parking lot on East Park Street, the last 4 Saturdays in May.

Officials with the Food Pantry report that the pound equivalent for the cash taken into consideration makes for an aggregated total of 17,338 pounds of food to benefit those using the local Food Pantry.

Food Pantry co-director Amy Hagen thanked the Kiwanis Club for their efforts the last few weeks.

And, the Taylorville Kiwanis Club thanks everyone for the support to assist with children and youth in the local community.

The annual Ag Appreciation Luncheon held as part of each year's Christian County Fair, is off for 2020.

The Christian County Ag Group, organizer of the event, made the announcement this morning, saying that after talking to their caterer, they wouldn't be able to serve due to the COVID-19 shutdown and the Phase the state would be in at the time.  The caterer added they could lose their license if they tried to prepare the meal for the Luncheon.

The Christian County Ag Group Luncheon is held to recognize the importance of agriculture to the Christian County economy.

The American Red Cross is in desperate need of blood donations, according to American Red Cross External Communications Manager, Laura McGuire. To schedule an appointment to give blood, please visit redcrossblood.org.

Since March, the American Red Cross has seen a number of blood drives get cancelled because of COVID-19, but now that hospitals are starting elective surgeries, the need for blood donors is extremely high.
 

The American Red Cross is also looking for anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 to donate convalescent plasma to help those who are currently fighting COVID-19.
 

Laura McGuire with the American Red Cross was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

June is National Dairy Month and the St. Louis District Dairy Council’s Nutrition Educator and Registered Dietitian, Jill Williams, talked about how National Dairy Month got started in 1937 to help farmers distribute more milk.
 

The theme this year for National Dairy Month is “Local Farmers/Local Dairy.”
 

The importance of dairy farmers cannot be understated, according to Williams.
 

Jill Williams with the St. Louis District Dairy Council was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

The Taylorville City Council met last night at 7 PM. Ordinances that were discussed and voted on include funds for the Business Development District. The City also voted to approve and adopt a COVID-19 Emergency Mortgage Subsidy Grant for the BDD. A motion to approve the hire of two summer help for Cemetery work was voted on and approved as well.

Under Committee reports in finance; the city voted to approve the proposed health insurance plan from Health Alliance at a savings of approximately $111,000. The city also allocated $8,000 towards the 35th Annual Chillifest. In Street and Sewer, the city council voted to allow the First United Methodist Church to make repairs to the alley at their own expense, and to install a stop sign at the corner of Wyandotte and East Main Cross after road improvements are complete.

The meeting kicked off though with the promotion of Taylorville Police Officer, Ben Toberman. Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler said that this promotion to Lieutenant was a recognition of his professional achievement.    

Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry said that Lieutenant Toberman has had a great career with the City of Taylorville and that this is more of a supervisory role for him with the police department moving to 12 hour shifts.

Mayor Barry started off his mayoral update with a prayer for the United States during this time of chaos and a promise to support our local police officers. 

Mayor Barry ended his mayoral update with a promise to be as conservative as possible with spending. 

The next Taylorville City Council Meeting is scheduled for June 15th.

The Taylorville Park Board met on Monday evening to discuss summer plans and to vote on the pool, day camps, and dining hall opening. The Park Board received an update from Michael Mizeur concerning the North Pond Excavation Project.  Mizeur was hoping to get things started on it as soon as it started to dry up, but there has been too much rainfall.  The project will take 3-4 weeks to complete.

The Park Board also talked about opening up the pool and just how difficult it would be to open.  Bailey Hancock, Recreation Director, said given the CDC Guidelines and the amount of money the pool would be losing, it wouldn’t be worth it. One of the big concerns for the pool is the amount of training, lifeguards would need but would struggle due to social distance.

Hancock said it would be even worse with new lifeguards who haven’t had the training last season. The park board decided to close all pools for the season, all day-camps would be suspended and the dining hall would be closed until next season. The vote was unanimous. Hancock said it breaks her heart to have to shut it down.

Bailey Hancock also had a message for the kids saying that there was no point in having the day camp if it wasn’t going to be fun.

The Park Board did decide to reopen all parks in Taylorville, however, playgrounds and bathrooms would remain closed until further notice and there would be other restrictions put in place as well.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is on for October 3rd and 4th, and committee members couldn't be happier.  The group held their first meeting for 2020 Monday night at the Chamber office, and CEO Patty Hornbuckle said it felt good to get them together.

Many parts of the Chillifest weekend will be coming back and there'll be some surprises as well.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber Chillifest is held annually on the Taylorville square, and features 2 days of International Chilli Society sanctioned judging, plus the Chamber serving up delicious chilli, chilli dogs and your favorite Pepsi products.

Find out information on the event as the year progresses, by going to chillifest-dot-info, that's chillifest with 2-L's.

Central Illinois saw 10 new COVID-19 diagnosis in the last 24 hours, with one new case in a juvenile in Fayette County. Sangamon County is reporting 6 new cases including one death with Macon reporting the other 3 new cases. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 974 new cases of COVID-19 with 23 additional deaths.  This brings the total to 121,234 cases overall with 5,412 deaths in 101 of the 102 counties in Illinois. Over the last 24 hours, there were 20,014 tests ran for a total of 918,273. The seven-day rolling positivity rate is down to 6% from 8% last Friday. 

Stay up to date on the latest on the Coronavirus and its impact on central Illinois. You can find up to date information on the Restore Illinois plan by visiting coronavirus cases by county on the top of the page online at taylorvilledailynews.com.

It’s that time of year when boats are getting back in the water, and according to Shelbyville Insurance Risk Advisors Derek Hayden and Garrett Ulmer if you are a boat owner, you really should have a watercraft policy.

A watercraft policy is very similar to an auto insurance policy.

Even if you’re boat isn’t worth very much, Hayden and Ulmer recommend having a watercraft policy.
 

Derek Hayden and Garrett Ulmer were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Matt and Heidi Corso are the brand new owners of Anderson Jewelers in Taylorville. Matt is an auctioneer for a living and worked with the former owners of Anderson Jewelers and ended up purchasing the business from them.

Heidi Corso is not much of a jewelry person, but running Anderson Jewelers is something enjoyable and it also allows her to use her creative niche.
 

Anderson Jewelers has some brand new technology on their Facebook Page that you won’t find anywhere else.

Matt and Heidi Corso were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Chip’s Marine is a Sullivan based bait and tackle shop that’s owned by Chip Christensen. Chip got into the bait and tackle business because he felt that he had to work with fishermen.

On top of being a bait and tackle shop they also offer camper storage and a boat repair shop.

Chip’s Marine offers all the bait and tackle that you could ever need along with all the Marine accessories you would need.

Chip Christensen is the Owner of Chip’s Marine and was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

The Taylorville City Council Meeting this evening will be open to the public as the stay at home order has been lifted. All are invited to attend. Click here for the full article on the story. 

A plane crash in Macoupin County killed 4 men on Sunday afternoon around 3:50.  The Macoupin County Coroner’s office says the pilot was 35-year old Joshua Daniel Sweers of Michigan, 37-year-old Daniel Shedd, 39-year old Daniel Schlosser of Michigan, and 39-year-old John Camilleri of New York. The crash happened just south of Carlinville, when a small single-engine plane crashed on a farm off Wonderland Ranch Road. 

The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office, Macoupin County Coroner’s Office, and the Federal Aviation Administration is still investigating the crash. It is unknown at this time what caused the plane to go down. 

Shelby County Partners works everyday to help the residents of Shelby County by holding events and raising funds, according to Shelby County Partners member Brenda Elder.

Since being involved in Shelby County Partners, Elder was able to get Shelby County Community Gardens started.

Elder discussed the upcoming Shelby County Farm Bureau food distribution on June 6th from 10 until noon at the Shelby County FairGrounds.

Shelby County Partners member Brenda Elder was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our studios in downtown Shelbyville.

Shelby County Board Chairman Bruce Cannon said that the Shelby County Board meetings have been quite popular recently.

Chairman Cannon said that the county has functioned completely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman Cannon said that he thinks the COVID rules that were put into place were thought out and implemented very quickly and in many cases caused panic.

Shelby County Board Chairman Bruce Cannon was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our studios in downtown Shelbyville.

Senator Andy Manar has been keeping busy pushing through different bills, and if they get to Governor Pritzker’s desk, it would have huge benefits for Illinoisans.  Senator Manar put a bill forward for the Illinois General Assembly that would require Medicaid to cover routine care costs that are received during cancer treatments.  This bill would cover costs for life-saving clinical trials to treat cancer and other serious diseases.

More than 20% of Illinoisans are covered by Medicaid and it is the second-largest type of insurance behind Medicare. Medicare and private insurance carriers cover routine care costs in clinical trial participation, but Medicaid does not, and Senator Manar wants that fixed.

“This is a major stride toward health care equity that will save lives.  Access to the latest, most advanced cancer treatments can mean the difference between life and death for patients, treatments that they are unable to access today. The type of insurance you have shouldn’t disqualify you from accessing treatment that could save your life.”

The legislation was presented originally by the American Cancer Society. 

Dana Schmid and Susan Jackson are newly retired 3rd Grade Teachers at Memorial Elementary School in Taylorville. Schmid said that not seeing her students every day over the past few months was extremely difficult. 

Jackson said that the transition to virtual learning was difficult but that they had a wonderful team in place to make it all work.

Schmid and Jackson grew up together, went to the same college, and got hired at the same time.

Jackson’s plan was to always come back and teach in Taylorville.

Susan Jackson and Dana Schmid were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

The Taylorville Park District will meet on Monday evening at 7 PM at the Manners Park Dining Hall. The meeting will be closed to the public due to COVID-19, however it will be broadcast live on New Country 104.1 FM. 

The Park District will hear correspondence from Michael Mizeur with Mizeur Farms concerning the North Pond Excavation Project. The Park District will also discuss and potentially vote on the day camps, swimming pools, and dining hall rentals for the summer of 2020. This had been brought up at the meeting in May but was tabled to await news on moving to Phase 3 in the Recover Illinois reopening plan. 

There will be reports heard from the maintenance superintendent, office secretary, recreation director and a finance report. 

Any person wishing to address the board may send an email to TaylorvilleParkDistrict@gmail.com or call 820-9031.

Lincoln Land Community College like most educational institutions has been working virtually for the past few months. LLCC Taylorville Director Dee Kruger said that they even held graduation remotely and that it went really well.

Lincoln Land Community College will be holding virtual visits on June 9th and June 22nd. For more information or to sign up, please visit llcc.edu.

A virtual visit, according to Kruger, is a great way to do a campus visit without being on campus.
 

Dee Kruger was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

The Taylorville City Council will meet on Monday evening at 7 PM. The meeting is open to the public now that the stay at home order has been lifted. The meeting will kick off with the appointment of new Taylorville Police Officer, Ben Toberman.

Ordinances will be discussed and voted on including funds for the Business Development District. The City will also vote to approve and adopt a COVID-19 Emergency Mortgage Subsidy Grant also for the BDD. There will be a motion to approve the hire of two summer help for Cemetery work.

Under Committee reports in finance; the city will discuss the proposed health insurance plan, allocating money towards the 35th Annual Chillifest, and a look at the treasurer's report. There were no motions under the ordinance committee. In Street and Sewer, the city council will vote on allowing the First United Methodist Church to make repairs to the alley at their own expense, and to install a stop sign at the corner of Wyandotte and East Main Cross after road improvements are complete.

As always, there will be City Attorney and Mayoral updates. Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for the latest on the Taylorville City Council Meeting.