The Taylorville City Council will meet on Monday at 7 PM. The Council will have a fairly lengthy closed session, recognize the 7th Grade Girls Basketball Team, and review some ordinances. The council will discuss and potentially approve ordinances for annual abatement, personal property concerning some John Deere tractors, paid leave for all workers act for Taylorville, and rules for remote meetings.

The council will look at a motion for the Christian County Economic Development Corporation, and city hall parking improvements.  There are no committee reports to review, but the council will hear from the City Attorney and Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry. 

After hearing from the public, the council will go into a closed session.  During the closed session, the council will discuss salaries and a lawsuit between Julie Lilly and Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler concerning an incident that took place on September 27th. 

Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more following the conclusion of this meeting. 

Situational stress is a side effect of the busy holiday months and strain is put on the local community through personal relationships, work, and finances. Ed Lacheta, Mental Health expert with Shelby County Community Services says that there are ways to lessen the feelings of stress during the season that is supposed to be filled with joy.

Lacheta says this time of year reminds many of family members who have passed away, bringing about feelings of sadness, he continues by saying these feelings are natural and actually healthy for all humans to experience.

There are many ways to ward off the stressful effects of the winter season and Lacheta recommends staying connected to your family and community.

Just because the Christmas season provides joy for many, those feelings of glee are not meant to be permanent, says Lacheta. He says finding ways to celebrate with family or friends over a Zoom call is becoming more common.

Mental health services are available by phone at 988, a crisis line open 24/7.

Ed Lacheta appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show, live from our downtown studios in Shelbyville.

There will be a new Christian County Health Department location.  The County Health Board voted to close the current building on the 15th and the Health Department will move to the old Mental Health Association building which is 730 North Pawnee Street near the Junior High School. Dr. Chad Anderson, Public Health Administrator, says that they will try to keep operations as smooth as possible and are looking to hold a grand opening when things get opened later this month. 

Dr. Anderson urges patience during the move.

Dr. Anderson says the reason they needed the move was for a number of reasons, namely the current place being hard to find.

For more information on the Christian County Health Department and their move, call (217) 824-4113 or visit their website. 

Small Town Taylorville held the Christmas twilight parade on Saturday night on the Taylorville square. 94.3 WMKR was live on the square joined with Steve Craggs and Lee Skinner as the broadcast was held. The community filled the Taylorville square as kids raced into the streets to grab candy from floats as they passed by. Both the Taylorville High School band and the Taylorville Junior High School band made appearances as well as Santa who made an appearance.

At the end of the broadcast, Steve Craggs and Lee Skinner said they were so happy with the turnout from the community.

For more events visit Smalltowntaylorville.com 
 

The Morrisonville Old Fashioned Christmas took place Saturday from 9 AM until 2 PM.  There were vendors at various locations, a parade, Santa Claus, covered wagon rides, and more.  Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR was live at Sloan Furniture to talk to some of the people who were taking part in the festivities.  Zarah Guzman, Miss Morrisonville and Emma Grande Junior Miss Morrisonville, stopped by to say hi and they both were excited about Christmas and what it means to Morrisonville. 

Both Guzman and Grande participated in the Christmas Parade.  

Malea Elson, was in charge of all the festivities, and in between running around handling all of the little issues that pop up, she says that vendors have all kinds of crafts and that it is nice to have the community come together.

Rita Sloan with Sloan’s Furniture says that Christmas is such a special time of year. 

The Morrisonville Old Fashioned Christmas took place from 9 AM until 2 PM on Saturday, December 2nd. 

Taylorville will be abuzz today with the arrival of Santa Claus during the Small Town Taylorville Christmas Parade around the square, and the Chamber of Commerce Festival of Trees.

The former Milling Millwork building on West Main Cross is the location of the Festival of Trees, while the Taylorville Christmas Parade steps off around the square at 5pm.

WMKR Genuine Country 94.3 will broadcast the Christmas Parade live.

As the cold temperatures roll in the community must keep in mind water safety while lakes still allow for boating and fishing. Brock Key, a Park Ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides some basic tips to avoid emergencies while winter boating. Lake Shelbyville has the potential to freeze over and Key says to stay off the lake and to never drive a vehicle onto seemingly safe ice.

Similar to all season life jacket use is required while out on the water and Key says that falling into the cold lake will create less time to reach safe conditions.

Overall, Key says to use common sense while interacting with area lakes.

For information on Lake Shelbyville visit the website at www.lakeshelbyville.com/.

Brock Key appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show live from our downtown studios in Shelbyville.

Santa will be making his way to Taylorville this weekend and making his first stop at Wright’s Furniture this Saturday, December 2nd, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. A photographer will be on hand and pictures will be printed on the spot. Wright’s Furniture hopes that the Christmas Spirit extends to the community as there will be a Taylorville Food Pantry donation box for non-perishable food items.

Sandy Carter, a saleswoman for Wright’s Furniture says one corner of the store has been decorated and prepared for Santa to arrive.

The staff of Wright’s Furniture is proud to be assisting the Taylorville Food Pantry with donations during the holiday season. Carter explained how important it is to think of the families and children who are less fortunate, and how they deserve full bellies during all seasons.

Wright’s Furniture is located at 400 North Webster Street in Taylorville. Sandy Carter and the staff at Wright’s invite the community for an afternoon of holiday cheer and community contributions through food donations.

Sandy Carter appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.
 

WTIM and People’s Bank and Trust in Taylorville have announced their students of the month for November. The program recognizes one outstanding student from each of the four classes. Students of the Month for November are Ava Watson, Hannah Chitwood, Ryan Sobish, and Hope Kietzman. 

L - R:  PBT REPRESENTATIVE MASON CROWE, SENIOR AVA WATSON; JUNIOR HANNAH CHITWOOD; SOPHOMORE RYAN SOBISH; FRESHMAN HOPE KIETZMAN; PBT REPRESENTATIVE LINDSAY LOPIAN

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a disaster declaration for Christian, Hancock, McDonough, Sangamon, and Washington Counties due to losses caused by a derecho and tornadoes that took place, June 29th through June 30th.  Counties contiguous to Christian, Hancock, McDonough, Sangamon, and Washington counties are also eligible for the same assistance including, Macon, Macoupin, Montgomery, and Shelby Counties. 

Jerry Costello II, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director thanked Governor JB Pritzker for working with him and the USDA.  He encourages affected producers in declared counties to contact their local USDA Service Center to confirm eligibility.  A Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the USDA Farm Service Agency to provide emergency loans to producers recovering from natural disasters. 

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.  Those eligible should contact their local USDA Service Center to ask questions or file a Notice of Loss.  

The University of Illinois Extension presents a new upcoming program from the Christian County 4-H that looks to get kids ages 8-18 in the holiday spirit. A Youth Holiday Wreath Workshop will be coming to the Christian County Extension Office on December, 18th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Registration is required and the event fee is $5.

Sara Marten, University of Illinois Extension County Director says that the event will not only allow kids to create holiday decorations but also receive some education on the natural materials used to make the wreaths.

This program was offered in all four Christian County 4-H counties which is a factor Marten is pleased with. The counties include Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery.

Registration for the Youth Holiday Wreath Workshop will be open for another week and can be found at extension.illinois.edu/cjmm/4-h-christian-county, or call 217-532-3941.

Sara Marten appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.

Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR along with People's Bank and Trust are recognizing the Pana Students of the Month for November. The November Pana Students of the Month are Kooper Cole, Delaney Hackler, Kylie Evrley, and Noah Weeden. 

L - R:  FRESHMAN KOOPER COLE; SOPHOMORE DELANEY HACKLER; JUNIOR KYLIE EVRLEY; SENIOR NOAH WEEDEN; PPT REPRESENTATIVE KYNDALL JONES

Illinois Extension and 4-H recently welcomed a new 4-H Educator.  Jessica Jaffry will serve as the new 4-H youth development educator in Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery Counties.  Sara Marten, Illinois Extension county director, says that they are excited to have Jaffry on board and says her experiences with 4-H will serve her well in building partnerships, developing programs,a nd working with volunteers to help youth thrive.  

Jaffry first worked with 4-H as a program coordinator in Jersey County. Her areas of expertise include livestock, leadership development, healthy living, and school-based programming. Jaffry graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science.  She completed her master’s degree in Kinesiology from SIUE.

Jaffry will provide leadership for the youth and development program that supports 4-H clubs and special interest groups, as well as educational events in local communities.  Jaffry says she is excited to work within the local communities and school districts to provide opportunities for youth to develop healthy living skills, as well as leadership and career readiness skills through hands-on programs that will help children to be successful. 

Jessica is based in the Macoupin County Office in Carlinville and can be reached at jjaffry@illinois.edu or 217-854-9604. 

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is set to hold their Festival of Trees Live Auction, this Friday, December 1st, starting at 6:30 p.m. located at 405 East Main Cross Street in Taylorville. Beautifully decorated trees and wreaths from area businesses line the windows of the building and will be up for auction for the community to take home.

Linda Allen, the Executive Director of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce explains how Friday night will unfold.

Brad Davis, a board member of the GTCC lists the tree decorators.

Allen describes the wreaths that will also be up for auction.

Information about the GTCC Christmas events can be found on their Facebook page titled, www.facebook.com/TaylorvilleChamber.

Linda Allen and Brad Davis appeared as guests on the WTIM Morning Show.
 

Rochester Schools are closed today due to a power outage.   Power officials there didn't know when the power would be restored, causing school administrators in the Sangamon County community to call off school today.

There will be a grain bin rescue awareness class taught by the Taylorville Fire Department on January 20th, 2024.  The class is free and open to the public. The class will run from 8 AM until 2 PM. The course is set to educate students about grain storage facility types, how they are constructed, and how they operate.  Upon completion of the course, takers of the class will be able to function as support members to a rescue team that can conduct rescue operations at a grain storage facility. 

Students of the class are encouraged to bring turn-out gear, a helmet, gloves, eye protection, ear protection, and steel-toed shoes. 

Make sure to click the link here to register for the class. 

Illinois EPA and Ameren sought public comments on Thursday evening at Taylorville Junior High School. No representative from Ameren was in attendance. Approximately 50 community members were present, and many of them spoke during the meeting. The Illinois EPA initiated the session with a presentation detailing the site's history and outlining their future plans. They highlighted a stop order on the project, clarifying that the Illinois EPA will not proceed until they are sure the site is safe. However, they indicated that if the air monitoring results demonstrate safety, they will consider moving forward.

A public Q&A session ensued. The first speaker, Brenda Gillenwater, known for actively mobilizing volunteers through the Facebook group "My Community, My Family," raised concerns about missing documents and the authenticity of those provided by Ameren to the EPA. The EPA acknowledged requesting incorrect documents from Ameren initially, leading to some of the issues raised.

Furthermore, the EPA expressed regret over inadequate communication with the public regarding the initial June meeting. They affirmed their belief that soil contamination remains contained within the site and that the presently exposed soil is safe. Soil removed from the site and deposited at Five Oaks Landfill in Taylorville was also deemed safe.

The Illinois EPA is awaiting the review of the presented air quality reports, with no set timeline for the next update. Several community members left the meeting still seeking further clarification.
 

A Taylorville woman has been arrested and a man is at large following a search warrant on November 29th.  42-year-old Amber Fixsal of Taylorville was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.  41-year-old Damery L. Binkley of Taylorville is currently at large. Police say they have seen the subject but lost sight of him.  Police encourage anyone who sees him to get in touch with TPD. 

Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler says the CAT Team conducted a search warrant on the 500 block of West Second Street.  The CAT Team has been investigating the house and both Fixsal and Binkley and Chief Wheeler says that the residence is unsuitable for living conditions and the city is working to seize the property and eventually tear down the residence. 

Also arrested on Monday separately, was 34-year-old Michael T. Morrissey of Taylorville, for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.  TPD recovered several shotgun shells during a search warrant at an apartment complex on Pauline Street.  Morrissey is facing multiple charges.

TPD thanked State’s Attorney John McWard for approving all the charges.

Damery L. Binkley

Amber Fixsal

Michael T. Morrissey

In a successful start to the Illinois firearm deer season, hunters across the state achieved a preliminary harvest of 53,348 deer during the first weekend from November 17th to 19th. This marks a notable increase compared to the 2022 figures, where hunters took 52,354 deer during the same period.

The state's seven-day firearm deer season is set to conclude between November 30th and December 3rd, offering additional opportunities for hunters to contribute to the overall harvest. Following this, various other deer hunting seasons are scheduled, including the muzzleloader-only deer season from Dec. 8-10, the late-winter antlerless-only, and chronic wasting disease deer seasons (in select counties only) from December 28-31, and January 12-14. Additionally, archery deer season will continue until Jan. 14, though it will be temporarily closed from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 in counties open for firearm deer season.

Christian County saw an increase in deer harvest from 2022, going from 403 to 417. Effingham saw an increase from 653 to 696. A busy Fayette area was down slightly from 2022, with 1184 lowered to 1166. Macon and Macoupin counties both saw a decrease in deer harvest by a measure of less than 100 deer. Finally, Sangamon and Shelby Counties saw increases in their deer harvest.

Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts can find more information about deer hunting, open counties, and specific regulations on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' website. The success of the opening weekend sets an optimistic tone for the ongoing season, highlighting the enthusiasm and skill of the state's hunting community.

Kemmerer Village has announced their events to garner funds for their newly developing daycare center and Christmas events for the children of Kemmerer Village. Brianna Horton has been named the Director of the Daycare coming to Kemmerer Village. Funds have been gathered for over one year and now for the Christmas Season Kemmerer Village has opportunities for the community to show their support.

Schales Nagle, Executive Director of Kemmerer Village spoke on the upcoming Queen of Hearts Drawing this Sunday and Breakfast with Santa on December 16th. 

Nagle explains the operations that the funds will promote and more about the new Director of the Kemmerer Village Daycare.

Breakfast with Santa will be held at the Methodist Church in Assumption from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Nagle expands on what to expect during Breakfast with Santa.

The Queen of Hearts Drawing will be held at the Knotty Pine Bar and Grill where drawings will be done on Sundays. With a few different aspects to be aware of, Nagle directs those interested to the Knotty Pine Bar and Grill Facebook page where posts explain the weekly rules.

Kemmerer Village works hard to provide Christmas Gifts for their kids every year. This year there are many ways to donate presents. One way is stopping by the West Side Tavern in Taylorville where a donation box will be open for unwrapped presents.

Information about the Queen of Hearts Drawing at www.facebook.com/p/Knotty-Pine-Bar-Grill-LLC and for a full list of gifts to purchase for the kids of Kemmerer Village at their website at www.kemmerervillage.org/.

Schales Nagle appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.
 

There will be an informational meeting for an update on the status of the Ameren Taylorville MGP Site at 917 South Webster Street in Taylorville.  The meeting will take place at the Taylorville Junior High School this evening at 6 PM at 120 East Bidwell Street. If you haven’t already done so, you need to contact Sarah Brubaker, Office of Community Relations Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, to reserve an opportunity to speak.  You can reach her at 217-786-0790 or at sarah.brubaker@illinois.gov.  

During the meeting, you will learn about the site history, current nature and extent of residual impact, remedial technologies considered for a change of the remediation approach, and an update on the site status. 

The Illinois EPA along with Ameren are both expected to be at the meeting to address community questions and concerns.  A group called My Community My Family will be speaking and asking questions concerning August air monitoring reports, an open pit near the construction, no trespassing signs, and that the community should be involved with the decision-making for the site. 

Stay tuned to Regional Radio News following the meeting for a recap of the event if you are unable to attend. 

The Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals met last night at 6:00 p.m. at the Christian County Courthouse. All board members were in attendance. A motion to approve minutes from the October 24th meeting was approved unanimously.

The first motion on the agenda concerned zoning for a special use application from Sangchris Energy Center, LLC. The approval of construction of the standalone energy storage is slated to be located at County Road 1400 North and County Road 150 East in South Fork Township. The battery energy storage was explained to be a potential essential part of the power grid and would store power that would be readily available in times of emergency. The storage is used to boost the power grid to prevent blackouts and to provide up to 4 hours of power during times of rare total blackouts.

One public comment inquired if there were any other examples of storage sites throughout the state or if Illinois was the first to house the battery-stored energy.

Will Frost, Project Developer with East Point Energy and speaking for Sangchris Energy Center, spoke on the timeline of the project, stating that the project would start in 2027-2028 and the application is for 45 acres while the developers plan to only use 30 acres. The question of how many storage facilities have been constructed was that there are many lithium battery storages across the U.S. There was a concern of fire safety concerning the lithium aspect of the batteries which was followed by safety precautions and a fire safety plan created by Sangchris Energy.

The motion for Sangchris Energy was approved with conditions for the board to receive drainage and geotechnical reports before construction within a year or Sangchris Energy would need to reapply. The motion will move to the Christian County Board for further approval.

The second motion also concerned zoning for a special use application from North Pana Solar, LLC. William Shay, an Attorney from Peoria spoke for the project. The concerns for this project were that neighboring landowners had not been notified of the construction and the extent of the solar project. Christian County requires notification to surrounding property owners which had not been done by North Pana Solar. The ZBA board members also had worries that developers from North Solar Pana were not at the meeting to answer questions.

The motion was tabled until a representative was present to make the development processes more clear.

Small business owners are known to wear many hats in order to keep their business afloat but the Social Security Administration is reminding these entrepreneurs to not forget about retirement. Jack Myers, Public Affairs Specialist with the Social Security Administration says that it is not certain the business will sustain a retirement, and that is why paying into Social Security early will help.

Myers explains how minimizing taxable income can hurt Social Security Benefits in the Future.

Myers says that he hears too frequently from small business owners that they are not prepared for retirement.

The Social Security Administration understands the tough world of business and how saving for retirement takes a back seat, but many do not consider aspects such as that business owner becoming disabled or passing away.

Resources made to help those navigate the Social Security services can be found at www.sse.gov/prepare/plan-retirement or www.ssa.gov/pubs.

Jack Myers appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.

Taylorville Community Credit Union has announced that voting to determine the winners of their eight $1000 awards has begun and continues through February 29th, 2024.  Two seniors from Taylorville High School who registered for this year’s “Stop.Shop.Vote” campaign will receive $1000 awards toward their continuing education.  Winners are determined by the number of votes cast by area shoppers in the participating businesses. 

Eight high school seniors, two from Taylorville, Hillsboro, Litchfield, and Pana High Schools, will receive awards.  TCCU President Will Perkins says this is the tenth year for the program and that each year it has received more support and recognition as a valuable resource to graduating high school seniors who plan to go on to trade school, two-year community college, or four-year university programs. 

TCCU’s scholarship program will also help local businesses as shoppers can cast one vote for every ten dollars they spend in participating local businesses.  Among businesses that are participating include Amenities on Main, Anderson Jewelers, Angelo’s, Audrey’s Boutique and Luxuries, Battery Specialists, Bundles & Bliss, Country Kitchen, Florinda’s, Fur Love, Glik’s Hair Studio, Happy Baked Goods, Hello Beautiful, JMA Pawn Jewelry & Loan, Karma, Kompliments, Little Luxuries, Lock Up Gym, Nesties, Powderkeg Outfitters, Shadow Box, Shoe Sensation, Southern Belle Florist, Suessie’s Resale, Sydney Lynn’s Little Book Shop & Vinyl, The Upper Cut, Uprooted, Vintage Dresser, The Wooden Flower, Wright Furniture, and Zone Nutrition. 

Perkins says there is no limit to how many of the participating stores residents can shop in, or how many times they visit them between now and February 29th, 2024.  All businesses will display large posters in their windows and have ballots and ballot boxes available for all votes cast.  Awards will be presented in May.

For more information about TCCU, visit www.TCCU.org.  Membership is open to everyone who works or lives in the tri-county area of Shelby, Christian, and Montgomery Counties. 

Small Town Taylorville has released their events, dates, and times for the upcoming Christmas celebrations. The Christmas Market Pop-Up Shop opens On Friday, December 1st, and runs through the weekend, this event will be located indoors at 114 South Main Street on the Taylorville Square. The Twilight Christmas Parade will take place Saturday, December 2nd, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the Taylorville Square with The Taylorville FFA leading the parade then Santa and his elves to conclude.

Steve Craggs and Lee Skinner, Co-Chairs for Small Town Taylorville promote and prepare for these events to get many different communities involved. They say this is the third annual Twilight Christmas Parade and has been very successful in recent years.

Craggs expands on the upcoming Christmas Market. He notes that the Charles Dickens Carolers will be out singing Christmas tunes.

Country Living Magazine has recently contacted Small Town Taylorville to understand and promote the efforts Small Town Taylorville has gone to in order to produce events like these, bringing new citizens to Taylorville.

Lee Skinner explains what this means to the founders of Small Town Taylorville and the city's future.

All the information on Christmas events from Small Town Taylorville can be found under the “Events” tab at smalltowntaylorville.com.

Lee Skinner and Steve Craggs appeared as guests on the WTIM Morning Show.