CAPTION TO PICTURE:   Christian County State's Attorney John McWard (left) was Tuesday's program speaker at the weekly meeting of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club.   Program chair for the meeting was Kiwanis Club president-elect Chuck Martin (right).

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from the Christian County State’s Attorney at the club’s weekly meeting on Tuesday at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.

John McWard was elected last November, and has been in office some 7 months.  He told Kiwanis members that he’s the youngest State’s Attorney in Illinois, and has spent a lot of his time in offer to clear the backlog of cases in the county judicial system.

McWard added that currently there are some 3-thousand felony cases dating back to 2015 that are still pending, along with over a thousand misdemeanor cases.

He told the club that he’s enjoying making a difference in the county, adding the biggest crime problem in Christian County is meth.  

He also said he found out not every decision he makes will please everyone.

During a question and answer session, McWard told Kiwanis members that he’s against the no cash bail legislation passed by the state and pending in the courts.  He’s also opposed to the latest gun registration law passed by the state.   McWard says he’s taking the same position as Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp and will not enforce the state gun registration law.  McWard also is opposed to state control when placing wind turbines and solar projects.

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