>>Cards Open Series With Rockies
(Denver, CO)  --  The Cardinals begin a three-game series with the Rockies at Coors Field this evening.  Kyle Lohse [[ lowsh ]] will get the start on the mound for St. Louis.  Colorado will
counter with Jeff Francis.  First-pitch is at 7:40.

>>Garcia Tosses Rehab Outing
(Jupiter, FL)  --  Cardinals pitcher Jaime [[ HIGH-me ]] Garcia made a rehab start yesterday.  Garcia tossed two-and-a-third scoreless innings for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida. 
Garcia landed on the DL with a shoulder impingement in early June.

>>Cubs Pummel Pirates
(Chicago, IL)  --  Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro each went deep during a nine-run fifth inning as the Cubs crushed the Pirates, 14-4, in the opener of a three-game series.  Darwin Barney added a
three-run shot and four RBI in Chicago's third straight win.  Justin Germano
went five innings to earn his first win in his first start with the Cubs.  Ryan
Dempster is slated to toe the rubber opposite A.J. Burnett in tonight's second
installment.

>>Cubs Make Deal With Braves
(Chicago, IL)  --  The Cubs have agreed to trade pitcher Paul Maholm and outfielder Reed
Johnson to the Braves in exchange for pitchers Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye
Chapman.  Dating back to June 29th, Maholm is 5-and-0 with a 1.02 ERA.  Johnson
is hitting .302 with three homers and 16 RBI this year.

>>Twins Trim White Sox
(Minneapolis, MN)  --  Jamey Carroll's sac-fly RBI in the bottom of the ninth gave the Twins a 7-6 win over the White Sox in the first of a three-game series.  A.J. Pierzynski belted a three-run
homer and Alejandro De Aza had four hits and two RBI for the White Sox.  Brett
Myers was charged with the loss.  Francisco Liriano will make his South Side
debut against Nick Blackburn and his former team in this evening's second
installment.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

On Saturday evening officers stopped a vehicle because the vehicle was operating with one headlight. After further investigation female driver Shawn B. Hashani 39 of Taylorville and male passenger Michael G. West 42 of Clinton were both arrested for possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both Hashani and West were transported to the Taylorville Police Department, processed and released on a notice to appear.

On Sunday officers were sent to 830 Sequoia Court in Taylorville because of a male passed out in the backyard of a residence.

An ordinance limiting the number of pets for Kincaid residents was recently passed. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says that Taylorville has a similar ordinance on the books, and it is designed to keep trouble to a minimum.

[audio:mayorpets080112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

George Calvert is the city Animal Control Officer.

The Shelbyville Rotary Meeting on Monday included Shelby County Zoning and Administrator and Emergency Management Coordinator Jared Rowcliffe, Rowcliffe talked to the Rotary Club about the re-numbering of rural route addresses.

Rowcliffe says that the rural route address is mainly used by the postal service.

[audio:jaredrowcliffeClip080112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Rowcliffe says that this change will not take place until at least next summer.

[audio:jaredrowcliffeClip02080112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Rowcliffe also said that he knows the difficulties of living with a rural route address, because he currently has one.

The Illinois State Legislature passed a bill in its last legislative session that will affect schools all over the state.

>>Springfield Native Grabs Silver In Diving

(London)  --  Chatham native Kelci Bryant won a silver medal in the women's three-meter
synchronized diving event yesterday.  Bryant and teammate Abby Johnston finished
second to Wu Minxia and He Zi of China.  The victory ended a United States
diving medal drought that dated back to the 2000 Sydney Games.

>>Cubs Drop Cards In Extras

(Chicago, IL)  --  Anthony Rizzo hit a walk off two-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Cubs a 4-2 win over the Cardinals.  It was his seventh homer of the season.  Paul Maholm [[ muh-HALL-um
]] allowed one run in six-and-two-thirds innings, while reliever James Russell
improved to 5-and-0.  Chicago took two-of-three from St. Louis.  Carlos Beltran hit his 23rd home run, a solo shot that tied the game in the eighth inning for the Cards.  Reliever Trevor Rosenthal was tagged with his first
loss.  The Cards have the day off and start a three-game set at Colorado
tomorrow.  The Cubs welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to Wrigley tonight for a
three-game series.

>>Rangers Blank White Sox

(Arlington, TX)  --  Scott Feldman dealt eight innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts to help the Rangers blank the White Sox, 2-0.  Gavin Floyd allowed both Rangers runs, only one earned, in
six-and-two-thirds innings to drop to 8-and-9.  Jordan Dans tallied two hits in
the loss.  The Southsiders kick off a three-game series at Minnestoa this
evening.  Jose Quintana gets the nod opposite Cole De Vries in the opener.


>>White Sox Acquire Liriano From Twins

(Undated)  --  The Chicago White Sox bolstered their pitching staff on Saturday by adding Francisco
Liriano via trade with the division-rival Minnesota Twins.  The 28-year-old
left-hander is just 3-and-10 this season with a 5.31 ERA in 17 starts for
Minnesota.  Liriano threw a no-hitter last season against his new team.  The
Twins received infielder Eduardo Escobar and left-handed pitcher Pedro Hernandez
as a part of the deal.

>>Bulls Sign Mohammed

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Bulls have signed center Nazr Mohammed.  The 6-foot-10,
250-pound veteran appeared in 63 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder last
season and averaged 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds.  The 35-year-old Mohammed has
averaged 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 14 seasons with Oklahoma City,
Charlotte, Detroit, San Antonio, New York, Atlanta and Philadelphia.  He was a
member of the NBA champion Spurs in 2005.

Taylorville recently announced water to be conserved at a stage 1 level. Other towns including Mt. Auburn and Hillsboro are also conserving water currently because of the drought conditions. Pana Mayor Steve Sipes says that the town is close to also having to conserve water.  

The new boys basketball coach at Rochester has been an ever changing position in the last few years and will now have their third different coach in three seasons. John Angelo a Central State 8 veteran coach who also coached Sacred Heart-Griffin and Springfield Lanphier High Schools resigned to pursue a position in the Denver area.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Randy J. Smith 42 of Taylorville was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jeremy J. Beard 39 of Kincaid was arrested for disorderly conduct, aggravated battery to a police officer, criminal damage, and resisting a peace officer.

Kimberly L. Roberts 32 of Fenton, Missouri was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Clifford R. Taylor 34 of Taylorville was arrested for aggravated battery.

Willie J. Jones 40 of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery and aggravated battery.

Donald L Patton 66 of Pana was traveling west on 250 North Road when a deer came onto the roadway. According to a witness Patton could not avoid the deer on his 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Patton received treatment for his injuries at a Springfield hospital. Patton skidded around 20 feet after impact with the deer, then traveled around 38 feet to a point of rest in the north ditch.

The question of beer being allowed at the Taylorville Chillifest is once again a hot topic. The brew was banned from Chillifest 20 years ago.

Then Taylorville Police Officer Greg Brotherton was one of those urging the ban. Now Brotherton is the city mayor, and thinks beer at the event could work, if the proper precautions are taken.

[audio:beerchillifestmayor073112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The City Council is evenly split on the issue, so if the matter is voted on and comes out a tie, Mayor Brotherton would cast the deciding vote.

Traffic fatalities are down across the country in recent years, and enforcement of seatbelt laws is one of the reasons.

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says that is one of the reasons they enforce seatbelt laws strictly.

[audio:sheriffseatbelts073112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Statistics show that the chance of death or injury is greatly reduced when seatbelts are worn.

Terry Huffines passed away on Friday at the age of 69. Huffines left an indelible mark when it came to volunteering in Taylorville. Huffines would announce the boys and girls basketball games for the Taylorville Junior High School and would always help out with Red Bland Little League.

The summer is winding down and with that comes back to school and in particular back to school supplies. Some students may not be able to get everything they need for the school year though. That is where the Taylorville Sertoma Club’s First Day Fund comes in.

The Rochester Rockets have hired former Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin head coach Al Klunick to be the interim boys basketball coach.

The Taylorville Main Street Committee is holding their annual Bar-B-Que, Blues and Cruise Festival at the Christian County Fairgrounds until eleven o’clock tonight.

Event organizers are going for more of a family festival atmosphere this year, along with a lot of BBQ judging taking place thru-out the afternoon and evening.

There is a bouncy village for the kids, laser tag for teenagers, and a backyard BBQ competition along with free live entertainment from “Bumblebee” Bob Kamoske, the Debbie Ross Band, and Screamin’ Vatos.

The Taylorville Main Street Bar-B-Que, Blues and Cruise Festival is their largest fund-raiser of the year, with the proceeds going into bettering the downtown Taylorville area.  The public is invited to attend, and again the event continues until 11 o’clock Saturday night.

Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton is instituting a stage one water conservation warning. Stage one of the plan is a request for voluntary measures, in which people and businesses are urged to conserve water in every way possible.

Stage two of the plan would restrict watering lawns, use of water for cleaning buildings and use of fountains, among other things. Stage three would be even more restrictive.Mayor Brotherton says the text of the water conservation plan can be found at the city's website.

[audio:mayorwater0727121.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again the website address is taylorville.net.

>>Cards Dump Dodgers

(St. Louis, MO)  --  David Freese and Tony Cruz plated two runs apiece as the Cardinals cruised to a 7-4 win over the Dodgers.  Jake Westbrook struck out six over seven innings of four-run ball to
improve to 9-and-8 on the season.  Jason Motte [[ Mott ]] fanned the side in the
ninth to nail down his 22nd save.  Matt Holliday clubbed a solo homer, and Allen
Craig and Matt Carpenter also knocked in runs, as St. Louis took three-of-four
from Los Angeles at Busch Stadium.

>>Cubs Host Cards

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs are back at the Friendly Confines this afternoon as they open up a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.  Travis Wood will toe the rubber against Lance Lynn in
the opener.  The Northsiders took two-of-three at Pittsburgh in their last
series, but dropped Wednesday's finale to fall to 40-and-57 on the season.


>>White Sox In Arlington

(Arlington, TX)  --  The Chicago White Sox are in Arlington this evening to kick off a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.  Chris Sale gets the nod opposite Yu [[ You ]] Darvish in the
opener.  The Southsiders are coming off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota
Twins to improve to 53-and-45 on the season.

>>Bears Acquire DT Price

(Lake Forest, IL)  --  The Chicago Bears have acquired defensive
tackle Brian Price from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an undisclosed 2013 draft
pick.  Price, the 35th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, started 14 of the 15
games he played last season and 14 of the 20 in his career.  The 6-foot-1,
303-pound UCLA alum registered 24 tackles and three sacks in 2011.


>>Bears Place Knox On PUP List

(Bourbonnais, IL)  --  The Chicago Bears have placed wide receiver Johnny Knox on the physically unable to
perform list as he continues to rehab from back surgery.  Knox said there is
still no timetable for his full recovery.  Knox suffered a fractured vertebra
which reacquired surgery on December 18th in a game against the Seattle
Seahawks.

William M. Roth of Taylorville called the Christian County Sheriff's Office on Thursday to report the theft of farm equipment from the farm building he rents at 1846 North 1600 East Road.

Taken from the inside of the building on the property were planter attachments, anhydrous ammonia equipment, no till coulters and fertilizer coulters.

Roth said the incident occurred within the last 8-10 days and the approximate cost of the items taken was between $350 and $400.

Michael T. Kronkow 51 of Taylorville was driving westbound in Vermillion County at 4:28 am on Thursday morning. Kronkow exited the roadway to the right and drove up the embankment and back down towards the roadway.

The Taylorville United Soccer Club will be holding tryouts on July 30th. The team is a competitive traveling team that plays in fall.

The team is looking for boys and girls that were born between August 1, 1999 and July 31, 2003. Again tryouts will be at the Don Bragg Sports Complex in Taylorville on July 30th at 6 pm.

A special session of the General Assembly has been called for August 17th. The main reason for the session is so lawmakers can consider the fate of Representative Derrick Smith, who is accused of accepting bribes.

Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville says the subject of pension reform may also be on the agenda.

[audio:rosenthalonpensions073012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Rosenthal says the issue may remain unsettled until after the November elections.

The Springfield Foxes take their unblemished record and no. 13 national ranking to Monona, WI to take on the Warriors this Saturday night. After a big win last week, where the Foxes shutout the two time defending MSFL Champion Roscoe Rush 27-0,  they are looking to keep the momentum going against the Warriors.

The Foxes 4-0 (2-0) are not resting on their record setting performance last week, which saw QB Drew Fendrich set the team record for most passing yards in a game (271 yards) and the longest interception return in MSFL history (103 yards) by Marcell Phiffer, as they travel the 5 1/2 hour trip to the suburb of Madison. "We had a great perormance last weekend against the Rush", says coach Kirkendoll, "but in this league, road games are tough, no matter who you play." The Warriors 3-1 (1-1) have one common opponent with the Foxes so far this year, they also have played the Rush, trialing 28-0 at halftime, they came back against the rush back-ups to make it respectable at 28-20. "This team is very quick, a lot of athletes, this may be the quickest team we have seen so far this season, so like every week in this league, we need to bring our best to the table and just play Foxes football." adds Kirkendoll, which no doubt must mean a lot of defense.

The Foxes defense is ranked #2 in the league, while the offense sits at #1 averaging over 400 yards per game. Kirkendoll says, "This week, the defense needs to be at the forefront, we tend to focus a little more on offense with all of the wweapons we have, but the defense is what is going to win the tight games for us." That defense forced 3 turnovers, scored on the final play of the game, and is gicing up under 10 points per game this year. This defense is led by Chris Rude (16 tackles) and Craig Rolfe (13)tackles, Nick Gunn and Marcell Pfiefer (1 int each), and Steve Crutchfield and Darion Pfiefer with a sack each.

The offense, led by Fendrich, has taken off , breaking records every game thus far. With so many weapons on this side of the ball, the Warriors may find themselves trying to keep their heads from spinning, especially when #32 has the ball. Courtney Molton, the Foxes running back, has been a tough man to bring down this year, just ask the Rush. Molton was seen making juke after juke Saturday night to produce some big gains, especially in the second half, when the Foxes were trying to run some of the clock out. On the outside, Fendrich looks for his former Millikin teamate, Chris Hampton to bring in the big plays. Hampton had 2 touchdown last week with 140 yards.

Game time is 5p.m. in Monona. The Foxes travel to the currently unbeaten Joliet Bucs next week, before returning to Central Illinois to host the Lincoln-Way Patriots @ SHG Stadium on the 11th of August. That will be the first game at the new SHG Stadium and will be on at 6:45 on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR.

The American Cancer Society will be having a big event in Springfield. The event will kick off making strides against breast cancer. Steve Turner with the American Cancer Society says that this is a nice event for the ACS.

>>Cards Walk-Off On Dodgers

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Rafael Furcal hit an RBI single to left in the bottom of the 12th to send the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the Dodgers.  Starter Kyle Lohse [[ lowsh ]] knocked in a run with a
sac fly.  He gave up two runs in seven innings for a no-decision.  Fernando
Salas earned the win for St. Louis, which earned at least a series split with
this victory.  Jake Westbrook gets the nod opposite Chris Capuano in this
afternoon's series finale.

>>Cards Call Up Fuentes 

The Cardinals purchased the contract of pitcher Brian Fuentes from Double-A Springfield.  Fuentes was signed earlier this month after his release from Oakland.  The Cards also optioned pitcher Victor Marte to
Triple-A Memphis and designated pitcher Chuckie Fick for assignment.

>>Pirates Salvage Series Finale Against Cubs

(Pittsburgh, PA)  --  Mike McKenry clubbed a game-tying solo home run in the fifth frame and Garrett
Jones added a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth as the Pirates edged the Cubs,
3-2, yesterday afternoon at PNC Park.  Anthony Rizzo smacked a solo homer and
added an RBI single for Chicago.  Ryan Dempster gave up all three runs through
six frames of duty to suffer the loss.  The Cubs have dropped four of their last
six games.  They are off today.  Chicago kicks off a three-game series against
the St. Louis Cardinals tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field.


>>Braves No Longer Pursuing Cubs' Dempster

(Atlanta, GA)  --  The Atlanta Braves are no longer in pursuit of Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan
Dempster.  Braves general manager Frank Wren says they are moving on and it's
highly unlikely that a trade will happen.  Reports surfaced on Monday that the
Cubs had traded Dempster to the Braves, but the veteran right-hander denied them
via Twitter and said he would rather play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The
35-year-old holds 10-and-5 rights in his contract and can veto any proposed
deal.  He is 5-and-5 this season with a 2.25 ERA.  The trade deadline is
Tuesday, July 31st.

>>White Sox Sweep Twins

(Chicago, IL)  --  Dayan Viciedo [[
vee-see-AYE-doh ]] went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBI as the White
Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Twins with an 8-2 win in yesterday
afternoon's finale at The Cell.  Alex Rios smashed a two-run home run and Kevin
Youkilis added an RBI single before leaving the game early with a sprained
ankle.  Jake Peavy tossed six innings of two-run ball to improve to 8-and-7 on
the season.  The Southsiders are off today.  They head to Arlington tomorrow
evening to kick off a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.  Chris Sale
gets the nod opposite Yu [[ You ]] Darvish in the opener.


>>Youkilis Leaves With Sprained Ankle

(Chicago, IL)  -- 
White Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis left Wednesday's matinee against the
Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning due to a sprained ankle.  He is listed as
day-to-day.  Youkilis went 1-for-2 with an RBI single before leaving the game. 
In 24 games with the White Sox since being acquired from Boston, Youkilis is
hitting .272 with five home runs and 19 RBI.

>>Bears Hold First
Training Camp Practice

(Bourbonnais, IL)  --  The Chicago Bears have their first training camp practice this afternoon.  The team reported to camp yesterday at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.  Chicago's first
preseason game is on Thursday, August 9th in the Windy City against Peyton
Manning and the Denver Broncos.

>>Rams Sign CB's Jenkins, Johnson

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The Rams have agreed to terms with rookie cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine
Johnson.  Jenkins was selected in the second round of April's draft out of North
Alabama.  He was considered a first-round talent after starting for three years
at Florida, but was dismissed from the program for off-field transgressions. 
Johnson was a third-round pick out of Montana.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Officers spoke to a victim at the Taylorville Police Department in regards to a battery. Officers were told the suspect battered the victim while standing on the Taylorville Square.

Witnesses confirmed the story. The 17 year old male juvenile was located, arrested, and released to his mother.

On Wednesday officers were sent in reference to a 15 year old male juvenile allegedly drinking alcohol. The mother of the juvenile said her juvenile son came home smelling of alcohol and she said that she confronted him and he left.

The 15 year old male juvenile was located and arrested. Officers transported him to the Taylorville Police Department, processed him and released him to his mother.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is getting ready to try something new. President and CEO Patty Hornbuckle says with the help of a local business, they will sponsor a couple of city-wide garage sales.

[audio:pattygaragesale0727121.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Contact the chamber at 824-4919 to find out more information. The chamber is located on the South side of the Taylorville Square.

In the race for the 13^th US Congressional District Democrat Dr. David Gill of Bloomington has been touring the district’s hospitals and talking about healthcare issues.

Christian County is getting a new phone referral service that is funded by the United Way of Christian County. 2-1-1 will be available to help citizens of Christian County 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Karen Zangerle Executive Director of PATH says that the program will go in depth to see how they can help citizens.

[audio:KarenZangerle042712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Zangerle says that they hope to get the program started in October.

[audio:KarenZangerle062712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The 2-1-1 service is currently used in 86% of the country with the only 2 states not fully utilizing 2-1-1 services being Arkansas and Illinois.

The BBQ Blues and Cruise Festival is coming up tomorrow. Becky Edwards the Executive Director of the festival says that the festival expects a lot of people to come out this year.

>>Cards Crush Dodgers
(St. Louis, MO)  --  Allen Craig's two-run double capped off a six-run sixth inning as the Cardinals crushed the Dodgers, 8-2.  Rafael Furcal went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Adam Wainwright plated two runs and scored twice for the Cards, who have won four of their last five games.  On the mound, Wainwright struck out seven over seven-and-a-third innings of two-run ball as he improved to 8-and-10.  The series continues this evening as Kyle Lohse [[ low-sh ]] gets the start against Aaron Harang.

>>Maholm, Cubs Cruise Over Pirates
(Pittsburgh, PA)  --  Alfonso Soriano smacked a two-run homer to back eight stellar innings from Paul Maholm [[ muh-HALL-um ]] as the Cubs cruised to a 5-1 win over the Pirates last night at PNC Park.  Maholm struck out seven and allowed just one run on four hits to improve to 9-and-6 on the season.  Starlin Castro added a solo homer and David DeJesus had a two-run double for Chicago, which has won back-to-back games on the heels of a three-game slide.  Ryan Dempster is scheduled to start against Kevin Correia in this afternoon's series finale.

>>White Sox Storm Past Twins

(Chicago, IL)  --  Adam Dunn went 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs and four RBI as the White Sox scored nine unanswered runs to rally for an 11-4 win over the Twins.  Alexei Ramirez clubbed
a two-run homer and Paul Konerko added a solo shot for Chicago, which has won
the first two in the three-game set.  Jake Peavy goes up against Nick Blackburn
in this afternoon's series finale.

>>Bears' Veterans, Rookies Report To Camp

(Bourbonnais, IL)  --  The Chicago Bears' veterans and rookies report to training camp today at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.  The team's first practice is slated for tomorrow afternoon. 
Family Fest is on Friday, August 3rd at Soldier Field.  Chicago's first
preseason game is on Thursday, August 9th in the Windy City against Peyton
Manning and the Denver Broncos.

The Christian County Sheriff's Office has issued the following arrests.

On Monday officers arrived at lake lot 32 in Taylorville and spoke to a complainant. The complainant said that a juvenile untied his jet ski and used it without his permission.

A good place to cool off during hot weather is the Taylorville Public Library. Dorothy Siles of the library says they had a good turn out this year for their Summer Reading Program.

The question comes up on a regular basis: should city employees be required to live within city limits? The Taylorville City Council recently eased those rules, and Mayor Greg Brotherton says the trend is away from such restrictions.

[audio:mayorcityemployees072612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Municipal employees are now required to live within 6 and a half miles of the Christian County Courthouse.

Conference realignment has been a big issue in college sports recently and with Taylorville High School moving to the Apollo and now many Okaw Valley Schools are also considering a move.

The Pana Community Hospital Foundation has announced the launch of its new website at give.panahospital.com. 

>>Dodgers Shuffle Cards

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Luis Cruz connected on a three-run homer to lift the Dodgers to a 5-3 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis.  Joe Kelly gave up two earned runs in six innings to suffer the loss for
St. Louis.  Carlos Beltran hit a two-run jack and Lance Berkman added an RBI
single for the Cards, who had won their previous three contests.  Adam
Wainwright gets the start tonight against Clayton Kershaw in the second test of
four.

>>Samardzija, Cubs Shut Out Pirates

(Pittsburgh, PA)  --  Jeff Samardzija [[ suh-MARD-juh ]] tossed eight innings of one-hit ball
to lead the Cubs in a 2-0 win over the Pirates.  Samardzija struck out five and
allowed just one walk to improve to 7-and-8 on the season.  Carlos Marmol closed
it out in the ninth to nail down his 12th save.  Alfonso Soriano had a pair of
RBI doubles for Chicago, which snapped a three-game slide.  Paul Maholm will
start tonight's middle contest of three against James McDonald.

>>White Sox Split Twins

(Chicago, IL)  --  Paul Konerko went 3-for-4 and hit a three-run homer to power the White Sox to a 7-4 win over the Twins.  Alejandro De Aza went 3-for-4 with two runs scored while Adam Dunn and
Alex Rios each clubbed two-run homers for Chicago.  Gavin Floyd surrendered
three runs, two earned, over six frames to pick up the win while Addison Reed
notched his 16th save.  The Sox snapped a five-game slide.  Jose Quintana will
toe the rubber against Cole De Vries in tonight's second installment.

>>Bulls Ink Hinrich

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Bulls have signed guard Kirk Hinrich [[ HINE-rick ]].  Terms were not released, but the "Sun-Times" reported in early July that it is a two-year contract worth
approximately $6-million.  Hinrich spent the first seven years of his career
with the Bulls.  He averaged 6.6 points and 2.8 assists in 48 games, including
31 starts, last season for the Atlanta Hawks.  The 31-year-old has averaged 12.5
points and 5.4 assists in his career with the Bulls, Wizards and Hawks.


>>NCAA Levies Penalties Against Penn State

(Indianapolis, IN)  --  The NCAA came down hard on Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky
child sex abuse scandal.  A four-year postseason ban, five years probation and a
vacation of all wins dating to 1998 were among the significant penalties.  Penn
State also must reduce 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a
four-year period.  The school was also hit with a $60-million fine.


>>Paterno No Longer Winningest Football Coach

(State College, PA)  --  The late Joe Paterno is no longer the winningest football
coach in NCAA FBS history.  The former Penn State coach had 111 victories
stripped from his record, dating back to 1998 due to NCAA sanctions over the
Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

As drought conditions worsen across much of Illinois, some local producers could be eligible for emergency haying or grazing of acres enrolled in the federal CRP program.  Jared White has more...

[audio:72312FSAEmergencyGrazingWRAP.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Some breaking news on the Emergency Haying & Grazing of CRP lands, the FSA has now approved counties at a D2 level on the U.S. Drought Monitor for emergency haying and grazing to start immediately.  They don’t have to wait until August 2nd.  Also, producers are allowed to sell the hay.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrest.

The drought in recent weeks is not just affecting farmers. It is also affecting one Moweaqua business.

The Moweaqua Golf Course has been affected by the recent weather. Brad Burcham Head Professional at Moweaqua Golf Course says that the lack of rainfall has hurt the course.

[audio:BradBurchamClip072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Burcham says that despite the drought the greens at the course are better than ever.

[audio:BradBurchamCllip02072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Burcham says that the weather has not affected rounds of golf, but has affected the time of the rounds of golf.

[audio:BradBurchamClip03072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Burcham says that the golf course will not close early because of the dry weather.

[audio:BradBurchamClip04072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Moweaqua Golf Course is located at 2598 East North 500 Road in Moweaqua.

Farmers have been hit hard recently with the recent dry weather conditions. Livestock farmers are no different.

Bruce Nation of Nation Farms says that there are many ways the livestock are being affected by the weather.

[audio:BruceNationClip072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Nation says that in the short term the dry weather will not be too big of a hit, but it will in the long term.

[audio:BruceNationClip02072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Nation says that the weather could also affect the meat prices at the grocery store.

[audio:BruceNationClip03072512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The nation as a whole could lose over $70 billion because of the drought conditions according to MSNBC.com

>>Cards Romp Cubs

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The St. Louis Cardinals finished off a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 7-0 win in the series finale.  St. Louis outscored Chicago 23-1 in the set.  Matt Holliday hit his
16th homer and Carlos Beltran cracked his 21st, while John Jay was 4-for-4 with
two RBI.  Lance Lynn moved to 12-and-4, dealing six shutout innings with five
strikeouts.  Bryan LaHair was 2-for-4 with a stolen base for the Cubs.  Travis
Wood was tagged with the loss, allowing seven runs and nine hits in six
innings.  The Cardinals open a four-game series with the Dodgers tonight.  Joe
Kelly gets the start for the Redbirds against Chad Billingsley.

>>Tigers Top White Sox

(Detroit, MI)  --  Miguel Cabrera blasted a pair of solo homers to help the Tigers top the White Sox, 6-4.  They were the 299th and 300th home runs of his career.  Alex Rios' homer was ruled a double
but was overturned for a two-run shot.  Kevin Youkilis added a solo jack for
Chicago, which has lost five in-a-row.  Phil Humber allowed six runs in three
innings for the loss.  The Sox start a three-game series with the Twins tonight.


>>Astros Trade Myers To ChiSox

(Detroit, MI)  --  The Chicago White Sox acquired right-hander Brett Myers from the Houston Astros on
Saturday for a pair of pitching prospects and a player to be named later.  The
White Sox gave up Matt Heidenreich and Blair Walters to get Myers, who has 19
saves in 21 opportunities this season.  Heidenreich is 9-and-4 with a 3.95 ERA. 
Walters is 4-and-6 with a 3.96 ERA.  Heidenreich will be assigned to Double-A
Corpus Christi and Walters will go to Single-A Lancaster.

>>Larkin, Santo Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

(Cooperstown, NY)  --  Barry Larkin and Ron Santo were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
on Sunday.  Santo finished his career with the White Sox after playing his first
14 with the Cubs.  He was selected to nine All-Star Games and won five Gold
Gloves at third base.  Santo, who was selected by the Veterans Committee, passed
away in December of 2010.

>>Rams' Quinn Charged With DWI

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Rams defensive end Robert Quinn was charged with driving drunk after a traffic accident earlier this month.  The 22-year-old was arrested on July 10th and charged with DWI
before posting bond as a condition of his release.  The Rams released a
statement late last week saying they are aware of the issue and are letting the
legal process take course before taking any action.

>>Rams Rookies Report To Camp Tomorrow
(Earth City, MO)  --  Rams rookies will report to camp at the ContinuityX Training Center tomorrow.  Veterans are set to report on Saturday.  The first preseason game for St. Louis is August 12th at
Indianapolis against the Colts.  The Rams open the regular season September 9th
in Detroit against the Lions.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

On Thursday J. Ostermeier said that her Playstation 3 had been stolen. On Sunday a woman called to report the stolen PS3 was at her residence and she knew her son had taken it.

Officers arrived and the 13 year old male juvenile was arrested, transported to the Taylorville Police Department, processed and released to his mother.

On Saturday night officers received a call in reference to an intoxicated female being loud outside Hershey Towers. While officers were in route they could hear female voices at the intersection of Franklin and Webster Street.

After arrival four female subjects allegedly entered the east door and ran through the lobby using the stairs to try to get away from the officers. Two deputies were able to stop the 16 year old female juvenile suspect in the hallway.

Marissa N. Tennant 20 of Taylorville and Devon L. Rohdemann 20 of Taylorville were out of the building to check on their friends. They were two of the four that ran after officers arrival.

The three were arrested for illegal possession/consumption of alcohol by a minor. They were transported to the Taylorville Police Department processed and released, the female juvenile was released to her father.

There is a lot of talk about water rationing during this drought year. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says if things do not improve soon, it is a real possibility.

[audio:mayorration072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Step 2 of the plan would involve putting a limit on watering lawns and filling pools, among other things. Step 3 would restrict commercial car washes and golf courses.

Something new is coming to this year's Chillifest. Patty Hornbuckle, President and CEO of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce says this year will feature a bags tournament.

[audio:pattybags072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Chillifest is coming up in October.

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR, at John B Pacotti Field in Kincaid, the Springfield Foxes played on Saturday night against a very talented Roscoe Rush team in Mid States Football League action.

The Foxes offense although inconsistent at some points of the game had some huge plays. The two biggest plays of the game came from the Millikin duo. Quarterback Drew Fendrich threw two deep bombs to speedy wide receiver Chris Hampton. One of the passes went for a 56 yard touchdown and the other deep pass was for 58 yards.

Fendrich and Hampton accounted for all 13 of the first half points of the Foxes. While the stifling Foxes defense gave very little ground to the Roscoe Rush. The Rush tried to find an answer against the Foxes using three different quarterbacks throughout the game.

In the second half of the game the Foxes used a potent rushing attack with their two main running backs as well as dual threat quarterback Drew Fendrich. Fendrich accounted for 40 rushing yards for the Foxes rushing yards on just 3 attempts. Also getting into ground was shifty running back Courtney Molton who put up a team leading 68 rushing yards on 8 attempts including a 42 yard run. The power back for the Foxes Ronnie Reed also chipped in with 20 rushing yards on 5 attempts.

In the receiving game for the Foxes as mentioned earlier Hampton was the deep threat and had 3 catches for a total of 140 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jamel Ward also had a big game though, catching 3 passes also for 70 yards and a touchdown.

The Foxes went into the fourth quarter with a 21-0 lead on the Roscoe Rush. The fourth quarter proved to be much of the same for the Foxes with a pulverizing, attacking, agressive defense leading the way. With one play left in the game the Rush attempted a pass into the endzone and Foxes defensive back Marcell Phiffer got an interception and ran the ball back 103 yards for a touchdown to end the game.

The Foxes won the game 27-0. The next game for the Springfield Foxes will be against the Monona Warriors in Monona Warriors in Minona Wisconsin on July 28th. The next game to be broadcast on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR will be on August 11th against the Lincoln Way Patriots. That game will be at the brand new SHG Stadium in Springfield and the brodcast will begin at 6:45 pm.

The race for the 48^th district State Senate seat is in full swing. Republican candidate and Mayor of Decatur Mike McElroy says that he is fiscally responsible.

[audio:MikeMcelroyClip072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McElroy says that his experience as Decatur Mayor will help him compromise in the State Senate.

[audio:MikeMcelroyClip02072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McElroy says that things will have to change with pensions in Springfield.

[audio:MikeMcelroyClip03072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McElroy says whoever wins this race will have a lot of work to do.

[audio:MikeMcelroyClip04072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McElroy says that he is fed up.

[audio:MikeMcelroyClip05072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McElroy has been serving as Mayor of Decatur since 2009. Prior to his election, McElroy served on the Decatur City Council for six years.

The Taylorville Park Board met last night and many issues were discussed. One important issue discussed at the meeting was brought up by Park and Finance Director Kelly Bland.

Bland says that the June numbers for the Manner’s Park Pool are up from last year.

[audio:KellyBlandClip072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Also brought up at the meeting was the issue of the roof for the office building at Manner’s Park that is near the basketball courts as well as the roof for the restroom that is behind that office building.

Park Maintenance Superintendent Gary Brown says that he received a quote for the roofs.

[audio:GaryBrownClip072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There was a motion brought up to accept the offer from RP Lumber at the meeting and it passed unanimously. The costs as mentioned by Superintendent Brown will be $1858 for materials for the office roof and $940 for materials for the restroom roof.

Jason Boldig Lakeshore Golf Course Manager was a guest at the Park Board meeting and he discussed how the drought like conditions was affecting the golf course.  

Boldig says that the dry weather has not been too much of a factor yet.

[audio:BoldigClip072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Boldig continued by saying that there are some issues with some spots on the fairways though.

[audio:BoldigClip02072412.mp3]comment here[/audio]

After Boldig left the meeting to tend to the Lakeshore Golf Course there were some issues and ordinances discussed about the course. One oridance was to authorize transfer or loan of $40,000 annually to the Golf Fund and authorize transfer of previous debt and the Board of Trustees supporting annual capital of $40,000 per year to Lakeshore Golf Course and the committee for improvements to Lakeshore Golf Course supporting an annual $15,000-$20,000 per year.

These motions passed unanimously. Another motion brought up at the Park Board meeting was the motion for by J&D Golf Management to request for every one year in operation at Lakeshore Golf Course, receive one year extension. This motion was not passed nor voted on because the Park Board decided that the 5 year contract they currently have will be sufficient.

Also talked about at the meeting, but moved to the Building and Grounds Committee Meeting next Monday was the talk about Christmas in the Park. The beginning date for Christmas in the Park will be decided next Monday.

One other motion that passed unanimously was a motion to approve (2) 550 gallon. gas tanks with hoses, pumps and hardware  donated from Christian County Farmers Supply Co. in exchange for purchasing gas.

The next Park Board meeting will occur on August 27^th.

Lincoln Land Community College will be hosting a new exhibit centered on Abraham Lincoln.

Christine Ramirez-Campbell the Trutter Museum Coordinator explains the exhibit.

[audio:ChristineRamirezCampbellClip071912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Ramirez-Campbell says that Lincoln Land was asked to host the exhibit.

[audio:ChristineRamirezCampbellClip02071912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Ramirez-Campbell says that the exhibit is engaging.

[audio:ChristineRamirezCampbellClip03071912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The public is invited to view the exhibit Aug. 1 through Sept. 14 in the Student Union of Menard Hall, LLCC-Springfield 5250 Shepherd Road.

An opening reception will be held Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. 

>>Cards Host Cubs

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The St. Louis Cardinals
open up a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs this evening at Busch
Stadium.  Kyle Lohse [[ Loash ]] gets the nod opposite Ryan Dempster in the
opener.  The Cards dropped two-of-three at Milwaukee in their last series to
fall to 47-and-45 on the season.

>>Carp Has Season-Ending Surgery

(St. Louis, MO)  --  St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter
underwent neurogenic thoracic outlet surgery on Thursday in Dallas, Texas.  The
anticipated time of rehabilitation is 2-to-3 months.  The 37-year-old has been
sidelined since the start of the season with numbness and weakness in the right
shoulder.  He began the campaign on the disabled list and had sat out for three
months prior to beginning throwing sessions in mid-June.  In 34 starts last
season, Carpenter was 11-and-9 with a 3.45 ERA.  He also went 4-and-0 with a
3.25 ERA in six playoff starts.

>>Cubs Double Up Marlins

(Chicago, IL)  --  Paul Maholm [[ muh-HALL-um ]] tossed eight innings of one-run ball to lead the Chicago Cubs past the Miami Marlins, 4-2.  Maholm scattered five hits and a walk while
striking out four to record his fourth straight winning decision and improve to
8-and-6 on the season.  Carlos Marmol allowed a run in the ninth but still
earned his 11th save of the year.  Alfonso Soriano homered and Reed Johnson
knocked in a pair of runs for the Cubs, who have won six of their last seven
games.  The Northsiders kick off a three-game series against the St. Louis
Cardinals this evening at Busch Stadium.  Ryan Dempster gets the nod opposite
Kyle Lohse [[ Loash ]] in the opener.

>>Ross Gives BoSox Walk-Off Win

(Boston, MA)  --  Cody Ross clubbed a three-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Red
Sox a 3-1 win over the White Sox in the finale of a four-game series.  Alex Rios
plated Chicago's only run on a sac-fly in the fourth.  Jose Quintana fired eight
innings of five-hit, shutout ball.  Matt Thornton was charged with the loss. 
The Southsiders kick off a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers this
evening at Comerica Park.  Jake Peavy goes up against Justin Verlander in the
opener.

>>Report:  Bulls Sign Radmanovic

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Bulls have signed forward Vladimir Radmanovic.  ESPNChicago is reporting the two sides are close to agreeing on a one-year deal.  Radmanovic averaged 4.5 points
and three rebounds per game with the Atlanta Hawks last season.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Early Friday morning officers received a complaint call from a female saying that Joseph A. Leckner 21 of Taylorville was at her apartment and would not let her leave.

Even though it doesn't take place until October, plans for the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest are well underway.

Chamber President and CEO Patty Hornbuckle says they are planning some old favorite events along with some new ones.

[audio:pattycfest072312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again, the website is Chillifest.info.

There will be a blood drive this week in Shelbyville. Tad Mayhall, with the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, says you could give the gift of life.

[audio:tadblooddrive072312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Mayhall also says there'll be another "Girl's Night Out" next week:

[audio:tadgirlsniteout072312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The phone number for the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce is 774-2221.

The State Senate race for the 48^th District is in full swing. Andy Manar a Democrat from Bunker Hill ran unopposed in the Democratic Primaries.

Taylorville native and Republican Candidate for US Congress in the 13^th District Rodney Davis has received an endorsement by Activator the political involvement fund of the Illinois Farm Bureau.

>>Brewers Hold Off Cards

(Milwaukee, WI)  --  Corey Hart hit a two-run single during a four-run first frame as the Milwaukee Brewers held on for a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.  David Freese and Allen Craig both blasted solo home runs for St. Louis.  Adam Wainwright struck out nine, but gave up four runs, one earned, in
seven innings of duty to suffer the loss.  The Cards have dropped five of their
last six games.  They look to bounce back against the rival Cubs tonight with
Kyle Lohse taking the hill opposite Ryan Dempster.

>>Cubs Beat Marlins In Rain-Shortened Game

(Chicago, IL)  --  Jeff Baker doubled in two runs during a four-run seventh inning as the Cubs beat the
Marlins, 5-1, in a rain-shortened affair.  The game was called in the top of the
eighth inning.  Starlin Castro popped a solo homer for the Cubs, who have won
five-of-six.  James Russell was credited his third win.  Paul Maholm [[
muh-HALL-um ]] gets the nod against Mark Buehrle [[ BURR-lee ]] in this
afternoon's series finale.

>>Two Cubs' Minor Leaguers Suspended

(New York, NY)  --  Major League Baseball has suspended two Chicago Cubs
minor league pitchers for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.  Juancito De
La Cruz and Antonio Encarnacion, who are currently on the roster of the
Dominican Summer League Cubs, were both suspended 50 games after testing
positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.  Both suspensions are without pay and
are effective immediately.

>>Red Sox Smash White Sox

(Boston, MA)  --  Cody Ross homered twice and knocked in six runs as the
Red Sox hammered the White Sox, 10-1.  Paul Konerko smacked an RBI single in the
first for Chicago.  Pedro Hernandez was shelled for eight runs and 12 hits in
four-plus innings to take the loss in his MLB debut.  Jose Quintana will toe the
rubber opposite Clay Buchholz in this evening's series finale.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Erin K. Jones 45 of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery.

Shad J. Richards 40 of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery.

Byron C. Kay 19 of Tower Hill was arrested for assault, illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor, violation of an order of protection, home invasion, battery, and resisting a peace officer.

Alexander B. Shanks 19 of Olney was arrested on a bond forfeiture warrant for an unspecified statute.

Alisha N. Manion 28 of Pana was arrested on a bond forfeiture warrant for an unspecified statute.

On Thursday at 12:46 am officers were sent to 202 West Franklin Street for a female subject that had been involved domestic disturbance. Erin K. Jones 45 of Taylorville was sent to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for wounds to her face.

The Kincaid Police recently arrested 24 year old Chad Johnson and 27 year old Donald Felton both of Taylorville.

The U.S. Department of Energy has dropped Christian and Douglas County from consideration for its Future Gen Project 2.0.

26 Illinois counties are currently listed as disaster areas because of the severe drought conditions in the state.

With these drought conditions many communities may have to ration water. One community that is currently conserving water, but not rationing is Mt. Auburn.

Mt. Auburn Mayor Betty Rankin says that the water usage is being monitored in Mt. Auburn.

[audio:BettyRankinClip071812.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Another community that is currently conserving water, but not rationing is Hillsboro. Hillsboro Mayor John Downs says that Hillsboro has an ordinance in place to conserve water.

[audio:JohnDownsHillsboroClip071812.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Neither Hillsboro nor Mt. Auburn are expected to receive any rain this upcoming week.

>>Brewers Clip Cards

(Milwaukee, WI)  --  Rickie Weeks' fourth-inning solo homer held up as the Brewers clipped the Cardinals, 3-2.  Jon Jay doubled in a run and Carlos Beltran knocked in the other run on a sac-fly
for the Cards, who have lost four-of-five since the break.  Joe Kelly yielded
three runs, two earned, in six frames as he fell to 1-and-2.  The teams wrap up the series, with coverage starting at 12:30 on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM

>>Holliday Leaves After HBP

(Milwaukee, WI)  --  Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday left last night's loss to Brewers after being hit by a pitch.  The injury occurred in the top of the first inning when Randy Wolf hit Holliday with a fastball just above
his left knee.  His 15-game hitting streak will stay intact because his only
plate appearance was not an official at-bat.

>>Marlins Outslug Cubs

(Chicago, IL)  --  Carlos Lee clubbed a grand slam as the Marlins outslugged the Cubs, 9-5, in the first of a three-game series.  Jeff Baker hit a solo homer for Chicago, which had its winning streak
stopped at four.  Travis Wood was lit up for eight runs and eight hits in
four-and-two-thirds to fall to 4-and-4.  Jeff Samardzija [[ suh-MARD-juh ]] gets
the nod opposite Josh Johnson in tonight's second installment.

>>Youkilis Helps White Sox Best Boston

(Boston, MA)  --  Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer against his former team to help the White Sox top
Boston, 7-5.  Alejandro De Aza added a pair of RBI for Chicago, which has won
three-of-five since the break.  Phillip Humber [[ UMM-ber ]] allowed two runs
across six innings to pick up the win and Addison Reed notched his 15th save. 
Jose Quintana will toe the rubber against Felix Doubront in tonight's second
installment.

>>Woman Accused Of Stalking Cubs' Theo Epstein

(Chicago, IL)  --  A Massachusetts woman is under arrest for allegedly stalking Chicago Cubs
President Theo Epstein.  Forty-four-year-old Kathleen Kearney was nabbed Monday
night on West Addison Street.  Cops say Kearney told investigators she wanted to
invite Epstein and his family to go to church with her.  Epstein reportedly
identified Kearney as a woman who he'd previously seen lurking near his
property.  Kearney was expected to appear in court yesterday.  She's charged
with two felony counts of stalking.

An apparent shooting Sunday night in Taylorville sent a local man to the hospital. According to a press release from the Taylorville Police Department, 39 year old Andrew A. Heberling of Taylorville was shot in the leg during an altercation with 35 year old Jaime R. Heberling of Taylorville.

Andrew Heberling was sent to a Springfield hospital to be treated for non life threatening injuries. The incident occurred Sunday night around 10:30.

Jaime Heberling is a former Taylorville Police officer. The investigation is being conducted by Illinois State Police and the Taylorville Police Department.

There is a boil order in effect for the 100-200 block of Crowder Avenue, the 100-200 block of Borah Avenue, Harold Avenue, and Rubini Avenue in Tovey.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

People sometimes wonder if Government jobs are filled through favoritism or patronage. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says the city has a process in place for that purpose.

Bob Ridings in Taylorville is celebrating 37 years of service on Thurday July 19th. Dave Butcher General Sales Manager at Bob Ridings in Taylorville has been with Bob Ridings for 36 ½ of those 37 years and says that there is going to be a lot going on at the event.

>>Cards Rally Past Brewers

(Milwaukee, WI)  --  Allen Craig's RBI single in the top of the ninth lifted the Cardinals to a 3-2 comeback win over the Brewers in the opener of a three-game series.  Craig's hit came after Matt
Holliday delivered a game-tying two-run single in the frame.  Lance Lynn struck
out 10 over seven innings in a no-decision.  Jason Motte was credited with his
fourth win for St. Louis, which stopped a three-game skid.  Joe Kelly is slated
to oppose Randy Wolf in the second of the three-game series tonight.

>>Cards Bring Up Rosenthal From Springfield

(Milwaukee, WI)  --  The Cardinals fortified their bullpen by purchasing the contract of pitcher
Trevor Rosenthal before last night's game at Milwaukee.  The 22-year-old
right-hander had been pitching at Double-A Springfield. To make room, pitcher Maikel Cleto was optioned to
Triple-A Memphis.

>>BoSox Down White Sox

(Boston, MA)  --  Adrian Gonzalez homered and plated four runs as the Red Sox spoiled Kevin Youkilis' return to Fenway with a 5-1 win over the White Sox.  In his first game in Boston since being
traded last month, Youkilis went 3-for-4 with a run for Chicago.  Adam Dunn
knocked in Chicago's only run on a ground out in the first.  Leyson Septimo was
charged with the loss.  The series continues at 6:10.

>>Cubs Open Series With Marlins

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Cubs begin a three-game series with the Marlins at Wrigley Field tonight.  Travis Wood is slated to get the start on the mound for Chicago.  Miami will counter with
Anibal Sanchez.  First-pitch will be at 7:05.

>>Bears, Forte Reportedly Agree To Four-Year Deal

(Lake Forest, IL)  --  Bears running back Matt Forte [[ for-TAY ]] finally has his long-term
contract.  ESPN reports the two sides have agreed to a four-year deal worth
about $32-million.  The 26-year-old tore a knee ligament in early December and
missed the rest of the season, but still rushed for nearly 15-hundred yards and
earned his first Pro Bowl selection.

Many farmers in the State of Illinois are currently hurting because of the drought. State Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville says that Southern Montgomery and Southern Macoupin counties are in a worse position than Christian County.

The Christian County Sheriff's Office has issued the following arrests.

On July 10th officers were sent to Route Mart in regards to an alleged retail theft. Officers arrived and spoke to the owner who showed officers a security video of a female taking a bottle of alcohol.

On Saturday officers were sent to a domestic disturbance at 1123 North Snodgrass Street. Officers were then met by several subjects pointed in the direction of the corn field and said that a woman went that way.

On Monday R. Goodman called the Taylorville Police Department to report that he was almost struck when a male juvenile threw a bottle of Gatorade over Goodman's Fence. Officers arrived and spoke with Goodman and the male juvenile.

Satuday night, the Springfield Foxes traveled to Tremont to take on their rival the Midstate Steel in a battle for the Cornland Bowl Trophy. In what was expected to be a hard hitting closely contested game, Foxes fans that made the trip were not dissappointed.

The Steel 0-1(0-1) started off quick with a scoring drive that went 45 yards in less than 4 minutes, taking a quick 6-0 lead over the visiting Foxes 3-0 ( 1-0).On the ensuing drive, quarterback Drew Fendrich, scored on a 12 yard run, leaving the game tied after the failed extra point attempt. Fendrich finished his night with 53 yards rushing on 6 carries and also completed 10 of 18 passing for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The teams would trade scores back and forth for the first three quarters, with each team scoring a touch down a piece in each quarter. After 45 minutes of football, the teams entered the 4th quater right where they started the night, all tied, but at 20-20. The final 15 would turn out to be a shootout with a total of 36 points scored in the final frame.

With more than bragging rights on the line, The Foxes dug deep and showed there toughness in the 4th quarter. While the Steel stuck to running the ball, the Foxes used all 3 aspects of the game to come away with the win. Courtney Molton returned a kickoff 88 yards to paydirt and  LB Chris Rude forced a fumble and then picked it up and scampered 40 yards to the endzone. With under 3 minutes to go, the Foxes had the ball, down 36-34, Drew Fendrich found Carlston Acres on a swing pass, which he in turn weaved his way through traffic, into the open field, for a 70 yard touchdown, putting the Foxes up 40-36 after a failed 2 point conversion.

That would give the Steel the ball back with just over 2 minutes to in the game. Showing no urgency, the Steel continued to run the football, averaging 3 yards a carry on their final drive. With 39 seconds remaining, the Steel faced a fourth down and 4 from the Foxes 18 yard line, needing a touchdown to win. The Foxes defense pulled together after a long night of bruising football to stop the sweep left  short, giving the ball back to the offense with only 29 seconds remaining. The Foxes were able to take a knee and run off the remainder, escaping with a tough fought, 40-36 win, the Cornland Bowl Trophy, and most importantly, a division victory.

The Foxes, with 6 runners totaling 193 yards, were lead in rushing by Darin Utley who had 61 yards on 7 attempts. The receivers, led by Carleston Acres with 127 yards and 1TD on 5 receptions, totaled 222 yards on 10 catches. Rick Packingham and Jamel Ward also had TD receptions for the Foxes. Defensively, The Foxes once again spread the wealth, with everyone getting in on the hits, led by Chris Rude with 10, followed by Chris Rudolph and 4 others recording 8 tackles a piece. The Springfield Foxes will be on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR this Saturday for their second game on the year, coverage will start at 6:45 pm.

Box Score

@ Tremont High School, Tremont, IL

         1st    2nd  3rd  4th         F

Foxes  6     7       7      20       40    

_______________________________

Steel    6       6     8       16        36

The Taylorville City Council met on Monday night and many important issues were discussed. One of the most pressing issues of the night was brought up in the mayor updates, by Mayor Greg Brotherton. This issue was the one of the possibility of water rationing in Taylorville. Brotherton says that the levels at Lake Taylorville are pretty good considering the dry conditions.

[audio:BrothertonClip071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Brotherton says that there is still a possibility of water rationing in Taylorville.

[audio:BrothertonClip02071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Also brought up at the meeting was the agreement made by an arbitrator for the City of Taylorville and the Policemen’s Benevolent Labor Committee. This agreement says that a person can be on the police force, a firefighter, or a member of AFCSME if they live within a 6 and a half mile radius from the Christian County Courthouse. The Taylorville Fire Fighters Union Local 3144 and AFSCME Council 31 Local 3349 were made a part of the Police Union and City of Taylorville’s arbitrator agreement because of a “me too” clause regarding residence requirements. The motions legally, had to pass as an arbitrator made the decision for the City of Taylorville and the Policemen’s Benevolent Labor Committee and that arbitrator’s decision is legally binding, although there was a councilman who voted no to the motions.

Earl Walters of Ward IV was that alderman, and he says that if you work for the City of Taylorville you should be required to live within the city limits.

[audio:WaltersClip071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again, that motion passed with a vote of 7-1.

Another motion passed unanimously 7-0 at the meeting with one abstention was the motion for the Park Glen Site Plan. Alderman Shawn Burtle of Ward IV says that this motion will add additional parking spaces to Park Glen.

[audio:BurtleClip071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Burtle also explained why he abstained from the vote.

[audio:BurtleClip02071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

All other ordinances at the meeting passed unanimously, those ordinances include.

An ordinance to make appropriations to defray expenditures of the City of Taylorville for the fiscal year commencing May 1, 2012 and ending April 30, 2013.

An ordinance authorizing the submission to the electors of the City of Taylorville the question of whether the city shall have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such a program although this ordinance only includes Ameren customers.

An ordinance amending title 6 chapter 5, section 1 as it relates to the definition of “damaged vehicle” of the Taylorville City Code (Re: Demo Derby Cars)

An ordinance suggested by the Plan Commission to re-subdivision CVS.

An ordinance to ratify the payment of bills which totaled $255,597.12

>>Reds Edge Cards With Late Runs

(Cincinnati, OH)  --  Scott Rolen plated a pair with a single in the eighth as the Reds completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals with a 4-2 victory.  Yadier Molina hit a solo homer and
added an RBI double for St. Louis.  Jake Westbrook surrendered four runs over
seven-and-a-third innings to take the loss.  The Cards start a three-game series
in Milwaukee tonight.

>>Cards Add Fuentes

(Cincinnati, OH)  --  The Cardinals have added the services of reliever Brian Fuentes to a
minor league deal.  Fuentes was released by Oakland last week.  He is 2-and-2
with a 6.84 ERA this season.  Fuentes led the league with 48 saves in 2009.

>>Cubs Sweep D'backs

(Chicago, IL)  --  Matt Garza fired seven shutout innings as the Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 3-1 victory.  Garza struck out seven while allowing five hits and one
walk as he improved his mark to 5-and-7.  Carlos Marmol recorded the final two
outs for his 10th save.  Darwin Barney hit a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo
plated a run for the Cubs, who have won 10 of their last 13 games.  The Cubs
welcome the Miami Marlins to town tomorrow night for a three-game set.  Travis
Wood gets the start against Anibal Sanchez.

>>Sale, ChiSox Clip Royals

(Kansas City, MO)  --  Chris Sale tossed eight innings of one-run
ball to pace the White Sox to a 2-1 win over the Royals.  Sale improved to
11-and-2 on the season, while Addison Reed recorded his 14th save.  Adam Dunn
drilled a solo shot in the first for Chicago, which took two-of-three in the
series.  The Sox are off to Boston where they start a four-game set with the Red
Sox tonight.  Gavin Floyd will get the start against Aaron Cook in the opener.

>>Forte Could Be Close To Deal With Bears

(Chicago, IL)  --  Today marks the deadline for NFL players who received a franchise tag to sign long-term deal and Bears running back Matt Forte says he's optimistic he'll ink a new contract.  Chicago
has been working over the weekend to sign Forte rather than have him play under
a one-year tender worth just south of eight-million-dollars.  The deadline to
sign Forte to a long-term contract is today at 3 p.m. Central time.


>>Johnson Edges Matteson In John Deere Playoff

(Silvis, IL)  --  Zach Johnson edged third-round leader Troy Matteson in
a one-hole playoff to win the John Deere Classic on Sunday.  Johnson posted a
six-under 65 in the final round to get into the clubhouse at 20-under 264.  He
then birdied the playoff hole to beat Matteson, who carded a two-under 69
Sunday.  Scott Piercy finished third at 18-under, while John Senden was fourth
at minus-17.  Three-time defending champion Steve Stricker and Luke Guthrie tied
for fifth place at 16-under 268.

The Christian County Sheriff's Office believes it has solved a recent series of copper thefts. Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says people are still asking him about the case.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce has its monthly Bussiness after Hours event coming up this week. Chamber President and CEO Patty Hornbuckle says it will be held at Park Glen for the first time.

The Christian County Sheriff's Office has issued the following arrests.

On Saturday officers were on patrol at Lake Taylorville and approached Lake Lot #235 in reference to loud music.

Now that July is more than half over, it is time to think about getting back to school. Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau, Superintendent of Taylorville Schools, says some building maintenance is going well and they will be ready to get back in session next month.

[audio:fursteneausummer071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The first day of student attendance will be August 17th.

With dangerously hot temperatures moving back into the area, Central Illinoisans are warned to take precautions.

Taylorville Officer Alan Mills says police do what they can to help people cope.

[audio:alanmillsheat071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Temps today and tomorrow may exceed 100 degrees.

The financial crisis in Illinois is starting to trickle down to municipalities in the form of late or absent payments. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says the state's government woes are now affecting the city.

[audio:mayorstateproblems071712.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Some cities in other states are even filing for bankruptcy, although Taylorville is in no danger of that.

After considerable discussion Monday night, the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest Committee made some decisions regarding whether or not beer might be served at the October event.

The committee voted unanimously, that since Bailey's Pub, a local bar on the north side of the square, had approached the Chamber initially wanting to work with the Chamber on the possibility of serving beer at the event, then it should be Bailey's responsibility to work with the City of Taylorville to obtain permission to serve beer.

The Chillifest committee further decided that if Bailey's gets permission from the City to serve beer using Bailey's liquor license, that the bar can then apply to the Chamber for a beer vendor permit for the 2 days of Chillifest. Committee members felt this would absolve the Chamber from the responsibility of obtaining permission from the City to serve beer, as well as policing the area where it would be served. Committee members added those responsibilities, under the proposal that passed the committee unanimously Monday night, would be taken on by Bailey's Pub.

Chillifest Committee co-chair Greg Hornbuckle told Regional Radio News that the ideas voted on Monday night, will be further discussed by all those involved.

[audio:Hornbucklecut3Jul1612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Hornbuckle also announced during Monday night's meeting, that a new bag tournament is in the works for Chillifest.

[audio:Hornbucklecut2Jul1612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

And, Hornbuckle also announced that 2 new items introduced by Pepsi, will be among items sold at this year's Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest.

[audio:Hornbucklecut1Jul1612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Food and craft vendor forms, as well as the Little Miss and Mister Chilli Pepper pageant forms, and the Cutest Baby Contest form, can all be found on the Chillifest web site, which is “chillifest (with 2-L's)-dot-info”, or can be obtained at the Taylorville Chamber office on the south side of the square.

>>Cardinals Start Second Half

(Cincinnati, OH)  --  The St. Louis Cardinals are back on the diamond this evening as they kick off the second
half of their season with a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.  Adam
Wainwright goes up against Mat Latos [[ LAY-tohs ]] in the opener.  The Cards
finished the first half in third place in the NL Central at 46-and-40.  They are
just two-and-a-half games behind Pittsburgh atop the division standings.

>>Cubs Kick Off Second Half

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs are back on the diamond this afternoon as they open up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.  Paul Maholm [[ muh-HALL-um
]] gets the nod opposite Ian Kennedy in the opener.  The Northsiders ended the
first half in fifth place in the NL Central at 33-and-52.  They are just a
half-game ahead of Houston and 15 games back of Pittsburgh atop the division
standings.

>>White Sox Back In Action

(Kansas City, MO) --  The Chicago White Sox are back in action this evening as they kick off the
second half of their season with a three-game series against the Kansas City
Royals at Kauffman Stadium.  Jose Quintana goes up against Bruce Chen in the
opener.  The Southsiders ended the first half in first place in the AL Central
at 47-and-38.  They are three games ahead of Cleveland.

>>Bears Raise Ticket Prices
(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Bears have significantly raised single-game ticket prices.  Last year, the cheapest ticket was $74.  This season, the cheapest single-game ticket is $101.  Every single
game ticket will be $25 more expensive than a season ticket price.  Soldier
Field has the smallest seating capacity in the NFL at around 61,500.


>>Bulls Prep For Las Vegas Summer League
(Las Vegas, NV) --  The Chicago Bulls are back on the court next week as they open up their Las
Vegas Summer League schedule.  The Bulls square off against the Boston Celtics
on Tuesday at Cox Pavilion in their opener.  Chicago also plays summer league
contests versus Houston, Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee next
week.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

On Thursday officers responded to a compliment of juveniles riding on top of cars in Manners Park, officers arrived to Manner's Park and spoke to a male who had witnessed the incident and provided officers with registration on the vehicle.

While officers were in the park they saw the vehicle, conducted a traffic stop on it and after the stop a male, juvenile was arrested for reckless driving and issued multiple situations.

A recent ordinance that could go into place in Springfield has been causing a lot of controversy. The ordinance would ban people under the age of 18 to use tanning salons.

The village of Kincaid recently passed an ordinance that would prohibit an inordinate amount of pets for residents.

>>Cards Begin Second-Half Against Reds

(Cincinnati, OH)  --  The St. Louis Cardinals start the second-half of the season with a six-game road
trip beginning with a three-game series against the division rival Cincinnati
Reds on Friday.  Adam Wainwright and Mat Latos toe the rubber.  The Cards
finished the first half with a 46-and-40 record.  They sit a game-and-a-half
behind the Reds for second place and two-and-a-half-games behind the Pirates for
first place in the NL Central.   

>>Cubs Host D'Backs Tomorrow

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs open up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field.  Paul Maholm [[ muh-HALL-um ]] will toe the rubber against Ian
Kennedy in the second-half opener.  The Northsiders ended the first half in
fifth place in the NL Central at 33-and-52.  They are just a half-game ahead of
Houston and 15 games back of Pittsburgh atop the division standings.


>>Cubs Sign First-Round Pick Almora

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs signed outfielder Albert Almora on Wednesday.  The Cubs selected
Almora with the sixth overall pick in this year's draft.  The 18-year-old Almora
batted .603 with 13 doubles, five triples, six home runs and 34 RBI in 25 games
for Mater Academy last season.  Almora was named by Baseball America as the
second-best outfielder available in the draft, and the third-best high school
player in the class.

>>White Sox In KC

(Kansas City, MO) --  The Chicago White Sox kick off the second half of their season tomorrow
evening in the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at
Kauffman Stadium.  Jose Quintana gets the nod opposite Bruce Chen in the
opener.  The Southsiders ended the first half in first place in the AL Central
at 47-and-38.  They are three games ahead of Cleveland.

>>John Deere Classic Tees Off This Morning

(Silvis, IL)  --  Steve Stricker returns to Illinois to try for his fourth consecutive title at the John
Deere Classic.  Stricker, the 13th-ranked player in the world, owns 12 PGA Tour
titles, and three of them have come at this event.  Last year, Stricker rolled
in a 25-foot birdie from off the 18th green to take the title.  Once again, the
2012 John Deere Classic falls the week before the British Open, the season's
third major.  Stricker is one of five former John Deere champions in the field
this week, while Ted Potter Jr. will tee it up fresh off his victory at the
Greenbrier Classic last weekend.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Officers were sent to Taylorville Memorial Hospital in regards to subjects getting into a vehicle in the parking lot. Officers met with Taylorville Memorial Hospital security guards in the 500 block of East Elm Street.

Security had followed the juvenile subjects to the area. One juvenile ran from the scene, the other was a 13 year old male juvenile was placed under arrest and items were recovered.

The 13 year old male juvenile was transported to the Taylorville Police Department processed and released to his father.

The topic of beer being offered at the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is once again being discussed.

Patty Hornbuckle, Chamber President and CEO, says the topic came up at a recent Chillifest Board meeting.

[audio:pattybeer1071312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Hornbuckle says the chamber is proceeding very carefully:

[audio:pattybeer2071312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Beer at Chillifest was prohibited by the Taylorville City Council in the early 1990s after several area church groups requested the ban.

One of the most known firefighter mottos is “Everyone Goes Home” it is actually on the wall in the Taylorville Fire Department. This statement is especially true for one retiring firefighter.

Chris Smith a Captain with the Taylorville Fire Department is retiring after 23 years of service. Smith says that his favorite part of being a firefighter was to lead.

[audio:ChrisSmithClip071312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Smith says that one of his best memories as a firefighter involved some canines.

[audio:ChrisSmithClip02071312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Smith says that he is going to miss his fellow firefighters.

[audio:ChrisSmithClip03071312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Smith says that he has got a new job.

[audio:ChrisSmithClip04071312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Smith official retirement date is on July 19^th, but Wednesday was his last day on the job.

A Classic Bouquet in Taylorville has a new owner. The new owner is Vickie Marsango. Marsango is taking over for the previous owner Nancy Scott.

>>NL Romps AL At All-Star Game

(Kansas City, MO)  --  The National League dominated last night's All-Star Game in Kansas City, defeating the
American League, 8-0.  It was the first shutout in an All-Star Game since the NL
defeated the AL 6-0 in Philadelphia in 1996.  With the victory, the NL will now
host the World Series for the third straight year.  Cubs shortstop Starlin
Castro and first baseman Bryan LaHair both went 0-for-1 off the bench.  Four
Southsiders made the team, but just two played.  Pitcher Chris Sale gave up two
hits and struck out one in a scoreless inning.  Paul Konerko did not have an
at-bat but took over at first base for Prince Fielder for a few innings.  Adam
Dunn and Jake Peavy did not make an appearance.

The Northsiders and Southsiders both start the second half of the season on Friday.  The Cubs open
up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon at
Wrigley Field.  The ChiSox stay in KC to kick off the second half of the season
on Friday evening with the opener of a three-game set against the Royals.


>>Bulls Start Las Vegas Summer League Next Week

(Las Vegas, NV)  --  The Chicago Bulls will be in Sin City next week.  The Bulls open
up their Las Vegas Summer League schedule on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics
at Cox Pavilion.  Chicago also plays summer league contests versus Houston,
Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee next week.

>>Brock Given Robinson Legacy Award

(Kansas City, MO)  --  St.
Louis Cardinals legend Lou Brock is the 2012 Jackie Robinson Legacy Award winner
for Lifetime Achievement.  Brock was presented with the award by the president
of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick, in Kansas City.  The
six-time All-Star was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.  In 19
seasons with the Cardinals and Cubs, Brock batted .293 with 3,023 hits and 938
stolen bases.  Brock retired as baseball's single-season and all-time leader in
stolen bases.  His records were later broken by Rickey Henderson.


>>Blues Keep Langenbrunner

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Jamie Langenbrunner to a one-year contract. 
Langenbrunner had six goals and 18 assists in 70 games with the Blues last
season.  In over one-thousand career NHL games with Dallas, New Jersey and St.
Louis, Langenbrunner has 243 goals, 419 assists and 837 penalty minutes.  A
two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Langenbrunner has registered 34 goals and 53
assists in 146 playoff games.

>>Blues Ship Crombeen To Bolts


(St. Louis, MO)  --  The St. Louis Blues traded forward B.J. Crombeen
and a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning on
Tuesday.  In exchange, the Bolts send fourth-round picks in the 2013 and 2014
drafts to St. Louis.  The 27-year-old Crombeen scored one goal and had two
assists in 40 games with the Blues last season.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

On Saturday Jean M. Walker of Palmer was traveling south on Cheney Street. Walker entered the intersection of Spresser Street to turn left.

With the continuous dry weather hitting Central Illinois many farmers have to use their crop insurance.

It is the season for outdoor events. One event that is coming up later this month is the BBQ Blues and Cruise Festival.

On June 30, the Foxes took on the Blaze from Chicago in their second and final tune up for the 2012 MSFL season. Once again this pre-season, the Foxes had plenty of chances to look at their new group of talent as the game was well in hand by halftime, at which point the foxes were ahead 27-0, eventually winning 35-6. QB Drew Fendrich led the attack with 222 yards passing, on only 10 of 16 completions for the night coupled with his 31 yards on 3 rushes. The Foxes worked the ball around early in the game, giving Fendrich time to get in rythym with some of the newly signed receivers. Marcus Bates and Rick Packingham combining for 4 catches, 135 yards and 3 touchdowns, led the receiving core and helped show just how explosive the Foxes offense can be this season. On the ground, the Foxes deployed the running back by committee theory and had six different backs with carries. In addition to Fendrich's 31, Darin Utley led the way with 59 yards on just 7 carries and a touchdown, while the team managed 157 yards on just 18 carries for the night.

On the defensive side, the Foxes were spreading the wealth, with 17 players recording tackles, but without a single one recording more than 4. The Defense was led by linebackers Jae Russell (3), Mike Rose (3), and Ayoub Elayyan (4) with 10 tackles combined. "That is the way our defense is set up to execute. There isn't one single superstar, you are going to see a lot of tackles spread over many players each and every week this year." says  Coach Jason Kirkendoll.

The Foxes begin regular season and Division action on Saturday, July 14th, playing on the road against the Mid-State Steel out of Tremont. This game is a big rivalry for us, " adds Kirkendoll, " with only 2 teams in downstate Illinois, we are a different breed of football, more hitting, more physical, this is expected to be a dog fight similar to last year." Last years contest was a 9-6 win by the Foxes in Kincaid. This years game takes on a little extra meaning as the teams now have a traveling trophy to pass back and forth begining this year. We want to give it a permanent home in Kincaid!"

 The team will return for their home opener on the 21st of July, Hosting the Roscoe Rush again this season. If you recall, that was a game in which the Foxes trailed 20-0 early in the second quarter last year, only to take a 3rd quarter lead of 27-20, but would eventually fall short to the now 2 time defending MSFL Champions 43-33.

Tickets are available at the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce for a discounted price:

                                    website/gate           TCC

Adult Season passes         $16                      $14

Student Passes                 $ 10                      $8

Adult single tickets            $5                         $4

Children, military,

senior tickets                     $3                         $2

>>Beltran Fourth In HR Derby

(Kansas City, MO)  --  Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran finished fourth in last night's Home Run Derby in
Kansas City.  Beltran clubbed seven homers in the first round followed by five
in the second.  Detroit's Prince Fielder defeated Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays
in the final round, 12-7.

>>La Russa Picks Cain As NL Starter

(Kansas City, MO)  --  Former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announced
that Giants pitcher Matt Cain will start tonight's All-Star Game for the
National League.  La Russa also revealed his starting lineup for the contest. 
Carlos Gonzalez will be the designated hitter and lead off followed by Giants
center fielder Melky Cabrera and Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun.  Reds' Joey
Votto will bat clean-up and play first base followed by Cards right fielder
Carlos Beltran and Giants catcher Buster Posey.  San Francisco third baseman
Pablo Sandoval will hit seventh followed by Braves second baseman Dan Uggla and
St. Louis shortstop Rafael Furcal will hit ninth.

>>Cubs Sign Top-Pick Almora

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs
have reportedly agreed to a deal with first-round pick Albert Almora.  The
"Chicago Tribune" reports the sixth-overall selection agreed to a
$3.9-million-dollar bonus. The 18-year-old outfielder from Mater Academy batted
.603 with six homers and 34 RBI and also had 24 steals last season.


>>Cubs, Sox Prep For All-Star Game

(Kansas City, MO)  -- 
The Cubs and White Sox will be well represented at this evening's All-Star Game
in Kansas City.  Shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Bryan LaHair
represent the Northsiders on the National League squad.  Meanwhile, sluggers
Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn join pitchers Jake Peavy and Chris Sale on the Junior
Circuit.

The Northsiders and Southsiders both start the second half of
the season on Friday.  The Cubs open up a three-game series against the Arizona
Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.  The ChiSox stay in KC to
kick off the second half of the season on Friday evening with the opener of a
three-game set against the Royals.

>>White Sox' Youkilis Wins AL
Weekly Honor

(New York, NY)  --  Chicago White Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis [[ you-KILL-is ]] has been named the top player in the American League for the last week of the first half.  Youkilis hit .478 with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored over six games in just his second full week with the
White Sox.  Since being traded to Chicago on June 25th after spending his first
eight seasons with the Boston Red Sox, the 33-year-old is batting .347 with
three homers, 14 RBI and nine runs scored over 13 games.  It is the second
career weekly award for Youkilis.

>>Report: Bulls' Deng Commits To
Olympics

(Chicago, IL)  --  Chicago Bulls forward has committed to play
for host Great Britian during the London Olympics.  The Bulls had initially
tried to talk Deng out of playing because of a wrist ligament injury he suffered
in January.  Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said last week that Deng will not surgery
on the wrist this offseason and is expected at the team's training camp after
the Olympics.

According to climateillinois.com 89% of the State of Illinois is currently in a drought. Central Illinois is included in these drought numbers.

The recent heat wave over the Central Illinois area has some people concerned about heat related illnesses.

Dr Matt Johnson an ER doctor for Taylorville Memorial Hospital says that not sweating can actually be a symptom of a heat related illness.

[audio:DrMattJohnsonClip071112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Johnson says that if possible people should try to avoid the heat.

[audio:DrMattJohnsonClip02071112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Johnson says that if you are in an emergency situation with someone having a heat related illness you should cool the person down.

[audio:DrMattJohnsonClip03071112.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There are cooling centers for each county in Illinois, to find a cooling center for your county go to keepcool.illinois.gov.

The Taylorville School Board met on Monday night and many issues were discussed. One of the most pressing issues brought up at the meeting was the recent request to bring back the bowling team to Taylorville High School. This was previously discussed at the June 19^th athletic committee meeting.

Athletic Committee Chairman Seth McMillan says that the bowling team has produced many scholarship athletes in years past.

[audio:SethMcMillanClip071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McMillan says that bowling will be back for the 2012-13 school year.

[audio:SethMcMillanClip02071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The motion to bring back the bowling team passed unanimously.

Another issue brought up in the Superintendent’s Report by Superintendent Gregg Fuerstenau was the process of selling the West School Property.
Fuerstenau says that Board Attorney Tom Doyle discussed the issue of selling the property at the R.O.E. Meeting on Monday night.

[audio:GregFuersteneauClip071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The issue of the West School Property will be discussed further at future school board meetings and building committee meetings.

Another item that was discussed before the meeting is the upcoming renaming of Taylorville High School’s West Gym to Dolph Stanley Gym.

Board Member Kate Fraley says that many Taylorville players and family of Stanley will come back to celebrate the new name.

[audio:KateFraleyClip071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Another important bit of new business at the meeting was the handing out of two diplomas to, two new Taylorville High School graduates. Megan Workman (pictured above with Board President David Cowell) and Haley Robinson were given their diplomas at the meeting.

Another item brought up at the meeting was the consideration of the FY13 General Supply Bids. Included in this were 30 Apple Ipad 3’s and also 3 Apple Macbook Air 11’s. These items will be in use at Taylorville Junior High School. The FY13 General Supply Bid passed unanimously.

Other items that passed unanimously at the meeting include:

A consideration of Resolution for allowance of Inter-Fund Transfers

A consideration of FY13 Elementary textbook purchases

A consideration of Board Policies

Again all of those measures passed unanimously at the meeting.

The next School Board Meeting will occur on August 13^th.

The People’s Bank and Trust in Pana will hold a People’s Community Park Dedication on Monday. 

Community Bank President of People’s Bank and Trust, George Heintz says that park will remember former employees of the bank.

[audio:GeorgeHeintzClip070912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Heintz says that he thinks this park was part of the bank’s duty.

[audio:GeorgeHeintzClip02070912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Heintz says that the park has a lot of nice features.

[audio:GeorgeHeintzClip03070912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The dedication will be held at 6:30 pm tonight and the public is invited to attend.

>>Furcal Lifts Cards To Win Over Fish

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Rafael Furcal was the hero yesterday with a two-run single in the ninth that lifted the
Cardinals to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Marlins.  Furcal finished 2-for-5 with
three RBI for St. Louis, which closes the first half of the season at 46-and-40
and two-and-a-half games behind the first-place Pirates.  Mitchell Boggs earned
the win in relief for the Cards after starter Joe Kelly threw six frames and
allowed just one unearned run on two hits.  St. Louis resumes the season on
Friday in Cincinnati for the start of a three-game set with the Reds.

>>Cubs Blank Mets In Dempster's Return

(Flushing, NY)  --  Starlin
Castro clubbed a three-run homer to back five scoreless frames from Ryan
Dempster in his return from the disabled list as the Cubs blanked the Mets, 7-0,
yesterday afternoon in the Big Apple.  Dempster came back from a lat injury to
fan four and allow just four hits to improve to 4-and-3 on the season.  Alfonso
Soriano, Jeff Baker and Geovany Soto also knocked in a run for Chicago, which
took two-of-three at Citi Field.  The Northsiders are off for the All-Star
break.  They open up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on
Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

>>Blue Jays Hold Off White Sox


(Chicago, IL)  --  Colby Rasmus and Edwin Encarnacion both hit two-run
homers in the first frame to lead the Blue Jays to an 11-9 win over the White
Sox yesterday afternoon at The Cell.  Alex Rios ripped a three-run homer and
plated four runs for Chicago.  Alexei Ramirez knocked in a pair and Kevin
Youkilis [[ you-kill-is ]] finished 3-for-4 with an RBI in defeat.  Dylan
Axelrod gave up seven runs in just three innings of duty to suffer the loss. 
The Southsiders are off for the All-Star break.  They kick off the second half
of the season on Friday evening with the opener of a three-game set at Kansas
City.

>>Peavy Added To AL All-Star Roster

(Chicago, IL)  --  Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy has been added to the American League
All-Star roster.  Peavy replaces Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson.  Peavy will make
his third career All-Star appearance and his first in the American League after
appearing in 2005 and 2007 with the San Diego Padres.  The 31-year-old has a
7-and-5 record with a 2.85 ERA and four complete games in 17 starts for the
White Sox this season.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Many students in the Taylorville area get free or reduced lunches at their school. This occurs during the school year, but in summer it may be difficult for some families to get lunch for their children. A new program has started in Taylorville that will help out these families; it is called the summer hot lunch program.

Amy Hagen the Chair of Missions for the First United Methodist Church says that this program was made possible by area churches working together.

[audio:AmyHagenChurchLunchClip071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Hagen says that kids from 2 to 18 can participate in the program.

[audio:AmyHagenChurchLunchClip02071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Hagen says that her work with Memorial School has helped her notice the need of a summer lunch program.

[audio:AmyHagenChurchLunchClip03071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Hagen says that students do not have to register for the program.

[audio:AmyHagenChurchLunchClip04071012.mp3]comment here[/audio]

You can get more information about the summer hot lunch program by calling the First United Methodist Church at 824-2782.

Even though gas prices have been lowering, some people in the Christian County area have allegedly been stealing some gas cans.

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says that the thefts have occurred on Beechwood Drive and Roosevelt Road.

[audio:SheriffKettelkampClip070912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Kettelkamp says that people should be alert and contact the Sheriff’s Office if necessary.

[audio:SheriffKettelkampClip02070912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If you have any information concerning these, or any other crimes, notify the Christian County Sheriff’s Office (824-4961), their local law enforcement agency or Christian County Crime Stoppers at (1-800-568-TIPS) or (824-9100).

Three heat related deaths have been reported in Chicago. Mike Crews the Christian County Emergency Manager says that if you can, you should stay indoors.

[audio:MikeCrewsClip070612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Crews says that although they are currently no water rationing issues in Christian County yet, there is a process citizens can follow.

[audio:MikeCrewsClip02070612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Crews says that people working outside should try to work in the shade if possible.

[audio:MikeCrewsClip03070612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There are cooling centers located in every Department of Natural Resources Building in each county.

A heat advisory is in effect until Saturday evening and this heat has been affecting many farmers in the area. Len Corzine, Assumption farmer and past President of the National Corn Growers Association, says that this heat will cut down the yields for farmers.

[audio:LenCorzineClip070612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Corzine says that there is not much farmers can do in these dry conditions.

[audio:LenCorzineClip02070612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

From June 28^th through July 5^th there has been less than one tenth of an inch of rain, and every day has seen a high of at least 100 degrees.

Navigating the Taylorville Square on a Friday or Saturday night is much easier than it used to be. Time was, the area was filled with local "cruisers" on the weekends.

Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says things have changed:

[audio:mayorsquare070912.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Mayor Brotherton is a former police officer.

Members of the Christian County Economic Development Board recently had a chance to tour Lincoln Land Community College's main campus in Springfield.

Patty Hornbuckle, President and CEO of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce, says everybody should take a tour of the facility.

[audio:pattyllcc070612.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Lincoln Land also boasts a campus in Taylorville and several other locations.

>>Cards Fly Over Rockies

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Matt Holliday was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI as the Cardinals beat the Rockies, 4-1.  Adam Wainwright moved to 7-and-8 striking out seven and allowing one-run across
six innings.  St. Louis has won three of its last four games.  These two teams
finish off their four-game series tonight with Lance Lynn facing off against
Christian Friedrich. 

>>Cubs Down Braves

(Atlanta, GA)  --  Anthony Rizzo and Bryan LaHair each hit solo home runs to help the Cubs take out the Braves, 5-1.  The two combined to go 4-for-7 while Paul Maholm improved 6-and-6 by dealing six
innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts.  Chicago has won five of its last
six games.  Matt Garza goes up against Mike Minor in this evening's series
finale.

>>ChiSox Slide By Rangers

(Chicago, IL)  --  Kevin Youkilis singled home Alejandro De Aza in the bottom of the 10th inning to give
the White Sox a 5-4 win over the Rangers.  Gordon Beckham knocked in a pair of
runs for Chicago, which has won the first two games of this series.  Addison
Reed picked up the win out of the bullpen.  Jose Quintana gets the nod opposite
Matt Harrison in this afternoon's series finale.

>>Injury Forces Noah Off French Team

(Chicago, IL)  --  Joakim [[ joe-KEEM ]] Noah will no longer be playing in the London
Olympics.  The Chicago Bulls center announced on Wednesday that he would not be participating for
France because of an ankle injury he suffered during the NBA playoffs.  Noah
averaged 10.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season for the Bulls.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Whalen’s West Side Floral Shop in Shelbyville has a new name and a new owner. The new name is Grammies West Side Floral and the new owner is Kathy Swarms.

Swarms says although there is a new owner and name there will not be too much difference between Grammies and Whalen’s.

[audio:KathySwarmsClip070512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Swarms says that Grammies has a little bit of everything.

[audio:KathySwarmsClip02070512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Swarms says that she loves to create floral designs

[audio:KathySwarmsClip03070512.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Grammies West Side Floral is located at 1311 West Main Street in Shelbyville, and you can contact them at 774-4644.

With the 4th of July almost here, police agencies are gearing up for saturation patrols and roadside safety checks, and one of their major efforts will be to monitor seatbelt usage.

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says buckling up just makes sense, as an accident victim in Stonington recently learned.

[audio:seatbeltsheriff070312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Police will also be extra watchful for drunk drivers during the holiday period.

The Christian County Senior Citizens Center has a new Executive Director. Jerry Marr is the new Executive Director.

>>Cardinals Rip Rockies 

Allen Craig homered twice and plated three as the Cardinals routed the Rockies, 9-3.  Matt Holliday
also went deep and knocked in two for the Cards in the opener of the four-game
set.  Kyle Lohse [[ lowsh ]] tossed seven-and-a-third innings of two-run ball to
improve to 8-and-2.  Joe Kelly takes the ball tonight against Jeff Francis in
the second test of four at Busch Stadium.

>>Reds' Cueto Threatens Grievance Over All-Star Snub 

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto [[ KWAY-toe ]] isn't taking his snub from the National League
All-Star roster too well.  Cueto claims that NL manager and former St. Louis
Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa left him off the roster for personal reasons. 
The Reds hurler has the backing of his manager Dusty Baker, who told the
"Cincinnati Enquirer" the move could be related to an on-field brawl the two
teams had in 2010.  According to the "Post-Dispatch," Cueto's agent Bryce Dixon
has emailed MLB Players Association executive director Michael Weiner
threatening to file a grievance about the issue.

>>Samardzija, Cubs Shut Down Braves 

Luis Valbuena ripped a tie-breaking three-run double to back seven stellar innings from Jeff Samardzija
[[ suh-MARD-juh ]] as the Cubs cruised to a 4-1 win over the Braves.  Samardzija
struck out 11 and allowed just one run on four hits to improve to 6-and-7 on the
season.  James Russell closed it out in the ninth to nail down his second save. 
Anthony Rizzo added a solo home run for Chicago, which has won four straight and
six of their last seven games overall.  Chris Volstad gets the start tonight
against Jair Jurrjens in the second test of four at Turner Field.

White Sox Host Rangers 

The Chicago White Sox open up a three-game homestand against the Texas Rangers at The Cell.  Chris Sale will go up against Roy Oswalt [[ OWES-walt ]] in the opener.  The Southsiders
split a four-game set with the New York Yankees over the weekend, but dropped
their last two to fall to 42-and-37 on the season.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests.

Taylorville Christian Church will soon be looking for a new Senior Minister for the first time in over 20 years. Dick Wamsley has been with Taylorville Christian Church since January of 1990.

Wamsley says that he wants to do some different things.

[audio:DickWamsleyRetirementclip0704121.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Wamsley says that being in local ministry makes a difference.

[audio:DickWamsleyRetirementclip020704121.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Wamsley says that he remembers a hospital call from early in his career as a minister.

[audio:DickWamsleyRetirementclip030704121.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Wamsley says that he wants to give the new pastor time to develop his own style of leadership

[audio:DickWamsleyRetirementclip040704121.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Wamsley is slated to retire on May 31, 2013.

The Taylorville City Council met last night and there were many important issues being discussed.

One issued discussed was an ordinance to direct the City Attorney David Fines to amend the Taylorville City Code Section 6-5-1 “Definitions: Damaged Vehicle” to include…”junked, that is prepared for Demolition Derby, Racing, or disabled….”

Alderman Bruce Jones of Ward III says that this gave more teeth to the ordinance.

[audio:BruceJonesClip070312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

This motion passed unanimously.

During the Mayor Updates Mayor Greg Brotherton brought up the topic of the Minnesota students who worked at the Christian County Historical Society in June.

Brotherton says it was a great program.

[audio:GregBrothertonClip070312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Also brought up in the Mayor Updates portion of the council meeting was the recent passing of the Affordable Care Act.

Mayor Brotherton says it’s time to get serious

[audio:GregBrothertonClip02070312.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Ordinances brought up at the City Council meeting that faced opposition included the annexation of the Louis J. Sloan and Rebecca L. Sloan property at the 1700 block of West Elm Street. This passed with a vote of 6-1, with Rob Heberling of Ward II wanting to table the measure, but not getting a second to his motion to table the measure. Heberling then voted no on the annexation measure.

Also brought up at the meeting was the amendment previously discussed at the last city council meeting, to address the salary for the Cemetery Sexton/Airport Manager. This motion passed with a 6-1 vote with Alderman Shawn Burtle of Ward IV voting no to the measure.

All other motions at the meeting passed unanimously. Those motions included:

Motion to accept the estimate from Brent Windell for $3,400 for surveying Block 40 because the additional 18 lots in his plan will result in approximately $45,000 additional income Motion to renew the property and equipment insurance, the general liability and auto          coverage, and the pollution liability/storage tank environmental impairment      insurance through Kinsella-McNeely-Ryan-Markwell, Inc. at a cost of  $176,714.00          that does not include the two (2) Police vehicles just purchased.

Motion to place on the November 6, 2012 ballot as a referendum item “Shall the City of Taylorville have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such a program?”

Motion to forward the Administration, Fire/Police Commission, Municipal Building, Insurance, IMRF, and Social Security FY 2012/2013 Budgets to the City Treasurer for further refinement.

Motion to approve the 27^th Annual Chillifest for the weekend of October 13 & 14, 2012 and the 10^th Annual Chillifest 5 K Run/Walk on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

Motion to approve Pay Request #9 from McIntire & Company in the amount of $17,099.05 for the Kenmore-Phase II-Storm Sewer Project.

Motion to approve Pay Request #6 from McIntire & Company in the amount of $201,120.23 for the Kenmore-Phase III-Storm Sewer Project.

Motion to approve new curbs, gutters and pavement on North Main and Vine Street around City Hall at a cost of $7,000.00 per Ward.

Motion to approve the Resolution for Maintenance of Streets and Highways by Municipality under the Illinois Highway Code ($250,000.00)

Motion to allow Superintendent Wiseman to purchase a 2012 Elgin Pelican NP Three Wheel

Broom Street Sweeper with Single Side Broom and Belt Conveyer at a price of $162,800.00 from Key Equipment & Supply Company.

Motion to approve the payment of $11,070.00 to Evans-Mason, Inc. for the City of Taylorville Municipal Building Masonry Repairs.

Again all of those motions passed unanimously.

The next City Council Meeting will be on July 16^th.

The Christian County Outreach Office is always looking for donations to help out needy families and individuals.

On Sunday at 2:44 pm the Shelby County Sheriff's Office were told by the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office of a possible drowning at Lake Mattoon Beach in Shelby County.

25 year old Jesse Storm of Windsor, was reportedly swimming at the beach with family, had swum out to retrieve a raft and went under water and never resurfaced.

Neoga Fire and Rescue, the Coles County Dive Team, Paris Dive Team, Shelby County Dive Team, Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Shelby County Coroner, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Arcola Fire and the Red Cross responded to the beach and began the search for Mr. Storm.

At approximately 7:00 pm Mr. Storm's body was found close to where he was last seen. Mr. Storm was pronounced dead at the scene by Shelby County Coroner Brian Green.

Temperatures were got into the triple digits last week. Some people might need a place to cool down in this extreme heat.

Paula White Office Manager for the Central Illinois Public Transit Shelby and Effingham Counties says that she wants to make sure seniors are taken care of.

[audio:paulawhiteclip070212.mp3]comment here[/audio]

White says that you can contact the Shelbyville office to get picked up.

[audio:paulawhiteclip02070212.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There are cooling centers in each county to keep citizens from heat exhaustion.

The cooling centers are located at the Human Services building in each county. In Shelby County the building is located at 610 West Main Street in Shelbyville, and in Christian County the building is located at 1100 North Cheney Street in Taylorville.

Governor Quinn recently signed a piece of legislation that will allow video gaming in the state of Illinois. Bailey’s Pub in Taylorville recently got a permit to get some video gaming machines in their establishment.

The owner of Bailey’s Pub Christopher Biondolino says that he thinks the gaming could bring in more revenue.

[audio:ChristopherBiondolinoBaileysClip070212.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Biondolino says that he hopes to get five machines.

[audio:ChristopherBiondolinoBaileysClip02070212.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There are two other Taylorville businesses with applications pending for video gaming machines, Olde Bowl and West Side Tavern.

>>Cards Clip Bucs 

Matt Holliday and Shane Robinson each plated a run during a decisive fifth frame to lift the Cardinals
in a 5-4 win over the Pirates.  Allen Craig clubbed a two-run homer and Yadier
Molina added a solo shot for St. Louis, which snapped a three-game slide.  Jake
Westbrook tossed six innings of four-run ball to get the win and Jason Motte [[
MOTT ]] closed it out to lock up his 17th save of the season.  The Cardinals
welcome the Colorado Rockies to town this evening for the start of a four-game
set.  Kyle Lohse [[ low-sh ]] gets the start against Josh Outman.


>>Four Cards Land On ASG Roster 

Four Cardinals made the National League All-Star roster including two starters. 
Rafael Furcal will make his third appearance in the All-Star Game and start at
shortstop while Carlos Beltran makes his seventh appearance in the outfield. 
Catcher Yadier Molina made the team for the fourth time as a reserve while
pitcher Lance Lynn will be at his first All-Star Game.  The NL will face the
American League on July 10th from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

>>Cubs Sweep Astros

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Cubs scored three runs
in the sixth inning to back seven-and-two-third scoreless frames from Travis
Wood en route to a 3-0 win over the Astros.  Wood fanned four and allowed just
three hits to improve to 3-and-3 on the season.  Carlos Marmol closed it out to
lock up his eighth save for Chicago, which swept the three-game set at Wrigley
Field.  Anthony Rizzo had an RBI single and Jeff Baker added a two-run double in
the decisive inning.  The Cubs start a four-game series against the Braves in
Atlanta tonight.  Jeff Samardzija takes the ball against Tommy Hanson in the
opener.

>>Yankees Double Up ChiSox 

Eric Chavez and Robinson Cano each clubbed a two-run homer to lead the Yankees in a 4-2 win over
the White Sox.  Kevin Youkilis and Alex Rios both knocked in a run for Chicago. 
Gavin Floyd was saddled with the loss after allowing all four runs in
five-and-a-third frames of duty.  The White Sox host the Rangers for a
three-game set beginning tonight with Chris Sale opposite Roy Oswalt. 

>>Report: Jordan's Son Arrested In Omaha 

The "Omaha World-Herald" reports Michael Jordan's son was arrested in Omaha early
Sunday morning.  According to the report, 21-year-old Marcus Jordan was arrested
for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstructing.  Marcus reportedly
appeared to be very intoxicated and was arguing with two females at a hotel
driveway at about 2:10 a.m. local time.  Marcus averaged 13.7 points in 31 games
with the University of Central Florida last season.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department has issued the following arrests