The Taylorville Junior High School Terriers 7^th grade boys basketball will be playing in the Regional 13 final tonight. The Terriers defeated Decatur Stephen Decatur in the Regional semi-finals on Wednesday by a score of 52-33 and improved to 21-0 on the season. The Terriers will face Rochester in the final. Rochester defeated Chatham Glenwood in their semi-final 46-45. The game will be played at the Rochester Junior High School at 6:00pm.

(Undated)  --  Rams owner Stan Kroenke is tied to a purchase of a football stadium-sized piece of land in the Los Angeles area, according to a report in the "St. Louis Post Dispatch."  It's a 60-acre site in Inglewood, south of downtown L.A.  The site has been talked about as potential home for an NFL team in Los Angeles.  If upgrades aren't made to the Edward Jones Dome by 2015, the Rams can apply with the NFL to leave town per a clause in the team's agreement with the St. Louis stadium. 

One of the new tax laws this year has to do with the new health care laws.  According to Laurie Henry with H and R Block, those who are uninsured will pay a penalty:

[audio:henryacapenalty013014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

H and R Block has locations in Taylorville, Pana, Shelbyville and Nokomis.  Tax deadline day is April 15th.

After nearly 30 years in Taylorville, the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy is under new ownership.  Carl Emmerling and his wife Dawn have purchased the business.  Emmerling tells Regional Radio News that while he has seen a lot of changes in the business over the years, service to the customer remains paramount:

[audio:emmerlingmedshoppe013114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Long time owner Hugo Orlandini is retiring.  The Medicine Shoppe is located at 102 West Park Street in Taylorville.

There is no surer sign that spring is approaching than registration for spring sports. Tad Mayhall of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce says softball registration begins tomorrow (Saturday):

As heard on WRAN, the Shelbyville Boys fell to Meridian with a score of 69-47.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville fell to Springfield High with a score of 68-57.

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The St. Louis Cardinals avoided arbitration with infielder Daniel Descalso on Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract. The "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" reports that the contract is worth $1.29 million.  The 27-year-old appeared in 123 games last season, posting five home runs, 42 RBI, 25 doubles and 43 runs scored while batting .238.  Descalso owns a lifetime .243 average with 10 home runs and 101 RBI in 425 games since debuting with the Cardinals in 2010. 

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs have avoided arbitration with outfielder Justin Ruggiano.  MLB.com says the one-year deal is worth two-million-dollars.  He made just under half a million last season.  He was acquired from the Marlins for Brian Bogusevic in December.  Ruggiano hit .222 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI last year. 

San  Antonio, TX  (SportsNetwork.com) - Jimmy Butler led seven Bulls in double 
figures  with  19 points as Chicago  defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 96-86, on 
Wednesday night. 

Carlos  Boozer  tallied 16 points and  12 rebounds, while Joakim Noah added 10 
points,  10  boards, eight assists and  four blocks for Chicago, which has won 
five of their last seven games. 

Tony  Parker had 20 points and six assists and Tim Duncan registered 17 points 
and  12 rebounds for the suddenly-sputtering Spurs, who have dropped a season- 
high three straight. 

San  Antonio announced earlier Wednesday that veteran guard Manu Ginobili will 
miss  3-to-4 weeks with a left hamstring strain. The Spurs are already without 
key  contributors  Kawhi Leonard  (finger),  Danny  Green (finger)  and  Tiago 
Splitter (shoulder). 

After  Parker  hit a  technical free throw  to complete an  8-2 Spurs spurt to 
give  them a 52-51 edge a little past the midway point of the third, the Bulls 
responded with a 12-3 surge. 

Jimmy Butler had eight points during the swing, which was capped on his three- 
point play for a 63-55 Bulls cushion late in the third. 

Chicago  took a 68-61  advantage into the fourth, where it netted eight of the 
frame's first 10 points to open up a 76-63 spread. 

The Bulls led by as many as 15 down the stretch. 

Chicago  held  a 21-15  margin after  a quarter of  play and  led 40-36 at the 
break. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Bulls  netted  16  points  off  19  San  Antonio  turnovers  ...  Chicago 
outrebounded San Antonio, 39-31 ... D.J. Augustin and Taj Gibson had 15 points 
apiece for Chicago. 

Vancouver,  BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Brandon 
Saad  each  registered a goal and  an assist during Chicago's four-goal flurry 
midway  through the second period that boosted the Blackhawks to a 5-2 victory 
over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday at Rogers Arena. 

Chicago  trailed  2-0 early in  the second, but  Marian Hossa, Saad, Toews and 
Sharp  each  scored in  a 7:41  span to  help the Blackhawks snap a four-game 
slide. 

Saad  added  an empty-netter  late in  the third and  Corey Crawford posted 28 
saves in the triumph. 

Chris  Higgins and  Tom Sestito each scored once, while Roberto Luongo allowed 
four  goals on  39 shots for Vancouver,  which has lost three of its last four 
games. 

Sestito's  one-timer from the  slot staked Vancouver to a 2-0 lead at the 2:44 
mark  of the  second period, but the Blackhawks responded with five unanswered 
goals to run away with the contest. 

Hossa  started the outburst  with Chicago on the power play at 6:30, ripping a 
wrister  past  Luongo from the low  right side following some nice tic-tac-toe 
passing from the visitors. 

Saad  tied the game  just over three minutes later when he deflected a Sheldon 
Brookbank point blast past Luongo to make it 2-2 at 9:39. 

"It was disappointing losing the lead so quickly," Luongo said. 

Chicago  jumped  in front just  over a minute later,  as Toews pounded a loose 
puck over Luongo's pad from in front for a 3-2 lead at 10:47. 

Sharp capped Chicago's four-goal frame with 5:49 on the clock when he rifled a 
wrister from atop the left circle that beat Luongo glove-side to make it 4-2. 

"We're  never  out of the game,"  Crawford said. "We always have confidence in 
our guys to score goals." 

Crawford  registered  10 saves over the  final 20 minutes, while Saad's empty- 
netter at 19:22 accounted for the final margin. 

Higgins got the Canucks on the board just 16 seconds into the game, sneaking a 
backhander  through  Crawford's five-hole  from the slot  to give Vancouver an 
early edge. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Canucks have been  held to a pair of goals or fewer in nine of their last 
10  games ... Vancouver played a fourth consecutive game without center Henrik 
Sedin,  who  is out with  a rib  injury ... Chicago  went 2-for-3 on the power 
play, while Vancouver went 0-for-3 ... Sharp scored his 27th of the season. 

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The St. Louis Rams are bringing back a controversial figure to replace fired defensive coordinator Tim Walton.  The "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" reports the Rams are expected to name Gregg Williams as their new DC.  Williams was hired by St. Louis two years ago, but never coached a down because he was suspended by the NFL for his role in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal.  After missing a whole season due to suspension, Williams spent last year with the Tennessee Titans as a defensive consultant. 

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICER REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Jennifer M. Forrest, 23, of 205 Mason Street, Tovey, was arrested January 29 for possession of a controlled substance.

Clint S. Sparks, 20, of 626 East 1850 North Road, Edinburg, was arrested January 29 for criminal trespassing and theft.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On January 29 at 5:17pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for an Illinois Vehicle Code violation. Following the investigation, Jennifer M. Forrest, 23, of Tovey was arrested for driving while license is suspended and possession of a controlled substance. Forrest was transported to the Christian County Correctional Center.

On January 29 at 4:22pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to Walmart in reference to a retail theft. Following investigation, Jourdon K. Craggs, 23, of Taylorville was arrested for retail theft.

On January 29 at 1:58am., Michael S. Bross, 42, of Taylorville was located at 409 Taylorville Boulevard. Bross was arrested for domestic battery and an Illinois Department of Corrections warrant. Bross was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and then transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

Illinois is experiencing a severe flu season according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For the safety of patients and their families, Taylorville Memorial Hospital is requesting that:

•           Inpatient hospital visits be limited to two visitors per patient at one time

•           All visitors be 18 or older and show no signs of illness

The health system also encourages those accompanying outpatients at Memorial facilities to consider these same recommendations.

Seasonal flu activity usually peaks in January and February, beginning as early as October and ending as late as May, according to the CDC website. As many as 20 percent of all Americans get the flu each year.

Governor Pat Quinn presented his annual State of State address Wednesday. State Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville tells what he liked and disliked about Quinn’s speech:

The Illinois State Police are reminding Central Illinois Residents that winter driving can be dangerous, not only because of snow, but also because of the brutally cold temperatures we've seen this year.  Safety Education Officer Trooper Emanuel Edwards says it's best to be prepared:

[audio:edwardscarkit013014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Trooper Edwards also recommends that, if you get stuck in cold weather, stay with your vehicle until help arrives.

The National Council on Aging has released a list of the top ten scams targeting senior citizens.  Public Advocate Mac McGuire says number one on the list has to do with medical care:

[audio:macncoatopten013014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Other top scams on the list include counterfeit drugs, funeral and cemetery scams, reverse mortgage scams and the ever-popular grandparent scam.

In girls' tournament basketball Thursday, the #1 seed Central A&M Raiders defeated #5 seed, the Lady Sages of Monticello, 73-43 at Tuscola in the Okaw Valley Conference game heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR. The Lady Raiders now head to the championship game Saturday at 1pm, (against the winner of the Clinton/Sullivan contest) with the broadcast on WMKR (pregame starts at appproximately 12:30). Central A&M now improves to 20 and 14 for the year, 12 and 10 for Monticello.

In girls' basketball from Thursday night, the Taylorville Tornadoes lost to Rochester by a final score of 61-46, as heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM.

City of Nokomis will be shutting off the water at 11:30 and it will be off for an hour to hour and a half. Once the water is turned back on, a boil order will be in effect.

Pana High School Peoples Bank and Trust December Students of the Month:

Left to right is Betty Asmussen-Peoples Bank and Trust, Senior Kristen Harrison, Junior Allison Collingwood, Sophomore Ayryan Siebert, Freshman Alyssa Moore.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:

Michael S. Bross, 42, of Vandaveer Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 29 for domestic battery.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS

January 26
3 EMS, 1 Smoke, 1 Alarm

January 27
3 EMS, 2 Automatic Alarms

January 28
1 Gas Leak

January 29
1 Fire

            Leadership in Christian County was never more prevalent than at the Christian County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon when the 2014 LEADership program participants heard from several key officials and toured this historic building.

            LEADership participants heard from Julie Mayer, Christian County Circuit Clerk; Mike Havera, Christian County States Attorney; Paul Schmitz, County Board Chairman; Mike Gianasi, Supervisor of Assessments; Lori Mense, Chief Deputy of the County in the County Clerk’s office; and Judge Ron Spears, Illinois 4^th Judicial Circuit Court Judge.  Each office has a unique role within the county, yet relies on one another for information and support.

            Judge Ron Spears spoke to the group about Abraham Lincoln’s various connections to Christian County as they toured the first floor of the courthouse and viewed many of the documents on display.  Then LEADership participants were able to learn about the judicial system and current issues facing the court system in Christian County.

The IRS has new laws in place once again this year.  Laurie Henry of H and R Block says they pretty much have new provisions every year:

[audio:henrynewtaxlaw012414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

H and R Block has locations in Taylorville, Pana, Shelbyville and Nokomis.

Taylorville residents on the city’s northeast side will be glad to know that the unusual noise from the Ahlstrom plant may be coming to an end soon. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says representatives of the factory believe they have tracked down the cause:

St.  Louis,  MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Alexander  Steen scored his 27th goal of 
the  season and Jaroslav  Halak stopped 23 shots for his fourth shutout of the 
campaign,  as the  St. Louis Blues  blanked the  New Jersey  Devils, 3-0,  on 
Tuesday at Scottrade Center. 

Brenden  Morrow  and Maxim  Lapierre registered  a goal  apiece for St. Louis, 
which  has won  three straight since an embarrassing 7-1 setback in New Jersey 
on Jan. 21. 

Cory  Schneider  recorded 22 saves  for the Devils, who  were coming off a 7-3 
loss to the rival New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. 

"I  thought  we played a pretty  solid road game," Schneider said. "Right now, 
solid isn't good enough against the elite teams in the league." 

After  killing off  an early  New  Jersey power  play, St.  Louis cracked  the 
scoreboard  3:25  into the opening  frame as Steen  finished off a 3-on-2 rush 
with  a  wrister from the  slot that deflected  off a defender before slipping 
past Schneider for a 1-0 lead. 

"It  was a huge  kill," Halak said of keeping New Jersey off the board despite 
the  early power play. "It gave us a boost and I was happy we were able to get 
the first (goal) tonight." 

Following  a  scoreless second  stanza, the Blues  created some breathing room 
with  a  power-play goal near the  midpoint of the third, as Morrow redirected 
Jay Bouwmeester's right point blast under Schneider's glove at 9:42. 

Lapierre  potted an  empty netter with 2:08 remaining to account for the final 
margin. 

                                   Game Notes 

Steen's  goal was his 100th as a member of the Blues ... St. Louis improved to 
19-5-2  at home, while  the Devils dropped to 10-14-5 as the guest this season 
...  St. Louis  center  Patrik Berglund  notched two  assists  ... New  Jersey 
finished  0-for-4  on the power  play ... Halak's shutout  was the 29th of his 
career. 

Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - T.J. Brodie buried the game-winner with 2:34 
left in overtime, as the Calgary Flames outlasted the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4, 
on Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome. 

Just prior to the midpoint of the extra session, Brodie picked up a rebound on 
the  low left side and raced behind the net before stuffing in a wraparound to 
send the Flames to their season-high third straight win. 

Mikael  Backlund lit the lamp twice, Matt Stajan notched a goal and an assist, 
and  Lance  Bouma added a  marker for  the Flames, who  took two of three from 
Chicago to claim the season series for the first time since 2002-03. 

Karri  Ramo recorded  the  victory, stopping  all nine  shots  he faced  after 
opening the third period between the pipes in place of starter Reto Berra, who 
allowed four goals on 24 shots over 40 minutes. 

Marian  Hossa  scored twice,  while Ben  Smith and Patrick  Kane potted a goal 
apiece for the Blackhawks, who dropped to 0-2-2 over their last four games. 

Corey  Crawford  was tagged with the  loss, despite stopping 13-of-14 shots in 
relief  of Antti  Raanta, who  allowed  four goals  on 15  shots before  being 
removed near the midpoint of the second period. 

"I didn't like the first couple of goals," Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville 
said.  "They  were going in on  him (Raanta). At the  same time it was an easy 
time to make the decision to pull him." 

Backlund's short-handed goal 10:25 into the second stanza staked the Flames to 
a 4-2 lead and prompted Raanta's benching. 

The  goaltending  change seemed to  energy the  visitors, as Chicago found the 
back of the net twice over the final seven minutes of the frame to pull even. 

Smith  made it a  one-goal game at 13:12 when his seemingly harmless shot from 
the  high  slot fluttered past Berra's  glove and Hossa brought the Blackhawks 
even  at  17:33 when he buried  a rebound from  the low left side with Chicago 
shorthanded. 

"I  was  not happy  with the  third and  fourth goal,"  Calgary head coach Bob 
Hartley  said. "I felt  we had worked so hard to get there, but to our players 
credit, they didn't lose focus." 

Both  netminders  stood tall in  the third, with  Ramo stopping nine shots and 
Crawford,  who  had just entered to  start the period, turning aside all seven 
shots he faced. 

Backlund  got Calgary  on the board with  his 10th of the season 1:13 into the 
tilt,  but Kane countered  with a wrister from the low right circle at 5:43 to 
tie the score. 

Bouma  restored  Calgary's lead nearly six  minutes later, as his wrister from 
the left circle caught Raanta up high before bouncing over his head and across 
the goal line to make it 2-1 at 11:34. 

However,  Hossa smacked one home from in front at 16:35 to send the teams into 
the second tied at 2-2. 

Stajan  capped a 2-on-1 rush with his ninth of the season 3:21 into the second 
before Backlund netted a shorthanded goal at 10:25 to make it 4-2 Calgary. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago  is riding  its longest  losing streak  since the  2011-12 season  ... 
Calgary's  Lee  Stempniak collected  three assists  ... Flames defenseman Mark 
Giordano  added an  assist  to extend  his  point streak  to  seven games  ... 
Chicago's  Marcus Kruger  had a goal waved  off in the second period after the 
referees blew the play dead before the puck crossed the goal line. 

A shortage of propane in the Midwest due to the cold weather is causing suppliers to scramble to keep up with the demand. Tim Sutton, Energy Marketing Manager at Christian County FS, tells Regional Radio News that they have had to go out of state for propane supply:

[audio:suttonoutofstate012814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Sutton says there is no real timetable for when the propane supply will catch back up:

[audio:suttonnotimetable012814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Sutton says the only thing to do right now is to try and conserve as much as possible.

Wind chills are expected to be in the 10 to 20 below zero range again which means the risk of hypothermia is heightened. Nancy Martin with the Christian County Health Department tells Regional Radio News about what hypothermia is and who is more at risk of suffering from it:

Three people were handed jail sentences in drug related cases on Monday. 44-year-old Caralee Cooper of Taylorville was sentenced to 2 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections for a Class 4 felony of possession of a controlled substance. 36-year-old Jeffrey Patrick of Pana was sentenced to 9 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections for a Class X felony of aggravated participation in methamphetamine production. Finally, 22-year-old Aaron Ballion of Taylorville was sentenced to 6 years at Illinois Department of Corrections for a Class 1 felony of methamphetamine production.

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Kevin Love poured in a game-high 31 points 
to  go with  eight rebounds to lead  the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 95-86 win 
over the Chicago Bulls at United Center. 

Love  went a perfect  14-for-14 from the free throw line, setting a new career 
high for free throws made without a miss. 

Ronny  Turiaf and Chase Budinger added 14 and 12 points, respectively, off the 
bench for the Timberwolves, winners in four of their last five games. 

"What we can take from this is knowing we can win on the road," Love said. 

The Wolves are 10-14 on the road this season. 

Minnesota  center Nikola  Pekovic played  just six  minutes after  inuring his 
Achilles in the first quarter. 

Carlos  Boozer  had 20 points, 14  rebounds and five assists and D.J. Augustin 
added  19  points and six helpers  for the Bulls,  losers in two of their last 
three. 

"It was a tough game. They came out, pushed the ball and scored on us. They 
we're getting easy baskets and it kind of killed us," Augustin said. 

Chicago  center Joakim Noah  did not play because of an illness. He is day-to- 
day. 

Corey  Brewer gave the  Wolves their largest lead of the game, 77-65, with his 
3-pointer  at the  9:29 mark  of the  fourth quarter.  Minnesota's lead  never 
dipped  below eight until a deep Augustin triple with 1:29 remaining cut it to 
84-79. 

Love,  though,  blew by Boozer for  a layup and  Brewer slammed one home off a 
Rubio outlet pass for a nine-point lead. 

Mike  Dunleavy pulled the Bulls within two possessions with a 3-pointer at the 
other  end,  but the  Wolves were  7-for-8 from  the free  throw line down the 
stretch, including four straight from Love. 

Minnesota  led 23-20 after 12 minutes and carried a 54-46 lead into the break. 
The Bulls pulled within five several times in the third period, but the Wolves 
led 72-65 entering the final frame. 

                                   Game Notes 

Brewer had 11 points ... The Wolves were 22-for-26 from the line ... Minnesota 
outscored  the Bulls  46-36 in  the paint  ... Chicago's  Jimmy Butler  had 16 
points,  while teammate  Taj Gibson scored 10 points and pulled down 10 boards 
... The Bulls were 32-for-85 from the field. 

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from eleven-year-old Ashlee Vocks as their program speaker at their noon meeting on Tuesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.  Vocks is a 6^th grader from Taylorville who has been selected by the People-to-People organization as one of several 5^th and 6^th graders from the United States, to travel to Australia for 15 days starting July 5^th. 

Vocks told the Kiwanis members that People-to-People is an organization founded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 as a student ambassador program to create cultural exchanges around the world.

To fund the 75-hundred dollar cost, Vocks created her own business, baking and delivering homemade brownies and cookies.  The business, called Sweet Friday’s, delivers the goodies each Friday to locations in the Taylorville community.

Vocks added she’s raised half the money needed already, thru the profits from her business.

Vocks said she’d tell the Australians how she earned her money, as well as about the community of Taylorville.

[audio:VocksaudioJan2814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

In other Kiwanis news, treasurer Dan Sneed reported that last weekend’s annual Pancake and Sausage Day netted the club over 31-hundred dollars so far, with more donations and proceeds from ticket sales coming in.  Event chairperson Gina Prinzavalli told the club that the event set an all-time ticket sales record, all-time record for number served with over 500 being fed, and an all-time record for net proceeds.  Both Sneed and Prinzavalli thanked the community for their response.  Proceeds from the event will benefit local Kiwanis projects for children and youth.

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

Pictured left to right Ashlee Vocks and Kiwanis President Chris Weittenhiller.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville defeated Jacksonville with a score of 58-36.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville defeated Vandalia with a score of 87-43.

As heard on WRAN, Shelbyville defeated Clinton with a score of 58-47.

The Taylorville Park District Board approved the bond issuance ordinance at their meeting Monday night. Kevin Wills with First Midstate says while this is one of the final steps the Board needs to take, they are doing things a bit different from the normal routine:

[audio:willsbonds012814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The money from the bonds will go towards a new irrigation system at Lakeshore Golf Course

Recreation Director Bailey Hancock told the Taylorville Park District Board at their meeting Monday night that the March of Dimes has contacted her about doing a 5k run at Manners Park. Hancock says normally she would just pass on the necessary forms but the organization wanted to do a different type of 5k run that she wanted to run by the board:

[audio:hancockcolorrun012814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Board members had no objections to the 5k color run.

Representatives from the Red Bland Little League were at the meeting Monday night to ask the board if they had any problem with a plan to replace 4 scoreboards with digital ones. The Board says as long as Red Bland Little League is taking care of the cost, they have no problem with the plan.

The meeting adjourned at 7:39pm.

22-year-old Clint Emery of Taylorville

A second armed robbery occurred in Taylorville on Sunday. Around 8:45pm, the Taylorville Police Department received a call of an armed robbery which had just occurred at 1209 East Poplar Street. The victim stated he was held at gun point as the two suspects took an undetermined amount of money from the victim.

The two suspects were identified as 22-year-old Clint Emery of Taylorville and 31-year-old Michael Wicker of Taylorville. As the investigation progressed, Emery was taken into custody without incident and charged with armed robbery. Emery was lodged in the Christian County Correctional Center.

The investigation is ongoing and the Taylorville Police Department is asking that anyone with information concerning this incident or the location of Michael Wicker to contact them at 824-2211 or Christian County Crime Stoppers at 824-9100. Wicker is considered to be armed and dangerous.

It is still uncertain if this incident is related to the armed robbery which occurred Thursday at Route Mart in Taylorville.

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to an armed robbery that occurred in Taylorville.

On Thursday January 23, 2014, an armed robbery occurred at Route Mart, located at 120 West Park Street in Taylorville.  The suspect is described as a 6ft, male, wearing a blue and white checkered coat, dark blue jeans, white shoes, and a black mask.   The suspect entered the business and fired a shot inside.  No one was injured.  The suspect then left the business with an undetermined amount of money.  The suspect may later have gotten into a silver Chevy passenger vehicle.

Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons.  Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name.  Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week. 

 You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES  (274632) and then your tip.  As always, you will remain anonymous. 

[video:RouteMartArmedRobberyvideo.mp4]comment here[/video]

The video footage from the armed robbery at Route Mart has been released. To recap:

Around 7:13pm Thursday night, Taylorville Police Department officers responded to an armed robbery at Route Mart located at 120 East Park Street in Taylorville. The suspect entered the business with a dark colored revolver and demanded money from the register. During the armed robbery of the business, a weapon was fired but no injuries were reported. The suspect fled the immediate area on foot with an undetermined amount of money.

The suspect is described as a male, wearing a blue and white jacket, dark blue jeans and white sneakers. The suspect may have gotten into a silver Chevrolet passenger car after fleeing the business on foot.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should call the Taylorville Police Department at 824-2211 or Christian County Crimestoppers at 824-9100.

There is a lot of talk about raising the minimum wage, at both the state and federal level.  U.S. Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville says the minimum wage is intended to be a starting point:

[audio:davisminwage012714.mp3]comment here[/audio] 

President Obama has suggested that the minimum wage should be raised to $10 an hour.

If you still have questions about the Affordable Care Act, Christian County C.E.F.S may be able to help. Jane Hunsche of Christian County C.E.F.S. tells Regional Radio News that they will be holding informational events next month:

[audio:hunscheacahelp012414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

You can also call Christian County C.E.F.S. at 824-4712 and ask for Jane. The office again is located at 311 South Main Street in Taylorville. 

Bloomington,  IN (SportsNetwork.com)  -  Kevin Ferrell  scored  17 points  and 
handed  out five  assists  as  the Indiana  Hoosiers  took  down the  Illinois 
Fighting Illini, 56-46, in Big Ten Conference action at Assembly Hall. 

Also  scoring  in double figures for  Indiana (13-7, 3-4 Big Ten) was Stanford 
Robinson  with 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor, while Noah Vonleh 
pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for a team that snapped a two-game slide. 

The Illini (13-8, 2-6), losers of six in a row, were led by Rayvonte Rice with 
a   game-high   20  points  on   4-of-7  shooting  behind  the  3-point  line. 
Unfortunately,  while Rice  was shooting 7-of-11 from the floor, the remaining 
four starters for Illinois combined to make just 7-of-28. 

A  triple by  Rice less than two  minutes into the meeting gave the visitors a 
three-point advantage, but after that Indiana took over and eventually grabbed 
a  26-24 advantage  at the  break.  The Hoosiers  shot  a mere  1-of-6 on  the 
perimeter through the first 20 minutes of action, Illinois was 3-of-12. 

The  Hoosiers opened the second half on a 14-5 run and never looked back, even 
as they connected on just 11 field goals in the frame. 

The  hosts dominated the glass, 42-28, limiting Illinois to just four rebounds 
at  the offensive end  of the floor. It also helped that Indiana outscored the 
Illini by a 13-5 margin at the free-throw line. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Blake Wheeler scored twice and Andrew Ladd 
once  in a three-goal third period which lifted Winnipeg over Chicago, 3-1, at 
United Center. 

Al  Montoya  kept his club in  the contest, making  34 saves for the Jets, who 
have reeled off six wins in their last seven outings. 

"That win was all him," Ladd said of Montoya. "He gave us a chance going into 
third. We were only down one and still had a chance to win the game. We wanted 
to reward him for playing out of his mind over the first two periods." 

Brandon  Bollig  tallied for  the Blackhawks,  who failed to  produce a win in 
their  final  home game before the  Olympic break. The defending Cup champions 
embark on a seven-game road trip on Tuesday in Calgary. 

Corey Crawford stopped only 18 shots in defeat. 

Awakened  from  their slumber  of two-plus  periods, the  Jets played a strong 
third to shock the top team in the Central Division. 

Wheeler  tied the  game on a shot from  the top of the right circle at 8:16 of 
the  third, then Ladd  put the Jets ahead with 7:07 remaining, taking a failed 
clear between the circles and fooling Crawford with a slow wrister. 

Crawford  was  summoned to the bench  with more than 90 seconds remaining, and 
Wheeler slid the clincher into the empty cage a short time later. 

"I think the first 40 [minutes], we gave up nothing," Blackhawks coach Joel 
Quenneville said. "We get an unfortunate bounce right to their guy [Wheeler] 
and it's a 1-1 game. We made an uncharacteristic giveaway on the winning goal 
[by Ladd]. Tough loss for sure." 

Bollig's  wraparound marker  just 81 seconds after the opening faceoff put the 
hosts  in the lead, while the Chicago defense and Crawford made that lead hold 
up through two periods thanks to allowing just six shots on goal. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago's home defeat was its first in regulation on friendly ice since Jan. 
8, a 3-2 loss to the Rangers ... Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane participated 
in his 500th NHL contest ... Actor Luis Guzman was in attendance, and took 
three unsuccessful shots for prizes at center ice during the second 
intermission. 

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

After an incident on January 23 at 10 West Second Street in Pana, information is being forwarded to the State Attorney’s office for charges to be filed against Amy Merrifield, 31, of Pana for theft.

On January 24, Tyler M. Cothorn was parked facing east on Ninth Street in front of 800 South Poplar. Cothorn advised vehicle was parked at 10pm on January 23. Vehicle was struck while parked sometime between 10pm and 10:52am. No information on unit #1 or driver at this time.

On January 24, Joshua J. Crowe, 41, of Rosamond was arrested on a Christian County Warrant for failure to appear. Crowe was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond. 

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville fell to Glenwood with a score of 62-51.

The flu is hitting extra hard in Illinois this year. Nancy Martin with the Christian County Health Department tells Regional Radio News the latest on the flu season:

[audio:martinflu012514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For more information, go to idph.state.il.us/flu.

The Shelbyville Rotary Club recently met and had Craig Anderson, representative for the Lincoln Trail Boy Scouts of America as a visitor. The Club always welcomes guests and encourages members to invite people as it is the easiest way to get new members interested in Rotary.

The keynote speaker was Denise Bence, Superintendent of Shelbyville District schools. Her program was about the up-coming tax referendum to support area schools and their infrastructure. Bence showed the Club pictures of the decaying physical plant that provides heating for the high school and is in dire need of being replaced before it completely fails. Local citizens will vote to approve the tax referendum on March 18^th.

Member Mike Kiley has volunteered to chair a program in which The Shelbyville Rotary Club would publicly support the passage of this tax referendum. He proposed that the club would serve as a site to collect money for the “Save our Schools Committee.”  The SOS would then publicize this issue in the forms of signs, advertising, and informational meetings. The club voted unanimously to publicly support school tax referendum.

The next meeting will be Monday, January 27 and the program chairman will be Glenn Davis.

When it comes to losing weight, exercising is just as important as the diet. Joyce Fikri of the St. Louis Dairy Council tells Regional Radio News that you really do need a good balance of both:

[audio:fikridietexercise011814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For more information, you can call the Dairy Council at 726-8480 or visit them online at stldairycouncil.org.

More details have come out about a Kroger coupon scam. Public Advocate Mac McGuire tells Regional Radio News the latest:

[audio:mcguirekrogercoupon011814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McGuire says the if you see this or some other similar ad on Facebook, you should ignore it because it is most likely a scam.

The date is set for the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce's Member of the Quarter reception.  Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle says Watson Inc. is the honoree:

In boys' basketball on Saturday, the Glenwood Titans defeated the Taylorville Tornadoes 51-38 in Jacksonville at the County Market Winter Classic as heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM. Taylorville is now 12 and 8 overall, 2 and 2 for the tournament and 3 and 6 in the CSA. Glenwood improves to 13 and 7 overall, 4 and 0 for the tournament, and 6 and 2 in the CSA. The Tornadoes will play tournament host Jacksonville tonight with the broadcast start at approximately 6:15pm on WTIM.

(Taylorville)—Over 300 people attended Saturday’s Taylorville Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Day at a new location this year, the Taylorville Moose Lodge.

Kiwanis members, along with Taylorville High School Key Club and Junior High Builders Club members, volunteered to cook and serve all the pancakes and sausage you wanted to eat.

Proceeds from the event will continue to support local Kiwanis projects for children and youth, such as Kiwanis Park, Coats for Kids, high school scholarships, YMCA teams, and Baby Talk.

The Kiwanis Club thanks the public for their turnout at Saturday’s annual Pancake and Sausage Day.

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

Megan Smith of Taylorville, being held by her mom, was the 300th customer at Saturday’s Taylorville Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Day. Kiwanis president Chris Weittenhiller is at the right.

Taylorville Kiwanis members, High School Key Club and Junior High Builders Club members, all pitched in to cook and serve pancakes and sausage at Saturday’s annual Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Day. Proceeds benefit local Kiwanis projects for children and youth.

Taylorville Kiwanis members were busy Saturday in the kitchen at the Taylorville Moose Lodge, cooking pancakes and sausage at their annual Pancake and Sausage Day. Over 300 people were served.

In girls' basketball Saturday, the Central A&M Raiders had a decisive victory against Decatur-St. Teresa by a final score of 74-41, in the Okaw Valley Conference Tournament...as heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR. The #1-rated Raiders improved to 19 and 4 for the season, 9 and 1 in the Conference; the win gives Coach Dooley 89 wins...with only 21 losses. The #8-rated Bulldogs fell to 10 and 13 for the season, 2 and 8 in the Conference. Central A&M will play again on Tuesday with the pregame to start at 5:30pm on WMKR.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville Boys defeated Jacksonville with a score of 81-44.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASHES:

On January 19 at 12:15am, a Christian County Sheriff's deputy was dispatched to a single vehicle accident with no injury at CR-1 and 500 North. The deputy arrived on scene and observed Lesley B. Faserro, 59, of Nokomis on the right side of CR-1 in the ditch. The deputy spoke with Faserro who stated that she had no injuries or tow preference.

On Janaury 16 at 5:34am, a Christian County Sheriff's deputy was dispatched to a single vehicle accident with no injuries at Illinois Route 29 at 800 North. The deputy arrived on scene and observed Kevin L. Schackmann, 45, of Ramsey on the right side of the roadway in the ditch. The deputy made contact with Schackmann as well as two passengers, all who stated they had no injuries.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:

On January 23 at 4:59pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop for an Illinois Vehicle Code violation. Following the stop, Michael E. Reber, 40, of Taylorville, was arrested for driving while license is suspended and operating on a suspended registration. Reber was released on a notice to appear.

After nearly 5 decades as a dentist in Taylorville, Dr. Ron Mizer (My-zer) is retiring.  Dr. Mizer says he decided to become a dentist at a relatively early age:

[audio:mizerretiring012314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Dr. Mizer has been active in the community over the years, as a long-time member of the Taylorville School Board, member of the Hospital Board, and served on the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Board.  He has also been active with the Christian County YMCA and the Junior Achievement Program.  His hand-picked replacements will be Dr. Amanda Lewis and her husband Dr. Greg Harmon.

With the cold winter weather, people have been hitting the stores to get stocked up on necessary items. Pat Kretzer, owner of True Value/Urban Rental in Taylorville, says ice melt and plumbing parts have been in high demand which is causing a shortage:

[audio:kretzershortage012414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Kretzer says as for equipment rentals, things are usually slow this time of year because a lot of the equipment they rent is for summer, spring, and fall use. True Value/Urban Rental is located at 615 East Main Cross.

With more extreme cold weather upon us, trying to dress warm can be a difficult task. Nancy Martin with the Christian County Health Department tells Regional Radio News some tips on how to dress:

[audio:martindresswarm012414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Martin also advises what to do in case of frostbite:

[audio:martinfrostbite012414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Martin says you should maintain a warm temperature in your house and to check in on neighbors, especially if they are elderly, to make sure they are staying warm.

The Taylorville Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred Thursday night. Around 7:13pm, Taylorville Police Department officers responded to an armed robbery at Route Mart located at 120 East Park Street in Taylorville. The suspect entered the business with a dark colored revolver and demanded money from the register. During the armed robbery of the business, a weapon was fired but no injuries were reported. The suspect fled the immediate area on foot with an undetermined amount of money.

The suspect is described as a male, wearing a blue and white jacket, dark blue jeans and white sneakers. The suspect may have gotten into a silver Chevrolet passenger car after fleeing the business on foot.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should call the Taylorville Police Department at 824-2211 or Christian County Crimestoppers at 824-9100.

[video:RouteMartArmedRobberyvideo.mp4]comment here[/video]

New  York,  NY (SportsNetwork.com) -  Jaroslav Halak came  up with 34 saves to 
atone  for a  dismal defensive  performance by  the St.  Louis Blues  two days 
prior,  with  the effort leading  the way  in a 2-1  triumph over the New York 
Rangers at Madison Square Garden. 

Kevin  Shattenkirk scored the eventual game-winner on the power play 3:09 into 
the  third  period, helping the Blues shake  off a 7-1  loss in New Jersey on 
Tuesday.  Alex Steen had the other St. Louis goal, with David Backes assisting 
on both markers in the victory. 

"It  really could  not have gone any  better," said Shattenkirk, who grew up a 
Rangers  fan in  nearby New Rochelle, N.Y.  "I'm really happy with the way the 
night went." 

A  red-hot  Rick Nash produced  the lone tally for  the Rangers, losers of two 
straight following a 6-1-0 stretch. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 23 saves in 
the setback. 

Nash's  10th goal in  10 games knotted the score at 1-1 with 1:43 to go in the 
third  period,  but the star  sniper was called for  a slash on Shattenkirk to 
give the Blues a man advantage with three minutes elapsed in the third. 

St.  Louis  needed just nine  seconds to convert,  as Shattenkirk fired a long 
one-timer through Lundqvist's legs with Backes setting a screen in front. 

"It  was a set play," said Shattenkirk of the goal. "Once the puck was dropped 
back to me I knew that I had the lane to get it to the net. At that point as a 
defenseman  you just have  to throw it to the net and hope that something good 
happens. That's the way our power play works." 

The  Rangers had  an opportunity  to  even things  up when  the Blues'  Barret 
Jackman  was sent off  for a cross check with 7:29 to go, but St. Louis killed 
off the infraction and Halak came up clean the rest of the way. 

"The  difference was  the  power  play," Rangers  head  coach Alain  Vigneault 
remarked.  "We had  an advantage at the  beginning of the third. We didn't get 
anything  off it. Their power play did what they've done very effectively this 
year.  Right off  the draw they established  a shot. Within a few seconds they 
take the shot, they score." 

St.  Louis got 12  saves from Halak and the lone goal of the opening period to 
take  a  1-0 edge into  the first intermission. The  score came off a giveaway 
from  Rangers defenseman  Dan Girardi  in his  own zone,  with Jaden  Schwartz 
collecting  the puck  and delivering a centering feed that caromed off Steen's 
skate and handcuffed Lundqvist before crossing the line 8:38 in. 

New  York finally  managed to draw even  on its 25th shot of the night, Nash's 
blast  from  the left circle  off a Derek Stepan  drop pass that rocketed past 
Halak's glove. 

                                   Game Notes 

Steen sat out the third period after sustaining a lower-body injury during the 
game  ... Nash  has lit  the lamp  six times  during a  four-game goal-scoring 
streak  ... Lundqvist  dropped  to  0-4-0 in  five  career  meetings with  St. 
Louis,  the  only NHL  team  he  has never  defeated  ...  The win  was Blues 
head  coach  Ken Hitchcock's  106th with the franchise, tying him with Jacques 
Demers  for fifth  place on  the  club's all-time  list ...  Halak became  the 
first  St.  Louis netminder since  Mike Liut (1979-82)  to record 10 road wins 
in  three  separate  seasons  ...  The Blues  swept  the  season  set,  having 
posted  a  5-3 win in St.  Louis on Oct. 12,  and have won seven of their last 
eight against the Rangers while  improving to 7-0-1 in their past eight visits 
to  MSG ...  Forwards  Maxim  Lapierre and  Vladimir  Tarasenko both  returned 
to  action for  the Blues. Lapierre  sat  out  five  straight  games with  an 
upper-body  injury,  while Tarasenko missed the last two due to the flu. 

St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jason Pominville and Matt Cooke both scored 
in  the first  period and Darcy Kuemper  posted 33 saves as the Minnesota Wild 
edged the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1, at Xcel Energy Center. 

The  23-year-old  Kuemper appeared in line  for his second career shutout, but 
Patrick  Kane spoiled the  whitewash with his 24th goal of the season at 19:28 
of the third period. 

However,  Kuemper  came up  with a clutch  stop on the  doorstep with under 10 
seconds  left.  Zach Parise, who returned  from a 14-game absence, was able to 
clear the puck out to secure the Wild's third win in four games. 

"That  was definitely the response we were looking for, especially our start," 
Minnesota  head  coach Mike Yeo said  of his team bouncing back from Tuesday's 
4-0 loss in Dallas. "We were on our toes, we looked confident." 

Antti Raanta allowed two goals on 19 shots in the setback, Chicago's second in 
a row and sixth in its last nine games. 

"When  you  give up two  goals in  the first period  and you're behind all the 
time, it's much harder to play," Raanta remarked. 

Pominville provided Minnesota with a 1-0 lead just over eight minutes in, as a 
3-on-2  rush saw a cutting Mikael Granlund control a pass on the low left side 
and  quickly  dish to the low  right side, where Pominville one-timed the puck 
past Raanta's outstretched glove at 8:08. 

Minnesota  failed  to score on a  full two-minute 5-on-3 after Chicago's Brent 
Seabrook  and Patrick  Sharp went  off for  separate cross-checking  minors at 
12:45,  but  the Wild broke through  shortly after when Cooke corralled Justin 
Fontaine's  chip-in in  the low  left circle  and slipped  a quick  shot under 
Raanta for a 2-0 lead at 15:31. 

Kane's  one-timer  from the right circle  got the Blackhawks on the board with 
31.2  seconds  left, but  Chicago couldn't  get another  one past Kuemper, who 
stopped 27-of-28 shots over the final 40 minutes. 

                                   Game Notes 

Minnesota  forward  Kyle Brodziak picked up  an assist on Cooke's goal for his 
200th  career point ... Chicago has lost seven of its past 10 in Minnesota ... 
Parise had not played since Dec. 22 due to a foot injury ... The Wild improved 
to  19-7-2  at home  this season ...  Chicago went 0-for-1  on the power play, 
while Minnesota failed on all four of its power-play chances. 

Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - LaQuinton Ross posted 18 points to lead No. 
17 Ohio State to a 62-55 victory over Illinois on Thursday. 

Lenzelle Smith had 16 points with five rebounds and Aaron Craft gave 11 points 
with  six rebounds and  five assists for the Buckeyes (16-4, 3-4 Big Ten), who 
had dropped four straight. 

"We  did not play perfect, but I loved our energy on defense," Ohio State head 
coach  Thad Matta said.  "Our problem is not solved, we have a long way to go, 
but the time off will be a great time to recollect, reflect and get healthy." 

Joseph  Bertrand had  19 points, Jon Ekey  scored 11, and Nnanna Egwu added 10 
points and nine boards for the Fighting Illini (13-7, 2-5), who have lost five 
in a row. 

Tracy Abrams' layup with six minutes to play tied the game at 46 for Illinois, 
but  Ross countered with a 3-pointer and Shannon Scott later hit a layup for a 
51-46 lead with just under four minutes to play. 

Abrams  put  in a  pair of free  throws with 2  1/2 minutes  left to make it a 
52-50  game, but  Ross' three-point play at  the other end gave the Buckeyes a 
five-point lead. 

A turnover by Rayvonte Rice was quickly turned into a 3-pointer by Smith for a 
58-50 lead with 1:16 left to seal the victory. 

"In  the second half, they turned it up and scored 38 points -- a good portion 
of  those  were off  of live  ball turnovers," Illinois  head coach John Groce 
said.  "I  thought their ability to  get deflections and get out in transition 
led to that." 

It  was  a tight first half  as neither team led  by more than five, and after 
Smith hit a 3-pointer to give Ohio State a one-point lead, Egwu slammed a dunk 
to give Illinois a 25-24 lead at the break. 

Trailing  by three points,  Ohio State got a layup from Ross to kick off a 9-0 
run that Sam Thompson capped with a 3-pointer for a 40-34 lead with 12 minutes 
to play. 

                                   Game Notes 

Ohio  State  hosts Penn  State on  Wednesday ... Illinois  plays at Indiana on 
Sunday  ... These  teams will meet in  Illinois on Feb. 15 ... Ohio State shot 
41.7  percent, including  8-of-19 from 3-point range, while Illinois made 41.2 
percent of its shots, but went just 5-for-18 from long range. 

(Cooperstown, NY)  --  Pitcher Greg Maddux and Manager Tony LaRussa will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer without a logo on their caps.  The Hall of Fame announced the cap selections for the six members of the 2014 class on Thursday, with both pitcher Maddux and La Russa feeling it was best not to choose one city over another.  Maddux pitched 23 seasons in the majors, including 11 with the Atlanta Braves and 10 with the Chicago Cubs. La Russa managed the Cardinals, Oakland A's and Chicago White Sox, winning one World Series title with the A's and two with the Cardinals.  

Several people pled guilty in Christian County Circuit Court Thursday and Friday, after charges were brought by Christian County State's Attorney Mike Havara.

On Thursday in court, Autumn Vandenburg of Assumption pled guilty to the charge of aggravated battery of a one-year-old child. Her case was set for sentencing in 45 days, and is a Class 3 felony. Vandenburg is free on bail pending her sentencing.

On Friday, 3 people pled guilty in 2 separate cases.

Tyler Washburn and Michael Beck, both of Pana, pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a 91-year-old woman at her home in Pana. Each were sentenced to 21 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

And April Neal of Pana pled guilty on Friday, to production of methanphetemine. Neal was sentenced to 6 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

In boys' basketball Friday night, the Taylorville Tornadoes defeated the Quincy Notre Dame Raiders 49-42 in Jacksonville at the County Market Winter Classic...heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM. Taylorville will play again Saturday morning against the Glenwood Titans with the broadcast start at 9:45am; the Tornadoes will play another game Saturday night against tournament host Jacksonville with the broadcast start at 615pm...both games of the Winter Classic to be heard on WTIM.

And, in other boys basketball from Friday night, the Shelbyville Rams defeated the Tolona-Unity Rockets by a final score of 63-48 in Shelbyville as heard on Solid Gold 98.3 WRAN. The Rams
move up to 2 and 4 in the Okaw Valley Conference, 5 and 12 overall; the Rockets fell to 3 and 3 in conference play, 7 and 7 overall. The Rams will be on the road for their next game Tuesday evening against Clinton with the broadcast on Solid Gold 98.3 WRAN.

If you are a user of propane gas, you will want to be aware of a shortage that is currently affecting the Midwest. Kevin Bernson from Shelby Electric Cooperative tells Regional Radio News about the situation:

[audio:bernsonpropaneshortage012314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Propane suppliers are pointing to the recent spells of cold weather as a primary reason for the shortage because there has been a high demand needed to heat homes.

The National Young Leaders and Ranchers discussion meet was recently held during the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Caleb May of the Christian County Farm Bureau Young Ag Leaders competed in the meet and was named a runner-up. May tells Regional Radio News what that means to him:

[audio:mayrunupmean012314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

May explains what he had to do at the meet:

[audio:maycompetition012413.mp3]comment here[/audio]

May will receive a Case IH Farmall55A and $3,000 in cash and Stihl merchandise courtesy of their respective companies.

After nearly an hour of discussion and 3 votes, the Taylorville City Council Tuesday night defeated a proposed change in zoning for the former West School Property south of West Spresser Street.  The property was purchased from the Taylorville School District by local realtor Bernie Curvey, who along with his son Joe are looking to develop the building and land for small business.

Alderman Bruce Jones told Regional Radio News following Tuesday night’s Council meeting, that he’d like to see all sides work together to get the re-zoning issue resolved.

[audio:JonesaudioJan2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Curvey’s must start the process of re-zoning all over again thru the Council’s Ordinance Committee and the Taylorville Planning and Zoning Commission.

Tax Time is now approaching, and taxpayers need to make sure they dot all their "I's" and cross all their "T's". Jack Meyers, Public Affairs Specialist for Social Security's Springfield office, says any name change has to be addressed:

[audio:myerstaxtime012314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If you have questions you can call the Springfield Social Security office at 877-326-0108 or go online to socialsecurity.gov.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville defeated Southeast with a score of 46-34.

The TRIAD organization is thanking those who supported their programs this year.  Taylorville Deputy Chief of Police Brian Hile says contributors are an important part of the picture:

Left to Right is Senior Jenson Cloe, Junior Sadie Spears, Sophomore Autum Snyder, Freshman Jackson Gambrill, and Jessie from Family Drug.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Susan K. York, 51, of Railroad Ave, Blue Mound, was arrested January 21 on a warrant for aggravated driving under the influence 3rd offense.

Jason S. Houseman, 27, of 910 East 2nd Street, Pana, was arrested January 22 for criminal sexual abuse.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

ARREST:
On January 21 at 4:52pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a Illinois Vehicle Code violation. Following the stop, Chloe L. Windell, 19, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while license is suspended.

CRASH:
On January 18, Paula J. Bartner-Dunn was legally parked on the side of the roadway. Bartner-Dunn stated she had parked there around 4:00pm. Bartner-Dunn returned to the vehicle around
5:45pm and noticed her door had been struck on the driver side front quarter panel and the driver side door was hard to open. There was a blue color pain streak on her vehicle.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 21:
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Mutual Aid

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Bulls have finalized a deal with the Nets that sends guard Marquis Teague to Brooklyn.  Chicago will acquire Toko Shengelia in the trade.  The six-foot-nine Shengelia has played in 17 games for the Nets this season, averaging just 1.5 points in just over eight minutes. 

Newark,  NJ  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Damien  Brunner  returned from  a  14-game 
absence  and registered  a goal  and  two assists,  as the  New Jersey  Devils 
notched a 7-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday at Prudential Center. 

Eric  Gelinas  also collected a  goal and two  helpers, while Mark Fayne, Ryan 
Carter,  Ryane Clowe,  Jaromir Jagr and Adam Henrique each scored once for the 
Devils, who were coming off a 1-1-2 road trip. 

Cory Schneider backstopped the victory with 26 saves. 

"I  thought we all did a great job out there tonight," said Schneider. "We got 
those quick goals and that always makes things a lot easier for me." 

Alexander Steen scored St. Louis' lone goal, while Brian Elliott allowed three 
goals  on  nine shots before being  removed late in the first period. Jaroslav 
Halak  turned aside just 10-of-14 shots in relief for the Blues, who have lost 
four of their last six games. 

"We've  got  some tough games coming  up in the next  couple of days and if we 
don't come together real quick we're going to have some lessons taught to us," 
said St. Louis center David Backes. 

New  Jersey jumped on  top with a pair of quick goals, as Fayne found the back 
of  the  net 2:27  into the  game before  Carter backhanded  home a rebound 24 
seconds later to double the Devils' lead. 

Steen  sliced the margin  in half with his 25th of the season at 8:47, but the 
Devils answered under two minutes later when Reid Boucher's backhand feed from 
below  the  goal line deflected in  off the skate  of Jagr on the doortstep to 
make it 3-1 at 10:27. 

Halak  then  entered for Elliott  and held New Jersey  off the board until the 
early  stages  of the second stanza,  when Clowe potted a power-play marker at 
1:03 to give the Devils a 4-1 lead. 

Henrique  beat  Halak high to  the short-side with New  Jersey on a power play 
late  in the  second before Brunner buried  a one-timer from the low left side 
with  the  Devils skating on a  man advantage at 1:18  of the third to make it 
6-1. 

Gelinas accounted for the final margin when his blast from the red line took a 
strange bounce off the ice and snuck past Halak at 12:04. 

                                   Game Notes 

New Jersey's seven goals marked a season high ... New Jersey's Marek Zidlicky, 
Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias each picked up two assists ... St. Louis fell to 
15-6-3  on the  road this season ... Brunner was activated off injured reserve 
prior  to the  game ... Steen set a  new career high with his 25th goal of the 
season  ... New Jersey went 3-for-4 on the power play, while St. Louis went 0- 
for-3. 

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Cardinals outfielder Matt Holiday is offering an olive branch to new teammate Jhonny Peralta.  A staunch critic of players with ties to performance-enhancing drugs, Holiday says he is willing to forgive the 31-year-old shortstop.  Holiday said at the Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up this week that he is against PEDs and always will be, but Peralta served his suspension under the rules and he's happy to now have him as a teammate.  Peralta was given a 50-game ban last season while with the Detroit Tigers as part of the Biogenesis clinic scandal.  Peralta signed a four-year, 53-million-dollar contract with St. Louis this offseason. 

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville defeated Rochester with a score of 60-53.

The Lady Tornadoes of Taylorville lost at home Wednesday night against the Eagles of Bethalto Civic Memorial 58-43, as heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Ashley L. Rockford, 29, of 719 West Vandeveer Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 18 for domestic battery.

Cody L. Henson, 20, of 934 West King, Decatur, was arrested January 17 on a bond forfeiture for burglary.

Alexander B. Shanks, 21, of 610 South Webster, Taylorville, was arrested January 17 on a bond forfeiture for consumption of liquor by a minor.

Jacob A. Miller, 32, of 1016 Boyde Street, Palmer, was arrested January 17 on a bond forfeiture for bad check/first of (720 5/17-1-b-d)

Brent C. Wells, 25, of 216 South Locust Street, Assumption, was arrested January 18 on a warrant for knowingly damaging property.

Caralee A. Cooper, 44, of 1590 1800 East Road, Taylorville, was arrested January 20 on a bond forfeiture for possession of a controlled substance.

Joshua F. Haines, 28, of 1519 West Elm Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 19 on a bond forfeiture for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kelly C. O'Bryan, 34, of 19 Meadow Terrace Drive, Decatur, was arrested January 19 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Rachael A. Dixon, 27, of 46 Hannon Trailer Court, Taylorville, was arrested January 20 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear/answer.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On January 16, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol and observed a vehicle traveling south on Main Street. A check through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System showed that the male registered owner of the vehicle did not have a valid driver's license. The officer made a stop on the vehicle at Main and Franklin Streets. The officer made contact with the driver and identified him as Travis W. Foor, 27, of Taylorville. Foor was placed under arrest and transported to Taylorville Police Department. Foor was processed and released on a notice to appear.

On January 18 at 12:55am, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to 719 West Vandeveer Street in reference to a disturbance. Ashley L. Rockford, 29, of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery. Rockford was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and then transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

On January 19 at 7:14pm, Taylorville Police Department officers located Joshua F Haines, 28, of Taylorville at 1504 West Park Avenue. The officers knew Haines to have a Fayette County failure to appear warrant. Dispatch confirmed the warrant through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. Haines was transported to Christian County Correctional Center.

On January 18 at 7:35pm, a Taylorville Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for an equipment violation. Following the stop, Brittany N. Benedict, 24, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while license is suspended. Benedict was released on a notice to appear.

On January 17, a Taylorville Police Department officer received information that Alexander Shanks, 21, of Taylorville had a warrant out of Christian County and he was in town driving a tan Chevrolet Cavalier. The officer located thee vehicle and stopped it in the parking lot of Pizza Hut. The officer made contact with Shanks and placed him under arrest. Shanks was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 15
1 Fire, 1 EMS, 1 Public Assist

January 16
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Illegal Burn

January 17
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Automatic Alarm

January 18
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist

January 19
2 EMS, 1 Welfare Check

January 20
5 EMS, 1 Smoke Scare

Even though the weather is cold, there are gardening tasks that need to be done.  Master Gardener Gwen Podeschi tells Regional Radio news about some things you should be doing this time of year:

[audio:podeschiwinter012114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The University of Illinois Extension also offers a number of seminars and telenets this time of year.  Call the Extension Office for more info at 287-7246 or 532-3941.

When it comes to trying to lose weight and leading a healthier lifestyle, the diet and amount of exercise goes hand in hand. Joyce Fikri of the St. Louis Dairy Council tells Regional Radio News how much physical activity we should have:

[audio:fikriideas011814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For more information, you can call the Dairy Council at 726-8480 or visit them online at stldairycouncil.org.

Summer Robbins, Miss Montgomery County Fair, was crowned the 2014 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Sunday night. 

Illinois Agriculture Director Bob Flider and retiring Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Amelia Martens did the crowning, which culminated the annual convention of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs.  This year a record 72 county fair queens vied for the coveted title.

Robbins, the daughter of Rick and Julie Robbins of Coffeen, attends the University of Illinois College of Business. Her career goal is to become a corporate attorney. 

Miss Winnebago County Fair Queen Megan Magee was named first runner-up. 

Detroit,  MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 shots to help the 
St. Louis Blues take a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. 

Barret  Jackman,  Jay Bouwmeester,  Kevin Shattenkirk  and Magnus Paajarvi all 
scored for the Blues, who had lost three of four coming into the game. 

"The first two periods we played the way we had to," said St. Louis head coach 
Ken  Hitchcock. "We kept the puck in their zone a lot and got a high volume of 
shots on net." 

Gustav  Nyquist scored  the only goal of  the game for the Red Wings, who have 
dropped three of their last four. 

Jimmy  Howard started the game in net for Detroit but left halfway through the 
second  period  with an undisclosed illness.  He had allowed three goals on 25 
shots. Petr Mrazek took over and gave up a goal on 14 shots. 

"They  were better in  all areas of the game tonight," said Detroit head coach 
Mike  Babcock.  "But I don't  want the guys focusing  on this because our game 
lately has been very good." 

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead at 11:13 of the first period as Paajarvi wrapped the 
puck  around  from behind the net  and it hit off  the right leg of Howard and 
went in. 

Detroit  tied the game with 27 seconds left in the opening period on the power 
play  as Nyquist swept the puck in with a logjam in front for his sixth of the 
season. 

The Blues, though, took  the lead back just 61 seconds into the second period 
as Jackman's slap shot from the high slot made its way through a screen. 

It  was  a 3-1 game just  1:20 later after  Shattenkirk's slap shot on a power 
play  from  the top of the  left circle went through  a screen set up by David 
Backes in front. 

Bouwmeester's  shot from the  left point was going wide of the net, but it hit 
off  the leg of  Detroit's Riley Sheahan at the right side and went in at 2:14 
of the third for a 4-1 lead. 

Halak  stopped 10 shots  in the third period to keep Detroit from getting back 
into the game. 

                                   Game Notes 

St.  Louis  continues its four-game  road trip  Tuesday against New Jersey ... 
Detroit  hosts Chicago on  Wednesday ... St. Louis won three of the five games 
last season against its former Central Division foe ... Detroit was 1-for-6 on 
the  power play while St. Louis was 1-for-5 ... St. Louis left wing Alex Steen 
had two assists in the game. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com) -  Taj Gibson had less than a second to get a 
shot off and barely beat the overtime buzzer with a layup off an inbounds pass 
to give the Chicago Bulls a 102-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The  back-and-forth  battle at United  Center featured  23 lead changes and 14 
ties,  the last  coming when  Nick Young  drained a  baseline jumper  with 6.0 
seconds left in OT to knot things at 100-100. 

After  D.J. Augustin's pass at the other end was knocked out of bounds by Ryan 
Kelly, the Bulls called timeout to draw up a play with 0.9 ticks to go. 

"We  have  confidence in what  (coach Tom Thibodeau)  draws up in the huddle," 
Augustin said. 

Mike  Dunleavy inbounded the ball from underneath the basket, and Gibson boxed 
out  Manny Harris in the lane to receive the bounce pass cleanly, then quickly 
went up with his left hand over Pau Gasol for the game-winner. 

"I  was  looking at the  backboard hoping  it would go  red before it left his 
hand," hopes Young. 

With  their eighth win  in 10 games, the Bulls evened their record (20-20) for 
the first time since they were 7-7 on Nov. 27. 

Augustin  led  Chicago with a season-high  27 points, while Joakim Noah filled 
the stat sheet with 17 points, 21 rebounds and six assists. 

Young  became  the first Lakers to  eclipse the 30-point mark this season, but 
his 31 weren't enough to earn Los Angeles a third straight win. Gasol finished 
with 20 points, 19 boards and five blocks in the setback. 

Augustin's 3-pointer broke an 82-82 tie with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation, 
and the Lakers retook the lead on three consecutive buckets by Gasol, the last 
an easy basket in the paint that put LA in front, 90-87, with 2:12 remaining. 

Augustin  answered  with another triple, and  Jimmy Butler put the Bulls ahead 
with  a  reverse layup  off a  nifty backdoor bounce  pass by  Noah, who had a 
chance to seal the win at the foul line with 7.4 seconds on the clock. 

Noah,  though, went  1-of-2 at the line,  then fouled Young well beyond the 3- 
point  line  in the act  of shooting. Young made  all three freebies, and Noah 
missed the rim entirely on a contested left-handed layup at the buzzer. 

The  Lakers  scored the first five  points of overtime, and the Bulls answered 
with the next seven, including Augustin's go-ahead layup with 1:30 to play. 

Two empty possessions from both sides preceded Young's tying bucket. 

There  were 10 lead changes and four ties in a see-saw first half, which ended 
with the Lakers holding a 52-49 lead. 

The third quarter played out just the same, with buckets from Young and Jordan 
Hill in the final minute giving LA a 72-69 edge going into the final stanza. 

                                   Game Notes 

Neither  team led by more than eight the entire game ... The Lakers have given 
up  100-plus points  in each of their  last nine games ... The Bulls forced 22 
turnovers,  outscored the  Lakers in  the paint  (50-38) and  in second-chance 
points (16-8) and owned a 55-47 rebounding advantage. 

Many Americans are trying to lose weight this time of year.  Standards applied to obesity have been changed in recent years. If you need some help, Christina Adams of the Sarah Bush Health Center in Mattoon says they are sponsoring a weight management program.  She says it's sometimes hard to know if you have a problem:

[audio:adamssarabush012114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Call Sarah Bush Health Center in Mattoon to find out more.  The number is 238-4774.

Pictured left to right: Doug Jackson and Kiwanian Brenda Spurling.

Doug Jackson, a semi-retired research archeologist with the Illinois State Archaeology Survey at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, was Tuesday’s guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Jackson presented a slide show with a trip thru Illinois’ pre-history, showing many pictures of artifacts that have been found in digs thru-out the state dating back some 13,000 years.

Jackson told the Kiwanis Club that there are some 50,000 archaeological sites in Illinois alone, showing different eras marked by different lifestyles of those living there at the time.

[audio:JacksonaudioJan2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Jackson added that there’s now evidence showing that corn—Illinois’ largest grain crop—wasn’t grown in the Midwest until 800 A. D. and that Illinois’ Indian tribes originally came from Ohio around 1600 A. D.

According to Jackson, most of the sites that have provided artifacts, have been near rivers where many Indian tribes traveled and lived.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club reminds the public about this Saturday’s annual Pancake and Sausage Day from 6:30 til eleven in the morning at a new location, the Taylorville Moose Lodge. Tickets are available at the the door, and proceeds from the annual fund raiser benefit local Kiwanis projects for children and youth.

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

-30-

The Christian County Board was presented with a proposal at their meeting Tuesday night for Circuit Clerk Julie Mayer to rearrange the layout of her offices. Board member Greg Hager tells the Board what the move entails:

After nearly an hour of discussion and 3 votes, the Taylorville City Council Tuesday night defeated a proposed change in zoning for the former West School Property south of West Spresser Street. The property was purchased from the Taylorville School District by local realtor Bernie Curvey, who along with his son Joe are looking to develop the building and land for small business.

Bill Harryman, representing the Taylorville Zoning and Planning Commission, brought a recommendation from that body, to the Council for approval Tuesday night. Harryman asked that an 8-acre tract including the former school, be re-zoned from residential to commercial.

After considerable discussion on such items as what streets would be used to get in and out of the property, and what type of sound barrier would be built between commercial and residential zoned property, the Council’s first vote on the Zoning Commission’s recommendation was defeated 8 to one, with Mayor Greg Brotherton also voting no. Alderman Ernie Dorchinez was the lone “yes” vote.

Alderman Bruce Jones brought up a 2nd motion, adding that the Curvey’s deed a portion of Poplar Street that they ended up with in the initial purchase, back to the city. The street would then be closed. That motion was defeated 6 to 3, with aldermen Dorchinez, Bruce Jones, and Earl Walters voting yes. Mayor Greg Brotherton also voted no.

A third motion was made to allow the re-zoning of the former West School from residential to commercial, and to barricade Poplar Street immediately. That motion passed with 5 Council members voting yes—Dorchinez, Jones, Ray Koonce, Martin Vota, and Walters—and 3 no votes. Mayor Greg Brotherton voted no as well, for a final vote of 5 to 4. The motion failed because it needed 2-thirds of the Council and mayor’s votes, to overturn the Zoning Commission’s recommendation.

As a result, the issue is back to square one, according to Mayor Greg Brotherton.

[audio:BrothertonaudioJan2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The re-zoning issue must now go thru the process all over again.

Taylorville aldermen met Tuesday night due to the Martin Luther King holiday, and voted to allow the expansion of Gowin Parc’s Alzheimer’s unit with the construction of another building. The addition, called Phase 2, will be built next to their existing building on Taylorville’s northeast side. The vote, which was 8 to nothing, was after a recommendation by the Taylorville Planning and Zoning Commission.

Mayor Greg Brotherton told Council members Tuesday night, that he continues to work with Ahlstrom Filteration on further abatement of the noise created by EPA-mandated equipment being installed at the paper plant on Taylorville’s northeast side. The Mayor also appointed Jim Hahn to the Fire and Police Commission Board, he appointed Jim Altman to the Planning Commission, and recognized Kevin Stich for his 32 years of service on the Taylorville Fire and Police Commission Board.

Taylorville Council members Tuesday night acted on a number of motions brought before it, in their nearly 2 hour meeting. Aldermen OK’s several water annexation agreements, they amended the city code regarding public works construction contracts, they added language in city code regarding special events requirements, and prohibited “Bring Your Own Beer” liquor licenses in the city limits. They OK’d 3 payments to their general contractor on the Lake Shore Drive project totaling near 60-thousand dollars, and OK’d hiring temporary help in the Taylorville City Treasurer’s office.

A number of motions were approved by Taylorville aldermen Tuesday night. Council members approved awarding the auditing bid for the next 4 years to Lively, Mathias, Hooper and Noblet; they directed Mayor Greg Brotherton to negotiate a repayment plan for the Transportation Enhancement Grant with the Illinois Department of Transportation; they OK’d waiving various city water fees for the Community Garden at Davis Memorial Christian Church; and they tabled further discussion on adjusting the Village of Owaneco’s water rates with more study to take place as the city nears bonding its new water plant project.

Taylorville City Council members approved a motion Tuesday night that will affect lake lot lease holders. Aldermen voted unanimously that city code be changed to allow a name on the waiting list for a lake lot only one time, and if that person already has a Lake Lot or Campground site in their name, they may lease another only if they give up the current lease. The changes also state that city residents will be given priority on lake lot and campground waiting lists. And, storage shed sizes will now be changed on lake lot and campground leases, to mirror what’s in existing City Code.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Capital Region will stage its biggest fundraiser of the year soon.  Lisa Rakey of BBBS tells Regional Radio listeners that Bowl for Kid's Sake will take place a little later this year:

The Greater Taylorville and Pana Chambers of Commerce say they have received calls about a man who is reportedly calling Chamber members, asking them to buy ads to sponsor a map. The trouble is, the man is not associated with the Taylorville or Pana Chambers. The man says he is from Universal Associates. The Taylorville Chamber notes that this is different from their own map that they produce. The man was reportedly told that in order to publish and distribute such a map, his company would need to be a member of the chamber, which it is not.  The chambers want members to know that the company is not producing a map for the chambers.

Voters in Shelby County have a chance again this year to help out the county school districts by approving a 1-percent sales tax for educational facilities that will be on the March 18^th ballot. Shelbyville Superintendent Denise Bence tells Regional Radio News how it will benefit her school district:

(Chicago, IL)  --  The White Sox came to terms on one-year deals with second baseman Gordon Beckham and outfielder Alejandro De Aza on Friday, avoiding arbitration with both.  Beckham will earn 4.175-million-dollars in 2014.  De Aza agreed to a pact worth 4.25-million-dollars. 

(Chicago, IL)  --  As the sweepstakes to land prized Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka heat up, the Chicago Cubs seem to be making the most noise.  The Cubbies have reportedly become the first team to make an official offer to the 25-year-old right-hander.  Per new posting rules, MLB teams have until January 24th at 5 p.m. Eastern to sign Tanaka.  Multiple industry sources indicate that the Cubs are the favorites to land him. Japanese news service Nikkan Sports reports that the Yankees, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and White Sox are the others.  All offers are said to be over six-years, 100-million-dollars. 

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The Cardinals will dedicate a new museum to honor their own this spring.  The new Cardinals Hall of Fame will honor the club's greatest players and important figures in its history.  The first induction class will be enshrined on August 16 after the formal selection process is complete.  The museum will be part of the Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village development just outside Busch Stadium. 

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to a burglary that occurred in Taylorville.

Sometime during the overnight hours of Thursday December 19, 2013, person or persons unknown made entry into #54 Hannon Trailer Court.  While inside the unknown subject or subjects took several items including: a blu-ray player, a X-Box, video games, and a watch.  No damage was apparent from gaining entry.  The total dollar amount of items taken is unknown at this time. 

Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons.  Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name.  Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week. 

 You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES  (274632) and then your tip.  As always, you will remain anonymous. 

The Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon will be the place for a free panel discussion early next month.  Karyn Cole, Service Representative and Community Outreach Director for the Health Center, says the subject is The New Face of Heart Disease:

[audio:colenewfaceheartdisease011714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again, the event will be Thursday February 6th at Lumpkin Family Center for Health Education at Sarah Bush Lincoln.  A free soup and sandwich dinner will be provided.  To reserve your seat, talk to Paula at 258-2177.

We've all heard the expression "money isn't everything" but many of us find it hard to believe.  But Counselor Karen Vatthauer tells Regional radio listeners that studies show it's true:

[audio:vatthauerabundance012013.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If you want to find out more about the upcoming "Living an Abundant Life" class, call Vatthauer's office at 824-3435.

Champaign,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Gary  Harris  scored 23  points to  lead 
fourth-ranked Michigan State to a 78-62 win over Illinois. 

Denzel Valentine contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Keith Appling also 
scored 15, as the Spartans (17-1, 6-0 Big Ten) won their 10th straight contest 
since a Dec. 4 loss to North Carolina. 

Tracy  Abrams had 15  points to pace the Fighting Illini (13-6, 2-4), who have 
dropped  four in  a row.  Jon Ekey  and Rayvonte  Rice each  had 12  points in 
defeat. 

"I thought we made our fair share of mistakes on the defensive end," Illinois 
coach John Groce said. 

Rice's  jumper had the  hosts within 24-22 with 4:13 left in the opening half, 
but  the Spartans  ran off the next seven points, finished by Branden Dawson's 
tip-in.  Harris hit a  jumper in the final minute to widen the gap to 35-25 at 
the break. 

Ekey  drained  a 3-pointer  to start  the second half,  but the Spartans again 
gained control and moved ahead by a 43-30 margin on Alex Gauna's jumper. 

Adams  made  two free throws  for a 59-53 contest  with 6:09 left, but Appling 
responded  with  a 3-pointer with under  six minutes left. Illinois didn't get 
closer than nine the rest of the way. 

                                   Game Notes 

Illinois  fell  to 9-2  at home ...  Michigan State coach  Tom Izzo moved past 
Illinois  legend Lou Henson for sole possession of fourth place on the Big Ten 
career  victories list  with 215 wins ...  Michigan State has won eight of the 
last 11 meetings. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  -  Patrick  Kane scored  the  winner in  the 
shootout  as the  Chicago Blackhawks took a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins 
on Sunday. 

On  the final attempt  of the shootout, Kane skated down the middle and slowed 
up before picking his shot and burying a wrister past Tuukka Rask for the win. 

Marian  Hossa and Brandon Bollig scored for the Blackhawks, who have won three 
of their last four. Corey Crawford stopped 34 shots in the win. 

"I  thought the pace  of this game was quick and it didn't stop," said Chicago 
head  coach  Joel Quenneville. "They're a  great team and they can really wear 
you down. I thought the guys did a good job of standing them up." 

Brad  Marchand  scored both goals  for the Bruins, who  have lost four of six. 
Rask made 35 stops in defeat. 

"We  played  really well  today," said Marchand.  "There's a few opportunities 
we'd  like to have  back, for sure, but I thought we had a very good chance to 
win in a tough place to play against a great team." 

The last time these teams met was in the Stanley Cup Finals last spring, which 
saw Chicago win in six games for its second championship in four seasons. 

Chicago got on the board just 4:13 into the contest as Patrick Sharp caught up 
to  the  puck along the  right circle  and dished it  to the front where Hossa 
tapped it in for his 20th of the season. 

Boston  tied the game  with just 18.9 seconds to play in the opening frame, as 
Marchand  scored  with a snap  shot from the right  wing after a backhand feed 
from Patrice Bergeron, who had brought the puck in down the middle. 

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead just 50 seconds into the middle stanza, as Marchand 
had  the puck along the left wing and waited to get Crawford to the ice before 
slipping  the puck  between the  goaltenders  pads for  his 14th  goal of  the 
season. 

Chicago,  though,  scored near the midway  mark of the second, as Bollig threw 
the  puck  on net from a  sharp angle along  the right boards that knicked off 
Rask and went in. 

Crawford  was busy  in the third period, stopping 14 shots and helping Chicago 
kill off a pair of power plays, while Boston had to kill off a penalty for the 
first 1:55 of overtime after Matt Bartowski was called for cross checking late 
in regulation. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago  was  0-for-2 on the  power play while  Boston went 0-for-3 ... Boston 
hosts  Los  Angeles on  Monday ...  Chicago plays in  Detroit on Wednesday ... 
Hossa  has reached  20  goals in  13  of the  past 14  seasons,  with the  one 
exception being last season's strike-shortened campaign. 

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville Boys fell to Lincoln with a score of 58-31.

In girls' basketball action from Monday night, the Lady Raiders of Central A&M had a solid win over the Lady Bulldogs of St. Teresa by a final score of 75-35, as heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR. The win moves the Raiders up to 18 and 4 for the year, 8 and 1 in the Okaw Valley Conference. The Bulldogs drop to 9 and 11 for the year, 2 and 7 in the Conference. The Raiders will play again on Saturday with the broadcast to start at 2:30pm with the pregame show with Brian and Ed Hanley on WMKR,

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp announces the arrest of 19-year-old Jacob Fahl of Morrisonville, for criminal damage to property, a class four felony, causing damage over $300 but less $10,000.

At approximately 1:45 A.M. on Monday, a Morrisonville resident heard a loud noise coming from the front yard of his residence.  The resident looked out his window and noticed a dark colored pickup truck at the end of his driveway. The resident immediately took action by going outside to determine what had caused the noise. The resident observed that his mail box and trash container had been damage and the dark colored pickup truck drove away from this house. The resident got into his vehicle and followed the pickup truck until he could obtain the license plate, at which time he immediately called the Christian County Sheriff’s Office.

Christian County Sheriff’s Office took numerous reports of other criminal property damages occurring in Morrisonville. One stop sign and 7 mailboxes were knocked down. The truck left ruts in the yard of one residence, splattering mud all over the house. Another yard had a figure 8 in it caused by ruts from the pick up truck.

Sheriff Kettelkamp praises the immediate action taken by the citizen to obtain the license plate of the vehicle that was responsible for the criminal damage. Sheriff Kettelkamp encourages all citizens to take action immediately to assist Law Enforcement when they hear or observe anything unusual occurring in their community.

Jacob Fahl was arrested on Thursday as a result of an arrest warrant that was issued through the Christian County States Attorneys’ Office. Fahl was released from Christian County Jail after posting 10% of a $20,000 bond.

2 Pana teenagers were arrested for allegedly breaking into the Pana Library. On Thursday at 11:55pm, a Pana Police Officer was on patrol checking doors and windows at the Pana Library when a screen was found to be removed and a glass window was smashed. A second unit arrived and officers discovered the east door was unlocked.

Officers entered to clear the building and discovered multiple drawers rummaged through after entrance was made through the broken window. Pana officers notified Library personnel who responded and discovered several items missing including two laptops, one kindle fire pad and other miscellaneous items.

Pana officers continued their investigation and were able to track multiple footprints due to a light snow on the ground. Officers located two subjects at the residence of 206 East Fifth Street. Upon further investigation, officers were able to located stolen property from the library in the basement of the residence.

18-year-old Michael W. Beaty and a 17-year-old male were taken into custody for the following charges: burglary, theft of government property over $500, and criminal damage to government property. Beaty was processed and transported to the Christian County Correctional Center. The 17-year-old was processed and released to a parent. The recovered stolen property was processed and will be returned to Library personnel.

The annual March for Life takes place this week in Washington, D.C. Cathy Coker, Executive Director of the Loving Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center in Taylorville is taking the trip and tells Regional Radio News what will be going during the week:

[audio:cokermarchforlife011814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The March for Life runs through January 23. For more information, go to marchforlife.org.

The National Landscape Symposium is coming up next month. University of Illinois Extension Educator Andrew Holsinger says they have a lot of featured speakers lined up:

[audio:holsingernatlandsymp011814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Symposium will take place February 22^nd at Lincoln Land Community College in Litchfield. For more information, call 287-7246.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Michael W. Beaty, 18, of 206 East 5th Street, Pana, was arrested January 17 for burglary, theft, and criminal damage to government property.

Jacob G. Fahl, 19, of 300 Southeast Third Street, Morrisonville, was arrested January 16 on a bond forfeiture for criminal damage to property.

Derrick L. Covington, 20, of 1210 South Hilton, Decatur, was arrested January 17 on a bond forfeiture for unlawful possession of a firearm.

CRASH:

On January 16, a white truck was southbound on County Highway 1. Deborah J. Chumley, 43, of Nokomis was northbound on County Highway 1. Chumley was north of 150 North Road just into the curves when a white truck with a trailer went by. A piece of plywood or some type of wood came off the trailer and hit Chumley in the front passenger side. Chumley said she did not stop because she did not feel safe stopping on the road. Chumley returned home and reported the accident. Chumley said that the truck appeared to have pulled over on the side of the road. Chumley did not know if the driver was aware that part of his load had stuck her vehicle.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASH:

On January 14, Jeremy M. Wilson, 33, of Taylorville was traveling east on Market Street.Candace L. Curtis, 59, of Assumption was traveling north on Pawnee Street, Both vehicles arrived at the intersection of Market and Pawnee Streets. Curtis stopped at the yield sign but did not see Wilson who had the right away and cause a collision. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

On January 12 at 7:30am, Pana Police Department received a report of a theft of a 9mm handgun from a vehicle parked at 5 West Washington Street. After an investigation by the Pana PD, along with assistance from the Taylorville Police Department, a 15 year old male from Pana was taken into custody January 16. The juvenile was processed on the following offenses: possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, and unlawful sale/delivery of a firearm. The juvenile was transported to the Madison County Juvenile Correctional Center. Information forwarded to the State Attorney's office where formal juvenile petitions will be filed. The case remains open and the 9mm handgun has not been recovered.

On January 16, Melissa Litton of Pana reported a theft of money from her vehicle at 107 MacArthur. Theft occurred sometime after 8pm on January 15.

On January 16, Mike Oary of Pana reported the theft of miscellaneous items from an unlocked vehicle at his residence.

On January 16 at 11:55pm, a Pana Police Officer was on patrol checking doors and windows at the Pana Library when a screen was found to be removed and a glass window was smashed. A second unit arrived and officers discovered the east door was unlocked. Officers entered to clear the building and discovered multiple drawers rummaged through after entrance was made through the broken window. Pana officers notified Library personnel who responded and discovered several items missing including two laptops, one kindle fire pad and other miscellaneous items. Pana officers continued their investigation and were able to track multiple footprints due to a light snow on the ground. Officers located two subjects at the residence of 206 East Fifth Street. Upon further investigation, officers were able to located stolen property from the library in the basement of the residence. 18-year-old Michael W. Beaty and a 17-year-old male were taken into custody for the following charges: burglary, theft of government property over $500, and criminal damage to government property. Beaty was processed and transported to the Christian County Correctional Center. The 17-year-old was processed and released to a parent. The recovered stolen property was processed and will be returned to Library personnel.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 15:
1 Fire, 1 EMS, 1 Public Assist

January 16
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Illegal Burn

January 17
1 EMS, 1 Public Assist

Football, parties and booze can be an attractive combination on Super Bowl Sunday but there are drawbacks.  Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says it's the biggest party day of the year.  He points to some statistics from the Triple A:

[audio:sheriffstats011714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Super Bowl Sunday this year falls on February 2nd.

A selection committee for the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce has picked the Member of the Quarter.  Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle says a local manufacturer has been chosen:

The Morrisonville FFA Chapter is celebrating their 75^th anniversary this year. FFA Advisor Tom Justison tells Regional Radio News what they have planned:

[audio:justisonmvilleffa011614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Justison says they are asking a $10 deposit to reserve a spot. To make the reservation, contact Tom Justison at 526-4432.

St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Quick made 28 stops, while Trevor 
Lewis scored twice in the third period to help Los Angeles claim a 4-1 victory 
over St. Louis at Scottrade Center. 

"He's a number one goalie. Like everybody that has a number one goalie, he 
gives you the stability. He made some big saves in the third period. He did a 
good job tonight," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. 

Jake  Muzzin tallied in the first period and Jeff Carter added an empty netter 
for  the Kings,  who kicked  off a  five-game road  trip with  a win  over the 
second-stingiest defense in the entire NHL. 

T.J.  Oshie provided  the sole offense for the Blues, who suffered their first 
home defeat since a 4-2 setback to San Jose on Dec. 17. 

Jaroslav Halak stopped 27 shots, but was his own worst enemy on a key score in 
the final period. 

Blues  winger Ryan Reaves  took a penalty at the end of the second period, and 
he  couldn't  catch up  to the  play as a  centering feed  from Lewis that was 
intended  for King caromed off the skate of Jaden Schwartz and inside the left 
post at 2:04 of the third for a 2-1 LA edge. 

It was a 3-1 game at 4:21, just 10 seconds after Carter sat for hooking. Halak 
collected  a  dump-in behind his  net, but failed to  see Lewis in pursuit. He 
picked up the disc, circled the net and tucked it inside the left post. 

"I think I made a mistake at the worst possible time with the game on the line 
for us. Will take blame for this one. We lost two points because of me," said 
Halak. 

Halak  was sent  to the  bench during  a 4-on-4  situation with  1:33 left  in 
regulation  and  Carter chased  down a  puck at center  ice before hitting the 
empty net with 55.5 seconds to play. 

Muzzin  beat  Halak just  2:31 into  the contest on  a low  shot from the left 
point. 

Oshie  was dragged down on a scoring chance just before the six-minute mark of 
the second, and beat Quick on the subsequent penalty shot to even the score. 

                                   Game Notes 

Coming  into  the contest, Los  Angeles allowed 95 goals  and St. Louis 96 ... 
Quick  improved  to 4-1-1  since returning  from a groin  injury ... The Kings 
posted  their first  road win since Dec.  11 at Toronto ... Alex Steen was the 
last Blues player to convert a penalty shot, on Oct. 5 against Florida. 

The Cubs are hoping to land prized free-agent pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.  Speaking to a media contingent yesterday, new manager Rick Renteria says the team met with Tanaka last week in Los Angeles.  They pitched the team's youth and upside to the 25-year-old Japanese import. 

As heard on WRAN, Shelbyville fell to Central A&M with a score of 57-54.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville fell to Southeast with a score of 69-45.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASH:

On January 14, Laura L. Farrar, 43, of Waggoner, was eastbound on 900 North Road and did not realize the curve was coming up. Farrar saw the curve to late and began to brake. Farrar left skid marks as she attempted to slow to negotiate the curve. Farrar ran off the road on the right side and ran over a warning arrow sign and then went into the ditch. Farrar came to a stop in the ditch facing east. No injuries reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASH:

On January 15, Danielle M. Weinert, 26, of Taylorville said that she did not see Cory A. Neal, 19, of Taylorville waiting to turn. Weinert struck Neal. No injuries were reported.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

On January 14, Lacy Wood reported an incident of suspected identity theft. The case is under investigation.

After a traffic stop on January 15, Andrea B. Wafford, 35, of Pana was issued a citation for speeding in a school zone.

On January 15, Sarah J. Harlow, 33, of Pana, was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for failure to appear and a Fayette County warrant for failure to appear. Harlow posted cash bond and was given a court date and time and released.

The bad weather last week caused dozens of closings and cancellations.  The Taylorville Public Library had early closings, and had to reschedule some events.  Head Librarian Dorothy Siles says they decided to cancel last week's Babies, Toddlers and Me program:

[audio:silesbabiestoddlers011414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Taylorville Public Library is located at 121 W. Vine St.  If you have questions, call the library at 824-4736.

It didn’t take long for a new bakery to move into Taylorville after A Piece O’ Cake shut down at the end of the year. Lyndsey Shelton will be moving from Ohio and will be opening Little Bird Bakery in its place. Shelton tells Regional Radio News what led to the decision to move and open shop:

Changes are coming for a Central Illinois institution.  Long-time President and Treasurer of the Taylorville Community Credit Union has announced he is stepping down after 35 years.  Kevin Stitch says he feels his replacement, Will Perkins, will do a good job:

[audio:stitchretire011614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Perkins says Kevin Stitch will not disappear entirely:

[audio:perkinsstitchretire011614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Taylorville Community Credit Union is at 422 W. Main Cross.  TCCU also has locations in Hillsboro and Litchfield.

Champaign,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - A.J. Hammons registered 17 points, eight 
rebounds  and  three blocks  as the Purdue  Boilermakers defeated the Illinois 
Fighting Illini 66-58 in a Big Ten tilt at the State Farm Center. 

Ronnie  Johnson tallied  13  points for  Purdue (12-5,  2-2  Big Ten).  Terone 
Johnson added 10 points. 

Tracy  Abrams  scored 13  points with  five assists  for Illinois (13-5, 2-3), 
which  has  lost three straight games.  Joseph Bertrand and Rayvonte Rice each 
scored 11 points with Rice also pulling down seven rebounds. 

Illinois shot 41.9 percent from the floor in the first half and were left with 
a  33-29 lead at  the intermission. Purdue made just 37.1 percent of its field 
goal attempts, including 1-of-11 from 3-point range in the period. 

The  Boilermakers  made 48.1 percent of  their shot attempts from the field in 
the  second  half to push  past the Illini, who  netted just seven field goals 
after the break. 

Purdue dominated the glass, holding a 42-28 rebounding advantage. 

Orlando,  FL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Joakim Noah tallied 26 points, 19 rebounds 
and  six assists  as the Chicago Bulls survived a three-overtime thriller with 
the Orlando Magic, 128-125, Wednesday from Amway Center. 

Jimmy  Butler  sat just  three minutes  in this one,  posting 21 points, seven 
rebounds and six assists to help Chicago to its sixth win in seven games. D.J. 
Augustin scored 19 points with nine assists off the bench, while Carlos Boozer 
had 23 points before sitting for the overtime periods. 

"We're  grimy and  we play  as a  team," said  Butler. "There  is no  guy that 
doesn't  give all their  effort on every single play. When you play like that, 
good things happen. Basketball gods will reward you." 

Tony Snell added 15 points for the Bulls. 

"It  didn't look  very good  for a  while there,"  said Bulls  head coach  Tom 
Thibodeau. "We got down big, just kept battling. It was a hard fought game." 

Victor  Oladipo netted  a career-high  35 points  on 15-of-24  shooting in  57 
minutes  for Orlando,  losers of nine straight. Jameer Nelson took 30 shots en 
route  to  31 points and 10  assists, while Tobias  Harris had 22 points to go 
with 16 rebounds. 

"One  thing about  Vic (Oladipo), he's faster than a hiccup," said Nelson. "As 
soon  as you  blink, he's gone. He  just takes advantage of the seams and he's 
going a better job of recognizing what's going on, how teams are playing him." 

The  Magic  led 95-92 late in  regulation after Harris' short runner with 4:38 
left,  but  Chicago scored  the next six  points to go  in front. After Nelson 
broke  the  spell with a  layup with just under  two minutes to play, Augustin 
silenced the crowd with a deep 3-pointer with 1:07 to go. 

Harris  then tipped  in an Oladipo miss on  the other end to make it a 2-point 
game.  After Noah missed  his layup try, Nelson isolated his man at the top of 
the  key  with 11.2 seconds to  play and canned a  deep two to tie the game at 
101-101. 

Butler  got tied up by Glen Davis on his last layup try, and the clock ran out 
on the ensuing jump ball to force the first extra session. 

The  Magic's Glen Davis  canned a deep jumper to break a 108-108 tie with 1:58 
left  in  the first overtime. Harris  then made 1-of-2  from the line for a 3- 
point  margin,  which Orlando  held until  Mike Dunleavy's  3-pointer out of a 
timeout  with 13.4  ticks to go. Nelson failed  to get a shot off at the other 
end over the long arms of Noah to force another five minutes. 

Snell's driving slam to start the second OT set the tone in the second session 
for  Chicago, which  led until  the closing  seconds, when  Davis knotted  the 
contest at 119-119 with a deep three over Noah. Dunleavy's falling jumper from 
the  left corner  was off  the mark,  leading to  a third  and final  overtime 
period. 

Oladipo  followed Harris' trey with a reverse layup for a 125-122 Orlando lead 
with  2:39  left, but the Magic  were kept off  the scoreboard the rest of the 
way.  Snell's  pull-up jumper  with 48.6  seconds left proved  to be the game- 
winner  as  the Magic missed  six shots  in the final  two minutes to seal the 
outcome. 

                                   Game Notes 

Noah  set season highs  in points and rebounds, while Nelson had a season high 
in  scoring ...  Butler's 60  minutes played  set Chicago's  all-time regular- 
season  record  ... Orlando outscored Chicago  60-42 in the paint and 21-10 in 
transition  ... Dunleavy  had 11 points, six rebounds and six assists ... Kyle 
O'Quinn  scored 12 points off Orlando's bench ... The Magic's Maurice Harkless 
played  nearly 46 minutes and took just one shot while netting four points ... 
The  game  featured 20 lead changes  and 14 ties  ... Both teams led by double 
figures during regulation. 

Former National League Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan [[ COG-len ]] is invited to the Cubs' spring training after signing a minor league deal yesterday.  Coghlan picked up the top rookie honors in 2009 as a member of the Marlins.  He hit .321 with nine homers and 47 RBI that season.  He has struggled since then, hitting .242 with 12 home runs and 70 RBI from 2010 through last year. 

In girls basketball in the Okaw Valley Conference at Clinton, the Lady Raiders of Central A&M beat the Clinton Maroons 67-61, as heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR.

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville girls fell to Springfield High with a score of 54-39.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Joseph S. Lawrence, 34, of 508 South Houston Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 14 for driving on a suspended /revoked license.

Daniel V. Davis, 31, of 3780 Portage Place Apt. 25, Decatur, was arrested January 15 for domestic battery.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

Following a traffic stop on January 13, Roland C. Webb, 28, of Pana was issued citations for operating an uninsured vehicle and operating a vehicle with an expired registration sticker.

Following a traffic stop on January 13, Brian K. Durbin, 29, of Pana, was issued a citation for speeding 63mph in a 45mph zone.

On January 13, Pana Police Department was advised by 911 of a hit and run involving a car and a pedestrian at 397 North Poplar. The pedestrian was identified as Joseph Merritt, 55, of Pana and was transported to Pana Community Hospital. Upon further investigation Dirk C. Taylor, 29, of Pana (front passenger) was arrested for aggravated battery for causing the car to hit Merritt. Taylor was transported to Christian County Correctional Center. Case is under investigation pending possible additional charges against Samantha D. Taylor, 28, of Pana (driver).

On January 13, Brent A. Getz, 22, of Pana, was arrested on a Shelby County Warrant for failure to appear. He was transported to Shelby County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond.

After an incident in Pana, Maggie Zahradka reported on January 14 a violation of an order of protection. Information to be forwarded to the State's Attorneys office for possible charges against Rob C. Zahradka, 39, of Pana.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DPEARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 14
4 EMS, 1 Public Assist

January 15
2 EMS

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp's monthly newsletter concerns Super Bowl Sunday.  The Sheriff says the annual football game brings one of the most dangerous days of the year because of drunk drivers.  The newsletter says Triple A California shows a 75% increase in alcohol related crashes that day.  The stats also show a 55%  increase in alcohol-related deaths and injuries. 

Sheriff Kettelkamp advises you to have a designated driver.  He advises those having parties to serve plenty of food and serve at least some non-alcoholic drinks. 

For the Sheriff's complete newsletter, click here.

The University of Illinois Extension has an upcoming workshop for kids that will feature carnivorous plants. Extension Educator Andrew Holsinger tells Regional Radio News about the workshop:

[audio:holsingercarnplant011413.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The cost for the workshop is seven dollars. For more information, call the extension office at 287-7246

The U.s. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a $1.1 trillion budget.  Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville says the budget has both good and bad aspects:

St.  Louis, MO  (SportsNetwork.com) - Jaroslav Halak made 20 stops to lead the 
St. Louis Blues in a 2-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday. 

T.J.  Oshie scored both goals for the Blues, whose loss to Vancouver on Friday 
snapped a seven-game winning streak. 

"This  was  a good game  for us coming  off that bit of  a break we had," said 
Oshie.  "Halak  made some huge saves  because this game could have easily gone 
the other way if it weren't for him." 

Oliver  Ekman-Larsson  scored the only  goal of the  game for the Coyotes, who 
have dropped their past four games. Mike Smith stopped 16 shots in the loss. 

"This was much better because we gave ourselves a chance to win," said Phoenix 
head  coach Dave  Tippett. "We had a lot  of chances to score in the third. We 
took some steps in fixing our problems here tonight." 

The  only goal of  the first period went to St. Louis near the midway mark, as 
Alex  Pietrangelo skated  around the right circle before finding an open Oshie 
at the top of the circle for a one-timer past Smith. 

St.  Louis  made it  a 2-0 game  at 12:54 of  the second  on the power play as 
Oshie's wrister from the high slot made its way through a screen. 

The Coyotes cut their deficit in half with 47.9 seconds to play in the second. 
On  the power play,  Keith Yandle sent a pass from the left circle over to the 
right where Ekman-Larsson wristed the puck home for his sixth of the year. 

Phoenix,  though,  managed just  eight shots on  net and failed  to score on a 
power  play in the  third as the Blues skated off with a fifth straight win at 
home. 

                                   Game Notes 

St.  Louis hosts  Los  Angeles  on Thursday  ...  Phoenix  hosts Vancouver  on 
Thursday ... Phoenix had taken a 3-2 win in overtime at home against St. Louis 
on Nov. 12 ... Both teams were 1-for-3 on the power play. 

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Tyson Barrie scored two goals, including the 
game-winner  in overtime to  lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 win over the 
Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. 

Blackhawks  captain Jonathan  Toews went off for hooking with 1:26 left in the 
extra  session. The  Avalanche struck  on the  subsequent power  play as  Matt 
Duchene  whipped a  backhand pass  that Barrie  one-timed home  from the  left 
circle with 50.7 seconds remaining. 

"We  were fortunate to get a power play there and it was nice to capitalize on 
that and get the two points," Barrie said. 

Semyon  Varlamov stole  the two points for undermanned Colorado with a sublime 
46-save performance. 

The  Avalanche, who  improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight games, were already 
playing  without  forward  Paul  Stastny  (leg)  and  defenseman  Cory  Sarich 
(back)  when  defenseman Erik Johnson left  Tuesday's game with a back injury, 
too. 

Corey  Crawford  stopped 23 shots  for Chicago, which has  only one win in its 
last five games (1-1-3). 

"Our  record in overtime is rather one-sided against us," said Blackhawks head 
coach Joel Quenneville. 

Chicago fell to 0-5 in overtime this season. 

Barrie's  first goal opened  the scoring at 14:58 of the first period and Ryan 
O'Reilly, following good puck movement, made it 2-0 on a power play 62 seconds 
later. 

Johnny  Oduya was credited with a goal on a deflection, putting Chicago on the 
board  8:12 into  the second period. The Blackhawks tied things up when Andrew 
Shaw  knocked down  a rebound, turned around  in the slot and beat Varlamov at 
7:27 of the third period. 

                                   Game Notes 

Varlamov  hasn't lost  in regulation in his last 14 starts (9-0-5) ... Brandon 
Saad  assisted  on both Chicago  goals ... The Blackhawks were 0-for-5 on the 
power play. 

Three Cardinals have filed for salary arbitration.  Outfielders Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos and infielder Daniel Descalso filed their paperwork with Major League Baseball on Tuesday.  All three are seeking raises from the roughly 500-thousand-dollar salaries they each made last season. 

Eight Cubs and two White Sox filed for arbitration on Tuesday.  Darwin Barney, Justin Ruggiano, Nate Schierholtz, Luis Valbuena, James Russell, Jeff Samardzija, Pedro Strop and Travis Wood all filed for the Cubs.  Gordon Beckham and Alejandro de Aza filed for the Sox. 

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Markee Bayne, 20, of 300 North PawPaw Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 13 for domestic battery.

Dirk C. Taylor, 714 North Poplar Street, Pana, was arrested January 13 for aggravated battery.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On January 13 at 1:30pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol and saw a silver Oldsmobile with an expire license plate. The officer stopped the vehicle at East Main Cross and Walnut Street and asked the drive, who was identified as Jessica Mizeur, for her driver license and insurance card. Mizeur gave me a Illinois Identification Card. The officer ran her name through Taylorville Police Department dispatch Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. Mizeur's driver's license came back suspended. Mizeur was placed under arrest for driving suspended. The officer transported her to Taylorville Police Department where she was processed and released on a notice to appear. Mizeur was written a citation for driving suspended.

On January 13 at 9:51 am, Taylorville Police Department officers were advised by Christian County dispatch of a domestic dispute in the Sheriff's Department parking lot. Officers arrived and the male, identified as David Younker, stated as he was driving, his girlfriend Markee Bayne, 20, of Taylorville punched him in the right eye. An officer observed a red mark around the right eye of Younker. Younker wished to sign a complaint and Bayne was arrested for domestic battery.

CRASHES:
On January 13, Traci R. Dyer-Townsend, 27, of Decatur was traveling easy on Lincoln Trail when a deer crossed in front of her. Dyer-Townsend struck the deer which killed it. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

Governor Pat Quinn is pushing for an increase in the Illinois minimum wage. Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville opposes the idea. He says in the long run, minimum wage increases do more harm than good:

[audio:rosenthalminwage011414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Illinois’ current minimum wage is $8.25 per hour, a dollar higher than the federal minimum. 

Chicago,  IL  (SportsNetwork.com) -  John Wall  filled the  stat sheet with 19 
points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals as the Washington Wizards 
defeated the Chicago Bulls, 102-88, on Monday night. 

Nene  added 19  points, five assists and  five boards for the Wizards, who had 
dropped five of their last seven games. 

"Win,  lose, draw, you have to play all-out with that intensity each game. You 
can't  have segments  of it," Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said. "Tonight, 
we didn't let up." 

Carlos  Boozer  had 19  points and  seven rebounds and  Joakim Noah grabbed 16 
boards for Chicago, which had its five-game winning streak snapped. 

"Right when you're feeling too good about yourself, you're feeling invincible, 
a  team comes in there and smacks you, wakes you up to reality," Bulls forward 
Taj Gibson said. 

The Bulls, who never led, pulled within 87-82 midway through the fourth after 
D.J. Augustin sunk two free throws, but Washington netted nine straight points 
to put the game away. 

Bradley  Beal  and Wall hit jumpers  before Beal knocked down a three. Another 
jumper  from  Wall concluded the flurry  and gave Washington a 96-82 advantage 
with 3:05 remaining. 

Earlier,  Marcin Gortat's dunk  helped the Wizards race out to an 8-0 edge and 
they settled for a 26-19 cushion after a quarter of play. 

Back-to-back  jumpers  by Beal capped a  10-2 swing to begin the second, which 
staked the visitors a 36-21 spread. 

Washington led 56-43 at the break and 78-68 after three. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Wizards scored 22 points off 18 Chicago turnovers ... Washington shot 52 
percent (39-of-75) from the floor and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from beyond the 
arc. 

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Cubs have an official mascot for the first time in modern team history.  "Clark" was unvieled yesterday and described as a friendly Cub who wears his hat backwards and will greet fans at Wrigley Field.  He's named after the intersection of Clark and Addison where the ballpark resides.

(Chicago, IL)  --  The White Sox have agreed to a one-year contract with outfielder Dayan Viciedo [[ DY-an vee-see-AYE-doh ]].  The 2.8-million-dollar deal avoids arbitration.  The 24-year-old Viciedo hit .265 with 14 home runs, 23 doubles and 56 RBI in 124 games last season. 

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Mike Shannon will continue to be the voice of the Cardinals for at least another two years.  The 74-year old broadcaster signed a multi-year contract with the organization Monday, but the length of the extension has not been disclosed.  Next season will be Shannon's 42nd behind the microphone for the Cards and his 56th year as part of the club.  He helped the team win two world championships as a player from 1962 to 1970. 

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to a possible attempted burglary and criminal damage that occurred in Taylorville.

Sometime around the New Year's holiday, person or persons unknown used an item to damage a storm door on the East side of St. Mary's Church, located at 108 West Adams Street in Taylorville.  It appeared that the unknown subject or subjects may have been trying to make entry through the door.  The total dollar amount of damage is unknown at this time.

Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons.  Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name.  Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week. 

 You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES  (274632) and then your tip.  As always, you will remain anonymous. 

(Taylorville)—Teresa Paul, a local parent of 2 teenage boys, was Tuesday’s guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

 Paul has become an advocate for a documentary movie recently released called “The Bully Project.”  It’s her goal to get the movie, which talks about bullying by elementary, junior and senior high school students, into area schools and other locations, to help stop and prevent what she says is an increasing problem in children and youth.

 Paul told the club that bullying occurs anywhere, not just when a child or teenager is alone, and that it’s not resolved when you ignore it.

[audio:PaulaudioJan1414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

 Several guests joined Taylorville Kiwanis members on Tuesday, including Kiwanis Illinois-Iowa Governor Patty Heath, Kiwanis Lieutenant Governor Cary Holman of Greenville, 4 members of the Greenville Kiwanis Club, and 3 members of the Girard Kiwanis Club.

The public is reminded to attend the upcoming Taylorville Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Day on Saturday, January 25^th from 6:30 to 11am at a new location, the Taylorville Moose Lodge.   Tickets can be purchased from any Kiwanis member or at the door.  Proceeds benefit the many Kiwanis projects for children and youth including Coats for Kids, Kiwanis Park, scholarships, and YMCA teams.

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

-30-

As heard on WTIM, the Taylorville Boys defeated Springfield High with a score of 61-57.

As heard on WMKR, the Taylorville Girls fell to Sacred Heart Griffin with a score of 46-44.

As heard on WRAN, Shelbyville Boys fell to Monticello with a score of 52-42.

A Tower Hill resident was pronounced dead in a one-vehicle accident on Sunday after being reported missing. Around 7:30pm, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division received a call from Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in reference to a missing person. 23-year-old Eric T. Bird of Tower Hill had been missing since the prior evening. At 7:43pm, a family member of Bird located his Chevy truck near the intersection of Christian County Road 1800 East and Montgomery County Road North 24^th. The truck was on its roof in a creek bottom. Bird was located in the vehicle and later pronounced deceased by the Montgomery County Coroner. Bird was traveling south on 1800 East when the vehicle left the roadway. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office are continuing the investigation. 

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

CRASHES:

On January 2, Nancy C. Beyers, 65, of Pana was traveling south on Route 51. Just before Route 16, Beyers lost control and ran off the roadway. Meyers went into the ditch and hit a sign. Both the sign and the vehicle were damaged due to the accident. No injuries were reported.

On January 10, Shawn E. Carey, 34, of Mt. Auburn was traveling eastbound on County Highway 2 approximately 1/2 mile east of 800 East Road when a deer ran into the roadway. Carey was unable to avoid striking the deer. No injuries were reported.

ARRESTS:
Lisa A. Laker, 47, of 424 East Laker, Taylorville, was arrested January 12 for domestic battery.

Michael L. Wilson, 31, of P.O. Box 208, Watson, was arrested January 10 on a bond forfeiture for reckless driving.

Charles W. Golitko, 41, of 408 North School Street, Morrisonville, was arrested January 11 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

ARRESTS:

On January 10, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to 2100 Grand Boulevard apartment A7 in regards to a domestic. The officer arrived on scene along with other officers. During the course of investigation of the incident, Robert W. Oliver, 37, of Taylorville was placed under arrest. Oliver was transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released on a notice to appear.

On January 11 at 6:12pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the parking lot of Circle K. Following the stop, Katelyn S. Allen, 20, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while license suspended.

On January 12 at 2:05am, Taylorville Police Department received a report from an employee at McDonald's that a silver vehicle had open containers of alcohol inside. An officer located the vehicle leaving the parking lot of McDonald's. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle of North Pine and West Elm. Upon further investigation, Joshua D. Hill, 30, of Kincaid, was arrested for driving while license suspended. Five occupants of the vehicle were also cited for illegal transportation of alcohol. Hill was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear.

On January 12th at 6:02pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to 424 East Poplar in reference to a domestic disturbance. Following investigation, Lisa A. Laker, 47, of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery.

CRASHES:
On January 4, Douglas W. Cowell, 34, of Taylorville was traveling west across the railroad crossing at Old Mill Road near the ADM plant. Cowell was attempting to turn as they went across the tracks and slid off the roadway due to slick road conditions. Cowell then became stuck between 2 sets of tracks. Cowell attempted to back up and then move forward but was not able to get loose. This movement caused damage to Cowell's vehicle which had to be towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

Following a traffic stop on January 11, Dakota J. Rudow, 17, of Pana was issued a citation for disobeying a stop sign. Rudow posted hsi driver's license as bond and was given a court date.

On January 12, Steven V. England of Pana reported the theft of his Lorcin brand 9MM hand gun that was taken from a 2000 Peterbilt Truck parked at 5 West Washington Street. The theft occurred sometime between 6pm on January 11 and 7:15am on January 12. The hand gun with case is valued at $200 and the truck is owned by Mizuer Trucking Company. The incident is under investigation.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 10
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident

January 11
2 EMS

January 12
5 EMS, 1 Carbon Monoxide

January 13
1 EMS, 1 Gas Leak

The Taylorville School Board met Monday night. Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau started the meeting by thanking the City of Taylorville for their help during the winter storm:

[audio:fuerstenaucitythanks011414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Taylorville schools had to close for several days due to the inclement weather.

The Taylorville School Board reviewed the District Technology Report at their meeting Monday night. Technology Director Chris Kuntzman highlighted some of the changes made in 2013:

[audio:kuntzmantechchanges011414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Kuntzman noted that one thing the Board may want to consider for the future is proximity cards for their door access systems:

[audio:kuntzmanproximitycard011414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Kuntzman noted that they also upgraded their bandwidth for faster internet speeds at the schools.

The Taylorville School Board approved the Taylorville High School Course Handbook. The Board also approved the Stonington Elementary, Memorial Elementary, and Taylorville High School Health Life Safety Reports.

The meeting adjourned at 8:04pm.

Evanston,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Drew  Crawford  had 13  points and  eight 
rebounds  to  lead Northwestern  to a  49-43 win  over 23rd-ranked Illinois at 
Welsh-Ryan Arena. 

JerShon Cobb and Tre Demps both scored 11 for the Wildcats (8-9, 1-3 Big Ten), 
who snapped a four-game losing streak. 

"The  main thing was  that my teammates believed in me," Demps said of finding 
his rhythm as the game went on. 

Tracy  Abrams was  the lone Illinois player to reach double figures in points, 
finishing with 13 on 6-of-15 shooting. 

The  Fighting Illini  (13-4, 2-2),  coming  off Wednesday's  25-point loss  to 
Wisconsin, couldn't get anything going offensively against their in-state foes 
and shot a dreadful 28.1 percent from the field. 

"Shots  didn't fall  that  guys  normally make,"  Abrams  said  of his  team's 
shooting struggles. 

But despite their poor shooting numbers, they were still in the game. Rayvonte 
Rice  hit a  3-pointer to  trim the  deficit to  45-43 with  16 seconds  left. 
Crawford was then fouled and sank two free throws before Abrams missed an off- 
balance shot on the next Illinois position. 

Two more Crawford free throws sealed the outcome. 

The  Fighting Illini shot 19.4 percent in the first half and were 0-for-8 from 
3-point  range.  Fortunately for  them  the  deficit  was only  22-15  because 
Northwestern made only 33.3 percent of its shots. 

The Wildcats led by as many as 10 early in the second half. 

                                   Game Notes 

Demps added eight boards and five assists, while Alex Olah had nine points and 
seven rebounds for Northwestern ... Illinois outrebounded the Wildcats 40-36. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  -  Jonathan Toews'  late second-period  goal 
proved  to  be the game-winner as  the Chicago Blackhawks snapped a three-game 
winless streak by topping the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 on Sunday. 

Marian  Hossa  registered a goal and  one assist on his 35th birthday, helping 
Chicago  sweep the  season series against Edmonton. The Blackhawks scored five 
goals in all three meetings. 

Antti Raanta allowed two Edmonton goals on 20 shots and was on the bench for a 
delayed penalty when the puck wound up in the vacated net. 

Ales  Hemsky had one goal and a helper for the Oilers, who have dropped six of 
their last eight games. Devan Dubnyk was beaten five times on 41 shots. 

"We  made it  pretty easy on them.  Against a team like that, they're going to 
make you pay," said Edmonton forward Taylor Hall. 

The Oilers, already down a man, were going to be assessed another penalty when 
Patrick Kane's errant pass went off the boards and down the ice into the empty 
cage.  Boyd Gordon  was credited with the short-handed goal that tied the game 
at 2-2 with 8:31 remaining in the second period. 

Chicago  bounced  back from  the miscue to  score twice before  the end of the 
frame.  Hossa lit  the lamp on the  ensuing 5-on-3 power play 29 seconds later 
and Toews slipped a backhander through Dubnyk's legs with 2:28 left. 

"(I)  just thought  a point man was  there and it seemed to just keep catching 
speed  and went  in the net, but it  was good that we got it right back," Kane 
said. 

The  Oilers trimmed the  deficit to 4-3 when Justin Schultz dished the puck to 
Hall in the slot for an easy tap-in goal with 5:17 gone in the third. 

Brent  Seabrook,  however, restored  Chicago's  two-goal  advantage with  5:41 
remaining. 

Hemsky  opened the  scoring 6:08 into the contest, but Ben Smith countered for 
the Blackhawks  with 5:34 to  go in the first  period. Chicago moved ahead on 
Andrew Shaw's tally at 2:36 of the second. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Blackhawks improved  to 10-0-4 against Pacific Division teams this season 
..  The  Oilers have lost four  straight and five  of the last six meetings to 
Chicago. 

One of the most popular New Year's Resolutions has to do with giving up tobacco, whether you smoke, chew or dip it.  Noelle Coffer, Tobacco Treatment Specialist at Sarah Bush Health Center in Mattoon tells Regional Radio listeners when it comes to quitting, you have to keep trying:

[audio:noelcofferquitsmoking011314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If you have questions for Noelle Coffer, call the Sarah Bush Health Center in Mattoon at 238-4994.

If you have an email account, you may want to watch out for a new scam especially if you’re an Amazon customer. Public Advocate Mac McGuire tells Regional Radio News what scamsters are up to this time:

[audio:macamazon011314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

McGuire advises that if you ever suspect a fraud, you should notify police immediately.

The Pana Community Hospital is celebrating its 100 year anniversary in 2014. Melissa Rybolt of PCH says they have a celebration planned for when the hospital officially turns 100 in May:

Just a reminder that the Christian County Soil and Water Conservation will be holding their Director Election this Thursday. The election is for all owners and occupiers of lands lying within the boundaries of the Christian County Soil and Water Conservation District. The election will be held at the Soil and Water Conservation District office located at the USDA Service Center, 951-2 West Spresser Street, Taylorville. There will be three directors elected for a two year term. Election hours are 7am to 5:30pm.

The Lady Raiders of Central A&M soundly defeated Monticello by a final score of 62-37, as heard Monday night on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR. The Raiders are now 16 and 4 for the year, 6 and 1 in the Okaw Valley Conference. The Lady Sages fall to 8 and 9 for the year, 4 and 3 in Conference play. A&M will play Clinton Thursday night with the broadcast slated at 7pm on WMKR.

To help ensure an adequate blood supply for our region, Taylorville Memorial Hospital located at 201 East Pleasant in Taylorville will be hosting blood drives on Wednesday January 15, 2014 and Thursday, January 16, 2014.  The hours of both blood drives are 12:30pm to 6:00pm. For your convenience, please call Alexis (toll-free) to sign up at 1-866-GIVE-BLD, ext. 5158 or schedule an appointment online using sponsor code 60050 at www.bloodcenterimpact.org.  Walk-ins are also welcome and appreciated. 

A semi-truck hit the railroad viaduct in Taylorville on Thursday. Around 9:05am, Tom D. Clapp, 33, of Norton, Kansas, was westbound on East Park Street and was hauling on his trailer a Case 7230 Combine. The combine struck the railroad underpass. The railroad was contacted to inspect the underpass but it did not appear to be damaged. The combine on Clapp's trailer had major damage to the top of the combine. 

When it comes to a topic such as diabetes, spreading information is important. Vanessa Wiseman of the American Diabetes Association says she is more than willing to come speak at an event:

[audio:wisemanspeak010413.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For more information, contact Vanessa Wiseman at 875-9011. 

The Morrisonville-Panhandle Committee of Ten is holding three public meetings spread across January, February, and March to discuss the proposed consolidation. Co-chairman Dale Brockamp is encouraging people to attend the meetings:

[audio:brockampallmeetings010814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For more information, visit their website www.mp-c10.info or on their Facebook page.

Milwaukee,  WI  (SportsNetwork.com) - Carlos Boozer registered a double-double 
of  19 points  and 13 rebounds to help  the Chicago Bulls to an 81-72 win over 
the Milwaukee Bucks in what was an offensive struggle from the opening tip. 

Mike  Dunleavy  tallied 18 points on  3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, Taj 
Gibson  netted 12 and  Jimmy Butler added 10 points for Chicago, which won its 
eighth  consecutive  road game over Milwaukee  for the first time in franchise 
history. 

Joakim  Noah  had eight  points and  grabbed 10 rebounds  in the Bulls' fourth 
straight win overall. 

Chicago  shot 38.7 percent from the floor, but held Milwaukee to a meager 31.8 
percent shooting. 

O.J.  Mayo scored a team-high 16 points, while Ersan Ilyasova and Luke Ridnour 
each posted 14 points in the loss, Milwaukee's fourth straight defeat. 

Brandon  Knight  scored 12  points on 5-of-21  shooting and Miroslav Raduljica 
added 10 points as the Bucks fell to 3-14 at home. 

Knight  made  a jumper with  5:09 left in the  fourth to pull Milwaukee within 
one,  73-72. From that  point, the Bucks went 0-for-11 from the field down the 
stretch and were held scoreless by Chicago's stingy defensive unit. 

Dunleavy  quickly answered Knight's jumper with one of his own, then scored on 
a  layup and a  pair of free throws to increase the Chicago advantage to 79-72 
with 1:16 to play. 

Milwaukee  shot  6-of-23 in  the fourth quarter,  but surprisingly shot better 
than the Bulls, who were 4-of-16. 

"Going  down  the stretch you have  to make plays  and we did not make plays," 
said  Bucks head coach  Larry Drew. "We forced a couple shots down the stretch 
and  it probably wasn't the best selection on some shots, but you have to make 
plays." 

Ilyasova  scored  five  points during  a  10-1  spurt  to  open the  game  for 
Milwaukee.  Dunleavy made Chicago's first bucket 5:13 into the contest and the 
Bulls trailed 12-5 in the early going. 

The  Bucks  led by as  many as 11  in the quarter  and owned a 27-20 advantage 
heading to the second. 

Dunleavy buried back-to-back 3s to cap a 13-1 charge midway through the second 
quarter and help Chicago to a 35-32 lead. 

The Bulls  brought a  slim 47-45  lead into the  locker room  at the half and 
extended the margin to 69-59 heading into he fourth. 

                                   Game Notes 

John  Henson missed his sixth straight game for the Bucks with a sprained left 
ankle  ... Boozer  returned to the lineup  after missing two games with a sore 
right  knee ...  Chicago outscored Milwaukee 27-9 from the free-throw line ... 
The  Bucks edged the Bulls 5-2 on the fastbreak ... The Bulls largest lead was 
15 ... Each team committed 12 turnovers. 

As heard on WMKR, Taylorville defeated Jacksonville with a score 54-40.

The Lady Raiders of Central A&M won the championship game of the 2014 Macon County Girls Basketball Tournament Saturday. They defeated the Maroa Forsyth Trojans 53-48 as heard on Genuine County 94.3 WMKR. The Cerro Gordo Broncos took 3rd place in the Tournament. It was the Raiders' 4th consecutive championship win in the Macon County Tournament.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

ARRESTS:
Rodney G. Smith, 23, of 205 East Samuel Street, Assumption, was arrested January 9 on a bond forfeiture for driving on a suspended license.

CRASHES:
On January 9, Deborah K. Amos, 52, of Edinburg, was northbound on Campbell Street approaching the intersection with Franklin Street in Taylorville. Jeffrey L. Good, 42, of Stonington was westbound on Franklin Street approaching Campbell Street. Good stated that he saw the bus coming out into the intersection and attempted to stop to avoid the collision. Good was unable to stop due to the snow packed roads and ice under the snow. Amos stated that she had slowed down to almost a stop at the stop sign when the bus began to slide out into the intersection. The roadway was covered in slick packed snow with underlying ice. When Amos slid into the intersection, she attempted to clear the intersection. Amos was able to get the passenger area clear of the intersection but was unable to get enough traction to accelerate and completely clear the intersection. Good hit Amos just on the right rear causing minor damage to Amos and front end damage to Good. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLCE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

ARRESTS:
On January 9 at 12:36am, Walmart Loss Prevention advised they had a female shoplifter. The female was identified as Kristen Ryan, 20, of Litchfield. Ryan attempted to leave the store without paying for several items which included clothing and a personal hygiene product (value $55.09). Photo of stolen items placed into evidence. Ryan was arrested and transported to Taylorville Police Department where she was processed and released on a notice to appear.

CRASHES:
On January 9 at 7:52am, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to a two vehicle accident in the 200 block of North Cherokee Street. Officers arrived and spoke to both parties.Jamie L. Adams, 43, of Taylorville stated she was going north on Cherokee and observed David J. Carter, 72, of Taylorville starting to back out of a private drive. Adams stated she started honking her horn but Carter continued and struck her vehicle in the passenger side front end. Carter stated he was backing out and did not see Adams. Carter had rear passenger quarter panel and bumper damage. Adams had front end and passenger front quarter panel damage. Both vehicles were driveable and no injuries were reported.

On January 9th at 9:05am, Tom D. Clapp, 33, of Norton, Kansas, was westbound on East Park Street and was hauling on its trailer a Case 7230 Combine. The combine struck the railroad underpass. The railroad was contacted to inspect the underpass. The underpass did not appear to be damaged. At the time of this report, the railroad(Northfolk and Southern) has not gotten back with the Taylorville Police Department on any damage. The combine on Clapp's trailer had major damage to the top of the combine. The trailer had a Kansas license plate displayed on the rear.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

On January 9, Don Owens, 73, of Nokomis was backing from a parking spot at the Pana Liqour Store when he struck, Krista L. Ermovick’s, 42, of Rosamond, vehicle which was parked. Owens had minor damage while Ermovick had major damage. No injuries reported.

On January 9, David W. Moore, 43, of Pana was southbound on alley way between Carr and Michael Street approaching Front Street. Wesley A. Schmitz, 20, of Shelbyville was eastbound on Front Street. Moore failed to stop at intersection and struck Schmitz in the driver’s side causing damage to Schmitz’s vehicle. No damage to Moore’s vehicle which had a snow plow blade on the front end.

On January 9, James J. Elder, 49, of Rosamond was snow plowing McDonald’s parking lot. Elder would exit the west end and turn on Main Street then South Poplar and back into McDonald’s. Kevin L. Schackmann, 45, of Ramsey was traveling south on South Poplar. Schackmann advised Elder pulled out in front of him and due to the road conditions, he could not stop. Elder advised Schackmann was speeding. Roads were snow and slush. No injuries reported.       

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 8
4 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm

January 9
2 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm

January 10
1 EMS

Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - Jaroslav Halak posted 33 stops for his third 
shutout of the season as the St. Louis Blues thumped the Calgary Flames, 5-0. 

Vladimir  Sobotka and  Vladimir Tarasenko each had a goal and an assist, while 
Chris  Stewart,  Alex Pietrangelo, and Ian  Cole all scored for the Blues, who 
have won a season-high seven straight. 

"It's  nice  to string  a couple  together here," said  St. Louis center David 
Backes said. "It seems like you have to to stay paced with some of these other 
teams in the West." 

Karri  Ramo was tagged for all five goals on 29 shots for the Flames, who have 
lost six of seven and were shut out for a fifth game during that time. 

"If  we look at the past weeks there are some games that we got shutout and we 
deserved  to be  shut out," said Calgary  head coach Bob Hartley. "But this is 
kind  of a  lingering effect on us and  tonight I felt like we had quite a few 
scoring  chances.  Grade A scoring chances  between the hash marks and we even 
fanned on some shots. So right now the net is awfully small for us. That's the 
result of not scoring." 

St. Louis got on the board halfway through the first period, as Derek Roy made 
a  move to get past the defender in the deep left boards then sent the puck to 
Stewart, who one-timed it from the left circle for his 15th of the year. 

Just over two minutes later, the Blues made it a 2-0 game as Sobotka skated in 
down the right point and let fly with a wrister that beat Ramo cleanly. 

It  was  a 3-0 game  at 6:47 of  the second as Tarasenko  sent a pass from the 
right circle to the left where Cole wristed it in for his second of the year. 

The Blues scored a pair of power-play goals in the third to turn the game into 
a rout. 

Kevin  Shattenkirk's slap shot from the left point tipped off of Pietrangelo's 
stick  in  front at 1:16,  and Tarasenko scored on  a one-timer from the right 
circle at 3:32. 

                                   Game Notes 

St.  Louis, which is  7-0-2 in its last nine road games, plays in Vancouver on 
Friday ... Calgary has scored just five goals in its past seven games, four of 
which  came in  a win  against  Colorado on  Monday  ... The  Flames host  the 
Penguins on Saturday ... Halak has 28 shutouts in his career. 

If you're interested in becoming a Master Gardener, your chance is coming up.  Andrew Holsinger, University of Illinois Extension Educator, says the deadline to sign up is approaching:

[audio:holzingermgsignup011014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Call the Extension Office at 287-7246 if you're interested.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce sponsors a Business After Hours every month, but it won't happen this month.  Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle says they've had to call off this month's event:

[audio:pattybahcancel011014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Business After Hours events usually take place at a selected business every month, 

If you received electronics this year as Christmas gifts, you may need to get rid of some of your old items. However, you can no longer legally throw such items away. Tad Mayhall of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce says you can recycle those items:

[audio:tadrecycle011014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Call the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce for more information at 774-2221.

In girls' basketball Friday, the Lady Raiders of Central A&M defeated the Lady Broncos of Cerro Gordo/Bement 71-47, as heard on Genuine Country 94.3, WMKR. The Raiders will now move on to the championship game of the 2014 Macon County Tournament on Saturday (broadcast start 6:30pm-6:45pm on WMKR).

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville Boys defeated Jacksonville with a score of 69-61.

As heard on WMKR, Central A&M defeated Cerro Gordo with a score of 71-47.

As heard on WRAN, Shelbyville fell to Argenta-Oreana with a score of 49-45.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING;

ARRESTS:
Steven D. Leonard, 34, of 500 South Webster Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 8 on a bond forfeiture for contempt of court.

Richard W. Stephens, 48, of 405 North Monroe Street, Morrisonville, was arrested January 9 for driving on a revoked license.

ACCIDENTS:
On January 6, David M. Hill, 37, of Kincaid was north bound on County Highway 5 from Kincaid. The roadway was covered in snow with blowing and drifting snow. Hill was coming up a hill approximately 1/2 mile north of Ridge Street and the roadway was down to one open lane with drifting snow. As Hill went through a small drift, the vehicle was pulled to the right and into the snow bank causing damage to the front end. The vehicle was stuck and had to be towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

On January 1, Police were dispatched to 107 West Orange Street, Pana, regarding a stolen iPod and GPS from a parked vehicle. The case is under further investigation.

On January 7, Derrick J. Osborn, 29, of Tower Hill was southbound on 2600 East Road and stopped at the stop sign at Route 16. S. Jean Miller, 60, of Altamont was following Osborn. Miller slid on the ice covered road and hit the rear of Osborn. No injuries reported.

On January 8, Janet Hicks reported the theft of a laptop computer from 303 East 2nd Street (Library). Theft occurred sometime between December 20 and January 7. Case is under investigation.

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Carl Hagelin's goal with 5:57 remaining in 
the  third  period staked the New  York Rangers to  a 3-2 win over the Chicago 
Blackhawks,  a result  that ended the defending Stanley Cup champion's 10-game 
point streak. 

Brad  Richards scored in the first period and helped set up Hagelin's clincher 
later  on, while Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 35 shots in New York's 12th win 
in its last 16 outings on the road. 

"Beating the Stanley Cup champions in this building is not an easy task," said 
Rangers  head  coach Alain Vigneault. "We  knew it would take our best effort, 
and it did." 

Chicago,  which came in  6-0-4 over its last 10 outings, overcame an early 2-0 
deficit  on  second-period goals from  Jonathan Toews and Brandon Bollig, with 
Corey Crawford coming through with 29 saves in a losing cause. 

Crawford  was  able to keep the  contest locked at 2-2 with several impressive 
stops  to begin  the third  period,  including close-range  denials of  Derick 
Brassard and Ryan Callahan before the Rangers' Marc Staal struck the post with 
a blast from the point 4:35 in. 

New  York  kept the pressure on,  though, and was rewarded when the Blackhawks 
failed  to  clear the zone and  the Rangers got  the puck to Staal for another 
long  shot. Crawford  kicked it away, but  Hagelin was in position to lift the 
rebound over the netminder's glove for the go-ahead score. 

Lundqvist  withstood  a late barrage  to make the  lead hold up, notching four 
saves with Crawford pulled with just over a minute to go. 

"In  the  end Hank came up  big, like he's  supposed to!," said Vigneault in a 
tongue-in-cheek tone. 

Lundqvist was sharp in the first period as well, swatting away all 15 shots he 
faced  as  the Rangers raced out  to a 2-0 lead  on goals by Richards and Mats 
Zuccarello. 

After  taking  in a  pass off the  boards from Callahan,  Richards slid a shot 
between  Crawford's pads just  over five minutes in to sent New York in front. 
The  Rangers then  capitalized on  a power  play midway  through the  frame to 
extend  the  margin, with Zuccarello  storming down  the left side and blowing 
past a defender before successfully depositing a wraparound try. 

"I  think  early in the  game we  didn't have that  pace we were looking for," 
Blackhawks  head  coach Joel Quenneville remarked.  "It took us a while to get 
going." 

Chicago scored on a man-advantage situation to close the gap with 6:17 elapsed 
in  the second  period, then struck again  less than two minutes later to draw 
even. 

Patrick  Sharp had a  long drive blocked in front of the New York net with the 
Blackhawks  skating  on a 5-on-4,  but Toews  put the rebound over Lundqvist's 
shoulder through a screen to get Chicago on the board. 

Shortly  after, Bollig  ended a 3-on-2 rush with a wrister that beat Lundqvist 
to the stick side to knot the score at 2-2 at the 8:05 mark. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Blackhawks had  earned a point in  nine straight on home ice, having gone 
6-0-3  over  that stretch ... The  Rangers improved to 18-2-1 when scoring the 
game's  first  goal this season  ... Forward  Daniel Carcillo, acquired by New 
York  from Los Angeles on Saturday, made his Rangers' debut and drew a penalty 
that led to Zuccarello's tally. Carcillo played in 51 games while spending the 
previous  two  seasons with the Blackhawks ... Sharp  has nine goals and four 
assists  over his last eight games ... New York went 1-for-2 on the power play 
and is 19-of-74 (25.7 percent) with the man advantage on the road this season. 

Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Bo Ryan is working his magic again. 

Balanced scoring, slowing the pace, playing hard-nosed defense and not turning 
the  ball over  has always been Ryan's staples. Except this time, Wisconsin is 
off to its best start in program history. 

Ben  Brust was one  of five Badgers in double figures with 18 points and No. 4 
Wisconsin routed No. 23 Illinois 95-70 on Wednesday night. 

Sam  Dekker had 17 points and six rebounds, Frank Kaminsky and Traevon Jackson 
each  netted 15 and  Nigel Hayes added 11 for the Badgers (16-0, 3-0 Big Ten), 
who have won six straight in the series. 

Wisconsin,  which  leads the country in  fewest turnovers committed at 8.5 per 
game and have four players averaging double figures in scoring, are a win away 
from  matching  its school  mark of  17 straight victories  set by the 2006-07 
squad. 

"I'm  proud of  the players, I'm proud  of the team, I'm proud of what they've 
accomplished  to this  point. Let's try to  keep it going," Ryan said of being 
the first Wisconsin team to begin 16-0. 

Rayvonte  Rice  had 19  points and  nine boards to  lead Illinois (13-3, 2-1), 
which  had its  four-game winning  streak  snapped. Joseph  Bertrand added  18 
points and nine boards in the setback. 

Dekker  netted  seven points during a  20-0 Wisconsin run, which Dekker capped 
with a layup for a 33-10 cushion a little past the midway point of the opening 
half. 

"I  didn't like our  response to that," Illinois head coach John Groce said of 
the run. 

The  Badgers  took a  50-25 advantage into  the break and  cruised to the easy 
triumph over the final 20 minutes. 

                                   Game Notes 

Wisconsin  shot  56.1 percent  (32-of-57) from  the floor  and turned the ball 
over  just  four times  ... The Badgers  held the Illini  to 31.6 percent (25- 
of-79) from the field. 

(Cooperstown, NY)  --  Former pitcher Greg Maddux and ex slugger Frank Thomas are making their way to Cooperstown.  The two along with pitcher Tom Glavine [[ GLA-vin ]] were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday.  Maddux spent the first seven seasons with the Cubs and 10 total over 23 years in the majors.  He won four straight Cy Young Awards from 1992-94 and is eighth on the all-time wins list with 355.  Thomas was with the White Sox for 16 seasons, winning back-to-back MVPs in 1993 and 1994.  He is 18th on the all-time list with 521 home runs. 

Christian County Deputies along with Taylorville Fire, Owaneco Fire, and Morrisonville-Palmer Fire responded to a structure fire early Tuesday morning at 917 North 965 East Road which is just outside of Palmer. The house was mostly engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived. Fire crews were delayed to the scene by the winter conditions. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined and the house has been labeled a complete lost.

Lake Land College will be holding extended registration hours on Jan. 10 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Luther Student Center on campus in Mattoon. Late registration is the final opportunity to register prior to the start of the semester on Monday, Jan. 13.  Students may add and drop classes through Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Students can contact Counseling Services at 217-234-5232 or counsel@lakeland.cc.il.us for additional information regarding the enrollment process or to schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor. 

Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with a type of diabetes. While some people think it may be the end of the world, Vanessa Wiseman of the American Diabetes Association says it’s not the end:

[audio:wisemannotdeath010613.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For more information on living with diabetes, go to diabetes.org or call 875-9011.

The controversy over Obamacare continues.  Although it is now the law of the land, many complaints have arisen concerning cancelled policies and high premiums and deductibles.  Misty Lewis, In-Person  Counselor at Sarah Bush Health Center in Mattoon says they hear both sides of the argument:

[audio:mistyacareaction010914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If you have questions about Obamacare, call the Sarah Bush Health Center at 238-4994.

One form of fraud is growing rapidly: counterfeit cosmetics and perfume.  Public advocate Mac McGuire says a surprising amount of such goods are fake:

As heard on WTIM, Taylorville defeated Pana with a score of 67-32.

All 11 proposals on the ballot in the annual Illinois High School Association (IHSA) member school referendum were approved in voting by the membership last month. The online ballots were tabulated and certified in the IHSA Office Wednesday (Jan. 8).  All the by-law changes take effect on July 1, 2014, with two exceptions. Proposal 3 will take effect in 30 days (Feb. 7, 2014). Proposal 10 will take effect at the end of the next school term, that is, the week of June 28 to July 4, 2015, will be the first summer "dead week".

Here is a summary of the proposals and the vote totals:

• Proposal 1 (passed 355-106): Requires that, for a coop agreement to be extended, written approval of the conference(s) involved be submitted with the renewal application.
• Proposal 2 (passed 417-44): Requires that the mandatory rules video be watched by the head coach of a sport or activity program in order to receive credit and avoid probation or suspension.
• Proposal 3 (passed 304-157): Makes the Travel Policy a By-law; allows a school team to travel any distance on an out-of-state trip as long as no more than two school days are missed, including travel to and from the competition; allows two such trips per school year per team.
• Proposal 7 (passed 280-181): Removes the one-year period of ineligibility for a transfer student enrolling in his or her home boundaried public school for the first time.
• Proposal 8 (passed 240-220): Makes the week that includes July 4 a "dead week" during which coaches may have no contact with athletes during the summer contact period; does not apply to summer baseball and softball.
• Proposal 10 (passed 447-12): Raises the academic requirement for participants in non-athletic activities from 20 to 25 credit hours of high school work per week, the same standard used for athletes.
• Proposal 13 (passed 336-120): Allows boys football practice to start two days earlier (Monday of Week 6).
• Proposal 14 & 17 (passed 360-88): Moves the start of competitive cheerleading and competitive dance practice one week earlier (Monday of Week 17) and the start of competition two days earlier for competitive cheer (Monday of Week 18), making the dates for both sports identical.
• Proposal 15 & 19 (passed 340-109): Raises the team contest limitation in competitive cheerleading and competitive dance from 5 meets to 6 dates, exclusive of the IHSA State Series.
• Proposal 16 (passed 350-98): Establishes an individual contest limitation in competitive cheerleading of 6 dates, exclusive of the IHSA State Series.
• Proposal 20 (passed 352-94): Establishes an individual contest limitation in competitive dance of 6 dates, exclusive of the IHSA State Series, and requires that a dance team member be part of the winter game-day performance team (similar to the restriction already in place for competitive cheer team members).

A total of 463 of 808 member schools (57.3%) participated in the amendment vote, a small decrease from last year's 57.8%.

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

Constance A. Sherman, 19, of 717 East Poplar Street, Taylorville, was arrested January 7 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear/answer.

INCIDENTS:
On January 7, Christian County Deputies along with Taylorville Fire, Owaneco Fire, and Morrisonville-Palmer Fire responded to a structure fire at 917 North 965 East Road (The Jeff Powers Residence). The house was fully engulfed in flames upon the deputies arrival. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

THE TAYLORVILLEE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On January 7 at 10:59am, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to 717 East Poplar reference a domestic. Upon arrival, officers discovered that Constance A. Sherman, 19, of Taylorville was wanted on a warrant out of Kentucky. Sherman was placed under arrest and transported to the Christian County Sheriff's Office.

On January 7 at 8:17am, a Taylorville Police Department officer responded to a traffic crash in the area of the 300 block of Springfield Road. It was determined that James M. Steffers, 38, of Taylorville, who was involved in the crash, had a suspended driver's license. Two citations were issued.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

January 3
1 EMS, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident

January 4
4 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm, 1 Gas Odor

January 5
5 EMS

January 6
2 EMS, 3 Automatic Alarms, 1 Fire, 1 Public Assist, 1 Carbon Monoxide Alarm

January 7
7 EMS, 2 Automatic Alarms, 1 Fire, 1 Alarm

With the New Year here, many thoughts turn to self-improvement, especially when it comes to losing weight.  Joyce Fikri of the St. Louis Dairy Council says it's best to set realistic goals:

[audio:fikriresolutions010814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Fikri says it's always a good idea to have at least 3 portions of dairy in your daily diet.

The Morrisonville-Panhandle Committee of Ten have secured times and dates for three upcoming public meetings to be held in January, February, and early March.  The first meeting is this Sunday beginning at 1:00pm in the Farmersville Elementary School multi-purpose room. Co-chairman Dale Brockamp tells Regional Radio News what will be discussed:

[audio:brockampfirstmeeting010814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For information regarding the proposed consolidation, go to www.mp-c10.info or visit their Facebook page.

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Joakim Noah scored 14 points to go with 16 
rebounds  and  six assists as  the shorthanded Chicago Bulls took a 92-87 win 
over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. 

The Bulls,  who were  without the  services of  starting power forward Carlos 
Boozer  (sore right  knee), dealt two-time All-Star Luol Deng to the Cleveland 
Cavaliers early Tuesday morning. 

The Bulls received  Andrew Bynum, who was promptly waived, along with a first 
round  pick and a pair of second rounders for the third-longest tenured player 
in franchise history. 

Taj  Gibson scored a  team-high 19 points and pulled down 10 boards filling in 
for  Boozer. Jimmy  Butler  and D.J.  Augustin added  13  points apiece,  with 
Augustin  also  dishing  out  nine  assists  for  Chicago,  winners  in  three 
straight. 

"We have a long way to go, but every time they've been challenged they've 
always responded. This is another challenge for them, for us. I think they did 
a great job getting ready to play today," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said on 
the loss Deng. 

Goran  Dragic  scored a  game-high 21 points  and Gerald Green  added 15 on 3- 
for-10  shooting from  3-pount range. Channing Frye and Miles Plumlee added 11 
points  and seven rebounds  apiece for the Suns, who have dropped two of their 
last three. 

"They run a unique offense, they know us so well and they know where guys are 
going to shoot from. It was an advantage. It was different for us. I was kind 
of guessing a bit," Plumlee said. 

Nazr Mohammed's tip-in gave the Bulls a 27-25 lead after the first 12 minutes. 

Chicago's  lead swelled  to 38-30 following a  pair of Noah Free throws, but a 
16-4  run from  the Suns, capped by  a Gerald Green jumper, made it 46-42 with 
2:20 remaining in the first half. 

The Bulls  scored the final seven  points of the  period to take a 49-46 edge 
into the break, ending with a Kirk Hinrich triple. 

Chicago's  lead  reached as  high as  nine points  late in  the third, but Ish 
Smith's jumper with 9.5 ticks left made it 70-63 entering the final frame. 

Snell  hit back-to-back 3's early in the fourth quarter and a Noah jumper made 
it  78-65 with just  over 10 minutes remaining. The Suns countered with a 15-6 
burst to make it 84-80 with just under four minutes left, but Phoenix couldn't 
get closer the rest of the way. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Bulls improved  to 10-7  at  United Center  ... Only  Michael Jordan  (12 
seasons)  and  Scottie Pippen (11  seasons) spent more  time in the Windy City 
than Deng ... The Suns were averaging 107 points per game entering the contest 
... The Suns fell to 3-10 when scoring less than 100 points this season. 

Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - David Backes' power-play goal in the second 
period  proved to be the difference as the St. Louis Blues took a 5-2 win over 
the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. 

Chris  Stewart,  Maxim Lapierre,  Vladimir Tarasenko  and Patrik Berglund also 
scored  for the Blues,  winners in six straight. Brian Elliot made 16 saves in 
the win. 

Nail  Yakupov and Mark Arcobello scored one goal apiece for the Oilers, losers 
in five of their last six games. Ilya Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 29 shots 
in the loss. 

Stewart's  power-play goal  at 12:46 of the  first period have the Blues a 1-0 
lead.  Stewart  weaved through defenders and  had an open look, but was turned 
away  by Bryzgalov.  Derek Roy,  though,  found Stewart  at the  point and  he 
unleashed a slapshot for his fourth goal in two games against Edmonton. 

Yakupov  scored 1:36  into the second period  when his snap shot from the left 
circle eluded traffic and found the back of the net. 

Lapierre  put the Blues  back in front with his wrister just 42 seconds later. 
Lapierre  corralled the  puck in  the corner  and drove  to the  net and  beat 
Bryzgalov for the 2-1 edge. 

Arcobello's fourth goal of the season knotted things up at 2-2 when he blasted 
a wrister into the back of the net at the 5:10 mark. 

Backes'  marker at 10:56  gave St. Louis the lead for good. Backes took a pass 
at the left circle and was able to thread a shot past Bryzgalov. 

"They played us pretty hard for the first half of the game before we got a 
power-play goal that allowed us to lock down the hatches after that," said 
Backes. 

Taresnko blasted a shot off the draw to make it 4-2, and Berglund scored on an 
empty net in the third for the final margin. 

"I didn't love our start," Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said. "I thought we were 
watching them play, especially in our own zone, we weren't initiating 
contact." 

                                   Game Notes 

The Blues  improved to  20-0-2 when  leading after two  periods ... St. Louis 
scored  five goals  for the 13th time  this season ... Edmonton fell to 2-23-1 
when trailing after two periods. 

In girls' basketball, the Lady Raiders of Central A&M defeated the Meridian Hawks 87-18 Wednesday night in the 2014 Macon County Tournament. Heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR, the Raiders will advance to the semi-final round Friday with broadcast to start at 5:30pm.

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to attempted burglary in Taylorville.

Sometime around 1:00 am on January 4, 2013, person or persons unknown cut power and damage a cash machine at Magic Wand Car Wash, located on Houston Street.   The unknown subject or subjects used an item to damage the cash machine in an attempt to break inside and also damaged a power box.  The total dollar amount of damage is not known at this time.

Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons.  Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name.  Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week. 

 You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES  (274632) and then your tip.  As always, you will remain anonymous. 

Several lawsuits have been filed against the State of Illinois regarding the recent pension reform.  Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville says the case will have to wind its way through the courts before a decision is rendered:

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

On January 2, roads were ice covered and Kimberly J. Eldridge, 45, of Tower Hill was stopped at a stop sign at intersection of Route 51 and Route 16.  John M. Stombaugh, 55, of Nokomis slid into the rear of Eldridge. No injuries were reported.

On January 4, Hannah M. Cutler, 18, of Pana was traveling west on Route 16. Cutler reported that the car unexpectedly “fish tailed”. Cutler over corrected and went off the roadway to the right and started sliding sideway before coming to a stop in the ditch. No injuries reported.

On January 4, Rudolph L. Burrus, 57, of Pana was issued a citation for no valid driver’s license.

On January 4, Anthony R. Spa, 27, of Shelbyville was issued a citation for disobeying a traffic control device.

On January 5, Ryan R. Paden, 20, of Pana was issued a citation for illegal squealing/screeching of tires. Paden posted $120 cash bond.

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The Cardinals have a new outfielder on their 40-man roster.  The Cards claimed 22-year-old Rafael Ortega Monday after he was placed on waivers by the Rangers last week.  The left-handed hitter played for the Rockies' Double-A club in 2013.  He batted .228 with 10 RBI and nine stolen bases in 42 games. 

Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired All- 
Star forward Luol Deng from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Andrew Bynum and 
three future draft picks. 

The deal was announced early Tuesday morning. 

The Cavs also sent the Bulls the Sacramento Kings' first-round draft pick from 
a  previous deal, the right for Chicago to swap its own 2015 first-round draft 
pick  with Cleveland's,  and Portland's 2015 and 2016 second-round draft picks 
acquired from the Trail Blazers in a 2013 draft-night trade. 

"We  are very  excited  for Luol  to join  the  Cavaliers organization,"  said 
Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant. "We have worked to acquire and maintain 
flexibility in order to capitalize on opportunities such as this. 

"Luol  reflects  all that  we are  striving for  in building  our team. He's a 
tremendous defensive player that can impact the game on both ends of the court 
with a team first mentality and is a high character leader." 

Deng, a two-time All-Star, averaged 19.0 points and 6.9 rebounds over 23 games 
for  the Bulls this season. Over 637 career games, he has averaged 16.1 points 
and 6.4 rebounds. 

Bynum  was suspended indefinitely  with pay by the Cavs on Dec. 28 for conduct 
detrimental to the team. 

He  has played in just 24 games since his breakout campaign in 2011-12 when he 
averaged 18.7 points and 11.4 boards. Since then, the 7-footer has scored just 
8.4 points and pulled down 5.3 rebounds per contest, all this season. 

Shelby Electric Cooperative is reporting that the Pana substation is back on as of yesterday afternoon. It was caused by Ameren having a transmission line down.

As for other line outages, Shelby Electric crews are back to work this morning to try to restore power. In many cases it’s just trying to get crews to the area through some impassible roads. 

At this point, they can't give any estimates on when power will be back on.

If you had furnace problems during this cold snap, you may be considering alternate ways to heat your home.  One relatively new heating system is geothermal.  Kurt Ryan of Pioneer homes in Taylorville says it's efficient and economical:

[audio:ryangeothermal120913.mp3]comment here[/audio]

A geothermal system can be used for air conditioning as well as heating.  Pioneer Homes is at 430 S. Spresser in Taylorville.  Call 820-0481.

When you are planning an event, it's best to check that the date you've chosen doesn’t conflict with other events.  That's where the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Community Calendar comes in.  CEO of the Chamber Patty Hornbuckle says it's a handy tool:

[audio:pattycomcal010614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Community Calendar can be found at taylorvillechamber.com.

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp announces on January 7th, 2014 that the snow emergency levels for Christian County roads have been lifted.

Sheriff Kettelkamp says that many County and Township roads are still snow packed and ice covered, remaining very hazardous in certain locations.

 Residents are reminded of the extreme dangers of being exposed to 20 -30 below zero wind chill factors. The Sheriff would like to remind anyone who would happen to get stuck or go into a ditch, remain with their vehicle until help arrives.

 When driving in extreme hazardous weather conditions, always make sure that your vehicle is completely full of fuel and that your cell phone is completely charged. Make sure that you have extra clothing and blankets in your car along with drinks and snacks.

The Christian County Sheriff's Office, in cooperation with the Christian County Corner’s Office and the Pana Police Department are investigating the death of 64-year-old Herbert L. Palmer of Pana. Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp tells Regional Radio News about the situation:

[audio:sherifffatal010614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The determination of Palmer’s death is believed to be from natural causes due to medical conditions and exposure to the extreme cold temperatures.

All games and practices are canceled for Monday and Tuesday January 6 and 7, 2014.

This includes

Mon - Fr/Soph boys basketball vs. Chatham Glenwood

Mon - Fr girls basketball at Chatham Glenwood

Tues - Bowling at Pana for both boys and girls

Tues - Girls Basketball at Lanphier

Tues - Boys Basketball at Springfield HS

Tuesday's boys basketball game will be made up on Tuesday January 14, 2014 at Springfield HS.  Bus time is the same, 4:45 pm.

The girls basketball game at Lanphier has been rescheduled to Tuesday January 21, 2014   Bus time remains the same at 4:45 pm

All other events, if they will be made up, will be announced later.

Shelby Electric Cooperative is reporting that the outage out of the Pana substation is caused by Ameren having a transmission line down so they are waiting on them to get that up and going so they can get the Pana sub back hot.

As for other line outages, Shelby Electric is still working on them. In many cases its just trying to get crews to the area through some impassible roads. 

At this point, they can't give any estimates on when power will be back on.

They have about 500 of their 9,800 members without power.

Champaign,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Rayvonte Rice scored 17 points and added 
seven  rebounds  for Illinois as the  Fighting Illini took down the Penn State 
Nittany Lions, 75-55, in a Big Ten tilt at the State Farm Center. 

Tracy Abrams contributed 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for Illinois 
(13-2,  2-0 Big Ten) which has won four straight. Joseph Bertrand and Jon Ekey 
each had 11 points as well as seven and eight rebounds, respectively. 

John  Johnson scored  a game-high  18 points,  netting 4-of-6  shots from  the 
beyond  the arc  before fouling  out for  Penn State  (9-6, 0-2).  Tim Frazier 
chipped  in 10 points,  but hit just 3-of-11 from the floor. The Nittany Lions 
have lost three of their last four. 

Neither  team  had much  success in  the first  half. Illinois  shot at a 29.6 
percent  clip and  Penn State  was a  step behind,  netting 28.6  percent. The 
Illini took a 28-26 lead into halftime. 

After  intermission  Illinois only  improved to 41.4  percent shooting, but it 
also  nailed 20-of-22 from  the free-throw line to pull away for the win. Penn 
State had only nine field goals in the final 20 minutes. 

Illinois enjoyed a 44-33 edge on the boards. Penn State blocked seven shots.