If you are looking to start or continue a workout routine but want to try something different from conventional methods, the Body Quest Store in Springfield may have a product of interest to you. Owner Dave Utinske tells Regional Radio News about the Elliptigo:

[audio:uetenskielliptigo033114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Body Quest is located at 3120 Montvale Drive in Springfield. For more information, call 787-9930.

An event that should be fun for the whole family is coming up this week at the Taylorville Public Library.  In fact, Head Librarian Dorothy Siles says the event is called "Family Fun Night":

[audio:sileslibraryfamilyfun032514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again Family Fun Night at the Taylorville Public Library is Thursday, April 3rd.  The Library is at 121 W. Vine St. in Taylorville.

With the deadline to sign up for Obamacare here, Republican Congressman Rodney Davis is calling for changes. The Taylorville Representative says there are alternatives to the President’s plan:

[audio:davisrepubhealthcare010214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The deadline for many Americans to sign up for Obamacare is midnight tonight.

Pittsburgh,  PA  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Sidney Crosby had  two goals and Marc- 
Andre  Fleury  stopped 25 shots  to help the Pittsburgh  Penguins to a 4-1 win 
over the Chicago Blackhawks. 

James  Neal and Lee Stempniak also scored for the Penguins, who have won their 
past  two  to eclipse the  100-point mark  for a sixth  time in the past eight 
season. 

"They  put  a lot of  pressure on us  and I thought we  were able to handle it 
well,"  said  Crosby. "They started to  take a few  more risks later on and we 
were able to capitalize." 

Pittsburgh  sits comfortably  atop the Metropolitan Division, but still trails 
Boston by nine points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Sheldon  Brookbank  scored and  Corey Crawford stopped  23-of-26 shots for the 
Blackhawks,   who  have  dropped  four  of  five  and  are  one  point  behind 
Colorado for second place in the Central Division. 

"The way we've been playing lately is frustrating for all of us," said Chicago 
forward  Patrick Sharps. "But we're not trying to lay blame on any one person, 
we're just trying to figure a way to get out of it." 

Chicago  also took a blow as center Jonathan Toews left the game in the second 
period  with  an upper-body injury, appearing  to hurt his left shoulder after 
being driven into the boards by Brooks Orpik. 

Pittsburgh  scored halfway  through the first period on a 2-on-1 break as Neal 
opted to shoot and his wrister from the left wing sailed past Crawford. 

It  took  just 21  seconds for the  Pens to increase  their lead, as Stempniak 
took a pass at the right point and skated down to the circle before snapping a 
shot in for his 11th of the year. 

Chicago  got the only  goal of the second period, as Brookbank's shot from the 
left point made its way past Fleury. 

Crosby,  though, gave the Pens some insurance with 4:51 to play when his quick 
shot  from the  left circle on a  2-on-1 found the right corner, and he sealed 
the victory with the net empty and 1:16 showing on the clock. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  two times over the past eight seasons that Pittsburgh has not reached 100 
points  was a  99-point campaign  in 2008-09,  and a  72-point effort  in last 
year's  strike-shortened  season ...  Chicago hosts  Minnesota on Thursday ... 
Pittsburgh plays host to Carolina on Tuesday. 

Boston,  MA (SportsNetwork.com) - D.J. Augustin scored a career-high 33 points 
off  the bench and  the Chicago Bulls held off the Boston Celtics, 107-102, on 
Sunday night. 

"I  have always thought  of myself as a pretty good basketball player. I think 
everyone  on this  level is  pretty  good or  they  wouldn't be  in the  NBA," 
Augustin said. 

Augustin  finished 10-of-14 from  the floor and sunk all 10 of his foul shots, 
while  Joakim  Noah tallied 13  points, 13 assists  and eight rebounds for the 
Bulls, who have won three of their last four games. 

Jimmy Butler netted 15 points and Carlos Boozer added 14 points and six boards 
in the victory. 

Rajon  Rondo supplied 17 points and 11 assists and Jared Sullinger provided 16 
points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which has dropped four in a row and nine of 
its last 10. 

"We're just not closing the games the right way," Rondo said. 

Taj Gibson's dunk with 3:43 left staked Chicago to a 95-90 advantage, but Jeff 
Green knocked down a pair of triples as part of a 6-1 Celtics spurt to tie the 
game at 96-96 with 2:13 on the clock. 

Augustin then put in the next seven points for the Bulls to seal the outcome. 

He  nailed a  pull-up left wing 3-pointer  to put Chicago back in front before 
hitting  four straight free throws following back-to-back Boston turnovers for 
a 103-96 margin with 30.4 ticks remaining. 

Earlier,  the Celtics  held a 26-25 lead  after a quarter of play, but Chicago 
outscored  them  26-24 in  the second and  headed into the  break with a 51-50 
edge. 

The Bulls took a 78-77 spread into the fourth. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago  shot 52.9  percent (37-of-70) from the floor and 50 percent (8-of-16) 
from beyond the arc ... Boston registered 20 points off 16 Bulls turnovers ... 
There were 19 ties and 16 lead changes. 

(SportsNetwork.com) - Everyone has high hopes on Opening Day right? 

That probably applies to the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins, as they 
kick off the 2014 campaign with the start of a three-game series at 
U.S.Cellular Field on Monday. 

After a disastrous 2013 campaign in which the White Sox produced just 63 wins 
and finished last in the American League Central, however, expectations are 
not meteoric for a club hovering on the cusp of average. 

Chicago probably thought 2013 was going to be a promising one after coming up 
short on a playoff bid the previous season, when the club recorded an 85-77 
record and finished second in the division. 

The White Sox made some additions this offseason in landing infielders Jose 
Abreu and Matt Davidson, and outfielder Adam Eaton. Abreu has a ton of 
pressure on his young shoulders and will replace ChiSox legend Paul Konerko as 
the everyday first baseman. The Cuban phenom has good size, strength and will 
bring much-needed pop to the lineup. 

Davidson and Eaton join a lineup that already features Alexei Ramirez, Gordon 
Beckham and streaky designated hitter Adam Dunn. Ramirez led the Pale Hose 
with a .284 average last season, while Dunn was tops in home runs (34) and 
runs batted in (86). Alexjandro De Aza was right behind them with a .264 
average, 17 homers and 62 RBI. 

Chicago finished at the bottom in the AL last season with 598 runs, so more 
production is needed to stay relevant in the Central. 

Pitching is solid for the White Sox and having left-hander Chris Sale at the 
top of the rotation doesn't hurt. He will be on the hill on Opening Day after 
he led the team in wins (11), ERA (3.07) and strikeouts (226) in 2013, but had 
14 losses in 30 starts. 

He went 17-8 as a full-time starter in 2012 and has averaged at least nine 
strikeouts per nine innings in all four of his major league seasons. 

"I'm ready to take the ball whenever they hand it to me," Sale said during an 
interview with MLB.com. "It's not for me to say what I am or who I am. I'll 
take the ball every fifth day, leave everything I have on the field and try to 
help us get the win." 

Sale will be opposed by Minnesota's big offseason acquisition, Ricky Nolasco, 
who will be making his third straight Opening Day start. Nolasco signed the 
richest free agent deal in Twins' history this winter, agreeing to a 4-year, 
$49 million deal. 

Nolasco was 13-11 with a 3.70 ERA in 34 games (33 starts) combined last season 
for Miami and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

"He just knows what he's doing," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said of 
Nolasco. "He goes about his business pretty good. He's pretty tough out there 
on the mound. You can tell he doesn't like to (mess) around too awful much. He 
goes right at them, uses his pitches, knows how to add and subtract, all those 
things that you hope when you brought him over here." 

The Twins have finished no better than fourth in the AL Central the last three 
years after winning the division six times in the previous nine seasons. 

Again, not much is expected for the Twins in 2014, but they should win more 
than 66 games, the exact total in each of the previous two years. 

"We've gotten beaten up for three years now," said Gardenhire, who is two wins 
shy of 1,000 with the organization. "You know you need pitching. We're trying 
to get pitching. We've done a pretty good job at this point. We're looking at 
position players. We said we were going to get better, and that's our goal is 
to get better." 

In addition to Nolasco, the Twins also added righty Phil Hughes. Meanwhile, 
offensively, the Twins added a few bats in outfielder Jason Kubel and catcher 
Kurt Suzuki. 

Suzuki behind the plate made the choice to send All-Star Joe Mauer to first 
base that much easier. 

Minnesota was 11-8 last season versus the White Sox. 

(SportsNetwork.com) -  The Pittsburgh Pirates ended a string of 20 straight 
losing seasons by posting 92 wins, capturing one of the two National League 
wild card spots and advancing to the Divisional playoff round a season ago. 

Now they'll try to carry that success into this season, as the Pirates begin 
the 2014 campaign with the opener of a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs 
at PNC Park. 

If the two seasons prior to their first winning campaign since Barry Bonds was 
roaming the outfield are any indication, Pittsburgh is definitely on the 
upswing. In 2011, Pittsburgh finished with 72 wins, which was 15 better than 
the previous year, and the team pushed the .500 mark in 2012, ending with 79 
wins. 

The Pirates finished 94-68 a year ago and are now shooting for back-to-back 
postseason appearances for the first time since 1992-'93. 

"(Last) spring, it was just the realization there was a lot of talent here, a 
lot of young talent, a lot of guys who didn't even know how good they were,'' 
Pirates catcher Russell Martin said. "As the season went along, you start 
getting good results, you start feeling better about yourself, then go out 
there and gain some confidence. 

"You just reaffirm the belief that you are good. That's what happened. We 
showed glimpses early on, and then there was a point in the season where we 
showed up at the field and we expected to win.'' 

Andrew McCutchen's numbers may have been down from 2012, but he captured the 
NL MVP award after batting .317 with 21 homers, 84 RBI, 97 runs scored and an 
OPS of .911. Those were all down from his 31HR/96RBI/107RS/.327BA/.953OPS 
numbers of 2012, proving that he doesn't need monster numbers to take this 
club far, he just needs a supporting cast. 

That cast gets a little stronger this year with the emergence of Starling 
Marte as a legit leadoff hitter and a more consistent clean-up hitter in Pedro 
Alvarez. Marte stole 41 bases and had a .343 on-base percentage, while Alvarez 
led the NL with 36 homers and drove in 100 runs. Both players will have to 
continue to provide solid offense if Pittsburgh is going anywhere. 

Getting the call for the Pirates on Monday will be left-hander Francisco 
Liriano, who rejuvenated his career last year and ranked third in the National 
League with a career-best 16 victories along with a 3.02 ERA in 26 starts. 

The 30-year-old, who was named the NL's Comeback Player of the Year, also 
tallied 163 strikeouts in 161 innings of work, went 8-2 with a stellar 1.26 
ERA following a Pittsburgh loss and was the winning pitcher in the Pirates' 
6-2 triumph over Cincinnati in the NL Wild Card Game. 

Chicago, meanwhile, finished in fifth place in the NL Central for the fourth 
straight season. Pitcher Matt Garza and outfielder Alfonso Soriano were 
jettisoned at the trade deadline and at the end of September, manager Dale 
Sveum was given his walking papers after just two years on the job. 

While there is certainly plenty of blame to go around, his tenure did produce 
the worst two-year stretch in the organization's long history -- no small feat 
considering that history includes 105 years and counting without a World 
Series title. 

In steps new manager Rick Renteria, whose reputation of working well with 
young players was a driving factor in the front office's hiring decision. 

This season marks president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer's third 
year at the helm. The front office continues to embrace a long-term rebuilding 
model, and for good reason. As such, there were no big-money signings or 
splashy offseason moves. Instead, the Cubs' focus is on nurturing their young 
prospects for the future while also trying to sprinkle in some wins now 
despite an Opening Day payroll of around $87 million, the club's lowest figure 
since 2005. 

Although the win-right-now part of that equation will be a pretty big 
challenge for this Cubs team bereft of talent, the front office remains 
steadfast in its approach to contend beyond 2014. 

One of those players the Cubs hope to lock up long term will be on the hill 
Monday in right-hander Jeff Samardzija. He has declined their attempts, 
though, and was the subject of trade rumors most of the winter following a 
season that saw him go 8-13 with a 4.34 earned run average in 33 starts. 

Samardzija's 2013 season started with him scattering two hits over eight 
scoreless innings in Pittsburgh. 

Pittsburgh was 12-7 against the Cubs last season. 

Coverage of Cards and Reds can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:35pm.

(SportsNetwork.com) - Two teams with huge expectations kick off their season 
on Monday when the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds open a three-game 
series at Great American Ball Park. 

The Cards proved once again in 2013 that they are indeed the symbol of 
excellence in Major League Baseball. They may have come up short in the World 
Series to the Boston Red Sox, but is there a team more set up for the future 
than Mike Matheny's club? 

Even though Carlos Beltran left as a free agent, the Cards were more than 
prepared to move on, as Allen Craig will seamlessly slide into right field 
duties, while 21-year-old super prospect Oscar Taveras gets a little more 
seasoning at the Triple-A level. 

In an effort to fill the power void left by Beltran, the Cardinals signed 
shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who, of course, was part of the Biogenesis scandal 
last season. Before his 50-game ban, though, he was hitting .303 with 11 
homers, 30 doubles and 55 RBI for the Detroit Tigers. 

Peralta will no doubt help a shortstop position that last year was 27th in the 
league with a .596 OPS. 

This team is just dripping with young talent, specifically in the pitching 
department, as starters Michael Wacha and Shelby Miller, as well as relievers 
Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez, Seth Maness and Kevin Siegrist all had 
significant contributions in their rookie seasons. 

They will have a veteran on the hill Monday, though, in 32-year-old righty 
Adam Wainwright, who went 19-9 last year with a 2.94 ERA and finished second 
to Los Angeles' Clayton Kershaw in NL Cy Young voting. He also posted career- 
highs in innings (241 2/3), strikeouts (219), complete games (five) and 
shutouts (two). 

The Reds, though, gave him trouble, as he went 1-3 with a 7.77 ERA in four 
starts against them. 

It will be the third Opening Day start of Wainwright's career and the second 
since returning from Tommy John surgery. 

Up until a March 19 spring game with the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati was 
perceived consistently among the cognoscenti: solid team, a few All-Star 
caliber players, but one - after two straight impotent playoff appearances in 
2012 and 2013 - that needed to hold all talking until October. 

In the immediate aftermath of that exhibition with the Royals, however, the 
consensus that another postseason re-do is an automatic has been significantly 
impacted. 

When closer Aroldis Chapman was drilled by a comebacker after Kansas City's 
Salvador Perez turned on a 99 mph fastball and left him in a writhing heap on 
the Arizona mound, the immediate question marks about Chapman's health and 
long-term prospects became significant items on the Reds priority list and the 
team's out-of-the-gate ability to do without him became instantly magnified. 

Initial diagnoses veered from facial lacerations and contusions all the way to 
bone fractures, which, in either case, will put the bullpen on the spot to 
finish games until his return. 

Elsewhere on the field, the pieces seem a little more certain for first-year 
manager Bryan Price, who was elevated from pitching coach upon the exit of 
veteran skipper Dusty Baker. 

Perennial MVP candidate Joey Votto is back at first base after hitting .305 
with 24 home runs and 75 runs batted in last season, in which he played 162 
games after being held to only 111 a season earlier. He was the National 
League's MVP in 2010 and has been among the top-15 vote-getters for the award 
in every season since, including a sixth-place standing after 2013. 

Slugging right fielder Jay Bruce got some MVP love of his own, finishing 10th 
in the voting, after reaching the 30-homer plateau for the third straight 
season and driving in a career-best 109 runs. He'll presumably be helped by 
the full-time return of left fielder Ryan Ludwick, who played just 38 games 
last season after a banner 2012 in which he hit 26 homers and drove in 80 
runs. 

Center field is finally the domain of minor-league base-stealing sensation 
Billy Hamilton after Shin-Soo Choo signed as a free agent with the Texas 
Rangers. The youngster swiped 13 bases in 13 games with the Reds last season 
and had 395 steals in 502 games across six stops in the minors. If he hits - 
he batted .368 in the brief audition last summer - the Reds won't miss Choo 
nearly as much. 

Heading to the hill on Monday will be lefty Johnny Cueto, who, after winning 
19 games in 2012, was only able to make 11 starts last season because of 
injury. Still, he was 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA in those appearances. 

"I'm not worried about it at all," said Cueto, who will be making his third 
straight Opening Day start. "Those are last year's injuries and I'm prepared 
and ready to go. It was a difficult year for me because I wasn't able to help 
the team. That's the toughest part. Everyone goes through injuries, 
unfortunately." 

St. Louis was 11-8 against the Reds last season. 

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

CRASHES:

On March 29, Nicholas F. Jebe of Macon was traveling east on County 4. Around 2575 East, a deer ran into the roadway. Jebe hit the deer causing damage to the front of the vehicle. No injuries were reported.

On March 26, Thomas A. Gulley of Moweaqua was traveling east on 1875 North road when a deer entered the roadway. Gulley struck the deer causing front end damage. No injuries reported.

On March 22, Shawn T. Davis of Edinburg was westbound on Township Road 1350 North. Davis lost control of the vehicle and went through the intersection and out into the field. Davis was issued a citation for driving on a suspended license and given a zero tolerance. No injuries reported.

ARRESTS:

Christopher R. Lewis, 26, of 1503 West Elm Street, Taylorville, was arrested March 30 on a bond forfeiture for battery/making physical contact

George A. Nash, 32, of 713 East Dean Street, Virden, was arrested March 31 for disorderly conduct.

Joshua A. Page, 32, of 400 West Market Street, Taylorville, was arrested March 30 on a bond forfeiture for a possession of an amount of a controlled substance.

Michael J. Price, 27, of 31120 Pike Road, Medora, was arrested March 28 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Joseph S. Lawrence, 34, of 508 North Main Street, Stonington, was arrested March 28 on a warrant for driving on a revoked license.

Patrick S. Powers, 23, of 1035 East 2475 North Road, Edinburg, was arrested March 30 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jessica N. Tyson-Ragan, 23, of 1212 West Pauline Street, Taylorville, was arrested March 29 on a bond forfeiture for driving on a suspended license.

Ryan A. Kauzlaurich, 46, of 70 East Washington Street, Champaign, was arrested March 30 on a bond forfeiture for methamphetamine manufacturing.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On March 27 at 11:56am, Walmart called and requested Taylorville Police Department officers in reference to a shoplifter that was not cooperating. Officers arrived and identified the male shoplifter as Anthony M. Bavetta, 27, of Taylorville. Bavetta was arrested for retail theft, processed, and released on a notice to appear.

On March 30 at 12:24pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to 1218 West Pauline in regards to a disturbance. The officer arrived and spoke to several people and witnesses regarding the incident. Ernest S. Stewart, 24, of Taylorville was arrested for disorderly conduct.

On March 30 at 4:40am, a Taylorville Police Department officer was contacted via phone by a Christian County Sheriff's Deputy in reference to a male subject at their post wanting to reports that he had damaged the residence behind McDonald's. The officer made contact with the staff at the assisted living residence and they came up with the name of the suspect Dennis E. Wilcutt, Jr., 26, of Taylorville. The officer saw that an outside screen may have been cut. The officer spoke with Wilcutt at Christian County Sheriff's Office and he stated that he did cut the screen with a utility knife. The officer arrived at work that night and found that management from the assisted living facility had called and wished to seek charges for criminal damage to property. Another officer took photos of the damage and was able to locate Wilcutt walking along the side of the street while on patrol. Wilcutt was transported to Taylorville Police Department to be processed and given trespass warning for the property of John Street Home, Wilcutt was released on a notice to appear with a court date of May 1.

On March 29 at 6:44pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were out at 1212 West Pauline Street Apt. 1 in reference to Jessica Tyson, 23, of Taylorville. Officers knew Tyson to have a valid Christian County warrant. Tyson was arrested and transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office.

On March 29 at 10:48pm, Taylorville Police Department dispatch advised of a possible driving under the influence coming into town on Route 29 from the prison. The vehicle was described as a dark colored Jimmy. An officer located the vehicle at Park Street and McAdam Drive traveling westbound. The vehicle was stopped at Main and Park. Following the investigation, Carl Gensler, 52, of Pana, was arrested for DUI.

On March 30, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with Christopher Lewis, 26, of Taylorville. The officer knew Lewis to have a valid warrant and had it confirmed through dispatch. Lewis was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond

On March 28, a Taylorville Police Department officer was assisting a parole agent at 1218 West Pauline Street #11 with a parole revocation. During the course of the investigation, Nicole R. Schneider, 25, of Taylorville was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Schneider was lodged at Christian County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond.

CRASHES:

On March 28, Kelli M. Ettinger, 22, of Stonington was backing out of a parking space. Ettinger backed into an ATM machine that is attached to the US Bank drive through.

On March 30, a Taylorville Police Department officer responded to a two vehicle accident at Route 29 and Grant Drive. Durbin R. Michael, 61, of Taylorville stated he had stopped at the stop lights that were in the flashing red stage. Michael stated he observed that Raymond D. Radae, 66, of Edinburg was not going to get stopped and he proceeded forward to avoid getting rear ended but Radae rear ended him. Radae stated he looked down for a second and when he looked up, he observed Michael and was unable to stop in time and struck Michael in the rear end. Radae was issued a citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

March 28
1 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident

March 29
6 EMS, 2 Public Assists

March 30
3 EMS

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

Sometime between 2:00 pm on Monday March 10, 2014 and 2:00 am on Tuesday March 11, 2014, person or persons unknown made entry into a residence located in a rural area North of Pana.  While inside the unknown subject or subjects took numerous electronic devises and a handgun.   The total dollar amount of the 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.

Caroline Reynolds and Phil Miller

The Shelbyville Rotary Club held their weekly meeting Monday at the Shelbyville Memorial Hospital. A round of applause was made for Shelbyville Superintendent Denise Bence, retired judge Mike Kiley, and the Rotary Club for the efforts that were put forth in the passage of the school referendum initiative. 

Bence, in discussion, stated that the school is meeting with HVAC contractors to decide what manner of heating/cooling system would be best to replace the current unit that is in the high school.  She anticipates that this project should be completed in about one year from this summer.

Phil Miller was this week’s program chairman.  His keynote speaker was the club’s newest member, Caroline Reynolds.  Her topic was “The New Visions” in-hospital drug rehabilitation program.  This program provides medical care for alcohol and opiate withdrawal.  The program has helped over 500 patients recover from drug/alcohol last year. 

This program is one of the few medically supervised programs of its type in the area.  Caroline said she spends a lot of time on the road going to health fairs, marketing, and visiting rehab centers like Hour House in Charleston to successfully get the word out for this program.  She notes that most of the clients come from outside of Shelbyville.  After completing the program in hospital, they are then referred to ongoing alcohol and drug rehab counseling, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous for further support.  The New Visions program is an independently-owned service from Special Care Hospital Management Corporation, and situated in SMH. 

A Taylorville resident was arrested on Friday after an incident involving a handgun. Around 11:57am, Taylorville Police Department officers responded to a disturbance in the 600 block of West First Street. Upon arrival, officers spoke to all parties involved. It was alleged that the suspect, 67-year-old Delmar Oats of Taylorville, threatened the victim with a small handgun. Oats was found to be in possession of a Kel-Tech .380 handgun. Oats was taken into custody without incident. Oats was charged with aggravated assault and was released on a notice to appear.

People First Bancshares, Inc. held its annual meeting of shareholders on March 26, 2014 at Peoples Bank & Trust in Pana, IL. During the meeting, Larry D. Beaty, George Hiler and David Slater were reelected to three year terms as directors of the Bank and Holding Company. Other directors of the Bank and Holding company are James D. Randolph, David Fines, Michael E. Beyers, John Gardner and Michael M. Trexler.

During the report of operations, John Gardner, President and CEO, explained that 2013 was a successful year for Peoples Bank & Trust and recognized the Board, Management and Employees for their contributions to the bank’s success. Gardner recognized Robert Zueck and Barry Heaton who are both retiring from the Board of Directors after over fifteen years of service.

Gardner reported that the bank generated record earnings, maintained fundamental strengths and completed the integration of banks recently acquired in a very challenging environment.

Gardner also reported that during 2013, net income increased from $5.310 million to $5.475 million. Net income per average share also increased from $16.25 to $16.80, resulting in an increase in book value per share from $74.52 to $77.23.

Peoples Bank & Trust is a locally owned and managed, independent community bank with ten offices located in Charleston, Altamont, Tower Hill, Pana, Taylorville, Morrisonville, Springfield, Waverly, Palmyra and White Hall. People First Bancshares, Inc., with corporate offices in Pana, Illinois, is the holding company for Peoples Bank & Trust.

As part of National Agriculture Week, Solid Gold 98.3 WRAN held its annual Ag Day Live Broadcast at the Shelby County 4-H Building Thursday. During the remote, Local Farm Broadcaster Jared White spoke with several representatives from Shelby Electric Co-op and Farm Credit Illinois.

Kevin Bernson, left, and Jared White, right.

Kevin Bernson with Shelby Electric Co-op talks about how the company started:

[audio:bernsonhistory032814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Heidi Hall

Heidi Hall with Shelby Electric talks about one of their major projects they have going on:

[audio:hallproject032814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Dustin Theiss

Dustin Theiss with Selby Electric says one of the services they offer is an energy audit and explains what that is:

[audio:theissenergyaudits032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Bridget Giles

Bridget Giles with Farm Credit Illinois says they aren’t limited to established farmers and offer things for the younger crowd as well:

[audio:gilesyoungfarmers032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

This was the 17^th annual Ag Day Live Broadcast for WRAN.

Mesa,  AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Sweeney went 2-for-3 with a solo home run 
in  the  Chicago Cubs' 4-3  win over the Chicago  White Sox in spring training 
action on Thursday. 

Anthony  Rizzo,  Justin Ruggiano  and Darwin  Barney each  added an RBI, while 
Cubs  starter Travis  Wood struck  out four  over three  scoreless innings  of 
two-hit, one-walk ball. 

Adam  Dunn  and Alejandro De Aza  stroked back-to-back homers in the ninth for 
the  White Sox, who  saw starter Felipe Paulino permit three runs on five hits 
and a walk over four frames. 

Jupiter,  FL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Derek Dietrich stroked a two-run single to 
spark  Miami's  five-run eighth inning, as  the Marlins secured a 6-4 win over 
the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday in spring training action. 

Marcell  Ozuna and Austin Nola each knocked in a run in the rally, while Miami 
starter  Brad Hand  allowed  just two  hits  and a  walk  over four  scoreless 
innings. 

St.  Louis starter  Michael Wacha surrendered just  one run on five hits and a 
walk  while striking  out six over five frames. Daniel Descalso clubbed a run- 
scoring double in the setback. 

St.  Louis, MO  (SportsNetwork.com)  -  T.J. Oshie's  first  career hat  trick 
highlighted  the St.  Louis Blues'  latest victory,  a  5-1  drubbing of  the 
slumping Minnesota Wild at Scottrade Center. 

Jaden  Schwartz  and Brenden  Morrow  also  tallied  for the  current  Western 
Conference  leaders,  who improved  to 11-2-1  since acquiring goaltender Ryan 
Miller from Buffalo on Feb. 28. 

"We're  really focusing on playing team hockey right now and it's showing with 
the  results we've  had," said Oshie. "Three  of them happened to come from my 
stick, but the next game it will be someone else." 

Miller  did his part  as well in this one, taking a shutout bid into the final 
nine minutes and turning aside 27 of the 28 shots he faced. 

Counterpart Darcy Kuemper wasn't as effective, coming up with just 19 saves as 
the  Wild lost  for the ninth time  in 12 games. Minnesota's lead over Phoenix 
for  the  top wild-card spot  in the  West also shrunk  to one point after the 
Coyotes downed New Jersey on Thursday. 

Zach  Parise accounted for the lone Wild goal in Minnesota's ninth consecutive 
setback to the Blues. 

"That's a team we could face in the first round and we wanted to make it tough 
on them," said Parise. "I don't think we did that, at all, tonight." 

Oshie's  first two  goals came during the opening period, with the initial one 
--  a well-placed wrister into the upper right corner of the Wild net after he 
corralled a loose puck -- giving St. Louis a quick 1-0 edge 4:43 in. 

A  double-minor penalty  to Kevin Shattenkirk late in the first gave Minnesota 
an  extended power play, but the Wild instead fell behind further while on the 
man  advantage.  Oshie intercepted a  pass from  Jared Spurgeon in the neutral 
zone,  starting a  shorthanded breakaway that he finished by blasting the puck 
past Kuemper 26 seconds before the intermission. 

The Blues did cash in on a power-play opportunity to extend the margin in the 
second  period,  with Schwartz beating  Kuemper to  the stick side with Morrow 
setting a screen for a 3-0 cushion. 

Oshie  completed  the  hat  trick  with 7:18  elapsed  in  the  third  period, 
successfully  redirecting a  blast from the point from Jay Bouwmeester to make 
it a 4-0 game. 

Just  under 3  1/2 minutes later, Morrow  chipped in a rebound of Alex Steen's 
initial attempt with the Blues on another power play. 

Parise  produced  Minnesota's lone  highlight  of  the  night by  finishing  a 
transition rush with Charlie Coyle with 8:49 remaining. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Wild haven't  bested the Blues since a 3-2 shootout decision in Minnesota 
on Nov. 19, 2011 ... Oshie became the second St. Louis player in as many games 
to register a hat trick, with David Backes accomplishing the feat in Tuesday's 
win  over Toronto  ... The Blues have  now notched a point in 10 straight home 
games  (8-0-2), tying  a season-best stretch from Oct. 25-Dec. 5 ... Minnesota 
went  0-for-6 on  the power play, while St. Louis converted 2-of-5 chances ... 
Blues  forward Derek  Roy returned to action after missing two straight with a 
groin injury. 

Boston,  MA  (SportsNetwork.com)  -  Patrice Bergeron  scored  two  goals  and 
the  Boston  Bruins blanked  Chicago, 3-0,  in the Blackhawks' first visit to 
TD Garden since winning the Stanley Cup last June. 

Tuukka Rask  made  28 saves for his NHL-leading seventh shutout of the season, 
as the Bruins improved  to 13-0-1 in  their last 14  games. 

"You  never want to play on your heels," Boston head coach Claude Julien said. 
"When  you've got a one-goal lead, you want to extend it before you even think 
of protecting the lead." 

Corey  Crawford stopped 20 shots for the Blackhawks, who were shut out for the 
second time in three games. 

Chicago  is one  point  away from  clinching  a playoff  berth  for the  sixth 
straight year. 

"We're  looking  to get one more  win," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville 
said. 

Bergeron  went  to the slot  and redirected  Matt Bartkowski's point shot past 
Crawford, extending his goal streak to five games and giving Boston a 1-0 lead 
at 11:50 of the first period. 

Carl  Soderberg  and Bergeron scored  13 seconds apart  in the third period to 
provide the Bruins with some breathing room. 

Johnny  Boychuk  kept a  puck whipped off  the boards by  Brandon Bollig in at 
the  right point  and  fired a  shot that  didn't  reach Crawford. Blackhawks 
defenseman  Nick Leddy swept  the puck to the stick of Soderberg and he scored 
from the bottom of the right circle at 5:28. 

The  Bruins  struck again after Crawford  turned the puck over behind his net. 
Brad  Marchand stole the goaltender's pass and quickly fed Bergeron, who fired 
a shot from near the bottom of the left circle. 

Caught  out of  position, Crawford  tried to  dislodge the  net. The  net fell 
forward,  but remained on  its moorings when the puck crossed the goal line at 
5:41. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Bruins  reached the  50-win mark for  the ninth time  in team history ... 
Bergeron  extended his point  streak to six games (6 goals, 2 assists) ... The 
Blackhawks  were 0-for-2 on the power play and have now gone 0-for-20 with the 
man advantage in their last seven road games ... Chicago forward Bryan Bickell 
missed a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. 

THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

CRASHES:

On March 25, Madison N. Hamilton of Macon was northbound on County Road 2525 East. At 1675 North, Hamilton failed to negotiate a right turn at the curve located at 1675 North. Hamilton struck the ditch and received front-end damage. The vehicle was towed from the sene, The front passenger, Kaylee L. Bingaman of Blue Mound claimed Hamilton and her mother (who arrived later on scene) failed to contact the police and refused to contact medical assistance. The passenger was later treated at Taylorville Memorial Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. N o other injuries reported.

ARRESTS:

Adam J. Dewald, 29, of 130 South West Road, Kankakee, was arrested March 27 for possession of cannabis 2.5 to 10 grams.

Camron J. Jiannoni, 27, of 236.5 East Main Street, Mt. Auburn, was arrested March 27 for domestic battery.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On March 27 at 5:03pm, Taylorville Police Department officers made contact with Michael R. Fuentez, 34, of Taylorville behind 118 East Palmer. Fuentez was seen driving with a suspended license. Fuentez was issued a citation for driving while suspended and released on scene with a notice to appear.

On March 27 at 10:57pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to 505 East Adams Street in reference to a domestic battery. Brandon White, 25, of New Holland was arrested on scene and transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing. White was then transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

March 27
4 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm

March 28
3 EMS

Shelbyville Manor will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt next Saturday, April 5^th at 10am. Kristy Gorden, Director of Marketing and Sales, tells Regional Radio News about the event:

[audio:gordeneasteregghunt032814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The event will be in the Shelbyville Manor Courtyard and is open to the public. For more information, call Shelbyville Manor at 774-2111.

State Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville says farmers in rural areas were having problems driving their equipment on roadways they normally use because some road commissioners were unexpectedly changing the weight limit on the roads. Rosenthal said that the farmers were then unable to take the routes necessary to haul their products and introduced legislation dealing with weight limits:

[audio:032514RosenthalHB2367.MP3]comment here[/audio]

While the bill was approved in House committee on Tuesday, Rosenthal will continue to work with numerous groups on the bill before the legislation goes to the House floor.    

If you want to sign up for Medicare part B, you'd better get moving.  Jack Myers, Public Affairs Specialist for the Springfield Social Security Office, says the enrollment period to sign up this year ends Monday:

[audio:myerspartbdeadline032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Myers says you can find out more by calling 1-800 Medicare, or go online to medicare.gov.

In this computer age, we are hearing more and more about scams being perpetrated on the public, and especially senior citizens.  Richard Peters of the Triad organization says the Federal Trade Commission has issued a top 10 list of consumer complaints:

[audio:peterstriad032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Triad is an organization dedicated to helping senior citizens.

Glendale,  AZ  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Jose Abreu went 2-fo-5 with a three-run 
homer  to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 9-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds 
on Wednesday. 

Adam  Eaton collected four hits  for the White Sox and starter John  Danks 
allowed three runs -- one earned -- in 6 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. 

Jason  Bourgeois went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in the setback, while Reds 
starter  Brett Marshall was tagged for seven runs on 12 hits over five innings 
pitched. 

Scottsdale,  AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Owings' three-run blast was one of 
six  home runs hit  by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 14-4 win over the Chicago 
Cubs on Wednesday. 

Mark  Trumbo, Jordan  Parraz, Brandon Jacobs, Rudy Flores and Aaron Cunningham 
also  homered in  the spring  training win  and Brandon  McCarthy pitched  six 
innings, striking out six and giving up three runs on six hits and a walk. 

Chris Coghlan homered for the Cubs and Jeff Samardzija allowed just one run in 
three innings. 

The  Diamondbacks  did most of  their damage against  Chris Rusin, who gave up 
nine runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 frames. 

Jupiter,  FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Yadier Molina had two hits and drove in all 
three  runs  for  the St.  Louis Cardinals  in  their  3-2 triumph  over  the 
Washington Nationals in spring training action. 

Allen  Craig  tallied a hit  and scored twice for  the Cardinals, who got five 
shutout innings of one-hit ball from starter Adam Wainwright. 

Nationals  starter  Gio Gonzalez allowed three  runs -- one earned -- on seven 
hits and a walk over five frames. Caleb Ramsey smacked a two-run single in the 
eighth. 

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

CRASHES:

On March 21, Jerik H. Zerfowski, 18, of Taylorville stated he was southbound on Cherokee at the intersection of East Park. Gail E. Coulter, 62, of Pana stated she was eastbound on East Park at the intersection of Cherokee. Zerfowski stated he had a green light and continued through the intersection. Coulter stated she did not see the light was red and continued through the intersection. Coulter hit Zerfowski in the passenger side causing damage to the door, front quarter panel and rear quarter panel. Coulter received front end damage. No injuries were reported.

ARRESTS:

On March 27 at 12:05am, Taylorville Police Department officers went to 1001 East Adams to attempt to locate Amanda J. Kee, 37, of Taylorville who had an active warrant out of Christian County. Officers made contact with Kee and placed her under arrest. Kee was transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond.

On March 24 at 4:40pm, Taylorville Police Department officers stopped a vehicle in the 600 block of North Ridge. Following the stop, Clint A. Hadden. 37, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while license revoked.

On March 23 at 6:45pm, the Walmart asset protection associate made contact with Taylorville Police Department in reference to a retail theft that had occurred. Following the investigation, Cindy L. Delacruz, 41, of Taylorville and Kathy M. Sheedy, 35, of Taylorville were arrested for retail theft, processed, and released from Taylorville Police Department with a notice to appear.

On March 25 at 7:35pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were out at 30 Hannon Trailer Park in reference to a domestic dispute. Following the investigation, Ernest Stewart, 24, of Taylorville was arrested for criminal trespass. Stewart was transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released with a notice to appear.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

March 26
1 Mutual Aid, 1 Grass Fire, 1 Gas Leak

March 27
1 Mutual Aid

Pictured Left to Right: Scott Montgomery of Farm Credit Illinois, Local Farm Broadcaster Jared White 

This week is National Agriculture Week and as part of the week, Solid Gold 98.3 WRAN held its 17^th annual Ag Day Live Broadcast at the Shelby County 4-H Building Thursday morning. During the broadcast, the Shelby County Farm Bureau Young Leaders were serving their 9^th annual “Farm City Breakfast”. Scott Montgomery, with and Young Ag Leaders and Farm Credit Illinois, explains how the event got its name:

[audio:montgomeryname032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Montgomery tells WRAN about Farm Credit Illinois:

[audio:montgomeryfarmcredit032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Josh Shaw of Farm Credit, left, talks to Jared White, right.

Josh Shaw, Crop Insurance Specialist with Farm Credit Illinois, talks about the importance of having crop insurance:

[audio:shawcropinsurance032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Several Young Ag Leaders Serving Breakfast

In part 2 of the day, Newstalk 97.3 WTIM held its 22nd annual Ag Day Live Broadcast at Farm Credit Illinois in Taylorville as part of National Agriculture Week.

Dan Pollock, left, with Jared White,right.

Regional Manager of Farm Credit Illinois Dan Pollock says they are getting ready for the upcoming farm season:

[audio:pollockreadytogo032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Amanda Cole

Amanda Cole, Director of the University of Illinois Extension, says they are bring back an old position:

[audio:coleagliteracy032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Mike Franzen

Mike Franzen, Crop Insurance Specialist with Farm Credit Illinois, says there are different options out there for how much a crop is covered under the insurance:

[audio:franzenoptions032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Derek Stayton

Derek Stayton, loan officer with Farm Credit Illinois, says technology has played a huge part in how they do business:

[audio:staytontech032714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Miller Media Group local farm broadcaster Jared White hosted both live broadcasts.

A fog machine being operated during a performance of the Taylorville High School musical "Fiddler on the Roof", triggered one of the school's fire alarms at 12:40 this afternoon, causing an evacuation of the high school for about 15 minutes.

Taylorville High School principal Bob Richardson told Regional Radio News that the play cast was performing the show for Taylorville Junior High School students when the fog machine caused the fire alarm to go off.

[audio:RichardsonaudioMar2714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Taylorville Fire and Police responded to the triggered fire alarm.

Students returned to the high school building by 12:55 this afternoon.

The T-H-S musical will go as scheduled this weekend.

With the weather finally warming up, we are seeing more and more motorcycles on the road.  Illinois State Police Safety Information Officer Emanuelwel Edwards says motorcyclists need to be extra careful:

[audio:edwardsispmotorcycles032514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

For info on motorcyclist safety and regulations check out the Illinois State Police website at isp.state.il.us.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, on the floor of the U.S. House Tuesday, congratulated Brandi Bruley, Principal at North Elementary School in Taylorville, for being named the Illinois Principals Association 2014-2015 Elementary School Principal of the Year:

[audio:davisbruley032614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Bruley is also eligible to compete for the National Distinguished Principal of the Year award.

Pictured left to right Kiwanis President Chris Weittenhiller and Bill Newberry.

The Taylorville Municipal Airport was the topic of interest at the weekly Taylorville Kiwanis club meeting. Bill Newberry discussed the history of the airport from its humble beginnings of grass runways to the modern airport we have today. He detailed their strategy for cutting expenses when the city took over the airport in 2007. Those included the installation of automated gas tanks, solar panels, and gas and electricity meters in the hangars. He estimates there are between 4,000 to 6,000 landings and take offs per year. The airports immediate future plans include a 700 foot extension of the taxi runway. For more information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com

The Taylorville Fire Department had their hands full Friday dealing with several brush fires. Taylorville Fire Chief Mike Crews tells Regional Radio News about their day and reminds people of some safety tips when it comes to burning:

[audio:crewsbrushfires032514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

A list of designated burn days can be found on the City of Taylorville’s website, taylorville.net.

At the Shelbyville Rotary Club meeting, members were notified that they should have received a letter from Club Treasurer Liz Nohren for a request to support the Shelbyville Rotary Scholarship Award. This award is made to a student based upon financial need, community service and academic achievement. The Shelbyville School Foundation will make the selection for the recipient of this award.

Kevin Ray was the program chairman and keynote speaker. His topic was about Saint Patrick and his history in Ireland. Ray told the Club about how the young Patrick was kidnapped from his home in Britain, and taken as a slave to Ireland. Ray also told of St. Patrick’s miraculous escape and his use of the Shamrock in his parables.

Phil Miller is the next program chairman and his program which will be presented by the Club’s newest member Caroline Reynolds. She will be speaking about New Visions. 

Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Cuddyer drove in a pair of runs and 
the  Colorado  Rockies topped the  Chicago White Sox, 4-1, in spring training 
action on Tuesday. 

Nolan  Pacheco  homered for the Rockies  and D.J. LeMahieu went 3-for-4 with a 
triple,  an RBI and  a run scored. Juan Nicasio held Chicago hitless over five 
strong innings while striking out seven. 

Conor Gillaspie drove in the lone Chicago run while Chris Sale surrendered two 
runs on six hits over 3 2/3 frames in his final start of the spring 

Mesa,  AZ (SportsNetwork.com)  - Ian Stewart's leadoff homer sparked a six-run 
rally  in the ninth  inning that lifted the Angels to an 8-4 win over the Cubs 
on Tuesday. 

Grant Green followed Stewart's first home run of spring training with a triple 
and  Collin  Cowgill knocked him in  with a double. Shawn O'Malley, Abel Baker 
and Stewart knocked in the other four runs with singles. 

Five of the runs were charged to Alberto Cabrera, who got just one out. 

Raul Ibanez also hit a solo homer for the Angels and Stewart ended 3-for-5. 

Brandon Lyon went just 1 1/3 innings for the Angels, giving up two runs, while 
Cubs  starter Tsuyoshi  Wada threw four frames, striking out four and allowing 
two runs. 

Junior Lake homered for Chicago. 

Peoria,  AZ  (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Cubs rallied for three runs in 
the top of the ninth inning to force a 5-5 tie against the San Diego Padres on 
Tuesday in spring training action. 

With  the Cubs  trailing by three to  start the ninth, Dustin Geiger stroked a 
one-out  RBI  single to get  Chicago within  one before Clint Moore's fielding 
error two batters later allowed Emilio Bonifacio and Geiger to score. 

Rubi  Silva and  Ryan Kalish  recorded an  RBI apiece  for the Cubs, who  saw 
starter  C.J. Edwards allow three runs on four hits and three walks over 2 2/3 
innings. 

Gabriel  Quintana and  Rene Rivera  each drove  in two  runs, while  San Diego 
starter Andrew Cashner allowed an unearned run on two hits over three frames. 

Jupiter,  FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Casey McGehee and Juan Diaz each homered to 
lead the Miami Marlins over the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5, in Grapefruit League 
action at Roger Dean Stadium. 

Jose  Fernandez  allowed five  runs --  four earned --  on nine  hits in 4 2/3 
innings. He struck out three and walked two in his final spring training start 
before taking the hill in the Marlins' opener next week. 

Lance  Lynn  started for  the Cardinals  and yielded three  runs on five hits, 
striking out eight and walking one in five innings. 

Peter Bourjos ended 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for St. Louis. 

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - David Backes notched the second hat trick of 
his  career as  the St. Louis Blues  held off the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-3, on 
Tuesday. 

Alexander  Steen  and T.J.  Oshie each posted  a goal and  two assists for the 
Blues,  who have  won two  straight after  dropping their  previous two.  Ryan 
Miller turned away 22 shots in the win. 

The  win gives St. Louis 105 points on the season, one better than idle Boston 
for first overall in the NHL. 

Joffrey Lupul, James van Riemsdyk, and Carl Gunnarsson each had a goal for the 
Maple  Leafs, who are one of four Eastern Conference teams with 80 points, but 
currently find themselves sitting out of the wild card chase. 

Columbus  and Detroit  currently hold the two wild card spots, with Washington 
and Toronto sitting on the outside due to playing more games. 

"The  whole  year we've thought  we were a playoff  team, and we still believe 
that now," said Lupul. "Realistically we're still right there with these other 
teams." 

Jonathan Bernier made 44 saves in a losing effort. 

Toronto  trailed by three  goals entering the third period, but made it a two- 
goal  game 4:39 in  as a turnover in the St. Louis end saw Gunnarsson one-time 
it from the slot for his third of the year and a 4-2 game. 

The Leafs then cut their deficit to one with 4:06 to play as a sequence in the 
St. Louis end saw Phil Kessel send a quick backhand from behind the net to the 
front where van Riemsdyk chipped it in for his 28th of the year. 

Toronto  then pulled  Bernier with  under  two minutes  to play  for an  extra 
attacker,  but Backes capped the hat trick with a shot down the middle for his 
27th of the season. 

"I  think  he doesn't  give himself enough  credit for how  good of a 200-foot 
player  he  is," said Blues head  coach Ken Hitchcock  about Backes. "I think 
that's  one  of the  things that  has really evolved  in his  game now. He's a 
really good 200-foot player. He's not just a checker, he's a guy that can play 
in both ends of the rink." 

The Maple Leafs drew first blood and they did so on the power play at 11:30 of 
the  first period. Jake Gardiner's shot from the high slot was stopped and the 
rebound  went to the right. Nazem Kadri swatted the puck while it was airborne 
over to the left side where Lupul slammed it in. 

St.  Louis,  though, tied  the game  at 15:55  of the  opening period as Roman 
Polak's shot from the right point got behind the goalie and Oshie tapped it in 
for his 18th of the season. 

With  just 32.3  seconds left in the first,  the Blues made it a 2-1 game as a 
turnover near the blueline saw Oshie get it to Backes, who fired a shot on net 
from  the  right circle that trickled  between Bernier's pads for a power-play 
goal. 

St. Louis took a 3-1 advantage at 7:32 of the second on Backes' second goal of 
the  game, and made it a 4-1 contest at 17:35 of the middle stanza courtesy of 
Steen's backhander from the slot. 

                                   Game Notes 

St.  Louis  hosts Minnesota on  Thursday ...  Toronto plays at Philadelphia on 
Friday  ... The Blues have won the  past two against the Maple Leafs ... Both 
teams were 1-for-3 on the power play. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Duncan Keith netted the deciding goal late 
in  the second  period and Marian Hossa added an empty-net insurance marker as 
Chicago topped Dallas, 4-2, at United Center. 

Andrew  Shaw and Kris  Versteeg also lit the lamp for the Blackhawks, who have 
won  three of their last four and took the season series against their Central 
Division rivals by a 4-1-0 count. 

"It  was a big  win tonight," Keith said. "I thought we came out, had a pretty 
good start and we were able to get one on the power play which was nice to get 
us jump-started." 

Corey Crawford stopped 25-of-27 shots for the victorious hosts. 

Ryan  Garbutt registered both goals for the Stars, while Kari Lehtonen came up 
with 38 saves in the loss. 

"It's  that time  of year  where  it doesn't  really  matter if  you had  your 
chances,"  Garbutt said. "At the end of the day you have to get the two points 
so we gotta make sure we come back hard next game here." 

Despite coming up empty on a power-play chance earlier in the third and facing 
a  two-goal  deficit, Garbutt stuffed one  home from behind the net and inside 
the right post with 5:40 to play, and the Stars climbed back within 3-2. 

Lehtonen was called to the bench for an extra skater with well over one minute 
to  go, and Chicago's  first try to the empty cage was negated after officials 
ruled the puck was batted in due to a high stick. 

Hossa  made no  mistake, though, on the next shift, providing the winning two- 
goal margin at 19:26. 

Shaw  slid home a  loose puck created from a Patrick Sharp rebound and Chicago 
led 1-0 with 18 seconds left in the first period. 

Versteeg  doubled the  hosts' edge at 4:12,  then Garbutt put the Stars on the 
board just after the midway point of the second when he cut from left to right 
and beat Crawford through the pads on the backhand. 

It was 3-1 on Keith's left-point blast off a dish from Sharp at 14:15. 

                                   Game Notes 

19-year-old  Finnish  native Teuvo  Teravainen  made  his  NHL debut  for  the 
Blackhawks,  held without  a shot  on goal  in 11:39  of ice  time ...  Dallas 
forward Tyler Seguin extended his point streak to 10 games with an assist. 

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

On March 25, Tanya M. Britt of Morrisonville was traveling southeast on Southeast Seventh Street in Morrisonville. Britt was approaching the intersection with Carlin Street. Jesse W. Mollet of Morrisonville was traveling northeast on Carlin Street and was approaching the intersection with SE 7th Street. Britt proceeded into the intersection stating she did not see Mollet. Mollet proceeded into the intersection and struck Britt. Britt received major passenger side damage and Mollet received major front end damage. Mollet was towed from the scene. No injuries were reported. Note:The only traffic control device is a yield sign which is located on the east corner of the intersection. The yield sign is designated for traffic traveling northwest on SE 7th Street.

On March 24, Douglas A. Thomas of Kincaid was backing out of a parking stall and did not see the parked vehicle behind him. Thomas struck the vehicle in the front end while backing. Thomas did not receive any damage and the other vehicle had minor damage to the front end. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLLOWING ARRESTS:

On March 25, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol and ran the license plate of a Mercury SUV. The plate was expired. The officer stopped the vehicle at Adam and Cheyenne. Following the investigation, Kamala McCombs, 44, of Vandalia was arrested for driving revoked. The passenger, Kelly Lyons, 48, of Vandalia was placed under arrest for possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both were released on a notice to appear.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

March 25
1 EMS, 1 Public Assist

March 26
2 EMS

Lake Forest, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms 
with defensive end Jared Allen on a four-year contract. 

According to NFL.com, the deal is worth $32 million, although the contract 
voids to three years for $24 million. The pact includes $15.5 million in fully 
guaranteed money. 

Allen joins the Bears after spending the past six seasons with the Minnesota 
Vikings. 

"We are extremely happy for Jared, his wife Amy, our fans and the Chicago 
Bears that Jared has agreed to terms and will be joining the Bears family," 
said Bears general manager Phil Emery. "This is another important step in our 
continued efforts to build our team towards a championship level." 

In 2013, Allen recorded 52 tackles, 11 1/2 sacks, six passes defensed and two 
forced fumbles. It was his seventh consecutive double-digit sack season and 
eighth overall of his 10-year career. 

Allen started all 16 games in each of his six seasons with the Vikings. He has 
never played in fewer than 14 games in any season since entering the NFL in 
2004. 

Originally selected by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, 
Allen spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs. In 157 career 
games, Allen has compiled 555 tackles, five interceptions, 29 forced fumbles, 
17 fumble recoveries, 50 pass deflections and four safeties, tied for the most 
in NFL history. 

The Idaho State product and 2003 Buck Buchanan Award winner leads the league 
in sacks with 128 1/2 since being drafted. Allen broke the Vikings single- 
season sack record with 22 in 2011, when he recorded 22, just a half-sack shy 
of Michael Strahan's single-season league record. 

Allen, who will turn 32 in April, is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and has 
been voted first-team All Pro four times. 

"We're really excited about adding Jared to our football team," said Bears 
coach Marc Trestman. "We know what his abilities bring to the table. Jared is 
certainly a very experienced player in the league. We believe he's going to 
come in hungry and excited to be part of our football team, and we believe 
he'll fit right in with the other new players that we've added and the guys 
that are already on the defensive side of the ball. I know that our defensive 
coaches are excited as well." 

The Bears already added two pass rushers in free agency, signing Lamarr 
Houston and Willie Young. Chicago did lose eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end 
Julius Peppers, who signed with the rival Packers. 

Pictured left to right is Betty Asmussen from Peoples Bank, Senior Ciara Wieczynski, Junior David Gideon, Sophomore Derek Lahey, and Freshman Hershel Rhodes.

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The National Labor Relations Board has ruled 
that Northwestern football players are employees of the university and should 
therefore be entitled to be represented in collective bargaining. 

The  ruling Wednesday  by regional NLRB director Peter Sung Ohr opens the door 
for  the players to unionize in what could be a landscape-changing decision in 
college athletics. 

Northwestern said it was "disappointed" by the ruling and plans to appeal. 

"Northwestern  believes  strongly that our student-athletes are not employees, 
but  students,"  the school said.  "Unionization and collective bargaining are 
not  the  appropriate methods  to  address  the  concerns raised  by  student- 
athletes." 

The NCAA also expressed its disappointment in the ruling. 

"We  strongly  disagree with the  notion that student-athletes are employees," 
the NCAA's chief legal officer Donald Remy said in a statement. 

"We  frequently  hear from  student-athletes,  across  all sports,  that  they 
participate  to  enhance their overall college  experience and for the love of 
their sport, not to be paid. 

"Over  the last  three years, our member colleges and universities have worked 
to  re-evaluate  the current rules. While  improvements need to be made, we do 
not  need to completely throw away a system that has helped literally millions 
of students over the past decade alone attend college. 

"We  want  student athletes --  99 percent  of whom will  never make it to the 
professional leagues -- focused on what matters most -- finding success in the 
classroom, on the field and in life." 

Former Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter, who helped bring the petition to 
the  labor board  with the  College  Athletes Players  Association (CAPA)  and 
United  Steelworkers,  called  the  decision  "a  huge  win  for  all  college 
athletes." 

Ohr  wrote  that Northwestern  football players on  scholarship should vote on 
whether or not they want to be represented in collective bargaining by CAPA. 

He  said players receiving grant-in-aid scholarships fall under the common-law 
definition of employees. 

The  case has  taken its place in  the discussion over whether or not athletes 
should  be paid  for  their part  in the  increasingly  lucrative business  of 
college athletics. 

If you're looking for a temporary job that pays a reasonably good salary, you may be in luck.  Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says he was contacted last week about some hiring by the U.S. Census:

[audio:mayorcensusjobs032414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again, the jobs will pay from $13.55 to $14.84 an hour.  The number to call once again is 1-800-865-6384, extension 15.

During the primary elections last week, the Morrisonville-Panhandle school consolidation failed to pass because the vote was split between the two sides. Committee of Ten Co-Chairman Dale Brockamp (Bro-camp) says one issue that was mentioned was the tax increase:

[audio:brockamptaxincrease032514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Brockamp explains the future of the consolidation:

[audio:brockampfuture032514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Brockamp said in his opinion the thing to remember in this situation is that everybody lost especially the students.

(Peoria, AZ)  --  Paul Konerko went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer as the White Sox clipped the Mariners 7-6 yesterday in Peoria.  Marcus Semien also went deep on a three-run shot while Erik Johnson gave up three runs in six innings to pick up the win.  The White Sox host the Rockies today.

The White Sox are locking up lefty starter Jose Quintana.  The team has signed him to a five-year extension worth at least 21-million-dollars.  The deal includes club options for 2019 and 2020 at 10.5-million, and 11.5-million-dollars, respectively.  The 25-year-old Quintana enjoyed a breakout season in 2013, going 9-and-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 33 starts. 

Mesa, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Tommy Medica belted a two-run homer, Seth Smith 
drove in a pair of runs and the Colorado Rockies bested the Chicago Cubs, 7-1, 
in spring training on Monday night. 

Chase  Headley  also had  an RBI  for the Padres,  whose starter, Eric Stults, 
allowed just one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. 

Chicago's  only  run came in  the first  frame via Donnie Murphy's run-scoring 
groundout. 

Cubs  starter Carlos  Villanueva lasted four innings and gave up three runs on 
three hits and three walks. 

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro says he's close to rejoining the team.  Castro played in a minor-league game on Monday and was in the field for the first time since suffering a hamstring strain on March 2nd.  The 24-year-old says he feels good and is ready to take the next step. 

Port  St.  Lucie, FL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Daisuke Matsuzaka tossed six solid 
innings and Daniel Murphy delivered a two-run double in the New York Mets' 5-3 
Grapefruit League win over the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Matsuzaka  held the Cardinals to just one run on three hits while striking out 
five, with Murphy finishing 2-for-3 at the plate to pace the offense. 

Shelby  Miller was touched for three runs while fanning four and walking three 
over  five innings for St. Louis, while Shane Robinson went 2-for-4 with a run 
scored in the loss. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Taj Gibson scored a game-high 23 points on 
9-of-15 shooting off the bench, and the Chicago Bulls grinded out an 89-77 win 
over the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers at United Center. 

Kirk  Hinrich  checked in with  18 points, Mike  Dunleavy netted 13 and Joakim 
Noah again filled the box score with 10 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, 
four steals and three blocks despite dealing with foul trouble. 

Paul  George  needed 22 shots  to put  up 21 points  in a losing effort, while 
George Hill and David West contributed 17 and 14 points, respectively. 

The Pacers could have wrapped up the Central Division title but shot just 37.0 
percent from the floor in losing for the third time in four games. 

The  one  win came against  Chicago on Friday, but  they followed that up with 
their lowest scoring output of the season in an 82-71 setback in Memphis. 

Indiana again struggled putting points up on Monday despite scoring the game's 
first  seven points,  with the  seven-point lead  serving as  the largest  for 
either squad prior to Chicago's resurgence early in the third quarter. 

The Bulls shot just 31.8 percent from the floor in the first half, including a 
1-for-10  effort from  behind the arc, and went into halftime trailing, 34-33, 
after Hill beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer. 

Adjustments were apparently made in the locker room as Chicago scored on seven 
of  its first eight  possessions out of the break en route to a 14-3 run, with 
Dunleavy providing half of the offense. 

A  Hinrich 3-pointer brought  the margin to a dozen, 55-43, and it was a 64-56 
Bulls  lead  heading to the fourth  thanks to Chicago making 59.1 percent (13- 
of-22) of their shots in the frame. 

Hill's  three-point  play with 4:30 on  the clock got the Pacers within 77-71, 
but Indiana went the next three minutes without making a bucket. 

Hinrich  bookended an 8-2 run with a pair of successful drives to the rim, and 
the Bulls held on for their third win in four games. 

                                   Game Notes 

Indiana  heads into Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat two games ahead of 
the  defending champions  in the  East  standings ...  Noah led  the Bulls  in 
assists  for  the  10th  time  in  the last  11  games  ...  Indiana  came  in 
surrendering  an NBA-low 91.9  ppg and the Bulls were right behind at 92.1 ... 
The  Pacers turned  it over 16 times  and forced 10 turnovers ... Chicago shot 
3-of-5  from the  perimeter  in the  second half  ...  These Central  Division 
rivals split the four-game season series, with each winning twice on their own 
home floor. 

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

Cory D. Virden, 31, of 1014 East 2nd Street, Pana, was arrested on March 25 for an out of state warrant.

Reynaldo Rodriguez, 20, of 411 Western Avenue, was arrested on March 25 on a warrant for illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Carlie A. Davis, 18, of 72 East 1000 North Road, Morrisonville, was arrested on March 25 on a warrant for illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Tyler J. Brandis, 20, of 809 Pauline Street, Taylorville, was arrested on March 25 on a warrant for illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Nicholas A. Edwards, 32, of 304 South Curtis Street, Edinburg, was arrested on March 24 on a bond forfeiture for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Robert C. Zahradka, 39, of 415 Grant Street, Pana, was arrested on March 24 on a warrant for violating an order of protection.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On March 22, Taylorville Police Department received a call in reference to a child custody and child exchange matter. Officers returned the call and advised the complainant, Thomas S. Lovelace, 49, of Taylorville to come to post to discuss the matter further. Following Lovelace's behavior and actions taken at post, Lovelace was placed under arrest for threatening a public official and resisting arrest. Lovelace was later released on a notice to appear in court.

On March 24, a Taylorville Police Department officer was patrolling East Esther Street and observed a blue GMC pick-up truck. The officer ran the vehicle's license plate thru the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. The return showed the owner, Wendy M. Chamness, 33, of Taylorville, was suspended. The officer stopped the vehicle on Route 48 just south of McAdams Street. The officer confirmed the driver was Chamness and placed her under arrest for driving suspended.

CRASHES:

On March 24, James C. Luetzow, 17, of Taylorville was traveling northbound on Cheney Street. Luetzow struck a parked trailer that was parked on the right side of the road. The trailer was pushed up into a driveway and struck a parked vehicle causing front driver's side door damage. Luetzow was issued a citation for obstructed windshield.

On March 20, Thomas L. Fitzpatrick, 37, of Pana and Dawn M. Walch, 46, of Taylorville were stopped in traffic. An unknown vehicle struck the rear end of Fitzpatrick pushing him into Walch. The vehicle left the scene without rendering information. Fitzpatrick later went to a hospital for treatment of injuries. No other injuries reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

March 24
2 EMS, 1 Illegal Burn

In what should have been a tame meeting, the Trustees and Mayor of Kincaid met in special session to determine the necessary duties, hours and pay of the Village Clerk to be hired. The Village is in need of a clerk in the  wake of the firing of previous clerk Cindy Orrison. Orrison was fired during a heated meeting earlier this month that saw the mayor and chief of police under fire and the many in attendance taking sides.

It was determined by the Trustees that applications would be taken March 25^th through April 4^th. A special meeting will be held on April 7^th at 7 pm  to review the applications with a possible hire to be made during the regular board meeting on April 14^th.

There was much discussion about the duties of the Village Clerk being very extensive and that since the firing of Orrison, the village had to hire outside agencies to help with some of the payroll and taxes. It was mentioned by one of the trustees that someone should learn the processes in addition to the clerk just in case there was ever another time that the village was without a clerk. It was suggested by on attendee that perhaps the trustees should all learn the process.

Many in attendance wanted to discuss other issues, but Attorney Fines reminded everyone that the sole purpose of the meeting was to determine the requirements of the Village Clerk.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:25.

The local 4H will soon be entering a busy time of year.  One of the first events of the spring season will be a trip to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play according to Publicity Director for the University of Illinois Extension, Terri Miller:

[audio:miller4h.mp3]comment here[/audio]

While the deadline to sign up is April 7^th, Miller suggests you act quickly as the tickets have a history of selling out.  Call the local Extension office at 287-7246.

You’ve heard it said, and it’s true: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Joyce Fikri, spokesperson for the St. Louis Area Dairy Council, says it’s a good idea to get your family into the breakfast habit:

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

Fikri also says it’s important to get at least 3 servings of dairy products every day.

The Taylorville Police Department and TRIAD will be hosting a free informational seminar through the Taylorville Memorial Hospital this Thursday at 9:30am. Amy Graham, of Taylorville Memorial Hospital, will be presenting information on the new Senior Life Solutions program. This seminar will be held in the lower level conference room at the Taylorville Municipal Building with refreshments being provided. Again that will be this Thursday at 9:30am.

The restoration of the Eagle Creek Resort in Findlay has taken a step backwards after the Decatur based company BMDD Resorts vacated the property. Illinois Department of Natural Resources Spokesperson Chris Young tells Regional Radio News what is next for the resort:

Pittsburgh,  PA  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Brian Elliott stopped  all 33 shots he 
faced  and  St. Louis turned  in a textbook defensive  effort in a 1-0 victory 
over Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon at CONSOL Energy Center. 

Elliott's  whitewash was  the  fourth of  the  season and  his  16th with  the 
franchise,  tying him with Hall of Fame netminder Glenn Hall for second on the 
club's all-time list. 

"I  saw a lot [of shots]. Obviously, the ones I didn't, the guys were blocking 
and made big sacrifices in front of me," Elliott said. "When you're in a tight 
game  like that against a good team, the guys kind of rose up to the challenge 
and  I tried  to make a couple saves  and get the rebounds out of the zone and 
they did the rest." 

David  Backes recorded  the  lone score  of  the contest  for  the Blues,  who 
recovered from losses in Chicago and Philadelphia to win for the ninth time in 
12 March outings. 

St.  Louis also  moved into a tie with  idle Boston for the most points in the 
NHL at 103. 

Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for the Penguins, who were blanked on home ice 
for the first time since a similar result against Colorado on Oct. 21. 

"We  had the  right mentality," noted Pittsburgh defenseman Matt Niskanen. "We 
knew  how  they were going to  play. We were ready  for it. I thought we did a 
pretty good job of doing what we wanted to. That's how it's going to be in the 
postseason.  Things are  going to be tight  and I thought we did a pretty good 
job today except for finding a goal." 

Shortly  after letting  a power-play  chance fall  by the  wayside, the Blues 
picked up the game's first goal. 

Evgeni  Malkin was in the box for a high stick, and had exited when Alex Steen 
fired  a rolling  puck from the point  which sailed through a screen set up by 
T.J. Oshie in the slot. The puck was tipped by Backes in front and caromed off 
Fleury's glove before settling into the net at 11:20 of the third period. 

"I  don't want  to  give you  all of  my  secrets, but  if  I was  in a  skill 
competition  with  those two  guys I'm  going to  lose 100  times out of 100," 
Backes said of besting Sidney Crosby and Malkin. 

Blues  defenseman Jay Bouwmeester tripped Malkin and was banished with 4:44 to 
play,  but Fleury needed  to make two stops and the Blues formed a wall around 
Elliott for the duration. 

Fleury  went to the bench for an extra skater with 1:20 left, but James Neal's 
shot from the right side with 16.3 seconds left was Pittsburgh's best and last 
chance. 

Despite  a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Penguins enjoyed 1:38 of a 5-on-3 
advantage bridging the first and second periods after Oshie and Jaden Schwartz 
were whistled for infractions 22 seconds apart. 

"It  would have  been nice to get  one on the power play," Pens captain Crosby 
said  of his  club going 0-for-5 one day after converting 3-of-6 against Tampa 
Bay.  "Obviously that's  the big  story  here. We  battled and  didn't find  a 
way to score." 

St. Louis closed ranks, though, and allowed a few shots on goal which were not 
quality chances. 

The  hosts failed to click on two more power plays and the Blues on their lone 
advantage to maintain the deadlock. 

Elliott halted 23 shots and Fleury was good on 18 chances heading to the final 
period. 

                                   Game Notes 

St.  Louis has  won four of its  last six games in Pittsburgh since January of 
2002,  and  has taken  both meetings against  the Pens in  their new arena ... 
Blues  forward Derek Roy was scratched with a lower-body injury ... Fleury has 
been  stuck on  34 wins since blanking  the Capitals on March 11 ... St. Louis 
upped its record against Eastern Conference foes to 20-5-1 ... Backes recorded 
his 156th goal for the Blues, tying him with Brendan Shanahan for ninth on the 
club's all-time list. 

Chicago,  IL  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Pekka Rinne  made 29  saves for his first 
shutout of the season in the Nashville Predators' 2-0 victory over the Chicago 
Blackhawks on Sunday. 

Mike  Fisher and Gabriel Bourque scored for the Predators, who went 2-2-0 on a 
four-game road trip. 

Corey  Crawford  stopped 15-of-17  shots for  the Blackhawks,  who now sit six 
points  behind  St. Louis for  first place in  the Central Division. The Blues 
beat the Penguins earlier Sunday. 

The  Predators took a 1-0 lead at 18:38 of the first period when Fisher tipped 
in Ryan Ellis' slap pass. 

Rinne made 11 saves over the first 20 minutes to preserve the one-goal margin. 

"He's  been  playing  well for  us  lately,"  Ellis  said  of Rinne.  "He  was 
outstanding. Great job for him to get the shutout." 

Bourque  gave  Nashville a 2-0 edge  at 17:35 of  the middle stanza. He took a 
pass  from Calle  Jarnkrok and  headed  up ice  before scoring  from the  left 
circle. 

Rinne made nine saves in each of the final two frames to preserve the victory. 

"They  do  a good job  of keeping  you on the  outside and preventing you from 
getting  to  the  net,"  Chicago  head coach  Joel  Quenneville  said  of  the 
Predators. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Predators have taken three of four against the Blackhawks this season ... 
Rinne  recorded his  31st  career  shutout ...  Chicago  forward Brandon  Saad 
returned  on Sunday after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Bryan 
Bickell  and Michal  Rozsival remained  out for  the Blackhawks  ... Nashville 
forwards   Patric   Hornqvist  (personal),   Paul  Gaustad  (upper  body)  and 
Patrick Eaves (lower body) missed the game ... Predators defenseman Seth Jones 
left the game with an upper-body injury ... The Blackhawks went 0-for-4 on the 
power play. 

Scottsdale,  AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Adam Eaton and Paul Konerko drove in one 
run  apiece as the  Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies played to a 5-5 tie 
on Sunday. 

Blake  Tekotte added two  hits and an RBI while Tyler Flowers and Leury Garcia 
drove in one run apiece for the White Sox, who saw starter Jose Quintana allow 
just one hit over five scoreless frames. 

Brandon  Barnes,  Jordan Pacheco and Jackson  Williams drove in one run apiece 
for  the Rockies.  Colorado starter Tyler Chatwood was tagged for five runs on 
10 hits over 5 1/3 innings. 

Phoenix,  AZ  (SportsNetwork.com) - Junior  Lake clubbed three home runs, Luis 
Valbuena  added two  solo homers  and the  Chicago Cubs  posted a  10-6 Cactus 
League victory over the Oakland Athletics. 

Lake belted a three-run blast to highlight a five-run sixth inning, hit a two- 
run shot in the seventh and went back-to-back with Valbuena for a second time 
in the ninth. 

Chicago  starter Jason Hammel  gave up two runs on eight hits and walked three 
in 4 2/3 innings. 

Nate  Freiman knocked  in two  runs for  Oakland, while  starter Jesse  Chavez 
allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings. 

(Jupiter, FL)  --  Joe Kelly tossed five-plus innings of two-run ball as the Cardinals topped the Astros 6-3 in Jupiter yesterday.  Kelly moved to 2-and-1 in the spring.  Matt Holliday and Matt Adams each hit a homer during a four-run third inning for St. Louis.  Trevor Rosenthal picked up his second save.  The Cards clash with the Mets today. 

The Cardinals continue to cut down their roster in the spring.  The Cards sent lefty reliever Sam Freeman and outfielder Joey Butler to Triple-A Memphis.  St. Louis shipped Cuban infielder Aledmys Diaz to Double-A Springfield.  The Cardinals have one spot left in the bullpen for their seventh reliever.  They are still deciding on Jorge Rondon, Keith Butler and Scott McGregor. 

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

Sometime during the overnight hours of  Sunday March 16, 2014, person or persons unknown damaged a door at Classic Bouquet, located at 321 North Madison Street in Taylorville.  The unknown subject or subjects damaged the door and door frame in a possible attempt to make entry.   There appeared to be nothing inside damaged or missing.  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. 

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

Delaney S. Dilley, 21, of 205 East 5th Street, Pana, was arrested March 21 on a bond forfeiture for retail theft.

Tara A. Decker, 29, of 521 North Pine Street Apt C, Nokomis, was arrested March 21 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear.

George E. Riley, 38, of 1221 East Maywood, Peoria, was arrested March 21 on a bond firfeiture for failure to appear.

Kassandra L. Rhodes, 20, of 1465 North 930 East Road, Langleyville, was arrested March 22 for consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Shawn T. Davis, 18, of 308 East Washington Street, Edinburg, was arrested March 22 for zero tolerance alcohol (625 5/11-501.8)

Billy J. Standage, 39, of 1121 North Tenth, Springfield, was arrested March 22 on a warrant for forgery.

Lorenzo C. Harper, 24, of 1335 North Clinton Street, Decatur, was arrested March 22 on a warrant for possession of an amount of a controlled substance and for battery/causing bodily harm.

Frederick J. Tremain, 37, of 1051 West Calhoun Street, Springfield, was arrested March 24 on a bond forfeiture for harassment by telephone.

THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:

After a traffic stop on March 21, Chad R. Hammond, 41, of Shelbyville was issued a citation for driving while licensed revoked. Hammond was issued a notice to appear in court and released.

Following a complaint on March 21 from an employee at Dollar General, two female juveniles (ages 14 and 15) were taken into custody for retail theft. They were processed and released to their parents.

Following a traffic stop on March 23, George R. Wehner, 47, of Springfield was issued a citation for speeding 64 MPH in a 45 MPH zone.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

March 21
4 Brush Fires, 2 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm

March 22
1 Brush Fire, 1 EMS

March 23
4 EMS, 1 Smoke Detector, 1

March 24
1 Fire, 1 EMS

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