People gather at the Coles County Fair to watch the Beef Open Show.

The Coles County Fair continues on with various 4-H and Open Livestock Shows. Rodney Morris, whose son Cody is showing cattle and sheep at the Fair, says things have changed over the years:

[audio:morrischanges073114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Coles County Fair runs through Sunday at the Fairgrounds located just off of Illinois Route 316 on Charleston's northwest side. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit their website colescountyfair.com.

Illinois State Police (ISP) Zone 4 Investigators have announced they have positively identified female skeletal remains that were found on July 19, in a residential area of Rochester.

On July 19, the Rochester Police Department responded to a call of possible human remains located at 309 Park Street and immediately requested the assistance of the ISP to process the crime scene and to investigate the discovery of the human remains.

An autopsy was conducted by the Sangamon County Coroner, who confirmed that the remains matched the description of a 43 year old white female from Decatur.  Positive identification was made using forensic evidence.  Next of kin has been notified but the victim’s name is not being released at this time by law enforcement pending the investigation.

The motive and manner of death have not been determined and the investigation remains on-going by the Illinois State Police Zone 4, Sangamon County Coroner’s Office and Rochester Police Department.     

The Taylorville School District is weighing its options for property it owns in Mt. Auburn.  The closed school and other properties are a drain on the school district’s finances, according to Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau:

[audio:fursteneaumtauburn073014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Dr. Fursteneau says he has presented the School Board with 3 possible options: The Village of Mt. Auburn could buy it, the board could put it up for bid, or they could decide to demolish the building.                 

Detroit,  MI (SportsNetwork.com)  - Nick  Castellanos  had four  RBI, and  his 
three-run  homer  keyed  a  six-run  opening inning,  as  the  Detroit  Tigers 
dominated the Chicago White Sox, 7-2, at Comerica Park. 

Max  Scherzer (13-3) yielded five hits and a run over seven innings to win his 
fifth  consecutive decision over a seven-start span. He hasn't lost since June 
17  against Kansas  City. Scherzer, the first AL pitcher to reach 13 victories 
this  season,  has won  nine of his  last 10 decisions  against the White Sox, 
dating back to Sept. 1, 2012. 

"The way I'm using my off-speed pitches, they're all crisp. They're moving the 
way  I want them  to," Scherzer said. "I'm throwing the ball as well as I ever 
have." 

Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter and J.D. Martinez had consecutive RBI singles in 
the big inning, during which eight straight Tigers reached base against Hector 
Noesi. 

The  AL  Central leaders, who  snapped a four-game  skid, bounced back from an 
11-4 loss in the opener of this three-game series. 

Noesi (5-8), who won his previous two starts, was charged with 10 hits and six 
runs over six frames. 

"They just got after him in the first inning," White Sox manager Robin Ventura 
said.  "He  got the first  out, but after  that he was  just getting up in the 
zone. They were hitting them where we weren't." 

Adam  Dunn homered in  the ninth inning off Al Alburquerque, but the White Sox 
fell eight games behind the division-leading Tigers. 

The  Tigers  had scored six  runs over their  previous four games, but matched 
that  total  in the first inning  against an ineffective Noesi, who struck out 
Austin  Jackson  to start  the frame.  Ian Kinsler  singled and Miguel Cabrera 
walked  to start Detroit's huge inning. Victor Martinez then singled to right, 
and then Hunter and J.D. Martinez singled to center for a 3-0 lead. 

Castellanos made it three straight batters to hit a first offering from Noesi. 
Castellanos, who was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a right index finger 
contusion, belted his seventh homer of the year to right field. 

"It  certainly was a  nice way to break the game open and kind of break out of 
our  little  scoring slump,"  Tigers manager  Brad Ausmus  said. "But when you 
score  like  that, six runs and  you don't really  add on, you always feel you 
give  them  an opportunity to  get back in. Fortunately  today, Max did a nice 
job." 

Alex  Avila  walked and Andrew Romine  singled before Noesi finally got out of 
the inning with a 6-0 deficit. 

Scherzer  faced the  minimum number of batters over the first five innings and 
allowed  his only run in the seventh when Dayan Viciedo's sacrifice fly plated 
Alexei Ramirez. Jose Abreu singled to right in the frame to extend his hitting 
streak to 19 games. 

Castellanos singled in Hunter in the bottom of the seventh. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  game was delayed  by rain for 26 minutes at the start ... Jackson has hit 
safely  in 16  of his last 18 games  ... Hunter had three of Detroit's 13 hits 
... Scherzer is 12-5 lifetime against the White Sox. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Brandon Barnes singled in the go-ahead run 
in  the 10th inning  to boost the Colorado Rockies over the Chicago Cubs, 6-4, 
on Wednesday. 

Wesley  Wright  (0-2) walked Nolan Arenado  and Drew Stubbs before giving up a 
one-out  single to Michael McKenry. Barnes stepped to the plate with the bases 
loaded and hit a single to left. Stubbs then scored on a wild pitch to make it 
6-4. 

Adam Ottavino worked around a two-out single in the bottom half of the 10th to 
pick up his first save in the big leagues. 

The  Rockies had  dropped the  first two  contests of  this four-game  series, 
including a 16-inning loss on Tuesday. 

"The  way we've  lost some games, it  seems like it's been Murphy's Law around 
here,  so it  was nice to see us  fight for that win because they haven't been 
coming easy," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. 

Brett  Anderson got the start for Colorado and struck out nine while giving up 
two  runs on 11 hits over seven innings. Rob Scahill (1-0) pitched a scoreless 
ninth  for his second major league win. He was recalled from Triple-A Colorado 
Springs before the game. 

Chicago  starter Travis Wood set a career high with 11 strikeouts, but remains 
winless  in  eight starts dating to  a 3-0 win  at Philadelphia on June 15. He 
gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings. 

"It  was definitely a  positive," Wood said. "I had good command of most of my 
stuff. Missed with a few and they made me pay." 

The Cubs tied the game at four on Luis Valbuena's two-run homer in the eighth. 
Tom  Kahnle was  almost out  of  the inning  after recording  two quick  outs. 
Starlin  Castro  then hit a  deep fly  ball to the  wall in center that Stubbs 
dropped.  Castro reached second on the error and scored on Valbuena's blast to 
right. 

Earlier,  the Rockies  jumped out  to a  1-0 lead  in the  first. Arenado  hit 
a two-out double to left and raced home on Justin Morneau's single to left. 

Colorado  tacked on  two more  runs  in the  second.  McKenry led  off with  a 
single  and  crossed the  plate on  Charlie Culberson's  double to left. After 
Anderson struck out looking, Charlie Blackmon hit an RBI double to left-center 
field. 

The Cubs  finally got on the  board in the  fifth. Ryan Sweeney hit a two-out 
single and scored on John Baker's double down the left-field line. 

Each team scored a run in the sixth. McKenry's double scored Stubbs in the top 
half,  while  Chris Coghlan crossed the  plate on Valbuena's infield single in 
the home portion. 

                                   Game Notes 

Prior  to Wednesday's  game, the Cubs acquired pitcher Felix Doubront from the 
Boston  Red Sox  in  exchange for  a  player  to be  named  later ...  Rockies 
outfielder  Carlos Gonzalez was out of the lineup due to soreness in his right 
ankle and left knee. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Padres game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:05pm.

San  Diego, CA  (SportsNetwork.com) - Will Venable and Jedd Gyorko homered and 
knocked  in four  runs apiece to back  seven solid innings from Jesse Hahn, as 
the  San Diego  Padres routed  the St.  Louis Cardinals,  12-1, in  the middle 
contest of a three-game series. 

Yangervis  Solarte went 4-for-5  with two RBI and a run scored for the Padres, 
who pounded out 16 hits. Alexi Amarista went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. 

Hahn  (7-2), who celebrated his 25th birthday on Wednesday, gave up one run on 
four hits. The right-hander won his third straight start. 

"To  get  a win on  your birthday, that's an  awesome feeling," Hahn said. "It 
makes it a lot easier when they put up runs like that." 

Peter  Bourjos  drove in the  lone run for the Cardinals, who saw starter Joe 
Kelly (2-2) give up four runs on seven hits over five innings. 

The  Padres jumped  out to  a 1-0  lead in  the first.  Amarista reached  on a 
fielder's choice, moved to second when Yasmani Grandal walked, stole third and 
raced home on Solarte's single to right. 

San Diego tacked on another run in the third. Amarista doubled to right-center 
field, advanced to third on Seth Smith's groundout and scored on a wild pitch. 

The  home team scored  two more runs in the fourth. Gyorko hit a one-out homer 
to  left.  Yonder Alonso followed  with a triple  down the left-field line and 
crossed the plate on Venable's single. 

St.  Louis  finally got  on the board  in the seventh.  Matt Adams doubled and 
Jhonny  Peralta singled  to put men on the corners. After Oscar Taveras struck 
out swinging, Bourjos hit an RBI fielder's choice. 

But the Padres exploded for eight runs in the bottom half of the frame. Carlos 
Martinez  put men on  the corners with one out before handing the ball over to 
Randy  Choate.  Smith greeted Choate with  an RBI double to left-center field, 
and Grandal was intentionally walked to load the bases. 

Seth  Maness  came in from the  bullpen and gave  up an RBI single to Solarte. 
Gyorko  followed with  a three-run double past a diving Bourjos in left-center 
field. Alonso walked prior to Venable's three-run homer. 

"Probably  our ugliest loss of the year," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. 
"That's  the  best way to  describe it. That's not  the kind of baseball we've 
played  all year. It was terrible. That's just not what we do. Take any aspect 
of the game and it was awful." 

                                   Game Notes 

Prior  to  Wednesday's game,  the Cardinals  acquired pitcher Justin Masterson 
from  the Cleveland Indians in exchange for outfield prospect James Ramsey ... 
St. Louis went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded five. 

Coles County 4-H members are busy this week at the 2014 Coles County Fair. Ben Oakley, who is showing cattle, says he has been a 4-H member since he was 8 and explains how he got started:

[audio:oakleystart073014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Mary Cox with the Coles County Farm Bureau says they are very involved with the 4-H members at the Fair to show appreciation for the work they do:

[audio:coxsupport073014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Coles County Fair runs through Sunday at the Fairgrounds located just off of Illinois Route 316 on Charleston's northwest side. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit their website colescountyfair.com.

Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn clubbed consecutive 
home  runs  to highlight a seven-run  seventh inning, as the Chicago White Sox 
pounded  the  Detroit Tigers, 11-4,  to start  a three-game series at Comerica 
Park. 

Abreu,  who  finished with  four RBI,  hit a two-run  homer, his major league- 
leading  31st  of the  season. The  blast came after  Alexei Ramirez stroked a 
three-run double, which was part of Chicago's 15-hit attack. 

"Tonight, whether it was a base hit or a couple of miscues, you take advantage 
of it," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. 

Jose Quintana (6-7) scattered nine hits and gave up a pair of runs to help the 
White  Sox to their  fourth win in five games. The lefty moved to 3-0 over his 
last eight starts. He hasn't lost since June 13 against Kansas City. 

Anibal Sanchez (7-5) surrendered six hits and five runs -- four earned -- over 
6 1/3 innings to lose his third straight home start. 

Bryan  Holaday drove in two runs for the AL Central leaders, who dropped their 
fourth consecutive contest. The Tigers are 4-9 in their last 13 games. 

The  game  was tied 2-2 going  to the seventh, but  Chicago sent 12 men to the 
plate  in the  inning. Conor Gillaspie had two singles in the frame, including 
one that started the inning. Gordon Beckham reached safely on a fielding error 
by  third baseman Miguel Cabrera. One out later, Tyler Flowers grounded a base 
hit to left field. The ball caromed off the glove of Rajai Davis for an error, 
allowing the go-ahead run to score. 

Joakim  Soria entered  from the bullpen, but the veteran right-hander, in just 
his  second  game since  being traded  from Texas, gave  up a four consecutive 
hits,  starting with Adam Eaton's single. Ramirez then split the gap in right- 
center. Abreu homered to left, followed by Dunn's shot to right. 

Soria recorded just one out and surrendered six hits in all in his home debut 
with the Tigers. 

"It was probably the worst outing of my career," Soria said. 

Abreu  added a two-run double in the eighth before the Tigers countered in the 
bottom portion with two runs, one on a J.D. Martinez double-play groundout and 
another on Holaday's RBI single. 

Martinez tripled to right field to drive in Torii Hunter in the second inning. 
Holaday was up next and lifted a sacrifice fly to left for a 2-0 Detroit lead. 

The White Sox tied the game in the fourth when Gillaspie singled in Abreu, who 
extended  his hitting streak  to 18 games with a base hit to right leading off 
the frame. Beckham added a sacrifice fly to left. 

                                   Game Notes 

Eaton, Abreu and Gillaspie each had three hits ... The White Sox went 6-for-12 
with  runners  in scoring position.  ... This is the  first time the White Sox 
reached  double-digits in  runs since April 20 (16-2 at Texas) ... Jackson has 
hit  safely  in 15  of his last  17 games ...  Tigers rookie shortstop Eugenio 
Suarez  left in the fourth inning with lower back tightness ... Sanchez is 0-3 
over  his last four  home starts and hasn't won at Comerica Park since June 19 
versus the Royals ... The White Sox are 6-15 over the last 21 games at Detroit 
... Ventura became the  16th manager in  White Sox history to earn 200 wins 
... Victor Martinez had three of Detroit's 12 hits. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Backup catcher John Baker pitched the 16th 
inning,  then scored the winning run in the home half as the Chicago Cubs beat 
the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, in the second of a four-game set. 

Baker  (1-0) allowed  a one-out  walk in  the top  of the  16th, but  then got 
Cristhian Adames to hit into a 4-6-3 double play. 

With Tyler Matzek (2-5) on the mound, Baker walked and was moved over on a sac 
bunt  from Emilio  Bonifacio.  Arismendy Alcantara  was then  hit  by a  pitch 
and Anthony Rizzo hit a bloop single to shallow left. 

Starlin  Castro  then lifted  a fly ball  to right that  was caught, but Baker 
easily scored to end the marathon. 

At  6 hours and 27 minutes, it was the longest game, time-wise, in the history 
of both clubs. The contest didn't finish until around 1:30 a.m. local time. 

Bonifacio  went  4-for-7 with  a two-run  home run and  two runs scored, while 
Rizzo also drove in a run for the Cubs, who have won their past two. 

Justin  Morneau was  activated from the 15-day disabled list and drove in two. 
Nolan  Arenado  also had  an  RBI  for the  Rockies,  who  have dropped  three 
straight. 

Colorado  starter Jorge De  La Rosa went six innings and gave up three runs on 
six hits with a walk and seven strikeouts, while Chicago starter Edwin Jackson 
allowed three runs on six hits in just four innings of work. 

Colorado  had  runners at  second and  third with one  out in  the 10th and DJ 
LeMahieu  tried  to lay  down a bunt  for the suicide  squeeze, but missed the 
pitch  and  Morneau was caught  in a rundown. LeMahieu  then struck out to end 
the inning. 

Chicago  also had a  chance in the 10th, as Castro singled and moved to second 
on  a sacrifice  bunt. Welington Castillo then launched a pitch to center that 
had  the looks  of a game-winning hit,  but Charlie Blackmon dove and made the 
fully-extended catch to keep the game going. 

The  Rockies scored  three runs  in the  first inning  on an  RBI double  from 
Arenado and a two-run double by Morneau for a 3-0 lead. 

"You go 15 innings without scoring a run you don't deserve to win," Rockies 
manager Walt Weiss said. 

Chicago  got  one back  in the home  half of  the first on  an RBI single from 
Rizzo. 

The Cubs then  tied the game in the  fourth as Junior Lake was hit by a pitch 
and Bonifacio later launched his second home run of the season for a 3-3 game. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  last Chicago  position player to pitch  a game was Joe Mather in 2012 ... 
Colorado  stranded 12 runners while Chicago left 16 men on base ... It was the 
most  innings played in a game this season for Colorado, while Chicago matched 
a mark it set in its second game of the season. 

 Coverage of today's Cards and Padres game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 8:35pm.

San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Yangervis Solarte smacked a solo homer and 
scored  two runs as  the San Diego Padres topped the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-1, 
in the opener of a three-game set. 

Tyson  Ross (10-10)  struck out seven and  allowed a run on four hits and five 
walks over six innings for the Padres, who snapped a three-game losing streak. 

"He's  been  so good over the  past couple months, especially this month. When 
something   like  this  happens  with  the  five  walks,  it's  a  little  bit 
exasperating  because  he's been  so good,"  Padres manager  Bud Black said of 
Ross. 

Lance Lynn (11-8) surrendered two runs -- one earned -- on four hits and three 
walks  with  six strikeouts over  six frames for  St. Louis, which has dropped 
five of its last seven games. 

The  game was tied 1-1 before the Padres plated a run in the sixth and seventh 
innings to go ahead. 

Solarte and Seth Smith worked walks in the sixth before Will Venable popped up 
on  a bunt  attempt and  Yonder Alonso  flied out.  Jedd Gyorko,  though, came 
through with two outs when he lined a single to left to bring home Solarte. 

Solarte  ripped his  solo shot down the  right-field line with two outs in the 
seventh to extend the Padres' margin to 3-1. 

Kevin  Quackenbush  tossed a  scoreless eighth and  Joaquin Benoit blanked the 
Cardinals in the ninth to notch his third save of the season. 

Earlier,  Alexi  Amarista's sacrifice  fly  in  the  third inning  opened  the 
scoring, but St. Louis got the run back in the fifth. 

Lynn  singled  and Matt Carpenter  doubled before  a Kolten Wong sacrifice fly 
scored  Lynn. Matt Holliday then bounced one right to Solarte, who was playing 
in  at  third, and he came  home with the throw  to nab Carpenter and keep the 
game tied at 1-1. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Padres  were 2-for-12 with  runners in  scoring position, while St. Louis 
finished 0-for-7 and left 10 men on base ... Solarte's homer was his second as 
a Padre and sixth of the season. 

The annual Morrisonville Homecoming and Picnic gets under way tonight and will run through Friday. Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR will be there from 12:30-2:30pm and 3:00-4:00pm Thursday to bring you live coverage of the parade which begins at 1:00pm and coverage of the frog jump which begins at 3:00pm. For a full schedule of events, visit the Morrisonville Homecoming and Picnic Facebook page.

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

Ronald E. Hudgins, 37, of 1423 North Milton, Springfield, was arrested July 28 on a bond forfeiture for violation of an order of protection after being served a notice.

Kathleen C. Case, 20, of 2006 North Maple Street, Decatur, was arrested July 29 on a bond forfeiture for assault.

Three people who were arrested during the shoot-out in Pana Tuesday have been charged with various drug offenses. 37-year-old Jason C. Beck of Pana (the half-brother of 25-year-old Josh A. Edwards of Pana), 24-year-old Courtney D. Herbison of Dixon, Tennessee, and 29-year-old Stacy N. Reed of Nokomis have all been charged with possession of methamphetamine precursor and possession of a controlled substance. Beck was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon. 25-year-old Josh A. Edwards of Pana was killed during the shoot-out by the Illinois State Police SWAT Team after he reportedly fled to the roof, set it on fire and then fired his weapon in the direction of officers. The Pana Police Officer that was reportedly shot by Edwards is in stable condition at the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

Stacy Reed

Jason Beck

Courtney Herbison

The mowing season is in full swing.  One implement brand offers products for both home and business use.  Grasshopper product representative Eric Benning of Benning Distributing in Raymond says they have mowers suited for your lawn:

At the Shelbyville Rotary Club meeting, member Phil Miller introduced the Club to Hannah Doyle who is the Physician’s Assistant with the Family Health Care Center at Shelby Memorial Hospital. Doyle gave helpful tips on managing prescription and over the counter drugs.

The Club briefly discussed the possibility of establishing an Association Member program that would allow some of their part-time residents to continue their affiliation with the club.

Josh Shallenberger will be providing the program at the next meeting.

A Pana resident was arrested Sunday on charges of aggravated domestic battery and fleeing/eluding police. On Saturday, Pana Police Department officers responded to a domestic violence report at 502 North Clay Street Apartment 3. An officer arrived and spoke to the victim and discovered the suspect, 29-year-old Joshua Smothers of Pana, had left the scene. While investigating the incident, Smothers reportedly returned to the property and saw the squad at the residence. The officer attempted to stop Smothers but he reportedly fled in a vehicle and refused to stop. Pana officers were unable to locate the suspect. On Sunday, Smothers was located by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office on a parole violation warrant. Smothers was arrested and charged with unlawful restraint, aggravated domestic battery, and fleeing and eluding police. Smothers was processed and released to the Department of Corrections.

The Taylorville Police Department arrested one person for aggravated battery, resisting arrest and 2 other charges on Saturday. Just after 11:00pm, Taylorville Police Department officers responded to a call of a male subject acting intoxicated and having a young child with him. Upon investigation, 30-year-old Joshua A. Westerfield of Taylorville was placed under arrest for child endangerment, aggravated battery, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. Westerfield was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is hosting a blood drive on Monday, August 4from 10:00am to 3:00pm. The Chamber is located at 108 West Market Street in Taylorville. To schedule an appointment, call the blood center (toll free) at 1-866-GIVE-BLD or go online using sponsor code 60145 at www.bloodcenterimpact.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

People prepare their cattle for show at the Coles County Fair.

County Fairs are depending more and more on local sponsorships to keep things going.  President of the Coles County Fair Tom Jones says the local sponsors are vital, especially with State of Illinois assistance dwindling:

[audio:jonescolesfair072914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Coles County Fair continues through Sunday with Grandstand events every night.  Visit their website for a complete schedule at colescountyfair.com.

A building collapse early Sunday morning has left a portion of the Taylorville Square blocked off, and has caused at least one adjacent business to announce its closure for the  next several days.  Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says it may be a while before the barricades can be taken down:

[audio:mayorcollapse072914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The structure housed To the Moon Tattoos.  The building adjacent to it is Bolinda's Shoe Store, which announced Monday it will be closed until further notice. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Tsuyoshi Wada pitched seven innings to lead 
the  Chicago Cubs to  a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies to begin a four-game 
series. 

Wada  (1-1) notched his  first career win after giving up just one run on five 
hits  with  a walk and six  strikeouts in seven  innings for the Cubs, who had 
lost four of five coming in. Anthony Rizzo drove in two in the win. 

"I  thought he  had a  really good  mix of  pitches out  there," said  Chicago 
manager  Rick Renteria  about Wada. "He was using his fastball effectively and 
his secondary pitches were locating really well." 

Yohan  Flande (0-3) is still looking for his first win after allowing two runs 
on four hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Rockies, who have lost their past two. 

"He  did an outstanding job for us tonight," said Colorado manager Walt Weiss. 
"He  went  deep in  the game  and that helped  because our  bullpen is kind of 
banged up right now." 

The  game stayed scoreless until the fourth inning as Emilio Bonifacio singled 
and  Arismendy Alcantara followed with a double. Rizzo's groundout plated one, 
and a sacrifice fly from Justin Ruggiano scored the second for a 2-0 lead. 

Colorado  had  left a  man on  second in  the third  and fifth innings, before 
finally pushing a run through in the sixth. 

With  one out, back-to-back singles from Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu left 
runners  at the corners  before a single to center from Nolan Arenado with two 
outs  made it  a one-run game. Wilin  Rosario followed with a groundout to end 
the inning. 

Brandon  Barnes  led off with a  walk in the  seventh for the Rockies, but Ben 
Paulsen  hit into a  double play and Charlie Culberson followed with a fly out 
to end the frame. 

Chicago  put  the game away  in the  eighth as John  Baker scored on an errant 
pickoff  throw  from Nick Masset with  runners on the corners, and Rizzo added 
an RBI single later in the inning. 

Game Notes 

Colorado  was  just 1-for-8 with runners  in scoring position as the team left 
five men on base ... Chicago and Colorado split six meetings last season.

(San Diego, CA)  --  After a day off, the Cardinals return to the diamond tonight for the first of a three-game series with the Padres from Petco Park.  St. Louis is 56-and-48 this season and trots Lance Lynn to the hill.  Lynn is 11-and-7 with a 3.05 ERA.  San Diego counters with 9-and-10 Tyson Ross who has a 2.65 ERA this season.  Coverage of today's Cards and Padres game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 8:35pm.

Pictured: The house where the incident occured.

One person is dead after a shootout with police just outside of Pana Tuesday morning.  Christian County Coroner Amy Calvert Winans released the name of the victim just before 7 o'clock Tuesday night.

Dead is 25-year-old Josh A. Edwards of Pana.  Winans said he was pronounced dead at 8:23 Tuesday morning.  An autoposy will be held Wednesday afternoon.

Pana Police Chief Daniel Bland tells Regional Radio News that the shooting occurred early Tuesday morning:

[audio:blandshooting072914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says they had received a request to locate an individual from Fayette County Sheriff’s Office:

[audio:kettelkampshooting072914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Christian County Sheriff's Office also requested the assistance of Illinois State Police SWAT to assist with negotiations.  During the confrontation, Edwards, who was reportedly armed, fled to the roof and eventually set it on fire and then fired his weapon in the direction of officers.  ISP SWAT returned fire, killing Edwards.

Three other individuals were reportedly located inside the residence during the initial response and were detained for questioning. At this time, no motive has been determined and the investigation continues.

Pictured left to right: Kiwanis president Chris Weittenhiller, Elmer Harmon, and Bill Harmon

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from a father and son who own a Clydesdale farm near Morrisonville, at the club's weekly luncheon Tuesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Bill Harman and his father Elmer, both of Morrisonville, along with Elmer's daughter who lives near Arthur, own and operate Iron Horse Clydedales. Bill told the club that the family got into raising Clydesdales in 1992 when 2 were given to his sister. They now breed and raise the horses at 2 locations, one near Morrisonville and one near Lovington.

[audio:HarmanaudioJul2914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Iron Horse Clydesdale farm has sold horses to customers across the world, include to Anheuser-Busch for their famous Budweiser Clydesdale shows.

6-year-old Elliott Richardson, son of Kiwanis member Matt Richardson, along with 2 representatives from the Taylorville Post Office, and 2 members of the Decatur Kiwnais Club, were all guests at Tuesday's Taylorville Kiwanis Club meeting.

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.

The Taylorville Fire Department has opened up one lane of travel on South and North Main Streets near the collapsed building. East Main Cross Street remains completely closed. A map of travel can be seen below:

Even though they've been around for decades, automated teller technology continues to evolve.  Cyndi Richards of First National Bank on Main Cross in Taylorville says they have recently installed new machines that can do more than an ordinary ATM:

[audio:richardsonfnb072514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

First National Bank on Main Cross in Taylorville is a locally owned community bank at 322 W. Main Cross.

While the State of Illinois has caught up a little bit on money owed to schools, future funding remains uncertain.  Taylorville Schools Superintendent Dr. Greg Fursteneau says he and the School Board are having a hard time setting up a budget:

[audio:fursteneaufunding072514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The School Board's next meeting is August 12^th.

The Coles County Fair is underway. Fair Board President Tom Jones tells Regional Radio News that they will have livestock shows all week:

[audio:joneslivestock072814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Coles County Fair runs through Sunday at the Fairgrounds on Illinois Route 316 on Charleston's northwest side. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit their website colescountyfair.com.

The fifth part of the 175th Committee’s Christian County History Series features the King Township. The article can be seen under the letter section at taylorvilledailynews.com. The series will run for 14 weeks and most of the information comes from the quarterlies and library of the Christian County Genealogical Society.

Minneapolis,  MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Sam Fuld had two hits, including a two- 
run  single to cap  a three-run seventh inning and the Minnesota Twins held on 
for a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. 

With the win, the Twins avoided being swept in a four-game series by the White 
Sox for the first time ever in Minnesota. 

It was only their third win in 10 games since the All-Star break. 

They loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh against Ronald 
Belisario  (3-7), who walked Josh Willingham and Eric Fryer before giving up a 
single to Chris Parmelee. 

The first run scored on Danny Santana's sacrifice fly off Javy Guerra and Fuld 
followed with his two-run single to center to make it 4-2. 

"I  was just  trying to stay within my  approach and not let the moment get to 
me," Fuld said. "I was just trying to shoot it up the middle." 

Rookie White Sox catcher Adrian  Nieto hit his first  career home run in the 
eighth  off  Casey Fien, going the  opposite way to left field. Chicago loaded 
the  bases  with one out in  the ninth, but  Glen Perkins escaped for his 25th 
save. 

Rookie  right-hander  Yohan Pino pitched six  innings for the Twins, giving up 
two runs on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Jared Burton (2-2) threw 
a perfect seventh inning to pick up the win. 

Scott  Carroll  also went six  innings for the White Sox, allowing one run on 
four hits and a walk. 

Pino  walked  Jose Abreu  with two outs  in the first  inning and didn't allow 
another  baserunner  until Alejandro De Aza  stroked a two-out single to right 
field in the fifth for Chicago's first hit. 

De  Aza was thrown  out by Fryer trying to steal second base but the White Sox 
took a 2-1 lead with two runs in the sixth inning. 

Gordon  Beckham  sparked the rally  with a leadoff  double and Adam Eaton slid 
head-first  into the bag  for a one-out single on a play that was reviewed and 
upheld  as  a hit. Beckham scored  on Alexei Ramirez's sacrifice fly and Abreu 
followed with a double to plate Eaton. 

Earlier,  Eduardo Escobar hit a one-out double in the third inning and Santana 
followed with a triple off the right-field wall to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  last  time the White Sox swept  the Twins franchise  on the road was May 
18-20,  1947,  when they were  the Washington  Senators. The series included a 
doubleheader  ...  Home plate umpire Jeff  Kellogg asked Belisario to remove a 
rubber band around his non-pitching wrist at the start of the seventh. Someone 
came  out and cut it off ... The White Sox remain on the road for a three-game 
series in Detroit starting on Tuesday ... The Twins will start a six-game road 
trip  Tuesday in  Kansas City. The last  three games are against the  White Sox 
next weekend. 

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Adam Wainwright pitched seven strong innings 
as  the  St. Louis Cardinals  grabbed a  1-0 win over  the Chicago Cubs in the 
finale of a three-game set. 

Wainwright  (13-5) gave  up five hits and three walks while striking out three 
for the Cardinals, who took the final two of this series. Matt Holliday's solo 
home run in the first proved to be the only run in the game. 

"They  hit some  balls hard  but  the guys  played some  great defense,"  said 
Wainwright.  "I  was able to  make some pitches  when I needed  to and I had a 
good, wide target behind the plate." 

Kyle  Hendricks  (1-1) allowed the  one run on  seven hits with two strikeouts 
over 6 1/3 innings for the Cubs, who have lost four of their last five games. 

"The  big picture is  that I think the way we're competing and holding our own 
on  a daily  basis shows  the mentality  of these  young men  is in  the right 
place," said Chicago manager Rick Renteria. 

Holliday's  home run  came with two outs  in the opening frame, as he ripped a 
2-1 fastball over the center field wall for his 10th of the season. 

Wainwright  gave  up a leadoff double  to Welington Castillo in the third, but 
set down the next three batters to keep the Cubs off the board. 

The  Cubs  had men at the  corners in the  fifth, but Hendricks struck out and 
Wainwright  benefited  from a  double  play  in the  sixth  to  keep the  game 
scoreless. 

Wainwright  stranded  another pair  of  runners  in  the second,  while  Kevin 
Siegrist pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. 

Trevor Rosenthal pitched around a two-out single in the ninth to earn his 32nd 
save of the season. 

                                   Game Notes 

St. Louis starts a three-game series in San Diego on Tuesday ... Chicago hosts 
Colorado  for four games starting on Monday ... St. Louis has won seven of the 
12  games  against Chicago  this season  ... Chicago  stranded seven while St. 
Louis left five on base. 

The northeast corner of the Taylorville square, remains blocked off as a result of a building collapse at about 10:30 Sunday morning.

Taylorville Fire Department crews have the road and area cordoned off so both vehicle and pedestrian traffic are blocked.

2 businesses are located in the building that collapsed: To the Moon Tattoos and Bolinda's Shoe Store. Linda Farris, who owns Bolinda’s Shoe Store along with her husband Bob, tells Regional Radio News that they just have to play the waiting game at this point:

[audio:farriswaiting072814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The north wall of the building, had to be shored up on Sunday, to prevent further collapsing.

Stay tuned to Regional Radio and taylorvilledailynews.com for further information on Sunday's building collapse in Taylorville.

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

Matthew P. Bridgman, 27, of 305 South Edwards Street Apt. 6, Decatur, was arrested July 25 for failure to appear.

Justin M. McKay, 21, of 400 West Franklin Apt. 205, Taylorville, was arrested July 25 on a bond forfeiture for issuance of warrant.

Jolene Lopez, 19, of 110 Beach Avenue, Kincaid, was arrested July 25 for obstructing justice.

Timothy L. Akers, 21, of 109 West Washington, Edinburg, was arrested July 26 on a bond forfeiture for petition to revoke driving under the influence.

Hannah C. Bello, 33, of RR2 Box 208, Pana, was arrested July 25 on 2 bond forfeitures for issuance of warrants.

Brandon L. Winchester, 20, of 803 East Ash Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 26 for consumption of liquor by a minor.

Zachary W. Mills, 21, of 407 West Third Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 26 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Kaylee A. Walters, 18, of 266 West Center Street, Mt. Auburn, was arrested July 25 for domestic battery.

Joshua A. Westerfield, 30, of 416 South Shumway, Taylorville, was arrested July 26 for aggravated battery/great bodily harm, resisting a peace officer, false report of abuse, and cause a child to be endangered.

Kody J. Koonce, 20, of 304 James Street, Bulpitt, was arrested July 25 for burglary.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 25, 911 dispatched Taylorville Police Department officers to #59 Hannon Trailer Park in reference to a male subject making threats to the owner of the trailer. Following officer's arrival, Ernest S. Stewart, 25, of Taylorville was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct. Stewart was taken to Taylorville Police Department where he was processed and later released on a notice to appear in court.

On July 27 at 3:08pm, the Taylorville Police Department received a walk in complaint of a battery in Manners Park. Following the complaint, a female juvenile was arrested for battery. The female juvenile was processed and released into the custody of her parents on a notice to appear in court.

On July 24 at 10:44pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to the lobby of Taylorville Police Department for a possible battery against a juvenile. Upon arriving, the officers talked to the male juvenile about getting hit in the face by another male juvenile at Jayne's Park at approximately 9:00pm. Upon investigation, on male juvenile was arrested for battery.

On July 25 at approximately 9:46am, a Taylorville Police Department officer observed a vehicle make a traffic violation in the area of Spresser and Webster Street. Following the stop, Nile P. Hunt of Fort Meyers, Florida was arrested for driving while license is suspended/revoked. Hunt was arrested, transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released.

On July 26 at 11:05pm, Taylorville Police Department officers responded to a call of a male subject acting intoxicated and having a young child with him. Upon investigation, Joshua A. Westerfield, 30, of Taylorville was placed under arrest for child endangerment, aggravated battery, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. Westerfield was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

On July 24 at 1:37pm, Walmart Loss Prevention contacted the Taylorville Police Department advising that they had two males who had left the store without paying for two phone covers. An officer arrived at Walmart and spoke to Loss Prevention. Loss Prevention advised both the 16-year-old male and Brock Ohl, 21, of Assumption carried a phone cover through the store and also took them from their packaging. Loss Prevention said they then left the store without paying for the item but Ohl was the one who was in possession of both covers at the time they were stopped outside the store. Both were arrested for retail and transported to Taylorville Police Department where they were processed. Ohl was released on a notice to appear and the male juvenile was released to his grandmother.

The Taylorville Park Board met Monday night and heard an update on the proposal for new security lights at Jayne’s Park. Secretary/Bookkeeper MaryAnn Becker tells the Board the cost will be a little over $2700 but they will make a difference:

[audio:beckerlights072914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Board unanimously approved the purchase of the new security lights.

Maintenance Superintendent Gary Brown told the Board that Joe Cervi (Sir-vigh) has agreed to buy the old Caretakers House, move it to a new location, and fill in the basement with dirt. This move saves the Board from having to spend money to demolish the house. Recreation Director Bailey Hancock says they had their second unannounced audit by Ellis and Associates on the pool and the crew received an exceeds.

The meeting adjourned at 7:48pm.

Illinois State Police (ISP) Officials welcomes 37 cadets to the ranks of the ISP at Friday’s graduation.  Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau formally addressed Cadet Class 124 which was followed by the oath of office ceremony. The new troopers will be assigned to districts throughout the state beginning Monday.

Friday’s graduation of Cadet Class 124 marks the second cadet class this year. It is the third class to graduate under a new law that allows veterans who have been awarded an Afghan or Iraqi campaign medal by the U.S. military to apply without having earned a college degree. Fourteen of the new troopers are veterans, and of these, nine were hired under the new law.

It's a busy time of year for Area 4H members, as the Christian County Fair just ended, and the State Fair is coming up soon.  A local banker, Brad Arndt of the First National Bank on Main Cross Street in Taylorville says although they are not a farm family, his kids were very much involved in 4H:

[audio:arndtfnb072814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Brad Arndt is a Financial Advisor for the First National Bank in Taylorville. 

Conditions this year have been favorable for corn, and the growing season has been going well.  There are a few things to watch out for however, according to Syngenta Agronomy Service Representative Nate Prater:

[audio:pratercorn072514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Yields are expected to be generally good this year in Central Illinois.

One of the many things the County Farm Bureau is involved in at the Christian County Fair is the Petting Zoo.  Farm Bureau Manager Mellisa McMillan says even in a rural area like this, there are children who are unfamiliar with farm animals:

[audio:mcmillenpettingzoo072514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Petting Zoo is open from 9am to 7pm Saturday.  The Christian County Fair continues through Sunday at the Fairgrounds in Taylorville.  Gate admission is free, and there is no charge for parking.

A special birthday and anniversary will be celebrated Monday. Sister Virginia Walsh is turning 90-years-old and is celebrating the 70^th anniversary of her religious vows. Sister Walsh worked for 40 years at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital. She served as a nurse for 20 years and then another 20 years as a pastoral care. The reception will be held at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Annex from 2:00-3:30pm on Monday.

The Taylorville Park District Board will meet Monday night at 7:00pm at the Manners Park Office Board Room. Items on the agenda include: a proposal for new security lighting at Jayne’s Park, the Caretakers House, Dining Hall gutter repair, Maintenance Superintendent’s report, and the Recreation Director’s report. We will have details following the meeting at taylorvilledailynews.com.

The Coles County Fair gets underway Sunday. Fair Board President Tom Jones tells Regional Radio News that they have some special admission days planned:

[audio:jonesadmissiondays072614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Coles County Fair runs July 27^th through August 3^rd at the Fairgrounds on Illinois Route 316 on Charleston's northwest side. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit their website colescountyfair.com. 

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu went 2-for-5 with a three-run 
homer  and  scored twice to lead  the Chicago White Sox  to a 9-5 win over the 
Minnesota Twins on Friday. 

Chicago's  standout rookie  joined Jose  Canseco and  Tony Oliva  as the  only 
Cuban-born  rookies to  hit 30  home runs  in a  season with  his first-inning 
blast. 

"I  think we're  past the  point  of 'unexpected'  with him,"  said  White Sox 
manager Robin Ventura. "You just expect him to be in the middle of things when 
it's happening. If he's hitting well, it seems like we're doing well." 

Tyler  Flowers and Alexei Ramirez also homered for the White Sox, who have won 
the first two of this four-game series. 

John  Danks (9-6) was charged with four runs on six hits over seven innings of 
work but earned the win. 

Minnesota starter Kevin Correia (5-13) dropped another decision after allowing 
seven  runs -- six  earned -- on 10 hits in the setback. Correia now leads the 
majors  in losses  after sharing the dubious distinction with San Diego's Eric 
Stults. 

Josh  Willingham  and Oswaldo Arcia each  hit solo homers for Minnesota, which 
has lost three of its last four. 

"Not  a  very good baseball  game," Twins  manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Start 
from  the get-go we got behind early. The ball was flying everywhere. Not very 
much fun for everyone involved I'm sure." 

Singles from Adam Eaton and Ramirez set the table for Abreu, who pounded a 1-2 
curveball into the bullpen in left center to give the White Sox a 3-0 lead. 

Minnesota  got  a run back  in the  second on a  sacrifice fly by Kurt Suzuki. 
Willingham and Arcia singled to put runners at the corners with one out before 
Suzuki drove Willingham in with a flyball to left. 

However,  Ramirez smacked his  ninth homer of the season to lead off the third 
and  restore  the three-run  cushion. Chicago  added another  run later in the 
frame on an error by third baseman Eduardo Nunez that allowed Abreu to score. 

Adam  Dunn  and Dayan  Viciedo each  contributed RBI singles  in the fourth as 
Chicago  opened up a 7-1 advantage. Conor Gillaspie then stroked a run-scoring 
single  in  the sixth before  Chris Colabello knocked  a two-run single in the 
home half to trim the deficit to 8-3. 

Each  team had  a  leadoff homer  in their  respective  seventh, with  Flowers 
sending  one over  the wall  in left  and Arcia  stroking his  seventh of  the 
season. 

Willingham added a solo shot in the ninth to account for the final margin. 

                                   Game Notes 

Danks entered the game with an 0-6 record and 6.18 ERA in his last eight games 
against  Minnesota  ... The  Twins have dropped  10 of 13  at Target Field ... 
Chicago went 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base 
... Minnesota went 1-for-3 with RISP. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Cubs game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:30pm.

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Ryan Sweeney went 2-for-4 with a three-run 
home  run and four RBI as  the Chicago Cubs  hung  on to  beat  the St.  Louis 
Cardinals, 7-6, in the opener of a three-game set. 

Luis Valbuena smacked a two-run shot and crossed the plate three times for the 
Cubs, who handed the Cardinals their fourth straight loss. 

Kevin Siegrist (1-2) gave up the tie-breaking two-run homer to Valbuena in the 
seventh and was tagged with the loss. 

"He  was the right  guy, he just couldn't get it done," Cardinals manager Mike 
Matheny said of Siegrist. 

Justin  Grimm (3-2)  struck out two in  a scoreless seventh inning to earn the 
win. 

Cardinals starter Joe Kelly only lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and 
five  runs. 

Chicago  starter Travis Wood, who hasn't recorded a win since June 15, allowed 
seven hits and five  runs -- two earned -- in five innings of work. 

"I really wanted to go deep in the game," Wood said. "I wasn't really throwing 
pitches all over the place. They fouled off a lot of pitches today and made me 
work.  I was only able to go five, but luckily I was able to keep it close and 
we were able to pull it out." 

The Cubs had a sloppy first inning in the field. Arismendy Alcantara threw the 
ball  over Starlin  Castro's head at second on a double play attempt, allowing 
Matt  Carpenter to score. Chris Coghlan then had trouble fielding a line drive 
hit into left by Jon Jay, plating Matt Holliday and Matt Adams. 

Sweeney's  homer tied  the game at three apiece in the second. Valbuena walked 
and  Welington  Castillo singled before Sweeney  hit one over the ivy in left- 
center. 

Sweeney  delivered  again an inning  later. With  runners on first and second, 
he singled to left to score Valbuena and put the Cubs up 4-3. 

Wood  helped himself out  and stretched Chicago's lead to two runs with a solo 
homer in the fourth. 

The  back-and-forth tussle continued in the fifth. Carpenter and Holliday each 
hit solo home runs to tie the game at 5-5. 

The  Cardinals took  the lead  in the  sixth. Mark  Ellis reached  first on  a 
fielder's  choice,  then moved  to second  after a  passed ball. Oscar Taveras 
came in to pinch-hit and hit a single to left to push Ellis across. 

After  Anthony  Rizzo was hit by  a pitch to  start the bottom of the seventh, 
Valbuena  hit a  home run -- the fifth  of the game -- putting the Cubs ahead, 
7-6. 

The Cubs loaded the bases in the eighth, but were unable to extend their lead. 

Hector Rondon allowed one hit in the ninth for his 12th save of the season. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Cardinals were  2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, while the Cubs 
were 2-for-6 ... All three of Chicago's runs in the first inning were unearned 
...  Wood now has three home runs on the season ... Rizzo hit a single in  the 
third  inning to extend his  hitting streak to  10 games ... The season series 
between the Cubs and Cardinals is now tied at five games apiece. 

The Lake Shelbyville U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be hosting Aquafest at Dam West Beach on Saturday, August 2 from noon to 4:00 p.m.  Children and adults are welcome to attend.  The beach fee will be waived for the entire day to allow all beach users a chance to come out and enjoy the free games and activities.  Activities include snow cones, inflatable water slides, bounce houses, water safety games, and an appearance from Bobber the Water Safety Dog. 

      For additional information, visit the Lake Shelbyville U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Facebook page or call the Lake Shelbyville Interpretive Services and Outreach Department at 217-774-3951 ext. 2.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville this week voted for a series of bipartisan bills to empower students and improve America's higher education system by increasing transparency, enhancing financial counseling for students and parents, and ensuring colleges and universities have the ability innovate.

The bills approved by the House this week include:

The Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act increases transparency by requiring the Department of Education to create and publish online a consumer-tested College Dashboard that would provide crucial information about higher education institutions and provide a link to this database on a student's FAFSA.

The Empowering Students through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act provides students and parents who participate in the federal loan program annual counseling to ensure borrowers are aware of their financial options and obligations.  

The Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Projects Act of 2013 promotes innovation by directing the Department of Education to implement competency–based education demonstration projects giving colleges and universities the flexibility to provide a quality education that best meets the personal and financial needs of their students.

The Taylorville Main Street Farmers Market is in full swing now.  Market manager Ed Downs says they had their best day ever last Saturday:

[audio:farmersmkt072514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Farmers Market features all varieties of produce, along with freshly baked goods, homemade jams and jellies, and arts and craft items.  The Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 9am to 12:30pm on the Taylorville Square.

The Coles County Fair kicks off on Sunday. Fair Board President Tom Jones tells Regional Radio News that their Grandstand will be busy throughout the week:

[audio:jonesgrandstand072514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Coles County Fair runs July 27 through August 3. For more information, visit their website colescountyfair.com.

Sangamon County Coroner Cinda Edwards says they now believe the woman whose remains were found in a shed in Rochester was a victim of a homicide. Edwards says the location of the body discovery and the fact that it was covered with items as if to be concealed all point to the likelihood that it was a homicide. Identification of the woman is still pending tests being conducted by the Illinois State Police Forensic Laboratory. The victim is believed to be a white female between 20 and 50 years old. Edwards says they have been able to rule out the remains being Michelle Bianco who is a missing person in Sangamon County. This determination was made through dental records.  The Coroner’s Office is still working on identification through other missing person’s dental records and DNA results will not be finished for several weeks.  

Pictured: Taylorville FFA Chapter President Alec Myers 

The Christian County Fair is underway.  4H member and President of the Taylorville FFA Alec Myers, who is showing cattle and sheep, says it adds up to a lot of work:

[audio:myerscattle072414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Christian County Fair continues through Sunday at the Fairgrounds in Taylorville.  There is no admission charge, and parking is free.     

Chicago,  IL  (SportsNetwork.com) - Tyson  Ross finished with a career-high 11 
strikeouts  to help the San Diego Padres in a 13-3 rout of the Chicago Cubs on 
Thursday. 

Ross  (9-10)  stifled the Cubs through  six solid innings, yielding one run on 
five  hits and  a walk. The 27-year-old right-hander received 11 total runs of 
support  in his previous five outings and has given up two or less earned runs 
in seven straight starts. 

Rene  Rivera, Seth  Smith and  Will Venable  each collected  three hits,  with 
Rivera  adding a  home run and three RBI  for San Diego, which has won four of 
its last five. 

Venable, Chris Nelson and Alexi Amarista knocked in two runs apiece. 

"Guys  are  starting to climb with  their averages which is good," said Padres 
manager Bud Black. "Overall, a very good offensive night for all." 

Starlin  Castro,  Luis Valbuena  and Chris  Coghlan each posted  an RBI in the 
setback, Chicago's seventh in its last eight games. 

Edwin  Jackson  (5-11) was charged  with five runs --  four earned -- on seven 
hits over five-plus innings before leaving with cramps in his throwing hand. 

"It  seems that anything that could go wrong has gone wrong over the past 
couple of weeks," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. 

Much  like Wednesday's win, San Diego put up two in the first to grab an early 
lead.  Following two quick outs, Smith singled and Yasmani Grandal brought him 
home  with  a triple to  right. Grandal ripped  the triple down the first-base 
line  and the ball  got lodged under the wall in foul territory. Right fielder 
Ryan  Sweeney committed a  miscue trying to dig the ball out from the padding, 
allowing Grandal to race around to third instead of settling for a ground-rule 
double.  It wouldn't  have mattered much, as Venable followed with a single to 
center that staked the Padres to a 2-0 advantage. 

Ross  allowed just  two baserunners and struck out six through the first three 
innings, but Chicago got on the board in the fourth. 

Singles  from Anthony Rizzo  and Castro put runners at first and third with no 
outs.  Coghlan went down swinging before Valbuena drove a single to right that 
scored  Rizzo.  Sweeney then  lined out and  John Baker struck  out to end the 
inning. 

Rivera quickly got the run back with a solo shot to begin the fifth inning and 
help restore San Diego's two-run edge. 

The  Padres sent  15 men to the plate  in the sixth, breaking the game open by 
matching the highest-scoring inning in the league this season. Every player in 
the lineup scored during the nine-run frame that helped the visitors to a 12-1 
lead. 

Grandal  started  things with a leadoff  walk before Venable and Jake Goebbert 
each singled to load the bases. Nelson reached on a throwing error by Valbuena 
that pushed a run across, and Rivera followed with a two-run single. 

Ross was hit by a pitch to load the bags again, then Amarista poked a base hit 
into  center that plated Nelson and Rivera for an 8-1 lead. Smith, Venable and 
Nelson all added RBI knocks later in the frame to turn the game into a rout. 

Castro  and  Coghlan provided  RBI singles  in the  home eighth, and Yangervis 
Solarte capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. 

                                   Game Notes 

Toronto scored nine runs in the seventh inning of a 10-0 win over Philadelphia 
on  May  7 ... The  13 runs ties  the club record for  the most ever scored at 
Wrigley Field ... Jackson is winless in his last six starts ... Chicago hasn't 
won  a series  at home since taking  two-of-three from Miami, June 6-8 ... The 
Cubs  continue their 10-game homestand with a three-game set against St. Louis 
on  Friday ...  San Diego concludes its seven-game road trip with a four-game, 
wraparound series in Atlanta. 

(Chicago, IL)  --  After a travel day Thursday, the Cardinals are in the Windy City today to open a three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  Joe Kelly is slated to take the mound for St. Louis, while Chicago counters with Travis Wood.  The Cardinals are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Coverage of today's Cards and Cubs game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:30pm.

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

Cory L. Blake, 20, of 1130 Springfield Street Apt. 1, Kincaid, was arrested July 24 for consumption of liquor by a minor.

Patrick Miller, 20, of 65643 Canadian Cross Drive, Springfield, was arrested July 25 for consumption of liquor by a minor.

Zachary D. Liberty, 29, of 108 Summit Street, Kincaid, was arrested July 24 for methamphetamine precursor.

As a result of an observant Kincaid police officer, a drug investigation was started by the Central Illinois Enforcement Group (CIEG), the Illinois State Police Meth Response Team (MRT), Christian County Sheriff’s Department and the Taylorville and Kincaid Police Departments.

As a result of the investigation, 29-year-old Zachary D. Liberty of Kincaid was arrested for possession of meth precursor, a class 2 felony.

Also discovered during the investigation were four different locations, believed to be used in meth manufacturing in the Kincaid area.
Further arrests and charges are anticipated at the conclusion of these investigations. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would like to announce that the Lake Shelbyville Tree Stand Policy for this season will remain the same as it was last season.  The policy allows hunters to leave one seasonal tree stand up for the duration of the archery season.  Seasonal tree stands may be put up 2 weeks prior to the beginning of archery season.  Opening day of archery season is October 1.  Tree stands must be taken down 2 weeks after archery season ends.  The final day of archery season is January 18, 2015.  A roving tree stand can be left up for a period not to exceed 72 hours – the length of a 3 day weekend.

Hunters wishing to purchase a seasonal tree stand permit must present a valid hunting license before a permit will be issued.  For additional information concerning the Lake Shelbyville Tree Stand Policy, contact the Environmental Stewardship Department at (217) 774-3951, ext. 7049.

The Lake Land College Massage Therapy Program is accepting applications for the fall semester. The massage therapy curriculum is designed to prepare students in all areas of massage. Massage techniques and bodywork, anatomy, professionalism with clients, and business practices are included in the curriculum.

There are two options available for completion of the Massage Therapy Program. The first option is a part-time night program lasting five semesters that allows for students to maintain full-time employment while taking classes part-time. Classes in this program begin each fall semester. The second option is an accelerated full-time day program lasting three semesters. Classes in the accelerated program begin each spring semester.

For more information about the Lake Land College Massage Therapy Program, contact Counseling Services at 217-234-5232 or contact program director Martha Mioux at 217-540-3551.

One sign that kids will be back in school soon is the end of the Taylorville Public Library's Summer Reading Program.  Head Librarian Dorothy Siles tells Regional Radio the program helps keep kids learning even when school is out:

Tail Command in Taylorville is adding a new feature to their facility.  Owner Ian Wilson says they recently purchased some special turf:

[audio:tailcommandturf071814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Tail Command offers boarding, doggie daycare, grooming and training.  Call 824-TAIL, that's 824-8245.

One of the premier events of the Christian County fair is the Ag Luncheon.  Christian County Farm Bureau Manager Mellisa McMillan says they are among the sponsors of the event:

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Norichika Aoki drove in the game-winning run 
in the top of the ninth and James Shields pitched seven strong innings, as the 
Kansas  City Royals beat  the Chicago White Sox, 2-1, in the rubber match of a 
three-game set. 

Mike Moustakas started the frame with a single to right and moved to second on 
a  sacrifice bunt.  Aoki singled on a Soft line drive, but Sox center fielder 
Adam  Eaton  threw a strike  from center as  Moustakas rounded third. The ball 
beat  Moustakas  home, but  he was able  to knock it  loose from catcher Tyler 
Flowers' glove as he slid into the plate. 

Greg Holland retired the side in order in the ninth to register his 26th save. 

Shields,  who  was going for  his fourth straight  win at U.S. Cellular Field, 
gave  up  one  run  and  six  hits while  striking  out  seven,  but  received 
a no decision. 

"He has the ability to make big pitches in crucial situations," Royals manager 
Ned Yost said of Shields. "That's why he's our ace." 

Wade  Davis (6-2) pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Royals, who have won 
their fourth consecutive series on Chicago's home field. 

Zach  Putnam  (2-1) gave  up two  hits and the  deciding run  in the ninth for 
the loss. 

Jose  Quintana  started  for  the White Sox  and  went  seven  innings,  only 
allowing  one run  and scattering seven hits, but received his fourth straight 
no decision. 

The Royals opened the game with one run in the first. Lorenzo Cain hit a lead- 
off double that bounced over the wall in center. A sacrifice bunt moved him to 
third and Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to send Cain across the plate. 

The White Sox leveled the score in their half of the inning. After Jose Abreu 
doubled  to extend his  hitting streak to 13 games, Adam Dunn singled to score 
him. 

Chicago  was  poised to score  in the second,  but couldn't get anyone across. 
Shields  allowed a single, a double and a walk to load the bases, but was able 
to  get  out of  the inning  unharmed after  Gordon Beckham's fielder's choice 
grounder. 

"They've  got some good arms out there," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said 
of the Royals. "Early on you're wanting to do anything you can to add a little 
pressure and push a little bit to be able to score." 

From  then on,  Shields was dominant. After  the jam, he only gave up two hits 
and struck out seven until he was removed following a 1-2-3 seventh. 

The  Royals  managed to put  runners on  the corners in  the top of the sixth. 
After back-to-back singles, Quintana fanned Danny Valencia to end the inning. 

In  the top of the eighth, Ronald Belisario loaded the bases on a single, walk 
and  hit-by-pitch, but Eric  Surkamp took the mound and induced a pop out from 
pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez for the final out of the inning. 

                                   Game Notes 

Kansas  City has won  eight of its last nine series at U.S. Cellular Field ... 
Davis,  who last  allowed a run on June  25, hasn't given up an extra base hit 
this  year.  He  is the  only  pitcher  with  more  than four  appearances  to 
accomplish  the feat ...  Hosmer left the game in the eighth due to an injured 
hand, ending his hitting streak at 16 games. 

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Tommy Medica went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a 
run scored to lead the San Diego Padres in an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on 
Wednesday. 

Yangervis Solarte, who made his San Diego debut, provided a run-scoring triple 
among  his two hits and scored twice. Padres starter Ian Kennedy (8-9) grabbed 
the  win after  yielding three  runs on  three hits  and five  walks with  six 
strikeouts over six innings. 

Tsuyoshi  Wada (0-1) opposed Kennedy, allowing five runs on five hits and four 
walks through four-plus innings in the setback. 

Luis Valbuena cranked a three-run homer to account for Chicago's offense. 

"(Wada)  wasn't as  effective today," said Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "He was 
getting through it, but he was grinding through it." 

San  Diego raced out  of the gate to a 2-0 lead before Chicago could even take 
its  turn  at the plate.  Chris Denorfia  led off the  game with a walk before 
Solarte  tripled to  right to open the scoring. Carlos Quentin followed with a 
sacrifice fly to right that staked the visitors to a two-run advantage. 

"That  was great to see," Padres manager Bud Black said of Solarte's first at- 
bat. "He swings the bat from both sides so it was good to get him acclimated." 

Jeff  Francoeur  singled to  begin the  away fourth and  hustled home on Chris 
Nelson's  double to  right. Alexi Amarista reached first on a fielder's choice 
as  Nelson slid into third just ahead of the tag to put runners at the corners 
with  one out. Kennedy  attempted to help his cause with a safety squeeze, but 
Wada  made a timely  flip to Welington Castillo, who applied the tag on Nelson 
for  the second out of the frame. Wada worked his way out of the inning with a 
strikeout of Denorfia. 

Kennedy's first two walks of the night proved to be costly in the home fourth. 
Anthony  Rizzo  walked with one  out and Chris Coghlan  worked a free pass two 
batters  later.  Valbuena then stepped  in and blasted  his sixth homer of the 
season which tied the game at 3-3. 

Wada  followed Kennedy's  erratic inning  with one  of his  own in  the fifth, 
walking  Solarte  and Quentin to begin  the frame. Medica followed with a deep 
drive  to  the left-center  gap that  got stuck  in the  ivy for a ground-rule 
double, allowing Solarte to cross home. 

Brian  Schlitter,  who came  on to relieve  the Japanese southpaw, immediately 
issued  a walk to  Francoeur that loaded the bases. Schlitter made a nice play 
on  Nelson's dribbler up  the third-base line to get the force at home for the 
first  out  of the inning, but  he walked Rene  Rivera to push in another run. 
Amarista  had the opportunity to open the game up, however, he grounded into a 
6-4-3 double play. 

Kennedy  allowed a leadoff double to Castillo in the home fifth before walking 
the bases loaded with one out. The right-hander got a huge strikeout of Rizzo, 
the  NL  home run leader, and  induced an inning-ending groundout from Starlin 
Castro to maintain San Diego's two-run cushion. 

Chicago  put  a pair of runners  on in the seventh, however, Kevin Quackenbush 
struck out Castro to end the threat. 

Amarista  walked  to lead off the  eighth, moved to  second on a wild pitch by 
Justin Grimm and stole third before Yasmani Grandal drew a base on balls. 

Pinch-hitter  Seth Smith  poked a single to right that scored Amarista, Medica 
knocked in Grandal with a base hit and Francoeur added a sacrifice fly to help 
the Padres stretch the score to its final margin. 

                                   Game Notes 

Solarte was acquired from the New York Yankees on Tuesday in the Chase Headley 
deal  ... Wada made his second career start and first at Wrigley Field ... The 
two  pitching  staffs combined for 17  walks, with Cubs pitchers walking 11 in 
the setback. 

St.  Louis, MO  (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Cobb struck out 10 in seven shutout 
innings  and drove in a run with his first major-league hit, leading the Tampa 
Bay Rays to a 3-0 win and two-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday. 

Cobb (6-6) gave up five hits and no walks, pushing his personal winning streak 
to  four  decisions. His double  in the second inning  also gave him his first 
major-league RBI. 

Desmond Jennings had three hits and scored two runs for the Rays, who have won 
seven in a row for the first time since late last season. They took the opener 
of this brief set 7-2 on Tuesday. 

Brad Boxberger struck out two in a perfect eighth inning and Jake McGee fanned 
all  three batters he  faced in the ninth to give the Rays staff 15 strikeouts 
and no walks in the game. 

"That's incredible," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. 

The Cardinals lost their third in a row. 

Lance  Lynn (11-7) took a three-start winning streak into the game and pitched 
6  1/3  innings, giving  up two runs  -- one  earned -- on  six hits and three 
walks.  Lynn  struck out seven but  failed to tie teammate Adam Wainwright and 
three other pitchers for the major-league lead in wins. 

"The  last two  days (Tampa  Bay)  has just  had our  number," said Cardinals 
manager Mike Matheny. 

Cobb struck out eight of the first 12 batters he faced and gave the Rays a 1-0 
lead  when he slapped  a Lynn fastball down the right-field line for a two-out 
double in the second inning to score Yunel Escobar. 

Later, Lynn hit Cobb on his right pitching elbow with a fastball in the fourth 
inning.  Cobb hit the  ground in obvious pain and was watched closely while he 
warmed up for the fifth inning. 

Matt  Carpenter hit a leadoff double in the sixth inning to give the Cardinals 
a  runner at second  base for only the second time against Cobb. But Carpenter 
was  later  thrown out at  home trying to score  on Matt Holliday's bouncer to 
third baseman Evan Longoria, who had to throw over Carpenter's head to get the 
ball to catcher Jose Molina. 

Jennings'  single  and an  error by Cardinals second  baseman Kolten Wong put 
runners at the corners with one out in the seventh and chased Lynn. 

Randy  Choate then  plunked Brandon Guyer, loading the bases for Longoria, who 
lofted  a sacrifice fly to center field off Seth Maness to give the Rays a 2-0 
lead. 

Jennings  hit a  leadoff single in the  ninth off Sam Freeman and scored later 
from second base on Guyer's hit to make it 3-0. 

                                   Game Notes 

McGee  earned  his ninth  save ...  The Rays  threw their  11th shutout of the 
season.  They  last won  seven in  a row from  Sept. 20-26  last year ... Cobb 
struck  out  11 in  a win  at Houston  on June 13.  His career  high is 13 ... 
Cardinals  third  base coach Jose Oquendo  left two packages of peanut butter- 
filled  cheese crackers on home plate for Molina in between the top and bottom 
of  the first inning.  Molina caught the first inning with the crackers in his 
back  pocket.  His brother, injured Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, was seen 
laughing  and  pointing from the dugout  ... Escobar was ejected in the fourth 
inning  for arguing  a called  third  strike ...  The Rays  start a  nine-game 
homestand  Friday  with the opener of  a weekend series against Boston ... The 
Cardinals will open a six-game road trip on Friday against the Cubs. 

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

Aaron D. Purcell, 48, of 221 7th PO Box 426, Illiopolis, was arrested July 23 for possession of a controlled substance.

Aaron B. Bice, 39, of 19938 Mechanicsburg-Illiopolis Road, Illiopolis was arrested July 23 for possession of a controlled substance.

CRASHES
On July 22 at 7:30pm, Jeffrey A. Briggerman of Taylorville was parked at the Christian County Fairgrounds in Taylorville. Briggerman stated he was parked approximately 50 yards east of the Expo building. He advised that he was parked at the fairgrounds from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. He later noticed damage to the passenger, front panel and passenger headlight. The other vehicle is unknown at the time of this report.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASHES:

On July 20 at 8:50pm, Jonathen T. Kuntzman, 18, of Taylorville was traveling west on Springfield Road and was stopped at the intersection of Cheney Street and Springfield Road waiting to turn left. Kuntzman advised that the traffic light was turning yellow and began to make the turn. Charles L. Moore, 57, of Shelbyville was traveling east on Springfield Road and proceeded into the intersection causing a collision. Moore advised that they were traveling east and noticed that there was a sign to stay in the same lane. Kuntzman advised that he made the turn because he had seen Moore's turn signal on and thought he was turning onto Cheney. Both vehicles were able to drive from the scene. No injuries were reported.

On July 19 at 6:10pm, Kimberly M. Snow, 30, of Taylorville was pulling into a parking space at the Christian County Sheriff's Office. As Snow was pulling in, she may have hit the gas instead of the brake. Snow went through a brick wall, through a small grass area, into the 300 block of Franklin Street, and struck Anna M. Sams, 53, of Taylorville. Sams was traveling east on Franklin. Yolanda M. Logan, 40, of Taylorville reportedly fell out of Snow's vehicle after it had struck the wall. Both vehicles suffered damage and were able to leave the scene. Snow did advise that the vehicle may have had some brake issues. Sams and Logan both reported injuries that were not physically evident but both refused medical treatment according to the report. Snow was driving a 1996 Chevy S10.

(Raymond, IL)  --  Police are looking for three men who allegedly posed as cops and robbed a man on I-55.  State Troopers found the victim bound and gagged on the side of the road near Raymond late Tuesday night.  The victim says a dark colored SUV pulled up behind him and turned on flashing red lights.  The man says he pulled over and three armed men wearing masks got out of the vehicle and stole 55-hundred-dollars from him. 

Something not seen for years at the Christian County Fair takes place tonight in the grandstand.  Bob Sargent, co-owner of the Macon Speedway says there will be plenty of excitement:

[audio:sargentracing072414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Grandstands open at 5pm, practice gets underway at 6p, and the races begin at 7.  Grandstand admission price is $8 a ticket.  

The Taylorville Police Department has released details of the incident involving a vehicle crashing through the brick wall in front of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office over the weekend. On Saturday at 6:10pm, 30-year-old Kimberly M. Snow of Taylorville was pulling into a parking space at the Christian County Sheriff's Office. As Snow was pulling in, she reportedly may have hit the gas instead of the brake. Snow went through a brick wall, through a small grass area, into the 300 block of Franklin Street, and struck the vehicle of 53-year-old Anna M. Sams of Taylorville. Sams was traveling east on Franklin. 40-year-old Yolanda M. Logan of Taylorville reportedly fell out of Snow's vehicle after it had struck the wall. Both vehicles suffered damage but were able to leave the scene. Snow told police that the vehicle may have had some brake issues. Snow was driving a 1996 Chevy S10. Sams and Logan both reported injuries that were not physically evident but both refused medical treatment according to the report. 

The Taylorville Police Department reports that one person was injured in a crash on Sunday. Around 11:13am, 47-year-old Richard D. Prakel of Taylorville was traveling east on Heights Avenue in the area of 319. A truck was legally parked on the roadway in front of 319 Heights Avenue facing west. Prakel was reportedly distracted by something outside the vehicle momentarily, crossed out of his lane and struck the parked truck in the front area. Prakel was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not physically evident by the report.

The Taylorville Police Department reports that one person was arrested on a drug charge on Tuesday. A little after midnight, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with 19-year-old Alex M. Minix of Taylorville. Upon further investigation, Minix was arrested for possession of cannabis. Minix was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear.

Gubernatorial Candidate Bruce Rauner last week announced, as part of his economic plan, that he would support a gradual increase in the minimum wage.  Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville does not agree:

[audio:rosenthalminwage072214.mp3]comment here[/audio] 

The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25 per hour, higher than the federal minimum.  Rauner is the Republican challenger to incumbent Governor Pat Quinn.

Taylorville FFA Chapter President Alec Myers

For scheduling reasons, some judging got underway Monday at this year's Christian County Fair.  President of the Taylorville FFA Chapter Alec Myers, says it all went pretty well:

[audio:myersfair072214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Myers has been showing cattle all his life.  About 5 years ago, he began showing sheep as well.

2014 Little Miss Christian County Royalty pictured L to R: 2nd Runner Up Camille Heberling of Taylorville, Queen Ella Hohenstein of Taylorville, 1st Runner Up  Zarah Guzman of Morrisonville

2014 Jr.Miss Christian County pictured left to right: 4th runner up Caitlin Clarke of Morrisonville, 2nd runner up Sable Mann of Taylorville, 2013 Jr. Miss Kennedy Mann of Taylorville, 2014 Jr. Miss Christian County Faith Lindsey of Taylorville, 1st runner up Shelbi Paul of Taylorville, 3rd runner up Alexandra Harris of Morrisinville . Shelbi Paul was also Jr. Miss Congeniality

2014 Miss Christian County Royalty pictured left to right: 3rd runner up Kaitlyn Corzine of Assumption, 1st Runner up Hannah Mahr of Taylorville, sitting 2014 Miss Christian County Abigale Millburg of Morrisonville, standing behind is 2013 Miss Christian County Catlin Walter, 2014 Miss Illinois County Fair Summer Robbins, 2nd runner up Carley Fleming of Taylorville, 4th runner up Kourtney Kater of Stonington. People's Choice Award went to Carley Fleming and Miss Congeniality was Amy Heberling not pictured. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Moustakas went 3-for-5 with two homers 
and three RBI to ignite a stagnant Royals lineup as Kansas City earned a much- 
needed 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. 

The Royals were scuffling offensively coming in, scoring just 17 runs during a 
1-7 slump that dropped them two games below .500. 

Moustakas  highlighted  a  resurgent  14-hit attack  that  featured  multi-hit 
efforts  from four  others, including  Raul Ibanez  going 2-for-4  with a  run 
scored and an RBI. 

"This  one was  an important  one.  It broke  our  little slump  we were  in," 
Moustakas said. 

Bruce  Chen (2-2)  went the minimum five  innings to earn the win, while three 
relievers behind him held Chicago scoreless over the final four frames. 

Scott  Carroll  (4-6) matched  Chen through  five innings  but imploded in the 
sixth. He was charged with five runs on 11 hits and a pair of walks. 

"I just didn't feel like I had my best stuff," Carroll said. 

Both teams squandered plenty of chances in the first five innings, with Kansas 
City's  only run coming on Moustakas' leadoff blast in the second, and Chicago 
getting on the board on Adam Dunn's opposite-field shot in the fourth. 

The  Royals finally cashed  in big when they batted around in the sixth. Billy 
Butler  led off  the rally with a  double and scored on Ibanez's two-bagger. A 
single  and a walk loaded the bases, and Carroll was pulled with no outs after 
a passed ball allowed Ibanez to score. 

Javy  Guerra entered from  the bullpen and committed an error right out of the 
gate  on a  bunt hit by Jarrod  Dyson. Alcides Escobar scored on the play, and 
Omar Infante tacked on a sacrifice fly to give the Royals a 5-1 cushion. 

With  a runner  on in the eighth,  Moustakas turned on a Eric Surkamp offering 
and lined it into the right-field seats for his 12th home run of the year. 

Kelvin Herrera threw two scoreless frames behind Chen, who scattered five hits 
and  two  walks, while  Wade Davis and  Greg Holland each  tossed an inning of 
relief to close out the win. 

                                   Game Notes 

Moustakas  recorded  his third  career multi-homer game  ... Chen recorded his 
82nd  career  victory, tying him with  former Yankees great Mariano Rivera for 
the  most wins  by a Panamanian-born pitcher ... Davis had retired 18 straight 
hitters before walking Conor Gillaspie to lead off the eighth ... Chicago took 
the  opener of this  three-game series, 3-1, on Monday ... Kansas City has won 
11 of its last 13 as the visitor in this series. 

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Anthony Rizzo clubbed two home runs to set a 
new  single-season  career high and  Kyle Hendricks  picked up his first major 
league  win  as the  Chicago Cubs  blanked the  San Diego  Padres, 6-0, in the 
opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. 

Hendricks  (1-0),  who was recalled from  Triple-A Iowa to make his second big 
league  start, held the  Padres to five hits over seven innings. He struck out 
five and walked three. 

"Definitely  the  best day  of my  life," Hendricks  said. "First major league 
win, it's what you work for since you were a little kid playing T-ball." 

Justin Ruggiano had two RBI and Arismendy Alcantara also homered for the Cubs, 
who snapped a five-game losing streak. 

San Diego starter Eric Stults (3-12) matched Minnesota's Kevin Correia for the 
most  losses in  the majors  after allowing  three runs  on six  hits in  five 
innings. 

The Padres have dropped four of their last six. 

Chicago  quickly  loaded the  bases thanks  to two walks  and a double against 
Stults,  who  limited the damage  in the first  inning to a Ruggiano sacrifice 
fly. 

Rizzo  made it 2-0 when he crushed Stults' first offering in the third to deep 
right field. It was his 24th home run of the season, giving him a new personal 
best. 

Chicago  extended its lead in the fifth as Starlin Castro hit a two-out double 
and scored on a Ruggiano base hit. 

The Padres had two aboard for the third time in the game in the sixth, but the 
Cubs turned their third inning-ending double play. 

Chicago  made  the game a rout  with a three-run seventh against Blaine Boyer. 
Alcantara  and Rizzo  hit back-to-back homers, and Welington Castillo added an 
RBI double. 

"He's  a talent.  He's a good player.  They're giving him his at-bats and he's 
producing," Padres manager Bud Black said about Rizzo. 

                                   Game Notes 

Rizzo had 23 homers in 160 games last season ... The Padres swung a trade with 
the  New  York Yankees before  the game, acquiring infielder Yangervis Solarte 
and  pitcher  Rafael De Paula in  exchange for third baseman Chase Headley and 
cash  considerations  ...  In  addition  to calling  up  Hendricks,  the Cubs 
activated  infielder/outfielder Emilio Bonifacio (strained right oblique) from 
the  15-day  disabled list, designated  infielder Darwin Barney for assignment 
and optioned pitcher Zac Rosscup to Iowa ... The teams split four games in San 
Diego from May 22-25.

Coverage of today's Cards and Dodgers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:40pm.

St.  Louis,  MO (SportsNetwork.com) -  James Loney  went 2-for-4 with two runs 
scored,  Yunel Escobar  knocked in a pair  of runs and the Tampa Bay Rays took 
a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a two-game set. 

Evan  Longoria  homered  while  Matt  Joyce, Jose  Molina  and  Jake  Odorizzi 
each collected an RBI for the Rays, who have won a season-best six straight. 

Odorizzi  (6-8) went  5 2/3  innings and  allowed two  runs on  five hits  and 
three walks with eight strikeouts. 

"We  played really  well," Rays  manager Joe  Maddon said.  "Up and  down, the 
lineup played well." 

St.  Louis starter  Adam Wainwright  (12-5) was  tagged for  six runs  -- four 
earned  -- on  six hits  and  a season  high-tying  four walks  through 4  2/3 
innings. 

Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday each had a solo home run for St. Louis, which 
had won two of their last three coming in. 

"We  had a  lot of  swings out  of the  zone and  up," Cardinals  manager Mike 
Matheny said. "(Odorizzi) did a nice job of staying under control." 

Carpenter  got  St. Louis on  the board  in the first  with a leadoff homer to 
right-center. 

However,  Tampa Bay would  tie the game in the second. Loney doubled and moved 
over  to  third on Molina's single  two batters later. Odorizzi helped his own 
cause  by executing  a perfect safety squeeze that allowed Loney to cross home 
and make it a 1-1 game. 

Kevin  Kiermaier walked to begin a five-run fifth and Wainwright committed his 
first  error of  the season two batters  later on a dribbler from Ben Zobrist. 
Joyce  made sure the error would hurt the Cardinals ace as he knocked a double 
down  the third-base line  for a 2-1 lead. Longoria was hit by a pitch to load 
the bases before Loney pushed another run across with a walk. 

Escobar  proceeded  to flick a  ground-rule double into the right-field corner 
that  plated Joyce  and Longoria, then Molina capped the scoring in the inning 
with an RBI groundout. 

Holliday got a run back in the sixth after he launched his eighth homer of the 
season.  The Cardinals put a pair of runners on later in the frame that forced 
Odorizzi  out of the game, but Jeff Beliveau got pinch-hitter Peter Bourjos to 
strike out looking to escape further trouble. 

Longoria  poked a homer, his 12th of the season, with two outs in the ninth to 
account for the final margin. 

                                   Game Notes 

With  the homer,  Longoria now has a  Rays record of 593 RBI, passing the mark 
previously held by Carl Crawford ... Maddon  was ejected  by home plate umpire 
Mark  Ripperger for  arguing balls  and  strikes in  the third  ... Tampa  Bay 
reliever  Joel  Peralta was  placed  on  the  15-day  disabled list  after  he 
acquired   the   Chikungunya  virus   from  a  mosquito   bite  ...  The  Rays 
went   3-for-8   with  runners   in   scoring   position,  while   St.   Louis 
finished 0-for-5  in those instances and left nine men on base. 

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

Ashley N. Lowis, 29, of 304 West Second Street, Morrisonville, was arrested July 22 for driving with suspended license.

Wayne J. Sowers, 21, of 215 North Main Street, Bulpitt, was arrested July 22 on a bond forfeiture for domestic battery.

The Taylorville Police Department reports that 1 juvenile was arrested on a drug charge Friday. Around 12:34am, Taylorville Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Market Street and Webster Street. Following the stop, one male juvenile was placed under arrest for possession of cannabis. A second male juvenile was cited for speeding, driving with no valid driver's license, driving with no valid insurance, and leaving the scene of an accident.

The Taylorville Police Department reports that 6 people were sent to the hospital following a two vehicle crash Sunday. Around 10:44am, 78-year-old Glen W. Ballard of Dana told police that he was traveling south on Spresser Street and reportedly did not see the stop sign at the intersection of Spresser and Route 48. Ballard said he could not get stopped before striking 75-year-old Joseph B. O'Brien of Taylorville who was traveling east on Route 48. After striking O'Brien, Ballard reportedly spun around and came to a stop on the south side of Route 48 on Spresser Street.

After being struck, O’Brien’s vehicle reportedly flipped at least once and hit a highway sign located on the south side of Route 48 before coming to a rest on its side in the ditch. O'Brien's vehicle was towed from the scene. Ballard was issued a citation for disobeying a stop sign and his vehicle was towed from the scene.

Ballard and O'Brien were both transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not physically evident by the report. 56-year-old George J. Ballard of Wenona and a 16-year-old male were transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. A 14-year-old male and 73-year-old Elaine F. O'Brien of Taylorville were transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not physically evident by the report.

After complaints from the public, the Christian County Fair Board has decided to make a change.  Fair Board President Jim Olive tells Regional Radio there will be a different carnival this year:

[audio:olivenewcarnival072214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Christian County Fair continues through Sunday at the Fairgrounds in Taylorville.  There is no charge for parking or admission.

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Adam Dunn hit a two-run single in the first 
inning  and  Chris Sale did  the rest  as the Chicago White Sox eked past the 
struggling Kansas City Royals, 3-1, in the opener of a three-game series 

The  Royals,  hoping to continue their  recent success at U.S. Cellular Field, 
ran  into a  buzzsaw in  Sale, who  tossed seven  innings of  one-run ball  in 
lowering his ERA to 2.03 on the year. 

Sale (9-1) scattered seven hits and a walk while fanning eight as Chicago came 
away victorious for the fourth time in six games. 

"I  felt really good tonight," Sale said. "These are the dog days, and we have 
to bear down now." 

Kansas  City,  which had won 10  of its previous 11  as the visitor in this AL 
Central series, has scored just 17 runs during a 1-7 slump. 

Jeremy Guthrie (5-9) settled down after a rough start but still took the loss, 
having allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over six frames. 

Adam  Eaton  led off  the home first  with a base  hit, Guthrie plunked Alexei 
Ramirez, and Jose Abreu reached on a Danny Valencia error to load the bases. 

Dunn  beat the  shift with a base hit  up the middle to plate a pair, and even 
though  Guthrie limited  the damage  to  just those  two runs,  it was  enough 
support for Sale. 

The  only run the Royals produced off the stingy lefty came in the fourth when 
Alex  Gordon singled, stole second with two away and scored on Valencia's base 
hit to center. 

Alcides  Escobar followed with a double down the left-field line, and Valencia 
nearly scored the tying run but was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay 
between Alejandro De Aza and Ramirez. 

The White Sox  added an insurance run  in the sixth, as they loaded the bases 
and  watched  Dunn avoid Brett Hayes'  swipe tag on Gordon Beckham's sacrifice 
fly to center. Jarrod Dyson's throw home was up the line, and replay confirmed 
Hayes narrowly missed the slow-moving Dunn before he crossed the plate. 

Sale  stranded a pair  in the sixth by striking out Valencia and Escobar, then 
retired the side in the seventh before giving way to the bullpen. 

"He's  one of  the best pitchers in  the league," Valencia said of Sale. "He's 
got three really good pitches." 

Ronald  Belisario hurled  a 1-2-3 eighth, and Jake Petricka tossed a scoreless 
ninth to post his fourth save of the year. 

                                   Game Notes 

Sale  has  allowed three runs or  less in 14 of  his 15 starts this season ... 
Abreu  doubled  in the  seventh to extend  his hitting streak  to 12 games ... 
Guthrie  came in 4-0  in his previous five games at U.S. Cellular Field with a 
1.30 ERA. 

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Cubs are back home to start a three-game series with the Padres tonight at Wrigley Field.  Chicago sends Kyle Hendricks to the mound for his second start.  He allowed four runs in six innings in his first outing.  San Diego counter with Eric Stults.  First pitch is set for 7:05. 

(St. Louis, MO)  --  The Cardinals will send Adam Wainwright to the hill tonight against the Rays in a short two-game series.  Lance Lynn will get the ball tomorrow night.  St. Louis took two games from the Dodgers in their first series since the All-Star break and sit a half game behind the Brewers in the National League Central. Coverage of today's Cards and Dodgers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.

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

Sidney D. Davis, 39, of 1320 Gulick, Decatur, was arrested July 22 on a bond forfeiture for driving while license is suspended.

Ronnie E. Clay, 25, of 315 North Cherokee Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 21 on a bond forfeiture for burglary.

Christopher R. Hillebrand, 30, of 9977 Elis, Saint Jacob, was arrested July 22 for driving on a suspended/revoked license.

Aaron C. Logue, 21, of 709 West Elm Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 21 on a bond forfeiture for the issuance of a warrant.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 21 at 6:03pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were out at 701 East Elm in an attempt to locate Aaron Logue, 21, of Taylorville. The officers knew Logue to have a valid Christian County failure to appear warrant. An officer located him hiding in the basement of the apartment building. Dispatch verified the warrant through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. Logue was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center.

On July 22 at 1:23am, a Taylorville Police Department observed a male at the Manners Park Entrance. Upon further investigation, the male juvenile was arrested for possession of tobacco by a minor. He was also given a verbal warning for curfew violation. He was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and then given a ride back to his guardian's residence.

On July 22 at 12:02am, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with Alex M. Minix, 19, of Taylorville. Upon further investigation, Minix was arrested for possession of cannabis. Minix was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

Dan Raab, chief executive officer of Taylorville Memorial Hospital, was Tuesday's guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Raab gave a brief overview of some of the new programs that the local hospital has rolled out, so that local residents don't have to travel out of town for health care. Those programs include the Senior Life Solutions program, new equipment such as diagnosis scopes, updated software for the hospital's C-T scanner, and new specialists that will practice at Taylorville Memorial.

Raab told the Kiwanis members regarding the Affordable Care Act, that while some people have been helped due to the new law, its 28-hundred pages of law, plus many thousands of pages of regulations, have been a challenge for the local hospital, and for the medical industry as a whole, to keep up with.

[audio:RaabaudioJul2214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

He added that the federal mandate to go to electronic health records, actually reduced productivity due to the amount of work that it's taken to go from paper records to electronic.

Raab said the Taylorville hospital's patient mix includes 57-percent being Medicare, 22-percent with private insurance, 17-percent Medicaid, and 5-percent with no insurance. He added T-M-H provided some 4-million dollars in charity care, to local residents in 2013.

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.

Sangamon County Coroner Cinda Edwards reports that a forensic autopsy was performed Tuesday morning on the remains discovered in a shed located in Rochester on Saturday and it was confirmed that they are human remains.  The exam was conducted at Memorial Medical Center by Dr. Patterson.  An anthropologist was in attendance for consultation.  After the exam, it has been determined the remains are most likely those of a white female.  The cause of death is undetermined and identification is pending.  The Illinois State Police is conducting the criminal investigation.  The Sangamon County Coroner’s Office continues to work on identification.

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to criminal damage that occurred in Taylorville.

Sometime between Wednesday July 9, 2014, and Friday July 11, 2014, person or persons unknown broke into a vehicle that was parked in the 700 block of East Cleveland Street.  The unknown subject or subjects took a GPS unit and some change.  The vehicle, a gray 2004 Pontiac, had its driver's side door and back passenger's window damaged when entry was made.  The total dollar amount of damage and 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. 

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville will be hosting a senior resources event from 9:30a – 11:30a on Tuesday, August 5, at the Decatur-Macon County Senior Center, 1430 N. 22^nd St., in Decatur.

The resources fair will provide seniors and their families with information on services provided by the Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, AARP, the Decatur-Macon County Opportunities Corporation and other groups. Free health screenings will also be provided by Decatur Memorial Hospital Prime Time Services.

For more information on the event, contact Tyler Cravens at 217-403-4690.

A local business is offering a new service.  Patty Hornbuckle, CEO of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce says Gowin Parc is now providing adult daycare:

[audio:pattyadultdaycare071814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Gowin Parc has locations in Taylorville, Pana, Paris and Mattoon.

A local organization dedicated to fighting against youthful drug and alcohol abuse will hold a meeting soon.  Aundrea Marsh says the Christian County Prevention Coalition will get together at the end of the month:

[audio:marshsadd072114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Marsh, a recent Taylorville High School graduate, along with Call Bierman, a Morrisonville High School Senior, are members of the coalition, and also members of Students Against Destructive Decisions.

Even though the Christian County Fair doesn't start until Tuesday, there are already some winners in 4H judging.  The Extension's Youth Development Coordinator Peggy Hampton explains:

[audio:hamptonfoodwinners071814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Christian County Fair starts Tuesday July 22^nd  and continues through Sunday July 27^th at the Fairgrounds in Taylorville.

The Christian County Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program investor meeting is today at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium. Dee Krueger, chairperson of the CEO Steering Committee, tells Regional Radio News that the program ideally will lead to the creation of more local businesses in the future:

[audio:kruegermorejobs072114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If interested in attending, you need to RSVP to the event by calling the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce at 824-4919. 

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Matt Dominguez homered, drove in four runs 
and  sparked the  four-run seventh inning that gave the Houston Astros an 11-7 
win over the Chicago White Sox in Sunday's series finale. 

Dominguez followed Chris Carter's double with a two-bagger of his own to start 
the  seventh against Daniel  Webb (5-3) to break a 7-7 tie. After Webb retired 
the  next two  batters he faced and walked Robbie Grossman intentionally, L.J. 
Hoes  doubled in Dominguez and Marwin Gonzalez added two insurance runs with a 
base knock to center. 

Dominguez  finished  a triple shy  of the cycle  and scored twice for Houston, 
which  ended a three-game  losing streak. Jose Altuve went yard and drove in a 
pair  and Gonzalez went 3-for-4. All nine Astros starters had at least one hit 
and six players had at least two. 

Neither  starter factored  into the decision. John Danks got torched for seven 
runs on 12 hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Sox, while Jarred Cosart allowed four 
runs -- three earned -- on seven hits through five. 

White  Sox star  rookie Jose Abreu went  2-for-5 and drove in a run, extending 
his hit streak to 11 games. He has hit safely in 29 of his last 30. 

The  Astros struck first, jumping ahead 1-0 on Carter's first-inning sacrifice 
fly.  Altuve  added to  the lead two  innings later with  his two-run homer to 
left, and Dominguez plated Carter with an RBI single for a 4-0 spread. 

Chicago  got three runs back over the next two innings. Adam Dunn put the home 
team  on  the board  with an RBI  groundout in the  third, and Jon Singleton's 
error allowed Conor Gillaspie and Alejandro De Aza to cross in the fourth. 

Dominguez's  two-run blast  to center  highlighted a  three-run fifth  inning. 
Singleton  and  Carlos Corporan followed with  singles to chase Danks from the 
game  and Grossman  greeted reliever Taylor Thompson with an RBI single before 
Hoes grounded into a double-play to end the inning. 

The White Sox chipped away at  their 7-3 deficit,  getting a run back in the 
home  fifth when Dayan  Viciedo raced home on De Aza's grounder to Gonzalez at 
shortstop. 

Alexei  Ramirez doubled  in a run in  the sixth and Abreu followed with an RBI 
single  to make it  a one run game. Two Houston errors in the inning -- a poor 
throw  by Enrique  Hernandez that  allowed Abreu  to advance  to second  and a 
grounder  that went through Altuve's legs at second base -- allowed Chicago to 
tie things at 7. 

After  Houston put  up a four-spot in  the top of the seventh, Tony Sipp (2-1) 
pitched  a 1-2-3 bottom  of the inning, Josh Fields struck out the side in the 
eighth  following  a walk  to Adam  Eaton and  Chad Qualls  finished it with a 
perfect ninth. 

                                   Game Notes 

Cosart  had won  four consecutive road starts ... Altuve made his major league 
debut  exactly four years ago, hitting 1-for-5 in a win over the Nationals ... 
Houston  outhit Chicago,  17-10 ... The ChiSox went just 2-for-14 with runners 
in scoring position and stranded nine ... The Astros committed three errors. 

Phoenix,  AZ  (SportsNetwork.com) -  David Peralta  drove in  two runs for the 
Arizona  Diamondbacks, who  used a 3-2 victory to complete a three-game series 
sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. 

Peralta  and Mark  Trumbo both  scored  and Ender  Inciarte had  two hits  and 
crossed  the plate  for the  Diamondbacks, who  have won  five straight  games 
against the Cubs for the first time since June 30, 2005-July 31, 2006. 

Starter  Josh  Collmenter (8-5)  gave up just  one run on  four hits with four 
strikeouts across seven strong innings. 

"He  was outstanding since the beginning," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson on 
Collmenter. "I let him go seven innings and I felt good with him in there." 

Anthony  Rizzo homered  and Arismendy  Alcantara  supplied an  RBI double  for 
Chicago, which dropped its fifth straight game. 

Jake  Arrieta (5-2)  was reached for three  runs on four hits with three walks 
and  eight  strikeouts. It was  Arrieta's first loss  since May 27 against San 
Francisco. 

Both pitchers were cruising until Rizzo crushed a first-pitch changeup to deep 
right, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead in the sixth. 

The Diamondbacks responded in the home half. Inciarte led off with a double to 
left  and came  home on Peralta's double off the center-field wall. Aaron Hill 
hit  a foul  to first that saw Rizzo  reach over the railing and fall into the 
Cubs dugout, but Peralta slid into home to give Arizona a 2-1 advantage. 

Trumbo took a two-out walk to end Arrieta's outing in the seventh. A manager's 
challenge  overturned an  out call after Trumbo stole second and Inciarte beat 
out  a throw  to  first on  a  short grounder  to place  men  on the  corners. 
Peralta's liner dropped into right for an RBI single. 

In  the eighth,  Chris Coghlan  stroked a  one-out double  to deep  center off 
reliever  Brad Ziegler and  came home on Alcantara's double to left to get the 
Cubs within one. 

Addison Reed tossed a perfect ninth for his 23rd save of the season. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Diamondbacks took their first three-game sweep against the Cubs since June 
22-24,  2012 ... It was also Arizona's first home sweep of the season ... Both 
teams  had six  hits ... Chicago went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position 
and left five men on base. 

St.  Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead RBI single 
in  the  top of the  ninth inning  and the Los  Angeles Dodgers topped the St. 
Louis Cardinals, 4-3, to salvage a three-game set. 

A.J.  Ellis led off the ninth with a double to center against Trevor Rosenthal 
(1-5).  Justin Turner and Dee Gordon both struck out before Hanley Ramirez was 
hit  by a pitch. Gonzalez then slapped a base hit to right to plate the pinch- 
runner Miguel Rojas and give the Dodgers a 4-3 edge. 

Kenley Jansen fired a 1-2-3 ninth to garner his 28th save of the season. 

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, who had won eight straight starts, struck out 
eight  and allowed  three runs on six  hits and a walk in a no-decision, while 
J.P. Howell (2-3) notched the win for recording the final out in the eighth. 

"It  was a  struggle," Kershaw said of  his start. "I didn't have a great idea 
where the ball was going for most of the night." 

Peter  Bourjos cracked a two-run homer among his two hits for St. Louis, which 
had won seven of its last nine games coming in. 

Both teams scored a run in the second to open the scoring. 

Andre  Ethier  smacked a  one-out triple and  later came home  on a Juan Uribe 
single  to  right. Jhonny  Peralta led off  the home second  with a single and 
scored two batters later on Allen Craig's double to left center. 

The Dodgers pushed a pair of runs across in the third before the Cardinals got 
both runs back in the sixth. 

Kershaw  walked to  begin the  third and  advanced to  second on  Dee Gordon's 
groundout.  Ramirez coaxed a free pass and after Gonzalez lined out, Matt Kemp 
and Ethier both hit RBI singles to give LA a 3-1 lead. 

Matt Carpenter walked to start the sixth and Bourjos followed by launching his 
two-run shot just over the wall in left-center to knot the contest at 3-3. 

"It  was  a mistake  and fortunately  I didn't  miss it,"  Bourjos said of his 
homer. 

The  Dodgers put runners  on the corners with one out in the seventh, but Seth 
Maness  got Kemp  to ground  into an  inning-ending double  play. In  the home 
seventh, A.J. Ellis picked off Mark Ellis at second with two away. 

St.  Louis threatened again in the eighth, putting runners on first and second 
with two outs, but Matt Adams grounded out to quell that opportunity. 

                                   Game Notes 

Kershaw  stole his first base of his career in the fourth inning ... Cardinals 
starter  Carlos Martinez surrendered three runs on six hits and two walks over 
four  frames  ... The Dodgers were  5-for-14 with runners in scoring position, 
while  St. Louis finished  0-for-5 ... Ramirez was taken out of the game after 
getting hit in the hand in the ninth. 

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

John K. Fickas, 51, of 321 North Stephens, Springfield, was arrested July 18 on a bond forfeiture for retail theft.

Rocky L. Davis, 54, of 412 East 2nd Street, Pana, was arrested July 19 on a bond forfeiture for driving revoked.

Scott T. Tucker, 43, of 1105 Wakefield Drive, Heyworth, was arrested July 18 for title/registration possession offenses.

Caleb L. Dean, 23, of 9 West Orange, Pana, was arrested July 19 for battery.

Cody N. Durbin, 23, of 424 North Silver Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 20 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jared W. Smick, 27, of 1850 North 2275 East Road, Moweaqua, was arrested July 19 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Steven L. Moyer, 46, of 136 East Palmer Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 20 for driving on a suspended/revoked license and for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Eric B. Jones, 33, of 4715 Glen Moor Way, Kokomo, Indiana, was arrested July 19 on bond forfeitures for no driver's license/permit and driving on a suspended/revoked license. Jones was also charged with driving with a suspended license.

Michael D. Fletcher, 29, of 709 Helles Avenue, Joliet, was arrested July 20 for driving on a suspended/revoked license.

Jessica L. Cobb, 31, of 916 Southard Avenue South, Roxanna, was arrested July 20 on a bond forfeiture for retail theft.

CRASHES

On July 12 at 2:22am, Calvin T. Thogmartin, 23, of Avon Lake, Ohio, was traveling northwest on Illinois Route 29. At approximately 2176 North, a deer came onto the roadway from the west. Thogmartin his the deer with the front, right end of the vehicle. There was severe damage to the front, right end of the vehicle. Thogmartin's vehicle was towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 18th at 12:34am, Taylorville Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Market Street and Webster Street. Following the stop, one male juvenile was placed under arrest for possession of cannabis. A second male juvenile was cited for speeding, driving with no valid driver's license, driving with no valid insurance, and leaving the scene of an accident.

On July 19 at 6:06pm, Michael Collingwood contacted Taylorville Police Department in regards to his wife, Melinda, being bitten by a dog while they were walking their dog in the 2200 block of Eastwood Drive in Taylorville. An officer arrived at the residence and spoke to Melinda Collingwood. She advised the dog lives down the block from her and she has seen it running loose before. She advised that the dog attempted to bite her dog but she moved her arm and the dog bit her instead. The dog did not break skin but left a small bruise on her right arm close to her elbow. Photos were taken of her injury and placed into evidence. Melinda wrote out a statement and signed a temporary complaint. A City ordinance violation for a dog running at large was issued to the owner of the dog, Robert Woodruff, 50, of Taylorville.

On July 19th at 6:33pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were made aware of an altercation that had occurred in a vehicle near the intersection of Walnut Street and Main Cross and later in the lobby of the Taylorville Police Department between Thomas Lovelace and Michael Reese. After an investigation, Lovelace, 49, of Taylorville, was arrested for battery and disorderly conduct. Lovelace was transported back to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released with a notice to appear.

On July 20 at 1:56am, a Taylorville Police Department officer observed a male subject that the officer knew to have a valid warrant out of Sangamon County. Cody N. Durbin, 23, of Taylorville was arrested and transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond.

On July 20 at 5:10am, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with a male subject who was unconscious inside of a vehicle in the 700 block of East Franklin. When the officer approached the vehicle, the officer observed 3 occupants passed out. Upon further investigation, Alexander B. Shanks, 21, of Taylorville and Michelle M. Malone-Pyle, 27, of Taylorville were arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Both were transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear. 

On July 20 at 4:08pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were sent to 1523 West Elm in reference to an unknown disturbance. Following investigation, Amanda R. Carnahan, 33, of Taylorville was arrested for aggravated battery and possession of drug paraphernalia. Carnahan was transported to Christian County Correctional Center.

CRASHES

On July 20 at 11:13am, Richard D. Prakel, 47, of Taylorville was traveling east on Heights Avenue in the area of 319. A truck was legally parked on the roadway in front of 319 Heights Avenue facing west. Prakel was reportedly distracted by something outside the vehicle momentarily, crossed out of his lane and struck the parked truck in the front area. Prakel was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not physically evident by the report.

On July 20 at 10:44am, Glen W. Ballard, 78, of Dana advised he was traveling south on Spresser Street and did not see the stop sign at the intersection of Spresser and Route 48. Ballard advised he could not get stopped before striking Joseph B. O'Brien, 75, of Taylorville who was traveling east on Route 48. After striking O'Brien, Ballard spun around and came to a stop on the south side of Route 48 on Spresser Street. Ballard was issued a citation for disobeying a stop sign and his vehicle was towed from the scene. O'Brien advised he was traveling east on Route 48 when Ballard ran the stop sign and struck him. O'Brien was unable to avoid Ballard. After O'Brien was struck, the vehicle flipped at least once and hit a highway sign located on the south side of Route 48 before coming to a rest on its side in the ditch. O'Brien's vehicle was towed from the scene. Ballard and O'Brien were both transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not physically evident by the report. George J. Ballard, 56, of Wenona  and a 16-year-old male were transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. A 14-year-old male and Elaine F. O'Brien, 73, of Taylorville were transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as not physically evident by the report.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 18
1 EMS

July 19
3 Automatic Alarms, 1 EMS

July 20
2 Motor Vehicle Accidents, 2 EMS, 1 Public Assist

July 21
3 EMS

It’s week four of the Christian County 175th Anniversary Committee’s history series. This week’s article features the Greenwood and Johnson Townships. The article can be seen under the letter section at taylorvilledailynews.com. The series will run for 14 weeks and most of the information comes from the quarterlies and library of the Christian County Genealogical Society.

Pictured: Clean up of the brick wall begins Monday morning.

A vehicle crashed through the brick wall in front of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office over the weekend. The Sheriff’s Office says a woman came to put money in the bond payment machine and when she got back into her vehicle, she went forward on to the sidewalk. She then went through the brick wall, made a u-turn, and reportedly crashed into another vehicle on Franklin. More details are pending the crash report which is being handled by the Taylorville Police Department.

Sangamon County Chief Deputy Coroner Jim Allmon is reporting that on Saturday a resident of Rochester contacted the Rochester Police Department with a report of having located possible human remains. An autopsy is pending. The investigation is on-going. More information will follow after the autopsy.

Over 50 people attended Monday's luncheon meeting of the new Christian County group called "Creating Entreprenural Opportunities", or C-E-O, program, at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. The meeting was to ask those community leaders to invest up to one-thousand dollars in the program.

The program will invite up to 2 dozen Christian County high school seniors, to attend a special class 4 days a week, to be mentored by Christian County business and community leaders. The goal is to attract those students to become business people in Christian County after college.

Former Taylorville native Craig Lindvahl, who now resides in Effingham and directs the Midland Institute which founded the program in 2008 in Effingham County, told those in attendance that towns big and small are all concerned about bringing youth back to the local community to become entrapreneurs.

[audio:Lindvahlcut1Jul2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Lindvahl spoke with Regional Radio News after his remarks, saying he has been surprised at the growth of the program not only in the Midwest, but even internationally.

[audio:Lindvahlcut2Jul2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

2 of Lindvahl's students that went thru the Effingham County program, Amy Martin and Tyler Yocum (YOH-kum), also spoke to the Christian County crowd, about how the program changed their futures.

The head of the Christian County C-E-O Steering Committee Dee Krueger, told Regional Radio News said those in attendance were very excited with Lindvahl's presentation.

[audio:KruegeraudioJul2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Patty Hornbuckle, president and C-E-O of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce echo'ed Krueger's comments, with the group interested in starting the program locally.

[audio:HornbuckleaudioJul2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Those in attendance, as well as other local business and community leaders, are being asked to invest up to one-thousand dollars per year for 3 years, to fund the program. The Christian County class expects to begin in county high schools in the fall of 2015.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest Committee held their monthly meeting Monday afternoon in the Chamber board room.

Chamber C-E-O Patty Hornbuckle tells Regional Radio News that a host of ideas were presented by committee members, to make this year's event even better.

[audio:ChillifestaudioJul2114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

This year's Chillifest October 4th and 5th is being held in conjunction with Taylorville and Christian County's 175th anniversary the same weekend.

Information on Chillifest can be found at the event's web site, Chillifest-dot-info, and that's with 2-L's.

The Taylorville City Council met Monday night and approved the annexation and re-zoning of the Hamell property located at 1514 West Vandeveer. Questions were raised though when it came to approving a variance that would not require a sidewalk to be built due to a large ditch. Alderman Shawn Burtle says while there is the City Ordinance that mandates a sidewalk, he believes that this is an exception that needed to be approved:

[audio:burtlesidewalk072114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Alderman Martin Vota agreed that the variance should be granted because of the cost it would be to fill in that ditch:

[audio:votasidewalk072214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

After the discussion, the Council approved the variance for no sidewalk on a 6-2 vote. The Council also approved the final plat for the Hamell Minor Subdivision.

The Taylorville City Council heard an update on the Ahlstrom situation at their Monday night meeting. Alderman Larry Budd says the stack repair is nearing completion:

[audio:buddahlstromtower072214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The noise issue started when Ahlstrom installed EPA mandated equipment.

The Taylorville City Council approved a motion to fill a vacancy in the Fire Department, due to a resignation, to meet SAFER Grant Obligations. The Council approved the sale of the 1990 Pierce Fire Truck to Ramsey and approved the motion to make repairs to Engine 4. Taylorville Assistant Fire Chief Andy Goodall told the Council that Ramsey will allow the Fire Department to keep the Pierce Fire Truck while repairs to Engine 4 are made so they are not down 2 trucks. Alderman Martin Vota noted that the Owaneco Sewage draining into Lake Taylorville concerns have been forwarded to the Christian County Board. Mayor Greg Brotherton said he contacted the Illinois EPA who told him the issue did not concern them.

A law signed this week requires police departments across the state to provide bulletproof vests for their officers. The law also requires the local law enforcement agencies to apply for federal aid to help pay for the equipment upgrade, with the state picking up half of the cost. The law requires a vest for every new recruit unless federal or state funds aren't available, or if departments provide allowances for officers to buy their own vests.

The Christian County Sheriff's Office reports that 3 people were sent to the hospital following a one vehicle crash on Thursday. Around 9:57pm, a 16-year-old male juvenile from Pana was traveling northbound on 2400 East Road. The male turned left on 400 North Road and reportedly began to spin the tires. The vehicle slid sideways for approximately 90 feet before the 16-year-old reportedly overcorrected and lost control. The vehicle then struck the north ditch and overturned. The male and 2 passengers, another 16-year-old male from Pana and a 16-year-old female from Pana, were all taken to Pana Community Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. 

You may need to do some “dead heading” in your garden.  Andrew Holsinger, horticulture educator for the University of Illinois Extension explains:

[audio:holsingerdeadhead071114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Extension offers it's weekly Help Desk if you have questions.  Just call the office between 9am and 11:30am or between 1 and 2pm every Monday.

The American Diabetes Association has an important fundraiser coming up in a couple of months.  Vanessa Wiseman of the Association tells Regional Radio News their “Step Out” event will be in October:

The Christian County Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program investor meeting is this Monday at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium. Dee Krueger, chairperson of the CEO Steering Committee, tells Regional Radio News that the meeting will provide information on the program to community and area business leaders:

[audio:kruegerceomeeting071914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

You can RSVP to the event by calling the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce at 824-4919. 

The Taylorville City Council will meet Monday night at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers located on the second floor of the Municipal Building. Items on the agenda include: annexing the Hamell property at 1514 West Vandeveer, rezoning the Hamell Property from Agricultural-1 to Residential-1, Hammel Minor Subdivision recommendation from the Plan Commision, a motion to fill a vacancy in the Fire Department due to a resignation, City Attorney update, and Mayor update. We will have details following the meeting at taylorvilledailynews.com.

Chicago,  IL (SportsNetwork.com)  - Tyler  Flowers' seventh-inning  RBI double 
lifted  the  Chicago White Sox to  a 3-2 win  over the  Houston Astros in the 
opener of a three-game set from U.S. Cellular Field. 

Alejandro  De  Aza's one-out single in  the home seventh against Scott Feldman 
(4-7)  set the stage  for the game-winning RBI by Flowers. De Aza stole second 
to  put himself in  scoring position for Flowers, who ripped a 3-1 offering to 
the wall in left-center. 

Feldman  was charged  with all three runs  on seven hits over seven innings to 
absorb the loss. 

Jose  Quintana (6-7)  yielded a pair of  runs on three hits for Chicago, which 
improved  to 4-0 against Houston with him on the mound in his career. Quintana 
struck out eight and walked two over five innings. 

Dayan  Viciedo homered  while rookie  superstar  Jose Abreu  extended his  hit 
streak  to  nine games.  Abreu, who  leads the  majors with  29 home runs, has 
reached safely in 27 of his last 28 games. 

Houston  got off  to a fast start, plating  both of its runs in the top of the 
second  inning.  Matt Dominguez led off  with a single to right. Jon Singleton 
followed  with a  single to  right-center, and  Dominguez scored  on Viciedo's 
error  in right.  Singleton moved to third  on the error and scored one batter 
later when Robbie Grossman grounded out to shortstop. 

Feldman  held the White Sox off the board until the sixth, but Viciedo made up 
for  his earlier  mistake by crushing the  first pitch he saw out to center to 
tie the score. 

Three White Sox relievers combined  to toss  four perfect innings, with Zach 
Putnam striking out two in the ninth to earn his second save. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  season series is tied at 2-2 ... Quintana is 3-0 over his last six starts 
...  Feldman  fell to 5-2  lifetime against  the ChiSox ... Houston designated 
hitter Chris Carter went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. 

Phoenix,  AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Didi Gregorius hit a go-ahead RBI single as 
part  of a  three-run sixth  inning and  the Arizona  Diamondbacks topped  the 
Chicago Cubs, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game set. 

The Cubs put the  tying run on third with one out against Addison Reed in the 
ninth,  but didn't  capitalize. Justin  Ruggiano worked  a walk,  stole second 
and  advanced  to third on  a Miguel Montero  throwing error, but Ryan Sweeney 
popped out in foul territory and Welington Castillo struck out to end the game 
and give Reed his 22nd save of the season. 

Paul  Goldschmidt  smacked a solo homer  for the Diamondbacks. Eury De La Rosa 
(1-0) was credited with the win after allowing a run in the top of the sixth. 

Anthony  Rizzo cracked a pair of blasts among his three RBI for Chicago, which 
has dropped nine of its last 11 games. 

The Cubs  led 4-2 before Arizona  surged ahead following the three-run sixth. 
Goldschmidt  launched his  solo shot the opposite way to right-center with one 
out.  James Russell  came on  for Chicago  starter Edwin  Jackson and  Montero 
reached  with a  bunt single. Back-to-back base hits by Mark Trumbo and Martin 
Prado  against  Brian Schlitter  (2-3),  who  replaced  Russell on  the  bump, 
loaded the bases. 

"I thought he minimized damage," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of Jackson. 
"He looked very confident, very poised. I thought he threw the ball well. Well 
enough to give us a chance to win the ball game." 

Gerardo  Parra  followed with  a sacrifice  fly to  plate Montero. Zac Rosscup 
became  to fourth Cubs pitcher in the inning and Gregorius welcomed him with a 
base hit to left-center to plate Trumbo and give Arizona a 5-4 advantage. 

Earlier,  Rizzo belted a  two-run shot and Ryan Sweeney added an RBI single as 
the Cubs opened the scoring with a three-run fourth. 

RBI  singles by Gregorius and pinch-hitter Nick Evans in the fifth trimmed the 
gap  to 3-2,  but Rizzo's second blast  of the night in the sixth gave Chicago 
its 4-2 margin. 

"He killed me," Arizona starter Trevor Cahill said of Rizzo. "I should've just 
let him put the ball in play." 

                                   Game Notes 

Arizona  was 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, while Chicago finished 
2-for-6  ...  Rizzo has 22 homers  this season, while Goldschmidt recorded his 
17th  ... Cahill  allowed three  runs on  four hits  and two  walks over  five 
innings, while Jackson gave  up three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 frames. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Dodgers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:35pm.

St.  Louis, MO  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Matt Holliday  smacked a  two-run homer 
among  his  two hits and  three RBI  as the St.  Louis Cardinals edged the Los 
Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, in the opener of a three-game set. 

Kolten  Wong went 2-for-4  with a pair of runs scored, while Lance Lynn (11-6) 
struck out nine and surrendered two runs on four hits and four walks over six- 
plus innings for the Cardinals, who have won six of their last eight games. 

"He's got a lot of wins and there's a reason, because he's got great stuff and 
he knows how to win," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Lynn. 

Trevor Rosenthal fired a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his 29th save of the season. 

Dan  Haren  (8-7) allowed three  runs on  eight hits and  two walks over 4 2/3 
frames  for Los Angeles, which had won three of its last four contests heading 
into the All-Star break. 

The Cardinals led 3-0 after six innings before the Dodgers trimmed the deficit 
to a run following a two-run seventh. 

Back-to-back  doubles  by Juan  Uribe and  A.J. Ellis to  lead off the seventh 
plated  a run and  knocked Lynn out of the game. Seth Maness came on and Ellis 
advanced  to third  following a Justin Turner groundout. He scored on a Maness 
breaking pitch in the dirt to make it 3-2. 

Adrian  Gonzalez singled  and Matt  Kemp walked  with one  away in  the eighth 
against  Pat Neshek, but the submarine pitcher struck out Andre Ethier looking 
and got Uribe to pop out and end the threat. 

St. Louis opened the scoring with a run in the first and added two more in the 
fifth to jump out to its three-run cushion. 

Back-to-back  one-out doubles by Wong and Holliday in the opening frame plated 
the game's first run. 

Wong  hit a  one-out single in the  fifth and Holliday followed by belting his 
two-run shot onto the grassy knoll in center and make it 3-0. 

"Dan  (Haren) really  battled and  did  a great  job, just  couldn't get  Matt 
Holliday out," Ellis said. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Cardinals were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, while the Dodgers 
finished 1-for-8 with RISP ... Holliday's homer was his seventh of the season. 

Pictured: Lisa Peterson

Amanda Cole, Unit 18 County Extension Director, has introduced Lisa Peterson as their new Nutrition & Wellness Educator.  Peterson will represent the counties of Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery, which make up Unit 18.

Peterson is a native of Minnesota and is a graduate of South Dakota State University. Peterson had the opportunity to work with South Dakota State University in creating the Food Safety Scientist Virtual Labs and Curriculum, which teaches students basic scientific techniques while exposing them to careers in food safety and agriculture.

Anyone interested in contacting Lisa may reach her at the Hillsboro Extension office by calling 217-532-3941.

Gowin Parc’s expansion House C at the Taylorville location has started to take in residents. Executive Director Jenni Stephens says while they have begun to fill their rooms, they still have a few spots open:

[audio:stephensopenings071814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Gowin Parc in Taylorville is located at 920 McAdam Drive. Again the number to call for more information is 287-7000 or you can visit their website gowinparc.com.

Stock car racing will be at the Christian County Fair for the first time in decades when the Larry’s Service Center Triple 25’s hit the quarter-mile fairgrounds dirt track in Taylorville on Thursday. Macon Speedway Track Manager John Supinie (Sue-pee-nee) says they will be bringing three competitive divisions to the Fair:

[audio:supinieracesccfair071814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Again those races will take place Thursday night at the Christian County Fair. The gates will open at 5 p.m. with racing beginning at 7. For more information, you can call 764-3200.

It's once again time for the Christian County Fair.  Fair Board President Jim Olive tells Regional Radio News things get underway Tuesday:

The Land of Lincoln A’s will be holding a Model A Car Display tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am to 2pm at the Fred B. Johnson Park in Nokomis. Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR will be broadcasting its Saturday Request Show live from the event from 9am to 1pm. During this time, you will be able to register on site for any of the free text alerts offered through taylorvilledailynews.com. The event will primarily feature Model A Ford cars but other cars are welcome to display. There is no entry fee or judging for the event. 

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

On July 17 at 9:57pm, a 16-year-old male juvenile from Pana was traveling northbound on 2400 East Road. The male turned left on 400 North Road and began to spin the tires. The vehicle slid sideways for approximately 90 feet before the 16-year-old reportedly overcorrected and lost control. The vehicle then struck the north ditch and overturned. The male and 2 passengers, another 16-year-old male from Pana and a 16-year-old female from Pana, were all taken to Pana Community Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report.

On July 11 at 5:04pm, Riki L. Dial, Jr., 44, of Decatur was traveling west on County Highway 2. At 1125 East, a deer entered the roadway from the south and into Dial, Jr.'s path of travel. Dial, Jr. then collided with the deer in the roadway. No injuries were reported.

On July 17 at 7:30am, Matthew L. Fry, 36, of Taylorville was northbound on County Highway 1 and Brian L. Wilbur, 35, of Tovey was southbound on County Highway 1. Fry said that Wilbur was southbound and turned east onto County Highway 8 in front of him. Fry said that Wilbur was too close and he had to brake hard and steer to the left to avoid a collision. Fry avoided Wilbur but ran off the road into the west ditch. Wilbur stated he did not see Fry and turned onto County Highway 8. Wilbur said that when he heard the screech of brakes, he looked and saw the car but he was already on County Highway 8 when he heard the squealing brakes. He then parked in a rock lot on the north side of County Highway 8. There were no observable skid marks in the roadway but several witnesses said they also heard Fry breaking hard. No injuries were reported.

ARRESTS:

Travis S. Moma, 20, of 103 North Chestnut, Assumption, was arrested July 17 for burglary, aggravated possession of 11-20 stolen firearms, and obstructing justice.

George R. Frauli, 57, of 309 East Douglas Street, Edinburg, was arrested July 17 on a warrant for 720 550/4-D

William R. Graham, 31, of 311 West Illinois Street, Assumption, was arrested July 17 on a bond forfeiture for the issuance of a warrant.

Taylor D. Bowman, 20, of 103 North Chestnut, Assumption, was arrested July 18 for aggravated possession of 2-5 stolen firearms and obstructing justice.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 17 at 5:02pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to the 100 block of East Main in reference to a male subject that was intoxicated. Following an investigation, Shawn M. Hill, 27, of Taylorville and Vincent B. Page, 31, of Taylorville were arrested for public intoxication.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 17
1 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm

July 18
2 EMS

The Lake Land College Board of Trustees has placed the proposed fiscal year 2015 budget on file for public inspection until a special board meeting on August 18.

The tentative budget is available for inspection by the public in the Board Room during normal working summer hours, Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Webb Hall, room 081 on the Lake Land College campus.

The FY2015 operating budget is balanced with estimated income of $37,897,636, and corresponding expenditures of $37,897,636. The FY2015 budget expenditures represent an overall decrease of $424,910 from FY 2014 expenditures.

For more information about Lake Land College, visit www.lakelandcollege.edu.

The Taylorville Police Department reports that one person was injured in a hit and run incident over the weekend. On Friday at 2:24pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were sent to Cherokee and Poplar for a hit and run motor vehicle accident. 84-year-old Bonnie J. Wareham of Taylorville said she was traveling south on Cherokee when she was hit in the driver side by 42-year-old Melissa J. White of Taylorville. Wareham's vehicle spun to face north in the east lane on Cherokee. White then reportedly fled on Poplar. On Sunday, White was located and reportedly said she fled the scene due to not having insurance. Wareham reported injuries that were not physically evident but refused medical treatment according to the report. White was issued citations for leaving the scene, operating a vehicle uninsured, and failure to obey a stop sign.

An already eventful weekend in Taylorville will be even more so this year.  The 175^th Anniversary of Taylorville and Christian County is being celebrated during this year's Chillifest weekend.  CEO of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Patty Hornbuckle says there will be a parade as part of the festivities this year:

There have been some complaints recently about the Taylorville School District website.  The problems have raised fears that there might be difficulties with upcoming online registration, but School Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau says the concerns are being addressed:

[audio:fursteneauwebsite071714.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Taylorville Schools resume sessions August 15^th.

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

On July 16 at 10:17am, a 15-year-old female juvenile from Morrisonville was stopped at the traffic light intersection of North Cherokee Street and East Park Street in Taylorville. The 15-year-old was on North Cherokee facing southbound. Alfred M. Fox, 32, of Taylorville was driving an emergency vehicle and was responding to a call. Fox was traveling eastbound on East Park Street and proceeded to turn left onto North Cherokee Street. Fox struck the front, driver's side bumper of the female's vehicle. Fox's vehicle did not receive any noticeable damage. The female's vehicle received minor front, driver's bumper damage. No injuries were reported.

ARRESTS:

Michael K. Bennett, 26, of 317 South Curtis Street, Edinburg, was arrested July 16 for aggravated battery/great bodily harm.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 16
3 EMS, 1 Brush Fire, 1 Public Assist

July 17
1 Automatic Alarm, 1 EMS

Pictured:  A Safe Sitter participant practices CPR on the mannequin 

Eighteen students graduated from the University of Illinois Extension’s Safe Sitters program after two days of instruction and hands-on learning.  The program was held at the Extension office in Taylorville. The 11 to 13 year old students completed a 13 hour, two-day course taught by specially trained instructors with medical and child development backgrounds. 

The curriculum for the course included injury prevention, rescue breathing, care for a choking infant and child, accident management, first aid, the business of babysitting, basic childcare and safety for the sitter.

After the students received the information from the instructors, they had to pass a written and practical exam which included case studies, rescue breathing, care for a choking infant and child questions.  A ceremony was held the final day with the students and parents.  

State Senator Andy Manar will be in Edinburg this upcoming Monday night to discuss a variety of topics including education funding. Manar says this is part of his “Capital on Your Corner” program:

Concerns over contamination at Lake Taylorville have begun to resurface. Taylorville Alderman Martin Vota tells Regional Radio News that despite the concerns, the water is safe:

[audio:votalaketaylorville071614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

According to past Taylorville City Council and Committee meeting minutes, a solution to the issue was pursued for 6 years before the matter was dropped in 2005. Vota says Mayor Greg Brotherton has been asked to send a letter to the Illinois EPA for their assistance in finding the problem.  

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

On July 15, Michael T. Buckles, 17, of Owaneco was traveling eastbound on County Highway #8. Approximately 3/10 of a mile east of Township Road 1700 East, a deer entered the roadway. Buckles was unable to avoid striking the deer. Buckles' vehicle received front end damage. No injuries were reported.

ARRESTS:

Shane L. Lamber-Miller, 24, of 306 North Paw Paw Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 15 on a bond forfeiture for driving with a suspended license.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 15 at 6:42pm, Taylorville Police Department officers made contact with Shane L. Lambert-Miller at 604 East Franklin. Officers knew Miller-Lambert to have a valid Christian County failure to appear warrant. Dispatch verified the warrant through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. Miller-Lambert was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center.

CRASHES:

On July 11 at 2:24pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to Cherokee and Poplar for a hit and run motor vehicle accident. Bonnie J. Wareham, 84, of Taylorville said she was traveling south on Cherokee when she was hit in the driver side by Melissa J. White, 42, of Taylorville. Wareham's vehicle spun to face north in the east lane on Cherokee. White then fled on Poplar. On July 13, White was located and reportedly said she fled the scene due to not having insurance. Wareham reported injuries that were not physically evident but refused medical treatment according to the report.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 15
2 Motor Vehicle Accidents, 1 EMS, 1 Fuel Spill, 1 Illegal Burn

July 16
1 Automatic Alarm

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to criminal damage that occurred in Taylorville.

Sometime during the early morning hours of Sunday July 6, 2014, person or persons unknown broke 2 windows on a vehicle parked in the 700 block of Hawley Street in Taylorville.  The unknown subject or subjects used a landscaping brick from a residence in the area to damage the passenger's side window and windshield.   The vehicle, a 1999 Volkswagen, was parked in the roadway during the time of the incident and nothing was reported 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. 

(Springfield, IL)  --  State officials are making emergency changes to the concealed carry permitting process.  They're being more transparent with people who don't get approved to carry a gun in public.  New rules require the Concealed Carry License Review Board to let applicants know why they didn't get approved and which law enforcement agency objected to their requests to carry.   The applicant then has 10 days to provide the board with evidence that proves he or she is eligible to carry. 

The Pana Police Department reports that a 17-year-old male juvenile was arrested for theft last week. While at work on Wednesday, a Walmart employee noticed the 17-year-old juvenile male taking a trash can from the front lot. The male then left in his vehicle with the trash can. He was located shortly after, charged with theft, and released.

Lake Land College is now accepting Student Ambassador applications for the upcoming school year. As an Ambassador, students are selected to serve as official college representatives at events such as college fairs and high school visits. In addition, Ambassadors conduct campus tours and assist with special functions sponsored by the college.

Each student will receive official Lake Land College Student Ambassador apparel and get to take part in specific trainings and special activities, exclusively for the team members. Ambassadors who complete requirements will receive a $500 scholarship from Lake Land College for their year of service.

Applications must be received by 9 a.m. on Sept. 3 and personal interviews will be conducted Sept. 3-5. For more information, call 217-234-5254.

It takes a lot of work to maintain a pool like the one at the Christian County YMCA.  Chris Weittenhiller, Executive Director at the Y, says they drain the pool for a week or so at the end of August every year:

[audio:weitenhillerpool071414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The YMCA is open Monday through Saturday during the summer.  It's located at 900 McAdam Drive in Taylorville.

John Orzell

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports that an alleged armed robbery in Litchfield resulted in the search of three residences and the arrest of seven individuals over the weekend. On Saturday around 7:30pm, three Springfield residents contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report that they had been robbed. The victims told officers they were at 13077 Washington Road in Litchfield to look at a car that was for sale when three armed white males ordered them out of their vehicle at gunpoint. Two of the suspects reportedly fired their weapons into the air or ground on multiple occasions. The three victims were released after a female took miscellaneous items and one male suspect took approximately $1,000 from them. Descriptions of the subjects led police to identify one as 49-year-old Lloyd R. Perkins of Litchfield.

On Sunday, Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies, along with Litchfield Police officers, returned to the Washington Road address and arrested 50-year-old Truman M. Seago, 46-year-old April R. Barnes, and 24-year-old Brittany R. White for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit an armed robbery. Evidence found in the home led to three arrest warrants and three search warrants.

During one search warrant at Lloyd Perkins’ residence on Cowin Street, someone inside reportedly started a fire. Four people ran out of the home. Perkins and 29-year-old Meghan M. Finley were both arrested. Perkins was charged with armed robbery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon while Finley was arrested on a warrant for retail theft.

During the search of the other two residences, 41-year-old Albert J. Buffington was arrested for  armed robbery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and 41-year-old John K. Orzell was arrested for armed robbery. All seven were transported to the Montgomery County Jail.

Albert Buffington

April Barnes

Brittany White

Lloyd Perkins

Meghan Finley

Truman Seago

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASHES:

On July 14 at 1:18pm, Russel D. Lowrey, 33, of Portar, Texas, was attempting to turn on to park from Cherokee. Lowrey struck the traffic control device on the northwest corner of the intersection with his trailer. The control device was damaged and there was a yellow paint swap on the trailer. No injuries were reported.

On July 10 at 5:39pm, Novella Herman, 81, of Taylorville, was pulling out of a parking spot in the 100 block of West Franklin behind a vehicle registered to Debbie L. Norris of Taylorville. Herman was reportedly distracted by her seat belt and struck the rear of Norris' vehicle. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 14
1 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm, 1 Carbon Monoxide

Pictured: Clint Emery

22-year-old Clint Emery of Taylorville plead guilty to a charge of armed robbery Tuesday morning. Emery, along, with 31-year-old Michael Wicker of Taylorville reportedly robbed a man at gun point back on January 26. Emery was arrested shortly after the incident occurred. Christian County State's Attorney Mike Havera tells Regional Radio News that Emery has been sentenced to 21 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. By agreement, the State agrees, as part of the terms of the negotiated plea, not to charge Emery with any criminal offenses related to the alleged armed robbery of Route Mart on January 23.   Wicker is set to appear in court for a pre-trial July 29th at 10:00am.

Pictured left to right: Kiwanis president Chris Weittenhiller, Michael Hady, Kiwanis program chair John McClure 

Michael Hady (HAY-dee), manager of the Taylorville Ahlstrom (ALL-strom) Filtration plant, was Tuesday's guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Hady gave an overview of what the Taylorville plant manufactures. The local plant produces some 23 million pounds of paper a year for automotive engine filters made by several major manufacturers. Hady said the local plant produces 59-percent of the paper used in auto filters in the United States, and their paper making machine is the largest in the world.

Hady added that the Taylorville plant is part of Ahlstrom's Transportation Filtration division. Ahlstrom has 5 paper-making divisions: one that produces paper for the food industry, one for the medical industry, one for the building and energy industry, one called Advanced Filtration, and its transportation filtration division.

Hady told the Kiwanis Club the local plant has 99 employees, with 85 of them residing in Christian County.

[audio:HadyaudioJul1514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

It was announced that the Taylorville Kiwanis Club will co-sponsor a car seat safety day this Thursday, July 17th from 4 to 7pm at Bob Ridings in Taylorville.

One guest attended Tuesday's Taylorville Kiwanis Club meeting.

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.

The County Board room was packed Tuesday night for the Christian County Board meeting as people both for and against a membership only indoor gun range outside of Taylorville showed up to hear the Board’s decision. Mike Moliske, president of Whitetails Unlimited, says the reason behind why they want the indoor gun range is because there is nowhere local to shoot:

[audio:moliskewhygun071614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Attorney Gordon Gates, who represented those opposed, says they were not opposed so much to the idea of the indoor gun range but rather the proposed location of it:

[audio:gatesnogun071615.mp3]comment here[/audio]

After a near 30 minute discussion, the County Board denied the request for the indoor gun range by a final vote of 12-4.

The Christian County Board heard an update on the request made by Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton to amend the ordinance in regards to Enterprise Zone incentives to allow the City to give the same incentives as the County is allowed to. Board Member Laura Wilkinson says the Executive Committee continues to look into the matter:

[audio:wilkinsonincentives071614.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Wilkinson said the Committee tabled the matter until more answers are provided and until attorneys review a possible ordinance revision.

The meeting adjourned at 7:27pm.

Lake Land College has awarded 54 students in the surrounding communities with the Talented Student Award for the 2014-2015 school year. This award offers tuition waivers to high school graduates for their academic achievement and is for a maximum of two consecutive calendar years. 

U.S. Representatives Rodney Davis of Taylorville and Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon have introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting the whole child approach to education. The resolution includes provisions that acknowledge the benefits for students when they are healthy, physically and emotionally safe, challenged, and supported by qualified, caring adults. The Whole Child Resolution also encourages the federal government to coordinate services among agencies that support the education, health, and safety of our youth.

Pictured: Don Chamberlain

The Rock Springs Nature Center near Decatur will be hosting “Women on the Western Trails” on Sunday, July 20 at 2pm.  Guest speaker Don Chamberlain will discuss nineteenth-century women’s journeys along the Oregon and Mormon Trails.  The presentation will highlight their personal accounts and his photographs, taken while retracing their steps.  Admission is free and no pre-registration required.

As a wildlife and historic sites photographer, Chamberlain has traveled to many areas of the United States.  He has photographed 1200 miles of the historic Oregon Trail and 900 miles of the historic Mormon Trail, in addition to other historic trails, forts, and battlefields.  He will feature photographs from these trips at “Women on the Western Trails.”   

For more information, call 217-423-7708.

Bringing home a new baby can be stressful, especially for first time parents.  That's why Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon offers help for new moms and dads.  Pam Hood of Sarah Bush Lincoln says the programs have been running for years:

[audio:hoodsbl071014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Hood tells Regional Radio News that they offer a flexible schedule:

[audio:hoodsbl2071014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Visit sarabush.org for more information.

This month's Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce “Lunch and Learn” deals with the topic of information backup.  According to Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle, it's incredibly important in this digital age:

[audio:pattlandl071114.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There is a limit of 20 attendees for the event, which is free and includes lunch.  Call the Chamber at 824-4919 to RSVP.

You hear a lot about meal programs and transportation services offered by the Christian County Senior Citizens, but they offer a number of other services as well.  Gerry Mahr, Executive Director of the local center says for years, they have offered Rules of the Road review courses periodically to help people pass their driver's license renewal test:

[audio:mahrrulesofroad070814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Christian County Senior Citizens Center is at 701 W. Adams in Taylorville. The next class is tomorrow July 15th.

Cleveland,  OH  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Yan Gomes came  through with a go-ahead 
two-run  homer  in the bottom  of the eighth  inning that lifted the Cleveland 
Indians  to a 3-2  victory over the Chicago White Sox in the rubber match of a 
three-game series. 

Gomes  followed a single by Nick Swisher with an opposite-field blast off Javy 
Guerra  (0-2)  that sent Cleveland  ahead for good after  the Tribe blew a 1-0 
lead in the top of the eighth. 

Gomes  also  knocked in  the Indians'  other run  with a second-inning single, 
while  Trevor  Bauer struck out a  career-high 10 batters over 6 2/3 scoreless 
innings despite not factoring in the decision. 

Leury  Garcia and  Gordon Beckham each recorded RBI singles against Bryan Shaw 
(4-1) in the White Sox' half of the eighth to temporarily erase a 1-0 deficit. 
Garcia  finished 2-for-4,  while MLB home run leader Jose Abreu had three hits 
-- though all were singles. 

Chicago,  which lost four  of its last five games prior to the All-Star break, 
also  received a  solid  outing from  starter John  Danks.  The veteran  lefty 
scattered seven hits while yielding just one run over seven innings. 

"We  need to go  out and play better baseball all the way around," Danks said. 
"We just have to put it all together." 

Shaw  spoiled Bauer's strong performance by being tagged for three hits in the 
top of the eighth, but Gomes picked up the reliever by hammering a slider from 
Guerra into the right-field bullpen to put the Indians back in front. 

"I  was just  trying to do the  same thing Swisher did," Gomes said. "I didn't 
think I was going to (hit a home run) but it felt pretty good." 

Cody  Allen then finished  the job in the ninth, fanning two while setting the 
side down in order to notch his 12th save. 

The White Sox stranded 10 runners over the first seven innings and 12 in all, 
but  were finally able  to break out with a couple of clutch hits while down a 
run in the eighth. 

Conor  Gillaspie began  the  rally  with a  one-out  single  against Shaw  and 
advanced to second on a wild pitch before Beckham -- mired in a 2-for-36 slump 
-- laced a base hit up the middle to forge a 1-1 tie. 

After  a Tyler Flowers grounder pushed Beckham to second, Garcia singled under 
the  glove of  Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis to briefly give Chicago the 
lead. 

Cleveland  had  its own struggles with  men in scoring position throughout the 
contest, though it managed to push home an early run when back-to-back singles 
by Swisher and Gomes followed Danks' walk to Ryan Raburn in the second. 

The White Sox had their best chance  against Bauer in the top of the second, 
recording  three  singles against the  right-hander during the frame. However, 
Gillaspie  was doubled off of first base when casually retreating on Beckham's 
fly ball to left fielder Mike Aviles to help kill the scoring chance. 

Chicago  later put the  first two men aboard in the sixth, but Bauer prevented 
any damage by striking out Beckham and Garcia around a groundout. 

                                   Game Notes 

The White Sox recalled infielder Carlos Sanchez from Triple-A Charlotte before 
the  game to fill  in for All-Star shortstop Alexei Ramirez (back). He went 0- 
for-5  and committed an error in his MLB debut ... Danks made his 200th career 
start ... Abreu, seeking to become the first rookie since Mark McGwire in 1987 
to  lead  the majors  in homers at  the break, extended  his hitting streak to 
eight  games ... Chicago  fell to 3-12 at Progressive Field since the start of 
the 2013 season. 

Chicago,  IL  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Chris Johnson's  three-run homer fueled a 
four-run  third inning  and helped the Atlanta Braves take a 10-7 victory over 
the Chicago Cubs on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game set. 

Johnson  finished  with three hits  and three runs  scored and Tommy La Stella 
supplied a three-run double among his three hits for the Braves, who won three 
of their final four games before the All-Star break. 

"We  had  a pretty good  first half," Braves  manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We 
have to enjoy this break and come out in the second half and keep firing." 

Starter  Julio  Teheran (9-6)  earned the  win despite giving  up four runs on 
seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts across seven innings. 

Chris  Coghlan and Arismendy Alcantara both homered for Chicago, which dropped 
the  final two games  of the series. Starter Travis Wood (7-8) was tagged with 
the  loss  after giving  up seven  runs on seven  hits and  three walks in six 
frames. 

"They  just  found holes," said  Wood. "I  made a bad  pitch to Johnson in the 
third and he did his job." 

Jason  Heyward was safe  on a force out and Johnson and La Stella both singled 
to  load  the bases in  the second. Gerald  Laird's double down the left-field 
line  drove in  two runs and Teheran's  groundout brought home La Stella for a 
3-0 lead. 

The  Braves  added four more  runs in the  third. Andrelton Simmons walked and 
Justin Upton singled two batters later. Heyward's RBI base hit scored Simmons, 
and  Johnson stepped  up to the plated  and crushed a fastball to center for a 
7-0 advantage. 

Alcantara's  first career  homer to right scored Coghlan, who opened the frame 
with a single, and made it a 7-2 game. 

Atlanta  made  it a 10-2  contest in the seventh.  Simmons took a leadoff walk 
from  Zac  Rosscup, Upton hit  a one-out  double and Johnson was intentionally 
walked  to  load the bases. La  Stella hit a line  drive to right for a bases- 
clearing double. 

Chicago  scored  two runs in the  seventh and three  runs in the eighth to get 
within  three.  Coghlan crushed  a two-run  shot to  right-center field in the 
seventh. 

In  the  eighth, Ryan Sweeney worked  a bases-loaded walk off Shae Simmons and 
John Baker's two-run double off Jordan Walden to right made it a 10-7 game. 

Craig  Kimbrel  spun a 1-2-3 ninth  inning for his league-leading 29th save of 
the season. 

                                   Game Notes 

Atlanta  suspended second baseman Dan Uggla for the series finale and selected 
the  contract of  infielder  Phil  Gosselin from  Triple-A  Gwinnett ... Cubs 
shortstop  Starlin  Castro played in his  700th career game ... The Braves won 
the season series, 5-1 ... In the final two games of the set, Johnson drove in 
seven  runs, homered  three times and scored five runs ... Washington reliever 
Tyler  Clippard replaced  Teheran on  the NL  All-Star roster  due his  Sunday 
start. 

Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Carlos Gomez went 3-for-4 with two RBI and 
three  runs scored,  as Milwaukee cruised into the All-Star break with an 11-2 
victory over St. Louis in the finale of a three-game set. 

Scooter  Gennett  added three hits, two  RBI and scored twice for the Brewers, 
who avoided a sweep and a winless homestand (1-6), while putting the brakes on 
a seven-game slide and taking a one-game lead over their Sunday foes for first 
place in the NL Central. 

"It makes the break a lot funner," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of ending 
the  losing  streak. "If you  lose today, you're not  sure when this streak is 
going to end." 

Elian  Herrera  finished a career-best 5-for-5  and scored three times for the 
hosts,  while Ryan  Braun drove in two  and Khris Davis added a solo homer and 
two RBI. 

Wily  Peralta (10-6) allowed one unearned run on three hits while fanning five 
over seven solid innings. 

Matt  Adams and  George Kottaras knocked in  a run each for the Cardinals, who 
lost for just the second time in their last seven. 

"Let's  get some  rest,  enjoy your  family and  enjoy  your time," Cardinals 
manager Mike Matheny said of the upcoming All-Star break 

Carlos  Martinez (2-4) lasted just four frames in defeat, tagged for four runs 
on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. 

Ahead  by  a run,  Gennett brought  home two in  the bottom  half on a two-out 
double,  then  Davis cranked  up a  two-out solo shot  in the  fifth for a 5-1 
Brewers advantage. 

The  hosts extended their advantage with three more runs in the sixth courtesy 
of three RBI singles from Gomez, Braun and Aramis Ramirez. 

Gomez  sent Herrera home with a double in the seventh which pushed Milwaukee's 
lead to 9-1. 

In  the  eighth, with runners  on second and third  after a Ramirez single and 
Jonathan  Lucroy ground-rule double, a Davis groundout scored Ramirez and Lyle 
Overbay brought in Lucroy with a single to left. 

St. Louis picked up a run in the ninth. Peter Bourjos walked and Adams singled 
to  put runners  on  the corners,  then Gennett  bobbled  a Kottaras  grounder 
leading  to  Bourjos crossing the  plate. Francisco Rodriguez retired the next 
two batters to end the game. 

Milwaukee  struck twice in the opening inning. Gomez and Gennett singled, then 
Braun's  high blooper  along the right-field line managed to score both before 
Braun was thrown out trying to reach second. 

In  the  Cards' fourth,  Kolten Wong  fanned but  managed to  reach first on a 
third-strike passed ball, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and came 
home on an Adams grounder to third. 

                                   Game Notes 

Milwaukee's  first  four hitters  --  Gomez,  Gennett,  Braun and  Ramirez  -- 
combined  to go  11-for-17 with six runs  scored and seven RBI ... The Brewers 
tied  a  season high with  19 hits  ... Mike Matheny  will manage the N.L. All 
Stars  on Tuesday, the  fifth Cards skipper to do so (Tony La Russa 2005, '07, 
'12;  Whitey  Herzog '83,  '86,  '88;  Red  Schoendienst  '68, '69  and  Billy 
Southworth 1943-44). 

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

On July 13 at 7:02pm, Jacob D. Hurley, 18, of Edinburg was traveling west on 2100 North Road. Hurley crossed a bridge and began to go around a curve. Hurley advised he heard a pop and was not able to control the vehicle. Hurley went off the road and hit a tree. No injuries reported.

On July 13 at 2:05am, Branden A. Sims, 20, of Assumption was allegedly driving recklessly in the area of West 1st Street and Walnut when he lost control and left the roadway. Sims drove across the sidewalk and struck G.A.B. Heating and Cooling's garage door. Sims continued into the building hitting a vehicle parked inside the business. Sims then fled the scene but was later located. No injuries were reported.

On July 11 at 4:41am, Chad E. Coleman, 35, of Pana and Nicholas R. Burgener, 31, of Decatur,were both northbound on Highway Route 51. At approximately 1/4 south of 1450 North Road, Coleman struck Burgener in the rear-end. No injuries were reported.

On July 10 at 9:34pm, Steven D. Hanner, 60, of Taylor Springs was traveling southbound on Route 51. At 875 North, a deer entered the roadway from the east. Hanner then collided with the deer in the roadway. No injuries were reported.

ARRESTS:

Melissa J. White, 42, of 814 West Adams, Taylorville, was arrested July 13 for possession of a controlled substance.

Vernon L. Roberson, 52, of 820 South 23rd, Springfield, was arrested July 12, for driving under the influence of alcohol. 

Brandon E. Kamalii, 38, of 613 Paris Avenue, Pana, was arrested July 12 for battery.

Ashley L. Rockford, 29, of 718 West Vandeveer Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 11 for domestic battery.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 11 at 2:26pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to Poplar and Cherokee for a hit and run traffic crash. Upon arrival, witnesses advised the suspect vehicle was a black Pontiac Grand Prix with a temporary license plate. The matter is under investigation.

On July 11 at 5:45am, a Taylorville Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle on Route 29 at Pershing Road. Upon further investigation, the male registered owner, John E. Beyers, 40, of Pana, was arrested for driving suspended. Beyers was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear.

On July 10 at 9:42pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to 58 Hannon Trailer Park in reference to an argument between neighbors. Following their arrival, officers placed Michael J. Alberts, 30, of Taylorville under arrest for disorderly conduct. Alberts was taken to Taylorville Police Department where he was processed and released on a notice to appear in court.

On July 11 at 4:50pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to 718 West Vandeveer Street in reference to a fight in progress. Following officers' arrival, Ashley L. Rockford, 29, of Taylorville was placed under arrest for domestic battery. Rockford was taken to Taylorville Police Department and processed before being transported to Christian County Correctional Center.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 11
6 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Automatic Alarm

July 12
4 EMS, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident

July 13
1 EMS

July 14
1 EMS, 1 Public Assist

It’s the third week of the Christian County 175^th Anniversary Committee’s history series. This week’s article features the Bear Creek and Buckhart Townships. The article can be seen under the letter section at taylorvilledailynews.com. The series will run for 14 weeks and most of the information comes from the quarterlies and library of the Christian County Genealogical Society.

The Christian County County Board will meet Tuesday night at 6:30pm in the County Board Room located on the second floor of the Christian County Courthouse. Items on the agenda include discussing options for the ordinance relative to Poker Runs, discussing the Enterprise Zone request from the City of Taylorville, discussing the electric service agreement, and a presentation on liability coverage. We will have details following the meeting on taylorvilledailynews.com.

The Taylorville School Board met Monday night and discussed future budgets. Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau says that while there are still many questions when it comes to State funding, there are a few things they know:

[audio:fuerstenauknownbudget071514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Fuerstenau says the State is mostly caught up on owed money to the District.

The Taylorville School Board discussed what to do with the Mt. Auburn facility at their Monday night meeting. Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau says there are several options on what to do:

[audio:fuerstenaumtauburn071514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

If the Village of Mt. Auburn does not want the facility, Fuerstenau says the next option would be to put the property out for a bid similar to what they did with West School.

The Taylorville School Board approved a resolution for the allowance of Inter-Fund transfers. The Board approved the renewals of the food service management contract, the health and dental insurance agreements, and the Memorial sports medicines coverage agreement. The Board also approved the 2015 general supply bids and elementary textbook request.

The meeting adjourned at 7:38pm.

The Taylorville Memorial Hospital will be hosting blood drives on this Wednesday and Thursday. The hours of both blood drives are 12:30pm to 6:00pm. To sign up for an appointment call toll-free 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. Taylorville Memorial Hospital is located at 201 East Pleasant Street.

If you or someone you know has served in the military, they may be able to earn extra Social Security money for it. Jack Myers, Public Affairs Specialist at Social Security’s Springfield office, tells Regional Radio News they offer special earning credits for military service:

[audio:myersmilitarycredits071214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Myers says when you apply for Social Security benefits, they will ask if you served in the military and will automatically check to see if the credits would increase benefits. For more information, visit socialsecurity.gov or call 1-800-772-1213.

The Shelbyville Rotary Club held its weekly meeting Monday. Captain Monte Bowers, Illinois National Guard Chaplain and Associate Minister at First Christian Church came and shared from his experiences and work as a military chaplain. The Club learned a great deal about what it means to minister to military personnel and their families.

In Rotary business, Denise Bence delivered a thank you note from a Rotary Scholarship recipient Alexis Hall. Jerry Yockey will be the program chairman for the next meeting.

The University of Illinois Christian County Extension Office’s Next Top Product Youth Entrepreneur Camp is coming to Pana in August. Extension Educator Chris Casey tells Regional Radio News the program is designed to teach kids about starting a business:

[audio:caseyyouthcamp071214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The program will be August 4-6 and is for kids entering 5th through 8th grades. For more information, contact the Christian County Extension Office at 287-7246.

The annual Shelby County 4-H and Junior Fair will begin on Monday. Soild Gold 98.3 WRAN will be at the event Monday through Wednesday from 4:00-6:00pm. During that time, you will be able to register on site for any of the free text alerts offered through taylorvilledailynews.com. For a full schedule of events, go to web.extension.illinois.edu/ccdms.

The monument at the memorial.

Bricks purchased from people in memory of their loved ones who farmed in Christian County

Despite warm weather, the east side of the Christian County Courthouse lawn was over flowing with people on Saturday morning who were anxiously awaiting the unveiling of the Christian County Farmer's Memorial.

Veteran Farm Broadcaster, Stu Ellis, kicked off opening ceremonies by welcoming everyone to the event and introducing the Capital Area Big Band who led the crowd with the Pledge of Allegiance. There were many farmers who came to the dedication both young and old. Garrett Stephens who works on his family farm was in attendance: 

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

Project initiator, John Curtin, said the location of the Farmer's Memorial was selected because of the oak tree that is planted there that came from Abraham Lincoln's Home in 2006. He stated that Lincoln's footprints are all over the Christian County Courthouse lawn. Lincoln was very instrumental with farming in Christian County.

Ed Downs, Vice President of Taylorville Main Street, said the goal of their organization is to preserve the well being of the Taylorville Historic District. He told the audience that there is additional room for more engraved bricks on the newly erected Farmer's Memorial. 

Illinois Director of Agriculture, Bob Flider, was another guest speaker. He said Illinois is the number one food processing state. And, that farming is the number one industry in Illinois. Flider said we must remember where we came from and continue to preserve our family farms. Janet Declerk, a local farmer in Christian County, explained how long her family has been involved in farming: 

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

The ceremony concluded with the much anticipated unveiling of the Christian County Farmer's Memorial.

Illinois Director of Agriculture Bob Flider giving his speech.

The Taylorville Main Street Farmers Market will feature something special this week.  The Farmers Memorial will be dedicated Saturday morning at 11;00.  Market Manager Ed Downs says there are several things going on:

[audio:farmersmkt071014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Farmers Market opens at 9am and continues until 12:30pm on the E. side of the Taylorville Square.  Market Manager Ed says they should have a huge quantity of sweet corn available for the first time this week.  Locally made baked goods, jams and jellies and arts and crafts items are at the market every week.

U.S. Representatives John Shimkus and Rodney Davis of Taylorville have announced that they will be hosting a summit on human trafficking from 8:30am – 10:00am on Monday, July 14, at Birger Hall on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

The Human Trafficking Summit will focus on human trafficking in this area and the rest of the state.

The guest speakers include Congresswoman Ann Wagner, sponsor of the SAVE Act; Dr. Erin Heil, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; and Deidre Lhamon and Lindsey Ellis from The Covering House, a place of refuge and restoration for girls who have experienced sexual trafficking or exploitation.

To RSVP or to receive more information about the event, contact Deb Detmers at Deb.Detmers@mail.house.gov or 618-288-7190.                           

The Christian County Farmer’s Memorial Dedication is coming up tomorrow at 11:00am. Christian County Board Chairman Paul Schmitz tells Regional Radio News that the memorial means a lot to the area:

Despite what many people think, last week's Hobby Lobby ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court will have little effect on the Affordable Care Act.  Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville says Obamacare is moving forward:

[audio:davisaca070914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The court ruling only exempted Hobby Lobby from offering 4 out of twenty forms of contraception.

Coverage of today's Cards and Brewers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:35pm.

St.  Louis,  MO (SportsNetwork.com) -  Edinson Volquez fired his second career 
complete  game  and the  Pittsburgh Pirates defeated  the St. Louis Cardinals, 
9-1, in the finale of a four-game set. 

Volquez  (8-6) struck out five, scattered six hits and walked two in his first 
complete game since July 19, 2012. 

"Maintained  velocity,  attacked the zone,  a very,  very good effort. He gave 
everyone  in  the bullpen a  night off," Pirates  manager Clint Hurdle said of 
Volquez. 

Russell  Martin smacked  a solo homer among  his three hits and two RBI, while 
Andrew  McCutchen posted  two hits, two RBI  and a pair of runs scored for the 
Pirates,  who salvaged  the final  game of  the set  after dropping  the first 
three. 

Shelby  Miller  (7-8) surrendered four  runs on five  hits and four walks over 
five frames for St. Louis, which had won six of its last eight coming in. 

"Didn't  do  a good  job of  getting ahead in  the count,  fell behind a lot," 
Miller said. 

The  game  was tied 1-1 through  four innings, before the Pirates plated three 
runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to surge ahead. 

Jordy  Mercer worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth and advanced to 
second  on  Volquez's sacrifice bunt. Gregory  Polanco then coaxed a free pass 
and  Mercer scampered  to third on a Josh Harrison flyout. McCutchen slapped a 
single  to right to  bring home Mercer and Neil Walker split the gap in right- 
center to score Polanco and McCutchen for a 4-1 lead. 

Tyler  Lyons  replaced Miller  in the  sixth and  served up  a single to Pedro 
Alvarez  to begin  the bottom  of the  frame. Mercer  then reached  when Lyons 
committed  a throwing error on a grounder back to him, and Volquez laid down a 
bunt  which allowed Alvarez to go to third, though Mercer was out at second on 
the  force when Jon Jay retrieved Matt Carpenter's throw into center field and 
stepped on the bag. 

After  Polanco  walked to load the  bases, Josh Harrison whacked a ground-rule 
double  to  left-center to  plate Alvarez  and Volquez.  A passed ball allowed 
Polanco  to score  and  Harrison came  home on  McCutchen's  sacrifice fly  to 
center, which staked the Pirates to an 8-1 advantage. 

Martin's solo shot in the ninth capped the scoring. 

Earlier,  Pittsburgh  opened the scoring  on Martin's  RBI single in the first 
inning,  but the Cardinals got the run  back in the third on Matt Carpenter's 
sacrifice fly. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Pirates had won  six of their last seven games coming into the series ... 
Pittsburgh  was 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position, while the Cardinals 
finished 0-for-3. 

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

Charles L. Willard, 54, of Taylorville was arrested on July 10 for driving on a suspended/revoked license.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS/CRASHES:

On July 10th at 3:08 pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to Washington and Franklin for a motor vehicle accident. Subsequent to investigation, Tiffany M. Spracklen, 24, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while suspended.

On July 10 at 3:04 pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to Washington and Franklin for a motor vehicle accident. Tiffany M. Spracklen, 24, of Taylorville was traveling south on Washington and looked in her rear view mirror. When she looked back in front of her vehicle, she then seen "unnamed person" parked. At this time, Spracklen struck parked car of "unnamed person." "Unnamed person" stated she was inside and didn't see the crash.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 10

2 EMS, 1 Power Line

July 11

1 EMS

With women's health in mind, Shelby Memorial Hospital puts on “Girls Night Out” every month. Hospital Marketing Coordinator Glenda Plunkett says it's a fun and educational event which is well attended:

[audio:plunkettgirlsnightout070814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Find out more about “Girls Night Out” at the hospital website mysmh.org.

July is National Ice Cream Month. It was designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Joyce Fikri, nutrition educator for the St. Louis Dairy Council, tells Regional Radio News that there are differences in various frozen treats:

[audio:fikriicecreammonth071014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The most popular ice cream flavor is vanilla, followed by chocolate, Neapolitan, strawberry and cookies and cream.

The 2014 Nokomis Homecoming Celebration gets underway tomorrow (Friday) and continues through Sunday. Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR will be there Saturday from 2:00-3:00pm for a remote broadcast. During this time, you will be able to register on site for any of the free text alerts offered through taylorvilledailynews.com. A schedule of events can be found on the Downtown Nokomis Association’s Facebook page. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:40pm.

St.  Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Lynn earned his 10th victory of the 
season  with  6  2/3 solid  innings  as  the  St.  Louis Cardinals  edged  the 
Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2, on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. 

Lynn  (10-6) scattered  two runs on six  hits and two walks while becoming the 
first Cardinals pitcher since Bob Gibson to post three consecutive seasons of 
10-plus wins before the All-Star break. 

"He's one of those guys that I think gets overlooked a lot," Cardinals manager 
Mike Matheny said of Lynn. "Really threw a nice game for us." 

Matt  Adams  went 3-for-5 with  two RBI, Matt Holliday  had two hits, two runs 
scored  and  another driven  in, and  Kolten Wong  added a  solo homer for the 
Cardinals, winners of the first three meetings of this four-game set. 

The  news  was not all  positive for St. Louis,  as Yadier Molina exited early 
with a sprained right thumb. The All-Star catcher will be further evaluated on 
Thursday. 

Pittsburgh  dipped into  its bullpen early since starter Brandon Cumpton (3-3) 
did  not  make it  out of  the fourth. Filling  in once  again for the injured 
Gerrit Cole, Cumpton was charged with four runs on nine hits and three walks. 

"He  wasn't  sharp, fell  behind in counts  and the fastball  was up more than 
down," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. 

Neil Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for the Pirates, who had won six of 
seven before losing the first two games of the series on walk-off homers. 

With  St.  Louis leading 4-2  in the seventh,  Lynn appeared to injure himself 
when he dove and missed a popped-up bunt off the bat of Chris Stewart. After a 
brief  visit on the mound with manager Mike Matheny and the team trainer, Lynn 
stayed in and got pinch-hitter Matt Hague to ground into a double play. 

Randy  Choate relieved Lynn  and stranded a runner on third, and in the bottom 
half, Tuesday's ninth-inning hero, Wong, homered for the second night in a row 
to give the hosts some insurance. 

Seth  Maness pitched  a 1-2-3  eighth, and  Trevor Rosenthal  worked around  a 
leadoff  walk  in the ninth  to notch  his 27th save,  thanks in part to Peter 
Bourjos  taking away  Russell Martin's deep shot  to the wall in center to end 
the game. 

"It was...a play that brought you to your feet," Matheny said. 

Adams,  who hit a  walk-off homer on Monday, hit a gapper to left field in the 
top  of the first and was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. 
Matt Carpenter and Holliday, however, scored on the play to give the Cardinals 
a 2-0 lead. 

Walker  took Lynn deep  to right in the second, and the teams traded runs from 
there. 

Jhonny  Peralta doubled in Holliday in the third, and Walker scored on a Jordy 
Mercer base hit the next half-inning. 

The Cardinals loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth but only pushed one 
run across on Holliday's single to left field. 

                                   Game Notes 

Gibson  won  11, 11 and  12 games  before the break  from 1968-70 ... Three of 
Wong's  four home runs this season have come in the last four games ... Before 
the game, the Pirates placed outfielder Starling Marte on the bereavement list 
... Walker extended his hitting streak to 12 games. 

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

Michael S. Burke, 45, of Springfield was arrested July 9 on a bond forfeiture for obstruction of justice.

Zachary D. Liberty, 29, of Kincaid was arrested July 9 on an original arrest warrant for theft.

Steven D. Leonard, 34, of Taylorville was arrested July 9 for driving on a revoked/suspended license.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 9th at 3:50 pm, Taylorville Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop at Houston and Main Cross. Subsequent to the stop, Tony L. Riva, 43, of Tovey was arrested for driving while license suspended.

On July 9th a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to Chestnut and Poplar to a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival, Laticia D. Vandenbergh, 28, of Taylorville said she was traveling west in alley north of Poplar and couldn't see around trailer, and struck Tom L. Barding, 50, of Taylorville. Barding said he didn't see Vandenbergh when he was traveling northbound on Chestnut. Barding was struck in the side by Vandenbergh. No injuries were reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

The Taylorville Police Department reports that one person was sent to the hospital following a crash Saturday. Around 11:49am, 39-year-old Ryan R. Hendrickson of Taylorville was traveling west on Route 48 near the intersection of Shumway Street. 27-year-old Jacob G. Gideon of Rochester was traveling south on Shumway Street approaching Route 48. Hendrickson told police that he thought Gideon was going to pull out in front of him. Hendrickson reportedly applied the brakes, began to skid and laid the motorcycle on its side. There was no contact between the vehicles. Hendrickson was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries that were described as not physically evident by the report. No other injuries reported.

The Taylorville Police Department reports that a 17-year-old male juvenile was arrested on a drug charge. On Sunday, the Taylorville Police Department received a call from an anonymous caller referencing a male juvenile who was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The 17-year-old juvenile was reportedly walking towards Manners Park on Third Street. Following officer's arrival, the male juvenile was placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Many Central Illinoisans struggle with their weight, and Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center is offering a program that might help.  Christina Adams, Director of Weight Management programs at the hospital, says their “Health Management Resources” program emphasizes lifestyle changes:

[audio:adamssbl070914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Find out more about the Health Management Resources program at sarahbush.org.

The Central Illinois Food Bank will pay a visit to Taylorville this Saturday.  Krista Lisser of the Food Bank says while the need for the service has decreased slightly in the State as a whole, it has increased slightly in Christian County:

[audio:lissermoreneed070814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Over 13% of Christian County residents are described as “food insecure”, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from. The mobile pantry will be at Taylorville United Methodist Church which is located at 200 South Walnut. Again it will be this Saturday and will open at 9:30am. Bring a box or laundry basket to carry your goods home. The food is distributed on a first come first serve basis. 

Tarps cover the monument and engraved bricks until Saturday's dedication.

The Christian County Farmer’s Memorial Dedication is this Saturday at 11:00am. Christian County Board Chairman Paul Schmitz tells Regional Radio News that in addition to the dedication, they will have a band and several speakers at the event:

[audio:schmitzmemorialactivities070914.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The memorial is located on the east side of the Christian County Courthouse in Taylorville. 

Boston,  MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Conor Gillaspie hit the tie-breaking two-run 
homer among his three hits and scored twice, as Chicago claimed an 8-3 victory 
over Boston in the second edition of a four-game series from Fenway Park. 

"He  can put  it in play and usually  he puts it in play hard," said White Sox 
manager Robin Ventura of Gillaspie. "Even going into this year, he felt out of 
Spring  Training that he  understood what it takes to hit here and he has been 
showing it. You get it in the zone and he puts a good swing on it." 

Jose  Abreu  finished 3-for-4 with  a pair of doubles  and scored once for the 
White Sox, winners of three straight and five of their last six. 

Alejandro  De Aza added  a pair of hits and drove in two to back 5 2/3 innings 
from  John  Danks (8-6),  who yielded  eight hits and  three runs despite four 
walks. 

Mike  Napoli collected three  hits, scored once and drove in a run for the Red 
Sox,  who have seven of their last eight games. Dustin Pedroia contributed two 
hits, an RBI and run scored in the setback. 

Brandon  Workman (1-3) gave  up eight hits and five runs -- three earned -- in 
his losing seven-inning stint. 

Abreu's single began the White Sox sixth, then after Adam Dunn fanned looking, 
Gillaspie  put Chicago  ahead to stay when  he wrapped a ball around the Pesky 
Pole in right to give the visitors a 5-3 edge. 

Dayan  Viciedo walked  to start the ninth and his pinch runner, Moises Sierra, 
moved to second on Burke Badenhop's wild pick-off throw and scored on a De Aza 
triple  to center. Gordon Beckham's double off Craig Breslow scored De Aza and 
the ChiSox led 7-3. Abreu was then given a free pass, then Paul Konerko struck 
a pinch-hit RBI ground-rule double to complete the three-run frame. 

"Any  time you  give extra  outs,  you're asking  for trouble,"  said Red Sox 
manager  John  Farrell. "Can't deny  we've given up  extra outs that have come 
back to haunt us over the past five games." 

Eric  Surkamp worked  around a  Pedroia single  in a  scoreless bottom  of the 
ninth. 

In  the second,  Chicago loaded the bases with  none out on a walk to Dunn and 
singles  from Alexei Ramirez and Gillaspie, then Dunn scored on Napoli's error 
and Ramirez came in on a De Aza double-play grounder. 

Gillaspie  doubled with one  away in the fourth and came home on De Aza's two- 
out single, but the hosts tied the score in the fifth. Brock Holt started with 
a  triple and came home when Pedroia followed with a double. Napoli doubled to 
left to score Pedroia two batters later, and after a Jonny Gomes base hit left 
runners  on  the corners,  Xander Bogaerts dumped  a single to  left for a 3-3 
game. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago finished 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left six, while 
Boston  was 4-for-11 with RISP and stranded nine ... The White Sox improved to 
10-9 at Fenway Park since 2009 ... The Red Sox slipped to 1-7 on their current 
10-game  homestand  ... Pedroia's RBI double  put an end to Boston's 18-inning 
scoreless  string ... The White Sox have held the opposition to three runs or 
less  in each of their last six outings ... Konerko's hit was his first extra- 
base pinch RBI since hitting a solo homer on July 1, 2006 against the Cubs. 

Cincinnati,  OH (SportsNetwork.com)  - Billy  Hamilton's single  in the  ninth 
inning completed a comeback from a five-run deficit  and helped the Cincinnati 
Reds sweep a day-night doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs with a 6-5 win. 

Brayan  Pena blooped a  single into shallow left to begin the ninth off Hector 
Rondon  (1-3) before Devin Mesoraco ripped a single into left that sent pinch- 
runner Mike Leake to third. 

Hamilton  then slapped a single into left that drove in Leake to give the Reds 
their  fourth  straight win. Cincinnati  won the  opener of the twinbill, 4-2, 
behind 6 1/3 innings from Johnny Cueto and a two-run homer from Jay Bruce. 

Logan  Ondrusek (3-2)  capped  6  1/3 scoreless  innings  from the  Cincinnati 
bullpen with two innings of relief to earn the win in the nightcap. 

"Our  bullpen  did a tremendous  job and  shut them down  in the middle of the 
game," said Cincinnati's Skip Schumaker. "It gave us a chance to come back." 

Three  straight  singles from the Reds  to begin the fifth put Chicago starter 
Tsuyoshi Wada into some trouble. The Japanese southpaw struck out pinch-hitter 
Chris  Heisey for  the first out of the  inning and got Hamilton to pop out to 
shallow  center,  but Junior  Lake's  throw  back  into  the infield  hit  the 
pitcher's  mound,  allowing Schumaker  to scamper  home for Cincinnati's first 
run. 

Catcher  Welington  Castillo then  snapped a  throw down to  first that was in 
time to get Tucker Barnhart for the third out. 

Todd  Frazier  doubled to lead  off the sixth and  scored on a Bruce groundout 
later in the inning as the Reds cut the deficit to 5-2. 

Three  straight walks  with no outs loaded the bases for pinch-hitter Mesoraco 
in the seventh. Mesoraco, who entered the game 4-for-4 with two grand slams in 
bases  loaded  situations this  season, grounded  into a  6-4-3 double play to 
score  a run and Hamilton then tripled to right-center that cut the deficit to 
5-4 before Frazier grounded out sharply to shortstop to end the inning. 

Brandon  Phillips singled to open the home eighth and tied the game when Bruce 
flicked  a  double into the left-field  corner. However, Bruce was stranded on 
second as the game headed to the ninth knotted at 5-5. 

Earlier,  Mike  Olt walked with  one out in the  second and Chris Coghlan, who 
homered for Chicago in the first game, skied a two-run shot just over the wall 
in right for his second homer in as many games to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead. 

Anthony  Rizzo led off the third with a solo blast to right that increased the 
cushion  to 3-0. Starlin  Castro followed with a single and Olt brought him in 
with his 12th homer of the year two batters later. 

"We  stopped  scoring  after  those  five runs,"  said  Chicago  manager  Rick 
Renteria. "They kept plugging away and found a way to get it done." 

Cincinnati  starter David  Holmberg  then allowed  a walk  to  Coghlan and  an 
infield  single  to Darwin  Barney  before  Wada moved  the  two  over with  a 
sacrifice  bunt. Carlos Contreras was called upon to get out of trouble and he 
got Lake to pop out to end the inning. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  start of the second game was delayed 35 minutes due to a forecast of rain 
that  never  came ...  Wada was  dealt a no-decision  in his big-league debut, 
allowing  one  unearned run  on five hits  and a walk  over five innings. Wada 
compiled  a  107-61 record with  a 3.13 ERA over  nine seasons in the Japanese 
Pacific League ... Holmberg, who made his Reds debut, was tagged for five runs 
on  seven hits and three walks over 2 2/3 innings. He went 0-4 with a 5.28 ERA 
in  10  starts for Triple-A Louisville.  The left-hander made his major league 
debut  a season  ago with Arizona, giving up  three runs and six hits in 3 2/3 
innings on Aug. 27 against San Diego ... Frazier was selected as a participant 
for  the  2014 Home Run  Derby prior  to the game  ... Reds first baseman Joey 
Votto  was  placed on  the 15-day  disabled list earlier  in the  day due to a 
lingering  left quad  injury. The Reds activated Pena from the paternity leave 
list to fill the roster spot ... Chicago has been swept in three doubleheaders 
this  season ... The five-run deficit marked the Reds' largest comeback of the 
season  ...  Coghlan extended his  hitting streak to  nine games ... The Reds' 
last doubleheader sweep came against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 31, 2009. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.

St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Kolten Wong opened the scoring with a two- 
run  double and ended the game with a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth 
to  send the  St. Louis Cardinals to  a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on 
Tuesday at Busch Stadium. 

Wong belted a 3-2 pitch from Ernesto Frieri (1-1) over the wall in right field 
to  give  the Cardinals their second  straight walkoff win. Matt Adams was the 
hero on Monday with a two-run homer in the ninth. 

"When I hit it, I knew it was gone," said Wong. "For a moment I forgot to run. 
Just excited  to get  home and  be the  guy jumping  into the  dog pile.  It's 
something I'll always remember." 

It's  the first  time the Cardinals have had consecutive game-ending home runs 
since Albert Pujols twice beat the Chicago Cubs on June 4-5, 2011. 

Matt  Holliday doubled  home two runs for  the Cardinals, who have won five of 
their  last  seven. Wong's blast made  a winner of Trevor Rosenthal (1-4), who 
worked around a hit and a walk in the top of the ninth. 

Pedro  Alvarez  and Andrew  McCutchen each hit  two-run homers for Pittsburgh, 
which  had  won three straight  before suffering heartbreaking defeats each of 
the last two nights. 

"It's not the first time  we've had two tough losses  and it probably won't be 
the last time,"  said  Pirates manager  Clint Hurdle.  "One swing  of the  bat 
changed the game. You shower up and get ready to play tomorrow." 

Vance  Worley  started for the Pirates  and surrendered four runs on nine hits 
with  three  strikeouts in  five innings.  Carlos Martinez  went the first six 
innings  for St. Louis  and yielded four runs on eight hits with two walks and 
six strikeouts. 

The Cardinals  opened the scoring in  the second with a two-out rally. Worley 
retired  the first five batters he faced, but Jhonny Peralta stroked a two-out 
single  and went to third on a base hit by Oscar Taveras. Wong followed with a 
drive to the gap in right-center field for a two-run double. 

Pittsburgh  put  two on with two  outs in the  third, but Neil Walker flied to 
center.  The Pirates,  though, tied it in the fourth on Alvarez's 100th career 
homer. Ike Davis drew a walk in front of Alvarez, who drilled a pitch over the 
wall in right-center field for his 14th home run of the season. 

McCutchen  gave the  Pirates the lead in  the fifth with his 14th homer of the 
year.  He crushed a shot over the wall in right field that also scored Gregory 
Polanco, who led off the inning with his third single of the game. 

Walker followed McCutchen's blast with a triple, but was picked off third on a 
sharp throw from catcher Yadier Molina. The play was reviewed and upheld. 

St.  Louis responded  immediately with two in  the bottom of the inning to tie 
it.  Matt Carpenter and Jon Jay each singled with one out and both scored on a 
double to left-center by Holliday. 

"He  was up in  the zone more than in the previous outings and wasn't as sharp 
in the strike zone," Hurdle noted about Worley. "His overall command wasn't as 
sharp." 

The  Pirates had  an opportunity  against Rosenthal  in the  ninth when  Jordy 
Mercer  singled  with one out  and pinch-hitter  Josh Harrison followed with a 
walk.  Polanco then  flied  to shallow  center and  Starling  Marte went  down 
swinging. 

Pittsburgh finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position after an 0-for-10 
performance in Monday's 2-0 loss. 

"We  haven't been  getting them the last two nights," Hurdle said about clutch 
hits. "You keep sending your guys up there and grind out quality at-bats." 

                                   Game Notes 

Carpenter  finished  2-for-4 and snapped  an 0-for-10 skid with a first-inning 
infield single ... Adams was 1-for-3 and has eight hits in last 13 at-bats. He 
has  a  six-game hitting streak  ... Walker extended  his hitting streak to 10 
games,  his  second double-digit streak  of the season.  He hit in 11 straight 
from  May 20-30  ... Hurdle said lefty Francisco Liriano, sidelined since June 
11  with a  strained oblique, is expected  to make a start before the All-Star 
break,  likely  this weekend  in Cincinnati ...  Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole will 
likely  be  placed on the  disabled list Wednesday because  of a lat injury to 
make  room  for Brandon Cumpton, who  is expected to be recalled from Triple-A 
Indianapolis to make the start against the Cardinals. 

Left to right are Boys 15-16 area winners Chad Sims, Athens; Spencer Allender, Springfield; and Connor Black, Taylorville.

A Taylorville boy found success at the Menard County Youth Classic which was held June 30 and July 1. Connor Black finished as an area winner in the Boys 15-16 group with a 171 total over the two day event. Country Hills Golf Course and Shambolee Golf Course hosted the third annual Golf Classic. Participants played Shambolee on Monday and Country Hills on Tuesday, and then the scores were combined to determine the winners.  Golfers ages 7-14 years played nine holes and boys and girls ages 15-18 played 18 holes.  

This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to a series of break ins that occurred in Taylorville.

Sometime during the early morning hours of Tuesday July 1, 2014, person or persons unknown made entry into several vehicles in the Southeast area of Taylorville.  Once inside, the unknown subject or subjects took numerous items from the various vehicles including: cash, change, a laptop, set of keys, and a shot gun.   It is believed that the break ins may be related.  The total dollar amount  of the items taken is unknown at this time.  Crimestoppers would also like to remind the public to make sure your vehicle is secured when left unattended.

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 TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 8
1 EMS, 1 Public Assist

July 9
1 EMS

Changes are coming to the Christian County Senior Citizens Center. Executive Director Gerry Mahr says the upcoming changes will require some remodeling work to be done at the center:

(Decatur, IL)  --  An inmate in the Macon County Jail has been charged with bribery after he allegedly tried to buy personal information about a female correctional employee. The Macon County Sheriff's Office says the inmate was being held on federal charges. He approached a correctional officer in an attempt to buy the phone number and address of the female correctional officer. The inmate is denying the bribery attempt. 

(Springfield, IL)  --  Sangamon County farmers say they are concerned about the return of a certain pest that is eating their soybeans.  The Japanese beetles came mostly in the Morgan County area in mid June.  The ravenous insects aren't affecting Sangamon County as much because the cold winter froze the ground, which resulted in the killing of the beetle's larva.  Experts say the best way to do away with the Japanese beetles is to remove them from the plants and put them in soapy water or rubbing alcohol. 

If you’re interested in saving money, you might want to attend a free consumer clinic with the Citizens Utility Board tomorrow (Wednesday) in Lincoln. Ray Watt has the details:

[audio:SenBradyonLincolnConsumerClinicJuly92014.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Taylorville Police Department reports one person was arrested for domestic battery and several other charges Saturday. Around 1:15pm, Taylorville Police Department received information that there was a domestic battery occurring at 502 North Pawnee. Officers arrived on scene and made contact with two subjects. Upon further investigation, 40-year-old Steven C. Smith of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery. Smith was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing. Smith was currently on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections. IDOC was contacted and they issued a warrant for Smith's arrest. Smith was then transported to the Christian County Sheriff's Office and lodged on domestic battery charges. Smith was also charged with resisting a peace officer and possession of cannabis.

When you are looking to make money on investments, options can be a good choice, if you know how to do it.  Investment Advisor Steve Henry says he deals with it from a different perspective:

[audio:henryoptions070314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Steve Henry is the owner of CSH Investment Management at 926 W. Spresser in Taylorville.

The Taylorville Police Department reports that four people were sent to the hospital following a crash on Friday. Around 12:12pm, 40-year-old Brian L. Brady of Troy was traveling east on Route 48. Brady was nearing the intersection of Route 48 and Shumway. 25-year-old Christina S. Mikulski of Springfield was traveling south on Cherokee Street and stopped at the intersection of Route 48 and Cherokee Street. Mikulski reportedly did not see Brady and proceeded into the intersection causing a collision. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. Mikulski was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. Brady's passengers: 44-year-old Wendy M. Brady, a 12-year-old girl, and a 13-year-old girl, were all transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. Brady himself reported no injuries.

Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Dayan Viciedo hit a three-run homer to back 6 
2/3  strong  innings from Scott  Carroll, and the White Sox took down the Red 
Sox, 4-0, in Monday's opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park. 

Carroll  (3-5)  fanned five, walked two  and allowed just one hit. Javy Guerra 
gave up one  hit in his 1  1/3 relief frames and Zach Putnam pitched the ninth 
for Chicago, which has won four of its last five games. 

"This  one felt  good and I was  aggressive in the strike zone," Carroll said. 
"It  felt  good to  put up  runs early  too. It  was pretty  cool to have that 
support." 

Adam Dunn homered and scored twice for the visitors. 

A.J.  Pierzynski  and Jackie Bradley, Jr.  collected the lone hits for Boston, 
which  was  blanked for the  third time  in the last  10 games and has dropped 
seven of 10 overall. 

Clay  Buchholz  (3-5) struck out  seven over seven  innings, but took the loss 
after surrendering five hits and four runs. 

"It's  the  best I've felt this  season probably," Buchholz said. "I can't get 
away  from  mistakes getting  hit. When  it's not going  right, it's not going 
right." 

Dunn went deep to right to begin the second, giving Carroll all the offense he 
needed. 

In  the fourth,  Dunn kept  the  inning alive  with a  two-out double,  Alexei 
Ramirez  followed  with a walk, and  Viciedo buried a three-run shot to center 
which gave the White Sox a 4-0 edge. 

Carroll  allowed Pierzynski's  leadoff hit in the third, walked Bradley in the 
sixth  and  walked Mike Napoli  in the seventh.  Only Bradley managed to reach 
second  -- stealing the  bag in the sixth as Xander Bogaerts fanned -- but was 
stranded there after Brock Holt and Daniel Nava grounded out. 

Guerra  came  on after the walk  to Napoli, and  ended the frame by inducing a 
Stephen Drew fly out. 

Bradley  singled  with one away  in the eighth, moved  to second on a Bogaerts 
grounder but remained there as Holt grounded out. 

Putman walked David Ortiz with two away in the ninth, but Napoli grounded into 
a game-ending fielder's choice from short to second. 

                                   Game Notes 

Carroll,  who  won for the first  time since May 27,  had given up 12 runs (10 
earned)  on 17 hits  in 11 innings over his previous two outings. His previous 
low  for hits  in one start was five, in  a 2-0 loss at Cleveland on May 3 ... 
Chicago  has won  four straight  on the  road ...  Boston fell  to 1-6  on its 
current  10-game homestand  ...  Prior  to the  game,  the  Red Sox  activated 
infielder  Mike Carp  from the  15-day  disabled list  and optioned  infielder 
Jonathan  Herrera to Triple-A Pawtucket ... The game was delayed 39 minutes at 
the outset due to severe weather in the region. 

Cincinnati,  OH  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Jay Bruce  made an  error in his first 
career  start at first  base, but also homered for the second straight game to 
help  guide  the Cincinnati  Reds to  a 9-3 win  over the  Chicago Cubs in the 
opener of a five-game series. 

Bruce,  an  outfielder by  trade, had spent  the first 899  games of his major 
league  career occupying  one  of  the three  outfield  spots.  He had  played 
exclusively in right since the start of the 2009 season but was moved to first 
base on Monday because of former MVP Joey Votto's nagging muscle strain in his 
left  knee.  Votto  missed his  second  straight  game  and  may land  on  the 
disabled list. 

Bruce  finished  2-for-4 with  two RBI and  two runs scored  for the Reds, who 
improved  to  6-3 against Chicago  this season.  Starter Mike Leake (7-7) also 
continued  his dominance over the Cubs, striking out seven in seven innings to 
win his fourth consecutive decision against them. 

Edwin  Jackson (5-9)  absorbed the loss, yielding four runs on seven hits over 
six  innings. Cubs leadoff hitter  Chris Coghlan went  4-for-5 with a pair of 
doubles and two runs scored. 

The Reds manufactured a run in the first inning, with Billy Hamilton working a 
leadoff  walk, moving  to third  on  Todd Frazier's  single and  scoring on  a 
Brandon Phillips sacrifice fly to right. 

Chicago  tied it with a run in the top of the fifth. With Coghlan on third and 
two  outs, Anthony  Rizzo grounded  sharply down  the first  base line.  Bruce 
stabbed at the ball but couldn't scoop it up, allowing Coghlan to score. 

"I felt like it was solid," Bruce said of his play at first base. "I felt like 
I  should  have made the play  on the backhand down  the line. We were able to 
score  some runs  to kind of erase  that. I've never been more stressed on the 
baseball field, that's for sure." 

The  Reds put two more across in the home fifth, however, to go back in front. 
With  two  gone and runners  on second and third,  Hamilton smacked a liner to 
right. Frazier followed with an RBI base knock to left. 

Devin Mesoraco's RBI double in the sixth made it 4-1. 

Chicago  drew  back within  a run in  the seventh on  Rizzo's two-run blast to 
right,  but  Bruce's long ball  in the home portion  put Cincinnati back up by 
three  runs.  He made amends for  his earlier miscue, crushing a James Russell 
offering down the right field line for a two-run shot. 

Blake  Parker walked  two to start the  eighth and Zack Cozart singled to load 
the  bags for Hamilton,  who cleared them with a three-run triple to right for 
the final runs. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  game was  delayed for  21 minutes  in the  third inning  due to  rain ... 
Mesoraco  has 10 RBI in his last eight games against the Cubs ... Votto missed 
23  games earlier this season with the same injury ... Bruce had gone 0-for-26 
before  hitting  the game-winning home run  in the eighth inning on Sunday ... 
Rizzo's HR broke a string of eight games without an extra-base hit ... The two 
teams will play a doubleheader on Tuesday. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.

St.  Louis,  MO (SportsNetwork.com) -  Matt Adams had  two of St. Louis' three 
hits, including a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to 
lift  the Cardinals to a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener 
of a four-game set. 

Matt  Carpenter worked a leadoff walk against Justin Wilson (2-1) in the ninth 
before  Adams  smacked his two-run shot  down the right-field line two batters 
later  to  vault the Cardinals past  the Pirates  for second  place in the NL 
Central. 

"Able  to  get Adams to  do something special,  we needed that. Great at-bat," 
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. 

Pat Neshek (3-0) tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to get the win. 

The  Pirates loaded the bases with two outs against Sam Freeman in the eighth, 
but  the  lefty got pinch-hitter Gregory  Polanco to wave at a sweeping slider 
for strike three the end the threat. 

Adam Wainwright, who was attempting to become the first NL pitcher to reach 12 
wins,  struck  out five,  allowed  seven  hits  and  walked three  over  seven 
scoreless  innings for  the Cardinals,  who have  won four  of their  past six 
games. 

Charlie Morton fanned five, surrendered just one hit and walked two over seven 
scoreless  innings  for Pittsburgh, which had  won six of its last seven tilts 
coming in. 

"He  had nasty  stuff today,"  Pirates manager  Clint Hurdle  said of  Morton. 
"Today was all about the sinker." 

The  Pirates were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on 
base 

Pittsburgh  put runners  on  the corners  with  one away  in  the fourth,  but 
Wainwright  struck out  Pedro Alvarez for the second out. A wild pitch allowed 
Ike Davis to advance to second, but Wainwright got Jordy Mercer to pop out and 
keep the game scoreless. 

The Cardinals recorded their first hit in the opening frame, but didn't tally 
another one until the eighth. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Cardinals  finished 0-for-2  with runners in  scoring position ... Adams' 
homer  was  his 10th of  the season ...  The start of  the game was delayed 47 
minutes due to rain before there was another stoppage for 11 minutes. 

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

Brett M. Sloan, 19, of 106 West 1st Street Apt 8, Assumption, was arrested July 7 for burglary and theft.

Brandon C. Partridge, 35, of 2803 Monmouth Court, Springfield, was arrested July 7 on a bond forfeiture for deceptive practice/bad check.

Terry D. Middleton, 40, of 409 Taylorville Boulevard, Taylorville, was arrested July 8 for domestic battery.

Mark A. Getz, 43, of 2 North John Street, Pana, was arrested July 8 for domestic battery.

Bradley W. Bennett, 30, of 100 Fair Avenue Apt. 224, Pana, was arrested July 7 on a warrant for speeding 40mph over the limit.

Kyle Gates, 21, of 1837 Ferris Drive, Decatur, was arrested July 7 for overloading a motorboat and operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol. (625 45/5-16-A-1-B)

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 6, Taylorville Police Department received a call from an anonymous caller referencing a male juvenile who was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The 17-year-old juvenile was said to be walking towards Manners Park on Third Street. Following officer's arrival, the male juvenile was placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia.

On July 6 at 1:09am, Taylorville Police Department officers made contact with Nathan T. Mount, 19, of Shelbyville near Bill's Toasty. Mount had a valid warrant for his arrest out of Shelby County. Mount was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond.

On July 7 at 2:30pm, Taylorville Police Department was advised of a male subject who was stabbed. Officers arrived and determined the victim was not stabbed but was instead involved in a disturbance. After speaking to complainant and witnesses, Gerald L. Olive, 60, of Taylorville was arrested for disorderly conduct. Olive was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 7
2 EMS, 1 Fire

July 8
3 EMS, 1 Fire

A mobile home in the Hannon Trailer Court in Taylorville caught fire late Monday night. Around 11:45pm, Taylorville Fire Department was sent to the Hannon Trailer Court for the mobile home fire. Firefighters arrived to find the mobile home approximately 75% involved in fire. Firefighters quickly took defensive action to protect the other homes until the fire was put out. The fire was extinguished and the scene was cleared just a little after 1:00am Tuesday. The mobile home to the north had smoke damage but no heat or fire damage. No other surrounding mobile homes were damaged. The mobile home that caught fire was vacant and is ruled a complete loss. Taylorville Assistant Fire Chief Andy Goodall said there was no gas or electricity to the trailer. The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation. The State Fire Marshall will assist in the investigation.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from a local retired Marine, at their weekly luncheon Tuesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Alan Jones retired October First, 2012, after a 30-year career in the Marines with many of those years spent in the Marine Corp's Air Wing.

Jones told Kiwanis members that he was involved in conflicts in Bosnia in 1993, assisted the first Iraq effort from the Phillipines, then served 3 tours in Iraq on the ground.

When he retired, he had nearly 12-hundred people in his last command. Jones continued to mention in his remarks the importance of people being any organization's greatest asset.

[audio:Jonescut1Jul814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

In a question and answer session following his remarks, Jones told the Kiwanis Club that recent military budget cuts are undermining the ability of the country to win wars.

[audio:Jonescut2Jul814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Jones added that technology has changed the way wars are fought.

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.

The Lake Land College Alumni Association will be holding their second annual Scholarship Run for Fun 5K in September. The event will be held Saturday Sept. 27, beginning at 8 a.m. Check-in time for runners will begin at 7:15 a.m.

The 5K cross country race course, will take place on the Lake Land College campus.

Participants can register online at www.lakelandcollege.edu/alumni or download a paper application at that same website.

Two people are dead after their motorcycle crashed on I-55 near the Stevenson exit in Sangamon County.   The Illinois State Police report that as traffic was coming to a halt Sunday due to an earlier collision, a motorcyclist lost control and slid onto the left shoulder.  The male driver, 48-year-old Mitchell Bledsoe of Normal died at the scene and the female passenger, 35-year-old Karla Blake died at an area hospital. 

The Shelby County Health Department is offering walk-in children and adult immunization clinics at the Health Department Monday through Friday from 8:30am-11:30am and 1:00pm-3:30pm. Immunizations include Hepatitis A and B, Pneumonia, Shingles, and TD. The Health Department asks that you call one week prior to the clinic you plan to attend to assure vaccine availability. The number to call is 774-9555. The Shelby County Health Department is located at 1700 West South Third Street in Shelbyville.

A program designed to give students a taste of local politics is on hold for the time being.  Chris Casey, University of Illinois Extension Educator says tey decided the Christian County Board Job Shadowing Program would fit better at another time of year:

[audio:caseyshadow070314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Call the local extension office at 287-7246 for info about the program.

Shelby Memorial Hospital is helping in the fight against breast cancer with the “Pink Ribbon Program”.  It's designed to make sure women can get access to mammograms.  Marketing Coordinator Glenda Plunkett says the program got its start when a local man wanted to help a coworker who had been diagnosed with breast cancer:

[audio:plunkettbreastcancer070314.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Find out more about the program at the hospital's monthly “Girl's Night Out” which takes place on the final Tuesday of the month.  Check out the hospital's website at mysmh.org, or call 774-3961.        

U.S. Congressman Rodney Davis is not a fan of mandatory sentencing at the Federal level.  Davis tells Regional Radio News judges should have discretion in such matters:

The 1^st Installment of Christian County real estate taxes is due this Friday. The Christian County Treasurer's Office is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. All the county banks are also collecting. Payment may be made by mail or at the drop-off box at the south entrance of the Christian County Courthouse.

Two internet payment options are now being accepted and there is also a phone payment option. For checking and savings accounts, go to www.samedaypay.com and for credit card payments go to www.illinoispay.com. For phone payments, call 1-877-690-3729 and enter code 7005. These payment options will be accepted through September 11.

If you have any questions, call the Christian County Treasurer's office at 824-4889.

Chicago,  IL  (SportsNetwork.com)  -  Hector  Noesi fired  6  2/3  innings  of 
scoreless  ball and  the Chicago White Sox edged the Seattle Mariners, 1-0, in 
the rubber match of a three-game set. 

Noesi  (3-6) struck  out five, scattered five hits and walked two for Chicago, 
which recorded just two hits. 

"He  was good,  had a  great changeup,  had a  great feel  for it," White Sox 
manager  Robin  Ventura said of  Noesi. "He's a  tough kid. He's confident and 
knows what he can do." 

Jake  Petricka tossed  two perfect  innings  to notch  his third  save of  the 
season. 

Taijuan Walker (1-1) gave up a run on two hits and five walks over four frames 
for the Mariners, who had won four in a row coming into the set. 

"I  just really got  to find the fastball. That's my best pitch, I just got to 
watch film, lock in and try to figure out what's going on," Walker said. 

The White Sox opened  the scoring with a two-out run in the first and held on 
from there. 

Connor  Gillaspie worked  a walk and Jose  Abreu singled to put runners on the 
corners.  Walker's 3-2 pitch to Adam Dunn got away from him, sailing well over 
catcher John Buck, which allowed Gillaspie to score and make it 1-0. 

Chicago's only other hit came in the second inning. 

Seattle,  meanwhile,  put runners in  scoring position  in every frame but the 
first,  eighth and  ninth.  The  visitors finished  0-for-11  with runners  in 
scoring position. 

The  Mariners' best  opportunity to score came in the seventh when they loaded 
the bases with two outs for Robinson Cano, but he flied out to center. 

Adam  Eaton made a  nice diving catch on a slicing liner earmarked for the gap 
in  right-center off the bat of Corey Hart to prevent a sure leadoff double in 
the eighth. 

                                   Game Notes 

The White Sox went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men 
on  base ... Noesi picked up his first win since beating the Detroit Tigers on 
June  9 ...  Second base umpire Dana  DeMuth left the game in the fifth inning 
after  colliding  with White Sox  second  baseman  Gordon Beckham.  The  game 
continued with three umpires. 

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single in the eighth 
inning  gave the  Washington Nationals  a  2-1 win  over the  Chicago Cubs  on 
Sunday. 

Denard  Span legged out a double after poking one down the right field line to 
lead off the home eighth against Pedro Strop (1-4). Strop retired the next two 
batters  and intentionally walked  Adam LaRoche to set up a force at any base, 
but  Zimmerman made him pay by lacing a single to left. LaRoche was tagged out 
trying for third to end the inning, but Span had already crossed the plate. 

Tyler  Clippard  (6-2) escaped the  eighth inning unscathed and Rafael Soriano 
tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to secure his 21st save of the season. 

The  Nats  won their  second straight  game to take  the series after dropping 
Friday's opener, and have now won seven of eight overall. 

They  moved within a half-game of first-place Atlanta in the NL East after the 
Braves had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Sunday. 

"We have to worry about our own games. We can't do anything about what they're 
doing,"  said  Nationals manager Matt Williams.  "We just need to make sure we 
play our games until we get a chance to face them." 

Washington  put a  run across in the first inning against Chicago starter Jake 
Arrieta  but went silent after that until the eighth. Arrieta allowed just the 
one run on four hits across six innings. 

Span  doubled to  start the frame, moved to third on Anthony Rendon's grounder 
and scored when Jayson Werth grounded out to third. 

Arrieta  has  been one  of the most  dominant starters in  the majors of late, 
holding opponents to one or no runs in six of his last seven outings, dropping 
his team-best ERA to 1.78. 

Jordan  Zimmermann got  the  better  of Arrieta  through  six innings, though, 
holding Chicago scoreless on seven hits. Both starters struck out five. 

"Going  into  it you feel like  it's going to  be a tight ballgame," said Cubs 
manager Rick Renteria. "They were able to score the first run and we were only 
able to get the one." 

The Cubs tied the  game in the seventh inning against Drew Storen, who loaded 
the  bases  with one  away for Starlin  Castro. Castro did  his job, lifting a 
sacrifice  fly to center. Jerry Blevins took over and struck out Luis Valbuena 
to end the inning. 

                                   Game Notes 

The Cubs outhit  Washington,  10-7, but  went just  1-for-9  with runners  in 
scoring  position  and stranded  12 ...  Chicago had  won four straight before 
dropping  the last two  ... Rendon's nine-game hit streak came to an end after 
an 0-for-4 afternoon. 

Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.

St.  Louis, MO  (SportsNetwork.com) -  Jarrod Saltalamacchia  hit a  three-run 
homer  and Henderson Alvarez tossed seven solid innings as the Marlins took an 
8-4  victory over the  St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of a three-game 
set. 

Casey  McGehee  finished 2-for-4  with an  RBI and two  runs scored while Jeff 
Baker and Marcell Ozuna both had two hits and two RBI for Miami, which won the 
final two games after dropping Friday's series opener. 

Alvarez (6-3) conceded just one run on five hits with three strikeouts for the 
Marlins,  who  have won a franchise-record  10 straight starts with the right- 
hander on the mound. 

"He's  really  stepped up and  taken over that ace  role for us," said McGehee 
about Alvarez. "He pretty much did today what he has done all year for us." 

Kolten  Wong homered  and scored twice while Matt Adams supplied a career-high 
four  hits. Marco Gonzales  (0-2) was tagged with the loss in his third career 
start  after giving up  just one run on seven hits and five walks across 4 2/3 
frames. 

"We  can't dictate where the ball is going once we make contact. All we can do 
is stick with our approach," said Adams. 

Christian  Yelich and Ed  Lucas both singled to open the game for the Marlins. 
Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a double play that moved Yelich over to third. 
McGehee's grounder up the middle brought Yelich around for an early lead. 

The  Marlins loaded the bases in the fifth and the sixth. Stanton led off with 
a  single and  Baker  and  Saltalamacchia both  worked  two-out walks,  ending 
Gonzales'  outing.  Seth  Maness  diffused the  threat  after  getting  Adeiny 
Hechavarria to ground out and end the inning. 

In the sixth, Alvarez and Yelich both singled and Nick Greenwood intentionally 
walked  McGehee to  load  the bases  with  two outs.  Ozuna's  single to  left 
drove in two runners and Baker's base hit up the middle made it a 4-0 game. 

Wong  got  the Cardinals on  the board in the  seventh after smashing a first- 
pitch fastball over the wall in right. 

Miami  responded  with four runs  in the  eighth. Baker drove  in a run with a 
single  to left and Saltalamacchia stroked a three-run shot into the Cardinals 
bullpen in right, giving the Marlins an 8-1 lead. 

Kevin  Gregg started the eighth for the Marlins. Peter Bourjos raced to second 
on a one-out double and came home on the very next pitch after Adams smacked a 
ground-rule  double  that bounced off the  warning track and into the seats in 
left-center  field. Adams  moved to third on  a wild pitch and scored on Allen 
Craig's groundout, making it an 8-3 game. 

Wong singled and scored on Daniel Descalso's double to the corner in right off 
Dan  Jennings to  start the ninth. Chris Hatcher entered the game and stranded 
runners at first and third to prevent further damage. 

                                   Game Notes 

McGehee  extended his  career-high hitting  streak to  13 games.  He has  also 
reached  base safely  in 30 straight games  and has hit in 20 consecutive road 
contests  ... Alvarez  has not lost a  game since May 11 against San Diego ... 
Hechavarria  returned to the lineup after landing on the disabled list on June 
25  with a  right triceps strain ...  The Cardinals activated Wong from the DL 
prior to the game. 

The second part of the 175^th Committee’s Christian County History Series features the Assumption Township. The article can be seen under the letter section here: https://taylorvilledailynews.com/pages/index.cfm?id=121. The series will run for 14 weeks and most of the information comes from the quarterlies and library of the Christian County Genealogical Society.

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

Steven C. Smith, 40, of 502 North Pawnee Street, Taylorville, was arrested July 6 for domestic battery, possession of cannabis, and resisting a peace officer.

Brian E. Tirey, 35, of 2218 Everglade Drive, Taylorville, was arrested July 4 on a bond forfeiture for bad checks/obtain control of property.

Carole A. Brasche, 25, of 2119 South 10th, Springfield, was arrested July 6 on a bond forfeiture for retail theft.

Nathan T. Mount, 19, of 1218 South Fourth Street, Shelbyville, was arrested July 6 for driving with a suspended license.

Monte R. Evans, 32, of 802 East Vine, Taylorville, was arrested July 5 on a bond forfeiture for driving with a suspended license.

Brett D.L. Brummer, 22, of 2509 Eastwood Drive, Taylorville, was arrested July 5 for operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol.

Justin M. Chronister, 32, of 127 Wilcox Street, Springfield, was arrested July 4 on a bond forfeiture for driving with a suspended license.

THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:

On July 5 at 10:49pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol on Langleyville Road and conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding. Following investigation, Leonard D. Aldridge, 33, of Watseka was arrested for driving while license suspended.

On July 2, 911 sent Taylorville Police Department officers to 833 East Lewis Street in reference for a fight in progress. Following officers' arrival, a male juvenile was arrested for domestic battery. The juvenile was taken to Taylorville Police Department, processed and later released to Youth Services Bureau.

On July 5 at 1:15pm, Taylorville Police Department received information that there was a domestic battery occurring at 502 North Pawnee. Officers arrived on scene and made contact with two subjects. Upon further investigation, Steven C. Smith, 40, of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery. Smith was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing. Smith was currently on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections. IDOC was contacted and they issued a warrant for Smith's arrest. Smith was then transported to the Christian County Sheriff's Office and lodged on domestic battery charges. Smith was also charged with resisting a peace officer and possession of cannabis.

On July 5 at 5:10pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were on patrol when they came into contact with Monte R. Evans, 32, of Taylorville. Officers ran Evans' info through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System which determined he was wanted on a Sangamon County failure to appear warrant. Evans was placed under arrest and transported to the Christian County Correctional Center.

On July 7 around 1:12am, Taylorville Police Department dispatch received a call in reference to a reckless driver and the complainant wished to sign a complaint. Dispatch was able to get the description and registration of the vehicle. While traveling out to Sequoia Court, an officer saw the vehicle traveling east on West Elm Street. The vehicle was stopped in the parking lot of Ace Hardware and following the stop, Nathan T. Mount, 19, of Shelbyville, a 17-year-old female juvenile, and a 17-year-old male juvenile were all arrested for illegal possession/consumption of alcohol by a minor. All were transported to Taylorville Police Department to be processed and released on a notice to appear.

CRASHES: 

On July 4 at 12:12pm, Brian L. Brady, 40, of Troy was traveling east on Route 48. Brady was nearing the intersection of Route 48 and Shumway. Christina S. Mikulski, 25, of Springfield was traveling south on Cherokee Street and stopped at the intersection of Route 48 and Cherokee Street. Mikulski reportedly did not see Brady and proceeded into the intersection causing a collision. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. Mikulski was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. Brady's passengers: Wendy M. Brady, 44, of Tovey, a 12-year-old girl, and a 13-year-old girl, were all transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries described as minor by the report. Brady himself reported no injuries.

On July 5, Daniel R. Durell, 49, of Edwardsville was traveling southbound on Illinois Route 48 when he hit the brakes due to a deer coming out of the treeline to his right. Durell struck the deer in the southbound lane of Route 48. No injuries reported.

On July 4, William H. Jones, 52, of Taylorville was traveling south on Route 104 near the intersection with Broaddus Road. A deer ran west across the roadway in front of Jones causing an accident. Jones was able to drive away from the scene. No injuries were reported.

On July 1, Brandon E. Rhodes, 23, of Taylorville was traveling north on Shumway Street and was approaching the intersection of Shumway and Market Streets. A 16-year-old female was traveling east on Market Street. The 16-year-old stopped but reportedly did not see Rhodes and proceeded into the intersection and struck Rhodes. Both vehicles were able to drive from the scene. No injuries were reported.

On July 5 at 11:49am, Ryan R. Hendrickson, 39, of Taylorville was traveling west on Route 48 near the intersection of Shumway Street. Jacob G. Gideon, 27, of Rochester was traveling south on Shumway Street approaching Route 48. Hendrickson reported that he thought Gideon was going to pull out in front of him. Hendrickson reportedly applied the brakes, began to skid and laid the motorcycle on its side. There was no contact between the vehicles. Hendrickson was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with injuries that were described as not physically evident by the report. No other injuries reported.

THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:

July 3
1 Rubbish Fire

July 4
4 EMS, 1 Smoke Scare, 1 Automatic Alarm, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident

July 5
2 EMS, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident

July 6
5 EMS

July 7
1 Automatic Alarm

The Taylorville City Council met Monday night and heard more in regards to the Freedom of Information Act requests issue. City Attorney Rocci Romano says Jamal Shehadeh has made several more FOIA requests:

[audio:romanomorefoia0170814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The issue started when Shehadeh’s first request violated FOIA disclosure rules as he was allegedly asking for things such as Taylorville police officers’ personal numbers. Shehadeh is facing a criminal felony drug charge.

The Taylorville City Council approved an ordinance to annex the Davis Land Development, LLC property located in the 4100 block of East Lake Shore Drive and then approved the Planning Commission Recommendation to rezone the property from Agricultural-1 to Residential-1.

The Taylorville City Council approved motions to bid and/or advertise for a heavy equipment operator position at Oak Hill Cemetery due to a retirement and also at the Street Department due to a resignation.

Mayor Greg Brotherton told the Council he will be handing over the $5,000 check from a foreign exchange student that he recently discovered to Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau to be used for scholarship money.  

The Taylorville City Council approved the following events: “Meet the Machines” on September 13th from 10am to 1pm, the Christian County Farm Bureau Young Ag Leaders Plowing the Streets 5k run and 1 mile family fun run on July 26^th, the Homecoming Parade on September 17^th, and the 29^th Annual Chillifest on October 4^th and 5^th.

The meeting adjourned at 7:42pm.

Applications are now available for the 2014 Archery Deer Herd Management Program at the Macon County Conservation District.  Applications may be picked up at Rock Springs Nature Center or online at http://maconcountyconservation.org/habitat-restoration. 

Applications must be returned by August 29, 2014.  Late applications will not be accepted.  A lottery drawing of all applicants will be held at Rock Springs Nature Center at 3 p.m. on September 5 to determine program participants.  Hunters need not be present to be included in the drawing.

This is a limited bow hunting program to assist with management of the deer herd.  Areas included in the lottery drawing are Rock Springs, Sand Creek, Friends Creek and Fort Daniel Conservation Areas. 

For further information, contact the Macon County Conservation District at 217-423-7708. 

U.S. Representative Rodney Davis of Taylorville has announced that he will be hosting an inaugural women's event entitled, "Investing in Women," at 8:30am on Saturday, July 19, at the iHotel and Conference Center in Champaign.

The event will feature a keynote session and two breakout sessions. The keynote speakers will be: Congresswoman Susan Brooks, Phyllis M. Wise, Loretto Kennedy, and Cynthia Bruno.

Prior to the keynote session, attendees will be invited to attend one of two breakout Sessions. Those sessions will be: Growing your Network by Laura Weisskopf Bleill and Start-up Your Greatness by Rachael Pullen and Monica Genta.

This event is free but registration is required. For questions or to register to attend, contact Jen White by calling 217.403.4690 or emailing jen.white@mail.house.gov.

The Central Illinois Foodbank is bringing its mobile pantry to Christian County next Saturday, July 12. The pantry will be at the Taylorville First United Methodist Church and will open at 9:30am. The church is located at 200 South Walnut Street in Taylorville.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Business After Hours event is just under two weeks away. CEO of the Chamber Patty Hornbuckle says this month’s event will be at CTI in Taylorville:

[audio:pattybahjuly070414.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The date for the Business After Hours event will be July 16^th. CTI is located at 1100 Sportsman Drive in Taylorville. For more information, call the Chamber at 824-4919.

The local high school sports championship display at BRS Museum.

If you are a sports fan and especially if you’re a baseball fan, you will want to check out the BRS Baseball Museum in Nokomis. President of the museum Jim Eisenbarth tells Regional Radio News about how the BRS Museum was named and what they have to offer:

[audio:eisenbarthmuseum070514.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The BRS Museum is also hosting a special Smithsonian traveling exhibit called Hometown Teams through July 20^th. The museum is located at 121 West State Street in Nokomis. For more information, visit their website brsmuseum.org.

One of the many baseball displays.

The Taylorville City Council will meet Monday night at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers located on the second floor of the Municipal Building. Items on the agenda include: annexing the Davis Land Development, LLC Property; rezoning the Davis Land Development, LLC Property; the oath of office for police officers Brandon Fox and Aaron Reimann; motions to bid and/or advertise for heavy equipment operator positions at Oak Hill Cemetery and the Street Department; City Attorney update; and Mayor update. We will have details following the meeting at taylorvilledailynews.com. 

During tax season, many scamsters were posing as the IRS and trying to take people’s money. Richard Peters of TRIAD says while it died down for a little bit, scamsters have once again started the IRS scam:

[audio:petersirsscamback070214.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The number for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is 1-800-366-4484.

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Sale fired his second complete game of 
the  season and the Chicago White Sox topped the Seattle Mariners, 7-1, in the 
opener of a three-game set. 

Sale  (8-1) struck out  12 and scattered six hits in the seventh complete game 
of  his career  for the White Sox,  who  have won  five of  their last  seven 
contests. 

"It  helps  the bullpen  with him  able to  do that," White Sox manager Robin 
Ventura said of the complete game. "He's learning to be efficient." 

Jose  Abreu smacked  his MLB-leading 27th homer, Paul Konerko belted a two-run 
shot  and  Dayan Viciedo added  a solo blast  among his career high-tying four 
hits in the triumph. 

Roenis  Elias (7-7)  allowed five  runs on  seven hits  and a  walk over  five 
innings for Seattle, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. 

"He  was  nasty tonight, it was  tough to see  early on, he found his groove," 
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. 

The White Sox opened  the scoring with a run in the fourth, added four in the 
fourth and pushed across two more in the eighth. 

Viciedo cracked a leadoff shot into the seats to left in the fourth. 

Moises  Sierra began the fifth with a single, Tyler Flowers was hit by a pitch 
and  Adam Eaton  followed by  whacking a  double just  out of  the reach  of a 
tracking Michael Saunders in right to plate Sierra. 

Gordon  Beckham lined  a sacrifice fly to left, which brought home Flowers and 
Abreu  laced a two-run  blast that just cleared the wall in left to extend the 
Chicago margin to 5-0. 

Viciedo  hit a one-out single in the eighth and Konerko followed with his two- 
run shot to left and make it 7-0. 

The  Mariners ended  Sale's shutout bid in  the ninth when Corey Hart lifted a 
sacrifice fly into right. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago  was 2-for-6  with runners in scoring position, while Seattle finished 
0-for-4  ...  Outfielder Cole Gillespie  was designated for assignment to make 
room for Hart's return from the 15-day disabled list. 

Washington,  DC (SportsNetwork.com)  - Justin Ruggiano homered among his three 
hits  and  knocked in two  runs to  back a solid  Jason Hammel, as the Chicago 
Cubs  stayed  hot on  the road by  beating the Washington  Nationals 7-2 in an 
Independence Day matinee from the nation's capital. 

Chris  Coghlan had  two hits and scored  three runs for the Cubs, who have won 
five consecutive road games for the first time since July 31-Aug. 4, 2011. 

Hammel (8-5) allowed two runs on five hits, walked two and struck out seven in 
six-plus  innings.  He  improved  to  8-0 in  10  career  starts  against  the 
Nationals. 

"We're  playing well  right now and we're  just trying to keep it going to the 
All-Star break," Hammel said. 

Jayson Werth finished 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk for Washington, which 
had its season-best winning streak snapped at five games. 

Tanner  Roark (7-6), who had a 1.59 ERA in his eight previous home starts this 
season,  surrendered  four runs on  nine hits over  seven frames to absorb the 
loss. 

The Cubs came  out swinging against Roark, as Coghlan and Ruggiano opened the 
game  with consecutive  singles to right field. Coghlan then scored from third 
on an Anthony Rizzo double-play grounder. 

Werth quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first with a two-out homer to 
left field, but Hammel helped himself with an RBI single in the second. 

With  two  outs and two men  aboard, Hammel hit a  liner off the lower back of 
Roark that ricocheted into left. 

Ruggiano  homered  to right leading  off the  third and Coghlan doubled before 
scoring on a Rizzo groundout in the fifth, extending the lead to 4-1. 

The  Nationals put  two on to start  the home fifth, as Ian Desmond singled in 
front  of  a walk by Wilson  Ramos. Hammel proceeded  to strike out Roark on a 
foul  bunt after  falling behind 3-0, got  Denard Span to hit into a fielder's 
choice and fanned Bryce Harper to escape the jam. 

"He's  been  tough on  us. He's  been tough on  everybody, but especially us," 
Washington  manager Matt  Williams said about Hammel. "He pitched out of a jam 
in the fifth. We weren't able to get to him." 

After  throwing a  1-2-3 sixth,  Hammel gave  up a  leadoff double  to Anthony 
Rendon in the seventh. The extra-base hit into the left-field corner ended the 
Chicago right-hander's outing as Neil Ramirez took over on the mound. 

Ramirez  gave up an Ramos RBI single to right center with one away, but struck 
out pinch-hitter Nate McLouth and retired Span on a popup to short. 

Pedro Strop pitched around a Werth double in the eighth before the Cubs padded 
their  lead with  three ninth-inning  runs.  Ruggiano singled  with the  bases 
loaded and Starlin Castro drove in a pair with a base hit. 

                                   Game Notes 

Hammel  and  Roark entered the contest  sporting the exact same record and ERA 
(2.98)  ... Washington  was 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position ... These 
clubs split a four-game set at Wrigley Field last week.