Local News

Etheridge Animal Clinic Temporarily Closed Due To COVID Exposure

An animal clinic in Taylorville has closed due to a positive COVID exposure within the facility. The Etheridge Animal Clinic, located at 1604 West Spresser Street in Taylorville, has temporarily closed due to COVID-19. Upon notification, of the positive case exposure, the facility has been in direct contact with the local health department and Chris-Mont EMA. The facility continues to ensure the safety of its clients, staff, and animals. 

 

If you were recently at the facility, contact tracing will be done to determine if you have a risk of exposure. If you do, you will be notified. If you are not contacted you were determined to not be at risk per IDPH Guidelines. During the closure, additional cleaning and disinfecting will be completed. The Etheridge Animal Clinic Team would like to thank everyone for their continued support during this time. 

COVID Update: July 31st

July 30th COVID-19 numbers look like this around the Regional Radio listening area.

 

The Christ-Mont Emergency Management Agency reports that yesterday in Christian County, 6 new cases were reported making the positive total number 106.  5,281 people in Christian County have tested negative. There have been 4 deaths and 61 people are in isolation.

 

In Montgomery County, Christ-Mont reports 4 new cases making the positive total 145.  Just over 62-hundred tested negative in Montgomery County, where there have been 6 deaths. 11 people are in isolation.

 

In Shelby County, the health department is reporting 9 new cases making the positive total 55. Just over 1,900 tested negative in the county where there has been 1 death and 21 people are in isolation.

 

In Moultrie County, the health department is reporting 0 new cases making the positive total 50. There have been 1,753 negative test results reported with no deaths and 18 people in isolation.

 

Sangamon County is reporting 24 new cases making the positive total 940. There have been 34 deaths with 38 in isolation.

 

In Fayette County, they’re reporting 0 new cases making the positive total 52. 2,096 have tested negative with 9 in isolation.

 

And, in Macon County, they're reporting 25 new COVID-19 cases making the positive total 415. There have been 13,704 negative tests with 145 in isolation. 

 

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that Region 3, which encompasses the counties of Christian, Montgomery, and Sangamon in the Regional Radio listening area and counties to the west, shows a positivity rate of 4.1% as of July 27th.  Region 6, includes Shelby, Macon, Moultrie, Fayette, and counties to the east, shows a positivity rate of 3.1% percent as of July 27th.

 

For a complete breakdown of statistics by county, click the "Current Coronavirus Numbers by County" icon at taylorvilledailynews-dot-com. 

WRAN Kiwanis Club Radiothon Scheduled for August 4th Postponed

WRAN groovy 97-point-3 has postponed the annual Taylorville Kiwanis Club Radiothon originally set to air on Tuesday, August 4th.  The decision was announced Thursday afternoon.

 

WRAN president Randal J. Miller said that with the spike in coronavirus cases in Christian County, he wanted to err on the side of caution.  Different Kiwanis Club members come into the WRAN studios to read Radiothon sponsor commercials live on-the-air, and as of Thursday afternoon, the Miller Media Group closed its building to guests due to the spike in cases.

 

The Kiwanis Radiothon will be re-scheduled and be heard on WRAN at a later date, hosted by local Kiwanis Club members.

 

The Kiwanis Radiothon event is over 20 years old, where Kiwanis members secure advertising sponsorships for local businesses' ads to be read on the air by those members.  WRAN then donates half of the gross amount sold, back to the Kiwanis Club to support local Kiwanis projects for children and youth.  This year's Radiothon will net the local club some eleven-hundred dollars.

 

Christian, Shelby County 4-H and Extension Interviews from Miller Media Group Virtual Fair Coverage Now Available as Podcasts

The Miller Media Group has posted recorded interviews with Christian and Shelby County 4-H'ers, Extension and Fair officials, on a special page on taylorvilledailynews-dot-com.

 

These interviews initially aired inside our 5 stations' virtual coverage of the Christian County Ag Fair, and the Shelby County 4-H Fair, in late July.

 

You'll find 9 Christian County interviews and 12 Shelby County interviews, along with results from the Christian County 4-H Fair general show, by clicking the icon entitled "Fair Results and Interviews."

 

Further results from both the Christian County Ag Fair and Shelby County 4-H Fair, will also be posted on that same page as they're provided by U of I Extension.

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp Warns Of COVID-19 Related Scams

There are a number of different COVID-19 related scams currently going on and Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp warned everyone to please be on the lookout for those scams and to report any suspicious activity to the Sheriff’s Office.

   

 

Sheriff Kettelkamp also wanted to remind parents and guardians to make sure your alcohol and guns are properly stored where children will not be able to get them. 

 

 

Sheriff Kettelkamp also had a warning for drivers on country roads. 

 

 

Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Missions For Taylorville Looking For Volunteers

Pastor Bill Kerns along with Missions for Taylorville is getting back to work after COVID has slowed them down. Kerns says some volunteers are needed at 723 West England in Taylorville to help with some projects around the house. There will be 2 workdays Thursday, August 6th, Saturday, August 8th, Thursday, August 13th, and Saturday, August 15th. For Thursday days it will be 6-8 PM and on Saturdays, it will be 9 AM until Noon. 

 

Kerns says they aren’t finished yet but are looking for people to help so that it goes quicker.

 

 

Kerns says that just because a house looks fine doesn’t mean the inside is good. They have been slowed down on their work because of COVID.

 

For more information or to volunteer your help, call 515-570-1762.

Fall Classes Start At Lincoln Land On August 24th

Now is the time to enroll for classes at Lincoln Land Community College, according to Enrollment Coordinator Tisha Miller. Classes start on August 24th.  

 

 

New student orientation is done online now and can be completed in just a few hours, according to Miller. 

 

 

The Financial Aid process can be confusing and difficult for families, especially in these difficult times. Lincoln Land Community College is there to help you through that process, according to Miller. 

 

 

Student Success Coaches are a critical part of Lincoln Land Community College, according to Miller.  

 

 

For more information on Lincoln Land Community College please visit this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Enrollment Coordinator Tisha Miller was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Rep. Bourne Co-Sponsors Bill To Remove Speaker Madigan; Talks Gov. Pritzker Ruling

State Representative Avery Bourne has been keeping busy. Earlier, Representative Bourne called on the Speaker of the house, Mike Madigan to resign. On Thursday she amplified that request by signing on as a co-sponsor for legislation that would officially strip Madigan of his role of House Speaker and called for a new vote for Speaker of the House.

 

Bourne said, “ComEd has admitted that the facts of the case are true, and has agreed to pay an exorbitant sum to make partial restitution for their role in this corrupt scheme to benefit Speaker Madigan. They admitted they paid out $1.3 million to gain favor with the Speaker so their controversial bills would get passed. Those facts are not in dispute.”

 

Representative Bourne also called out Governor JB Pritzker on his new restrictions for recreational sports, including schools. Representative Bourne said she is frustrated at the lack of consultation with the legislature.

 

She says the issue is that people just haven’t been consulted and Governor Pritzker is doing things on his own.

 

 

The Governor is set to restrict sports play on August 15th. 

COVID Update: July 30

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,772 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 18 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website as per CDC guidelines.

 

In central Illinois, there were 90 new positive COVID tests reported Wednesday and Thursday morning including 1 death in Macon County with 49 of those in Sangamon County, 25 in Macon, and 11 in Christian. The region also reported 31 recoveries.  The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 18th are Christian County at 1.6%, Montgomery County at 4.7%, Shelby County at 2.3%, Sangamon County at 3.3%, Macon County at 2.1%, Moultrie County at 5.0% and Fayette County at 7.0%. Fayette County saw the largest increase raising 5.7% since last week. 

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 176,896 cases, including 7,478 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 41,134 tests for a total of 2,649,786 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 23rd through the 29th is steady at 3.8%. 1,452 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 353 patients were in the ICU and 149 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

CTI Announces Expansion To 10 New Cities

CTI continues to expand. On Friday, the internet, TV, and phone provider announced a massive expansion that will include 10 new cities in central Illinois including Pana, Edinburg, Witt, and Stonington to name a few.  Billy Williams, CTI President says that he is excited about this new development.

 

 

Williams said the process has really streamlined and the company is able to get communities wired much faster than in the past.

 

When CTI first started, Billy Williams had no idea it would become as big as what it is now.

 

 

At the end of the day it’s all about the customers, and Williams says people are excited but he asks for patience.

 

 

For more information on CTI call 824-6398. 

 

PANA July 2020 to December 2022

 

EDINBURG November 2020 to May 2021

 

WITT May 2021 to December 2021

 

IRVING January 2022 to March 2022

 

COFFEEN April 2022 to October 2022

 

OWANECO October 2022 to December 2022

 

LITCHFIELD January 2023 to October 2025

 

RAYMOND January 2023 to January 2024

 

STONINGTON January 2024 to July 2024

 

FILLMORE July 2024 to November 2024

COVID Update: July 29th

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,393 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 18 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website as per CDC guidelines.

 

In central Illinois, there were 57 new positive COVID tests Tuesday and Wednesday morning including 2 deaths in Montgomery County with 32 of those in Sangamon County and 11 in Macon County. The region also reported 31 recoveries. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 18th are Christian County at 1.6%, Montgomery County at 4.7%, Shelby County at 2.3%, Sangamon County at 3.3%, Macon County at 2.1%, Moultrie County at 5.0% and Fayette County at 7.0%. Fayette County saw the largest increase raising 5.7% since last week. 

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 175,124 cases, including 7,462 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 38,187 tests for a total of 2,608,652 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 22nd through the 28th is steady at 3.8%. 1,491 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 355 patients were in the ICU and 152 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.
 

IHSA Announces Condensed Seasons-Football Moved To Spring

Despite Governor JB Pritzker putting in restrictions on sports, the IHSA has gone ahead and announced their sports seasons for school this year, albeit with a little twist.  The IHSA announced Wednesday afternoon that certain fall sports will be moved to the spring. The Governor issued restrictions around noon saying that the IHSA and IESA would be limited to what they are allowed to do.

 

 

The IHSA is going ahead with their plan to play all 4 condensed seasons however, with football, girls volleyball, and boys soccer moved to the Spring 2021 season. The fall sports schedule will be from August 10th to October 24th. The winter season will be from November 16th to February 13th. The spring season will be from February 15th to May 1st. The summer season will be from May 3rd to June 26th. 

 

Fall sports will consist of golf, girls tennis, cross country, and swimming. Winter sports will consist of cheerleading, basketball, dance, bowling, and girls gymnastics.  The spring season will consist of football, boys soccer, and volleyball. Summer sports will consist of baseball, softball, track & field, boys tennis and girls soccer.

 

IHSA Director Craig Anderson says that he is pleased to be able to come up with a plan for everyone but was unaware that the Governor was going to talk first.

 

 

Anderson said that he had taken great stock in what other states have been doing to make his decision. 

 

 

Groups of 50 or less will have to be distanced by at least 30 feet and crowds will have to follow IDPH guidelines and competitions must fall in a COVID region or a conference matchup and spectators will have to follow current IDPH guidelines.

 

The board discussed other IHSA activities such as drama, chess, journalism, and other events but did not take any action.  For a full look at the press release issued today click here.

Taylorville School District Outlines Health And Safety Protocols For The Upcoming School Year

The Taylorville School District recently released their Back to School plan and Elementary School Nurse Jenny Moats said that they’re doing everything possible to keep everyone safe from COVID-19. Moats said that they’re taking directives and keeping in close contact with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and the local health department so that they have the latest and most up to date safety protocols and guidelines.

   

 

Each school will have a supply of PPE and an isolation room in case a student or staff member becomes ill during the school day. 

 

 

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty is concerned about making sure that there’s enough daycare available for working families if remote learning has to be implemented and so she is working with the Christian County YMCA to put a plan in place. 

 

 

The Taylorville School District, according to Moats, is asking every parent to assess their childs health before sending them to school each day.

 

 

The Taylorville School District, according to Dr. Dougherty, will have a crew of custodians that is solely dedicated to deep sanitation.  

 

 

If you have yet to register your child for school, you can do so by visiting tcusd3.org. For more information on the Taylorville School District and to view the full Back to School plan please visit this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty and School Nurse Jenny Moats were both guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show 

Prior To IHSA Announcement, IDPH Announces Restrictions On Sports

While an announcement on Fall High School sports is supposed to take place Wednesday afternoon, Governor JB Pritzker made an announcement at noon on Wednesday that would essentially limit what could be done in sports if they were played. According to guidance released from the IDPH, sports have been broken up into tiers. 

 

Level 1 means no-contact practices and training only, level 2 means intra-team scrimmages allowed, with parental consent for minors and no competitive play, level 3 is intra-conference or intra-EMS-region or intraleague play, meets only and low-risk sports only. Finally, level 4 allows everything including tournaments and out of conference play including championship games.

 

Lower risk sports can currently play at levels 1,2 and 3. Medium risk sports can currently play at Level 1 and 2. High-risk sports can only play at level 1. Football, hockey, and wrestling are in the higher risk category. Basketball, flag football (7 on 7), and volleyball are in the medium-risk category. Baseball, cross country, softball, track and field, and swimming are in the lower risk category with certain restrictions.

 

For a complete release from the IDPH, click here

Shelbyville School District Makes Changes To The School Calendar

The Shelbyville School District has made a change to the school calendar. Superintendent Shane Schuricht in a letter to parents said that the first day of school will no longer be on August 17th, but instead will be on August 31st. Superintendent Schuricht said that they made the change to allow them time to complete remote learning preparations and to allow them time to finish the school’s reopening plan. The school day will run from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM with students being able to enter the school building starting at 7:45 each morning. 

 

Superintendent Schuricht also announced a few changes to the school calendar. School will not be be in attendance on election day, November 3rd, and they will be in attendance on Pulaski Day, March 1st. Students will not be in attendance on Election Day because it is a new state holiday. 

 

Registration will take place in the Shelbyville High School gym on August 3rd from 2:00 PM until 6:00 PM, August 4th from 7:00 AM until 10:00 AM, and on August 5th from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Due to ISBE and IDPH requirements, a maximum of 50 people will be allowed in the gym at any one time. Parents and students can enter the gym from the student parking lot doors. Families will be asked to committ to in-person or online remote learning at registration.

 

Regional Radio News will have more on this story as it develops.
 

Vote By Mail Applications Being Sent Out In Shelby County

Shelby County is encouraging you to vote by mail. Shelby County Clerk Jessica Fox sent out information for voters with information about how they can cast their ballot for the November 3rd election. This year, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill that provides safeguards against the spread of coronavirus by increasing voting by mail. 

 

If you are a registered voter in Shelby County you should be receiving an application later this week. Fox is encouraging everyone wishing to vote by mail to get their application in as soon as possible. Ballots will be mailed from September 24th-October 9th and early voting begins on September 24th. Early voting is only available in the Shelby County Clerk’s office.

 

The deadline to apply for a vote by mail ballot is October 29th. Ballots must be postmarked no later than November 3rd and properly postmarked ballots will be accepted through November 17th.

 

Fox is also encouraging residents of Shelby County to check their voter registration now to make sure it is correct. If you need to check your status either call the Clerk’s office at 774-4421 or at the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

 

You can also request ballots online at il.shelby.ballotrequest.net.

Prairie State Insurance Buys Cocagne Insurance

Prairie State Insurance is a little bigger on Monday. The Insurance company has bought Cocagne Insurance in Taylorville from Jerry Cocagne. The move announced by Blain Cornwell was news as Jerry Cocagne announced his retirement from the industry. Cornwell says he is excited for the future. 

 

Cornwell says that for the time being things will remain as normal but there will be more options if you have used Cocagne Insurance. 

 

Cornwell says that moving forward you can still get the same reliable staff and great customer service you have received in the past. You can still work with the same agent that you have in the past.

 

 

For more information you can contact Prairie State at 824-6911 or 824-9808. You can also visit prairiestateins.com.

COVID Update: July 28

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,076 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 30 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website as per CDC guidelines.

 

In central Illinois, there were 96 new positive COVID tests Monday and Tuesday morning with 62 of those in Macon County and 11 in Sangamon County. The region also reported 11 recoveries. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 18th are Christian County at 1.6%, Montgomery County at 4.7%, Shelby County at 2.3%, Sangamon County at 3.3%, Macon County at 2.1%, Moultrie County at 5.0% and Fayette County at 7.0%. Fayette County saw the largest increase raising 5.7% since last week. 

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 173,731 cases, including 7,446 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 28,331 tests for a total of 2,570,465 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 21st through the 27th is steady at 3.8%. 1,383 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 329 patients were in the ICU and 128 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.
 

Central A&M Suspends Extracurricular Activities Due To COVID-19

Central A & M Schools have canceled extracurricular activities until further notice.  According to a statement issued by Superintendent Dr. DeAnn Heck, the school was notified that a student involved in extracurricular activities received a positive diagnosis for COVID-19. The school is working closely with the Shelby County Public Health Department in identifying further possible cases.

 

If you have any questions, you are encouraged to call your child’s coach or contact High School Principal Charles Brown. Regional Radio News reached out to Central A & M but was unable to get in contact with anyone at the office.

Kemmerer Village Reports Positive COVID-19 Case

Kemmerer Village in Assumption is reporting a new COVID-19 case. According to a release from the Christian-Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency, the home for children has a staff member who has tested positive for the virus and contact tracing has begun to determine where the staff member may have been exposed. Kemmerer Village is located at 941 N 2500 East Road in Assumption. 

 

Additional COVID testing will be completed as it is determined necessary at the facility. If you were recently at the facility, contact tracing will be done to determine if you have a risk of exposure. If so, you will be notified. If you are not contacted, you are not determined to be at risk per IDPH guidelines.

 

Chris-Mont EMA continues to encourage social distancing, wearing of masks to protect others when social distancing is not possible, frequent hand washing, and the cleaning of common touch areas regularly.

Taylorville First Responders And Taylorvilleans Host Softball Game

The Taylorville Police and Fire Department and the “Taylorvilleans” held their second annual softball game. There was free food for the citizens. Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler said it was a good way to give back to the city that helps them daily. He also said it was nice to come together as one to enjoy the evening.

 

The final score was Taylorvilleans 25-Police and Fire 5. 

 

 

Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry On The Theft And Potential Sale Of The Lake Marina

The recent theft at the Lake Marina went unnoticed for so long, for a variety of different reasons, according to Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry.

   

 

When asked how he would prevent something like that from happening again, Mayor Barry said that the HR Director is working to set up some new accounting practices.

 

 

At the recent City Council meeting, selling the Lake Marina was discussed and Mayor Barry said this has been on his mind for a while now. 

 

 

Mayor Barry said that they will discuss it further at the upcoming Lake Committee meeting on August 13th.  

 

 

Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

Road Projects Announced In Christian And Montgomery Counties

More than $509 million will be put into funding for road and bridge projects over the next six years. State Senator Andy Manar says over the next six years there will be bipartisan effort to rebuild Illinois through the Illinois Department of Transportation’s latest Multi-Year Plan under the Rebuild Illinois phase. Senator Manar says that his focus is on downstate Illinois.

 

 

In the first year, 1,706 miles of roadway were repaired and 128 bridges were reconstructed. Senator Manar stressed that this bill is important because of the jobs that it creates for construction workers.

 

In Christian County, 5.5 miles of pavement improvements will be done on US Route 51 from the Shelby County line to one mile north of Assumption. In Montgomery County, 13.11 miles of pavement preservation will be done on the Nokomis Blacktop from Illinois 127 to 0.2 miles east of E. 20th Road. 

Taylorville Kiwanis Collect 14,000 Pounds of Food, Over $2300 for Food Pantry in 3 Drive-Thru Donation Days

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club collected a total of 14,229 pounds of dry goods and $2360 in cash, all benefiting the Taylorville Food Pantry, during their 3 drive-thru donation days in the Miller Media Group parking lot on East Park Street, the last 3 Saturdays in July.

 

Food Pantry co-director Amy Hagen thanked the Kiwanis Club for their efforts the last few weeks.

 

And, the Taylorville Kiwanis Club thanks everyone for the support to assist with children and youth in the local community.

Jaynes Park Project Still Hot Topic At Park Board

The Taylorville Park District met on Monday evening, and the main discussion of the evening focused on the easement at Jaynes Park which will be used to alleviate flooding issues in Ward 3. Mayor Bruce Barry and Aldermen Megan Bryant who is in charge of that ward, came out to the meeting to check on the status of it, and it seems that a lot of the issues stemmed on one tree that was near the easement; a red oak, and whether moving it or not would cause damage. 
 
Mayor Barry continued to insist to President of the Park Board, Marlane Miller that the city would do whatever the Park Board wanted, including planting a certain amount of trees in place of it, but at the end of the day it was about the people that lived in the ward. 

 

Aldermen Bryant spoke saying that she was there on behalf of the people that lived in her ward but the process has taken too long.

 

 

Once again, both sides have a tentative agreement in place and were hoping to get contracts signed tomorrow to get the easement taken care of. 

 

Recreational Director Bailey Hancock says playgrounds are open again and she’s happy to see all the kids playing.

 

 

The next park board meeting is scheduled for August 24th.

COVID Update: July 27th

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,231 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 18 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website as per CDC guidelines.

In central Illinois, there were 89 new positive COVID tests over the weekend and Monday morning with 64 of those in Sangamon County and 12 in Macon County. The region also reported 59 recoveries. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 18th are Christian County at 1.6%, Montgomery County at 4.7%, Shelby County at 2.3%, Sangamon County at 3.3%, Macon County at 2.1%, Moultrie County at 5.0% and Fayette County at 7.0%. Fayette County saw the largest increase raising 5.7% since last week. 

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 172,655 cases, including 7,416 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 30,567 tests for a total of 2,542,134 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 20th through the 26th is up .4% to 3.8%. 1,417 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 350 patients were in the ICU and 124 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Christian County Begins COVID Testing At Fairgrounds

Testing for COVID-19 started at the Christian County Fairgrounds on Monday. The event is hosted by the Christian County Health Department and will be running from today, July 27th until August 2nd from 9 AM until 5 PM.  The event is open to anyone or any age, and no appointments are necessary, but the health department is asking you to be patient as it is unknown how long the wait could be depending on how many cars are going through. 

 

The Health Department is asking you to bring your insurance card so that insurance can be billed but if you don’t have insurance that is ok as well. No out of pocket expenses will be charged for this service. The Christian County Health Department is encouraging everyone to get tested regardless of symptoms due to people who may be asymptomatic. 

 

For more information, visit the Christian County Health Department’s website. The fairgrounds are located at 1716 West Spresser Street in Taylorville.  Follow the signs once you reach the fairgrounds.

Taylorville School District Releases Back To School Plan

The Taylorville School District released their Back to School plan over the weekend and the plan, according to Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty is to have a slightly shortened school day, but have the kids in the classroom 5 days per week.

   

 

When it comes to remote learning, more information will be available for families soon, but it will be completely different from the spring semester, according to Dr. Dougherty.

 

 

If you would prefer to have your child be remotely educated to start the school year, you still need to register and then contact the principal to make arrangements. 

 

 

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Christian County, but Dr. Dougherty is still hopeful that they’ll be able to start the school year in person on August 18th.  

 

 

If you have yet to register your child for school, you can do so by visiting tcusd3.org. For more information on the Taylorville School District and to view the full Back to School plan please click here.  

18 Month Old Dies In Traffic Crash near Rosamond

An 18-month-old is dead after a fatal crash on Friday evening. The Christian County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred on July 24th at 6:14 PM. According to the press release, 20-year-old Chase E. Gatons of Stonington was driving southbound on Christian County Township Road. At the intersection of 2000 East and 350 N. Road in Rosamond, Gatons vehicle failed to yield at the right away and was struck by a 2017 Dodge Ram pickup truck pulling a loaded trailer driven by 21-year-old Tyler A. Buerster of Noble. Buerster was heading eastbound when he struck Gaton’s vehicle on the passenger side. 

 

18-month-old Knox Gaton, who was sitting in the rear passenger seat, was rushed to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis where he succumbed to his injuries. Gaton was pronounced dead at 1:02 AM Saturday morning. Knox Gaton was seated in a child car seat when the accident occurred. 24-year-old Jacob A. Bright of Taylorville was sitting in the front passenger seat and was thrown from the vehicle. Bright was airlifted to St. Johns Hospital in Springfield with critical injuries. Chase Gaton was taken to Pana Community Hospital with minor injuries. Buerster was not injured in the crash. 

 

The Pana Fire Department and Pana ambulance, along with the Illinois State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit assisted with the crash investigation. That investigation is ongoing.

 

Taylorville Park Board Meeting This Evening

The Taylorville Park Board will meet on Monday evening for their monthly meeting. The meeting will take place at the Manners Park Dining Hall on Monday, July 27th at 7 PM. The meeting will consist of approval of minutes, and a look at the treasurer’s report. Guests will include an audit report for the fiscal year, along with an update from Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry on Jayne’s Park. 

 

The meeting will also feature reports from the Maintenance Superintendant, Office Administrator, along with the Recreation Director. The meeting will conclude with the approval of bills and a possible executive session. 

 

Following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, attending guests are asked to stay 6 feet apart or wear masks.

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital Emergency Department Manager Talks COVID-19

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital Emergency Department Manager Mike Queary started out by discussing recent technological advances in the Emergency Department at HSHS in Shelbyville.

    

 

Queary said that HSHS Good Shepherd has taken many different steps to keep patients safe from COVID-19.

 

 

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital started doing elective surgeries again in May and they have a number of safety protocols in place to keep patients and staff safe during surgery.

 

Q

 

For more information on HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital please visit hshsgoodshepherd.org. Mike Queary was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Avery Bourne To Return To Travel Office Hours

State Representative Avery Bourne will once again start her traveling office hours, after a five-month suspension due to COVID-19. The 95th Representative will be holding open hours on Tuesday, August 4th and Tuesday, August 25th and no appointment is necessary. Events are open to all constituents living in the district.

 

On Tuesday, August 4th from 10:30 AM until 1:00 PM, Representative Bourne will be at the Carlinville City Hall at 550 North Broad Street in Carlinville.  On Tuesday, August 25th from 10:30 AM until 1:00 PM, she will be at Congressman Rodney Davis’ Office located at 108 West Market Street in the US Bank Building on Floor 2R in Taylorville.

 

“My staff and I have missed these outreach events and are looking forward to getting back out in the community through traveling office hours. Any constituent needing help with a state agency, including IDES, is encouraged to stop by a traveling office hours event that is convenient for them.

 

For more information, contact Representative Bourne at Bourne@ilhousegop.org or call 324-5200.

Greater Shelbyville Chamber President Derek Hayden Discusses The Streetscape Project

The Downtown Shelbyville Streetscape project is coming along nicely and Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce President Derek Hayden says that it has been a long time coming and that it will be a nice addition to Shelbyville.     

 

 

Hayden says that the Streetscape project should bring new visitors, business, and revenue to Shelbyville.

 

 

Despite COVID-19 the Shelbyville area has seen an economic growth recently, according to Hayden.

 

 

For more information on the Greater Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce please visit greatershelbyville.com. Derek Hayden was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

Getting Children Comfortable With A Mask

It is becoming more and more apparent that if children go back to the classroom they will have to wear a mask.  Many school districts say that kids will need to wear a mask the whole time they are in a classroom which could be upwards of 5 hours. Dr. Samina Yousuf, an OSF healthcare pediatrician in Bloomington says that finding a comfortable mask for your children should be a priority now and not the day before school begins.

 

Dr. Yousuf recommends wearing the mask at home so you get used to having it on for periods of time. You can even offer small rewards to your children for it.

 

The best way, Dr. Yousuf says, for kids to get used to wearing a mask is to see parents wearing one.

 

Dr. Yousuf continued by saying that not only wearing a mask but teaching children proper hand hygiene along with washing and using hand sanitizer can go a long way to keeping your kids healthy in school.

Shelby County Economic Development Executive Director Daley Schwengel Discusses The Census

The 2020 Census was supposed to be complete in the end of June, but because of COVID-19 they extended it until the end of October, according to Shelby County Economic Development Council Executive Director Daley Schwengel.     

 

 

The importance of the Census cannot be understated, according to Schwengel.

 

 

There are various ways to fill out the census. You can fill it out online or over the phone and it only takes a few minutes to fill it out.

 

 

Daley Schwengel was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Loving Arms Looking For Donations; Adapting To Life During COVID

The Loving Arms Pregnancy Center is always looking for donations for their centers, but things are a little different due to COVID. Loving Arms continues to operate in accordance with the guidelines set by the IDPH and the CDC.  Executive Director, Cathy Coker says that there are still a lot of items they need, but they are limited due to the virus.

 

 

Coker talked a little about the services they offer and how they have changed slightly due to COVID.

 

 

The facility also utilizes HIPAA compliant software for zoom meetings.

 

 

Get more information on the Loving Arms Pregnancy Center by calling 824-7200.

Long-Time Taylorville Businessman John McClure Dies

A long-time Taylorville businessman has passed away.

 

84-year-old John McClure passed away Thursday.  He owned and operated McClure-Halberg Insurance and Real Estate until his retirement in 2000.  He was a long-time member of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club, recruiting many new members over the years and receiving the "Amador Award" from the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District of Kiwanis for his years of service.

 

McClure was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the Christian County Shrine Club, and Taylorville Masonic Lodge 122.  

 

Private family ceremonies with military honors will be held at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield.

64 Shelbyville High School Seniors Get Diplomas in Commencement Saturday

Saturday was a special day for some 64 graduates of the 2020 class at Shelbyville High School.  School officials held their graduation commencement on the high school football field.  

 

The event included graduates being seated so they were socially distanced, with a limited number of family and friends being allowed to be seated on the east and west sides of the field, and limited seating in the home bleachers on the west side of the field. 

 

The commencement was broadcast live on Miller Media Group radio station Cruisin' 98.3 WSVZ.

 

Shelbyville High School principal Kyle Ladd told graduates to think about all those who guided their lives.

 

 

Superintendent Shane Shuricht then asked each senior Student of the Month to come to the stage, with Carson Beyers being named Student of the Year and receiving a scholarship.

 

Ladd recognized the top ten academic seniors and those entering the military.  

 

Shelbyville graduating senior William Leach gave the salutatorian speech, telling attendees what he called "Miss Coronavirus" affected everyone's lives this school year.

 

 

Valedictorian Allison Schuricht told graduates the 2020 class overcame a lot of changes in their 4 years.

 

 

Ladd then presented virtual diplomas to the 64 seniors who each walked across the stage in their traditional cap and gown, and he then certified them as graduates.

 

 

Graduate Jordan Winings then gave the benediction to close the commencement ceremony.

 

 

The complete Shelbyville High School 2020 graduation ceremony can be heard on the player below:

 

 

Miller Media And Kiwanis Club Collects over $1,500 And Food For Taylorville Food Pantry

The Miller Media Group and the Taylorville Kiwanis Club teamed up once again to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry by doing Drive Thru Donation Days on Saturdays in July. Non-perishable food items along with monetary donations were accepted in the front parking lot of the Miller Media Group studios at 918 E Park in Taylorville.

 

Kiwanis member Bill Kerns was taking the donations today. In total he collected $1,516, as well as a truckful food donations, that is all going to the Taylorville Food Pantry. Kerns said the day got off to a fantastic start as Eric Kahle donated $500 worth of food, and a check of $500.

 

 

According to Kerns, Kahle's big donation by Kahle wasn’t the only big donation of the day. They received two more donations of $500 later in the morning.


 

Kerns was blown away by the support of the community he experienced on Saturday.

 

 

Kerns says that even though the Drive Thru Donation days are over, you can still donate to the food pantry by dropping off there, by mail, or by getting in touch with a Kiwanis member.

 

 

The Miller Media Group and Taylorville Kiwanis Club teamed up on most of the Saturdays in July to collect donations for the Taylorville Food Pantry.

Pana Superintendent Jason Bauer Discusses The School's Transition Plan

The Pana School District has released their “Transition Plan.” The plan is for students to be in the classroom 5 days a week, but parts of the school day will be extremely different this year and that includes both Physical Education and Recess. According to Superintendent Jason Bauer, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is encouraging more physical activity and less group activities.     

 

 

If there is a positive COVID-19 test in one of the Pana School District classrooms, that classroom will be moved to remote learning for a period of 14 calendar days and the guidelines put forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and ISBE will be followed.

 

 

The district’s transition plan talks a lot about a watch list. Superintendent Bauer explained that the watch list will be keeping an eye on the number of cases in the Pana area and the potential symptoms that could be coming into any of the Pana schools.

 

 

Children haven’t had a normal childhood since March and Superintendent Bauer said that they’re trying to bring some sense of normalcy back for them.   

 

 

For more information on the Pana School District and to view the full “Transition Plan” please visit this link.

Resident, Employee Test Positive For COVID At Hickory Estates

The Christian County Health Department along with the Chris-Mont Emergency Management Agency has confirmed that there is an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Hickory Estates of Taylorville facility, an assisted living center, located at 1091 E 1500 North Road in Taylorville. 

 

An outbreak is defined by IDPH at an assisted living facility as two or more positive COVID-19 cases, due to the higher-risk population.  Currently, one resident and employee has tested positive. Hickory Estates has been in full contact with the local health department and Chris-Mont EMA.  Everyone is working together to ensure the safety of residents and staff. 

 

Testing is currently in progress of employees and residents.

Covid Update: July 24th; Sangamon County Updates COVID-19 Policy

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,532 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 19 additional deaths. Sangamon County has had a significant rise in cases and because of that have updated their Covid-19 policy.  To see that policy click here.

 

In central Illinois, there were 48 new positive COVID tests on Thursday and Friday morning with 21 of those in Sangamon County and 11 in Macon County. The region also reported 19 recoveries. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 11th are Christian County at 1.4%, Montgomery County at 2.9%, Shelby County at .5%, Sangamon County at 2.7%, Macon County at 1.3%, Moultrie County at 2.3% and Fayette County at 1.3%. 

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 168,457 cases, including 7,385 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 44,330 tests for a total of 2,432,523 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 17th through the 23rd is steady at 3.4%. 1,471 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 325 patients were in the ICU and 115 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Taylorville McDonald's Honored For Drive-Thru Record

 

The Taylorville McDonald's restaurant was recognized by McDonald's Corporation Friday, for serving 140 cars in one hour during the 11am hour June 17th.

 

Local owner Marty Davis celebrated the award by honoring his management and staff with a gigantic cake.  Davis told Regional Radio News he was proud of all those involved.

 

 

Davis said he was able to keep all his employees during the coronavirus outbreak.

 

 

 

Taylorville McDonald's General Manager David Johnson (left) said 2 records were set in 2 hours.

 

 

Johnson set both records with a crew of about 20 people.

 

Davis Family supervisor Kenny Stewart (right) told Regional Radio News the Taylorville store has a great system of service.

 

 

The Davis Family own and operate McDonald's resturants in Taylorville, Pana, Shelbyville, Vandalia, and Champaign-Urbana.

 

 

Pana School District Releases "Transition Plan"

The Pana School District has released their “Transition Plan.” The plan is for students to be in the classroom 5 days a week, but for those families that would prefer remote learning they will make that option available to families, but according to Superintendent Jason Bauer there are a few stipulations that will have to be met.    

 

 

For those families that do choose to remotely educate their children, they will not be able to be involved in any extra curricular activity including sports.

 

 

Superintendent Bauer said that flu season is going to be a challenge this year because a lot of the COVID-19 symptoms are also flu-like symptoms.

 

 

If the Pana School District does have to move to remote learning due to an outbreak of COVID-19, Superintendent Bauer understands the difficult place that puts parents in, when it comes to child care.  

 

 

For more information on the Pana School District and to view the full “Transition Plan” please follow the link.  

Deliberations Finally Begin For Zoning Board Of Appeals

The Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals finished up questioning and started their deliberations Thursday evening. Benjamin Jacobi, special counsel for the ZBA, made a recommendation about how to go forward with the deliberations saying there has to be a reasoning behind what they recommend.

 

Jacobi continued saying that the best way would be to start going through them side by side.

 

 

The slow methodical process of going through all 5 of the text amendments began. Steve Sikes spoke about particular terminology. 

 

The deliberations went until 9 PM. The meeting was adjourned and will be postponed until August 5th. 

Covid Update: July 23rd; Warning Issued For Region 3

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,624 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 20 additional deaths. The IDPH is also reporting that region 3 which includes Sangamon, Christian, and Montgomery Counties have hit the “warning level” due to the increase in positivity rate. The region has had 7 days in a row of positivity increases. 

In central Illinois, there were 44 new positive COVID tests on Wednesday and Thursday morning with 25 of those in Sangamon County and 8 in Macon County. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 11th are Christian County at 1.4%, Montgomery County at 2.9%, Shelby County at .5%, Sangamon County at 2.7%, Macon County at 1.3%, Moultrie County at 2.3% and Fayette County at 1.3%.

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 166,925 cases, including 7,367 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 39,706 tests for a total of 2,388,193 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 16th through the 22nd is up .2% to 3.4%. 1,473 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 309 patients were in the ICU and 135 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Taylorville FFA Alumni Dinner Thursday evening

The FFA Alumni along with the Stonington Lions Club will be hosting a pork chop and sweet corn supper Thursday evening at the American Legion in Stonington.  In accordance with CDC Guidelines and in an abundance of safety, the dinners will be available through drive-through only. There will not be any dining room service.  The meals will be available from 4:30-7:00 PM. 

 

Customers should stay in their vehicle to order and receive food. There will be two drive-through lanes with one on each side of the building. For more information, visit the Taylorville FFA Alumni Facebook page.

 

The Taylorville FFA would like to thank the community for the continued support of this event and program.

Zoning Board Of Appeals Hearing Continues Wednesday Evening

The Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals met Wednesday evening to continue the hearings on wind farms and the push for a moratorium on the subject. The board spent the first 90 minutes listening to interested parties speak on wind turbines either for or against the subject.  Among the speakers was Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry who spoke about uncertainity, saying that the wind energy would provide Christian County a chance to combat that uncertainty.

 

 

Gwen Podeschi spoke as well on Wednesday and asked why people who are so concerned about adverse effects from wind farms didn’t care about a coal mine that was proposed.

 

Jeanie Jones also spoke on wind turbines asking for more time.

 

The second half of the meeting was a question-answer session from board members to Rose City Wind Energy. Michelle Pavan with Rose City was asked by Mark Dozier of the ZBA where electricity was going to and who was buying it. Pavan said that they haven’t reached that point in the process yet.

 

 

The next ZBA meeting is set for Thursday evening at 6:00 PM.

COVID Update: July 22nd

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1598 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 23 additional deaths. The IDPH is also reporting 1 death in Montgomery County of a female who was over 100.

 

In central Illinois, there were 40 new positive COVID tests on Tuesday with 28 of those in Sangamon County and 4 in Christian County. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 11th are Christian County at 1.4%, Montgomery County at 2.9%, Shelby County at .5%, Sangamon County at 2.7%, Macon County at 1.3%, Moultrie County at 2.3% and Fayette County at 1.3%.

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 165,301 cases, including 7,347 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 39,633 tests for a total of 2,348,487 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 15th through the 21st is up .1% to 3.2%. 1,456 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 337 patients were in the ICU and 132 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Pana Medical Group Staff Member Tests Positive For COVID-19

Christian Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency or Chris-Mont EMA is reporting a positive COVID-19 test of a Pana Medical Group Staff member as of Wednesday. All staff members have been quarantined and are currently being tested as required by the Illinois Department of Public Health.  The Practice Manager has been in direct contact with both the Illinois Department of Public Health along with the Chris-Mont EMA. 

 

Contact tracing efforts are currently ongoing by the Christian County Health Department. All patients who have been in contact with the staff member will be notified. If you don’t get notified by the Health Department your risk is considered low.

 

While the office is closed, additional cleaning and disinfecting will be completed in accordance with all CDC/IDPH guidelines.

TPD Investigating Break-In At West School

The Taylorville Police Department is investigating a break-in at the building formerly used as West School. The building which is being used for storage now by Bernie Curvey, was broken into by several individuals who destroyed several items and caused major damage inside.

 

Taylorville Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler says that the Police Department is making progress on the case and they have some leads. Chief Wheeler urges the individuals to “turn yourself in, you will be caught.” 

 

You can watch the video here or by visiting the Taylorville Police Department's Facebook page. 

 

 

If you have any information on the break in you can call 824-2211. You will stay anonymous. 

Lincoln Land Community College To Do 1/2 Price Online Class Fees

Lincoln Land Community College is helping students with costs this semester. Lincoln Land President Dr. Charlotte Warren has announced that online class fees have been reduced by 50% for the fall semester. 

 

Additional online classes have been added to the fall schedule and students taking online classes will pay tuition, fees, and a half-price online fee of $19.87 per credit hour.

 

Dr. Warren says it is important to help students right now. “Cutting the online fee by 50% can save students hundreds of dollars in these uncertain financial times. As always, we will provide our students with a quality, affordable education this fall.”

 

LLCC allows students to have access to all online course content from their homes with no set meetings and times and offers face-to-face, remote, and flex classes this fall which doesn’t carry online fees. Remote classes will be offered via Zoom or other technology and meet at set times.  The flex classes are a combination of face-to-face, online, and remote learning.

 

If you have already paid your online fee for the fall, it will be readjusted. For more information, you can visit Lincoln Land’s website at www.llcc.edu. 

Pana Community Hospital's Fast Care Clinic Is Open For Business

The Fast Care walk-in clinic at Pana Community Hospital is going extremely well, according to Marketing Manager Melissa Rybolt.

 

 

Rybolt went on to say that the Fast Care walk-in clinic has been a wonderful asset for the Pana community.

 

 

One of the wonderful things about Fast Care, according to Rybolt, is that it’s adjucent to the Pana Community Hospital Emergency Room.

 

 

Melissa Rybolt was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Loving Arms Pregnancy Center In Pana To Promote Opening

A pregnancy center in Pana will be promoting the opening of their second location with a “Blessing Bag Giveaway.” The event will be taking place on Thursday from 10-2 PM and held at the Loving Arms Pregnancy Center’s new location in Pana at 201 South Locust Street. Executive Director of Loving Arms, Cathy Coker talked a little about the Blessing Bag. 

 

 

Loving Arms has been around for over 20 years and Coker says she is proud of her accomplishments but knows that it’s not just her effort.

 

 

Coker says that they had to build a center in Pana due to the need.

 

 

For more information on the Loving Arms Pregnancy Center call 824-7200 or visit their Facebook page.

 

Taylorville Chamber Helping Businesses Find Employees

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce, according to CEO Patty Hornbuckle, has been busy this week with Chamber members who are looking for employees.

 

 

One Chamber member, Family Traditions Bakery, is looking for a breadmaker. For more information call 825-7158.

 

 

The Gym is also looking for some part time help, according to Hornbuckle. You can email your resume to taylorville@gymotivate.com.

 

 

Patty Hornbuckle was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Representatives Talk Madigan; Bourne Calls For His Resignation

Illinois Representative Avery Bourne wants the Illinois Speaker of the House to resign and is pushing for ethics reform after reports of House Speaker Mike Madigan being involved in a scheme to exchange favorable House votes on bills that benefited the company ComEd.  Representative Avery Bourne says that this isn’t the first time that Madigan has been questioned about corruption.

 

Representative Bourne says that this was all about political favors to help get legislation for ComEd.

 

There are always things that Illinoisans can do, and Representative Bourne says being engaged is at the top of those things.

 

 

A lot of issues can be fixed, Representative Bourne says by having ethics reform. 

 

 

Representative Sue Scherer also spoke on the issue saying, “The issue involving Speaker Madigan and ComEd is in the hands of the Justice Department. We must insist justice be served. I want to make it clear to my constituents that I voted ‘No’ on the bill in question regarding ComEd’s rate increase, although the bill passed.” 

Rep. Rodney Davis Talks COVID-19 Relief

There were so many bipartisan successes in Congress in March and April, but none recently.  According to Congressman Rodney Davis, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the cause of the recent partisanship.

 

 

Congressman Davis thinks that when it comes to the next COVID-19 relief bill, we need to look at the bill in full before making any judgements.

 

 

Congressman Davis is tired of the political games being played in regards to Social Security. 

 

 

Congressman Rodney Davis was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Planning Continues for Greater Taylorville Chamber Chillifest

The 35th annual Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is still on for the Taylorville square October 3rd and 4th.  Committee chairs met Monday night at the Chamber office to review planning for the event.

 

Event chair Greg Hornbuckle told Regional Radio News after the meeting it's falling into place thanks to some great committee members.

 

 

Vendor and chilli cook-off forms, and links for entering the various Chillifest pageants, will be posted on line soon at the event's web site, chillifest-dot-info, that's chillifest with 2 "L's."

Christian County Board July Meeting

The Christian County Board met on Tuesday for their regular board meeting and for the most part, was business as usual. UTV’s in Christian County were discussed. Currently, UTV’s are only allowed to be used for farming. Even if this would pass the County Board, the individual townships would have to approve it. Mike Havera spoke about some of the concerns on township roads.

 

The motion was tabled and sent back to committee.

 

Matt Wells spoke on the executive, personnel, liquor, and legislative committee. Wells spoke about cannabis business establishments based on other counties.  Some counties had not done anything other than set a tax on it. The motion was tabled due to the discussion on windfarms.

 

The request to include a membership list from boards of which the County Board approves the appointments was tabled until the board could get a full list—something they were still working on.

 

Under the audit, finance, purchasing, and budget committee, Clark Pearce gave the agenda. Funds were transferred to pay for probation GPS method of payment through the end of the year. Audio and video for the County Board meeting room was also discussed and Pearce said the discussion would continue. 

 

The state’s attorney and public defender salary increase were discussed. The public defender position was moved to be a full-time position to make 90% of the state’s attorney and therefore eligible for reimbursement. The motion was approved. Under new business, the emergency declaration proclamation was extended. County Chairwoman Becky Edwards discussed a comprehensive economic development strategy document.

 

 

The motion was sent to the finance committee after a short discussion.

 

The next county board meeting is set for Tuesday, August 18th.

 

 

Storms Roll Through Central Illinois

Storms rolled through the Regional Radio listening area on Tuesday evening causing damage, especially in Sangamon County as tornado sirens blared in parts of Christian, Sangamon, Macon, and particularly the cities of Auburn and Vernon. Christian-Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Director Greg Nimmo gave an update on the situation.

 

 

Spotters in Auburn reported seeing a funnel cloud along with multiple trees, power lines, silos and outbuildings damaged in the village. Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on this story and damage in the next few days.

Covid Update: July 21st

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 955 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 23 additional deaths. Currently, there are 4 counties in the “warning” level for high COVID levels; Union, Clark, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties.

 

In central Illinois, there were 51 new positive COVID tests on Monday with 22 of those in Sangamon County and 16 in Macon County. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 11th are Christian County at 1.4%, Montgomery County at 2.9%, Shelby County at .5%, Sangamon County at 2.7%, Macon County at 1.3%, Moultrie County at 2.3% and Fayette County at 1.3%.

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 163,703 cases, including 7,324 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 29,745 tests for a total of 2,308,854 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 14th through the 20th is up .1% to 3.1%. 1,466 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 320 patients were in the ICU and 142 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Boil Order In Effect For Parts Of Kincaid

The Village of Kincaid has issued a boil order effective immediately.  The affected areas include the 200-500 block of Richardson Street and the 400-600 block of Glen Street. Boil orders are issued when there is an interruption in water flow due to a water main break, accidental cut, or required maintenance.  

 

Residents are advised to boil all water used for drinking, preparing food, beverages, ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, or brushing teeth for five (5) minutes prior to drinking it.  This is a precautionary measure for residents’ protection.  It is not necessary to boil tap water used for household purposes, such as showering, bathing or laundry. 

 

For more information on this boil order, contact the village of Kincaid at 237-4713.

Christian County 4-H Member Cole Paulek Discusses Livestock Judging

Cole Paulek is a member of the Christian County 4-H and he said that the process of moving to a virtual fair has been a little bit difficult.

 

 

Paulek went on to discuss what his 4-H club was able to accomplish during this difficult year.

 

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Paulek is heavily involved in livestock judging and he said that livestock judging opens up a lot of different opportunities. 

 

 

Paulek said that 4-H is a crucial part of his future career plans. 

 

 

Cole Paulek was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show during our virtual coverage of the Christian County 4-H Fair. 
 

Christian County 4-H Member Tanner Mickey Discusses The Virtual Fair

Tanner Mickey is a member of the Christian County 4-H and he said that the transition to a virtual fair has been a difficult and frustrating one.

 

 

4-H isn’t just for those involved in agriculture, according to Mickey and 4-H can also teach you numerous life skills.

 

 

Working with livestock on a daily basis to get them ready for the fair is an extremely difficult, but rewarding job. 

 

 

Tanner Mickey was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show during our virtual coverage of the Christian County 4-H Fair. 
 

Christian County Board To Meet Tuesday Evening

The Christian County Board will meet on Tuesday evening at the Christian County Courthouse for their regular monthly board meeting. Because the courtroom cannot accommodate 50 people with social distancing, the meeting will continue to be done by freeconferencecall.com as well as phone. The number to reach the meeting can be accessed by calling 701-802-5367 with access code #7943957. This phone number works with calling as well as accessing https://join.freeconferencecall.com/christiancounty. 

 

Under committee reports, the highway, building, grounds, environmental, zoning, and welfare committee will bring up highway business. The committee will also discuss courthouse and jail repairs and updates. There will also be a non-highway vehicle discussion. 

 

Under executive, personnel, liquor, legislative, the board will continue a discussion on cannabis business establishments, there will be a request to include a membership list from boards of which the County Board approves the appointments. 

 

Under the audit, finance, purchasing, and budget committee, claims will be approved. A discussion on probation's GPS method of payment through the end of the year will continue. The board will discuss payroll, accounts payable, and general ledger software replacement due to the current software support ending. The board will also approve the public defender salary increase effective July 1st. 

 

The board will also discuss extending the emergency declaration proclamation and approve the comprehensive economic development strategy document.
 

Sara Marten Discusses The Virtual Fair And Her Background In 4-H

Sara Marten is the 4-H Youth Development Educator at the University of Illinois Extension Office and she started out by discussing the process of moving the Christian County 4-H Fair virtual.

 

 

One of the most difficult parts of the Christian County virtual 4-H Fair is the Livestock Show. Marten said that there have been a number of different hurdles that they’ve had to get over.

 

 

Marten grew up in Montgomery County and 4-H was something that she has a long family history of. 

 

 

Sara Marten was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show during our virtual coverage of the Christian County 4-H Fair. 
 

Taylorville City Council Meets For Second July Meeting

The Taylorville City Council met on Monday evening and all aldermen were present. After minutes were approved, ordinances were finalized. All of them were unanimous except for the finalization of unlimited UTV licenses which passed 6-3 with Aldermen Shawn Burtle, Larry Budd, and Kathy Driskell voting no on the issue. 

 

Under city attorney updates, the board discussed the recent embezzlement from the Lake Marina, and what actions to take. Attorney Rocki Romano says that the woman had a lake lot and that her lease has been terminated and it will not be assigned but will become available for the next person on the waitlist. 

 

Aldermen Chris Skultetty was very frustrated with the process that it took so long to get to the bottom of this case saying that there had been questions all the way back in August. Mayor Bruce Barry said there was never any proof to follow up on until the audit went through.

 

Aldermen Megan Bryant says there has to be a better system in place.

 

Mayor Bruce Barry assured the board that there would be a way to prevent this from happening again. The Mayor in his comments thanked the Police for their fast work in their investigation and apprehension in the case. 

 

Other news from the city council meeting, was a motion to approve the extension of summer help till August 7th. That was approved 5-3 with Aldermen Skultetty, Burtle, and Driskell voting no. The motion to forward the discussion of privatization of the Lake Marina to the Lake Committee was approved 7-1 with Alderman Jim Olive voting no.

 

The next City Council meeting will be held on August 3rd. To view this complete meeting click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

COVID-19 Updates: July 20th

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,173 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 6 additional deaths. The weekend saw a spike in cases in Central Illinois though and the region is back in the gray “Phase 3” area for one category-hospital admissions over the last 28 days. Hospital admissions are stable though so at least right now that does not seem to be a concern for going back a phase.

 

In central Illinois, there were 78 new positive COVID tests over the weekend with 51 of those in Sangamon County and 13 in Montgomery County. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 11th are Christian County at 1.4%, Montgomery County at 4.8%, Shelby County at .5%, Sangamon County at 2.7%, Macon County at 1.3%, Moultrie County at 2.3% and Fayette County at 1.3%.

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 162,748cases, including 7,301 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 34,598 tests for a total of 2,279,109 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 13th through the 19th is 3%. 1,410 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 308 patients were in the ICU and 133 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area, visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Free COVID-19 Testing In Montgomery County This Week

There will be free testing for COVID-19 in Montgomery County all week. The Montgomery County health department has announced that you can get free COVID-19 testing at the Old Wright Automotive Parking Lot next to the Montgomery County Health Department at 11159 Illinois Route 185 in Hillsboro.  The testing will be done Monday from 8 AM until 4 PM and Tuesday through Sunday, July 21st through the 26th from 9 AM to 5 PM. 

 

Hugh Satterlee, Administrator of the Montgomery County Health Department says that they had to request approval for a mobile testing team. 


 

Satterlee says you don’t have to have signs or symptoms to be tested but you should bring your insurance card if you have it.

 

No appointments are necessary but because the Health Department doesn’t know how many people will be there, they ask for patience.

 

For more information visit the Chris-Mont Emergency Management Agency Facebook Page. 

State Rep. Brad Halbrook Discusses IDES Issues

The Office of State Representative Brad Halbrook is available to help anyone who is having issues with the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

 

 

IDES recently implemented a call back system, according to Representative Halbrook. If you need to talk to someone at IDES, please call 1-800-244-5631.

 

 

The unemployment rate in Illinois currently is just shy of 15% and just shy of 1 million residents are collecting unemployment benefits, but according to Representative Halbrook people are starting to come back to work. 

 

 

State Representative Brad Halbrook was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our downtown Shelbyville studios. 
 

Taylorville City Council To Meet; Discuss Privatizing Marina

The Taylorville City Council will meet for their second meeting in July on Monday evening at 7 PM. The meeting will feature committee reports. Under ordinance, there will be a motion to recommend to the City Council to allow a driveway to be placed at 828 West Vandeveer Street. There will be also motions for a few street signs in town including the corner of Fairview Street, West Wilson, and 3900 East Lakeshore Drive. 

 

Under Finance Committee, there will be a motion to approve the extension of summer help to August 7th, a motion to approve hiring a seasonal employee at the Lake Department for ten weeks, two part-time employees at the Lake Marina, and a discussion about privatizing of the Lake Marina to the Lake Committee. 

 

The meeting will take place at the Taylorville Municipal Building.  Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for more on this after the meeting is complete.

Cowden Pioneer Days Will Be Different This Year

The Cowden Pioneer Days are going to be a little bit different this year. Instead of taking place over three days, it will take place on one day, August 22nd, according to Ryan Waugh.

 

 

The Cowden Fire Department will host a pancake breakfast fundraiser at the park to kick things off on the 22nd. The parade will take place at 10am followed by the fish fry, cornhole tournament, and demolition derby.

 

 

Waugh said that they tried to fit in as much as they possibly could and that there will not be any vendors at the Cowden Pioneer Days this year. 

 

 

Ryan Waugh was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our downtown Shelbyville studios. 
 

Sewer Project On Poplar And Shawnee In Taylorville Complete

The sewer project in Taylorville at Shawnee and Poplar Street is complete. The project wrapped up after being worked on for more than a month and Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry is excited for it to be complete. There are other projects that Mayor Barry is looking at getting complete this summer and he highlighted a few of them.


 

Ashley Florey With Lake Shelbyville Says They've Been Busier Than Ever

The lake level at Lake Shelbyville is always a big topic of conversation, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Specialist, Ashley Florey.

 

 

Florey has been with the Corps at Lake Shelbyville for over 20 years and this is the busiest she has ever seen the lake.

 

 

The campgrounds at Lake Shelbyville are open. There is a two night minimum stay and to make a reservation go to recreation.gov. 

 

 

Florey said given how busy things are it’s important to plan ahead. 

 

 

Ashley Florey was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our downtown Shelbyville studios. 
 

Positive COVID-19 Case At The Tumble N' Fly & Cheer Academy In Taylorville

Chris-Mont Emergency Management Agency is closely following a coronavirus positive case with an instructor at the Tumble N’ Fly & Cheer Academy in Taylorville. The Tumble N’ Fly & Cheer Academy has temporarily closed due to an active COVID-19 case as of July 18th.  Upon notification of the result, the Tumble N’ Fly & Cheer Academy owners have been in close contact with the local health department and the Chris-Mont EMA. The owners, the Chris-Mont EMA, and the local health department are working together to ensure the safety of the children and staff. 

 

The Tumble N’ Fly & Cheer Academy is scheduled to reopen on August 1st for private lessons only, with the local health department’s approval. According to a press release sent out by the Chris-Mont EMA, the Tumble N’ Fly & Cheer Academy is thanking parents, children, and the community for their continued support, thoughts, and prayers.

Miller Media And Kiwanis Club Collects $240 And Food For Taylorville Food Pantry

The Miller Media Group and the Taylorville Kiwanis Club are teaming up once again to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry by doing Drive Thru Donation Days for the remaining Saturdays in July. Non-perishable food items along with monetary donations were accepted in the front parking lot of the Miller Media Group studios at 918 E Park in Taylorville.

 

Kiwanis members Adam Jeffrey and Dennis Barnard were taking the donations today. They were able to raise $240, as well as food donations, that will be donated to the Taylorville Food Pantry. Jeffrey said he’s happy that he and the Kiwanis Club are able to do their part to help the community.
 

 

Barnard took part in the first round of Drive Thru Donation days that happened back in May. He said that he was just as pleased with the community response then as today.

 

 

All food and money collected went to the Taylorville Food Pantry, and Jeffrey talked about some of the great things that organization has done to help as the need has gotten bigger.

 

 

Two of the three Drive Thru Donation Days for the month of July are over, and the response has been great. Barnard wants the final day, on July 25h, to be even better.
 

 

There will be Taylorville Kiwanis Club Members stationed in the Miller Media Group parking lot every Saturday in July taking donations to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry.

Taylorville FFA Alumni Host Small Town Showdown

The Future Farmers of America along with the Future Farmers of America Alumni group are hosting an event at the Christian County Fairgrounds. The FFA Alumni are putting on the Small Town Showdown that started on Friday and will wrap up on Sunday. Katie King is one of the organizers of the event and says that the kids don’t have a lot of opportunities to showcase their animals and this is a good way to do that.

 

 

King says that payouts will be for the top 5, breed champions, reserve breed champions, class winners, and banners for top 5 and breed champions.

 

 

Sunday will feature a swine show and starts at 9 AM and King talked about some of the events that took place on Friday. 

 

 

At the end of the day King says it’s all about helping the kids get to showcase their animals who might not have another chance this summer.

 

You can head out to the fairgrounds on Sunday or watch it live on Taylorville’s FFA chapter Facebook page and the Taylorville FFA Alumni page.

 

 

Coronavirus update: July 17th

Over 40,000 people tested for the coronavirus in Illinois for the second day straight. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced today that there are 1,384 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 22 additional deaths. 

 

In central Illinois, there are 33 new positive COVID tests with 21 of those in Sangamon County. There was 1 new death in Macon County. The seven-day positivity rates for the area as of July 4th, are Christian County at .7%, Montgomery County at 1.9%, Shelby County at .6%, Sangamon County at 1.6%, Macon County at 1.5%, Moultrie County at 1% and Fayette County at 0%.

 

IDPH is reporting a total of 159,334 cases, including 7,272 deaths. Labs over the last 24 hours have reported 43,692 tests for a total of 2,166,299 tests complete.  The seven-day positivity rate for all of Illinois from July 10th through the 16th is 3%. 1,431 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19.  Of those, 309 patients were in the ICU and 128 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Positive COVID-19 Case At Taylorville's Lighthouse Learning Center

Chris-Mont Emergency Management Agency is closely following a coronavirus positive case at the Lighthouse Learning Center in Taylorville. The Lighthouse Learning Center has temporarily closed due to an active COVID-19 case as of July 17th.  Upon notification of the result, the Lighthouse owners have been in close contact with the local health department and the Chris-Mont EMA. All staff members and many children are being tested after contact tracing. During this closure, additional cleaning and disinfecting will be complete. 

 

The Lighthouse is scheduled to reopen on July 21st, with the local health department’s approval. According to a press release sent out by the Chris-Mont EMA, the Lighthouse is thanking parents, children, and the community for their continued support, thoughts, and prayers.

 

Hillsboro Area Hospital is also in the final stages of the precautionary COVID-19 testing of hospital employees. All results have been reported to the Montgomery County Health Department for ongoing contact tracing. 

 

The hospital is fully functional and open for walk-in and emergency care needs but visitation is still restricted. All patients, visitors, and employees continue to be screened for the presence of COVID-19 symptoms before entering the hospital. For more information, visit www.hillsboroareahospital.org. 

University Of Illinois Extension Office To Host Webinar On Preserving Tomatoes

The University of Illinois Extension Office is getting ready to wrap up their Fill Your Pantry Webinar series. The final class will cover tomatoes, according to Nutrition and Wellness Educator Lisa Peterson.

 

 

There are a variety of different ways you can preserve tomatoes, according to Peterson.

 

 

When it comes to canning tomatoes, there are a few different ways to do it. 

 

 

Lisa Peterson was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

State Senator Chapin Rose Weighs In On Schools Reopening

As school districts in Illinois announce their plans for the reopening of school, a local lawmaker says those strategies are going to look different all over Illinois.

 

State Sen. Chapin Rose believes students need to be back in school but there also needs to be protections for teachers and staff at these buildings. As districts make their plans, he points out there is a lot of outside mandates school leaders have to keep in mind that is making this process difficult.

 

 

Sen. Rose indicates there are varying opinions among superintendents in his district and there are varying plans that are coming together for his area as well.

 

 

According to Sen. Rose, each community appears to be making plans based on the severity of the coronavirus facing their communities. He points out there are mandates that are going to make some aspects of a return to school incredibly difficult.

 

 

The Mahomet Republican believes the State of Illinois feels like they have given districts the freedom to make their own decisions but school leaders say they feel like they are tied up and the restrictions only get tighter as the State changes things. 

Judge David Overstreet Discusses His Campaign For The Illinois Supreme Court

Judge David Overstreet is the Republican nominee for the Illinois Supreme Court and currently serves as a Judge in the 5th Illinois Appellate Court. Judge Overstreet lives in Mt. Vernon with his family and he says that he has a passion for helping and serving people.

 

 

Judge Overstreet served as a lawyer for over 16 years until 2007 when he became a Judge.

 

 

He has served in the Judiciary for over 13 years in both the trial and appellate level. 

 

 

Judge Overstreet decided to run for the Supreme Court after current Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier announced his retirement. He feels that his experience as a trial and appellate court Judge puts him in the right position to offer his services for the Illinois Supreme Court. 

 

 

Illinois Supreme Court Republican Candidate David Overstreet was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle Discusses Upcoming Fundraisers

The first Business After Hours since February was a wonderful success and Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle said that it was good to see everyone.

 

 

The Clinton J. Hornbuckle Memorial Foundation Sand Volleyball and Bags Tournament is gathering sponsors and is scheduled for August 22nd. They were also recently given permission to use the Volleyball Courts at the Christian County FairGrounds for the Volleyball Tournament, if needed.

 

 

The Christian County Animal Control is holding a Krispy Kreme Donut Fundraiser on July 29th from 7-10 in the morning at various locations throughout Taylorville. To place an order call at 824-5433 to place your order. 

 

 

The Christian County YMCA is hosting a golf outing on Friday August 7th at 12:30. The cost is $85 and it will take place at Lakeshore Golf Club. 

 

 

Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce CEO Patty Hornbuckle was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Taylorville Cleanup Day Rescheduled

The Taylorville Cleanup day has been rescheduled. The original cleanup day had poor weather so it’s reset for July 25th. Officer Kirsten Bolinger says that the event will be held on the last Saturday of the month.

 

 

Officer Bolinger went through the zones that you can bring litter from the ground too, in an effort to clean up the streets. 

 

 

You can go to any zone but the zones are set up for the easiest disposal possible.

 

 

For more information visit the Taylorville Police Department page and visit the citywide cleanup event.

 

Saturday, July 25th, 11 AM-2 PM Garbage bags provided and trash pickup will be provided at the locations below:

 

  1. Gagne Building
  2. High School Rear Parking Lot
  3. Calvary Baptist Church Parking Lot
  4. The empty lot next to Carwash on Springfield Road
  5. The side Parking lot at Jayne's Park
  6. Empty Lot across from TCU
  7. Manners Park Entrance
  8. Fire Department parking lot
  9. Witt's end Rear Lot
  10. Lincoln Prairie Trail Parking Lot

Coronavirus Update 07/16

There were 59 new cases of coronavirus in central Illinois with no new reported deaths. Montgomery County went over 100 positive tests with 9 new cases. Sangamon County reported 38 new cases while both Moultrie and Fayette also reported an uprise in COVID positive results as well. 

 

The Illinois Department of Health also announced that the state has 1,257 total new cases including 25 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting a total of 157,950 with 7,251 total deaths in every county in Illinois. Over the past 24 hours, labs have reported 43,006 tests done for a total of 2,122,607 total tests. The seven-day positivity rate for Illinois is 3.1%, up .1% since yesterday. As of last night, 1,434 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID while 311 were in the ICU and 127 were on ventilators. 

 

For health questions about COVID-19 call 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. For a complete look at breakdowns of the Regional Radio listening area visit taylorvilledailynews.com and click on the “current coronavirus cases by county” icon at the top of the page.

Taylorville Woman Facing Charges After Theft From Marina

A Taylorville woman is under arrest after admitting to stealing from the Lake Marina office in Taylorville. 62-year-old Robin Sheets of Taylorville was arrested for theft after a thorough investigation of missing revenue from the Marina. In late June, the City of Taylorville’s auditor noticed that the Lake Marina’s office revenue was down close to $25,000 from previous years. The Taylorville Police led by Chief Dwayne Wheeler and Deputy Chief Vince Childers started an investigation.

 

On July 2nd, Taylorville Police sent an undercover police officer to the Marina to purchase passes for cash. Taylorville Police through the investigation learned that that money was never turned in.  Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry upon learning of this asked to press charges. Sheets self-admitted that she had taken between $10-20,000 dollars from cash sales at the Marina. 

 

Sheets was arrested for theft and processed. Mayor Barry says he is proud of the Police for their quick and thorough work on this investigation.

 

 

Mrs. Sheets started working the summer of 2018 and worked alone starting in 2019. Chief Wheeler said in a statement, that they learned about this in late June and were able to take action and solve the case quickly. 

 

Passenger In Macon County Death Identified

A 16-year-old who was killed in a car crash on Tuesday has been identified. Savannah Mosley of Maroa, Illinois was identified as a passenger in a vehicle that struck a retaining wall/roadway fixture on South Lincoln Memorial Parkway near Elwin Road in rural Macon County Ms. Mosley was pronounced dead at the scene and the official time of death was 3:15 AM on Wednesday morning. The Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day released a statement saying that Ms. Mosley passed away from massive torso/lower extremity trauma. 

 

The other individuals that were in the vehicle were airlifted to a regional trauma center out of Macon County and no further information is available on their condition. The Macon County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the crash.

Sullivan Superintendent Ted Walk Discusses The Uncertainty In Regards To The Upcoming School Year

There is a whole lot of uncertainty in regards to the upcoming school year, according to Sullivan Superintendent Ted Walk. The plan right now is for students to be in the classroom 5-days a week.

 

 

The administration is currently going through classrooms to maximize social distancing and looking at creating outdoor area classrooms to give students greater opportunity for social distancing and allow for mask breaks.

 

 

Teachers will be coming in a week before students for training on technology, cleaning procedures, and a whole lot more. 

 

 

If remote learning is enacted, it will be a lot different than it was in the spring, according to Superintendent Walk. 

 

 

Sullivan Superintendent Ted Walk was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

South Fork Superintendent Chris Clark Discusses The Return To In-Person Learning

Chris Clark is the Superintendent at South Fork and as of right now school will start on August 17th.

 

 

As Superintendent, Clark says that it’s crucial to surround yourself with smart and capable individuals, especially in times like this with so much uncertainty.

 

 

Clark went on to discuss how they’re going to provide in-person instruction for the families that feel comfortable sending their children to school and remote learning for those who are not. 

 

 

When asked about mandatory face masks, Clark said that he’s in a position where he might not have his own opinion on it. 

 

 

South Fork Superintendent Chris Clark was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Governor Pritzker Warns Covid Cases On The Rise

Governor JB Pritzker gave a press conference update on COVID-19 on Wednesday afternoon and gave some warnings about the future if COVID cases continue to rise. Governor Pritzker says that we have to act quickly if there is a spike or surge anywhere of COVID. The Governor says we have to take action if we see a rise in the positivity rate for a sustained amount of time.

 

 

The Governor also addressed concerns about fall sports. Earlier this week, the Illinois High School Association deferred all guidance for the fall season to the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Governor’s Office.  Governor Pritzker said he is deeply concerned about spikes with athletes. 

 

 

There is also a concern about going back to in-school learning.

 

 

The Governor also announced that he has changed the regions to 11 separate regions for better management of COVID-19. The line splits the Regional Radio Listening area in half with Sangamon, Christian, and Montgomery on one side and Macon, Shelby, Moultrie, and Fayette on the other side. 

 

The IDPH announced 1,187 new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois including 8 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting a total of 156,693 cases with 7,226 deaths. The rolling positivity rate for the last 7 days is 3.1%. 

4th Judicial Circuit Updates Procedures

The State of Illinois’ 4th Judicial Circuit Court has issued their eighth amended order concerning COVID-19. A lot of the procedures are still the same as they were in the seventh amended order but some things have changed.

 

Eviction cases will cease until the expiration of the order. These cases will be continued to a different date to be determined by the court. Cases that will be held as usual include all traffic cases including DUI’s, all in-custody cases including bond settings, and all criminal felony and misdemeanor cases.  Also being heard will be all juvenile detention, shelter care, and permanency hearings including hearings for emergency and plenary orders of protection.  All marriages will be allowed but must have a total number of 4 persons allowed at the ceremony. 

 

All hearings may be handled using remote video conferencing and in-custody hearings will be conducted by remote video conferencing.  Felony guilty pleas may be done in person at a time that social distancing can be guaranteed.

 

All pay or appear and ordinance cases may resume being heard by the courts. The circuit clerk will provide notice to all litigants of the dates their cases will be set on and whether the hearing will be conducted in person or by remote. The order was signed by Chief Judge Kimberly G. Koester.

16 Year Old Killed In Rural Macon County

A 16-year-old is dead after a vehicle accident in rural Macon County Tuesday evening. The girl from Maroa, Illinois was pronounced dead at 3:15 AM on Wednesday morning after a single-car crash on South Lincoln Memorial Parkway Near Elwin Road in Macon County. The vehicle struck a retaining wall/roadway fixture and the accident was reported at about 10:15 PM. 

 

According to Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day, the victim suffered massive torso and lower extremity trauma due to the crash and two other occupants of the vehicle were also injured and airlifted to an out of county trauma center.  There is no update available on their status. 

 

The victim’s name is being withheld pending notification of her family. The crash is being investigated by the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.

National Weather Service Issues Tornado Watch for Regional Radio Listening Area til 9pm

 

The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a Tornado Watch for the entire Regional Radio listening area until 9pm tonight.

 

There is the threat of severe thunderstorms and a possible tornado, across our area this afternoon and evening.

 

Stay tuned to Regional Radio and dewittdailynews.com for the latest weather information.

Pana Tri County Fair Cancelled

Regional Radio News has learned that the Pana Tri-County Fair has been canceled for this year. The event which first started in 1885 attracts thousands of people for their extravagant Labor Day Parade. The Fair was supposed to take place September 2nd through the 7th. Regional Radio News is still working on gathering details and will have more information on this story as it becomes available. This is a developing story and updates will be added as we receive them.

Life's Journey Senior Living Helps Those Who Suffer From Dementia

Life’s Journey Senior Living is a memory care community that specializes in assisting those who suffer from Dementia. Connie young is the Regional Sales Director for Life’s Journey Senior Living and she started out by explaining what dementia is. 

 

 

Dementia is usually diagnosed by an assessment with your doctor, according to Young. They’ll run a variety of different tests including a mental health evaluation.

 

 

The staff at Life’s Journey Senior Living knows how to care for those who suffer from dementia. 

 

 

Connie Young was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Celebrity Softball Game To Help Safe Passage In Taylorville

A “celebrity” softball game will take place in July with proceeds going towards Safe Passage in Taylorville. Taylorville First Responders including Police and Fire will be taking on a Men’s softball team from Taylorville. Officer Kirsten Bolinger says the event will take place at the Taylorville High School Ball Field on Saturday, July 25th at 5 PM

 

 

Officer Bolinger encourages people to practice social distancing if you will be attending the event.

 

For more information on the event visit the Taylorville Police Department Facebook page.

The Safe Passage Program Is In Need Of Drivers

The Safe Passage Program has been busier than ever, according to the program’s coordinator Denise Evans.

 

 

The Safe Passage Program is planning to hold a live auction fundraiser on October 17th at the VFW in Taylorville, according to Evans.

 

 

The Safe Passage Program is in desperate need of drivers. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer driver for Safe Passage, please call 777-0080. 

 

 

Denise Evans was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

South Fork Superintendent Chris Clark Discusses The New School Resource Officer

Chris Clark is a graduate of South Fork High School and he’s been the Superintendent at South Fork for over a year now. He was the Principal at South Fork before becoming Superintendent and was excited to get back home and be able to give back to his community.

 

 

South Fork recently hired a School Resource Officer and Superintendent Clark said that as Superintendent safety and security is the most important part of his job.

 

 

Superintendent Clark started out as a teacher, became principal, and finally was able to become a Superintendent. He said that the hardest part of being an administrator and not a teacher is not having that personal interaction with students on a regular basis. 

 

 

South Fork Superintendent Chris Clark was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Curriculum Director at Taylorville Schools Talks Remote Learning

Taylorville School District is still hammering out details concerning remote learning and classes in the fall. There are still many unanswered questions but the School District staff is hard at work, figuring out possible solutions and trying to answer as many “what ifs” they possibly can. Director of Curriculum Anita Brown says when going back to school this fall, being on campus is encouraged, but as always there will be exceptions.

 

 

The state has changed its guidelines this fall for how they want remote learning done and it will be different than what was done last spring when emergency remote learning was in place.

 

 

Remote learning this year will have instruction of new material with clear expectations including attendance taken.

 

 

The school is still working on a return to school plan.

 

 

To stay up to date on the fall school year, stay tuned to Regional Radio News or visit Taylorville School District’s website by clicking on the link on this story at taylorvilledailynews.com.

COVID-19 Update for July 14th

COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the area. Montgomery County has been hit especially hard. Montgomery County reported their 99th case of the coronavirus on Wednesday while also reporting their second death on Tuesday. Montgomery County isn’t the only county that has been struggling as both Christian County (reporting 3 new cases from Tuesday) and Moultrie County (reporting 3 new cases on Wednesday) both reported jumps in their numbers of active cases. 

 

For the state of Illinois, 707 new cases of COVID-19 have been announced with 25 additional deaths. Currently, the Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting a total of 155,506 cases with 7,218 deaths. The rolling 7-day positivity rate from July 7th through the 13th is sitting at 3.0%. Labs yesterday reported 28,446 specimens for a total of 2,041,440 tests done. As always keep up with the numbers by visiting the “current cases by county” link here.

McLane Foodservice Has Been Around Taylorville Since 1989

McLane Foodservice has had a few different names over the years, but they’ve been around Taylorville since 1989, according to General Manager Lou Johnson.

 

 

McLane has 150 employees or teammates according to Johnson and they fulfil a number of important jobs.

 

 

It has been a difficult few months for McLane Foodservice, but they got through it thanks to the teammates, according to Johnson. 

 

 

Lou Johnson with McLane Foodservice was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Stay Hydrated While Working In The Garden During Hot Weather

It was not the time last week to be out in the garden with the extreme heat and humidity, according to Christian County Master Gardeners Sharon Hill and Gwen Podeschi.

 

 

During this hot weather season it’s important to keep your plants watered.

 

 

Gwen Podeschi and Sharon Hill were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

State Representative Avery Bourne On Governor Overreach And The Return Of In-Person Learning

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has overreached his executive authority, according to State Representative Avery Bourne.

 

 

Representative Bourne thinks that the Governor’s use of executive authority has to be fixed by the state legislature.

 

 

There are a number of factors that have to be looked at when deciding whether or not to hold in-person education, according to Representative Bourne. 

 

 

State Representative Bourne is concerned about the Illinois State Board of Education’s guidelines and thinks that the local school boards should be more consulted more. 

 

 

Illinois State Representative Avery Bourne was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.
 

Lake Land Announces Campus Will Be Opening August 10th

Lake Land College announced their plans for returning back to fall classes earlier this month. The plan aligns with the phases of the state’s Restore Illinois Plan and safety protocols have been implemented to make sure the return to the classroom is safe and secure. 

 

The plan is for campus and extension centers to reopen on August 10th. Wearing of masks will be required at all times while in all Lake Land Facilities. Lake Land College President Dr. Josh Bullock says that fall classes are going to have a variety of structures.

 

 

Dr. Bullock says that the goal between everyone involved has been the safety of the students.

 

 

Dr. Bullock also says despite COVID-19 being at the forefront of conversation there is still a lot going on at Lake Land College.

 

 

The Lake Land College website www.lakelandcollege.edu is your one-stop-shop for everything Lake Land is doing to help educate and protect you from the virus.

 

All Lake Land employees will complete a brief online training on safety precautions and procedures and all employees, students, and visitors will have to take a screening assessment before visiting campus. The college will be updating the class schedule in a few weeks to reflect the changes.

Taylorville School Board Meets; Discusses Home Schooling Vs Remote Learning

The Taylorville School Board met on Monday evening to discuss plans for moving forward with the school year. One of the big focuses on the meeting was to talk about how in-class learning would look this year including the difference between home school and remote learning. Curriculum Director Anita Brown says that this year’s remote learning is going to be very different from last spring.

 

Dr. Chris Dougherty says that as of right now with the IHSA guidelines she doesn’t see how there will be competition this fall for sports. 

 

 

Dr. Dougherty also says that if you are planning on homeschooling your children this year, and you want to reenter your kids in school, there will be a district assessment.

 

Under old business, the fast track grant was not approved, as rules for the grant had been changed. Dr. Dougherty is hoping to refile at a later date. Online registration is open and has been open.  You are encouraged to register your children online. For a complete look at ISBE’s guide to homeschooling, and a frequently asked questions section visit https://www.tcusd3.org/.  Click here and here to see the video of the board meeting.

Chris-Mont EMA Reporting COVID-19 Case At Taylorville Care Center

A COVID-19 case has been confirmed at the Taylorville Care Center. Christian-Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Kevin Schott says that the long term care facility has reported their first case.

 

Schott says that the test results should take between 3-5 days to get back for everyone else at the facility. No visitors have been allowed at the care facility but staff can come and go but Schott says the chances of it getting outside of the building are slim. 

 

Chris-Mont EMA along with the Christian County Health Department continue to monitor the situation closely and report that the long term care facility has been very cooperative with health officials.

Montgomery County Board Meeting Set For Tuesday Evening Cancelled Due To Covid-19

The Montgomery County Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening has been canceled.  The meeting, which was set to take place Tuesday, July 14th, at 5:30 PM, is set to be rescheduled for a later date. 

 

The meeting has been canceled for a number of reasons. A county employee, who works with the county board, was unknowingly exposed off duty to COVID and has recently been tested. That employee is still awaiting test results. That combined with the number of outbreaks at Hillsboro Hospital, Tremont Ridge, and Cornerstone Church and Lillypad Daycare in Litchfield, have all led to the reason that Evan Young, Montgomery County Board Chairman has canceled the meeting for tomorrow night.

 

A new meeting date has yet to be set.

New Staff Members Join Community Medical Clinic's Fastcare In Pana

Community Medical Clinic’s Fastcare is doing very well. Pana Community Hospital Marketing Director, Melissa Rybolt says that the Community Medical Clinic’s Fastcare has been opened since Jun 29th.

 

 

Community Medical Clinic’s Fastcare is welcoming a few new staff members, Jayne Morrison and Nicole McMillan.

 

Rybolt says that this service is helpful for those who don’t have a primary care physician.

 

In the fight against COVID, you are required to wear a mask and to answer some screening questions upon arrival. For more information, visit the Pana Community Hospital website.

 

Jayne Morrison joins Community Medical Clinic's Fastcare Staff

The Shelbyville Public Library Is Open For Business

The Shelbyville Public Library is now open for business after only being open for curbside while they were waiting on plexiglass, sanitizer, face masks, and disinfecting wipes to be able to safely open up the inside of the Library, according to the Libraries Director Monica Cameron.

 

 

Cameron was excited that they finally received everything they needed to be able to open the inside of the library.

 

 

The Shelbyville Public Library does have a few rules. Patrons must wear a mask and they are still offering curbside services to those who are not comfortable coming into the library. 

 

 

Monica Cameron was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our studios in downtown Shelbyville. 
 

Taylorville School Board Meeting This Evening

The Taylorville School District will be meeting for their monthly regular board of education meeting on Monday evening at 6 PM. The meeting will take place at the Administration Education Center located at 512 West Spresser Street in Taylorville. The meeting can have up to 40 visitors or you can join virtually via Google Hangouts by contacting the district secretary, Julie LeBeane at jlebeane@tcusd3.org to request a code to join the meeting.

 

After approval of minutes, claims, and a treasurer’s report, the board will also hear from any visitors and receive communications. Under old business, the board will discuss a fast track grant update. There will be a Memorial School Project update as well. A discussion on online registration being open and a look at the public school calendar update.

 

Under new business, face coverings will be discussed along with an ISBE Home School FAQ session. Bids for textbooks, paper, and supply will be announced. The IHSA Phase 4 Return to Play plan will also be talked about. The meeting will end with a report from Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty. 

Shelby County Office of Tourism Director Discusses Reopening

The Beaches at Lake Shelbyville are open, but Executive Director of the Shelby County Office of Tourism, Freddie Fry, warns visitors to please stay socially distant so that the beaches and everything else can remain open.

 

 

Fry went on to say that some events are starting to take place.

 

 

The main financial support for the Shelby County Office of Tourism, according to Fry, is the hotel motel tax. 

 

 

Freddie Fry was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our studios in downtown Shelbyville. 
 

IDOT In Heavy Mowing Season

The Illinois Department of Transportation is alerting motorists that mowing is underway on most Illinois highways. IDOT has developed a schedule for mowing and spokesperson Paul Wappel says the heaviest mowing is always done during the summer months.

 

Wappel says that the reason they do it during July and the middle of Summer is actually due to the environment and Monarch migration patterns.

 

 

As always slow down and give mowers room on the side of the road. For a complete list of IDOT’s mowing schedules, you can visit IDOT”s youtube channel or their website.

Shelbyville School Superintendent Discusses The Return Of In-Person Learning

This has been a summer like no one has ever seen before, according to Shelbyville School District Superintendent Shane Schruchit.

 

 

The vast majority of parents, according to Schruchit, want kids back in school.

 

 

Schruchit says that they’re doing the best they can to keep everyone as safe as possible. 

 

 

Schruchit says that adaptation is important in education especially during these difficult times. 

 

 

Shane Schruchit was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show live from our studios in downtown Shelbyville. 
 

Hillsboro Area Hospital Enforcing No Visitor Policy

A local area hospital has enacted a no visitor policy. Starting on Friday, Hillsboro Area Hospital started enforcing a no visitor policy to ensure the safety, health, and wellness of the patients, community, and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

 

There will be exceptions for special circumstances such as critical patients undergoing emergency care, patients undergoing emergency surgical procedures will be allowed one support person over the age of 18. Pediatric patients may have one parent or guardian present. Visitors under the age of 18 will be prohibited unless they are the parent of a child receiving care. Patients reporting for outpatient services should ask their support person to remain in their vehicle during the duration of the hospital visit. Other circumstances may be evaluated on a case by case basis.

 

To check on family members, patients are asked to call 532-4172. The hospital will also help Facetime as well.

Miller Media And Kiwanis Club Raise $620 For Taylorville Food Pantry

The Miller Media Group and the Taylorville Kiwanis Club are teaming up once again to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry by doing Drive Thru Donation Days for the remaining Saturdays in July. Non-perishable food items along with monetary donations were accepted in the front parking lot of the Miller Media Group studios at 918 E Park in Taylorville.

 

Kiwanis members Duane Stock and Dick Wamsley were manning the tent and accepting the donations today. They were able to raise $620 that will be donated to the Taylorville Food Pantry. Stock said that these donation are important because the need is still prevalent.

 

 

Wamsley spoke about the importance of community and the difference it can make, especially with such a great cause benefiting from it.

 

 

Members of the Taylorville Kiwanis club will be taking donations every Saturday from 9 AM until 1 PM in July, and maybe beyond if help is still needed.

 

 

There will be Taylorville Kiwanis Club Members stationed in the Miller Media Group parking lot every Saturday in July taking donations to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry.

New Surgeon Joining HSHS Medical Group

HSHS Medical Group has a new surgeon joining their team. Dr. John Powell, an orthopedic surgeon from the University of Missouri Columbia and Saint Louis University Hospital is seeing patients at HSHS Medical Group Multi-specialty Care in Effingham located at 900 West Temple Avenue, Building B. Powell will also have an outreach clinic in Mattoon.

 

Dr. Powell specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions of the bones, muscles, joints, and tendons both surgically and non-surgically. Dr. Powell is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

 

For an appointment with Dr. Powell please call 540-2350.

 

 

 

 

ISP Investigating Double Freightliner Crash

The Illinois State Police is reporting a two commercial vehicle traffic crash with injuries that took place at 2:55 PM on Thursday. A preliminary investigation is underway involving a vehicle crash that occurred on I-55 at Milepost 80 in Sangamon County between two Freightliners.  The first Freightliner was driven by 26-year-old John T. Guilbeaux of Bridgton, Missouri. Guilbeaux was pulling into traffic from the right shoulder and pulled right in front of 61-year-old Hugh Lockett of Chicago. Lockett struck the rear of Guilbeaux’s vehicle. Lockett was airlifted to an area hospital with serious injuries. The lanes were closed for approximately 6 hours.  The accident is still under investigation.

Nokomis Superintendent Dr. Scott Doerr On The Upcoming School Year

Dr. Scott Doerr is the Nokomis School District Superintendent and the past few months have been difficult especially for teachers and students who had to quickly transition into remote learning with almost no training.


 

 

Dr. Doerr is confident and prepared for anything that might happen during the upcoming school year.


 

 

Dr. Doerr is working with the Board of Education and his Transition Committee to work on the health and safety guidelines and expects to have them ready for families by the end of the month. 

 

 

For more information on the Nokomis School District, please visit nokomis.k12.il.us. Dr. Scott Doerr was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Ag In The Classroom Coordinator Rebecca Livingston Discusses Her Plans For The Upcoming School Year

Rebecca Livingston is the Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator for Christian and Montgomery County and there is a lot of uncertainty in regards to whether or not Livingston will be allowed into classrooms during the upcoming school year.

 

 

There are numerous guidelines that Livingston will have to follow. She recently sent a survey out to all of her teachers and they responded with a number of different requests.

 

 

Livingston is also working on being able to offer teachers and students the ability to go on virtual farm tours. 

 

 

For more information on the University of Illinois Extension Office, please visit extension.illinois.edu/cjmm. Rebecca Livingston was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Be Aware Of All Kinds Of Cancer; Including Testicular

For many men, cancer can be an uncomfortable topic. However, one of the least talked about cancers according to the American Cancer Society, occurs in 1 out of every 250 men and that is testicular cancer.  This year alone, 9,610 cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed and there will ultimately be 440 deaths from the disease.  Dr. Zack Fulton with OSF Family Medicine says there are two kinds of testicular cancer.

 

 

Fulton says that signs and symptoms are usually unnoticeable or painless but you should look for a bump.

 

While not much is known about how men get testicular cancer, some risks include family history, abnormal development of the testicles, and history of undescended testicles.  Dr. Fulton says if you think you have a problem, best not to wait.

 

Dr. Fulton urges men to check yourselves once a month for any lumps, bumps, or swelling.

 

 

For more information visit the American Cancer Society’s website. 

Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle Talks Business After Hours

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is excited to be able to resume Business After Hours. This month it will take place on Wednesday, July 15th at Shafer-Perfetti and Assalley Funeral Home in Taylorville.

 

 

Business After Hours is hosted each and every month to get people into different businesses and to give the business owners the opportunity to showcase what they have to offer.

 

 

Hornbuckle is also a founding member of the Clinton J. Hornbuckle Memorial Foundation and they’re currently looking for silent auction items for the upcoming 3rd Annual Clinton J. Hornbuckle Memorial Foundation Sand Volleyball Bags Tournament and Silent Auction at the Funky Monkey in Taylorville on August 22nd. To make a donation for the silent auction, call the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce. 

 

 

For more information on the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce, please visit taylorvillechamber.com. Patty Hornbuckle was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Montgomery County Seeing Huge Spikes In COVID-19; 13 New Cases In Last 24 Hours

Montgomery County Health Department is aware of three outbreaks that they are currently trying to stay on top of. The first outbreak is at Cornerstone Ministries at 812 Old Route 66 in Litchfield. As of July 8th, there have been 25 positive cases associated with a direct link to this facility over a 3 county area. Two additional Illinois counties have pending tests. Montgomery County health officials are asking that if you were at this facility from June 21 through June 28 regardless of how you are feeling, to contact the Health Department for guidance at 532-2001. The facility remains closed to the public until further notice. 

 

The second outbreak occurred at a childcare facility, The Lily Pad Learning Center in Litchfield. Upon notification of the first COVID-19 case, Lily Pad owners have been in contact with the Montgomery County Health Department working together to keep staff and children safe from exposure. All staff and many children have been tested after 4 staff members tested positive. The facility has been on summer vacation this week and is scheduled for additional cleaning. The Lily Pad Learning Center is set to reopen on July 13th.

 

The third outbreak has occurred at the Tremont Ridge Assisted Living Center in Hillsboro. It was noted by Hillsboro Area Hospital on Wednesday on social media, that a resident and employee tested positive.  The hospital is still working with the Health Department as the situation develops. 

 

Montgomery County has had 33 new COVID-19 cases since July 1st with 13 alone reported Thursday. 

COVID Cases On The Rise But Deaths Remain Low

COVID cases are on the rise but death rates remain low in central Illinois. Since July 1st, there have been over 50 new cases of COVID-19 including 33 in Montgomery County that has seen its biggest spike since the pandemic began. There was also one death since July 1st and that was in Macon County. According to a Facebook post, Sangamon County has stopped reporting negative tests over the last week as Sangamon County was reporting they had negative tests in the 8k range.  The Illinois Department of Public Health was reporting over 20k negative tests. Macon only reports negative tests on Mondays and Fridays.

 

In Illinois,  there were 1,018 new COVID-19 cases the first day they’ve gone over 1,000 in over two weeks with 20 new deaths. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 150,450 cases including 7,119 deaths in every county in Illinois. Within the past 24 hours, labs have tested 36,180 specimens for a total of 1,878,756 tests. The seven-day positivity rate is 2.6%. 

 

There are 1,507 people in Illinois who are reported as being in the hospital with COVID. Of those, 317 were in the ICU with 153 on ventilators. 

United Way Announces COVID Relief For Shelby/Moultrie Counties

United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois has announced an investment of $60,000 towards COVID-19 relief and recovery in Moultrie and Shelby Counties. Debbie Bogle, Executive Director of the United Way, says that with everything on with COVID-19, this is a blessing.

 

 

Bogle says this is for anyone who has been affected by the pandemic.

 

 

If you need assistance and are looking for help call CEFS (Economic Opportunity Corporation programs) at 217-342-2193. The Office of the Governor is giving out $6.95 million dollars towards the state’s most vulnerable populations.

ISP Asking For Help With Missing Person Last Seen In Pana

The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing person. Daniel “Danny” Crosby of Carterville, Illinois has been missing since February 27th. ISP DCI Investigators say that Crosby’s last known location was near the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Pana. Family and friends of Crosby have not had any contact with him since that morning. Crosby was reported missing to the Carterville Police Department on March 18th.

 

Anyone who has any information is encouraged to contact the Illinois State Police at 782-4750.

 

 

Expiration Dates For Licenses/ID's Extended Until November 1st

Expiration dates for driver’s licenses and ID cards along with license plate stickers have been extended.   Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that expiration dates have been extended an additional month—from October 1st to November 1st. Expired documents will also remain valid until November 1st allowing customers time to get to Driver Service Facilities which have been hit hard as people try to renew their expired information.

 

White is still encouraging the public to use whatever online services they can as there are still long lines at most DMV facilities. Customers can go online to www.cyberdriveillinois.com to find out what services they can utilize online. June of 2020 saw an increase of 110% in online license plate sticker renewals when compared to June of 2019.

 

Driver Service Facilities will only be seeing new drivers or customers with expired driver’s licenses and vehicle transactions through July 31st. Face masks are required and social distancing is still requiring that will cause customers to have to wait outside despite hot weather conditions.

 

Again, for more information visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com. 

Abraham Lincoln Association Announces Campaign For Reconstruction Of Lincoln Cottage

The Abraham Lincoln Association announced earlier this week a plan to reconstruct the original cottage where Abraham Lincoln and his family lived before it was expanded into what is now known as the Lincoln Home.  The Association has launched a $400,000 campaign to acquire land on Eighth Street between Edwards and Cook in Springfield to design the replica home of the 1 ½ story, six-room Lincoln Home.  

 

For the project $70,000 will go towards land acquisition and $250,000 will be used for construction. President of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Michael Burlingame says he got the idea from visiting the Lincoln Home in Kentucky.

 

 

Burlingame hopes to have the project done in less than a year.

 

 

There is hope from the Association that the home which will be built away from the park will eventually become part of the park. 

 

For more information on the Lincoln Cottage Project visit www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org. 

Habitat For Humanity Restore In Sullivan Is Looking For Donations

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Sullivan is gearing up for Fall. They currently have a 50% off sale on all of their summer items, according to store manager Tara Reed.    

 

 

The Restore is currently in desperate need of air conditioners and box fans.

 

 

The Restore is also in need of Christmas items to get ready for their October Christmas open house.

 

 

Reed is also looking for any Food Trucks that are based in Moultrie County.

 

 

Tara Reed was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Protect Yourself From The West Nile Virus This Summer

It’s mosquito season and Moultrie County Health Department Public Health Administrator Glenda Plunkett is warning Moultrie County residents to protect themselves from mosquitos because of the West Nile Virus.    

 

 

Plunkett urges everyone to use what it takes to keep mosquitos off of you when you go outside.

 

 

The Moultrie County Health Department is tracking cases of West Nile Virus by testing dead birds and by talking with physicians on a regular basis.

 

 

If you are a Moultrie County resident and find a dead bird in your yard that wasn’t obviously killed by an animal, please reach out to the Moultrie County Health Department.

 

Plunkett also discussed the importance of wearing a mask when in public to protect those you love from COVID-19.

 

 

For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department please visit moultriehealth.org. Glenda Plunkett was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Congressman Rodney Davis Talks Healthcare

A lot of people lost their jobs due to COVID-10 and because of it, their health insurance. Congressman Rodney Davis introduced a bi-partisan bill to help those families that did lose their health insurance due to COVID-19.

 

 

Everyone in Washington agrees that pre-existing conditions need to be covered and according to Congressman Davis, Democrats have been a disaster on the issue of health care since taking over the House.

 

 

On the topic of Medicare for all, Congressman Davis said that the Federal Government cannot be trusted to run our healthcare system. 

 

 

For more information on Congressman Rodney Davis, please visit rodneydavis.hosue.gov. Congressman Rodney Davis was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Decatur Memorial Hospital Has Partnered With Taylorville Memorial Hospital

Decatur Memorial Hospital has been an affiliate of Memorial Health System for over 9 months now and DMH President and CEO Drew Early said that they’re excited to be a part of the Health System and provide the same high level of care that people expect.

 

 

Decatur Memorial Hospital is excited to partner with Taylorville Memorial Hospital to offer patients a higher level of care that isn’t available in Taylorville, according to Early.

 

 

Decatur Memorial Hospital has a number of different services available that patients would have had to go to Springfield for, but now they can get those same services in Decatur. 

 

 

For more information on Decatur Memorial Hospital, please visit dmhcares.com. Decatur Memorial Hospital President and CEO Drew Early was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Sewer Project On Poplar And Shawnee Streets Wrapping Up In Taylorville

A sewer project in Taylorville has taken a little longer than expected, but Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry says the end is in sight.  The sewer project on Poplar and Shawnee street is expected to be wrapped up this week.

 

The sewer project has had multiple issues and has been worked on for over a month.

Online School Registration Is Now Open In Taylorville

Online Registration is open at Taylorville Community Unit School District #3, according to Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty.    

 

 

This is the first year the registration will be done fully online at TCUSD #3.

 

 

The Taylorville School District, according to Dr. Chris Dougherty will be following all of the health department guidelines.

 

 

For more information on the Taylorville School District please visit tcusd3.org.  

Staying Safe During The Dog Days Of Summer

With Summer in full gear, there are always hazards to be aware of when it comes to bug bites, sunburn, and preventing infections like swimmer's ear. For summer when it comes to bug bites; mosquitos, gnats,  and other insects that can cause bites and stings. Melinda Cooling, an OSF Healthcare vice president for urgent care says that severe bug bites should be seen by a medical professional.

 

 

West Nile Virus can also be transmitted through infected mosquito bites can cause flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and skin rash. 

 

Sunburn can also poise a potential issue. 95% of all radiation from the sun is ultraviolet rays. These rays can cause cancer and you should wear sunscreen with at least 30 SPF protection reapplying it every two hours. It takes only 15 minutes to get a sunburn. Cooling says you should suggest medical attention if the skin is more than just hot to the touch.

 

Drinking water in hot weather can help prevent dehydration.

 

One last area that Cooling talked about was preventing ear pain such as infections called swimmers ear. This infection happens when water remains in your outer ear canal.

As always in case of an emergency dial 9-1-1 or visit your local health physician. 

Shelbyville City Council Meets For First July Meeting

The Shelbyville City Council met on Monday night at 5:30 and the main topic of conversation was a number of different city projects, according to Shelbyville Mayor Jeff Johnson.    

 

 

The other big topic at the bi-monthly city council meeting was the Chautauqua Building and the recent referendum to repair the building.

 

 

Mayor Johnson thinks that the Chautauqua Building is an attraction that can provide things for the visitors of Shelbyville.

 

 

Cities across Illinois are preparing for a significant decrease in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Johnson says that Shelbyville is in good shape because of a cushion that they’ve been able to build up for situations like this. 

 

 

The next Shelbyville City Council Meeting will be held on Monday, July 20th.  

Clinical Trials For Cancer Treatments Now Covered By Medicaid

Illinois Medicaid recipients will now be eligible for clinical trials to beat cancer.  A bill proposed in part by Senator Andy Manar and supported by the American Cancer Society was signed into law today by Governor JB Pritzker. Senate Bill 1864 is a health care package that includes covering routine costs for clinical trials as long as Medicaid would normally cover those same routine costs for a non-clinical procedure.  Senator Manar says this is an extremely important bill to be pushed through.

 

Senator Manar says this will open up new treatments for cancer and save lives. Senator Manar says it is encouraging to be able to have bipartisan support on these bills.

 

 

While many people don’t realize this bill has been pushed through now, Senator Manar says the people that it does affect are extremely grateful.

 

 

More than 20% of Illinoisans are covered by Medicaid, making it the second-largest type of insurance behind Medicare.

Christian County Zoning Board Of Appeals Continues Tuesday Evening Hearing Testimony

The Christian County Zoning Board Of Appeals again heard testimony on Tuesday evening wrapping up a 4th day of arguments for and against wind turbines in Christian County. Cassie Hebert has a home that will be in the heart of the turbines. She asked that the ZBA be sensible in their approach and ere on the side of safety.

 

Joyce Throneburg spoke as well.  She was concerned about shadow flicker and the lights so that they would only trigger when a plane was in adamant danger of hitting one. 

 

Clint Gabriel was next to speak. Gabriel thanked the Board for their hard work listening and gathering all the facts. Gabriel urged transparency.

 

Travis Hermann spoke next and he is from Piatt County.  Hermann is a cropduster and spoke of his concern about what wind turbines would do to his flight routes.

 

Steve Craggs spoke at great lengths about studies that he has read and done showing significant real estate depreciation after windfarms were built.

 

 

The next Zoning Board of Appeals meeting will take place Wednesday, July 22nd at 6 PM. 

Representative Avery Bourne Expresses Frustration With Governor's Ruling

Representative Avery Bourne expressed her frustration with Governor JB Pritzker’s announcement this morning of fines for businesses, childcare centers, and other places that don’t force people to wear masks inside their work or practice social distancing. Bourne says she opposes it because it’s the Governor going at it alone without going through the legislature.

 

Representative Bourne says that she is not opposed to rules, but they should be done the right way.

 

 

Businesses could face fines of up to $2,500 if people don’t wear face coverings inside.

Lindsey Bliler Discusses Journey In July - A Shopping Adventure

Lindsey Bliler is the owner of Farmhouse Signs and Co in Taylorville and she is helping put together a 3-day shopping adventure in Taylorville and throughout Central Illinois to help give businesses a boost after a rough few months due to COVID-19.     

 

 

They will have shops, boutiques, vendors, food trucks, restaurants and a whole lot more for shoppers to visit.  

 

 

Bliler said that they’ll have a map available on their Facebook Page with all the businesses involved.

 

 

Bliler said that they have a lot of businesses that have already signed up, but they are looking for more.

 

 

For more information or to sign your business up for the Journey-in-July Shopping Adventure, find them on Facebook. Lindsey Bliler was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.

Jill Williams With The St. Louis Dairy Council On National Ice Cream Month

July is Natonal Ice Cream Month and Jill Williams with the St. Louis District Dairy Council started out by discussing the origins of National Ice Cream Month.  

  

 

Williams went on to explain how ice cream is actually made.   

 

 

Ice Cream can fit into a healthy diet, according to Williams.

 

 

For more information on the St. Louis District Dairy Council please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Jill Williams was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

IDOT Bracing For Buckling Roads In High Heat

The Illinois Department of Transportation is fearing the heat but for different reasons than we are—buckling roads. Extreme heat combined with high humidity can cause the pavement to expand which will cause the road to buckle.  Paul Wappel, IDOT spokesperson, says it’s too hard to predict when or where a road will buckle.

 

 

Wappel says that they have already seen some roads buckle.

Buckling occurs when the pavement gets really hot and expands causing uneven driving surfaces and potentially dangerous situations. IDOT asks motorists to report any trouble spots by calling 1-800-452-IDOT.

Christian County Zoning Board Of Appeals Continues To Hear Testimony

The Christian County Zoning Board Of Appeals heard from interested parties on Monday evening as the board sat in on Day 3 of testimony concerning wind turbine amendments for both sizes of the turbines and setback zones. Jeff Nolen spoke to the board and talked about potential groundwater contamination.  Nolen, who is a plumber and inspector, says that the moratorium is important so they can do more studying of what water issues there could be from the wind turbines.

 

Anthony Jay Wehmhoff asked multiple questions and asked if this is the time to go into an uncertain situation.

 

Lonni Curry, who lives in Prairieton Township, spoke to the board about the Christian County Flood plane from the Sangamon County River as estimated by FEMA. 

 

The next ZBA meeting will take place on Tuesday at 6PM. 

Taylorville City Council Meets For First July Meeting

The Taylorville City Council met this evening to discuss ordinances, resolutions, and motions. Rick Downing was recognized for over 30 years of service as the volunteer of the month.  An ordinance approving a remodel that happened at Angelo’s Pizza to be paid by the BDD fund was approved. 

 

UTV use was discussed quite heavily. The number of UTV permits was voted to be increased for the trial run that is taking place until October.   Mayor Bruce Barry says he’s unaware of any issues but wants to make bigger stickers a priority for next year.

 

 

The motion passed 5-3 with Aldermen Shawn Burtle, Alderman Kathy Driskell, and Alderman Larry Budd voting “No.” 

Mayor Barry thanked everyone for the help with the fourth of July parade and picnic. The Mayor also announced that BDD funds had been approved for helping some of the local businesses.

 

A motion was approved for Board Member Greg Hager to be the new Chairman of the Cemetery Board. Ordinances for Oak Hill Cemetery prices were approved for $700 for a grave, $700 for regular burial, $500 for cremation, and $100 for Saturday & holiday added to the price. 

 

Taylorville Fire Chief Matt Adermann was approved to purchase eight fire helmets. There were many personnel decisions that were made at the City Council meeting as well including hiring two police officers laterally for the police department and promoting Travis Ostermeier to a Heavy Equipment Operator in the Cemetery Department. Larry Budd, Finance officer voted no on every single one and said as finance chair he couldn’t vote for spending more money on hiring people right now even though some positions needed it.

 

 

The next city council meeting is set for July 20th.

Coronavirus Exposure Found At Kincaid Town Hall Meeting

The Christian County Health Department has learned that on the Monday, June 29th, Kincaid Town Hall Special Meeting, there was a person in attendance that would test positive for COVID-19. All individuals who have been in direct contact with the case after contact tracing by public health have already been notified and are self-quarantining. Any persons who were in attendance at the meeting are advised to monitor their health for up to 14 days as recommended by the CDC.

 

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. If you develop any symptoms please call your doctor first for guidance. If your symptoms are severe, seek emergency treatment via an Emergency Department by calling them, or dialing 9-1-1 if it is life-threatening and explaining to the dispatcher your symptoms. 

 

There were 2 new cases reported in Christian County bringing up their total to 49 cases and 2 new cases in Montgomery County bringing up their case count to 47. Shelby County reported their 19th positive case last Thursday and Fayette County is still sitting at 23.

Christian County Zoning Board Of Appeals Meeting Tonight

The Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals hearing will reconvene Monday evening at 6 PM at the Christian County Courthouse. The meeting is still closed to the public except for limited capacity. The public hearing will be conducted online and telephonically using a free conference call app which can be accessed through https://join.freeconferencecall.com/christiancounty. Those who wish to join via phone may call 701-802-5367 and hit the access code #7943957. 

 

Public comments continue this evening from interested parties. The discussion for wind turbines will continue with 15 people on the list of names expected to speak. For a full list of names, visit the Christian County Board website. 

It's The Perfect Time To Lose Weight With Physician's Choice Wellness

Physician’s Choice Wellness (PCW) is extending the best offer they’ve ever had through the month of July. According to Program Director Tara Nickerson, there is no cost to join the program except the cost of food. So, if you don’t have insurance or have insurance that is out of network now is the perfect time to join.

 

 

If you do have insurance, PCW will bill your insurance and write off the rest.

 

 

Once you get started on the program, according to Nickerson, you will notice the pounds come off. 

 

 

PCW is a weight loss program that gives people the accountability that they need to lose weight.  

 

 

For more information on Physician’s Choice Wellness please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Physician’s Choice Wellness Program Director Tara Nickerson was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Taylorville City Council To Meet Monday Evening

The Taylorville City Council will meet this evening to discuss ordinances, resolutions, and motions. Rick Downing will be recognized as the volunteer of the month. Minutes from all meetings from June and July 1st will be approved. An ordinance establishing an employment policy for certain non-bargaining employees will be voted on. An ordinance approving and authorizing the execution of BDD #1 Redevelopment between the City of Taylorville and Angelo’s Pizza will be voted on. The number of UTV permits will be discussed to increase the number. 

 

Under cemetery board action, A motion will be put forward to approve Board Member Greg Hager as Chairman of the Cemetery Board. Ordinances will be discussed for Oak Hill Cemetery prices. Under finance committee issues, a motion will be discussed to approve the renewal of insurance coverage and a motion to approve the treasurer’s report. 

Under street and sewer, a motion will be recommended for changes for the driveway at 828 West Vandeveer Street. A discussion will take place on the approval and installation of a stop sign at the corner of Fairview Street. A motion will be recommended for the Journey in July on the West side of the Square July 24th – July 26th. A motion to add a no parking on this side of the street from 311 West Wilson to the curve at the corner of Hawley Street and the installation of two Slow Children at Play signs at 3900 East Lakeshore Drive.

 

Under Emergency Services, there is a motion for new fire helmets for the Taylorville Fire Department. There is also a motion for the Fire Department to enter into a contract with Yard Heating and Cooling for heating and cooling units. There will be personnel decisions made as well including the ratifying of bills. 

 

As always, there will be city attorney and Mayoral updates as well. The city council meeting will be preceded by a Finance committee meeting at 6:30 PM at the municipal building.

State Trooper Arrested For Possession

The Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation have announced the arrest of District 11 (Collinsville) Trooper 40-year-old Nolan Morgan of Greenville. Morgan was arrested for possession and manufacturing of a controlled substance. 

 

On July 2nd, Investigators immediately initiated an investigation into Morgan after receiving internal information that Morgan was allegedly involved in the possession and manufacturing of drugs at his residence. After multiple witness interviews and a search of Morgans home, evidence was gathered to include 259 grams of psilocybin mushrooms packaged for delivery, to support their arrest. 

 

Morgan would be arrested on July 3rd in Collinsville. Morgan has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, and manufacture of a controlled substance, psilocybin mushrooms (both Class X Felony charges). Bond was set at $150,000 with 10% to apply. Morgan is being held in Bond County Jail awaiting his next court appearance. 

Lincoln Land Community College Highlights Flexibility In Fall Return To Campus

Lincoln Land Community College will be back in session this fall and have announced four class formats to provide students with flexibility and safety in following their career paths. The four formats are face-to-face, online, remote, and flex courses. Associate Vice President of Academic Services at Lincoln Land, Dr. Jason Dockter says it was tough to come up with something but having to go remote in the spring helped to come up with a plan.

 

 

Dr. Dockter says that remote courses are going to be held online but allow more flexibility for zoom and online technology.

 

 

Flex courses combine traditional face-to-face and online with remote learning.

 

LLCC has worked hard to have multiple contingency plans in place in the event there is a spike in COVID-19 cases but Dokter says he will be excited to see students return to campus in the fall.

Donations To TCCU's Food Drive Still Welcome

Taylorville Community Credit Union or TCCU is reminding residents that they still have time to donate to TCCU’s 6th annual “Freedom Tree” food drive. Donations of canned food and boxed food items can be dropped off at any of TCCU’s four locations. TCCU President Will Perkins says donating now is as important as ever.

 

Perkins says the “Freedom Tree” food drive is also taking cash donations as well.

 

Perkins continued by praising the food pantries for all the work they do for the communities.

 

 

TCCU has locations in Taylorville, Hillsboro, Litchfield, and in Pana. Donations will be accepted through Friday, July 10th.
 

Nutritious Ways To Grill On The 4th

If you are looking to grill for the fourth of July, you are not alone. According to the US Census, 79.1 million people grilled last year. Consumers will spend upwards of 6.8 billion dollars on fourth of July food. For people who are trying to lose a few pounds, barbeques can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be. According to OSF Nutritionist, Erin Hanley, who is a lead clinical dietician, all it takes is a little planning. One way to do that is through grilling vegetables.

 

 

Another tip for not overdoing it is to have a small snack at home before you go or to bring a healthy dish with you to the cookout.

 

One easy way to really shed the pounds is to cut down on sugary drinks and that includes diet soda. 

 

 

For more on health and dieting contact a local dietitian. 

Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle Discusses Business After Hours And 4th Of July Parade

The annual Taylorville 4th of July Parade will be held tomorrow and it kicks off starting at 10 a.m. Setup will take place at the Fair Grounds starting at 9 a.m. until 9:30 and if you’re planning on walking in the parade you need to enter the Fair Grounds at the Spresser Street enterance, according to Taylorville Chamber CEO Patty Hornbuckle.

     

 

Everyone is invited to the Mayor Bruce Barry’s picnic which will take place immediately after the parade. 

 

 

Because we have entered Phase 4 of Governor Pritzker’s Reopen Plan, Business After Hours is back. This month Business After Hours will take place on July 15th from 4:30 until 6:30 at Shafer-Perfetti & Assalley Funeral Home in Taylorville.

 

 

Patty Hornbuckle was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

ISP Increasing Patrols Over 4th Of July Weekend

With the fourth of July weekend approaching, The Illinois State Police will be increasing their patrols to look for speeders, distracted drivers, and drunk drivers. ISP Captain JW Price says to have a plan before heading out.

 

 

Price says there are more fatal crashes involving alcohol or drugs at this time than any other time of year.

 

 

The ISP is encouraging you to have a designated driver, use a ride share service, or public transportation if you are going to go out and drink.

Taylorville School District Registration Starts On July 6th

Registration will be done completely different this year if you have a child that attends school in Taylorville, according to Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty. Registration will be done using your Skyward account and it opens on Monday, July 6th.    

 

 

If your child isn’t able to be on campus due to a medical issue, the Taylorville School District has the ability to remotely educate students, according to Dr. Dougherty. 

 

 

Grades K-8 will receive free breakfast and lunch, according to Dr. Dougherty. For families in high school that need financial assistance for breakfast and lunch, applications will be available on the school district website.

 

 

Breakfast and Lunch will also no longer be self-serve for safety reasons.  

 

 

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

Area Fourth Of July Firework Celebrations

While many places are not celebrating fireworks this year for Independence Day, due to COVID-19, some places in the area are still lighting them off. Blue Mound will be holding fireworks on July 3rd at dusk at 189 Northwest Street. Vandalia will be shooting fireworks off on July 3rd at Vandalia Lake.  Assumption will be holding fireworks at the Slag Pile at dusk. Moweaqua will be firing off their celebration at North Park on Saturday evening. 

 

In other firework displays, Tower Hill will be shooting off fireworks on the 4th at Jimmy D’s. Lake Springfield will not have a public gathering, but you are encouraged to come by boat on the 4th of July again around dusk. Oconee will be holding their fireworks on July 3rd.

 

--Blue Mound - July 3rd @ 189 N.W. St.

 

--Vandalia - July 3rd @ Vandalia Lake

 

--Assumption - July 4th – Slag Pile

 

--Moweaqua - July 4th - North Park

 

--Tower Hill - July 4th - Jimmy D's @ dusk

 

--Lake Springfield - July 4th - No public gathering, come by boat

 

--Oconee - July 3rd

 

New Laws In Effect Starting July 1st

With July 1st, comes new rules and new laws to follow in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced two new laws that will take effect today (July 1st) which will establish tough penalties for drivers who injure others while texting and driving. 

 

The first law establishes a 12-month license suspension and a minimum fine of $1,000 for a motorist who while texting or driving causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement to another person. 

 

The second law, referred to as Mason’s Law amends the Illinois Vehicle Code by establishing a 12-month license suspension for any motorist who, while violating the right-of-way at crosswalks and in school zones, causes serious injury to another person.

 

Other new laws that came out on July 1st, include the raising of the minimum wage. The minimum wage which got an increase on January 1st to $9.25 will also see a jump to $10 an hour starting Wednesday. The raise is part of a mandated number of raises to eventually get the minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2025. 
 

The Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library In Sullivan Has Reopened

The Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan has reopened, according to Director Michelle Nolen and Children’s Librarian Laura Davison.

   

 

The reopening, for the most part, has gone smooth.

 

 

The summer reading program has been done virtually so far this summer, but moving forward they will be done in person.

 

 

For more information on the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan please visit sullivanlibrary.org. Michelle Nolen and Laura Davison were guests on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  

2020 Farm Progress Show Moving Online; Details In The Works

For the first time in over 60 years, there will not be a Farm Progress Show in 2020.  The 2020 Farm Progress Show was scheduled to be held in Boone, Iowa, September 1st thru the 3rd; but like many large gatherings, it has been canceled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  Event Manager, Matt Jungmann, says the decision did not come lightly.

 

The event's cancellation shows just how quickly the landscape can change in event planning in a pandemic.  Show organizers just two weeks ago assured that the show would go on, however, Jungmann says concerns from both exhibitors and volunteers over rising case numbers forced the cancellation...

 

 

Jungmann admits things could change again potentially for the better between now and the show dates, however, too many question marks remained as on-site show preparations would need to begin...

 

 

Despite the in-person cancellation, Jungmann says producers should look forward to a virtual Farm Progress Show experience in 2020.  How that looks, and what is included, is currently in development...

 

 

Jungmann says to stay tuned to FarmProgressShow.com to learn about the virtual show as details are announced.  This year's Husker Harvest Days in Nebraska has also been canceled.  

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library And Museum Has Reopened

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is open for business after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Crain is the Director of Public Programs and Community Engagement and he said that the enthusasium is high.    

 

 

When you want to come visit the museum, you can no longer walk up and get tickets at the front enterance. You now must purchase tickets in advance by calling the museum or by purchasing them online.

 

 

The museum reserves times in 15 minute incriminates and Crain recommends arriving 5-10 minutes ahead of time for a quick health screening. You will be required to wear a mask while you’re in the museum and your temperature will be taken before you’re allowed entry.

 

 

Groups are limited to 10 people at this time, according to Crain. 

 

 

For more information on the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum please visit alplm.org. Joe Crain was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

Area Fire Departments Receive Grants

The office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Governor JB Pritzker have announced the recipients of the Small Equipment Grant Program. Over 3.5 million dollars was awarded to 154 fire departments and EMS Providers including over 15 in the Regional Radio listening area. A lot of the smaller fire departments rely on this to help provide support in purchasing equipment and the general needs of the fire department.

 

In Christian County, Pana, Owaneco, Assumption, Morrisonville, and Midland all received grants with Assumption receiving the largest one at $25,008.95.  In Macon County, Maroa Countryside, Harristown, Argenta-Oreana, and Blue Mound all received grants. In Montgomery County, Coffeen, Farmersville, Witt, and Hillsboro all received grants. In Moultrie County, Bethany and Lovington received grants. The Cowden Fire District in Shelby County received a grant and Buffalo, New Berlin-Island Grove, and Pleasant Plains in Sangamon County all received grants.

 

To be eligible for the grants, fire departments were required to participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System for a minimum of two years prior to applying.

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty Discusses Health And Safety Protocols

There are a lot of different components to putting together health and safety guidelines during a pandemic to make sure that staff and students are as safe as possible during the upcoming school year. Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty has been working with principals, the teachers union, Mayor Barry, the police chief, food service, and others to put protocols together that will keep everyone safe and also ensure a quality education for students.

 

When students return to campus on August 18th, they will be given an assessment to see where they are in regards to their reading level, according to Dr. Dougherty.

 

 

Reading at home with your children is one of the most important things that you can do as a parent, according to Dr. Dougherty.

 

 

There will be teacher leaders in each building that will serve as coaches to help in regards to reading instruction and social and emotional counselors to work with children through their development. 

 

 

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  
 

COVID-19 Updates For The Month Of June; Cases Decreasing

COVID-19 cases have been slowly declining in central Illinois. Taking a look at COVID cases across central Illinois over the last month; Christian County has 12 new cases, Montgomery has had 3, Shelby has had 2, Sangamon has had 75, Macon has had 33, Moultrie has had 7 and Fayette County has had 2 new cases in the last month.  There have been 6 deaths in the last month in the Regional Radio listening area from COVID-19. 

 

Over the last 24 hours in Illinois, there have been 828 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 30 additional deaths. Moultrie County reported their 18th case, a woman in her teens who is recovering in isolation. Public health officials are notifying all close contacts. 

 

All in all in Illinois there have been 144,013 reported cases of COVID-19 with 6,591 deaths in 101 of the 102 counties of Illinois. Labs have reported 33,090 tests ran in the last 24 hours with a total of 1,636,055 completed tests. The rolling positivity rate in Illinois over the last 7 days is 2.6%.

Taylorville Memorial Hospital Urges Patients To Use The New South Entrance

All of the services at Taylorville Memorial Hospital were resumed in the first part of May and according to the Manager of Therapy Services, Jodi Holcomb, they’re taking every precaution they’re able to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.
 

 

Holcomb was very excited to move into the new building, but they only had one day in the new building before they had to close a lot of their services due to COVID-19.

 

 

There was a lot of disappointment in regards to having to close things down, but they kept seeing the essential patients until the beginning of May, but now they’re able to see everyone while still able to maintain social distancing. 

 

 

Holcomb urges people to please use the new south entrance because it is a lot more convenient.

 

 

For more information on Taylorville Memorial Hospital please visit the link on this story at TaylorvilleDailyNews.com. Manager of Therapy Services Jodi Holcomb was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 
 

Illinois Army National Guard Holding National Hiring Days

Sergeant Floyd Bastien is a recruiter with the Illinois Army National Guard in Decatur and Taylorville and he joined the Army National Guard in 2015 because his family couldn’t afford to pay for his education.

 

 

Bastien loves being a recruiter. He feels that he has the opportunity as a recruiter to help mold young men and women to be successful soldiers in the future.

 

 

The Illinois Army National Guard is holding a National Hiring Day until July 2nd. The Army is looking to hire 10,000 enlistees and there are various jobs available and there are a number of great benefits including 100% tuition to any state college or university. 

 

 

The Illinois Army National Guard has been busy over the past few months dealing with record flooding and with the COVID-19 pandemic.  

 

 

For more information on the Illinois Army National Guard please visit il.ngb.army.mil. Illinois Army National Guard Sergeant Floyd Bastien was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show. 

4th Judicial Circuit Updates Procedures

The State of Illinois’ Fourth Judicial Circuit, issued it’s seventh amended administrative order dealing with COVID-19. The following procedures were put into place until at least July 15th. All pay or appears and compliance hearings along with all evictions will cease until the expiration of the order.

 

The following cases will be held as usual: all traffic cases including DUI’s, All in-Custody cases, including bond settings, all criminal felony cases with time constraints and all misdemeanor cases will be heard as well. All juvenile detention hearings, all hearings involving orders of protection, all family law cases, all small claims cases, and all probate and chancery cases.

 

Marriages will also be held with a total number of 4 persons allowed at the ceremony. All hearings may be handled using remote video conferencing. All in-custody hearings WILL be held by remote video conferencing. Felony guilty pleas may be done in person at a time that social distancing can be guaranteed, but it is recommended that they also be conducted by video conferencing to allow the defendant to be able tp participate and be present in the courtroom. 

 

In-person attendance in court is permitted, but the number will be limited as social distancing will be implemented. Only participants shall be allowed except for minors who will have guardians with them. The following was enacted by Fourth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Kimberly G. Koester.

Face Coverings Will Be Required When Students Return To School In Taylorville With A Few Exceptions

School Districts throughout Illinois will resume in-person learning in the fall. School Districts will required to follow the Illinois Department of Public Health safety guidelines. That means when students return to school on August 18th in Taylorville, according to Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty, that face coverings will be required.    

 

 

There are a few instances where you will be able to opt out of face coverings, according to Dr. Dougherty.

 

 

Parents and teachers throughout Taylorville were recently given a survey by the district and there was overwelming support to get students back into the classroom.

 

 

One of the big concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic is what happens if there is a positive COVID-19 test at one of the schools. Dr. Dougherty explained that if there is a positive test, there will be skip tracing done to figure out who had contact  with the individual and everyone who did will be quarantined and removed from campus for 14 days or until a negative COVID-19 test. 

 

 

Taylorville Superintendent Dr. Chris Dougherty was a guest on the NEWSTALK WTIM Morning Show.  
 

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