Illinois State Police are investigating a deadly crash involving one of their own troopers in Springfield.

Authorities say it happened around 2:30 early Saturday morning along South 6th Street near Linton Street in Sangamon County. According to a preliminary report, a state trooper was traveling southbound through a green light when the squad car struck a pedestrian who was reportedly bent down in the roadway.

The trooper immediately stopped and rendered aid until emergency crews arrived. The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.

The incident is now under investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation, as required by state law. Officials say evidence is being processed and interviews are underway.

Once the investigation is complete, findings will be turned over to the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.

No additional information has been released at this time.

Local students from the area were nominated at the 2026 Student Art Show at Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC), now on display through May 7. Among those local award recipients were students from Taylorville, Springfield, Rochester, Raymond, and Chatham.

The art will be viewable from 8 AM to 5 PM in the Trutter Museum/James S. Murray Gallery, located on the upper floor of Menard Hall at the Springfield campus, found at 5250 Shepherd Road.

During the reception, games from the game systems and design classes were available for play. Films and animations from the film and special effects class were displayed on a monitor outside the gallery. Inside the gallery, website design from the responsive web design class was displayed.

The art faculty added two extra awards, the Tessellations and Bespoke awards, for this year’s awards ceremony to spotlight unique student work. Award winners were announced at the opening reception on Thursday, April 23. 

The artists and their award-winning art pieces are as follows:

Drawing: Jaxey Lindholm of Taylorville for “Self-Portrait”

Photography: Ashlyn Millburg of Raymond for “Tunnel Vision”

Digital Illustration: Lydia Strawn of Rochester for “I’m Working on Myself”

Best in Show: DeAndre Cameron of Springfield for “Gardens”

Painting: Maggie Suarez of Springfield for “Functional Frieze”

3-D Design: Abby Oller of Springfield for “Lady Liberty”

Art History Award: Ali Higginson of Springfield

Other awarded students included Em Calcara from Athens for graphic design, Marshall Victor of Pleasant Plains for film and animation, Apollo Johnson of Chatham for UI and UX, and Ethan Chon from Chatham for game design.

As for the two new awards, the Tessellations Award went to Hannah Scherf of Springfield for the “highest density in decisions” in creating a self-portrait by collaging tiny pieces of magazine for “Eyes Full of Stars.”

The Bespoke Award was given to Hailey Higgins of Chatham for an “incredibly meticulous body of work” in placing mosaic stones over a 3D form to create her art piece called “My Body.”

Emily Webber of Auburn was honored with the Alexis Wernsing Pinnacle Award. The winner is chosen by the LLCC art faculty and goes to the student who best embodies Wernsing’s qualities of striving for the best in all academic endeavors.

More information on LLCC can be found at www.llcc.edu.

Memorial Health and Visit Springfield have announced the continuation of their partnership with the Memorial Health Golf Championship.

Visit Springfield will allocate free access to visitors for all four rounds of this year's Korn Ferry Tour competition.

The tournament is set to open up on Thursday, June 25th, and run up to the 28th. The tournament will be hosted at the Panther Creek Country Club.

Kate Peters, the Executive Director at Memorial Health, said that she is excited to welcome fans back for another week of golf. Peters also mentioned that at this year's event, fans will now see new on-course viewing areas as well as an enhanced focus on family-friendly activities. The event will also remain free and accessible to all who wish to attend.

Scott Dahl, the Director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that they will continue their commitment to bring more visitors to Springfield, and that this partnership, between Memorial Health and Visit Springfield, is a reflection of that commitment.

To attend the tournament, go online to memorialhealthchampionship.com to register for your free tickets.

Upgraded tickets to the J&J Gaming VIP Lounge, with premium views of both the 9th and 18th greens, as well as all-inclusive food and beverages, can also be purchased.

The Country Financial Volunteer Program still has openings as well. Those who volunteer can take advantage of an array of benefits, including meals while working the event, tournament-branded apparel, and the opportunity to play the host course after the tournament. 

For information on volunteering and how to sign up, CLICK HERE

For further information or questions, call the tournament office at (217) 670-2910 or go online to memorialhealthchampionship.com

The Macon County Conservation District is hosting a free, hands-on workday to remove invasive bush honeysuckle on Saturday, May 2nd, from 9 AM to noon at the Griswold Conservation Area in Blue Mound.

Officials say bush honeysuckle spreads rapidly and crowds out native plants, blocks sunlight, and slows forest regeneration.

The plants have shallow root systems and can increase soil erosion in highly impacted areas.

The bright red berries that grow on bush honeysuckle provide low-nutrient food for Illinois’ native birds.

Opposite of what the native birds need, the bush honeysuckle berries are high in carbohydrates and low in the necessary fat content that the native high-energy berry plants contain. Those nutrients are needed for the birds to migrate when the time comes.

By removing this highly invasive plant, volunteers help to restore healthier habitats and support local biodiversity. 

Participants will work alongside the District’s natural resources team. Gloves and tools will be provided, and volunteers must be 16 or older.

To sign up, contact Mitch Lovgren by email at MLovgren@MaconCCD.org or call or text
217-519-9926.

A Pana motel is working to increase its offerings of unique hospitality experiences for its visitors.  Lake Lawn Inn on U.S. Route 51 offers specially themed suites among the spaces guests can stay in, and more suites with new themes are on the way.

Jared Cox is in his third year of owning the motel, a complex which previously served as apartment living.  He says the space for some of the units allowed for the themed conversions.

The hotel has space- and pirate ship-themed suites on the way.  Construction on these suites fell behind but they are expected to be completed in the coming week.

Cox bought the motel in part to provide something memorable for kids, which is something he felt the area lacked before then. 

More information on Lake Lawn Inn is available at www.lakelawninn.com.

Jared Cox appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show. 

When seniors at South Fork High School assemble for graduation on Friday, May 22, four of them will address their peers from the podium.  Angelina Ippolito and Bella Sapetti earned the title of valedictorians, with Autumn Hobbs and Alyvia Mulvaney being named salutatorians.  The four received their honors based primarily on their academic performances.

For the valedictorians, their academic work has extended beyond the classroom, as they have taken dual-credit courses at Lincoln Land Community College.

The salutatorians say that strong organizational and time-management skills helped them achieve success and, along with it, their role at the ceremony. 

Both Ippolito and Sapetti had busy schedules with sports and other extracurricular and are looking to pursue careers in physical therapy and elementary education, respectively. 

Hobbs plans to study graphic design, while Mulvaney also has her sights set on elementary education. 

The graduating class consists of around 30 students, and the honorees view the graduation ceremony as a mini-class reunion before they go their separate ways. 

More information on South Fork School District 14 is available at www.southforkschools.com.

Autumn Hobbs, Angelina Ippolito, Alyvia Mulvaney, and Bella Sapetti appeared as guests on the WTIM Morning Show. 

One community member is already a winner from the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce’s Dine, Drink, and Discover Taylorville & Beyond contest.  The promotion itself continues through the rest of this month, but as a surprise, the Chamber awarded a prize to Anita Brown for being the first person to submit a completed passport.  The “passport” is a brochure which select member businesses stamp for customers who present them while patronizing their businesses during March and April.  GTCC Ambassador Julie Mayer says there are still other prizes available for those who submit a completed passport before the end of the month.

Separate from the passport promotion, the Taylorville Moose Lodge has joined the Chamber as its newest member. 

More information on the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is available at www.taylorvillechamber.com.

Julie Mayer appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.