Litchfield Police arrest a man accused of stabbing his wife this (Thursday 1/30) morning in the 900 block of East Prairie. Police say 59-year-old Robert York called 911 around 9:30 this morning, and told dispatchers he stabbed his wife in the 900 block of East Prairie and was requesting an ambulance. York met arriving officers at the scene and was quickly taken into custody.  Police and fire department personnel rushed into the residence and discovered a woman with snigificant injuries.  She was treated by Litchfield Fire Personnel until she was transferred to the emergency room at HSHS St Francis Hospital.  After lifesaving measures there, she was stabilized and transferred to another hospital.   Robert York was booked at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and remains in the Montgomery County Jail on Attempted First Degree Murder and Aggravated Domestic Battery  .  Litchfield Police have executed a search warrant to search for evidence in the case. The Illinois State Police Crime Scene Division also came to the residence to process evidence from the residence.   All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law  

 

Due to a damaged water main, the north side of Nokomis' water service will be interrupted. Once our crews repair the main and restore your water, a boil order will be in effect until further notice. If you need to consume the water, please keep it at a rolling boil for 5 minutes and allow it to cool before using. 

Previously, we shared the candidates for the April 1st election in Litchfield.   Now thanks to county clerk and recorder Sandy Leitheiser, we’re ready to share some additional races.  In Witt, Tim Taylor will run unopposed for another term.  There’s only one competitive race as former Mayor Shawn Cady will run for trustee against Randall Lowe in Ward One.  Angela Taylor is running unopposed in ward two and former alderman David Cearlock will return to the city council.  He’s unopposed in ward three.  No one filed for the clerk or treasurer positions. In Butler, there will be no competitive races.  Ricky David filed for Mayor while Debra Beeler, Rachel Cunningham and Darrel Damm Jr filed for the three trustee slots.  In Coalton, no one filed to be Mayor or Village President but Mike Havera has signed on as a write in candidate.  Krystal West is unopposed for one trustee slot, while Byron McClean, Taylor Wilson and Gary Wemple are running unopposed for three other trustee slots.  Keith Pierce was the lone filer for an unexpired two year trustee term. In Donnelson, John Dankoski has filed for Village President.  Elvira Rowe has signed on to be a write in candidate.  Two candidates filed for three trustee seats, Virginia Kenny and Barydon Mason.  No one has signed on to run for Village President in Farmersville, write in candidates can file through the Thursday deadline.  Tabetha Pritchard, Phillip Fuchs and Susan Aherin have filed for the three Trustee slots.  In Filmore, there will be no competitive races as Rexdon Bollard has filed for Village President and on the Trustee side, Brittany Marshall and John Casterline filed for the two Trustee slots.  Over in Harvel, Cathie Downey won’t have to run up any gasoline bills crisscrossing the county line to campaign.  She’s running unopposed for Village President.  No one is running for the four trustee slots.  If you’re looking for election night drama, you won’t find it in Irving.  Carl Taylor, Aaron McCarthy and Ira Murray are running for the three trustee slots.  In Ohlman, Jacqueline Rogers is running unopposed for Village President.  Roger Wood, Michael Linn and Malinda Wood are running for three trustee slots.  Panama also lacks opposition.  Charles Mark Dixon will run for Village President while Michael Knebel, Noah Notter and Dana Hannig are running for three Trustee positions.  Robert Mallsia has filed to fill an unexpired two year term.  In Raymond, longtime Mayor Denny Held has some write in competition, Devin Bedinger and Christopher Irwin.  There will be no opposition on the Trustee side as Kendall Snyder, Craig Bugg and Bruce Poggenpohl have filed for the three openings.  In Schram City, the leadership team is set before election night.  Thomas Clinard has filed for Village President while Janet Stewart has filed for Village Clerk.  Trustee candidates running unopposed are Jerry Woods, Kevin Stewart and Anna Spears.   There’s a competitive race for Taylor Springs Village President as Harry Jackson and will face Warren Hall.  There will no competition for the three four year Trustee terms as William Wright, Alisha Roller and Karli Hanner have filed for the slots.  Two candidates have opted not to commit to four years.  Jody Jackson and Patty Rufus will face off for one unexpired two year term.  In Waggoner, there’s no opposition although one Trustee candidate will literally need a signature or two.  Ron Seaton is unopposed for Village President while Cheryl Pope and Angela Dyer have filed for Trustee.  Billie Robinette has filed as a write in candidate for Trustee.  In Walshville, there will be competition for Village President as incumbent Joy McDonald will face Brenda Hegel.  There will be no competition on the Village Trustee side.  Gary Applegate, Ricky McDonald and Ruth Schmitt are on the ballot for three four year slots.  Elizabeth Ferguson and Jacob Sebeshack have filed for two unexpired two year terms.  In Wenonah, Matt Bolyard is the lone filer for three Trustee positions.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced the closure of Illinois 127 on Tuesday, Jan. 28, and Wednesday, Jan. 29, for repairs to the railroad overpass. ?

 

The Norfolk Southern Railroad will coordinate the repairs. A detour utilizing Illinois 48, Illinois 16 and Interstate 55 will be posted.

 

Motorists are encouraged to follow the posted detour or find an alternate route. In addition, motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment.

State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) is once again working to make sure that senior citizens don’t feel forgotten during the Valentines season through his annual “Valentines for Seniors” card drive. 

“It’s easy for seniors to feel isolated when they are living in long-term care facilities,” said Senator McClure. “We want them to know that they aren’t forgotten and that the community loves them.” 

McClure is asking students, scout groups, churches, and other groups to consider creating homemade cards that will be delivered to nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and other long-term care facilities throughout the 54th Senate District. 

Cards can be dropped off from now until February 7th at McClure’s Litchfield district office, which is located at 410 N. Monroe Street in Litchfield, or his Effingham district office, at 208 N. 4th Street Suite B, in Effingham. They can also be dropped off at his Capitol complex office, which is located in A-Section of the Stratton Building in Springfield. There will be a drop box inside each office during normal business hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

Illinois Route 16, just west of State Street, Montgomery County 

  

DATE and TIME: January 15, 2025 at approximately 5:35 p.m. 

  

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Preliminary information indicates the following occurred: ISP Troop 8 units responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on the above location and time. Unit 1, a Ford Explorer, was traveling eastbound on Illinois Route 16. For unknown reasons, Unit 1 changed lanes and struck Unit 2, a GMC Terrain traveling westbound. Both units overturned.  The driver of Unit 1, a 45-year-old female from Irving, IL was flown to an area hospital and succumbed to her injuries. The driver of Unit 2, a 73-year-old male from Litchfield, IL was flown to an area hospital with serious injuries. All lanes of route 16 were reopened at approximately 7:38 p.m. The victim was identified as Christina White of Irving.

 Illinois Route 16, just west of State Street, Montgomery County

 

DATE and TIME: January 15, 2025 at approximately 5:35 p.m.

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Preliminary information indicates the following occurred: ISP Troop 8 units responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on the above location and time. Unit 1, a Ford Explorer, was traveling eastbound on Illinois Route 16. For unknown reasons, Unit 1 changed lanes and struck Unit 2, a GMC Terrain traveling westbound. Both units overturned.  The driver of Unit 1, a 45-year-old female from Irving, IL was flown to an area hospital and succumbed to her injuries. The driver of Unit 2, a 73-year-old male from Litchfield, IL was flown to an area hospital with serious injuries. All lanes of route 16 were reopened at approximately 7:38 p.m. There is nothing further to report at this time.

One woman is dead after Wednesday evening's head on crash on Route 16 on Irving's west side.  Witt Fire crews had to extricate both drivers their vehicles, pre-hospital care was provided by Hillsboro Ambulance and then both victims were airlifted from the scene.  There's no word on the status of the other victim.   Neither victim has been identified and there's no furhter info on the cause of the crash.

The push to make the Montgomery County Supervisor of Assessments an elected position has reached a key stage.   Last night, the county board voted to put the issue on the ballot next year in November of 2026.  The board voted 9-4 to give County Clerk and Recorder Sandy Leitheiser a head start in adding that to next year’s General Election ballot.    Realtor Brandi Lentz thanked residents  who signed the online petitions urging the board to vote this evening.  She also urged residents to consider becoming a township assessor. She says having that extra layer of oversight is essential, regardless of who holds the SOA position.  

 

In the midst of a cold snap, the Hillsboro City Council is thinking about warmer days.  They have chosen Edwardsville based  Capri to design and build a new pool.   Another public meeting will take place on January 15th as the council seeks public input on the pool.   Capri has handled big pool projects like the pool at the Cardinals Ballpark Village Residential Tower, the Fairview Heights Recreation Center and the pool at the new Springfield YMCA complex. 

This decade, the Nokomis-Witt Area Ambulance Service has had to fight for its survival.  Last year, the ambulance service’s board thought they might have to close, but 12 months later, the service had extra reason to celebrate the new year. On New Year's Day, the service returned to 24/7 service after having to switch to 12 hours on, 12 hours off.   THey hope to be back to an Advanced Life Support Service by mid summer. The ambulance service says the awesome help and support of the crews, board of directors and the community helped them reach the milestone.   

Nokomis Rehabilitation & Health Care Center remains closed after a December 5th evacuation tied to problems with the facilities heating system, something officials at the facility called a pipe issue.  There was hope repairs would be completed in a matter of a few days and holiday visits by families and friends would occur at the facility.  However, officials say getting repair estimates has been a slow process because of the holidays.  Residents were transferred to Rose Garden of Pana and Sullivan Health Care.  Some family members took in the residents for the time being.  At this point, there’s no timetable for the repairs or reopening the facility.