Klem’s Aero Repair being evicted from Jacksonville Airport
By Benjamin Cox on December 22, 2025 at 7:19pm
For more than four decades, Irv “Klem” Klemmensen has been a central figure at Jacksonville Municipal Airport, turning wrenches on aging Cessnas, state police aircraft, and antique planes few others in Central Illinois are willing—or qualified—to touch. Now 80 years old, a disabled Vietnam veteran, and one of the region’s last general aviation mechanics, Klemmensen […]
Griggsville man arrested in January drug bust in Pittsfield sentenced
By Benjamin Cox on December 21, 2025 at 11:44pm
A Griggsville man arrested in a drug bust in Pittsfield this past January was sentenced to prison time in Pike County Circuit Court this past week. John J. Bridgewater, 41, of Griggsville was found guilty of Class 3 felony possession of methamphetamine less than 5 grams and Class A misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in […]
Saturday arrests
By Benjamin Cox on December 21, 2025 at 9:49am
Jacksonville Police arrested a homeless man on outstanding warrants early Saturday morning. Tyler J. Smedly, 41, was taken into custody by police at 9:20 a.m. near the intersection of Yates and East Court Street. Smedly was wanted on failure to appear warrants for possession of methamphetamine. Smedly was also additionally cited for possession of methamphetamine […]
Jacksonville PD investigating shots fired incident on South Mauvaisterre
By Benjamin Cox on December 21, 2025 at 9:30am
The Jacksonville Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify individuals involved in a shots fired incident on Saturday night on South Mauvaisterre Street. According to a press release, at approximately 8:03 p.m. Saturday, the police department received a report of shots being fired near a residence in the 400 block of South Mauvaisterre […]
Victim of November Plane Crash in Pike Identified
By Harold Smith on December 20, 2025 at 9:08am
According to KHQA, the Pike County Clerk’s Office on Thursday revealed that 56-year-old Scott Schieferdecker of Rockledge, Florida, also a former Quincy resident, died when the private plane he was piloting crashed in a field north of Interstate 72 west of Exit 35 between Pittsfield and Griggsville on November 23rd. In a preliminary report issued […]
Cuts Needed IF the Levy Hadn’t Kept Up
By Gary Scott on December 19, 2025 at 10:50am
The 10-percent increase for Jacksonville school district 117 is now in the books, which school superintendent Steve Ptacek says keeps several key programs in the district operational. Ptacek convinced the board to pass the levy increase this week. He acknowledges the schools will not get the full amount, because the increase is tied to the […]
Two Most Wanted
By Gary Scott on December 19, 2025 at 10:40am
Crimestoppers of Morgan-Scott and Cass counties is asking for the public’s help in the search for a couple of local suspects. One of the two has been identified as 65-year-old Orlinda Stewart, a black male who last lived at 302 North Church. Stewart is wanted for criminal trespass to property. He stands 5-7, weighs 155 […]
Sangamon County wants the Public’s Help in Gun Play
By Gary Scott on December 19, 2025 at 10:23am
The Sangamon County sheriff’s office is reaching out to the area for help in locating an individual after a gun was fired nearby a Springfield last weekend. The Sangamon county sheriff’s office says the incident occurred last Saturday about 5:45 at Quik N Ez Convenience Store at 1101 Stevenson Drive. Deputies say a person made […]
Jacksonville Tax Levy Approved
By Gary Scott on December 18, 2025 at 5:25am
The Jacksonville city council wasted little time in giving final approval for the 2025 tax levy last night. The levy represents the amount of money the Jacksonville is seeking from the 2025 taxes collected in 2026. The final levy approved by the council was 4-percent higher than a year ago. Finance committee chairman Don Cook […]
Salvation Army hands out food boxes
By Gary Scott on December 17, 2025 at 10:17am
The Jacksonville Salvation Army plans to give away food boxes Friday in a drive thru with no questions asked. It will start at 4 PM at the Citadel on Wall Street. Drivers are asked to enter from the east via Veterans Drive, and leave westbound on Wall Street. Captain Justian Corliss says there will be […]
