Commuters in the city of Staunton are getting upgrades to East Main Street between the rail road tracks and Old Route 66. The road will receive a complete resurfacing and a portion of the sidewalks will be replaced.

On Thursday,at the city's township building, State Senator Andy Manar joined by State Representative Wayne Rosenthal, Staunton Mayor Craig Neuhaus and Erica J. Borggen, Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation announced the $1 million project covering nearly one mile of road and sidewalks.

According to IDOt, the project will be on the November 21 letting, and the contract will be awarded in December. The project will begin as soon as the weather warms up in the spring of 2015.

(Hillsboro)--The Montgomery County Sheriff's and Coroner's Office are investigating the death of a 48 year old Kirkwood, Missouri man who was found Sunday near Farmersville. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, 911 received a phone call reporting a vehicle that was parked on 34th Avenue and East 6th Road for several hours, and that a person inside was believed to be dead.

Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and found the body of 48 year old Richard Poike inside the vehicle. An investigation revealed that Poike committed suicide.

Reportedly a charcoal grill with burned charcoal was found inside the vehicle. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office pronounced Poike dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed that Poike died from carbon monoxide poisioning.

(Vandalia)--An inmate who escaped the Vandalia Correctional Center has been captured. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, 21 year old Marcus Battice was captured Wednesday morning on Interstate 70, three and a half miles from Vandalia.

According to the Department of Corrections, Battice was walking northbound on a gravel frontage road when Illinois State Police Troopers took him into custody.

Battice was out for over seventeen and a half hours before his capture. He is currently being examined by the Vandalia Correctional Center's Health Care Unit. He will then be transferred to the maximum security Pontiac Correctional Center.

(Hillsboro)--One teen was injured and another was taken into custody following a stabbing Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Plaza. According to the Hillsboro Police Department, a 14 year old was taken to Hillsboro Area Hospital for treatment. He was reportedly treated for two stab wounds to the abdomen and was released.

A 15 year old was arrested. He faces juvenile charges of aggravated battery and use of a weapon. He was sent to the Juvenile Detention Center. The incident remains under investigation by the Hillsboro Police Department. More charges could be pending.

The Coal Country Chamber of Commerce will hold its 16th annual Fall Festival from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, September 27. in the Benld City Park.

The Ninth Annual Tour de Coal bike ride will also be run in conjunction with the festival starting with a 6:30am to 9:00am registration at the Benld City Hall.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the Dixie Dudes from 11:30am until 1:00pm and Steve Davis in "Memories of Elvis" with his friends Anna Blair as Patsy Cline and Thomas Hickey as Buddy Holly will be the afternoon's entertainment from 1 until 4pm.

A petting zoo with live full-grown Alaskan Reindeer with antlers will be returning. Some of the other full grown animals are camels, donkeys, buffalo and pygmy goats. They will be on display from 10am to 4pm near the children's area of the festival. Admission to the petting zoo is free and animal feed is available for $1 per bag.

Another popular show is the Reptile Show shared with the Festival by Dr. Richard Crowell of the Biology Department of Blackburn College. Crowell brings a collection of native and exotic snakes and lizards.Persons attending the Reptile Show from around 1:30 until 2:30pm will learn about various species as well as be able to handle some ot the reptiles.

Numerous craft vendors, food booths, other activities and the Coal Country Choo Choo will be availabe throughout the day.

(Hillsboro)--The Christian County Crimestoppers is seeking information regarding a theft from the Pana Tri County Fair Office. According to the Christian County Sheriff's Office, on September 2nd, deputies received a phone call from the fair board stating that they discovered money missing from the office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Christian County Sheriff's Office, or the Christian County Crimestoppers.

The Macoupin County Historical Society, Macoupin Agriculture Antique Association and the Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association will host their annual Fall Festival September 19 and 20 from 9am until 4pm both days in Carlinville.

Over 150 arts, craft and flea market booths will be set up on the Historical Society grounds. The display theme in the Historical Society's museum this fall will be "Prairie Dresses". The Macoupin Agriculture Antique Associations will feature "Oddball and Orphans" along with the usual display of other antique tractors, antique cars, farming machinery, steam engines and small engines. There will be demonstrations of sorghum making, wheat threshing, straw baling and saw mill lumber sawing.

On Saturday, Prairie Land Garden Tractor Pullers will be having a garden tractor pull contest from 11am until 4pm near the blacksmith shop.

Food, including ham and beans, chicken and noodles, grilled pork chops, barbecue, hot dogs, polish sausage, rhubarb and apple sauce, home made pies and more will be available.

This is the 42nd year the Historical Society has sponsored a fall festival.

(Hillsboro)--Saturday at the Illinois Elementary School Association State Golf Championship in Peoria, after 18 holes there were only two boys that shot in the 70s and it was guaranteed that the state champion would be named Alex and would be a 7th grader from Hillsboro Junior High. So it was as Alex White and Alex Eickhoff both finished with 74s and were forced into a playoff hole to determine a state champion where Alex Eickhoff claimed the state championship. Eickhoff and White were the only two players to shoot in the 30s for both rounds and at the end of 18, were six strokes up on the nearest competitors.

Dozens of students at the Girard Middle School were sickened by carbon monoxide this morning.

North Mac School District Superintendent Marcia Cullen says shortly after school started Monday morning students started feeling ill and emergency operations were followed and children were evacuated from the building.

According to Superintendent Cullen, school officals indicated 30 students were directly sent to Springfield hospitals and the official county will be updated later. It was known that parents were taking children to hospitals to be checked out. Also, reports from hospitals indicate over 50 students had sought medical attention.

The carbon monoxide poisoning was the result of a water heater flue failure according to the Superintendent. Some portions of the building indicated safe levels of CO and othe areas had readings in the dangerous level.

All students that did not seek medica attention were taken to area churches or released to parents. The middle school building houses almost one-half of the districts student population. Students attending K-2 and 9-12th grades remained in school.

Cullen says there will be no school district wide on Tuesday. The middle school will be checked by authorities and the utility company to make sure it is safe to re-enter possibly on Wednesday.

(Hillsboro)--A new city council member was appointed during a special Hillsboro City Council meeting Friday afternoon. The city council approved the appointement of Katie Duncan to be the new commissioner. Duncan replaces Mike Rappe on the city council. Rappe resigned last month due to his appointment on the Montgomery County Board and Review.

According to Hillsboro Mayor John Downs, Duncan will serve as Commissioner of Finance.

After five years of heavily contested litigation, including three trips to the Illinois Appellate Court and one to the Illinois Supreme Court, the Gillespie School District prevailed in its lawsuit against Union Pacific Railroad Company for damages to the district's Benld Elementary School stemming from a March 2009 mine subsidence event. The $9,850,000 September 10 judgement was entered by the Honorable Patrick J. Londrigan, Circuit Court Judge in Macoupin County, against Union Pacific and in favor of the school district. The award, the largest in Macoupin County history, occurred after the Court imposed liability on Union Pacific in July 2014.

District Superintendent Joe Tieman said "the School Board is extremely pleased with the favorable judgment. We plan to use the funds recovered in the lawsuit to provide tax relief to the district's property owners and to continue improving the quality of education for the students in the Gillespie School District."

The School District was represented by two graduates of Gillespie High School, Rick Verticchio of Verticchio and Verticchio Law Office, with offices in Gillespie and Carlinville and Thomas J. Verticchio of Swanson, Martin and Bell, LLP, Chicago.

While the judgment in favor of the School District remains subject to appeal, Attorney Rick Verticchio stated he is "satisfied with the judgment and confident that the School District will prevail on any appeal."

The Carlinville Moose Lodge will hold a "Krusin for Kids" car, truck and bike show on Saturday, September 13, at the lodge parking lot.

Entry of a vehicle into the show is $20 and there are serveral show classes including stock and modified cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Awards will be given for 1st thru 3rd places for each class and there will be awards for Best of Show Car, Truck and Motorcycle.

Registration will be from 8am until 11am. Judging will be from 11am until 2pm and awards will be presented at 3pm.

To register a vehicle or for more information contact Tracey at 618-946-1472 or Kathy at 217-414-9804.

In addition to the vehicle show, there will be childrens games and activities throughout the day, food and 50's and 60's music provided by Doo Wop.

All proceeds from the day's events benefit Mooseheart Child City and School. The Child City is a home for children and teens in need, from infancy through high school.

In case of bad weather, the rain date for the event will be September 20.

A Lake Ka Ho woman was arrested Wednesday after she reportedly brought a weapon into the Macoupin County Courthouse in Carlinville.

75 year old Donna D. Simpson was charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon, a class 3 felony and one count of possession of a firearm without requisite firearm owners ID card, a class A misdemeanor.

According to the Macoupin County Sheriff, Don Albrecht, at approximately 12:30pm on Wednesday, a deputy manning the x-ray machine, which scans the contents of purses and packages being brought into the courthouse, noticed an item in a purse being scanned that appeared to be a small pistol.

The deputy asked the person in possession of the purse if she had a gun in her purse. Reportedly, she said she did not. The deputy then retrieved the item from the purse which turned out to be a .22 caliber semi-auto pistol and ammunition.

The female, identified as Donna D. Simpson was then taken into custody.

Sheriff Albrecht said that it is unclear why Simpson was in the courthouse and an investigation continues.

Simpson's bond was set at $25,000 and she remians in the Macoupin County Jail.

Residents of Macupin County are asked to help local agencies test their emergency disaster plan by attending the Saturday, September 6, flu clinic hosted by the Macoupin County Public Health Department.

On Saturday, September 6, Macoupin County residents are asked to follow four simple steps.

Step one: residents (adults only) will report to the Macoupin County Fair Grounds between 8am and 11am.

Step Two: participants will complete required paperwork.

Step Three: paper work will be checked for all signatures and participants will be asked to show either their Medicare or Medicaid card or make a $30.00 payment.

Step Four: participants will proceed to the final station to receive a flu vaccine.

For this clinic only, participants will reamin in their cars at all times. Therefore, you are asked to wear short sleeve clothing. Cars with more than two persons should arrive in a four door car.

Only flu vaccines will be given and only to adults (persons age 18 or older). Additional clinics will be announced in the future.

The Carlinville Area Hospital Auxiliary will host its annual 5K Hustle event on Saturday, September 6. The Hustle will start with a 1-mile Fun Run/Walk at 8am, followed by the 5K at 8:30am. Both events begin and end at the Hospital on North Broad Street.

Registrationis $25 for adults and $20 for those age 12 and younger.

Registration on the day of the events begins at 7am at the Hospital. Checks should be made out to Carlinville Area Hospital Auxiliary which in turn supports the Hospital. Registration forms are available on the Hospital's website - cahcare.com - or at the hospital and Boente Shell stations in Carlinville.

On the same day as the 5K Hustle and on the Hospital grounds, the CAH Auxiliary and the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce Health and Wellness Team will host a free "Good To Go From Head to Toe" wellness fair. The fair will be open from 8:30am to 11:30am and is designed as a fun way to promote wellness for children and adults.