A man shot by a Sheriff's deputy near Mt. Olive has been charged in Macoupin County.

According to Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl, 30 year old Brett Foster of Mt. Olive has been charge by the Macoupin County State's Attorney Office with Aggravated Assault.

The charge stems from an incident that occured Thursday night west of Mt. Olive. According to Sheriff Kahl,, at 9:10pm deputies were despatched to a residence on Rt. 138 to check on the well being of an elderly female. Deputies arreived around 9:30pm and attempted to contact the occupants of the house and they were allegedly confronted by an armed subject, later identified as Brett Foster. After officers identified themselves serveral times as Macoupin County Deputies, Foster continued from inside the house brandishing a rifle and exited the front door pointing the rifle at one of the deputies. Foster was repeatedly ordered to drop the rifle but allegedly continued to point the gun at one of the deputies. At that point, the other deputy on the scene fired his weapon striking Foster. He was transported to St. John's Hospital in Springfield with non-life threatening injuries. He was treated and released.

Foster in now held at the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office.

An investigation continues.

A shooting west of Mt. Olive Thursday night is under investigation by Illinois State Police.

According to Macoupin County Sheriff, Shawn Kahl, two deputies responded to a call to check on the well being of an elderly person living on Rt. 138 just west of Mt. Olive. Upon arrival, a male subject at the residence allegedly displayed a weapon and one of the deputies shot the individual.

The injured male was airlifted to St. John's Hospital in Springfield. No other injuries were reported.

Sheriff Kahl says he has requested Illinois State Police to investigate the shooting incident and no further information, including names, will be released while the investigation continues.

The county deputies will be place on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

A multiple vehicle accident Thursday morning resulted in minor injuries. According to the Illinois State Police, 23-year-old Brandon Sims of Memphis, Tennessee, was driving north on I-55 about 2 miles south of Farmersville around 2am when his vehicle struck the back of a 1987 Mazda truck driven by 65-year-old Bertha Crow of Dallas, Wisconsin. A vehicle driven by 36-year-old Bobby Joe Herta of Crystal City, Texas, then struck the back of Sims' vehicle. Sims' and Herta's vehicles came to rest in the driving lane and Crow's vehicle in the median. Sims was transported to the Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. Herta was transported to St. John's Hospital in Springfield. Both suffered minor injuries. No injuries were reported for Herta's four passengers ages twelve, fourteen and fifteen and 32-year-old Gracie R. Herta. Also, no injuries were reported for Crow and 73-year-old passenger Philip Linehan Sr. The driving lane was closed for approximately an hour to remove Sims' vehicle and clear debris. Sims was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Many options for county election results will be available for local residents. The County Board Room on the 2nd floor of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro will be open on Election Night. Residents can view the county election returns there as they become available after the polls close at 7pm on April 7th. County Clerk Sandy Leitheiser says the gathering is open to anyone.

"The election judges from all the precincts throughout the county will be reporting with their individuals results. We will have the Hillsboro Auxiliary Police here to help with traffic control and we are always pleased to have students from the Hillsboro High School government class available to help the election judges with their materials as they come into the office as well as helping our staff as we process the returns."

Anyone can find election results as they come in through the county's website: montgomeryco.com. Results coverage will begin on WSMI at 8pm on Election Night.

Many options for county election results will be available for local residents. The County Board Room on the 2nd floor of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro will be open on Election Night. Residents can view the county election returns there as they become available after the polls close at 7pm on April 7th. County Clerk Sandy Leitheiser says the gathering is open to anyone.

"The election judges from all the precincts throughout the county will be reporting with their individuals results. We will have the Hillsboro Auxiliary Police here to help with traffic control and we are always pleased to have students from the Hillsboro High School government class available to help the election judges with their materials as they come into the office as well as helping our staff as we process the returns."

Anyone can find election results as they come in through the county's website: montgomeryco.com. Results coverage will begin on WSMI at 8pm on Election Night.

A multiple vehicle accident Thursday morning resulted in minor injuries. According to the Illinois State Police, 23-year-old Brandon Sims of Memphis, Tennessee, was driving north on I-55 about 2 miles south of Farmersville around 2am when his vehicle struck the back of a 1987 Mazda truck driven by 65-year-old Bertha Crow of Dallas, Wisconsin. A vehicle driven by 36-year-old Bobby Joe Herta of Crystal City, Texas, then struck the back of Sims' vehicle. Sims' and Herta's vehicles came to rest in the driving lane and Crow's vehicle in the median. Sims was transported to the Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. Herta was transported to St. John's Hospital in Springfield. Both suffered minor injuries. No injuries were reported for Herta's four passengers ages twelve, fourteen and fifteen and 32-year-old Gracie R. Herta. Also, no injuries were reported for Crow and 73-year-old passenger Philip Linehan Sr. The driving lane was closed for approximately an hour to remove Sims' vehicle and clear debris. Sims was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid and accident.

Avery Bourne began her first month as State Representative with a busy schedule. Bourne said so far she took part in two meet and greets.

"I've really been so surprised at the number of people who are coming out to meet me," Bourne said. "It's really humbling that people take time out of their day to come up and say hi but I think it's important that I meet them and hear from them because I am their mouthpiece in Springfield. So, they've been going really well and I hope that we have some more and they're just as well-attended."

Bourne said this week some important votes, including some on the state budget, will be on the agenda.

"Hopefully we can get around to the 2015, kind of, Band-Aid budget to fix the budget hole for 2015. Also, I'm meeting with some people in the district, I get to speak to some superintendents on Friday, here in Litchfield, and also just be in committees this week. Hopefully we get a lot of bills through, it's coming up on the deadline so we'll be getting a lot of bills through committee and we'll be busy up in Springfield."

An open house in Litchfield takes place from 11am to 1pm on Wednesday, April 8th, at Representative Bourne's office, 324 North State Street.

Avery Bourne began her first month as State Representative with a busy schedule. Bourne said so far she took part in two meet and greets.

"I've really been so surprised at the number of people who are coming out to meet me," Bourne said. "It's really humbling that people take time out of their day to come up and say hi but I think it's important that I meet them and hear from them because I am their mouthpiece in Springfield. So, they've been going really well and I hope that we have some more and they're just as well-attended."

Bourne said this week some important votes, including some on the state budget, will be on the agenda.

"Hopefully we can get around to the 2015, kind of, Band-Aid budget to fix the budget hole for 2015. Also, I'm meeting with some people in the district, I get to speak to some superintendents on Friday, here in Litchfield, and also just be in committees this week. Hopefully we get a lot of bills through, it's coming up on the deadline so we'll be getting a lot of bills through committee and we'll be busy up in Springfield."

An open house in Litchfield takes place from 11am to 1pm on Wednesday, April 8th, at Representative Bourne's office, 324 North State Street.

Hillsboro residents may soon notice a change in their electric bills. At Tuesday night's city council meeting, a decision was made on the community aggregation bid. Hillsboro Mayor John Downs said the decision will switch customers from Ameren to Homefield Energy.

"We went with a two-year committment at 5.749," Downs said. "I'm not sure just exactly what our present one is, but we had to change, it was a change that was brought about by the change of Ameren. So we tried to take the best price possible here for the monthly bills."

Mayor Downs also said customers may opt out and choose to return to Ameren.

Hillsboro residents may soon notice a change in their electric bills. At Tuesday night's city council meeting, a decision was made on the community aggregation bid. Hillsboro Mayor John Downs said the decision will switch customers from Ameren to Homefield Energy.

"We went with a two-year committment at 5.749," Downs said. "I'm not sure just exactly what our present one is, but we had to change, it was a change that was brought about by the change of Ameren. So we tried to take the best price possible here for the monthly bills."

Mayor Downs also said customers may opt out and choose to return to Ameren.

Carlinville will have its spring cleanup on Friday, May 1 from 8am until 4pm and Saturday, May 2 from 8am until noon. City residents can bring unwanted items to the dumpsters located at the city shed on Plum street during the allowed hours. Allowed items are general refuse, appliances,and yard waste. Some items such as industrial waste, tires, batteries, paints and chemicals will not be accepted.

Two people were killed in a two vehicle crash Tuesday night in Greene County.

According to Illinois State Police, 76 year old William Bick of Carrollton was driving a 2002 Ford Ranger pickup south bound on the River Road when for unknown reasons the pickup crossed over the center line and struck headon 1997 International Semi at 7:46pm. A passenter in the pickup, 64 year old Maria Swan of Carrollton, was ejected from the vehicle.

William Bick and Maria Swan were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The driver of the semi, 54 year old Mark Gourley of Carrollton was not injured.

No charges were filed by Illinois State Police.

Illinois State Police have announced that the agency will no longer accept FOID paper applications as of March 9, 2015.

The ISP is merging the FOID and Concealed Carry License application processes to provide a more streamlined and modernized application process. ISP will begin accepting on-line FOID applications beginning March 16, 2015, through the Department's website or through the paper alternative call center method for those individuals who do not have computer access. Minors under the age of 21 without a state of Illinois Driver's License or Identification card and Amish applicants will be required to complete an alternative call-in paper application.

The ISP has also made changes to the login for both the CCL and FOID applications. Applicants will no longer be required to obtain a state of Illinois digital I.D. through the Department of Central Management Services. This login change will allow users greater accessibility to the new application process. All new applicants and returning CCL applicants will need to register with the Illinois State Police by providing some key identifiers found on their Illinois Driver's License or identification card, creating a username and password, and answering four security questions. The CCL website will be unavailable beginning Friday, March 13, 2015, at 5:00pm until Monday, March16, 2015, at 7:00am in order to implement the new FOID system.

(Hillsboro)--The Hillsboro 2000 and Beyond Committee has announced the bands that will perform in this years Summer Concert Series. Clockwork will kickoff the concert series on June 5th; The Funky Butt Brass Band will perform on July 4th; the Old Capital Square Dance Club will perform on July 17th; and Bone Jugs in Harmony will wrap up the series on August 7th.

The Summer Concert Series will be held at the Blue Grass Stage at Sherwood Forrest Campground.

The Macoupin County Fair is looking for 5 and 6 year olds in the Macoupin County area for the 2015 Little Miss and Mister Pageant. This year's pageant will take place on Wednesday, June 17th.

Children may not be younger than 5 or older than 6 by the pageant date in order to be eligible. Prior to th pageant children and parents or legal guardians will be required to attend practices to prepare the children for the stage.

The pageant is limited to 30 total contestants, with 15 spaces available for the girls and 15 spaces for the boys. Those spots are filled on a first come first serve basis. To enter a child, send a letter with the child's name, birth date, gender, parents/guardians name, address and phone number where a parent/guardian can be reached. The first 15 girls and 15 boys will receive a letter or phone call confirming their entry into the pageant. The deadline for applications is April 24, 2015.

Mail all entry letters to Elissa Graham at 17363 Prairie Lawn Road, Carlinville, IL 62626. For any questions call Elissa at 217-827-7156.

(Coffeen)--The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced that Coffeen Lake is now open to boating traffic. The lake was closed on February 25th as 700 gallons of turbine gas from the Coffeen Power Station leaked into the lake area. No impact on fish and wildlife was dectected.

The cleanup effort is complete, however, boaters are asked to avoid a line of collection of blocking the hot water discharge.