Police are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Hillsboro restaurant overnight on Sunday, May 21.

According to Hillsboro Police Chief Randy Leetham, the suspects gained entry into Lomas Del Sol by breaking in thru the glass front door. The robbery was reported Monday at 10:19 a.m. An undisclosed amount of cash and electronics were reported stolen.

The investigation is ongoing. The Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit was called to the scene to collect evidence. If anyone has information about the crime, they can contact the crime scene unit or the Hillsboro Police.

Police are investigating a robbery that occurred at a Hillsboro restaurant overnight on Sunday, May 21.
According to Hillsboro Police Chief Randy Leetham, the suspects gained entry into Lomas Del Sol by breaking in thru the glass front door. The robbery was reported Monday at 10:19 a.m. An undisclosed amount of cash and electronics were reported stolen.
The investigation is ongoing. The Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit was called to the scene to collect evidence. If anyone has information about the crime, they can contact the crime scene unit or the Hillsboro Police.

A Mt. Olive man was killed in a two vehicle accident Monday evening in Mt. Olive.

According to the Illinois State Police, 47 year old Robert Welch was driving a 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle southbound on US 66 at Mt. Olive Road when he attempted to pass a John Deer tractor pulling a trailer and struck the trailer as the tractor was turning onto Mt. Olive Road at 5:14pm.

Welch was transported by Mt. Olive EMS to Community Memorial Hospital in Staunton where he was pronounced dead at 5:50pm.

US 66 was shut down for approximately three and a half hours.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Litchfield City Council approved a solution to a brush burning problem during their meeting Thursday evening.

A motion was made to approve burning brush at the city's South Adams facility. Former street superintendent Art LeVoy said he and aldermen Jake Prange and Mark Brown had discussed options about locations to burn the abundance of brush.

One location that was mentioned was Walton Park because it was a less populated area. However, LeVoy said the location at Walton park wasn't big enough to accommodate the amount of brush that is on hand. He added that it doesn't make sense economically to haul the brush too far out of town.

Alderman Dwayne Gerl said he has received complaints from many constituents about the smoke and soot piling up in the area of the South Adams location. LeVoy said he would coordinate with the fire department and discuss not burning every week. He added that the first burn will be the worst one.

The motion to burn at the South Adams facility passed unanimously. City Administrater Tonya Flannery mentioned that the council could revisit the issue if more viable options are presented later.

The council also approved the purchase of new in-car camera systems for the police department. The purchase will include 5 in-car camera systems, licensing agreements, and server program software from Pro Vision. The cost of everything including shipping is $17,875.

Alderman Woodrow Street asked Police Chief Lee Jarman what that would mean for the current cameras. Chief Jarman said they will stay in service until they can no longer be used.

Also at the meeting, the council awarded the construction contract for City Hall's roof and HVAC renovation to the lowest bidder. The council received three bids, and Young's Roofing in Litchfield was the lowest bidder at $156,880.

The next Litchfield City Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 1, at 6:30 p.m.

This month the Macoupin County Health Department is hosting a "Know Stroke" event to help residents to know the signs, act in time and to set goals to reduce the risk of stroke.

For $20.00 residents can get a total cholesterol and blood pressure screening and receive a free stroke rish assessment. Participants can meet with a nurse prctitioner and learn the warning signs and how to act fast.

To make an appointment for the "Know Stroke" event, call 217-854-7272.

The Macoupin County Public Health Department offers a variety of services to help reduce the risk of stroke. These services include nutrition education with a dietician and a six week Take Charge of Your Health Workshop. The next workshop series is scheduled to begin this summer.

An amendment to an Illinois Senate Bill that was proposed by a Senator from Vandalia was discussed during the Montgomery County Board meeting last Tuesday.

Senator Kyle McCarter has proposed an amendment to Senate Bill 2199, which seeks to reduce the Local Government Distributive Fund by 25 percent. According to Finance Committee Chairman Megan Beeler, if the amendment is approved and the bill passes, the County would lose $538,500 in total revenue for the fiscal year. That includes money collected from sales tax, supplemented sales tax, and income tax.

Board member Glenn Bishop asked Beeler if the reduction would extend beyond the county and include local governments, to which Beeler replied that it would. A motion was made to approve a resolution urging Governor Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly to protect full funding of Local Government Distributive Fund revenues, and the motion passed with 18 'yes' votes, zero voting 'no', and 3 board members absent.

Economic Development Committee Chairman Tim Hopper updated the board on the efforts to bring fiber optic internet service to the county.

Hopper explained that the Taylorville company CTI is interested in expanding to Montgomery County, as well as other surrounding areas. He and other MCEDC members have had discussions with local businesses about their internet service, and some companies have cited it as a reason for possibly leaving the county.

Hopper said it's scary that businesses are considering moving their offices out of the county because of poor internet service, and that bringing fiber to Montgomery County is one of the most important infrastructure items the board has addressed.

During the Finance Committee briefing of the meeting, the board approved the transfer of $6000 from coal money to the MCEDC in order to advertise for fiber optic internet service.

Hopper also briefed the board on the CEO program. He mentioned that this year's students had grossed $10,000 from their high school businesses at the trade show May 2, and that 17 students have been accepted for next year's class.

The next Montgomery County Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, at 8:30 a.m. on the second floor of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro.

Registration is now open for the 8th annual Litchfield TriathLou that will be held September 10, at Lake Lou Yaeger.

Litchfield Tourism Coordinator Sarah Waggoner has announced that this year's event will include a Half Distance race in addition to the other races. Athletes in the Half Distance will complete a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. Those in the Olympic Course will participate in a 0.9 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike ride, and 6.2 mile run. The Sprint Course is a quarter mile swim, 13 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run.

Registration information for the TriathLou can be found online at racemaker.org. Team options are available in addition to individual participants. The race will begin at 7:15 a.m.

Substance abuse and mental health issues will be topics of discussion at a community awareness meeting to be held on Monday, May 15, at H.S.H.S. St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield.

The meeting will be comprised of a panel with community members representing various community sectors, such as schools, public service agencies and religious organizations. Each member will speak briefly about the topics and then a question and answer session will be held. There will also be several displays highlighting statistical information specific to Montgomery County relating to substance abuse and mental health.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the hospital's auditorium.

A short informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 10th for parents and children that will be entering kindergarten in the fall in the Mt. Olive School District. Children must be five years old by September 1st to be eligible. The meeting will be held in the kindergarten classrooms at 6:00pm.

Teachers will present an overview of what kindergarten students should accomplish during the year. Helpful information for transitioning into a full school day will be discussed. Handouts will be available with helpful hints for the entire school year. Pre-registration paperwork will be available to fill out. A copy of the birth certificate, immunization record, and social security number are needed to complete the process. It is suggested that parents bring those items. All students are still required to register and pay fees in August.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation has made efforts to bring a full service fiber-optic internet provider to the region.

Fiber to the Home, or FTTH, is a brand new network of fiber optic cables that are a fast and dependable way to receive communications directly to homes and businesses. This fiber is durable and able to withstand the elements in order to ensure fast, reliable service.

Montgomery County must show a 20 percent take rate in either Raymond, Nokomis, Hillsboro or Litchfield in order for the fiber provider to bring the service to the county. Take rate refers to the number of house-holds and businesses in a community that are interested in acquiring a fiber provider and will most likely sign up for service once it becomes available. It is not a contract.

To sign up, residents may visit ww2.ctitech.com/montgomerycounty and click "I'm interested." The deadline is June 9.

For more information, residents may contact the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation by emailing ed@montgomerycountyillinois.com, or call 217-827-3200.