A Nokomis man was killed Monday evening in an automobile accident on Route 16 just east of Rosamond.

According to the State Police, a 19-year-old Rosamond man was driving west on Route 16 at around 10:30 p.m. when he crossed over into the eastbound lane and struck an oncoming vehicle head-on, driven by the 61-year-old Nokomis resident.

The Nokomis driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Christian County Coroner. The 19-year-old admitted to being on his phone at the time of the accident. He also was not wearing a seatbelt, and alcohol is suspected to be involved, according to the police.

The incident remains under investigation by Illinois State Police Zone 4 Investigations. The indentities of both parties have not been released at this time.

The Macoupin County Agriculture Education Foundation is offering 1- $1,500 scholarship, 1- $1,000 scholarship and 7- $500 scholarships for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year to students wishing to pursue agriculture majors.

The MCAE Foundation offers the scholarships in an effort to provide encouragement and financial assisstance to Macoupin County residents and/or students of Macoupin County schools.

The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or a current college student who plans to attend or is sending an Illinois junior college, college, university or trade school and majoring in agriculture.

Applications are available through high school guidance counselors, high school agriculture instructors or the Macoupin County Farm Bureau. An electronic copy the application can be requested by contacing the MCFB office by phone or by email at: mcfb@frontiernet.net.

All applications must be submitted to the MCFB office by March 23.

A Palmer man was arrested last Thursday after a one-month-old baby was taken to a hospital in St. Louis with severe head injuries.

Darrel Sanders, 19, was charged with Aggravated Battery to a child, which is a Class X felony. On Thursday, Sanders took his one-month-old daughter to Taylorville Memorial Hospital with severe head injuries. The infant was then transferred to a children's hospital in St. Louis, where she remains in critical condition.

Taylorville Hospital personnel then contacted the Christian County Sheriff's office. An investigation revealed that the baby was injured some time between February 15th and 18th at a Palmer residence where both Sanders and the baby's mother, Shawnee Harris, reside.

Sanders' bond was set at $1 million. His next court date was scheduled for Monday.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation recently announced that the Land of Lincoln Community Foundation will be including Montgomery County in their footprint.

The foundation has been providing financial resources to local organizations for more than 90 years. It started in Springfield in 1924 as the Sangamon County Foundation and, in 2011, changed its name to the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln in order to provide resources for neighboring communities of Sangamon County.

The MCEDC will be hosting an informational meeting about the organization for invited guests, which will be held at the Challacombe House in Hillsboro on March 7. Anyone seeking more information about the Land of Lincoln Foundation may visit their website cfll.org.

The Litchfield City Council held their second February meeting a little later than usual on Thursday, February 15.

At the meeting, which began at 7:30 p.m., the council approved the repair of a police department vehicle transmission at Curt's Towing. The vehicle is a 2008 Chevrolet and the amount is not to exceed $2,150.

The council also approved the purchase of 200 cubic yards of engineered wood fiber from Stillwater Enterprises in Effingham. The wood fiber was purchased at a rate of $2,140 per 100 cubic yards for a total of $4,280.

The purchase of a replacement gearbox for one of the Oxidation Ditch drive motors was also approved at the meeting. The unit will replace one gearbox that is making a lot of noise on the outer Oxidation Ditch, located at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The cost of the gearbox is not to exceed $3117.50 plus freight.

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

The Montgomery County Clerk's office has announced that early voting and vote-by-mail services are now available for the March 20th General Primary Election.

According to County Clerk Sandy Leitheiser, the delay in early voting and vote-by-mail services caused by the State Appellate Court case regarding the Attorney General race was finalized on Friday, so voters will receive an official ballot as certified by the State Board of Elections.

Leitheiser says that because no excuse is needed, all voters may either vote early in their early voting center, request a ballot by mail, or vote on election day at their polling place. The Early Voting Center is located in the basement of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro.

To request a ballot by mail, voters may download and print the vote-by-mail application request form from the county's website at montgomeryco.com and mail it to the county clerk's office. Voters may also email their request for an application form, which should include their current name, residential address, and which political party's ballot they are requesting to the county clerk's office at countyclerk@montgomeryco.com.

All vote-by-mail applications for ballots must be received in the office by Thursday, March 15. The Early Voting Center is available Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.

Anyone needing more information may call the County Clerk's office at 532-9530 or visit the website, montgomeryco.com.

The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis has turned the investigation into the disappearance of Denita Hedden back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Major Case Squad said a 12 day exhaustive investigative effort was conducted into the disappearance of the Royal Lakes woman, spanning seven consecutive days and covering large portions of southern Macoupin County.

According to the Major Case Squad, the endeavor has included more than 22,000 acres of rural terrain and 70 road miles. Numerous police, fire and specialized search teams have spent hundreds of man-hours in the interest of finding the 37-year-old. Major Case Squad investigators believe Hedden's disappearance involves foul play based on evidence recovered during the investigation. A person of interest has been identified, and the facts and circumstances surrounding the case have been provided to the office of Macoupin County State's Attorney Jennifer Watson.

Denita Hedden was last seen in the 700 block of Catalpa Avenue in Royal Lakes on January 25, at 11 p.m. She is a white female, standing five feet tall and weighing approximately 110 pounds.

Area property owners, farmers and residents are advised to report anything unusual that they may observe when traveling county and rural roadways. The search for Denita Hedden is expected to continue.

The last day to register to vote for the upcoming General Primary in March is Tuesday, February 20. By state law, voter registration closes 27 days before every election, with the exception of grace period registration.

As a public service, the Montgomery County Clerk's office in Hillsboro will be open this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon to register voters or update voter addresses. Qualifications to register to vote are: U.S. citizenship, age 18 on or by the November 6th General Election, and residency of the precinct for 30 days prior to the March 20th Primary.

In addition to the County Clerk's office, many deputy registrars are available throughout the county to provide all voter registration services. For information about Deputy registrars in local areas, residents may call the County Clerk's office at 217-532-9530 or stop by the office on the first floor of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro.

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency has indicated that personal information of certain current and former county employees may have been impacted by the outside malware attack the county suffered in November.

Around November 14, Montgomery County became the victim of an outside malware attack that impaired a number of its computer systems and operations. The malware was addressed within minutes of its discovery, and the EMA launched an investigation into whether any sensitive information was impacted.

The investigation revealed that no public personal data was impacted. However, because unauthorized access to one county email account occurred, personal information relating to certain current and former county employees may have been impacted.

Montgomery County EMA Coordinator Greg Nimmo says that while there is no indication that employee information stored in the compromised email account was subject to unauthorized access -- and there have been no indications of misuse of employee personal information in relation to the incident -- all potentially impacted individuals have been notified pursuant to applicable laws and offered assistance to mitigate any issues or concerns.

According to Nimmo, the county continues to increase computer security and has continued to monitor against suspicious activity since the incident. No further malware activity has been noted to date.

A former Texas man is considered a suspect in the death of Chesterfield woman on Thursday.

According to Macoupin County Sheriff Shawn Kahl, 34 year old David Buck of Medora is a homicide suspect; however, he has not been offically charged in Macoupin County. He is being held in the Macoupin County Jail on a no-bond warrant from the Texas Department of Corrections.

34 year old Rachel Warren was reportedly shot at her residence in the 400 block of Main Street in Chesterfield on Thursday afternoon. A 911 caller on Thursday informed the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office of the shooting and provided information about the vehicle the suspect left the scene in.

A short time later after a pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody in Jersey County.

The Illinois State Police and the Jersey County Sheriff's Office are assisting in the investigation.

An FM Translator... a new radio sation is broadcasting at 105.3.on the FM dial. This radio station may be causing interference to Station WAOX, The Ox. If you are having problems picking up The Ox, we would like to hear from you.In some places, The Oxs signal may be scratchy or noisy, where it used to be clear. In other places, The Oxs signal might be scratchier or noisier than it used to be. In still other places, the new stations signal might even completely replace The Oxs signal or make it completely unlistenable.

If you are having problems picking up The Ox in one or more spots where you used to hear
us loud and clear, or if reception is poorer than it used to be, please let us know.
FCC Rules prohibit this new radio station from impairing reception of The Ox, but to get the FCC to do something, well need listeners to complain. Weve created a complaint form that you can use. You can download it from our website, WAOX Form, or from the website of TheOxs sister stations, WSMI and WSMI-FM. After you have filled out and signed the form
(which you can do on your computer or smart phone), please mail it to us at WAOX Radio
Station, P.O. Box 10, Litchfield, Illinois 62056, or send it as an email attachment to
waox@waoxradio.com .

If you prefer to call in or email a complaint, please contact us at (618) 635-6000 or
waox@waoxradio.com .

If you can provide us with audio recordings of the type(s) of interference that you are
experiencing, that would be most helpful. Please mail them to us or send them as email
attachments to waox@waoxradio.com .

An FM Translator... a new radio sation is broadcasting at 105.3.on the FM dial. This radio station may be causing interference to Station WAOX, The Ox. If you are having problems picking up The Ox, we would like to hear from you.In some places, The Oxs signal may be scratchy or noisy, where it used to be clear. In other places, The Oxs signal might be scratchier or noisier than it used to be. In still other places, the new stations signal might even completely replace The Oxs signal or make it completely unlistenable.

If you are having problems picking up The Ox in one or more spots where you used to hear
us loud and clear, or if reception is poorer than it used to be, please let us know.
FCC Rules prohibit this new radio station from impairing reception of The Ox, but to get the FCC to do something, well need listeners to complain. Weve created a complaint form that you can use. You can download it from our website, WAOX.com, or from the website of TheOxs sister stations, WSMI and WSMI-FM. After you have filled out and signed the form
(which you can do on your computer or smart phone), please mail it to us at WAOX Radio
Station, P.O. Box 10, Litchfield, Illinois 62056, or send it as an email attachment to
waox@waoxradio.com .

If you prefer to call in or email a complaint, please contact us at (618) 635-6000 or
waox@waoxradio.com .

If you can provide us with audio recordings of the type(s) of interference that you are
experiencing, that would be most helpful. Please mail them to us or send them as email
attachments to waox@waoxradio.com .

A Chesterfield woman is dead following a reported shooting incident Thursday afternoon in Chesterfield.

According to the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office, the victime is identified as 34 year old Rachel Warren.

At 2:31pm on Thursday, a 911 call informed the Sheriff's Office of a female who had been shot in the 400 block of Main Street in Chesterfield. The caller also advised dispatch of the make and model of the vehicle the suspect reportedly fled from the scene in.

Before arriving at the scene of the shooting, a deputy located the suspect vehicle and pursued it. The pursuit went into Jersey County where the suspect was take into custody.

The Illinois State Police and Jersey County Sheriff's Office are assisting the Macoupin County Sheriff's office in the investigation.

The name of the suspect is being withheld pending formal charges.

An FM Translator... a new radio sation is broadcasting at 105.3.on the FM dial. This radio station may be causing interference to Station WAOX, The Ox. If you are having problems picking up The Ox, we would like to hear from you.In some places, The Oxs signal may be scratchy or noisy, where it used to be clear. In other places, The Oxs signal might be scratchier or noisier than it used to be. In still other places, the new stations signal might even completely replace The Oxs signal or make it completely unlistenable.

If you are having problems picking up The Ox in one or more spots where you used to hear
us loud and clear, or if reception is poorer than it used to be, please let us know.
FCC Rules prohibit this new radio station from impairing reception of The Ox, but to get the FCC to do something, well need listeners to complain. Weve created a complaint form that you can use. You can download it from our website, WAOX.com, or from the website of The
Oxs sister stations, WSMI and WSMI-FM. After you have filled out and signed the form
(which you can do on your computer or smart phone), please mail it to us at WAOX Radio
Station, P.O. Box 10, Litchfield, Illinois 62056, or send it as an email attachment to
waox@waoxradio.com .

If you prefer to call in or email a complaint, please contact us at (618) 635-6000 or
waox@waoxradio.com .

If you can provide us with audio recordings of the type(s) of interference that you are
experiencing, that would be most helpful. Please mail them to us or send them as email
attachments to .

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A Shelbyville man was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly stealing from a re-sale business in Witt.

Nick Maness, 39, was apprehended after 3 p.m. Monday after leading authorities on a short pursuit on foot. According to Montgomery County Undersheriff Rick Robbins, a disturbance was reported on Talmadge Street in Witt and an ambulance was requested to assist a victim.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputies found that Maness had left the residence after he allegedly held a homemade ax-like weapon to the victim's throat. The victim received a minor injury from the incident.

Deputies attempted to locate Maness in the Witt area and discovered that a door had been forced open at the former Witt School, which is now the location of a re-sale business. As deputies were preparing to search the building, Maness exited the business and fled on foot. When apprehended, he was found to be in possession of property that was stolen from the re-sale shop.

Maness is currently being held in the Montgomery County Jail with pending charges of Aggravated Battery and Burglary.

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The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis has been requested to assist the Macoupin County Sheriff's office in the search of a missing Royal Lakes Woman.

Denita Hedden, 37, was reported missing by an acquaintance on January 28. Macoupin County Deputies were told that Hedden was last seen leaving her residence in Royal Lakes around 2 p.m. on January 25.

Hedden has brown hair and brown eyes, is five feet tall and weighs approximately 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a maroon hoodie sweatshirt with orange sleeves and blue jeans. Authorities with the Major Case Squad have stated that Hedden's disappearance, because of its duration, is considered suspicious.

Anyone with information about Denita Hedden's whereabouts should call the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis at 618-585-3510, the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office at 217-854-3135, extension 1; or call Macoupin Montgomery County Crimestoppers at 1-800-352-0136.

Authorities are seeking public assistance in obtaining information concerning a missing Royal Lakes woman.

On January 28, 2018 at 11:49am, the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office received a missing persons call in reference to 37 year old Denita M. Hedden of the 700 block of Catalpa Ave. in Royal Lakes.

Denita was reported missing by her roommate and she hasn't been seen since Saturday January 27, 2018.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Macoupin County Sheriff's Office at 217-854-3135 Ext. 1 or contact the Macoupin-Montgomery County Crimestoppers at 800-352-0136.

Results from an autopsy on the body of Adria Jean Hatten have revealed no overt evidence of violence or foul play.

According to the Madison County Sheriff's Office, the autopsy did reveal signs of environmental exposure, with no signs of trauma. The 39-year-old Alton woman was found dead Tuesday morningafter being reported missing by her family the week before.

Madison County Sheriff John Lakin says that routine alcohol and drug studies will be performed as part of the investigation, with the final ruling on a cause of death pending the results of those tests.

The sheriff's office is still conducting its investigation, which they say to this point has failed to show any outward signs of violence or foul play as a cause of Adria Hatten's disappearance or death. Sheriff Lakin commended each individual and agency who took part in the search and investigation.