HSHS St. Francis Hospital’s front entrance and circle drive will be temporarily closed from 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 29 through the weekend. It will reopen Monday, June 1 at 6 a.m.

All patients and visitors should enter through the Emergency Department entrance on the north side of the hospital. The main parking lot will remain accessible in addition to the parking lots outside of the Surgery and Emergency departments. Signs will be posted to direct the flow of traffic.

On May 25, 2026 at approximately 1:18 pm the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Telecommunication Division received a 911 call reporting a vehicle crashing into a building at 2110 Frey Ave. in Scram City Sammy's Slots. Police arrived and located the minivan still partially crashed inside the business, and severe damage to the front and side of the next door residence at 2106 Frey Ave. Hillsboro Fire Department also responded. Quickly, the responding officer learned that the driver was still on scene and may have intentionally crashed the van. The officer made contact with the driver checking if he was injured and if he intentionally crashed the van into the residence. In fact, he had purposely crashed into the residence. Brandon K. Gates, age 29, of Hillsboro was taken into custody. Montgomery County Sheriff's office responded to assist. Elam's Towing removed the vehicle from the scene. Thankfully, no injuries were reported from the crash. 

Later, Gates was transported to the Montgomery County Jail where he was booked in on several different charges. Gates's booking charges include the following: two counts of Criminal Damage to Property over $10,000, Reckless Conduct, Attempted Aggravated Battery and Attempted Aggravated Assault, Criminal Damage to Property Under $500 and Criminal Trespass to Residence and two counts of Criminal Damage to Property between $500 to $10,000. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the HSHS Home Care Butterfly Release at HSHS St. Francis Hospital tonight (Tuesday May 26) has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a future date. We are contacting those who submitted RSVPs/ordered butterflies

The monuments that comprise the Veterans Memorial Garden in Carnegie Park will be the scene of the Memorial Day Ceremony  at 10:30 a.m.

According to Montgomery County Clerk/Recorder Sandy Leitheiser, two war veterans who were past or present residents of the boundaries of the Litchfield School District will have their names added to the Litchfield Area Veterans Memorial prior to this year’s Memorial Day Ceremony.   

Hillsboro will honor those who served during Memorial Day services set for11 a.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Park at the intersection of Main and School St. Steelworker Petty Officer First Class (SW1) Zachary Joyce will serve as this year’s guest speaker. 

Nokomis Memorial Day Services will be held at 10 a.m. at the War Memorial in Nokomis Memorial Park, hosted by the American Legion Waples-Bauer Post #94   Guest Speaker MSgt Amber Sallee from the 126th Air Refueling Wing Scott AFB.   For all those attending please bring lawn chairs. 

Triple Star Post 299 American Legion  

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY  

Monday, May 25th - 10:00 a.m. 

The Gun Club, Raymond, IL. 

Keynote Speaker: Mike Plunkett See less 

 

The Memorial Day concert at the American Legion, 554 Ramey St., Carlinville at 7:00 PM tonight. They will honor and salute those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to our country 

The Staunton Area Honor Guard has announced its schedule of Memorial Day observances for Monday, May 25. Community members are invited to attend the ceremonies as the honor guard pays tribute to veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the country. 

Memorial Day, May 25 Schedule 

 

Livingston........................................................ 9 a.m. 

Old City Cemetery...................................... 9:30 a.m. 

Staunton Health and Rehab Center..............10 a.m. 

Memorial Park Cemetery..........................10:30 a.m. 

Main Street Staunton....................................11 a.m. 

Benld.................................................................1 p.m. 

Gillespie.......................................................1:30 p.m. 

The City of Carlinville announces that Mayor Doug Downey will present
the 2026 State of the City Address on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Carlinville City Hall, located at 550 North Broad Street.
The annual address will highlight key initiatives, accomplishments, and future goals for the city, with a focus on five major areas: Public Works Projects, Public Safety, Economic Development, Budget and Finance, and Community Engagement.  Following the presentation, residents will have an opportunity to ask questions in a open forumand share feedback with city officials. This interactive portion aims to foster open communication and ensure community voices are included in shaping Carlinville’s path forward.
For those who are unable to attend, but would like to submit questions, you can submit your questions to ddowney@cityofcarlinville.com. They will be read during the presentation and a response will be forwarded to the resident.
The State of the City Address is free and open

Macoupin State's Attorney Jordan Garrison announced today that a Chicago man traveling through Macoupin County was sentenced to 7 years for aggravated robbery. Marquese C. Douglas (10/1/1995) pled guilty in front of the Honorable Joshua A. Meyer and was remanded into the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. This is the 60th case sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2026.  

On April 8, 2026, the Springfield Police Department responded to the Amtrak train station for a report that a male with a black mask passed a note to a café car attendant that stated "Give me money or I will shoot." According to the witness, the male acted like he had a gun. The male was given approximately $459. Springfield officers were able to identify the suspect and obtain a confession. Further investigation showed Douglas was lying and did not have a gun on him at the time of the robbery. During the investigation, it was determined the train was in Macoupin County jurisdiction when the robbery happened.  

Robbery is a class 2 felony which carries a maximum sentence of 7 years, but due to Douglas acting like he had a gun, the charge was elevated to a class 1 felony.  

"Threatening individuals with gun violence is absolutely unacceptable," Garrison said. "Prison is the only appropriate accountability for criminals who put members of the public in dangerous situations such as this. I want to thank the Springfield Police Department under the command of Chief Joseph Behl for their outstanding work in holding this offender accountable. I also want to thank Assistant State's Attorney Sydney McWard for her efforts in obtaining this sentence." 

A number of service stations are on the brink of reaching the $5 per gallon mark for regular unleaded gas.  $4.99 gas can be found in Hillsboro and Jerseyville, but in Vandalia FS Fast Stop has coasted beyond the $5 barrier.  Gas Buddy reports gas is now $5.29 per gallon at the pumps there. 

The Bunker Hill Chamber of Commerce is hosting a job fair at the Municipal Building today from 10 until 3 at 810 South Franklin.  Among the employers on hand will be: Third Street Realty, The 618 Salon, United Community Bank, the Illinois Dept of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Dept of Human Services, the Bunker Hill Police Dept, Painters District Council #58, Superior Industrial Fire Services, Madison Communications, Madison County Employment and Training, the US Navy, First Student, Home Instead, S-I-H-F Healthcare, Home Instead, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Public Health, State of Illinois Central Management Services, Lewis and Clark Community College, Republic Services, Express Employment Professionals, IUOE Local 520, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, Challenge Unlimited Inc and Senior Services Plus.  Rollin' Dogs Food Truck will be on hand