News | The Journal-News

Elmore, Hopson Unite In Colorado Wedding

Waggoner native Sam Elmore and Hannah Hopson, both of St. Louis, MO, were united in marriage in a micro wedding this May in Colorado. The new Mrs. Elmore is the daughter of Mark and Tanya Hopson of … more

6/11/26

Nokomis Library To Host Planting Pizza Garden Event

The Nokomis Public Library invites the public for their Planting A Pizza Garden event on Monday, June 15, from 10 to 11 a.m., hosted by the Kids Dirty Hands Garden Club. Miss Margie will be … more

6/11/26

Olivia Rogers Crowned Junior Miss In Pawnee

Olivia Rogers of Pawnee, formerly of Litchfield, was crowned the 2026 Junior Miss Pawnee Prairie Days, in a pageant held Thursday, May 28, as part of this year’s celebration. She is the daughter of … more

6/11/26

Witt Memorial Library Announces Programs

The Witt Memorial Library has announced two upcoming summer library programs. Available to residents in kindergarten through fifth grade, the library says attendees can expect activities, coloring, … more

6/11/26

Witt Library Sponsors ‘Revolution’ Screening

The Witt Township Library will be sponsoring an event on Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m., at the Witt Lions Building, located at 601 W. Broadway, where there will be a showing of “Revolution.” The … more

6/11/26

Pictured above, from the left, are JoAnn Doss and Stephen Schmidt, female and male division two winners of the Take Off Pounds Sensibly weight-loss support and wellness information group.

TOPS Recognizes Weight Loss Division Winners For 2025

TOPS IL-1708, Litchfield, recognized their 2025 division winners at the Friday, May 8, meeting of Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS). During 2025, JoAnn Doss, treasurer, lost a total of 30.4 pounds. … more

6/11/26

Tyler Millburg, supervisor of natural gas operations, based in Hillsboro, shared how the technology alerted Ameren Illinois’ Gas Dispatch of an unusual spike in gas usage in a customer’s home in Witt. A truck was dispatched to the home and a journeyman found a high level of natural gas inside and outside the home. Millburg is holding a gas meter with the AMI gas module that alerted Ameren Illinois of the leak.

Ameren Technology Prevents Danger In Witt

We all know what a tremendous save looks like in sports — a diving catch, a last-second block, a play that changes everything. But what does a tremendous save look like in natural gas safety? In … more

By Brian Bretch, Ameren Public and Media Relations | 6/11/26

ImpactLife To Hold Blood Drive In Raymond June 23

The local Raymond community will host a blood drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, at the Knights … more

6/11/26

Jim Wharton, Nokomis native and author of You Made Me Smile, a collection of stories spanning from his time as a fourteen-year-old announcer through his time as a corporate executive. His book delves into his childhood, pulling out challenging and heartwarming stories and experiences from his youth.

Nokomis Native Releases New Book

News writer, journalist, Iowa mayor, Vice President of Marketing for Gateway, President of the Gateway Foundation and author. These descriptors and titles belong to Nokomis native, Jim Wharton, who … more

by Cameron Streitmatter | 6/11/26

Weekend Events Planned For Downtown Litchfield

Downtown Litchfield will be thriving with activity on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, for whole weekend of family fun. The first event, No Chips’ Cruisin’ the Century: Route 66 100th … more

6/11/26

TASC Announces List Of Events During June

The Autism Support Connection (TASC) has announced its events for the month of June. On Saturday, June 20, a sensory friendly showing of the movie “Toy Story 5” will be held at the Orpheum … more

6/11/26

Litchfield City Council Meets On June 4 At City Hall

Members of the Litchfield City Council met on Thursday, June 4, with Alderman Bert Holloway and Alderwoman Marilyn Sisson absent. Prior to the start of the regular agenda, Mayor Jacob Fleming spoke … more

6/8/26

The bee hive exhibit at H and B Bremer Sanctuary was installed on Sunday, May 17, to educate patrons of the sanctuary on the critical pollinators of the American Midwest.

Bremer Sanctuary Abuzz With New Bee Installation

H and B Bremer Sanctuary, at 194 Bremer Ln., recently installed a new bee exhibit on Sunday, May 17, through a generous donation from Noah Niehaus of Noah’s Sweet Honey. This observation hive was … more

6/8/26

Walton Park was the place to be on Saturday, June 6, as the Litchfield Park District and other local organizations hosted a Celebrate Walton Park event. It featured yoga, food vendors, a DJ, bounce houses, family photos, coloring events, kids games and more. Pictured above, Isabel Sutton, at left, and Maeva Jett work together on a large outdoor Tetris game. See page 7A for more from this fun event.

Litchfield Celebrates Walton Park

The Litchfield Park District, along with a variety of other organizations, hosted a special Celebrate Walton Park event on Saturday, June 5. Focused on connecting, celebrating and enjoying the … more

6/8/26

Pictured above, Lana Putnam and Gabby Estes work on coffee filter flowers at the Hillsboro event.

Local Youth Enjoy Free Art Projects In Hillsboro

The Mac Art Bus, a project of The Macoupin Art Collective based in Staunton, made a stop at Central Park in Hillsboro on Sunday afternoon, June 7, offering free art projects to kids of all ages. … more

6/8/26

Colt Clark, pictured above, gets behind the wheel of a Hillsboro Fire Department fire engine as part of the Hillsboro Community Child Development Center Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday, June 6.

HCCDC Hosts Fundraiser At New Location

Hillsboro Community Child Development Center (HCCDC) hosted a Touch-A-Truck event to raise money for a new playground at their new site, located at 9181 Rt. 127 in Hillsboro. Offerings included a … more

6/8/26

Don Sellers played his saxophone for guests at the conclusion of the meeting.

Litchfield Seniors Club Holds Monthly Meeting

The Litchfield Senior Citizens Club held their monthly meeting on Sunday, May 24, at 12:30 p.m. at the Litchfield Community Center with a catered meal from Maverick Steak House. The meeting … more

6/8/26

Bob Baker of Donnellson, joined a group of 94 other veterans and guardians on Land of Lincoln Honor Flight’s Tuesday, May 5 trip to Washington D.C. Baker is pictured above, at right, with his guardian, Les West, at left.

Three Local Veterans Take Honor Flight In May

Three area veterans were aboard the first Land of Lincoln Honor Flight for the year on Tuesday, May 5. Bob Baker of Donnellson and Bob Fuehne and Richard Holloway of Hillsboro joined 92 other … more

by Cayden Huber | 6/8/26

Amateur Radio Emergency Corp. Names Upcoming Events

The Montgomery County Amateur Radio Emergency Corp. (AREC) will have their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. at the Challacombe House, 509 School Street, 2 blocks east of the … more

6/8/26

Nokomis Fire Dept. Provides Lunch To Students

On Friday, May 22, the Nokomis Fire Department returned for their annual tradition of partnering with Nokomis North Elementary to provide lunch to all students who met their reading goals. This … more

6/8/26