News | The Journal-News

Paws Care Group Hosts Trivia Night Fundraiser

Paws Care of Montgomery County will again be holding its annual trivia night. The trivia night will be held on Saturday, May 18 at the Litchfield Community Building. Doors will open at … more

4/18/24

Eighteen youth from Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery Counties explored careers in environmental science on Monday, April 1 at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton.

4-H Learns About Environmental Science Careers

Eighteen 4-H youth from Christian, Jersey, Macoupin and Montgomery Counties took part in an environmental science career exploration trip and tour with the Army Corps of Engineers and Melvin Price … more

4/18/24

Together Litchfield Can Plans April Walkabout

In 2024, a MAPPING (Management and Planning Programs Involving Nonmetropolitan Groups) program was held to help with the future of the Litchfield community. This program led to the collective team … more

4/18/24

Hanging Baskets Bloom For Mother’s Day Sale

The Montgomery County Master Gardeners will be holding their annual Mother’s Day Hanging Basket Sale on Friday, May 3, from 9 a.m. until baskets are sold out. The sale will take place at Mt. … more

4/18/24

Sertoma Honors Ron Duff For His Service To Mankind

“I just like helping people,” said Ron Duff, who on May 1, will be honored by Hillsboro Sertoma Club with its Service to Mankind Award. In Duff’s vocabulary, “help” … more

by Nancy Slepicka | 4/15/24

A 95-foot wide sinkhole in a field along Illinois Route 185 has indefinitely closed a portion of the road from Hillsboro to Coffeen in Montgomery County. The sinkhole was first noticed on Thursday morning, April 11, and is being closely monitored by officials from Deer Run Mine, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Montgomery County Emergency Management Association.

Large Sinkhole Closes Illinois Route 185

llinois Route 185 from Hillsboro to Coffeen is closed indefinitely as a sinkhole was discovered 35 to 40 feet from the road a mile and a half east of Graham Correctional Center on Thursday morning, … more

4/15/24

Michael and his wife, Amanda, proudly pose for this 2011 photo with their newborn son, Grant. Little did they know of the devastating events that would arise to change their lives forever. Local residents have joined forces to help raise funds to get Michael an accessible van for Grant.

Community Can Help Grant’s Family

Oftentimes, a cry for help is silent … and goes unnoticed. Take Michael for instance, a man I met a few months ago who lives down the street a few blocks away. He has a heavy load to handle … more

by Steve McLaughlin | 4/15/24

Get 'Taste Of Extension' Friday Night In Hillsboro

Locals are invited to come get a “Taste of Extension” at the Montgomery County Extension Office on Friday, April 19, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. “Taste of Extension” is the perfect … more

4/15/24

Ray Wille of the Raise the Bar Powerlifting Team dead lifts 500 pounds at the inaugural Raise the Bar Against Cancer Powerlifting challenge, held Saturday, April 13, on the Lincoln Plaza. Nearly 25 power lifters competed that day, raising $500 for the Montgomery County Cancer Association.

Power Lifters Raise $500 For MCCA

“For our first one, this far exceeded my expectations,” said Bobby Johnson, one of the organizers of the inaugural Raise the Bar Against Cancer event. Put on by McCormick Strength … more

4/15/24

RV, Truck Catch Fire On Interstate 55

Raymond Fire Department responded to an RV fire on southbound Interstate 55, near mile marker 60, on Wednesday, April 10. at 12:36 p.m. The RV and attached truck caught fire under the eastbound lane … more

4/15/24

Vendors May Apply Now For Farmer’s Market

Vendor applications for the 2024 Hillsboro Farmers Markets are now open. Interested vendors should complete the application prior to participation in markets. The application is available online at … more

4/15/24

An estimated 100 attendees were present at the Lighthouse Pregnancy and Health Services annual fundraising banquet on Friday, March 22.

Lighthouse Holds Annual Banquet

Lighthouse Pregnancy and Health Services held their annual fundraising banquet on Friday, March 22 at the Hillsboro Free Methodist Church for an estimated 100 attendees. In addition to a meal, those … more

4/15/24

NNA Concerned Over New Postal Rates

The July 2024 proposed periodicals rate increase amounts to an almost ten percent bump for community newspapers that are already paying high rates for subpar service. The rate increase means … more

4/15/24

The Hillsboro Sertoma Club presented a $750 check to the Beckemeyer Elementary School speech program. Pictured above, from the left, are Earl Meier of the Hillsboro Sertoma Club, Beckemeyer Speech-Language Pathologist Breanna Henson, Beckemeyer Speech-Language Pathologist Lorinda Jennings, Beckemeyer Principal Zach Frailey and Allan Spellbring of the Hillsboro Sertoma Club.

Sertoma Donates To Beckemeyer

The Hillsboro Sertoma Club recently presented a $750 check to the speech program at Beckemeyer Elementary School in Hillsboro. The check was presented by Hillsboro Sertoma members Earl Meier and … more

4/15/24

Sinkhole Forces Closure of Rt. 185

Illinois Route 185 from Hillsboro to Coffeen is closed indefinitely as a sinkhole was discovered 35 to 40 feet from the road near the Kasten farm on Thursday morning , April 11. … more

4/12/24

Hillsboro School Board Revisits Homeschool Athletic Policy

“Nobody is saying they want to take away athletics from homeschooled students,” board member Mike Cerutti said to a crowded audience at the Hillsboro School Board meeting on Tuesday … more

by Isaiah Atkins | 4/11/24

County Board Hires HR Consultant

It was a short night for members of the Montgomery County Board, who met for their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, April 9, at the Historic Courthouse in … more

by Mary (Galer) Herschelman | 4/11/24

Nokomis Eliminates Consultant Position

In a tense session of the April 8 Nokomis City Council meeting, commissioners voted 3-2 to terminate the contract of the part-time administrative consultant hired a year ago. Keith Hancock, a former … more

by Ben Schwarm | 4/11/24

Pictured above fourth graders in Steph Reynolds’ class, from the left, Lainey Barcum, Greyson Holliday and Ryann Powell, enjoy a birds-eye view from outside the new Litchfield Elementary School building. As a special treat, Litchfield National Bank provided special snacks for the day including Sunny D and Moon Pies.

Totality (Almost) Awesome

Although the path of totality for the solar eclipse did not come through Montgomery County, residents still enjoyed the wonder as the moon nearly covered the sun (97 percent) on Monday afternoon, … more

4/11/24

For more information on TASC or questions about the upcoming events contact Lynn Sellers at 217-556-9535 or Kim Draper at 217-710-3958, email tascillinois1@gmail.com, or follow the public “TASC (The Autism Support Connection)” page on Facebook.

TASC Families Enjoy Bowling Event

Above, families take to the lanes during The Autism Support Connection's (TASC) Bowling and Pizza Party at Galaxy Family Bowl in Hillsboro on Saturday, April 6. There was a full house for the first … more

4/11/24