By Ben Cox
Flinn’s Mercantile closing in June as owners ponder next steps
Tim and Colleen Flinn, owners of Flinn’s Mercantile at 74 East Central Park Plz. in Jacksonville, announced on April 10 that they plan to close the store on June 1. The store has been running a 50% sale on current merchandise in order to liquidate while the Flinns ponder their next steps with the business. Both have been renovating a home on the city’s west end. They hope to take the summer to spend more time with their family while deciphering their next steps with the storefront. “It’s been a wild 4 years. Jacksonville not only became our home for our businesses but home to our family as well. We’ve touched several buildings downtown and made one our temporary home for 8 months. Downtown Jacksonville has been a place that we put a lot of time, energy & financial investment in. We have so much love & hope for the future of downtown,” said the social media post on April 10, “Our family has weathered a lot together while building Haberdash & Flinns. The stress of renovations, a tough business climate and the day to day of just raising good humans, marriage and salvaging the last bit of energy for any amount of self care has taken a toll.” They will continue the sale through the end of April and into May. Colleen Flinn’s business, Nothing Fancy Supply, will continue to operate out of the space, while the Flinns say they are open to ideas for the future of the storefront.
Western Illinois Youth Camp 2025 Day Camps registration remain open
Registration for summer day camps at Western Illinois Youth Camp is now open. Camp directors Drew Comstock and Tanell Meado have announced that registration for the 2025 day camps at Western Illinois Youth Camp has opened and early registration is encouraged as camps do fill up. The weekly camps run from June 2 through August 1 for youth ages 6 to 14.
This year’s camp themes are as follows: June 2-6 is “Neat”ure Week; June 9-13 is Camp Cuisine; June 16-20 is Kid vs. Wild; June 23-27 is Camp Like a Champ; June 30-July 3 is Water Wars; July 7-11 is All Aboard Athletes & Camp Overnight; July 14-18 is Science or Sorcery; and July 28-August 1 is This is Survivor. In addition to themed activities, the camps will offer swimming, crafts, archery, hiking, canoeing, ropes course and so much more. The camps are held on the grounds of the Western Illinois Youth Camp, located on Lake Jacksonville. More details on the camps and registration information are available on the youth camp’s website, wiyc.net, or on the camp’s Facebook page. For questions, please email the camp directors at contactourcamp@gmail.com.
Midwest Youth Services asking for input from area youth with annual leadership survey
Midwest Youth Services is working to assess the needs of youth in our area, specifically leadership needs. The information gained through a community survey is hoping to better understand how to support youth leadership, opportunities and inclusion in their service territory. Adults and youth are encouraged to provide their input. If you work directly with youth in a personal or professional capacity, your feedback is crucial. The survey can be found by visiting https://forms.gle/ZLi64w7i2xy4ad5u5. There are also a number of flyers about town with a QR code that can access the survey. The survey can also be accessed on Midwest Youth Services’ Facebook page.
Dot Foods, Inc. launches new grant program to strengthen STEM education in West Central Illinois
Dot Foods, Inc. has launched a new grant program to strengthen STEM education in West Central Illinois. Through its STEM Education Initiative, the company will award up to $150,000 in total funding, with individual grants up to $15,000 available for selected public and private schools. Over the past two years, Dot has worked with educators across the region to deliver teacher training and support hands-on STEM learning. This new grant program expands that effort by helping schools launch or grow projects that engage students in science, technology, engineering and math. The program is open to schools in Brown, Adams, Schuyler, Cass, Pike, McDonough, Morgan, Fulton, Greene, Scott and Hancock counties. Schools serving students in any or all grades K-12 can apply. Initial proposals are due by May 1 and may be submitted online. Dot officials will notify selected schools by May 15 and invite them to submit a full application by May 30. Teachers or school leaders may submit the initial application. Teachers are encouraged to coordinate with their principal or administrator before applying.
“We’re proud to support schools in West Central Illinois as they explore new ways to build students’ STEM skills and spark curiosity in the classroom,” said Suzy Parn, who manages the program for Dot’s Charitable Committee. “Over the past two years, we’ve worked closely with passionate, forward-thinking educators who are preparing their students for the future. Whether schools need robotics kits, teacher training, updated lab space, or a community STEM fair, we want to help bring those ideas to life and give students skills they’ll carry beyond the classroom.” Schools can use grant funding to purchase equipment or materials, upgrade lab space, provide professional development for educators, partner with consultants or host STEM-related events for students and the broader community. Dot will announce final grant decisions by June 15. For more information, contact Suzy Parn at sparn@dotfoods.com.
Last year, Dot Foods donated drones to 13 West Central Illinois schools and districts as part of its ongoing STEM Education Initiative. During the training session, Dot employees and representatives from the Learning Technology Center of Illinois demonstrated how drones can be used in classrooms to make learning more interactive and engaging. Educators also had the opportunity to pilot the drones inside Dot’s auditorium as part of their instructional training.
PICTURED: Aaron Llewellyn, STEM teacher at Brown County Middle School, attended last year’s session and shared how using drones in the classroom strengthens students’ coding skills and enhances their understanding of geometry. “By maneuvering drones in three dimensions along three separate linear axes,” Llewellyn explained, “students can better visualize abstract math concepts and the physical relationships between coordinates.” (Photo submitted to The Source)
Federal agents arrest man for ATM jackpotting in Beardstown
A man has been arrested in connection to a series of ATM jackpotting schemes across Central Illinois and has been charged in federal court. According to charging documents filed in the Central District Court of Illinois in Springfield, FBI agents have been investigating a series of incidents of ATM jackpotting where money was fraudulently obtained through mechanical means or exploiting software. The federal affidavit says 35 separate locations across the region have been hit since September 2024, with 4 incidents taking place in the month of March of this year. On February 24, the Beardstown Police Department was notified by an employee of West Central Bank on Plaza Street that an ATM had been broken into. Officers investigated the incident and obtained security camera footage and observed individuals in a blue 2006 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan with noticeable and unique damage to a window and the vehicle’s trunk opening up the ATM. Through manipulation of the machine, one individual placed malicious software on the ATM before leaving. The blue car returned to the location and withdrew an undetermined amount of cash. The bank employee said that four of their other locations had also had their ATMs tampered with between February 23-24. Over $167,000 was removed from the locations. Through the use of the reports and the surveillance footage, officers were able to identify the driver of the vehicle during one of the instances as Brayan Perez Herrera. Herrera’s vehicle was then traced to a separate jackpotting incident in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa that occurred between January 31-February 2. Herrera was apprehended by federal authorities on March 31 and remains in custody of the U.S. Marshal’s service at the Sangamon County Jail. Herrera has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States by committing bank larceny and robbery. Herrera was formally indicted in Springfield federal court on April 15. His next court date was not listed in federal court records.
City of Jacksonville officials hoping EPA will officially close former landfill site
The Jacksonville City Council and the mayor’s office are hoping to bring official closure to the city’s former landfill site, north of the city. The city has been working with environmental engineering firm Fehr Graham since at least 2021 to get the site officially closed off of Illinois Route 78. City officials hope that the new set of eyes on the long-standing issue will finally get an official closure from the Illinois EPA and save the city an annual cost of $100,000. The city council approved a new $75,000 contract with the engineering firm April 14 in hopes that this will be the final year of work at the site, which hasn’t accepted trash since 1994. Mayor Andy Ezard says frustration had mounted in recent years that nothing had gotten the close out on the site completed, but believes that new people will bring some form of a short-term plan to close it. Ezard expects the city will have to provide capital improvement money to further wrap up the site. The yearly fees cover testing for things like leachate- water that has percolated through solids and leached out some of the remnants- and other chemical waste that could become landfill runoff. Recent high counts in some of those chemicals has led to the EPA’s denial to close the site. Currently, there is no timeline or process in place for the closure.
Former Jacksonville resident sentenced to prison for cocaine trafficking
A former Jacksonville resident was sentenced to over a decade in prison on April 15 in Morgan County Circuit Court on cocaine trafficking charges. Joshua K. Woods, 35, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 2 felony. Woods was arrested by the Jacksonville Police Department in August 2023. Prior traffic charges and a cannabis trafficking charge were dismissed per the plea deal. Circuit Judge Chris Reif sentenced Woods to a total of 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, 1 year of mandatory supervised release, ordered payment of a $500 county fine and recommended Woods be placed in a facility with drug treatment. Woods was given credit for 643 days served in the Morgan County Jail.
TAX DAY RALLY CAPTION: Several dozen Jacksonville residents gathered on the Downtown Plaza on April 15 to oppose federal cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and other essential services. The group called for 15th District Congresswoman Mary Miller to sign a pledge to oppose the federal cuts. The rally was led by local members of Indivisible Jacksonville, Citizen Action/Illinois, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, and other grassroots organizations. (Photo Ben Cox/The Source)
Triangle Bar gets struck by motorist
A Woodson tavern was struck by a vehicle leaving one man with minor injuries and a gaping hole in the front of the building. Murrayville-Woodson police and Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Triangle Bar & Grill at approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 15. Upon arrival, officers found a white SUV had driven through the front wall on the north side of the entrance. A patron was attempting to park their vehicle when they incorrectly hit the gas pedal instead of the brake sending the vehicle careening through the wall. A male customer who was inside the bar at the time was pushed out of a seat approximately 10 feet, but escaped with only minor cuts and bruises from the incident. Owners of the bar were able to close up the hole after the vehicle was removed in time for the weekly Queen of Hearts drawing.
Correction from Jacksonville City Clerk on Peddler’s License
The Jacksonville City Clerk’s Office has issued a correction on information released about a peddler’s permit. According to a correction to a previous press release, the City Clerk’s Office previously reported that Vivint was selling home energy but that was incorrect. The office has admitted the error and says that Vivint representatives will be soliciting for its Smart Home Security System through May 10. The Clerk’s Office has admitted the error and has apologized for the confusion.
Jacksonville man charged in March carjacking
Charges have been filed against a Jacksonville man in relation to a vehicular hijacking that took place in the city at the end of March. On March 31 around 7 p.m., Jacksonville police were called to the parking lot of Aldi on East Morton Avenue. Police say an identified man stole the victim’s vehicle and used a knife to threaten the victim. Police say the victim suffered a minor injury in the incident and was treated at the scene. The suspect was last seen southbound on South Main Street. A short time later, several 911 calls were dispatched in the Springfield area in reference to a reckless driver. Southern View police tried to stop the stolen vehicle identified as the one in this incident, but were unsuccessful. Jacksonville police were notified when the victim’s vehicle was involved in an accident in the area of 4th Street and Stanford Avenue in Springfield. The driver fled the scene on foot, and remains at large. The vehicle was recovered. There were injuries to others in the accident. According to online court records, the Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed two Class X felony charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon against Gabriel R. Greer, 34, of Jacksonville. The charges were filed on April 2. No arrest information for Greer has been listed. If you have further information, please contact Jacksonville Police at 217-479-4630 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.
