has confirmed in a press release the identity of the man found deceased on Monday in Beardstown was pronounced deceased at the scene on State Street The case remains under investigation after an autopsy was performed Tuesday morning ORIGINAL: Authorities are investigating the death of a man found unresponsive Monday evening in Beardstown along with the Cass County Sheriff's Office Beardstown Ambulance and Beardstown Fire Department Monday to a call regarding an unresponsive male in the 1200 block of State Street according to Beardstown Police Chief Martin G Illinois State Police and crime scene technicians were notified to assist in the investigation Illinois State Police confirmed they were conducting a death investigation at the request of the Beardstown Police Department No further details were immediately available Authorities have not released the identity of the deceased or the circumstances surrounding his death Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Stephen Edward "Pitter" Patterson the son of Raymond Howard and Mary Patricia Barry Patterson Trenton Patterson (wife Kay) of Springfield and Dylan Patterson of Beardstown; three grandchildren He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Steve graduated from Jacksonville High School in the class of 1973 He joined the United States Air Force and later served with the Air National Guard He was employed in many roles over the years Steve started in law enforcement as a police officer for Beardstown Police Department He was passionate about buying and selling cars and used his talents for Ballpark Motors and Jennings Some might say he was like the Energizer Bunny and Guthrie-Pierce VFW Auxiliary Post #1239 Louis Cardinals and attending Elks Bus trips He watched Spaghetti Westerns when he was home and not out and about His time spent at the Cabin with friends was among his best memories He had a "guy" for every situation His time with each of them truly was the highlight of his life Burial will follow in the Beardstown City Cemetery Memorials have been suggested to Cass/Schuyler Area Hospice or donor's choice Condolences may be left online at www.colwellmemorialhome.com or on Facebook at Colwell Memorial Home Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Illinois man was arrested Thursday in Indiana for first-degree murder Illinois State Police (ISP) announced on Saturday Beardstown police found Kalonji unresponsive on the evening of March 24 at a residence in the 1200 block of State Street in Beardstown The arrest comes after ISP special agents were requested by the Beardstown Police Department to assist in the investigation into Kalonji's homicide That investigation led authorities to issue an arrest warrant for Couloute Couloute is being held at the Marion County Indiana Sheriff's Office awaiting transfer back to Cass County at Beardstown Nursing and Rehab after a courageous battle with cancer He married his high school sweetheart Susan McGovern on June 20 Christopher (wife Marisa) Treadway of Portland and Erica Treadway of Springfield; his granddaughter Madison Treadway of Portland OR; his sister Carlene (husband Tom) Alcorn of Beardstown; his sister-in-law Mollie Fesser (husband Don) of Farmersville; and his niece and nephews Jeremy Alcorn His love and commitment to his family were unwavering He was preceded in death by his parents and a nephew Carlos graduated from Beardstown High School in 1967 After spending a year at Western Illinois University he honorably served in the United States Navy as a radio technician and ultimately retired from Cargill in 2017 Carlos was an active member of the Beardstown Elks Lodge #1007 and served as a trustee at the First United Methodist Church in Beardstown and loved fishing with his friend Raymond Anderson he was an accomplished Treadway Marine team bowler and coached Little League Baseball. Louis Cardinals and the University of Illinois Carlos enjoyed assembling puzzles and traveling to Hawaii and Portland to visit family Funeral services will be held at 11 AM on Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Beardstown Burial will be in the Beardstown City Cemetery The family will meet with friends from 5-7 PM Friday at the memorial home Memorials have been suggested to Christian Love in Action or Cass/Schuyler Hospice First United Methodist Church of Beardstown (KHQA) — Beardstown’s Christkindlmarkt will be open Thanksgiving weekend with chalets featuring 20 different vendors each weekend leading up to Christmas The historic and picturesque downtown square in Beardstown has been converted into a beautiful Christmas village for the holidays The Christkindlmarkt is set to open on Friday cedar chalets featuring a variety of vendors each weekend leading up to Christmas the Christkindlmarkt will look like a Hallmark Village complimenting the many downtown shops showcasing their Christmas themes “This is the fourth year for what has become a very popular annual event in West Central Illinois,” said Katie Vitale Executive Director of the Beardstown C.O.N.N.E.C.T “It provides shoppers an opportunity to enjoy an Old-World German style Christmas market outdoor Christmas markets in Central Illinois.” The chalets will feature a variety of vendors every weekend potters and talented crafters will have a variety of products for sale in addition to Christmas themed decorations foods and more will capture any shopper’s holiday spirit Most of the products are one-of-a-kind items only found at Beardstown’s Christkindlmarkt has grown so quickly in popularity that this year it will include 20 chalets,” said Vitale “We’ll have a variety of hot food available including brats so you can come hungry to shop and leave happy and full And you can stroll around the market and square enjoying a hot cup of German style spiced wine or hot chocolate in a souvenir cup Grab a cinnamon roll or delicious Dutch pancakes for a sweet treat.” Although the Christkindlmarkt opens on Friday the official start of the season is on Saturday November 30th Saturday’s market will open at 9 am and is capped off with the lighted Christmas parade at 6 pm Lighted floats and displays will travel the length of State Street concluding at the downtown square and the Markt and will feature Santa Claus for the kids enjoy a brat and watch the Christmas parade That will certainly get anyone in the spirit of the Season,” said Vitale and festive Christkindlmarkt will be open each Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving until Christmas Normal hours are 4-7 on Fridays and 9-2 on Saturdays The square and market will be filled with holiday music and delicious smells to warm hearts young and old You might even get a glimpse of the Grinch or Santa himself so people should plan multiple visits,” hinted Vitale More information and schedules are available on Facebook at Beardstown Christkindlmarkt Illinois (KHQA) — BNSF has confirmed that crews are working to repair damage caused by vandalism to the Beardstown railroad bridge The damage was done to unspecified cables on the bridge Rail traffic will be backed up until the repairs can be completed River traffic is able to move underneath the bridge KHQA will keep you updated as more details become available One man is back in the hospital after stealing and crashing a Beardstown ambulance in Rushville According to Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw of Ripley was admitted into Culbertson Hospital for an unknown reason After becoming aggravated and assaulting a staff member he entered the Beardstown ambulance which was idling near the hospital He then led Beardstown Police and Schuyler County deputies on a lengthy chase heading the wrong direction on East Lafayette Street before turning around and heading back into town Bowman finally drove through a resident's yard Eventually Bowman drove the ambulance into a ditch Bowman was sedated and sent back to Culbertson Hospital eventually being flown to Springfield with unknown injuries Bowman is currently on parole and is being held on a Department of Corrections warrant Sheriff Redshaw did not know exactly what Bowman will be charged with but he said at least reckless driving and theft of government property KHQA will bring you additional updates on this story as they become available Illinois Department of Transportation officials say bridge repairs will begin this Spring on the US 67 Beardstown bridge The Cass County Star Gazette reports a repair contract to complete deck patching and structural steel repairs was advertised for bid last month work on the project should begin this spring and the project is expected to take eight to nine months to complete Two-way traffic will be limited to one lane and will be controlled by traffic signals during construction.  This project is needed to ensure the current structure remains open to traffic without load restrictions The new US 67 river bridge project is funded through the Rebuild Illinois capital program The new bridge design was completed in 2023 and investigative subsurface coring at pier locations was completed as part of the design process IDOT officials say land acquisition is currently ongoing and coordination with the South Beardstown Drainage and Levee District to complete the new bridge’s U.S Army Corps of Engineers permit application IDOT officials say once work on the new bridge begins it will take approximately two years to complete and move traffic off the existing bridge and an additional year will be needed to demolish the existing bridge Your access to this service has been limited If you think you have been blocked in error contact the owner of this site for assistance If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send" You will then receive an email that helps you regain access Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 5 million WordPress sites The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence Click here to learn more: Documentation 6 May 2025 6:38:11 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); BEARDSTOWN — Elliott Craig resigned as Beardstown’s football coach at the Dec He still remains as the school’s athletic director and driver's ed teacher Craig said he was told by the school administration and board that they wanted to move in a different direction with the football program “Your two choices as a coach at that point are either resign .. or you say no and you make the board actually vote you out,” Craig said this week I was told it was going to be the same result.”  In an email response to The State Journal-Register superintendent Brent O’Daniell said the resignation has no impact on his employment as an AD or teacher but did not provide additional comment Top performers: JaiQuan Holman, Lanphier get first CS8 hoops win, plus other week's top performers Sangamon County tourney: Plains, Williamsville, Auburn advance to County semis, plus schedule and results Craig was previously the head coach at North Fulton for 14 seasons He arrived at Beardstown after the COVID-shortened season and led the Tigers to the playoffs over the first two seasons Beardstown went 1-8 in 2024 after missing playoff eligibility by one game the previous year Craig said he would consider coaching again “I felt like we did a pretty good job,” Craig said They felt like they wanted to hire someone else I just chose to step down and will continue to teach and be the AD and go from there.” He is survived by his wife Gloria Large of Beardstown; survived by his children George (wife Sarah) Large of Deland Angel Gossage (companion Lawrence Cunningham) of Beardstown James (Bethane) Large of Ashland; a son-in-law Craig Gossage; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren; one brother John (wife Ronda) Large of Beardstown; four sisters Ila Smith and Dottie Grafford (companion Todd Logsdon); numerous nieces and cousins; and his special friends John and Kathleen Knous a sister Bunita Smith (deceased husband David Smith) and a brother Vernon Michael Large (surviving wife Linda) David attended Beardstown Schools and attended Job Corp Trade School in Nemo He was a truck driver for over 50 years with various companies with his last job being at Turner Farms in Beardstown David will be missed by his family and friends A time of remembrance will be held at 4:30 PM Wednesday 2025 at Guthrie-Pierce VFW Post #1239 in Beardstown with a meal to follow The family will meet with friends from 2:30 PM until the time of services at the VFW Post Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown is in charge of arrangements Memorials have been suggested to Colwell Memorial Home Condolences may be left online at www.colwellmemorialhome.com or on Facebook at Colwell Memorial Home.  the son of James Willard and Joan Self Whitis Maltby He is survived by his caregiver/granddaughter Hailey Whitis of Beardstown; the mother of his two sons Denise Rogers; James R "JR" Whitis of Beardstown and Jason R Whitis (wife Sara) of Rushville; three daughters Sara Maltby of Bloomington and Jami Freeman (husband Jesse) of Georgia; 12 grandchildren; three sisters Cleta Lovekamp of Springfield and Carla Kruthoff (husband Dale) of Beardstown; two brothers David Whitis (wife Phyllis) of Tennessee and James Douglas Whitis of Granite City; many friends including Tommy Baker Kelly Allen and Brandon Lyles; his cat Joe Blue; and numerous nieces and nephews his best friends Frank Lowe and Eric Trone He was self-employed and a jack-of-all-trades "I lived how I wanted:" He mastered the skills of farming Spending time with friends was his favorite pastime and private family services will be held at a later date Memorials have been suggested to Colwell Memorial Home to assist with final expenses at The Arc at Sangamon Valley in Springfield the daughter of Harry and Ethel Johnson Brannan She married Henry Meyer "Hank" Drawve on January 23 She is survived by a daughter Mary Ann Buck of Alton; two sons Gary Drawve (wife Pam) of Springfield and Mark Drawve (wife Carol) of Lerna; eight grandchildren Michael and Mark Lehmkuhl and Brett (wife Amelia) and Amanda (husband Ben) Egan; fifteen great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews Imogene's commitment to her community was unwavering She graduated from Beardstown High School in 1942 and became a dedicated member of the Beardstown Emblem Club #474 Her service as city treasurer for nineteen years and her 19-year tenure on the Cass County Board where she also served as the Democrat Party Chairwoman Governor Pat Quinn awarded her Senior IL Hall of Fame Imogene's love for her family and friends was boundless She was a guiding light in her children's lives running Drawve's Nursery School for thirty-five years Her love extended to the community at Eddie Garnier Apartments where she was always ready to lend a helping hand and her greatest joys were her family and friends and being the best mom She was an angel on earth and is now in heaven after earning her wings Burial will be in Beardstown City Cemetery The family will meet with friends from 5-7 P.M. 2025 at Colwell Memorial Home with a prayer service following the visitation memorials have been suggested to Cass County Food Pantry Cass/Schuyler Area Hospice or Mass intentions offered for Imogene Drawve the daughter of Frank Arthur and Frances Bowman Jamison She is also survived by a daughter Amy Monger (husband Shawn) of Beardstown and their children Alex and Thea Monger; her son Brian Ross (wife Jill) of Beardstown and their children Ethan and Carter; a sister Nancy Beck (husband Paul) of Iowa four brothers Pat Jamison (wife Naomi) of Kentucky and David Jamison of Beardstown; and several nieces and nephews Peggy graduated from Beardstown High School in 1966 She worked at Schmitt Memorial in Beardstown and later alongside her husband at their business Peggy was a past Beardstown Emblem Club #474 member and a passionate quilter in earlier years and visiting the Casino with her husband; most importantly Cremation rites have been accorded and the family will meet with friends from 4-6 PM Friday 2025 at Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown There will be no formal services or burial at this time Memorials have been suggested to Cass/Schuyler Area Hospice 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.  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 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 23rd and 24th 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 Iowa that occurred between January 31st and February 2nd Herrera was apprehended by federal authorities on March 31st 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 Tuesday His next court date was not listed in federal court records at The Grove Health and Rehab Center in Jacksonville the son of Arthur and Betty (Schweer) Prief at the First Congregational Church in Beardstown He is now reunited with his parents; his wife John graduated from Beardstown High School in 1966 where he served his country with bravery and honor he received many honors including the Bronze Star Medal for heroism the Air Medal for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight and a Purple Heart for wounds received in action he pursued his education and graduated from Illinois College in 1977 John began his career in the banking industry and then worked for CIPS before its merger with Ameren He later retired from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in 2010 In retirement John spent countless hours volunteering serving as Secretary of the Beardstown Elks Lodge for 13 years and assisting people in the community through the Meals on Wheels program his greatest joy came from being with his family especially cheering on his granddaughters at their many activities a private graveside service will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery in Beardstown with Military Honor's conducted by Guthrie-Pierce VFW Post #1239 Family and friends are invited to join an informal celebration of life luncheon at the Beardstown Elks Lodge on Friday Memorials have been suggested to the Beardstown Elks Lodge #1007 He married Karen Louise McCulley on March 19 1976 in and she preceded him death on November 10 He is survived by two children James "JC" Hatfield (fiancé Alaina) of Beardstown and Holly Dyche of Tucson AZ; four grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; three sisters Carol Gregory of Meredosia and Nancy Rochester of Virginia; numerous nieces and nephews; and his grand dog Rocco and two brothers-in-law Jerry "Tad" Gregory and Dave Rochester Jim graduated from Beardstown High School in 1966 and then honorably served in the United States Army He was an Ironworkers Local Union 46 member and retired as a long-haul trucker from Walters Trucking in Virginia Jim enjoyed working alongside his son doing lawn care and snow removal His greatest joy was spending time with his family Jim's love for his wife Karen was evident in every shopping trip they took together his care for her when her health was failing and how he always put her needs and wants his top priority He enjoyed hunting and fishing and visiting with his buddies He had a wicked sense of humor that always brought a smile to his loved ones' faces He truly felt a void after his wife Karen died and visited the cemetery daily you usually would see him with a toothpick in his mouth Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Thursday The family will meet with friends one hour prior to the services on Thursday at the memorial home Memorials have been suggested to donor's choice the daughter of Rodney Wayne and Stacy Jo Baumgardner Wilson She graduated from VIT High School in the class of 2007 earned her associate's from Spoon River Community College and graduated from Western Illinois University in 2011 with her bachelor's in English Education Her career started at Beardstown High School in 2012 She married Eric Allen Anderson on July 23 She is also survived by her parents Rodney and Stacy Baumgardner Wilson of Table Grove; her in-laws Samuel and Marlene "Mimi" Mau Anderson of West York; a sister Kelsey (husband Brad) Baxter of Table Grove and their children Kailey and Dawson; a brother Trenton Wilson (companion Alicia Livdahl) of Little Rock AR and their child Allias; and numerous aunts She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents Raymond and Clara Nell Hammond Wilson her maternal grandparents Howard and Roberta Brown Baumgardner her grandparents-in-law Larry and Jeanette Anderson and Georgene Mau and was a member of the National Honor Society Her faith was an integral part of her life and she was a member of The Crossing Church in Macomb and was baptized in 2023 alongside her parents and sister Kirsta's time at Beardstown High School led to her being a class sponsor she found her second family at Beardstown High School She not only touched the lives of her students and friends but many others in the central Illinois area Her dedication to her students and her passion for teaching English was evident in her work and she was a beloved figure in the school community Her passing has left a void in the lives of those who knew her but her memory and the impact she made will continue to inspire us Some of Kirsta's joys were her love of Christmas making sure their home was decorated in early November Eric and Kirsta enjoyed occasionally golfing but their time together outweighed their golf scores Kirsta's strength came from the love of her family Kirsta taught her daughter some of her loves and cherished every moment of being a dance mom Her most outstanding achievement was being Emery's mom Funeral services will be held at 1 PM Wednesday 2024 at Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown The family will meet with friends from 4-8 Tuesday at Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown Memorials have been suggested to Emery's Education Fund in care of Eric Anderson Condolences may be left online at www.colwellmemorialhome.com 6 May 2025 6:38:33 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); Betty owned and operated a beauty shop in Beardstown for 59 years where her customers became her great friends Betty is survived by daughter Cathy Clark of Rushville sisters Sharon Livingston of Springfield and Pat French of Virginia She was preceded in death by her husband Glen She is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren Memorial Services will be held at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beardstown on Thursday The family will receive friends one hour prior to the services at the church memorials may be made to The Cass-Schuyler Area Hospice or the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Beardstown Culbertson Clinics announced on Thursday they have opened a walk-in clinic in Beardstown Culbertson Memorial Hospital expanded its healthcare offerings starting today by opening a Walk-In Clinic located inside Elmer Hugh Taylor Clinic in Beardstown FNP-C will provide convenient treatment for acute minor illnesses and injuries for patients of all ages on Monday Tuesday & Wednesday from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm with no appointments needed Patients of all ages are welcome at the new clinic Culbertson Memorial Hospital said in a press release that they are proud to add this general healthcare walk-in option to the existing primary care and outpatient specialty clinic services that they already provide He says the new walk-in services are available to all residents not just existing Culbertson Clinic patients Greer will continue to see her current patients at the Taylor Clinic to schedule an appointment with her please call (217) 323-2245 6 May 2025 6:38:58 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); slipped peacefully into heaven on September 7 2024 with her four children by her side.  the daughter of John Emerick Brubeck and Velma Francis (Miller) Brubeck daughter Sue Ann "Suzie" Hardwick of Naples "Grammy" is also survived by six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren Illinois and their children Mollie and Grant Clark Stanley Wayne "S.W." Hardwick (Mandy) of Beardstown and their sons Pamela Erin Coats (Seth) of Beardstown and their sons Hardwick (Sarah) of Beardstown and Claire E Bettie Utter of Beardstown and Sally Lippert of Arenzville Hardwick was preceded in death by her husband Mary Ann graduated from Beardstown High school in 1950 She worked at the local movie theater as a teen showing moviegoers to their seats in return for free admission After giving up those jobs she married Bobby G Hardwick in 1952 and proceeded to add to the baby boomer generation by having four boys in five years She then took a break until Suzie snuck in in 1966 From the birth of their first child until her death she raised four children and significantly helped in nurturing her six grandchildren eight great-grandchildren and countless neighborhood kids along the way There was always an extra plate or two set at the table She was a lifelong advocate for her community Her life as a wife to Bob included contributing to the farm business and nourishing strong friendships with all involved Her life as a mother was showing exceptional devotion to her children and nurturing her grandchildren and great-grandchildren One of her favorite spots on Earth was her seat on the visitor's bleachers Another was watching from her kitchen window as her children and all of the neighborhood kids played in the vacant lot behind her house she is a legend who leaves a legacy of love Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m 2024 at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Beardstown Memorials have been suggested to the Beardstown Baseball/Softball Association First Evangelical Lutheran Church or Cass Schuyler Area Hospice The family will meet with friends from 4-7 p.m Wednesday at Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown