SPRINGFIELD— When shopping for holiday gifts this Black Friday, HSHS St. John’s
Children’s Hospital encourages you to prioritize safety over popularity.

While it may be exciting and enticing to purchase the latest and greatest toy or gadget, it is important to remember to check the safety and age-range of the toy.

“When gifting a toy, it is incredibly important to recognize what age you are buying for. All toys have an age range for a reason, whether that be because it is too complicated for a child in certain stages of development or because it contains tiny pieces that could be choking hazards,” says Dr. Doug Carlson, medical director of St. John’s Children’s Hospital. “This is important for all ages, but even more for younger children who are more likely to put something in their mouth. For older children, it is important they understand the correct way to play with a toy to avoid potential harm or injury.”

HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital encourages parents and loved ones to follow these tips from healthychildren.org on how to buy safe toys:

1. Read the label. Warning labels give important information about how to use a toy and what ages the toy is safe for.
2. Think LARGE. Make sure all toys and parts are larger than the child’s mouth to preventchoking.
3. Avoid toys that shoot objects into the air. They can cause serious eye injuries or
choking.
4. Avoid toys that are loud to prevent damage to child’s hearing.
5. Look for stuffed toys that are well made. Make sure all the seams and edges are
secured. It should also be machine washable.
6. Buy plastic toys that are sturdy. Toys made from thin plastic may break easily into
sharp pieces.
7. Avoid toys with toxic materials that could cause poisoning. Make sure the label says
“nontoxic.”
8. Avoid hobby kits and chemistry sets for any child younger than 12 years. They can
cause fires or explosions and may contain dangerous chemicals. Make sure the older
child knows how to safely handle these kinds of toys.
9. Electronic toys should be “UL Approved.” This indicates the toy meets industry safety standards. Check the label to be sure.
10. Look out for toys with small batteries or loose magnets. If they get loose, younger
children might be tempted to put them in their mouths, noses or ears, which can cause serious injuries.

To learn more about toy safety, visit cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/toys#resources.

A man was killed in a shoot-out with Decatur Police and Macon County Sheriff’s Deputies early this morning.

According to initial reports officers made contact with 32 year-old Jamontey Neal of Decatur, during a traffic stop. Neal was ordered to show his hands and did not comply.

When the officers attempted to remove the driver from the vehicle, Neal produced a handgun and fired multiple rounds at the officers.

The officers returned fire, hitting the driver. Two officers were struck and transported to a local hospital. Neal was pronounced dead at Decatur Memorial Hospital at 12:48 a.m..

The Illinois State Police are investigating the incident.

SANGAMON COUNTY (WAND-TV) – The Sangamon County Animal Control and Adoption Center announced the return of volunteers.

The agency announced on its Facebook page that it is excited for the return of volunteers to the facility.

The post reads:

“Interested community members are encouraged to submit an application, which can be found at SCDPH.org or by contacting SCACAC. In addition to the application, prospective volunteers will be asked to complete an interview with facility leadership, a criminal background check, and participate in an animal training orientation.”

Prospective volunteers with further questions about the application process or volunteer duties should contact SCACAC at 217-535-3065.

The Sangamon County DIRT team executed a search warrant on the residence of 47 year old Alfred L. Jackson of Springfield on Thursday at 2:11 p.m..

The search warrant was obtained after multiple controlled buys of crack cocaine from Jackson. Once the residence was secured the following items were discovered; 26 grams of suspected crack cocaine, 90 (37grams) of suspected ecstasy pills, and $2,110 in USC.

Jackson faces charges of two counts of Manufacture /Delivery of a Controlled Substance and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance. Reports were forwarded to the Sangamon County State’s Attorney for review. Jackson was released at the scene due to his cooperation.

Springfield police are reporting a multi-jurisdictional investigation has led to the arrest of two men whom they believe are involved in the a string of burglaries to businesses, gaming terminals and ATM machines throughout Sangamon County, Christian County, Menard County and other jurisdictions.

30 year old Cody Snow-Angeli and 26 year old Austin Angeli are being held in Sangamon County jail on five counts of burglary and four counts of theft.

Some of the businesses that they are suspected of burglarizing include Firefighters Lake Club, Elks Lodge #158, Aqua Sports Club, The Oaks Golf Course and Gusto’s Pizza.

Bond has been set at $200,000 each.

PHOTO: Cody Snow-Angeli

The State Journal-Register reports that Jennifer Watkins has refused to sign a waiver that would allow Massachusetts to extradite her back to Illinois.

Norwood Massachusetts Police took Watkins into custody after finding out there were warrants for her arrest in Illinois.

A hearing on the extradition is set for Thursday of next week.

The Cass County Sheriff’s office tells the SJ-R that Watkins is being held without bond.

The warrant is in regard to Watkins’ failure to allow visitation rights of her 9-year-old daughter Sidney to Dale and Penny Watkins.

Their son, Sidney’s father, Steven, died in 2008 after being shot to death when picking up the child for a court-ordered visitation.

Jennifer Watkins’ grandmother, Shirley Skinner, is currently serving a 55 year prison sentence after being convicted of that murder.

Meanwhile, Sidney Watkins is in the custody of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, as reported by the Illinois Times.

For too many college students, the first thing to do is review high-school material. The phenomenon, which the Illinois State Board of Education says is present in nearly half of Illinois’ community college population, is called remediation.

Illinois Community College Board executive director Karen Hunter Anderson says it’s a national problem. “We’re a part of Complete College America, and we’ve also set the goal of having 60 percent of our adults having a quality diploma or credential by the year 2025,” says Anderson. “We’re currently about 43 percent of our adult population having those requirements.”

Anderson says among the 27 states in the Complete College program, Illinois ranks about eighth in the need for remediation, chiefly in math.

“With the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test, Illinois is equipped to focus on the question of, how ready are our children for what’s coming next?” said ISBE superintendent Tony Smith, Ph.D. “The post-secondary remediation data is an important tool to help us determine how much support our children need when they leave our care.”

Helping Hands Ministry may have found a new home for its emergency shelter.

Executive Director Rod Lane says the facility at 11th and Washington received approval from the Springfield City Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole Tuesday to use to use a Community Block Grant for the shelter.

“Our agency has gone through several locations,” says Lane. “We think things are getting better. This is the right building. It is the right time.”

The building was previously used by Catholic Charities.

Lane says the homeless problem remains in the city and the winter weather will only make things worse. He could not provide an estimate the number of homeless in Springfield.

The internet is full of misinformation about Illinois’ new eavesdropping law.

You may have seen that it makes it a crime for citizens to record the police. Actually, that was the case under the old law, which the Illinois Supreme Court struck down this year (in People vs. Melongo and People vs. Clark), says State Sen. Mike Noland (D-Elgin), a sponsor of the new measure.

“Before, it would have been a Class 4 felony for somebody to record a police officer here in the state of Illinois, whether known to the police officer or not. At this point, we are allowing citizens to record law enforcement,” he said.

The bill passed the Illinois House 106-7 and the Senate 46-4, and it awaits action by the governor. House sponsors were Reps. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook) and Dennis M. Reboletti (R-Elmhurst).

The basis of the measure, should it become law, is the expectation of privacy – and this applies to everyone, not just police. Under the previous law, recording required the consent of all parties. If this measure becomes law, anyone can record anyone in public. The sponsors say police performing their duties in public have no expectation of privacy and can be recorded, audio and video, and that includes traffic stops. Recording of private conversations, in which at least one participant had an expectation of privacy, will require the consent of all parties.

There is an exception to allow law enforcement to eavesdrop for 24 hours on the say-so of the state’s attorney, if they are investigating serious crimes such as murder, the most heinous sexual assaults, kidnapping, human trafficking and others.

The only other special provision involving law enforcement is that penalties for violating the eavesdropping law are greater if it is law enforcement who are eavesdropped upon, including police officers, the attorney general or an assistant attorney general, a state’s attorney or an assistant state’s attorney, or a judge.

You may hear some accents from around the world as you are out and about this weekend.

Contestants from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and, Canada are in town to participate in the Battle of the Nations at the fairgrounds Saturday. Mayor Mike Houston says the medival re-enactors bring a huge contingent of fans to the city.

“The Battle of Nations is an exciting sport.  It draws huge crowds wherever it is held around the world.  Here in Springfield, we like to think we are on the front lines of GROWING the popularity of the sport with US audiences,” Houston says.

This is the first time the event has been held in the US and organizer Brad Schiave hopes that Team USA and Springfield make this an annual event.

“We have a huge fan base here in the US but unfortunately most can only view the battles on the internet,” says Schiave.

Doors open at 11am Saturday for the noon event at the Livestock Building on the fairgrounds.

State Senator Andy Manar says minority hiring on the high speed rail project could be a turning point for minorities and women.

Manar says he will continue to push federal and state officials to ensure qualified workers, regardless of race or gender, are given an opportunity to be hired.

“I think we have an incredible opportunity to make lasting change in Springfield.  I think that starts with making sure the tenets of the Community Benefit Agreement are met first,” says Manar.

Faith Coalition leaders, including Reverend T. Ray McJunkins, met at the 11th and Carpenter rail crossing Monday to make their case that officials of the federal and state project need ensure the contractors for the project reflect the racial make-up of Springfield.

The Illinois State Board of Education has recognized Harvard Park Elementary School as one of just a handful of schools making significant academent improvement.  .

District 186 Superitendant Jennifer Gill was on hand Friday to recognize the faculty and students of the school.
‘In the last year alone, the students made a 7 percent increase in their math and reading skills so I am very excited about the work and the growth these students and teachers reached together,” Gill says.
Iles School was also recognized by the ISBE for academic achievement.  Of the 125 schools across the state being noticed by state officials, District 186 has two of them.