UPDATE 2
Found out the reusable mod i was using was crashing the server in such a way that the server thought i was still logged in. But would still like to know if there is a way to see ppl on the server from the control panel.
Thanks @PSN_steven1230. I didn't see that and it does cut the time down a lot. I think whenever i need to do a restart I'll also click the one times for updates as well, that way it just goes right into the loading. I appreciate all the help from the three of you.
It's been awhile since I've had a server here, but I don't remember it taking this long to bring up the server. It stayed in the "start" section for an hr and now is "loading" for the past 20 minutes or so.