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Farmington OKs spending $32,000 for Jacobs Park By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – To accomodate increased participation in softball and baseball, the City of Farmington has approved spending $32,600 for updates at Jacobs Park. At Monday’s City Council meeting, Alderman Dave Rose outlined plans to build a new T-ball diamond and parking lot, to change the fence at Kersh Field and to make various other improvements at Jacobs Park.Rose said 257 youngsters participated in Farmington’s summer baseball and softball leagues this year. That included 116 in a T-ball league that returned to Farmington after a stint in Yates City….

By MOLLY RICHESONFor The Weekly Post YATES CITY – A neighborhood dispute was the main topic of the Yates City Village Board meeting on Sept. 10. In the area south of West Fulton Street and blocked by South Marietta and South Kent streets is a plotted alley, previously believed to be a utility road until this matter required the status of the roadway to be investigated. The dispute centers around a juvenile operating an off-road dirt bike in and around the alleyway, and some neighbors who have complained about their peace being disturbed by the noise. The police have been…

280-foot structure in Elmwood would help emergency responses By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – The Elmwood skyline, such as it is, might receive a new feature. Peoria County officials want to construct a tower in Elmwood to facilitate emergency response. An ideal spot for the proposed 280-foot galvanized-steel structure is near the city water tower on the west side of town, according to John Doering, a member of the Peoria-Stark Emergency Telephone System Board.“This group is step one for us,” Doering told the Elmwood City Council when it met Sept. 9. “There are a lot of hoops to go…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • FARMINGTON – A traffic stop near Farmington resulted in three people being taken into police custody.Shortly after 11:30 p.m. Aug. 23, Eric T. Planert, 38, of London Mills was driving a 2002 Chevrolet truck in the 500 block of N. Main St. that was pulling what appeared to be a homemade trailer, according to a Farmington police report. The trailer did not have required lights. Planert’s passengers were Christopher P. Butler, 58, of Peoria and Tracy L. Brasfield, 46, of London Mills. Both had…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering the odd obsession with foul balls. • • • Here’s a bad-news, good-news item. While the Joker did indeed come out last Thursday during the Queen of Hearts Jackpot drawing at Farmington Moose Lodge 1571, the pot does not decline dramatically, as this space stated last week. Instead, the pot starts at $111,272.50. And while Lodge President Rachel Kenney said the drawing has attracted many new members, other factors are also at play. She said good food, enjoyable events and a new rule requiring spouses to also join have fueled increased Moose memberships. • •…

Several felonies for Nowlan since June By JOHN A. BALLENTINEFor The Weekly Post and The Prairie News TOULON – A Toulon man who has been charged with multiple felonies since June was arrested on Sept. 6 and subsequently charged with several counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 3 felony. Alex R. Nowlan, 32, of Toulon was arrested by the Toulon Police Department after he was observed driving a vehicle in Toulon around 1:30 p.m. After a brief pursuit and brief resistance, he was taken into custody, according to a news release by the Toulon Police Department. Nowlan was transported…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – With construction projects looming after this school year, the Farmington School Board is already preparing for a later start to 2026-27 classes.  Farmington Superintendent Zac Chatterton said at Monday’s board meeting that he wanted to start discussion about the calendar early to get word out to staff and parents. Chatterton said the start of classes in 2026 will be pushed back to allow as much time as possible for crews to complete construction on several planned renovations. Tentative options are an Aug. 24 start for students and an Aug. 26 start. The latter…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The meeting room at Princeville Village Hall probably will be receiving a facelift.The room in which the Village Board convenes, usually twice a month, is to receive new lighting, wallpaper and insulation, according to Village President Jeff Troutman. Trustees discussed the proposed remodel when they met Sept. 2. “We want to make the room a little more soundproof during closed sessions,” Troutman said afterward.New audio-visual capabilities and a room expansion are among other potential improvements. Troutman wasn’t sure the last time the meeting room was redone. Public Works Superintendent Chad Gardner believes…

By MOLLY RICHESONFor The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – The Brimfield Village Board has picked three locations to start an overhaul of the city’s fire-hydrant system. Eventually, Brimfield plans to replace 40-45 hydrants that were installed in the 1960s. The first three selected for replacement are in the south end of town. One has a valve that prevents it from shutting off, one is completely unusable and another is not trusted to turn on or off. The board approved spending up to $25,000 to replace the hydrants. Parts will cost $14,614. Because the village wants to keep the water shutdown to a…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – An assisted-living facility in Williamsfield that closed earlier this year appears to have at least one possible future tenant. A representative of Canton-based Graham Health System was to tour the former Williamsfield Retirement Center last week, according to Village President Robert Johnson. He said he initiated contact with Graham, which operates a clinic at 120 E. Gale St. in Billtown. “I know they were interested in expanding over here, but there’s no more room in their building,” Johnson said following a Village Board meeting Sept. 2. The desired Graham expansion might include diagnostic…