Day: December 15, 2021

Outpouring of support for Jacob Look By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – The tragic death of senior Jacob Look has generated an outpouring of support from the Brimfield community and elsewhere in central Illinois. Look, 17, was found unresponsive in a hot tub by his parents on the evening of Dec. 6. Despite resuscitation efforts by his parents and first responders, Look died shortly after 4 a.m. on Dec. 7. Cause of death was drowning, according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood. Friends, coaches and administrators uniformly praised Look as an outgoing and inclusive person. Last Sunday, hundreds attended…

Three local county sheriffs retiring By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post The law enforcement scene is changing rapidly across the country – and locally. All three sheriffs in counties where The Weekly Post circulates have announced they will not be seeking reelection next November. That is part of a growing trend in Illinois. Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell said he has heard that 18 sheriffs in Illinois have left office since January. “And the rumor is that 80 percent of the sheriffs are not going to run for reelection,” Asbell said.  While each case is different, common motivations to quit include…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – The Elmwood City Council approved the purchase of a refurbished street sweeping machine during an abbreviated monthly meeting on Dec. 7. Cost of the refurbished street sweeper is $57,500. Economic Development Director Amy Davis was not present, but had submitted a written report to the council. Davis wrote that she has helped in finding a replacement business for Cerno’s, which is to close in Elmwood in the near future. Davis reported that the Horeb Lodge repairs are completed and that the café and post office “are both fully open.” There was…

By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – Masks are not going away anytime soon in Williamsfield schools, but Superintendent Tim Farquer said efforts are being made to return to some “traditional practices.” “The mask mandate does not look like it’s going anywhere, but by and large, everything else we’re trying to get back to normal as much as we can,” Superintendent Tim Farquer said at Monday’s Williamsfield School Board meeting. Farquer told the board that positive COVID cases have doubled in Knox County since Thanksgiving and that there were more positive COVID cases among Williamsfield students than at any…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Man threatens to ‘set his dog’ on officer ELMWOOD – Responding to reports of harassment, loud music and bright lights shined into neighbors’ homes on Dec. 6, an Elmwood police officer was dispatched to the 400 block of E. Cypress St., where he reported hearing music “five blocks away,” according to an Elmwood police report. The officer knocked on the door of the residence multiple times, asking Zachary D. Beintema, 36, of Elmwood to step outside. On one attempt, Beintema slammed…