Month: April 2022

By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post Marisa Unes showed a flair for the dramatic Saturday in girls softball action for Brimfield-Elmwood. The Lady Indians outfielder belted a walk-off, two-run home run on a 1-2 count to beat Havana, 6-4. Brooke Sumner had doubled to lead off the inning against Havana (5-2) and scored on Unes’ four-bagger. Sumner also scored in the bottom of the fifth inning after singling. That made a winner of Maddie Hessing, who allowed four hits in seven innings, fanned six and walked three. Also collecting hits were Ella Florey (double), Kierra Johnson, Hessing and CJ Troxell. On…

By PHIL JOHNSON For The Weekly Post After racing to a 12-0 start, Brimfield-Elmwood baseball suffered its first loss of the spring Tuesday in a 3-2 home loss to Illini Bluffs. With the game tied, 1-1, Illini Bluffs scratched two runs in the third on a single, walk, hit by pitch, groundout and wild pitch. B-E managed five hits, with Jude Strahm going 2-for-4. Caleb Tyre took the loss in three innings of work and Drew Kieser pitched four frames of shutout ball. On Monday, the Indians turned a close Prairieland Conference game against Peoria Heights into a blowout with an…

Athletes ready for season to heat up By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post Mother Nature is not a track fan. How else to explain the cold, wet, windy conditions that have plagued the start of outdoor season. The challenge for athletes is to survive the cold and thrive once it gets warm. Here’s a look at local teams. Elmwood-Brimfield The sun finally shined, briefly, on a track meet Tuesday at Elmwood, where the Trojans hosted the ICAC event. Thomas Harmon headlines returnees for the Trojans boys squad and is a top candidate to medal in the 800 after placing second…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering what fungi gossip about. • • • The more the years pile up, the more small victories matter. So it was with considerable happiness that I laid out the facing page, where you can read a column by Jeanne Harland. You may recall Jeanne from years past when her writings appeared in this paper. You may also recall we mounted an attempt to bring Jeanne out of retirement. And thanks to all of you convincing readers, she has done just that. Watch for her columns once a month. … Speaking of columnists, gardening writer Ron…

Grant helps school district add EV charger By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – Someday, we are told, there will be electrical vehicles everywhere as well as charging stations to keep them going. While someday has not yet arrived in most rural locales, the Williamsfield School Board took a step in that direction Monday. The board voted to approve the purchase and installation of an EV Charger at the district’s bus barn. The charger comes with a 125kW DC fast charger power control station and will have two dispensers, with room to add three more down the road. One…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – The future of the Central Downtown TIF district is still not decided. The Elmwood City Council discussed extension of the TIF for approximately 35 minutes during its regular meeting on April 5. While the council is in favor of extending the TIF, aldermen heard that Elmwood Township and the fire department are opposed. Those two taxing bodies have indicated they would rather receive their tax income directly. Elmwood CUSD 322 could go “either way” according to Alderman Bob Paige. The original TIF was for 11 years, instead of the maximum 23 years, and…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • HANNA CITY – Charles A. Anderson, 44, of Hanna City was charged on April 8 with three counts of aggravated assault/use of a deadly weapon and illegal possession of a firearm, according to a Peoria County Sheriff’s report. • ELMWOOD – On April 8, an Elmwood resident struck a deer in the 18400 block of W. Bartholomew Rd., according to an Elmwood police report. • FARMINGTON – The Farmington Police Department reports the following activity for the month…

By JEFF LAMPE For The Prairie News Big fish invite comparisons and questions. How big? How deep? Where? On what? Did you eat it? Seldom, though, does the line of questioning include, “Is that the same fish your kid caught last year?” But that’s exactly what Don Sullivan of Hanna City and his son, Donny Sullivan of Kickapoo, have been pondering since last Sunday’s fishing trip to a deep Tazewell County lake yielded a lunker bass. Don Sullivan caught the day’s lone fish, which he said measured 24 inches and weighed just over 9 pounds on a hand-held digital scale. “We weren’t…

By CAROL TOWNSEND For The Prairie News GALVA – The Galva Park District board is busy getting ready for the opening of the pool at the end of May. Employees have been hired to tend to the grounds, but the park district is still looking for life guards. Clean-up of the grounds was done by Superintendent Nathan Glaser and Larry Halsall. The April membership special is available. Anyone interested can get an application at one of the Galva school offices, Porter Hay insurance office, or the bulletin board at Community State Bank. The April special is $60 for an individual…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Prairie News TOULON – The Stark County School District will hold an Open House and tour of the partially constructed new high school building Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This will be the second Open House since construction commenced. According to School District Superintendent Brett Elliott, “This will include tours of the current high school and junior high along with a sneak-peak at our new high school and junior high renovations.” Construction of the new high school building is approximately 55 percent complete. The concrete floors of the high school…