Month: January 2025

Incidents & AccidentsStark County 1-12 – A single-vehicle accident occurred on Illinois Route 40. Driver David E. Criner, of Chicago, was traveling south towing a travel trailer when he lost control of his 2017 Chevrolet Colorado after hitting a patch of ice. Criner’s vehicle skidded off the road and jack-knifed before coming to rest in the ditch. No injuries were reported but damage was estimated at over $1,500 and both vehicles were towed.1-17 – Travers L. Jenkins, 49, Houston, Texas, was ticketed for failure to wear a seat belt.1-19 – Trisha L. Bauman, 38, Morton, was ticketed for speeding 78…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • FARMINGTON – A Farmington man was accused of stealing alcohol from the same local convenience store three separate times. Ryan P. Compton, 54, was arrested about 9:30 p.m. Jan. 15 as he exited Casey’s, 84 S. Main St., according to a Farmington police report. Video-security footage revealed Compton taking items from the store three times without paying for them. Total value was about $47. Compton confessed, the police report stated. He received a notice to appear in Fulton County Circuit Court in Lewistown. •…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Misdemeanors &Felonies1-15 – Criminal felony – Joshua D. Davidson – Possession of methamphetamine. Incidents & AccidentsStark County1-14 – A two-vehicle accident occurred on Illinois Route 78 approximately one-half mile south of 400N. According to the accident report, driver Henry N. Chirinos Bejarano, 36, of Peoria, was traveling north when he attempted to pass a semi-truck and struck a southbound vehicle head-on being driven by Logan T. Corzatt, 18, of Kewanee.Both drivers and three passengers were transported by Stark County Ambulance to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • HANNA CITY – A Glasford man was killed in a three-vehicle accident south of Hanna City.Allan Young, 69, was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. Jan. 16 at Hanna City-Glasford and Lancaster roads, according to the Peoria County Coroner’s Office. Young was driving alone in a Ford van that struck two other vehicles, rolled several times and caught fire. The van was headed south on Hanna City-Glasford Road when it hit a southbound 2013 BMW X351 driven by a 77-year-old woman from Trivoli, according to the…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports Incidents & AccidentsStark County1-2 – A two-vehicle accident occurred on the Modena Blacktop. Driver Cayleb J. Hodson, 19, of Bettendorf, Iowa, was traveling west when he lost control of his vehicle and skidded sideways into the eastbound lane and struck the front of an oncoming vehicle being driven by Paul M. Cooper, 43, of Wyoming.No injuries were reported, and no tickets were issued. Both vehicles sustained estimated damage reported at over $1,500.1-8 – A dog-bite incident was reported from the 300 block of N. Main…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • ELMWOOD – An Elmwood woman was found dead in her backyard, an apparent cold-weather exposure victim. Darci A. Coursey, 44, was lying on the ground and unresponsive when fire and law-enforcement personnel arrived about 2:30 p.m. Sunday at her residence in the 400 block of W. Mound St., according to an Elmwood Police Department report. The Peoria County Coroner’s Office pronounced Coursey dead shortly thereafter.The preliminary report from an autopsy performed Monday cited cold exposure as Coursey’s cause of death. Coursey was clad in…

Incidents & AccidentsStark County 12-17 – Jonathan P. Hostetler, 28, of McNabb was involved in a deer-related accident on Sharkey Highway. No injuries were reported but the vehicle sustained estimated damages of over $1,500.12-29 – A lost wallet was reported by a rural Bradford resident.12-30 – Nathan A. Hess, 19, Wyoming, was ticketed for speeding 89 mph in a 55 zone. He was issued a court date to appear.1-1-25 – An eviction notice was the source of a complaint received from a resident in the 400 block of S. Franklin St. in Toulon.1-2 – Ryan R. Scalf, 49, of Knoxville…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – Solar panels generate power and are increasingly popular because they do so with a lower carbon footprint. But they can also be a source for fires. To better prepare for the latter possibility, the Farmington City Council is working to finish zoning regulations for solar energy installations in the city. Discussion on the topic started last month and continued Monday, as council members reviewed a rough draft of an ordinance. “We’re more interested in knowing where (solar installations) are and that nobody is powering the world off their one lot,” Farmington Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam…

Princeville board hearstax benefits of turbines By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – A proposed wind-energy project in northwest Peoria County might provide millions of property-tax dollars for the Princeville and Brimfield school districts. Figures that Four Creeks Wind Manager Carson Robers provided following a Princeville Village Board meeting Monday night indicated local schools are expected to receive almost $108 million in tax revenue over the 40-year life of the project. The projected total for Brimfield schools is almost $34.5 million. “Our contributions to the school districts are going to be meaningful and are going to set up Princeville and…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • FARMINGTON – A Canton man who was shot to death New Year’s Eve in Lewistown was a former Farmington firefighter. Levi Blair, 39, was a member of the Farmington Community Fire Protection District until he moved out of its boundaries, according to the department. Blair was shot in the head about 7 p.m. Dec. 31 outside County Market in Lewistown. An Ipava man, 33-year-old Nicholas D. Pratt, is accused of Blair’s murder. The shooting happened during a child-custody exchange, according to media reports. “Levi…