Month: June 2025

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PEORIA – An out-of-court settlement was reached in a civil lawsuit on behalf of a Princeville-area woman killed in a two-vehicle crash last year. The settlement of $300,000 was to be paid to the estate of Nevaeh Mitchell, according to documents filed April 30 in Peoria County Circuit Court. The lawsuit her estate filed against the other driver, Levi Dietz, was dismissed with prejudice. That means the case is closed permanently and cannot be refiled. Mitchell, 18, died May 4, 2024, when her vehicle collided head-on with Dietz’s vehicle on Orange Prairie Road north of…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – A shuttered-restaurant site in Williamsfield will have an added attraction to help lure a new tenant. The Williamsfield Village Board decided June 2 to expand by one the number of video-gambling licenses in town, to four. That would allow the building at 102 E. Gale St., which has housed several restaurants in recent years, to house alcohol and gaming. Building owner Lee Strom requested the gaming expansion, according to Village President Robert Johnson.“He has several people interested in setting up a restaurant in there, but they want to have gaming machines and they…

Princeville likely to assist new business By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The new owners of the old Alcoa Building Products plant in Princeville probably will receive long-term village financial assistance for property improvements. When it meets June 17, the Princeville Village Board is likely to consider an official agreement with West Jersey Express, according to Village President Jeff Troutman. The board’s Tax Increment Financing Committee discussed an agreement when it met June 2, immediately before the full board convened. According to Troutman, West Jersey Express probably will be eligible to receive 70% of the increase in property-tax revenue…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • FARMINGTON – A Farmington man’s blood-alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit after he was arrested in connection with a domestic-battery incident. Christopher R. Roper, 29, was accused of beating and attempting to strangle a 27-year-old woman about noon May 24 at a residence in the 100 block of S. Main St., according to a Farmington police report. The woman sustained bruises and bleeding on her face. Roper refused to talk with police, who transported him to Graham Hospital in Canton….

Summer is not officially here, but festival season is starting Saturday, when Elmwood holds its 37th annual Strawberry Festival. Elmwood’s food fest in Central Park will look much the same as in years past, featuring a wide variety of sweet strawberry treats, kids activities, a car show, a food tent, craft vendors, a quilt show, a 5K race and live music in the bandstand from the River Valley Big Band and the Aristocrats. The event opens with the 5K and a pancake breakfast at the firehouse starting at 6 a.m. Festival food is served until 5 p.m., but the sooner you…

Maquon murder case headed to bench trial By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – A bench trial, not a jury trial, has been scheduled for late June for a woman accused of murdering the former Maquon police chief. Marcy Oglesby waived her jury-trial right Monday during a hearing in Knox County Circuit Court. Oglesby was implicated in October 2022 regarding the death of Richard Young, whose decomposing body was found that month in a Maquon storage locker. Numerous hearings and rulings have happened in Oglesby’s case since then. But until the hearing Monday in front of Judge Andrew Doyle, a…

By MOLLY RICHESONFor The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – The Brimfield Village Board on Monday heard a proposal from David Knight, president of Illinois Solar Services, on the possibility of adding a solar field for the water-treatment facility as well as panel installation for the village hall building. Knight said the switch to solar power for those two facilities alone would lower the village’s electric bill from an approximate $1,850 per month to $59 per month. Illinois Solar Services would partner with Oberlander Electric out of Mossville to complete the project. Knight said the total cost for the water-treatment facility would be…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – A rough piece of road in Farmington will get smoothed over this summer.The Farmington City Council on Monday accepted a $313,727 bid from C&G Concrete Construction of East Peoria for a complete rebuild of Oak Street. The bid was lowest of two received and was 14.2% below the original engineer’s estimate of $365,242.50. Laverdiere Construction Inc. of Macomb had the other bid, $332,727.18. Farmington will use Motor Fuel Tax money to pay for the project, which should start soon.“They’re ready to go,” Farmington Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam said after signing bid documents following the meeting….

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PEORIA – A Peoria hospital neglected a Brimfield man who disappeared from the facility and was missing for five months before he was found dead, a lawsuit claims. The family of Logan Dunne is seeking at least $50,000 in damages from Carle Health Methodist Hospital, according to a lawsuit filed May 27 in Peoria County Circuit Court. That’s almost two years to the day Dunne was admitted involuntarily to Methodist – May 29, 2023. Dunne was being treated for mental-health issues and for Type 1 diabetes. The lawsuit asserts Methodist employees knew Dunne wasn’t taking…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports Traffic citations &Ordinance violations5-25 – Teresa R. Wilkins – Suspended registration and uninsured vehicle.5-25 – Scot J. Mincey – Unlawful possession of cannabis.5-31 – Antonio Parangueo – Driving 21-25 mph above limimt.6-2 – Jarred M. Stevens – Expired registration and disregard stop sign. Misdemeanors &Felonies5-28 – Katelynn A. Perrine, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content over .08 and improper lane usage. Incidents & AccidentsStark County5-25 – Chet D. Gillespie of rural Toulon reported hitting a deer on Route 17 north of 900E….