By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – A crowded field of six is vying for three four-year positions on the Farmington CUSD 265 School Board. Based on responses from some who attended a March 12 Meet the Candidates forum, choosing among the six may not be an easy choice when the April 1 election arrives.Kent Kowal, moderator of the candidate forum attended by a crowd of about 45, said afterward he was so impressed with the candidates it will be difficult to decide how to cast his votes. The field includes three incumbents – Dustin Blunier, Keith Deppermann and Daniel Gorsuch…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Stark Co. drops charges against Powell TOULON – Stark County has dropped charges filed against Amanda Powell on Oct. 11 after a multi-task police raid of the Wyoming apartment she shares with Caleb Deck.That apartment is located at 111 E. Williams St. Powell was arrested and taken to the Bureau County Jail after the raid along with Deck. “After I received the evidence and charges for Amanda Powell, I determined that the charges were more appropriate for Caleb Deck and not for Amanda Powell,” Stark County…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police reports• TRIVOLI – A Hanna City woman was accused of drunken driving following a two-vehicle crash west of Trivoli. Jenni M. Nagel, 44, was driving a northbound 2006 Chevrolet Astro about 11:15 p.m. Feb. 28 on Stone School Road when the vehicle did not stop at an intersection with Illinois Route 116, per a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The front passenger-side bumper of the Astro struck the rear of an eastbound 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by Jeremy S. Kling of Farmington. The Astro continued…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations3-7 – Grace M. Greulich – No valid registration for a vehicle and for a horse trailer. Incidents & AccidentsStark County3-4 – Anabelle E. Twomey, 23, Galva, was cited for improper lane usage and possession of a controlled substance. She was released with a notice to appear and the vehicle was towed to the Stark County impound lot.3-5 – Caleb A. Deck, 47, Wyoming, was arrested for domestic battery. He was taken into custody and later transported to Bureau County Jail.3-6 – Colin…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – Compared to most recent election campaigns for more prominent public offices, the one for Princeville village president is the lowest of keys. Incumbent Jeff Troutman and challenger Rick Pope, a village trustee, haven’t been conducting candidate forums. Yard signs for either campaign appear to be nonexistent.Pope and Troutman have served together for years in village government and in other areas, including the Akron-Princeville fire department and ambulance service. Familiarity doesn’t appear to have breeded contempt. The candidates’ messaging, such as it is, pits continuity against substitution. “The village is doing a great job…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police reports • KICKAPOO – An Edwards woman was accused of multiple crimes, including drunken driving, following a two-vehicle head-on wreck south of Kickapoo. Jessica M. Reynolds, 30, was driving a 2007 Lincoln Town Car shortly before 8:45 p.m. Feb. 23 in the 7400 block of N. Kickapoo-Edwards Rd. when her vehicle collided with a 2017 Ford Explorer, according to Peoria County Sheriff’s Office reports. The other driver, Elaine Long of Galesburg, said she was driving south on Kickapoo-Edwards Road when Reynolds’ vehicle exited a gasoline…

Rambling through central Illinois, strangely excited by rain. • • • Just when I thought my grasp on the nuances of March was solid, along came an email reminding me that, in addition to rain, these 31 days belong also to Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. My information on the national colon celebration is from Rozana Dwyer, a doctor in the Graham Health System who is also a new resident of Elmwood. Doc Dwyer notes that, “Unlike other screening tools that find cancer earlier, a screening colonoscopy can prevent your chance of colon and rectal cancer by 50% by finding smaller,…

Owners plan $5.2M investment in Princeville By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The new owners of the long-shuttered Alcoa Building Products facility in Princeville plan to spend up to $5.2 million to renovate it. West Jersey Express, a Stark County-based transportation and logistics company, took over the former Alcoa property last September. The investment the firm is planning was included in an application for potential village tax-increment-financing reimbursement. The application was discussed Monday during a Village Board TIF committee meeting held before the regular board meeting. Trustees took no action on the application. Alcoa closed its 300,000-square-foot Princeville facility…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post While there are no major national positions to decide in the upcoming April 1 consolidated election, the ballots for Knox, Fulton and Peoria counties show a fair number of contested races. Several of those are in Princeville, where races for village president, village trustee and township supervisor are up for grabs. Current village president Jeff Troutman faces a challenge from Rick Pope, who is currently a village trustee. Four candidates are running for three seats on the Village Board: Branden Curtis, Teresa Gilroy, Steven Potter and Spencer Wilson. Gilroy and Potter are incumbents. The race…

By CAROL TOWNSENDFor The Prairie News GALVA – Several alderman asked that four houses in the city be moved to the top of the list to have their yards cleaned up immediately. Second Ward Aldermen Jim Hartman and Rick Otterstrom said at Monday’s meeting of the City Council that the resident at 509 SW 3rd St. is cutting up items in his yard, loading a trailer with the junk and burning items early in the morning creating black smoke. They said the resident has put up a homemade fence, adding this needs attention immediately as he is also using the…