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…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINEFor The Prairie News TOULON – Stark County’s Circuit Court held Dec. 20 brought several decisions on pending felony cases for Matthew R. Shipp, 20, of rural Toulon. Shipp will make a fully negotiated plea on April 4 at 2 p.m. regarding 10 Class X felonies he’s been charged with for child pornography. In another case, Caleb A. Deck, 47, of Wyoming, was in circuit court to review multiple cases from traffic violations to criminal felonies. He was scheduled for a Jan. 10 bench trial at 3 p.m. for charged traffic offenses of fleeing or attempting to elude…

Traffic citations &Ordinance violations 12-14 – Ana Maria Gabriela Fortuno-Rojas – Driving 15-20 mph above limit, unlicensed, failure to secure new registration and uninsured vehicle.12-16 – Candy A. Taylor – Uninsured vehicle.12-19 – Martin A. Gardner – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. Incidents & AccidentsStark County12-17 – A two-vehicle accident was reported from the intersection of Illinois Routes 17 and 78. Drivers involved were Denise K. Lancaster, 50, of Tampico, and Michael Joseph Rediger, 35, of Toulon. No citations were issued.12-18 – An abandoned vehicle was located by authorities on 650E north of Illinois Route 93. The vehicle was towed…

Rambling through central Illinois, marveling that we are 25 years into the 21st century. • • • Between basketball games last weekend, I wandered through Princeville’s Stevens Square Park and was impressed by the collection of Christmas trees there. More than that, I was moved by several memorial trees decorated in honor of deceased family members. The creative decorations and personal touches that make each tree different are truly wonderful expressions of love that are a needed contrast to the crass commercialism of the season. Next year, I’m making a point to visit Stevens Square before Christmas on a snowy…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The Princeville community is mourning the death of a teenager last weekend in a single-vehicle accident. Grace Abbott, 17, of Princeville was pronounced dead at 1:40 p.m. Dec. 28 following the accident near Parks School and Elliott roads south of Monica. Abbott was a senior at Princeville High School. Visitation will be Friday, Jan. 3, from 3-7 p.m. at Haskell Funeral & Cremation Services in Princeville. Abbott’s funeral service will be Saturday, Jan. 4, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. In a statement issued Sunday, Princeville Superintendent Tony Shinall said Abbott had…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – Wind-energy turbines probably won’t be permitted within 1½ miles of Princeville in the foreseeable future. An ordinance the Village Board approved Dec. 17 allows local government to regulate wind farms proposed in areas where the municipality has zoning jurisdiction. That authority extends 1½ miles beyond village limits. The ordinance prohibits wind farms in Princeville or in that buffer area unless village approval has been obtained. It doesn’t appear such approval will be forthcoming anytime soon, should any wind-project developers ask for it. “Unofficially, in a personal-opinion context, the majority if not all of…