By NICK VLAHOSFor The Prairie News GALESBURG – A Bureau County man implicated in a two-vehicle crash in February that injured an Illinois State Police trooper from Elmwood wants a jury trial. Joseph S. Pruiett, 46, of Wyanet pleaded not guilty March 23 in Knox County Circuit Court to multiple criminal charges that stemmed from the accident. A vehicle Pruitt was driving struck a squad car parked along the Knox-Stark county border. State Police Officer Braden McFall was inside that vehicle. Pruiett appeared in front of Judge Andrew Doyle via video conferencing from a treatment facility, according to Knox County State’s…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Prairie News TOULON – Circuit Court Judge William Bauer on Monday denied a request for the pretrial release of Alex R. Nowlan of Toulon. Nowlan is facing 12 felony charges in Stark County, including eight counts of possession of child pornography, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful restraint, harass/threaten a person and intimidation/physical harm. Nowlan is being held in the Bureau County Jail and was transported to the Stark County Courthouse for Monday’s review of his case. Also in court was his father, Robin Nowlan, who asked to have his son released to his custody.Bauer denied that…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Peoria County Report3-18 – A Wyoming man arrested in Peoria was wanted in two counties on drugs-related charges.Joshua T. Humes, 44, surrendered at gunpoint about 6:30 p.m. after he ran from the rear of a residence in the 2200 block of N. Flora Ave., according to Peoria police reports. Officers were there investigating atheft. Humes was wanted in Peoria and Tazewell counties for unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He also was wanted in Tazewell County for resisting police. He said he ran because he knew he had…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • PRINCEVILLE – For the second time in recent weeks, a spate of vehicle thefts and burglaries happened in Princeville. At least six incidents were reported March 28, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. One vehicle was reported stolen from a residence in the 400 block of S. Walnut St. and was recovered later in Dunlap. A vehicle reported stolen in Peoria was found at the Walnut Street address. In the 100 block of S. Tremont Ave., a 2008 Honda Accord was reported missing…

• • • Last Saturday was not National Burn Day. Should have been. Should also have been National Burn Your Ditch or Grassy Field Day. The skies were filled with black clouds all day, leaving a smoky smell to linger over much of the area. As anyone who burns regularly knows, there are only certain windows for a safe fire. Lots of factors come into play. Wind speed. Wind direction. Relative humidity. How much volunteer help you have on hand. And, as we learned Saturday, temperature matters too. Normally for our March burns, we are working in 40-50 degrees. Normally,…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – It took a little convincing, but the final holdout has agreed to a proposal to receive some Princeville village tax-increment-financing revenues. Earlier this month, the Akron Township Board approved the plan, which the Princeville Village Board first authorized in November 2024 and revised the following year. It allows nine local and area taxing bodies to share money annually from TIF 4, which covers most of downtown and west-northwest Princeville. Among other things, the agreement sets aside for the other nine taxing bodies 25% of annual TIF 4 property-tax-revenue increments. They also are to…

Judge rejects railroad’s request for closure of Whittaker Road By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post The Whittaker Road railroad crossing east of Laura probably will remain open after all. A proposed order from an Illinois Commerce Commission administrative-law judge rejected a request from BNSF Railway to close the unguarded crossing. BNSF cited safety concerns and lack of use when it asked in 2023 for the closure. But the proposed order, which was issued March 17, sided with Millbrook Township officials who opposed the closure. They said oversized farm equipment uses the crossing regularly and proposed detours are unsafe. David Badillo, an…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post WYOMING – Stark County Republicans have attracted a big name for their annual Lincoln Day Luncheon being held Saturday, March 28, at the Stark County 4H Grounds. A representative of Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey called this week to confirm Bailey would be attending the luncheon, according to Stark County Board Member Adam Wilson. Bailey won his second straight primary election on March 17 to set up a rematch with Gov. JB Pritzker in Illinois. Bailey received 53.5% of the vote to defeat three other candidates. Also scheduled to attend the 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Galva ReportOfficer dispatched: 3-16 – While patrolling, officer located a motorist stuck in the roadway near the intersection of NW 2nd Ave. and Main St. Officer assisted getting the vehicle moving.3-16 – to help the ambulance with a medical emergency on NW 7th Ave.3-16 – to check a vehicle in the ditch on the east edge of town. The vehicle was marked and later removed by a tow truck.3-16 – to the 1000 block of W. Division St. to assist a motorist stuck in the roadway….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • PRINCEVILLE – Vehicle burglaries and thefts were reported in Princeville. Shortly after 3 p.m. March 6, a Peoria County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to a residence in the 300 block of W. High St. regarding the apparent burglary of a 2014 Ford F-150 pickup truck. Much of the report was redacted, but it indicated a vehicle about a block away was reported stolen earlier in the day. About 8 a.m. March 6, a 2011 Hyundai without license plates and with its lights on…