NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • ELMORE – A Peoria man was accused of drunken driving after his vehicle damaged a railroad crossing near Elmore. Lucas A. Williams, 29, was behind the wheel of a 2017 Ford sedan that apparently broke in half a BNSF Railway crossing arm about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 17 in the 18700 block of N. Elmore Rd., according to a heavily redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. The vehicle sustained disabling damage and was towed. Williams was transported to the Peoria County Jail and cited for…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering what plant it was that gave me the latest itchy rash all over my arms and that somehow creeped through a shirt onto my back. • • • Farmington Moose Lodge 1571 is officially the hottest place to hang out on Thursday nights. No surprise there, since a ticket bought at the Moose Lodge this week could win you $107,140 (minus taxes, of course). The lodge’s Queen of Hearts Jackpot has been steadily building over the past few months, pushing membership over 1,000 and fueling impressive ticket sales. Last week, with the pot at just…

Farmers, E-B set for football clashFarmington rolls in second half of opener; Trojans grind out win By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – Farmington appears to have found its quarterback of the future after one week of prep football action. After being inserted for the third series of a season-opening 51-28 win over West Hancock last Friday, freshman Carson Noy rotated with senior Treyven Haroldson. This Friday, Noy will get the start in a home clash against Elmwood-Brimfield, according to Coach Toby Vallas. Viewed as more of a pure passer, Noy finished with a 7-for-12 passing line, one touchdown and…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – From the beginning, Princeville dominated visiting Havana in a 54-7 LincolnLand small-division football opener Aug. 29. Princeville led 20-0 after the first 12 minutes. Overall, Princeville senior Kaiden Sarnes was 6-for-9 for 82 yards passing and ran for 61 yards in his first game as a starting quarterback. Senior Noah Geiger ran for 123 yards and four touchdowns. Eli Christianson, Oliver Melick and Sarnes also ran for scores. Offensive linemen Cayden Allen, Wyatt Giffin, Owen Harmon, Collin Lowery and Bradin Senn helped give them room to run; the Princes amassed 323 rushing yards….

Incidents & AccidentsStark County8-25 – David M. Davis, 48, Wyoming, was arrested for domestic battery. He was transported to the Bureau County Jail. He was released the next day with a notice to appear.8-25 – Justin M. Warner was cited for driving 15-20 mph above limit.8-26 – Garrett J. Lass, cited for failure to obey a stop sign.8-26 – James L. Garrett, 33, Davenport, Iowa, was ticketed for failure to stop at a stop sign which reportedly caused an accident.8-26 – Ana M. Gerrard, 24, Kewanee, cited for speeding 78 mph in a 55 zone.8-26 – Matthew T. Peed, 22,…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • PEORIA – A Peoria man was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, who was found with two mortal gunshot wounds in 2021 in a ditch west of Kickapoo. Joshua A. McGee, 39, also was convicted Aug. 20 in Peoria County Circuit Court of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The verdicts culminated a three-day trial. Sentencing for the crimes McGee committed Aug. 22, 2021, is scheduled for Oct. 2, per the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office. Alerted by a 911 telephone call,…

LincolnLand LargeFarmington 49Elmwood-Brimfield 38Macomb 38Illini West 34Bureau Valley 21Knoxville 19West Hancock 18LVC 7 LincolnLand SmallAnnawan-Wethersfield 58Princeville 57Rushville-Industry 56Abingdon-Avon 34ROWVA-Williamsfield 34Stark County 34Havana 28South Fulton 14Monmouth United 9 NOTE: Coaches voted for all teams except their own.

Farmington and A-W favored, but not as heavily as last season The LincolnLand Conference football favorites remain unchanged from one season ago, but the competition is creeping closer based on preseason votes cast by coaches (who were not able to vote for their own teams). Farmington is the overwhelming favorite in the LincolnLand large division, earning first-place votes from every coach. That’s no surprise, as last year’s league champs and Class 2A semifinalists have 23 seniors and a league-best 85 players out this fall. Farmington’s strength is at wideout, where 6-foot-3 North Dakota recruit Jack Gronewold, 6-4 Landon Crawford and speedy…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – In many prep football programs, Layne Johnson would have pushed harder to be quarterback. Not so much at Elmwood-Brimfield, where the offense goes entire games without throwing a pass. And so Johnson, one of two full-time starters and two part-time starters back on offense for the Trojans, is happy to be playing wingback. “Definitely, I like playing running back a little bit more than quarterback in our offense. Just watch the film,” Johnson said. “But I’m willing to play any position coach puts me in.” Expectations are that the 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior back…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post ONEIDA – By spending a summer slinging melons, Drake DeJaynes might have learned a few things about throwing a football. Or at least about how to assemble a successful football team. In that regard, time will tell how well DeJaynes and his ROWVA-Williamsfield teammates produce.For the second consecutive season, DeJaynes is to start at quarterback for the Cougars. A mid-season five-game losing streak resulted in a 4-5 record in 2024 and no state-playoffs berth. That came after R-W won at least once in each of two successive Class 1A postseason appearances. DeJaynes and teammate…