NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police reports • PEORIA – An Elmwood-area man was accused of attacking a construction worker on the McClugage Bridge. The incident occurred about 8 a.m. May 31, according to the Illinois State Police. A state trooper arrived at the bridge above the Illinois River and attempted to speak with the suspect, 44-year-old Nicholas S. Manning, but he fled. After a brief pursuit on foot, Manning was apprehended. According to a preliminary report, authorities searched Manning and found a controlled substance. He was charged with possessing it,…

Rambling through central Illinois, still itching after having cicadas crawling over me for a full day. • • • About a week ago, Ron Cluskey of Elmwood stopped by the office and noted that, by his estimation, maps showing the expected emergence of cicada breeds in Illinois did not include Peoria County. Lo and behold, Cluskey was correct.Boy, did we dodge a bullet. Despite notable emergences in Jubilee College State Park and at Forest Park Nature Center, cicada sightings in Elmwood, Brimfield and other Peoria County urban areas have been limited. The same is true west of us in Warren…

Ownership could be transferred in June By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – Sometime in June, the village might authorize transferring ownership of its decommissioned aquatic center to a Princeville not-for-profit group. But some details need to be clarified, according to Princeville Village officials. “Everyone’s trying to come to an agreement here,” Village Trustee Ron Delbridge said. “If we can get a few things worked out, my honest feeling is next meeting, we can vote on it.” That next Village Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 3. But the main topic of discussion during the meeting May 21 was…

Elmwood’s day of sweet treats returns Saturday ELMWOOD – The one-day food, cool cars and craft fest that is the Strawberry Festival returns for a 36th year on Saturday, June 1, in Central Park. As in years past, food is a major focus of the Strawberry Festival, with pancakes at the Fire House from 6-10 a.m and the food tent open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be warned, though, some strawberry desserts have been known to sell out early in years past. Other staples of the festival are craft vendors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a car show from 8-11…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post YATES CITY – Roy Swanson doesn’t remember much from the night of Aug. 28, 1971, when shrapnel ripped into his foot after enemy rockets hit his U.S. Army sleeping quarters near Chu Lai, Vietnam. Monday helped bring some closure, though, as Swanson was honored during a special ceremony that attracted more than 75 people to the Yates City Community Center. On hand to make a formal presentation of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star to Swanson were U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Moline) and a contingent of uniformed military officers that included Maj. Gen. David Wilson, commanding…

­By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The move up from the Lincoln Trail Conference to play college football in the Big Ten is seldom made. But 2023 Princeville graduate Kellen Francis, 19, has something few football players possess: a 6-foot-6, 320-pound body and an ability to pancake blockers. A standout at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., last year as a freshman, Francis has committed to play on the offensive line for the University of Illinois. He chose the Illini after receiving offers from seven Division 1 schools, including Arkansas. “It was cool (to visit Arkansas), but as…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police reports• ELMWOOD – An Elmwood man threatened to shoot high school students in that city, according to authorities.Dalton L. Sander, 18, was arrested shortly before 12:30 p.m. on May 17 in connection with an incident the previous day, according to an Elmwood Police Department report. Sander said he was going to visit the Elmwood school with a gun and “take care of” an issue he had. Sander claimed he had been attacked physically recently by eight Elmwood students. An employee of the Bartonville special-education facility…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The Princeville School District is considering external entities to oversee its student after-care program.Princeville Superintendent Tony Shinall said he’s contacted three vendors: Champions, operated by KinderCare Learning Centers of Portland, Ore.; the Greater Peoria Family YMCA; and Right At School, based in Evanston. The current in-house Princeville Grade School after-care administrator, teacher’s aide Libby Snyder, might be interested in other open positions in the district, according to Shinall. “She does a really good job, but with finding staff so hard right now, it was at least worth the investigation to see what would…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – The Williamsfield Board of Education has decided to hire an interim superintendent of schools after negotiations with a finalist fell through. Following interviews on May 9, the board narrowed the field to two candidates who had been presented after a search conducted by the Illinois Association of School Boards. Those finalists were then interviewed by board members and stakeholders from the district on May 13. “We made an offer to one of the candidates we thought definitely fit the bill,” School Board President Chad Goff said Monday. “We just ran into some hurdles…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police reports• HANNA CITY – A suspect in the slaying of a former Peoria High School basketball player was apprehended in Hanna City. Messiah Z. Carpenter, 20, was accused of first-degree murder regarding the death of MikeQuese Taylor. He was shot and killed April 30 near Forrest Hill and Knoxville avenues in Peoria. About 6:15 a.m. May 14, law-enforcement authorities searched a residence in the 500 block of N. Main St. in Hanna City. There they found Carpenter, who without incident was taken into custody, according to…