NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • KICKAPOO – A fire destroyed a barn west of Kickapoo. At least $100,000 in damage was reported.The blaze began about 6:45 a.m. Sept. 11 at the northeast corner of Princeville-Jubilee Road and U.S. Route 150, according to the Brimfield Community Fire Protection District. Fire consumed the 140-by-30-foot barn, which contained between 110 and 170 round bales of hay. It took firefighters about 10 hours to extinguish the flames. No injuries were reported, although the barn was a total loss. The cause was undetermined. The…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports Traffic Citations9-1 – Jacob D. Brewer – Failure to reduce speed.9-1 – Murray J. Johnston – Failure to reduce speed.9-3 – James M. Tibbits – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.9-3 – Yahil Gonzalez Tirado – Speeding 26-34 mph over limit.9-4 – Russell C. Schierer – Leaving the scene and failure to reduce speed. Misdemeanors& Felonies8-7 – Criminal felony – Hollis C. VanLeer – Possession of cannabis.9-4 – DUI – Courtney R. Pate Evans – Driving under the influence, driving under the influence blood alcohol content…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • KICKAPOO – A Yates City man was accused of unlawfully obtaining almost $1,300 at a Kickapoo-area business. Zachary R. Cassel, 31, was arrested shortly after 3:45 p.m. Sept. 3 regarding the incident. It happened about 7:45 p.m. Aug. 31 at Jubilee Café, 7203 N. Kickapoo-Edwards Rd. A Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report was heavily redacted, but it appears a debit card was used to access $1,291.02. Princeville State Bank was listed in the report. Cassel was accused of theft-control intent between $500 and $10,000…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. ClarificationIn the June 28 edition of The Prairie News public record section, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office reported Paige Weida, 24, of Kewanee was ticketed for speeding, possession of methamphetamine and fleeing/ eluding. On Aug. 16, Weida appeared in Stark County Court and was given court supervision for the speeding charge. State’s Attorney Austin King said Weida was not charged with possession of methamphetamine or fleeing/eluding. Traffic Citations8-22 – Trenton J. Wiggin – Driving 15-20 mph above the limit.8-22 – Camden M. Clark – Driving 21-25…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • WILLIAMSFIELD – A fire at a Williamsfield residence resulted in a woman receiving hospital treatment.About 12:05 a.m. Aug. 21, firefighters were summoned to 125 N. Olive St. There they found light smoke and a few flames emanating from the house, according to Ty Landon, chief of the Williamsfield Fire Protection District. Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly, Landon said. The source appeared to be electric wires that shorted along the baseboard of the house. All three occupants exited safely, although at least one cat was…

Traffic Citations 8-5 – Carlos A. Pantosa Diaz – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 8-7 – Marcus A. Smith – Driving 11-14 mph above limit. 8-9 – Tristan J. Shaw – Driving 11-14 mph above limit and uninsured vehicle. Incidents & AccidentsStark County7-16 – A Galesburg man sustained a minor injury from a single-vehicle accident west of LaFayette. Shortly before 6:30 a.m., 26-year-old Dalton J. Coulter was driving a 2008 Chevrolet truck east on Knox Highway 4 but didn’t stop at an intersection with Illinois Route 17. The vehicle proceeded through the intersection and crashed into a ditch, according to…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police reports • PRINCEVILLE – An Edwards woman sustained a broken ankle and forearm lacerations in a one-vehicle accident south of Princeville. Isobel Schlueter was transported to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria following the accident, which happened about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 2 at Legion Hall and Mendenhall roads. Schlueter and a male had been inside a 2014 Ford Focus that left Legion Hall Road at a curve and struck a stand of trees. The impact cut one tree in half, according to a Peoria…

Rambling through central Illinois, happy to see morning dew. • • • With every passing day, I keep getting more interested in things that benefit senior citizens. So the concept of Knox County TRIAD is more and more appealing. If you aren’t aware, TRIAD is an offshoot of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office designed to support local food pantries and to educate and assist senior citizens (age 65 and over) with daily living. One way TRIAD helps is by alerting seniors to the many scammers trying to steal their money or identity. (On a side note, while it may not be…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – Like many of its residents, perhaps, Courtyard Estates of Farmington is in transition. As a result of the bankruptcy proceedings of its parent company, the senior assisted-living facility now is being operated by a court-appointed receiver. Bank of Farmington, the Courtyard Estates mortgage holder, negotiated the temporary move announced Monday. The plan is for a new owner to take over the Petersen Health Care facility, according to Bank of Farmington President Joseph Higgs. It could take two to three months before enough information is available to determine an asking price, although a sale…

By MOLLY RICHESONFor The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – The Williamsfield Village Board has begun the process of drafting a new local ordinance to keep a 1% grocery tax in place once a similar state tax is repealed.Illinois is repealing a 1% grocery tax effective Jan. 1, 2026. That tax was collected by the state but paid to municipalities. Village President Robert Johnson said at Monday’s board meeting that Williamsfield needs the funding. “With a $60,000 budget deficit, minimum wage increase in January and other unexpected expenses at the water plant, we cannot afford to let this revenue stream slip through our…