­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…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  Traffic citations &Ordinance violations­5-4 – James W. Schupp – Uninsured vehicle.5-5 – Anna M. Juarez – Driving 15-20 mph above limit.5-11 – Skyler D. Ireland – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.5-11 – Keira G. Jones – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. Incidents & AccidentsStark County5-4 – A deer related vehicle accident occurred on the South Osceola Road near the intersection of 1650N. The driver involved was Brock A. Colgan, 44, of Bradford. No injuries were reported but the vehicle sustained estimated damages over $1,500.5-5 – Authorities…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Elmwood locks down school after threats ELMWOOD – An Elmwood man wanted by the military was arrested and accused of threatening his former girlfriend. The threats resulted in a brief soft lockdown of the Elmwood school building. Peoria police took Morgan R. Ludolph, 18, into custody about 10 a.m. May 8 at McDonald’s, 627 N. Western Ave. Ludolph was making homicidal and suicidal comments, according to Semone Roth, a police-department spokeswoman. Law-enforcement authorities in multiple jurisdictions were searching for Ludolph after a 17-year-old female Elmwood High…

Rambling through central Illinois, giving serious consideration to May as the best month of all. • • • At lunch the other day, we started talking about how bad roads are around here. High on my list is Illinois Route 78, aka the covered-wagon trail. Someone else submitted Illinois Route 97 as terrible, noting that damage to the shoulder is eating into the roadway, making it tough for two large vehicles to pass safely. Then there’s Illinois Route 180 north of Williamsfield, where folks ponder what the “shoulder” of the road actually looks like. There’s a pattern here. Roads with…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations­5-3 – Noah G. Thornton – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.5-3 – Shylynn N. Cain – Electronic communications device (cellphone).5-3 – Scot J. Mincey – Driving 15-20 mph above limit – two counts.5-3 – Austin K. Dozard – Driving 15-20 mph above limit.5-4 – Hannah L. Konhorst – No valid registration.5-4 – Angela M. Smith – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.5-4 – Kailey A. Smith – Disregard stop sign.5-4 – Jonathan L. Kincaid – Driving 11-14 mph above limit and driving restriction time…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Princeville woman killed in car crashPEORIA – A Princeville-area woman was killed in a two-vehicle accident at the northwest edge of Peoria. Nevaeh Mitchell, 18, was pronounced dead at 12:27 a.m. May 5 at the scene, in the 8400 block of N. Orange Prairie Rd., according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood. An autopsy was to be performed Tuesday. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. May 4, Mitchell was driving north on Orange Prairie Road when another vehicle struck hers head-on. The other vehicle was headed south in…