By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – A single-day spree in Farmington resulted in multiple stolen and burglarized vehicles.The incidents took place June 3, according to Farmington police reports. At least three vehicles were reported stolen and later recovered, and at least four others were burglarized. Shortly before 8 a.m., officers received a report about two parked vehicles damaged in a hit-and-run collision in the 400 block of S. Apple St. The suspect vehicle, a 2008 Dodge Nitro with Missouri license plates, was located in the parking lot of Dollar General, 816 E. Fort St. When police attempted to…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering thespianism. • • • While knee-deep in prairie Tuesday morning admiring monarch caterpillars and flowering fox tongue beardglove, the phone rang with Amy Davis on the other end. “Um, I didn’t know if you would be interested, but there is a crew shooting a movie in Elmwood today,” Davis said. The caterpillars didn’t mind my rapid departure. Two vivid childhood memories are watching “The Natural” and “Best Friends” being filmed in my neighborhood in Buffalo, N.Y. But I never expected a Los Angeles crew to show up in Elmwood. And I wasn’t going to miss…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – Walkers through Elmwood Township Cemetery had their morning stroll interrupted Tuesday for a rather unusual happening. A movie crew was busy in the west side of the cemetery shooting a scene for the independent film “Wardcliffe,” directed and written by Peoria native David Ferino. Ferino’s film – his first full-length narrative feature – tells a tragic father-son story set during the 2020 COVID quarantine. The film crew of 25, gathered from Los Angeles and various other locales, is expected to work in Elmwood for two weeks and will shoot at several locations, including…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINEFor The Prairie News WYOMING – The revived Spoon River Days event returns Saturday, June 10. This is the second year for the revived celebration and organizer Jon Knoblauch said this year the Shriners’ Cars will be a part of the parade downtown, as they were in the past. The parade will start at 11 a.m. from Thomas Park, travel north to Route 17/Williams Street and turn right to continue to the four-way stop downtown. From there it will turn right and head south to Smith Street where it will turn right again and return to Thomas…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations 5-23 – Diego Armando Diaz-Gomez – Driving 15-20 mph above limit.6-2 – Paul M. Williams – Driving 11-14 mph above limit. Misdemeanors &Felonies 6-2 – Criminal misdemeanor – Megan B. Carter – Obstructing identification.5-26 – Ordinance violation – James R. Sellers – Maintaining a nuisance.Incidents & Accidents5-26 – A single-vehicle accident occurred on Route 40 approximately a quarter of a mile north of 1700N. The driver involved was identified as Grace E. Merritt, 25, Iowa City, Iowa….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police Reports• OAK HILL – Authorities accused a Peoria man of drunken driving, among other crimes, as the result of a single-vehicle accident west of Oak Hill. The wreck that involved Lewis I. Shelton II, 43, happened about 3:45 p.m. May 28 at Illinois Route 8 and Maher Road. According to a witness, Shelton was driving south on Maher Road at about 100 mph and was swerving in and out of his lane. Shelton then disregarded the stop sign at Route 8…

Rambling through central Illinois, getting angrier with raccoons every day. • • • Food served in Oak Hill has been an on-and-off mainstay for generations. It’s on again.Russ and Janice Nash of Elmwood now own the Oak Hill tavern that has fed many over the years. They reopened a month ago for a trial run and, with things now in order, the grand opening of One More @ Oak Hill is Saturday from noon until closing. “We wanted to get everything going well before we had an official grand opening,” said Russ, who retired from Hein Construction five years ago….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations 5-23 – Ryan C. Hodges – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.5-23 – Caleb S. Beach – Driving 15-20 mph above limit.5-27 – Mikayla M. Crandell – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.5-28 – Charles R. McCool – Speeding 35+ mph over limit.5-27 – Michael J. Kelly – Speeding 26-34 mph over limit. Misdemeanors &Felonies 5-26 – Criminal misdemeanor – Ian J. Potter – Criminal damage to property and criminal trespass to residence.Incidents & Accidents5-14 – A possible battery…

Brimfield baseball coach fired By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – Nobody in authority has said much publicly about Brandon Porter’s job status as Brimfield-Elmwood high school baseball coach. But the looks on the faces of his players and the tears in their eyes might have said it all.During a special meeting May 24, the Brimfield School Board approved extracurricular coaching assignments for the 2023-24 academic year. All four high school baseball jobs, including varsity coach, were listed as “TBA.” Also listed that way were two junior-high positions; Porter has been head coach there, too. From all indications, Porter no…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post CHARLESTON – Isaiah Hill was tired and even a little frustrated heading into his final event of a long Saturday at the Class 1A state track meet. By the time the 1,600-meter race had ended, Hill was no longer angry and – even more surprising – no longer weary. “I was actually more tired going into the race than after it,” Hill said. “Because the finish really pumped me up.” Running sixth heading into the final lap, Hill sprinted past five foes to finish second in 4:19.93 – a personal record and E-B school record….