Rambling through central Illinois, pondering the latest headlines outlining the end of our world. • • • The band is getting back together in Farmington. After an estimated 40-year absence, Farmington will have a community band this spring and possibly this summer. Farmington High School Band Director Allison Smith has been organizing the new group, which has its first concert next Thursday (March 30) at 7 p.m. in the Farmington High School auditorium. “Our first rehearsal only had 12 people attend, but it has grown since then and we’ve had 38 people interact with our group since then,” Smith said. “While…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – Marcy Oglesby still faces charges in connection with the death of a Maquon man last year. But first-degree murder no longer is among them. During a hearing March 16 in Knox County Circuit Court, Judge Andrew Doyle granted a motion to dismiss four charges against Oglesby. Her 51st birthday is April 2. Oglesby was accused of using eye drops to poison to death someone believed to be former Maquon Police Chief Richard Young. Oglesby is alleged to have hidden Young’s body in a Maquon storage locker for almost a year. It was discovered…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – The sports cooperative between Brimfield and Elmwood high schools will continue for at least two more academic years. Without discussion, the Brimfield school board voted 6-0 during its meeting March 15 to authorize co-op renewal. Students from Brimfield and Elmwood still will combine to form teams in baseball, cross country, football, softball and track and field. The schools also share a spirit-squad team. The future of the co-op has been deliberated at board meetings of both districts. Last month, Elmwood school-board members voted 5-1 to renew the co-op for 2023-24 and 2024-25. The…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – Some educators and students have called for a new Princeville School District student cellphone policy. The policy proposed during a school-board meeting March 14 allows high school students to check cellphone messages in hallways during passing periods. Currently, students are prohibited from carrying cellphones during school hours. They must be off and stored in lockers or vehicles. “That wasn’t happening, and quite honestly, it wasn’t going to be feasible if we continued down that path,” Junior-Senior High School Principal Rich Thole said. A committee of 20 students and seven staff members formed in…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • FARMINGTON – A traffic stop in Farmington resulted in the arrest of a Bellevue man wanted by Peoria County law-enforcement authorities. Andrew J. Chiarvalle, 35, was driving a 2009 Ford Ranger pickup truck when a Farmington police officer stopped him about 12:15 p.m. March 11 at Main Street and Barlow Road. Chiarvalle was traveling 47 mph in a 30-mph zone, according to a Farmington Police Department report. Chiarvalle also had an outstanding warrant for larceny. He posted $605…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations3-8 – Todd C. Schafer, Speeding 35+ mph over the limit.Incidents & Accidents Stark County3-6 – A deer-related vehicle accident occurred on 1500E just east of the intersection of 1425N. The driver involved was Sharon Shaner, 66, of Bradford. No injuries were reported but the vehicle sustained estimated damages over $1,500.3-9 – A domestic problem was reported and handled in the 100 block of W. Main St. in Toulon.3-10 – Melody A. Kent, 28, Galva, turned herself into…

Rambling through central Illinois, happy to report the bluebells are starting to poke through the leaf litter and promise to put on a fantastic show later this spring. • • • Callers have been wondering if we will have stories about political races before the April 4 election. Yes! Watch for stories on the Brimfield and Williamsfield school board elections and the contested race for Farmington mayor in the next two editions. … Anyone who saw Elmwood get thumped by Illini Bluffs (32-5) in the sectional had to be impressed by IB. Some even pondered whether IB had what it…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – School boards make decisions every month across Illinois, often with little obvious change.Occasionally though, a vote leads to a clear consequence – sometimes even a state championship, as was the case in Farmington. In the first year of establishing a junior high wrestling program, Farmington saw sixth-grader Isaac Showalter go undefeated in his 70-pound weight class en route to an IESA Class A state championship last weekend.Showalter and fellow junior high qualifier Chase Frye were part of a contingent of wrestlers on hand to be recognized by the school board at its monthly…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – A quartet of local taxing bodies is to receive new revenue from a renewed Elmwood tax-increment-financing district. During its meeting March 7, the Elmwood City Council approved a 10-year extension of the Central Business District TIF area. The vote followed talks among city officials and representatives of the Elmwood Rural Fire Protection District, Elmwood Township and the Elmwood School District. Under the renewal terms, those entities and the Elmwood road and bridge fund are to receive 50 percent of downtown-TIF revenue paid from 2024 to 2028, in proportion with their property-tax rates. The…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – Ladd’s Food Mart is to receive the final video-gambling license the current Williamsfield Village Board intends to issue. The board decided March 6 to cap at three the number of video-gambling permit holders in town, according to Village President Matt Tonkin. Only one Billtown business offers video gambling – Double Take Bar & Grill, 111 N. Oak St. Another license has been granted for a combination gambling parlor-laundromat being constructed across the street from Double Take, according to Tonkin. “I’m not a fan of gambling,” he said. “It’s just a shame that’s where…