By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – There’s a new sheriff in town. Well, a new sheriff’s deputy in town, to be precise.Vince Cogdal took over last week as the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office regular representative on Princeville byways. He succeeded Gabe Martinez, who moved to another assignment. Cogdal introduced himself to the Princeville Village Board during its meeting Jan. 3. He’ll be the usual officer on duty five days a week, under a renewed contract the board approved last month. That deal reduced regular coverage from seven days a week. “He’s just learning the village and said he’s very…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINEFor The Prairie News TOULON – The end of the sewer saga is in sight. At the Jan. 9 Toulon monthly council meeting, City Engineer Zach Knight said, “Our lift station is finally going to be here on Wednesday [Jan. 11] and I confirmed that with Stark [Excavating]. They intend once it’s delivered to basically complete the installation. Piping and electrical hookups will be done and the next huge step after that will be the startup.” Water will be sent into the lift station to test the pumps and controls. This step is still being scheduled, Knight…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations12-30 – Jubilee A. Sundell – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.12-30 – Jeremy L. Schmuhl – Driving on a suspended license, registration expiration, and operating an unisured vehicle.12-31 – Mercedez M. Smith – Speeding 26-34 mph above limit.1-7 – Haden T. Lucas – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.1-7 – Joseph J. Kaufmann – Driving 15-20 mph above limit.1-7 – Mercedez M. Smith – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.1-3 – Justin J. Hash – Driving 21-25 mph above limit.1-7…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. High-speed chase leads to multiple charges• FARMINGTON – A driver from Rock Island was accused of multiple crimes after he led Farmington police officers and others on a nocturnal chase that exceeded 70 mph. Within about a half hour after Daniel T. Morgan, 32, posted bond on those charges, he was taken into police custody again – this time on an Iowa warrant for attempted murder. The chase began about 1:15 a.m. Jan. 6 in Farmington. A Farmington officer spotted a…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post As the cold, post-holiday reality of winter arrives, land auction season is ready to get hot. And while interest rates doubled in 2022, land prices have still increased. In fact, on Dec. 20, Murray Wise Associates auctioned a farm that is believed to have generated the highest sales price ever in Henry County. A 38-acre parcel of high-quality soils located just southwest of Kewanee sold for $21,100 per acre and a 9-acre tract sold for $18,100 per acre. While that pales in comparison to the $30,000-per-acre price tag from a Nov. 11 auction in Iowa…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Minor chlorine leak at Princeville water plant • PRINCEVILLE – The Princeville village water-treatment plant was the site of a minor chlorine-gas leak last week, according to authorities. The leak was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 in a structure between the main plant and the Village Hall, according to Jeff Troutman, first assistant chief of the Akron-Princeville Fire Protection District. Troutman also is the Princeville village president. An employee at the water-treatment plant walked past the structure and heard…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post  “What are the big white birds I’ve been seeing?” That question, asked increasingly over the past few years, has a simple and encouraging answer: Trumpeter swans. Thanks to protections from hunting and active breeding programs in several states, trumpeter swans are recolonizing areas of the Midwest – including Illinois – where they were eliminated from by 1900. In addition to numerous reports of breeding swans in Illinois, the large birds are increasingly over-wintering in central Illinois. In the past few years, flocks have spent time resting in fields throughout The Weekly Post circulation area. For the…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post The Princeville Holiday Tournament received an early Christmas present, courtesy of Brimfield. When the boys basketball tournament begins Monday, Brimfield will be among its eight teams, although that wasn’t the case originally. Brimfield will replace DePue, which was the subject of a scheduling mix-up.A change in DePue administration and coaching left its officials unaware the school was obligated to play at Princeville, according to Princes Athletics Director Jeff Kratzer. He was unaware of a conflict until after he sent an early-December email regarding the tourney seeding meeting, which was Sunday. “The new AD emailed back…

Turnovers hurt in loss to West Central By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post MONMOUTH – Turnovers and the flu conspired to keep Elmwood (10-3) out of the title game at the United Tournament last week. After winning its first two tournament games, Elmwood lost to West Central, 50-40, on Dec. 13.The Lady Trojans then went on to rout Farmington in the third-place game, 55-20, on Dec. 15. Illini Bluffs (11-4) beat West Central in the tourney title game, 57-41. That was the game Elmwood had planned to play, but those plans were cast aside when the Lady Trojans turned the ball…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – Finding a positive identification for certain human remains found in October in Maquon might take two or three more months, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office investigator. Meanwhile, a woman arrested following the discovery remains in the Knox County Jail as her case proceeds through circuit court after additional charges were filed. A University of Illinois forensic pathologist is to analyze additional samples from the remains found Oct. 7 in a storage unit, Sgt. Brad Davis said last week. Initial samples contained insufficient DNA. That isn’t uncommon in a body as badly…