NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Former restaurant owner pleads guilty to fraud PEORIA – The owner of a defunct Farmington restaurant pleaded guilty last week to defrauding the federal government of pandemic-relief funds, court documents stated. Michael L. Patch, 65, of St. Augustine faces up to 30 years in prison after he admitted guilt to one count of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. His trial was to begin Oct. 17 in U.S. District Court in Peoria. Instead, Patch entered his plea Sept. 29….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 9-12 – Aaliyah L. McLaurin – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 9-12 – Camble R. Kirkhove – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. Incidents & Accidents Stark County 9-11 – A domestic incident was investigated in the 200 block of Lyons Court in Toulon. 9-12 – A domestic battery incident was handled in the 300 block of S. Peoria St., in Bradford. 9-12 – Eric M. Larson, 28, Wyoming, was cited for failure to reduce speed to…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • ELMWOOD – An 81-year-old female driver’s medical emergency led to a two-vehicle collision south of Elmwood, according to authorities. About 3 p.m. Sept. 13, Avis M. Braden of Mapleton was driving a southbound 2020 Dodge Caravan on Illinois Route 78 about 1 mile south of Knox Road 250 North when the vehicle rear-ended a 2018 Ford Edge, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Robert E. Kindred, 73, of Morton was driving the Edge and pulled over when…

It wasn’t just the rhubarb pie and ribeye sandwiches talking. Sitting at Harvest Home Park in Yates City on a recent Saturday during the town’s annual festival, my family came to the same conclusion: What a nice park. Nice dry pavilion (which was particularly welcome when the monsoons came). Well-kept ball diamond. New playground equipment. Nifty stage. Plenty of grass for kids to run on. A groomed tractor-pull pit. And now the park will be even more usable thanks to the addition of lights to illuminate the ball diamond. In just a few months of fundraising, the Light Up Yates…

By NICK VLAHOS For The Weekly Post HANNA CITY – Almost no fuel was found inside a single-engine airplane involved in a fatal crash last month in downtown Hanna City, according to authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report last weekend regarding the accident, which happened about 12:30 p.m. Aug. 13. A New Mexico pilot and his wife were killed after he attempted an emergency landing on Illinois Route 116. During a post-accident examination of the four-seat 1982 Mooney M20K, only a small amount of aviation fuel was found in the right-wing tank, the report stated. The report…

Elmwood board votes to name building for board member By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – Plans are moving forward rapidly for a new Ag, Trades and Industrial Arts Building at Elmwood High School. And that includes a new name for the proposed addition. After reading a resolution praising board member Claude Keefer, the board on Monday voted unanimously to name the planned building after Keefer, who abstained from voting but seemed moved by the gesture. When asked for comment, Keefer said haltingly, “I won’t be able to say much.” Keefer has been a tireless advocate for teaching Elmwood students…

By CAROL TOWNSEND For The Prairie News GALVA – If Lauren Heck ever needs advice regarding her new position as director of Galva Public Library, she won’t have to look far. Heck is taking over the library directorship from her mother-in-law, Melody Heck, who retired Aug. 31 after 47 years at the library – including 27 as director. Lauren Heck lives in Galva with her husband, David, and comes to her job with several new ideas that she hopes to implement as early as this fall. Some of those ideas include new programming, game nights, children’s programs, after-school programs and…

Insurer pays $260,000 By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Prairie News TOULON – Stark County insurance carrier Tokio Marine HCC Public Risk Group and U.S. Specialty Insurance Company paid $260,000 to the estate of Sterling Williams Jr. on July 20 to settle a lawsuit. Williams was incarcerated at the Stark County Jail in 2019 and placed under a suicide watch. On May 3, 2019, Williams committed suicide in his cell at the Stark County Jail and was pronounced dead at St. Luke Hospital in Kewanee. In 2021, Sterling Williams Sr. and family filed suit against Stark County, Sheriff Steven Sloan…

GALVA – Coming soon to Galva is OSF Rehabilitation at OSF St. Mary Medical Center, which is an additional satellite location focused on physical therapy that will open this fall. The new OSF Rehabilitation clinic will be in the same building as the OSF Medical Group location in Galva, at 230 Exchange St., Unit D. The new location will provide access to high-quality care that is easily accessible with no stairs and nearby parking. Bringing physical therapy services to Galva bridges the gap between Kewanee and Galesburg. At this time, the location will be focused on physical therapy, including trigger…

After lamenting turnout in 2021, coaches see better numbers this fall By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post Last year, coaches in this same space were fretting about the future of high school football. Numbers were down. Injuries dominated the conversation. And eight-man football was all the rage. Twelve months later, some teams are still turning to the eight-man game and measures are still being taken to make the game safer. But at least locally, turnout for most programs playing 11-man football is the best in years. Farmington doesn’t have enough varsity jerseys for its 87 players. Princeville has the best…