Maquon murder case headed to bench trial By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – A bench trial, not a jury trial, has been scheduled for late June for a woman accused of murdering the former Maquon police chief. Marcy Oglesby waived her jury-trial right Monday during a hearing in Knox County Circuit Court. Oglesby was implicated in October 2022 regarding the death of Richard Young, whose decomposing body was found that month in a Maquon storage locker. Numerous hearings and rulings have happened in Oglesby’s case since then. But until the hearing Monday in front of Judge Andrew Doyle, a…

By MOLLY RICHESONFor The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – The Brimfield Village Board on Monday heard a proposal from David Knight, president of Illinois Solar Services, on the possibility of adding a solar field for the water-treatment facility as well as panel installation for the village hall building. Knight said the switch to solar power for those two facilities alone would lower the village’s electric bill from an approximate $1,850 per month to $59 per month. Illinois Solar Services would partner with Oberlander Electric out of Mossville to complete the project. Knight said the total cost for the water-treatment facility would be…

By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – A rough piece of road in Farmington will get smoothed over this summer.The Farmington City Council on Monday accepted a $313,727 bid from C&G Concrete Construction of East Peoria for a complete rebuild of Oak Street. The bid was lowest of two received and was 14.2% below the original engineer’s estimate of $365,242.50. Laverdiere Construction Inc. of Macomb had the other bid, $332,727.18. Farmington will use Motor Fuel Tax money to pay for the project, which should start soon.“They’re ready to go,” Farmington Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam said after signing bid documents following the meeting….

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PEORIA – A Peoria hospital neglected a Brimfield man who disappeared from the facility and was missing for five months before he was found dead, a lawsuit claims. The family of Logan Dunne is seeking at least $50,000 in damages from Carle Health Methodist Hospital, according to a lawsuit filed May 27 in Peoria County Circuit Court. That’s almost two years to the day Dunne was admitted involuntarily to Methodist – May 29, 2023. Dunne was being treated for mental-health issues and for Type 1 diabetes. The lawsuit asserts Methodist employees knew Dunne wasn’t taking…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports Traffic citations &Ordinance violations5-25 – Teresa R. Wilkins – Suspended registration and uninsured vehicle.5-25 – Scot J. Mincey – Unlawful possession of cannabis.5-31 – Antonio Parangueo – Driving 21-25 mph above limimt.6-2 – Jarred M. Stevens – Expired registration and disregard stop sign. Misdemeanors &Felonies5-28 – Katelynn A. Perrine, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content over .08 and improper lane usage. Incidents & AccidentsStark County5-25 – Chet D. Gillespie of rural Toulon reported hitting a deer on Route 17 north of 900E….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Police reports • FARMINGTON – A traffic stop in Farmington led to two people being detained.Margaret E. Venzon, 50, of Farmington was driving a 2006 Nissan Titan a police officer pulled over at 9 p.m. on May 14 near Main Street and Barlow Road. The vehicle’s driver’s-side taillight wasn’t working, according to a Farmington police report. A check revealed Venzon’s driver’s license was suspended. Also revealed was an outstanding Fulton County warrant for Venzon’s passenger, 61-year-old Dennis C. Kingsley of Farmington. He was wanted for driving with…

It was 1983 when someone asked Mit Beres to take over Elmwood’s Memorial Day remembrance.“They told me, ‘We need somebody to take care of this,’” Beres recalled Monday evening.Earlier in the day, the 83-year-old had coordinated a ceremony in the same crisp, precise manner he has for more than 40 years. Why stay at it so long? “I was proud of it,” Beres said. He is still proud of the event, which for years has consisted of a walk from Central Park to a veterans’ memorial in Elmwood Township Cemetery. There a prayer is followed by “Taps” and by the laying of…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post HANNA CITY – A Louisiana man suspected of pursuing a juvenile for sex was arrested in Hanna City following a two-day search. Rusty P. Barrilleaux, 39, of New Iberia was taken into custody about 8 a.m. Sunday near Murphy Road and Carole Avenue, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. He admitted he was attempting to meet a minor. On Tuesday, Peoria County Circuit Court Judge Mark Gilles ordered Barrilleaux detained until his arraignment June 26. He was charged with solicitation to meet a child, distributing harmful material to a minor and two counts of…

Princeville cuts back on sewer project after construction bids were higher than planned By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – An upcoming sewer- and wastewater-improvement project in Princeville is going to cost a little more than expected. Bids for the project, which is expected to begin this summer, came in higher than the $5.1 million estimate, according to Kevan Cooper of Bruner, Cooper & Zuck., Inc., a Galesburg-based engineering firm. The number of bids, two, appeared to be fewer than anticipated. Ultimately, the Princeville Village Board voted May 20 to accept the lower bid – $6,203,534.85, from Leander Construction Inc….

Police reports• PRINCEVILLE – A Princeville woman was accused of drunken driving following a traffic stop.Dawn E. Johnson Taylor, 62, was behind the wheel of a northbound 1997 Ford Crown Victoria that was weaving shortly before 6:30 p.m. May 7 in the 19200 block of N. Princeville-Jubilee Rd., according to a redacted Peoria County Sheriff’s Office report. Johnson Taylor was arrested shortly after 6:45 p.m. in the 400 block of W. Evans St. in Princeville. She was charged with improper lane use and two counts of driving under the influence. Johnson Taylor was transported to the Peoria County Jail. The…