By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – Since starting the year with a young team and modest hopes, expectations have changed for the Elmwood-Brimfield boys cross country team. The most recent shift came Saturday as the Trojans ran second to Eureka at the Elmwood Invite at Maple Lane Country Club and now rank 9th in Class 1A – up from 21st when the season began. Led by junior Isaiah Hill’s fourth (16:03.2), E-B also got strong races from the rest of its top five: sophomore Mika Nelson (17th, 16:33.8), senior Brendan Williams (23rd, 16:43.7), freshman Aiden Faulkner (26th, 16:47)…

Playoffs at stake for E-B vs. Farmington By JEFF LAMPE and NICK VLAHOS For The Weekly Post RUSHVILLE – One week after being stunned, Farmington went back to its football basics. By piling up 423 yards on 47 carries while completing just two passes, the Farmers (4-2, 4-1 Prairieland) returned to the win column with a 33-16 victory at Rushville-Industry. The result also set up an interesting matchup Friday, as Elmwood-Brimfield (4-2, 4-1) will visit Farmington with a playoff berth and second place in the conference on the line. “It’s probably going to be the best Elmwood-Farmington game since 2017-18,” Farmers Coach…

By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – Farmington City Administrator Rollen Wright informed the City Council Monday night that the pharmacy at the local County Market store will close on Oct. 17. Wright told the council he was contacted by a representative from Niemann Foods Inc. of Quincy, who informed him that Walgreens had purchased Niemann’s pharmacies. The Farmington store will close at 4 p.m. on Oct. 17 and prescriptions will be transferred to the Canton Walgreens store. Patients can chose another pharmacy but must inform their doctor of their choice. In other business, the council unanimously approved paying…

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…