By Jeff Lampefor The Weekly Post For much of his life, Elmwood native, Karl Taylor has had a fascination with Nelson Dean Jay. In Taylor’s estimation, Jay is a much-accomplished Elmwood native who most folks know very little about. To help spread the word, Taylor, 84, is collaborating on a book about Jay’s life and accomplishments along with Bill Engelbrecht of Peoria. And while the book titled “58 Avenue Foch’’ is not yet finished, Taylor will be discussing Jay and his project at the Elmwood Historical Society meeting Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Elmwood’s First Presbyterian Church. “We’d like…

By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – Pork chops are a default festival food in central Illinois, and with good reason. Done right, a grilled slab of juicy pork tastes delicious and is fairly easy to turn out in large quantities. But when Brimfield gathers this weekend for its 132nd annual celebration of Old Settlers Days, a rare festival food entry will dominate dinner discussions on Friday and Saturday night from 5-8 p.m. As they have for decades, members of the Brimfield Area Men’s Club will cook plenty of pork chops, but they will also fry up nearly 700…

By NICK VLAHOS For The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – Public nuisances in Williamsfield have become a burning issue. A smoky one, too. Residents setting fire as desired to debris and other items outdoors on their properties has the Williamsfield Village Board considering changes to its nuisance ordinance, community officials said. Specificity is necessary about what can burned and when, in their view. “Some people want to burn every day,” Williamsfield Police Chief James Robertson said. “Usually, it’s just shrubs or material from their yards. Occasionally, someone wants to burn furniture or treated material that has chemicals in it.” The frequency and…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 8-4 – Alejandro M. Corral – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 8-8 – Mark A. Copeland – Leaving the scene. Felonies & Misdemeanors 8-4 – Criminal misdemeanor – Ian J. Potter – Criminal damage to property. 7-10 – Criminal misdemeanor – Stacy L. Lantz – Criminal trespass remain on land and disorderly conduct. Incidents & Accidents Stark County 8-1 – Tracy D. Williams, 28, Speer, was arrested for failure to appear on a Fulton County warrant…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • BRIMFIELD – An Elmwood man was implicated in a domestic-violence incident in Brimfield. Blake D. Lawson, 27, was arrested about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 7 in the 100 block of W. Knoxville St., according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were summoned to that Brimfield location several hours earlier. There they found Lawson and a 25-year-old woman whose clothes were ripped and who was not wearing pants or underwear, according to a sheriff’s-office report. Her clothes were scattered…

Village passes ordinance By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – Brimfield took one step closer to a 12-acre community solar project on Monday when the Village Board voted 5-1 in favor of an ordinance establishing regulations for solar installations. If three other hurdles are cleared, a proposed Jubilee Solar project on the east side of the village could generate up to $41,000 per year in benefits for the school district and an additional $5,500 for local taxing bodies according to the developer, Trajectory Energy Partners. Timing of the decision led to the lone dissenting vote cast by Trustee Paul…

By NICK VLAHOS For The Weekly Post HANNA CITY – At least five vehicle-burglary cases were reported recently in the Hanna City area, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Locations in Hanna City included the 400 block of N. Lakeshore Drive, the 200 block of N. Runkle St., and two in the 300 block of N. Phil Gould Drive. All incidents were reported the morning of July 21. One Phil Gould Drive resident reported three vehicles burglarized, according to the sheriff’s office. Among missing items were pocket knives and a pair of sunglasses valued at $700. Another resident of that block…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Peoria woman survives Kickapoo kayak trip EDWARDS – For hours on July 23, police and friends searched for Dawnn R. Chapman of Peoria, who went missing after she was left to kayak in Kickapoo Creek near Edwards. But Chapman eventually turned up at a Kickapoo gasoline station, where she walked after her kayak overturned, she said. About noon, Chapman, 28, drove to Illinois Route 8 and Taylor Road, parked her vehicle and launched her kayak, according to her boyfriend’s report to…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 6-28 – Robson D. Newbold – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 6-28 – Detrik L. Hendee – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 6-30 – Aisha M. Uzzardo-Butler – Transportation of alcohol/passenger. 7-3 – Natasha L. Johnston – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 7-3 – Jennifer B. McLemore – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 7-2 – Jadin K. Gillan – Speeding 35+ mph over limit. 7-5 – Amos E. Anderson – Unlicensed and driving 15-20 mph above…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Elmwood woman, daughter hurt in crash KNOXVILLE – An Elmwood woman and her teen-age daughter sustained injuries in a two-vehicle accident July 4 in Knox County, where a woman was accused of drunken driving. The accident happened about 10:45 p.m. July 4 on Illinois Route 97 near U.S. Route 150 east of Knoxville. According to the Illinois State Police, a 2010 blue Chrysler van driven by Brittney Thomas, 29, of Galesburg was headed north on Route 97 when it failed to…