By CAROL TOWNSENDFor The Prairie News GALVA – A storm that took down trees here, damaged roofs and buildings and destroyed baseball dugouts on Sunday was part of a line of storms that spawned six tornadoes in Henry County. The National Weather Service reported Tuesday that the longest tornado of the six in Henry County had a path length of 16.4 miles and impacted Galva. The EF-1 tornado touched down about 1 mile west of Victoria at 8:39 p.m., where it snapped four power poles along Illinois Route 167. The tornado then proceeded to the northeast, passed through Galva and ended…

Bohanan says Farmington job eliminated By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post FARMINGTON – City Administrator Bettina Bohanan did not attend Monday’s meeting of the Farmington City Council and was not in her office on Tuesday. That’s no accident, according to Bohanan. “To my knowledge, my position was eliminated,” Bohanan said Tuesday. “That’s all the further comment I have at this moment.” Farmington Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam had no comment. Bohanan was hired Jan. 3, 2023, after longtime City Administrator Rollen Wright retired. A Canton resident, Bohanan was selected from a field of three candidates. There was no discussion of Bohanan’s position in…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – The prosecution and the defense raised possibilities of another delay in the court case of a woman accused of murdering the former Maquon police chief. Still, the trial of Marcy Oglesby appears closer to commencing than it has in a while. Maybe. Oglesby first was arrested 2½ years ago regarding Richard Young’s death. Jury selection in Oglesby’s trial was expected to begin Wednesday, April 23. But following a motion hearing April 17 in Knox County Circuit Court, public defender David Hansen indicated the schedule might be adjusted. Adding credence to that was a…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – A Williamsfield-area man led Galesburg-based law-enforcement personnel on a one-day odyssey of crime earlier this month. Dallas R. Hulse, 28, was released the afternoon of April 6 from the Knox County Jail. By day’s end, he was back in the jail. In between, Hulse stole someone’s prescription medication, burglarized two vehicles and caused disturbances at two Galesburg businesses and an apartment complex, according to authorities. Initially, Hulse was released from jail about 3:15 p.m. Reports from the Galesburg Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office didn’t specify why Hulse was arrested in…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Traffic citations &Ordinance violations4-14 – Rita Ann Krause – Driving 11-14 mph above limit.4-18 – Dacota M. Hanson – Operating an uninsured vehicle and expired registration.4-20 – Bryce L. Schwerbrock – Operating an uninsured vehicle. Misdemeanors &Felonies4-12 – Felony Class 2 – David D. Shallenberger – Child pornography/possession/moving DPTN. Incidents & AccidentsStark County4-4 – Andrea C. Domingo, 21, of Toulon was involved in a deer-related vehicle accident on Illinois Route 93, approximately one-half mile east of 950 E. No injuries were reported but estimated damage to…

Police reports• YATES CITY – A Yates City man who called law-enforcement authorities to complain about a neighbor’s music level was wanted regarding an illegal-drugs crime. A Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched about 11:15 p.m. March 24 to a residence in the 100 block of E. Main St. Joshua L. Lopeman, 44, and another resident said the neighbor was playing loud music at all hours of the night, according to a sheriff’s-office report. While the deputy was speaking with the neighbor, it was discovered Lopeman was wanted in Fulton County for failure to appear in court and for…

Sick whitetail tests positive for CWD By JEFF LAMPEFor The Weekly Post The bad news that deer hunters and recreational landowners in Peoria County had long expected finally arrived over the weekend, when the state announced a sick 2-year-old deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease. The deer came from a location 5 miles west of Edwards and 4 miles northeast of Trivoli, just west of Eden Road. In other words, way too close to home. The CWD diagnosis is bad for many reasons. The neurological disease, which is akin to mad cow disease, is always fatal for deer. CWD…

Deficit leads board to RIF employees By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post WILLIAMSFIELD – It could have been worse. Instead of laying off all 10 district paraprofessionals as planned, the Williamsfield School Board voted Monday night to let go of four. Board President Chad Goff suggested the modification. The teacher’s-aide reductions, coupled with laying off two food-service workers, would help culminate the district’s paring of at least a $500,000 deficit, according to Goff. “Our expenses for the month were $98,000. Our payroll was $414,000 for the month,” Goff said in front of about 20 attendees, many of them paraprofessionals. “In order…

By NICK VLAHOSFor The Weekly Post GALESBURG – Money might have been a primary motivation for a woman accused of murdering the former Maquon police chief, according to prosecutors. Tens of thousands of dollars were withdrawn from bank accounts Richard Young shared with Marcy Oglesby, Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby said Monday. Worby made that accusation in court during a motion hearing in Oglesby’s case, which is scheduled to go to trial next week. Oglesby’s name was added to the accounts about the time Young is believed to have died from poisoning, in October or November 2021, according to Worby….

Police reports• PEORIA – A Farmington man was accused of stealing a purse from a woman at a Peoria warehouse-club retailer. The incident happened about 4:15 p.m. March 29 at Sam’s Club, 4100 W. Willow Knolls Drive. Security-camera video revealed a man grabbed the yellow purse from a shopping cart, then fled as a passenger in a silver 2014 Chevrolet Impala, according to a Peoria Police Department report. A Peoria officer traced the vehicle’s license plate to Farmington. A Farmington officer identified the suspect as 46-year-old Jonathan L. Halverson. The Farmington officer arrested Halverson about 7 p.m. and transferred him…