Incidents & Accidents Stark County 4-21 – A deer-related vehicle accident occurred on 950N, east of the intersection of 1200E. The driver involved was Kenneth D. Curry, 20, of Toulon. No injuries were reported but estimated damages to the vehicle were reported at over $1,500. 5-2 – A single-vehicle accident occurred on Route 91 north of Toulon at 2:56 p.m. The driver involved was Michael C. Dougherty Jr., 27, of Toulon. He was transported by Stark County Ambulance to St. Luke Hospital, in Kewanee. Dougherty was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving a vehicle without…

New school board members seated By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Prairie News WYOMING – The Stark County School District has “cut ties” with Junior/Senior High School Principal Jeff Utsinger, according to Superintendent Brett Elliott. Utsinger has been out of the schools since March and last December was hired as Assistant Superintendent in Canton, where he was scheduled to have a start date of July 1. Utsinger had been a principal at Stark County since the 2019-20 school year. Megan McGann was hired in March to replace Utsinger. “Mr. Utsinger had accumulated enough vacation/leave days to close out the school year,”…

By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – The Village Board on Monday approved a slight change to zoning rules regarding the construction of fences and approved a donation to the Heritage Days festival. Members of the Princeville Civic Association addressed the board and received a $3,000 donation for Heritage Days, which will be held June 24-28. One change is that the fire department will not host a beer tent, since the state is not yet issuing liquor licenses for non-retail uses. Heritage Days was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board also heard a report from…

By LORI HEROLD For The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – Plans for a Cruise-In supporting diabetes research and Brimfield’s Old Settlers Days summer festival are moving forward as planned after Monday’s meeting of the Brimfield Village Board, during which the board approved closing Illinois Route 150 for the events. The Cruise-In will be on Aug. 7 and Old Settlers Days will be from Aug. 12-14. Brimfield School District Superintendent Tony Shinall spoke about an opportunity for the school to offer distance learning by outfitting a room in the high school with the appropriate technology. Funding would come from a USDA grant, with…

Event plans moving ahead By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post News of a “bridge phase” for reopening Illinois from COVID restrictions could come next week, according to Gov. JB Pritzker, who framed his comments in the context of the return of the Chicago Auto Show in July. But the same news has played out at board and council meetings across the area of late. Life as we once knew it is slowly returning to normal, as indicated by approval of festivals and events that one year ago were cancelled by COVID. Some events are weeks away, as in Elmwood, where plans…

Man who robbed Elmwood bank arrested in Springfield By JEFF LAMPE For The Prairie News ELMWOOD – John W. Beck didn’t get much time to enjoy his stolen money. Authorities in Springfield on Wednesday apprehended Beck, who has been charged with robbing the Elmwood Community Bank Tuesday at approximately 10:41 a.m. U.S. Marshals located Beck, 54, in a Springfield hotel where they found a red pipe he brandished while robbing the Elmwood bank, marked cash and a prostitute. Beck fled officers on foot, but was caught after a brief chase. According to Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell, Beck was taken to…

Man armed with pipe robs Elmwood Community Bank 4-21-21 1:30 p.m. update: Suspect in Custody – apprehended in Springfield, Ill. By JEFF LAMPE For The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – An older white male brandishing a red pipe robbed the Elmwood Community Bank on Tuesday at approximately 10:41 a.m. and fled north on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police say the man entered a stolen white Toyota Prius in the 100 block of East Cypress Street north of the bank, which is located on the corner of North Magnolia and Evergreen streets. Footage from a homeowner’s doorbell camera on East…

By COLLIN FAIRFIELD PRINCEVILLE – While his printing business may have opened on April 1, Jamie Patterson assures that Princeville Prints is no joke. Patterson opening his business in Princeville was no accident, either. A 2003 graduate of Stark County High School who is originally from Bradford, Patterson said he did a lot of research in picking Princeville to open his storefront at 116 E. Main St., the former Hometown Bank building. “I looked around. Princeville, was the best fit for me,” Patterson said. “I like the small-town charm.” Another reason he picked Princeville is because it is a central location…

Traffic citations and Ordinance violations 4-2-21 – Alexandria R. Bryan – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 4-2-21 – Brandon J. Lumpkins – Speeding 35+ mph over limit. 4-4-21 – Levi J. Lamothe – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 4-11-21 – Zachary L. Hart – Speeding 26-34 mph over the limit. 4-11-21 – Angela J. Rohman – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 4-10-21 – Leo Z. Steinkerchner – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. Incidents & Accidents Stark County 4-4-21 – A deer-related vehicle accident occurred on Route 93 approximately 100 feet west of the South Osceola Road. The driver involved was…

Kewanee man killed in Illinois Route 78 crash A 34-year-old man from Kewanee was traveling south on Illinois Route 78 when his truck crossed the center line at W. White Rd. and struck another truck traveling northbound before rolling onto its roof, according to an Illinois State Police report. David Carman was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, Rachael M. Stead, 32, of Peoria was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The other driver, David P. Murray, 58, of East Peoria, was also transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Route 78 was closed from Lorrence…