By John A. Ballentine BRADFORD – The Village of Bradford has recently raised the water rate by $9 to $80 per month. According to Village President Henry Waldinger, “Other towns are much higher than Bradford’s rate and we are falling behind.” Also, Waldinger pointed out that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have been flushing so-called “flushable wipes” down into the sewer lines, plus maintenance personnel have found sheets and jeans in the sewer system. “The wipes, sheets and jeans get into the sewer pumps and plug them up, which causes the pumps to burn up. It cost the village…

By Ben Steinbach WYOMING – The City Council heard about plans for Saturday’s Sidewalk Sales and a visit by St. Jude runners during a busy meeting on July 13. Economic Development Advisor Denny Rewerts told the council that Wyoming will be hosting a St. Jude run Saturday from 8 am until 12 pm. Several businesses will be holding sidewalk sales, and there will be a bake sale and raffle at the Paramount Theater, along with free popcorn. Spectators are also encouraged to make signs to cheer on runners as they travel from Kewanee to Peoria. The council assembled early with…

By Carol Townsend GALVA – The City Council accepted the only proposal for the Galva Opera House block at a special meeting Monday night. The proposal came from Brian Anderson of Galva, owner of Anderson Family Coffee which opened in Galva in 2019. Anderson offered the City of Galva $25,000 and will receive the deed once he presents receipts for $60,000 in materials for repairs, which must be done within two years. The City of Galva purchased the property for a price of $25,000 a few years ago when someone had purchased the structure for back taxes. City administrator David…

Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 7-2-20 – Derryk L. Ainsworth – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 7-2-20 – Timothy L. Cravens – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 7-9-20 – Robert W. Auer – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 7-8-20 – Saif U. Shah – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 7-11-20 – Crystiona K. F. Barnwell – Speeding 26-34 mph over limit. 7-10-20 – Jeremiah L. Ramsey – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 7-13-20 – Laurence A. Roddy, Jr. – Speeding 35+ mph over limit. 7-13-20 – Laurence A. Roddy, Jr. – No valid registration. 7-13-20 – Laurence A. Roddy Jr….

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • BRIMFIELD – A Brimfield woman said she was bitten by an older female neighbor who was disgruntled about the way her younger neighbor handled her garbage, though no charges were filed and no medical attention was administered. According to a July 8 Peoria County Sheriff’s report, the younger woman said there was no room in the recycling can, so she put recyclables with regular garbage. The older neighbor, agitated, came to the younger woman’s door, yelled at the…

IHSA return to play guidelines pave way for some contests By JEFF LAMPE Weekly Post Staff Writer High school sports teams can officially practice in Illinois once again. Even so, the larger question remains: will prep athletes be able to compete this fall when, and if, school resumes? The answer appears to be that some, but very possibly not all, sports will have some sort of season if Covid-19 case numbers do not require Illinois to move back from Phase 4 of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. A step toward allowing competition came last week when the Illinois Department…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Peoria County releases May, June crime stats The Peoria Sheriff’s Department has released its Crime Statistics Report for the months of May and June for the eight Peoria County townships in The Weekly Post’s circulation area. The data reflect calls where the County was the primary responder. • Brimfield village and township together had 1 assault, 1 identity theft, 1 battery with an arrest, 1 mob action with an arrest, 1 disorderly conduct, 1 driving with a suspended or revoked license…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering the distances we critters will travel for love. Well, that was one heckuva fireworks show in Elmwood Saturday night – and not just at Sweetwater Park, which was impressive. It seemed like half the town shot off fireworks, leaving smoke lingering long after the last boom. I’ve been hearing similar reports from other towns. This was a year for fireworks galore. Thanks to everyone who lit up the night, in particular the display a few blocks south of West Main Street. … Kudos to Blanche Wilson of Farmington, who on July 5 celebrated her 102nd…

Yates City, Brimfield festivals called off By JEFF LAMPE Weekly Post Staff Writer The foregone conclusion that this is a summer like no others keeps being reinforced. Latest from the “Summer of Covid” are a string of recent cancellations for this August. In the past week, organizers of Brimfield’s Old Settler’s Days and Yates City’s Harvest Home Festival have both opted to call off their August events due to restrictions related to Covid-19. Also canceled is the annual Small Town Tractor Pull in Laura. Patty Tusek sent this release from the Harvest Home committee: “It is with heavy hearts that…

By Jeff Lampe TOULON – SGS is closing its Toulon soil-testing office and laboratory, with July 10 the final day of operation at 117 E. Main St. SGS staff confirmed information in a letter taped to the front door stating that the company is “centralizing” all soil testing at its newer Brookings, S.D. laboratory. The Toulon office stopped taking samples June 26 to prepare for the move. SGS has a staff of seven full-time workers affiliated with its Toulon office, which has been a center for soil-testing since Mowers Soil Testing Plus Inc. consolidated its operations here in March of…