By JEFF LAMPE For The Prairie News The long-awaited start of high school basketball season is finally coming. When and how is all that remains to be finalized. Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced last Friday that all sports – including sports deemed high-risk such as football, basketball and wrestling – can be played in those Illinois regions that have rolled back to Phase 4 mitigations. As of Tuesday, five of the state’s 11 regions had returned to Phase 4 and five more were one step away, in Tier 1 mitigations. Only one region, the Metro East area on the Missouri border,…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Prairie News LaFAYETTE – A LaFayette man was arrested over the weekend and faces multiple charges stemming from an alleged case of kidnapping and torture. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the Knox County Sheriff’s Department responded to the St. Mary’s emergency room in response to a victim who said she had been held against her will and was tortured for four days. According to a Knox County Sheriff’s press release, the victim had injuries from being shot multiple times with a CO2 powered weapon, abrasions from a drill-powered wire brush, as well as bruises from being…

Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 1-18-21 – Brittany A. Moyer – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. 1-23-21 – Peter J. McConaglue -Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-23-21 – Taylor N. Zwanzig – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-23-21 – David P. Rockwell – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-22-21 – Raphyll L. Jordan – Unlicensed and driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-25-21 – Dhiresh Thakur – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-22-21 – Sonya K. Wilson – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-18-21 – Nancy J. Kisner – Driving 21-25 mph above limit. Incidents & Accidents Stark County 1-13 -21–…

By JEFF LAMPE Weekly Post Staff Writer Practices will resume at many schools for junior high students in basketball and volleyball, but playing games is still an issue to be decided at a later date. According to the IESA, under Tier 1 restriction such as those currently in place for our area, volleyball can conduct practices, hold intra-team scrimmages and place contests after seven days of practice within the EMS region. Spectators are not advised at this time. Sports that are considered high risk such as basketball are currently limited to practices. All participants and coaches must wear face masks….

By BILL KNIGHT For The Weekly Post PRINCEVILLE – Aiming for financial stability at a time and in a state where that’s in question, the Board of Education on Jan. 12 approved refinancing its 2014 construction bond and issue working cash bonds to hedge against possible declines in property-tax revenues or state funding. The move will save almost $1 million from currently low interest rates and is meant to ensure School District 326’s tax rate won’t change. “With this funding option, the Board will issue $1.5 million in working cash bonds to help give the District some financial cushion –…

The family home took on new importance in 2020. The year that challenged the Peoria area’s health, business and employment in unprecedented ways saw home sales climb by 18.3 percent over 2019. In 2020, home sales increased by 28 percent in the third quarter and by 29 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the same periods in 2019, according to the Peoria Area Association of REALTORS (PAAR). A total of 6,778 homes were sold in 2020 compared to 5,729 in 2019. This is the highest amount recorded by PAAR going to back to 2005. Median sales price rose to…

Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 1-10-21 – David W. Ensley – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. 1-5-21 – Dana C. Mannon – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. Felonies & Misdemeanors 11-26-20 – Felony – Seirra N. DeLasso – Possession of meth and of a controlled substance. 11-25-20 – Criminal Misdemeanor – Joseph Barks – Criminal trespass to land, disorderly conduct and dog running at large. Incidents & Accidents Stark County 1-6 -21 – A deer-related vehicle accident occurred on Route 93 near the intersection of 950E. The driver involved was Matthew M. Bruecks, 41, Bradford, who was headed east when…

By JEFF LAMPE For The Prairie News The guessing game continues for school sports in Illinois. While a vaccine is being distributed and some parts of the state appear to be headed for less strict COVID-19 mitigations today, there is still much uncertainty about when and if seasons will start. At present, all IHSA and IESA sports are on a holding pattern. And though both of the sanctioning bodies met with top officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Gov. JB Pritzker’s staff on Jan. 6, it is uncertain whether sports can resume any time soon. “We don’t necessarily…

Toulon council discusses development By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Prairie News TOULON – The Toulon City Council participated in a lengthy discussion and presentation concerning economic development at its meeting Monday. Kyle Howard, a Toulon native who now lives in St. Charles, gave a presentation outlining the possibility of Toulon developing its downtown with new businesses in storefronts that are currently vacant. Howard has been aiding with management of Julie’s Cafe Market on Main in Toulon. Howard said he would like to obtain locally made products, such as beef, pork and produce, “and take that to build off of.” Besides…

Maybe the euphoria of a season sweep of the Patriots is clouding my mind, but suddenly I find plenty of blessings to count as we head into the New Year. • Chainsaws. I might not have survived 2020 without Stihl chainsaws and a timber filled with trees that need tending. The most notable discovery this year came from a blowndown box elder that yielded a copious amount of candy cane logs – with bright red streaks running through the split wood. We may use some of the box elder logs for bowls or other decorative items. • Vaccines. Residents of…