No COVID bump for gun hunters as deer totals drop By JEFF LAMPE Weekly Post Staff Writer Any thoughts that the COVID19 slowdown was going to spur a big increase in the number of deer shot in Illinois ended during the first shotgun season. Illinois hunters shot a preliminary total of just 47,147 whitetails during the first weekend of shotgun season, Nov. 20-22. That’s well below last year’s total of 50,173 deer and is one of the lowest for the opening weekend in decades. To find a lower first-season total you have to go all the way back to 1990,…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering people who hide behind excuses. The other day, a nurse called me out of the blue. For the past week, I have been visiting a friend at Methodist Hospital in Peoria. The nurse was informing me that my friend was being tested for COVID-19. “It may be pneumonia, but we’re doing a rapid result test for COVID, so I should be able to call you back in an hour with news,” she said. One hour and 22 minutes later, the nurse called back. Good news. No COVID. No quarantine. No need to skip an issue…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • HANNA CITY – Police were dispatched near the Hanna City Dollar General on Nov. 20 in regard to a truck stuck in a ditch, according to a Peoria County Sheriff report. The driver, Solomon C. Taylor, 41, “appeared to be sleeping.” When police questioned him, he stated he had been working long hours and needed sleep. He also said he was not under the influence of alcohol. A field sobriety test backed up his claim, however, a box…

Traffic citations & Ordinance violations 11-28-20 – Stephanie A. Kash – Operating an uninsured motor vehicle. 11-23-20 – Mackenzi J. Chizmar – Driving 15-20 mph above limit. Incidents & Accidents Stark County 11-27-20 – A deer-related accident occurred on Route 78 near 950N. The driver involved was Troy D. Calhoun, 56, of Toulon. There were no injuries reported but the vehicle did sustain estimated damages over $1,500. 11-25-20 – Joseph L. Barks, 34, Bradford, was arrested for criminal trespass to real property, and was cited for allowing a dog to run at large. He posted $150 cash bond and was…

By JOHN A. BALLENTINE For The Weekly Post BRIMFIELD – Brimfield’s school board acted on several items at its Nov. 11 meeting. The board approved 10 policies, ranging from grievance procedures to prohibitions of student harassment. Approved was the purchase of technology through an IDEA grant in the amount of $64,504. Also approved was an insurance proposal for the school district from Unland insurance for a total of $95,199, up from $82,474 last year. Approved was a lawn mowing bid from Steve Cramer – Pain in the Grass lawn service for $18,000, which includes all grounds at the Brimfield School…

By BILL KNIGHT For The Weekly Post ELMWOOD – The Board of Education on Monday formally approved the 2020 tax levy (for the 2021-22 school year), increasing projected funds 1.69 percent. At the same time, the board voted to reduce the overall tax rate, a decision made possible bu increasing Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) of homes in the school district. The unanimous vote OK’d slight increases to all categories, from mandated categories Education, Operations & Maintenance, and Transportation to special education and tort immunity. The only declines were slight differences in retirement funds. “The County Assessor has projected that our…

Rambling through central Illinois, pondering flying cars. Work hard and good things will happen has always struck me as a good motto. The longer I live, the more I wonder if it’s true. Still, it has been nice to hear tributes to Reid Larson, who on Dec. 2 will retire after working hard and running Reid’s Mobil in Kickapoo since 1977. In an email, Reid’s customer Charles Bush praised Larson as “a throwback to the previous days of ‘service stations’” and wrote “he might drive you home after dropping off the car for service and return it to your driveway…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports • FARMINGTON – According to Farmington Police Chief Chris Darsham, there is a surge in unemployment scams right now. He said, “There are a ton in Farmington and Peoria is getting a bunch, too.” If you receive a letter saying that someone filed for unemployment in your name and you haven’t filled out any forms, contact law enforcement and the unemployment office. • PRINCEVILLE – Dustin E. Weller, 30, of Princeville was charged on Nov. 19 with domestic battery….

By Jeff Lampe Rambling through central Illinois, pondering which sniffle is a symptom and which is not. As a resident of a flyover state dominated by a major metropolis, it’s hard not to have a chip on your shoulder. Reasons are numerous, including the handling of COVID-19. Back in March and April, when the coasts and Chicago were grappling with the pandemic, it was frustrating to be lumped into the same group for requirements and mitigations. The COVID wave was not here then. Yet we were shut down. Well, the wave is here now. And I’m betting we’d be more…

Only Elmwood teams opened basketball practice Monday By JEFF LAMPE Weekly Post Staff Writer High school basketball practice started Monday at some Illinois schools. Sort of. “I guess you could call it that,” said Gregg Meyers, Elmwood girls coach. “It seemed more like a skills camp with no scrimmaging.” Elmwood was the only local school that hit the gym Monday, which was the opening date mandated months ago by the Illinois High School Association – before COVID-19 cases began to soar and led to new sports guidelines. Since then, in addition to delaying the start of games, the Illinois Department…