Thursday October 9, 2014 Vol. 2, No. 33
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Many incumbents have no opposition next month By BILL KNIGHT
Aside from higher-profile federal and state offices, a few races in The Weekly Post circulation area are contested in the upcoming Nov. 4 election. Those contested races include the State Representative from the 91st District, the Knox County Clerk, the Peoria County Board member from District 16 and the Regional Superintendent of Schools in Knox and three other counties. Many races in western Peoria, eastern Knox and northern Fulton Counties are For The Weekly Post
uncontested, however. Incumbents facing no opposition include: • State Reps. David R. Leitch (R73rd) and Donald L. Moffitt (R-74th); • Fulton’s County Clerk James I. Nelson, Treasurer Victoria J. Harper, Sheriff Jeffrey A. Standard, and County Board member Brian Friedrich (Dist. 5); • Knox’s Treasurer Robin E. Davis and Sheriff David L. Clague; • and Peoria’s County Clerk Robert S. (Steve) Sonnemaker, Treasurer Edward T. O’Connor, Sheriff Michael D.
McCoy, Regional Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth A. Derry, and County Board members Robert E. Baietto (Dist. 12), Brian J. Elsasser (Dist. 14) and Paul Rosenbohm (Dist. 18). Voters have other decisions to make, such as two proposed state Constitutional amendments on a Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights and voting rights. There are also three advisory questions, on raising the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour for people older than 18, requiring health plans with prescription drug coverage to include pre-
Wind, cold greet Drive’s first weekend
By BILL KNIGHT
For The Weekly Post
Chilly temperatures last Saturday had people bundling up to shop on the Spoon River Drive. Organizers hope for sunshine this weekend as the drive continues Saturday and Sunday. Photo by Michelle Sherman.
Saturday morning started off steady, if not cold, in Elmwood with passersby stopping to peruse yard sales and vendor offerings. But, as the wind kicked in, so did people’s desire to get indoors. That helped indoors in Elmwood,
where vendors at the Elmwood Township Community Center reported decent traffic in their first year in that venue. And the weather did not seem to dampen attendance or spirits much in Continued on Page 2
Work begins on $1 million Brimfield firehouse BRIMFIELD – The Madison Street lot is cleared, the ground is broken, and progress is visible behind the Brimfield Community Fire Protection District station on East Knoxville here. There have been a few snafus and For The Weekly Post
YATES CITY – The Village Board at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday (Oct. 8) was expected to accept the resignation of Board President Brian Miars, accept Miars’ nomination of Trustee Ken Gibson as new Village President, and confirm Gibson. Miars, 47, said he’s resigning because of a recent career change requiring him to be out of town. Miars this summer accepted a job with BNSF and will be traveling a lot, he said. Miars, who joined the Miars Board in 2001 and became President in 2008, said he’s leaving with pleasant recollections. “I have several good memories that come from obeying the oath I took when accepting my positions as Board member and Village President,” he said, “– I did the best job to my ability for the residents of the Village of Yates City.” Certain specific community achievements the Board assisted with are most memorable, he said. “I was proud to be a part – a small part – of the new library project,” he said. “The Board members and myself were involved prior to, during, and after construction was completed to the great For The Weekly Post
By MICHELLE SHERMAN
By BILL KNIGHT
Continued on Page 7
Miars resigns as YC board president
SPOON RIVER DRIVE CONTINUES
After almost being blown away on Saturday, outdoor vendors for the Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive saw a slight increase in traffic on Sunday. “One vendor’s tent blew over, and products kept blowing around,” said Beth Olmstead of Peoria, who was selling Thirty-One Gifts bags in Elmwood’s Central Park. “We packed up at 10:30 (a.m.). I had no sales and, with the predicted freezing rain and snow on the way, it was not worth the risk.” Even though October weather in Illinois can be unpredictable, Saturday’s highs of 46 degrees and wind gusts of 35 miles per hour were especially challenging to outdoor vendors on the Drive.
scription birth control, and mandating that schools receive more money, based on enrollment, from any additional 3percent tax on income of more than $1 million a year. Also, in Farmington, local voters will cast ballots on authorizing the city to arrange for an electricity supplier for customers who haven’t opted out of such a program. And in Peoria County, voters can vote on whether or not to establish a city/county Board of Election Commis-
delays, but ultimately those benefited the new million-dollar building project, according to site supervisor Pete Mangieri of Mangieri Companies in Peoria and Brimfield Fire Chief James Bennett. Adjustments – both scrambling and innovating – occurred after the BCFPD received bids for the work.
“We were called in on a consultation,” said Mangieri, who also was project manager for the Brimfield School District 309 complex, which opened in 2012. “The bids that came in were very open-ended on details, like without mechanicals. “We thought, ‘This is a mess. Continued on Page 8
Continued on Page 2