The Weekly Post
Thursday April 5, 2018 Vol. 6, No. 6 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
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Some Knox County ballots were incomplete for primary By BILL KNIGHT
WILLIAMSFIELD – Voters in Persifer, Salem and Truro Townships, plus six other Knox County voting precincts, missed the chance to vote for statewide positions in the Democratic Party in the March 20 primary election due to an error on ballots there. Ballots in Copley, Lynn, Maquon, Ontario, Persifer, Salem, Truro, Victoria and Walnut Grove – including Williamsfield and Yates City – were affected because contested races were omitted for Democratic Central Committeeman and DemoFor The Weekly Post
cratic Central Committeewoman in the 17th Congressional District. Knox County Clerk Scott Erickson this week said Tuesday his office will investigate the incident, examining the software used to see whether code for that race existed for the affected precincts and if not, why. “We will be looking into the cause once we complete the certification for the election,” he told The Weekly Post. After a voter phoned the County Clerk’s office, special ballots for the missing races were produced and sent to the precincts on the afternoon of March 20,
Officials warn about ‘fake weed’
when Democratic voters could complete them along with regular ballots. Some morning voters who returned were permitted to fill out the special ballots in the afternoon, but some didn’t come back to polling places. Knox County’s unofficial election show that incumbents Don Johnston and Kate Jennings won re-election to the Committeeman and Committeewoman posts with 54.1 and 72.4 percent of the vote, respectively. They’d faced challengers Edward Klein (who received 45.8 percent) and Jody Coss (27.5). Figures from throughout the 17th District were similar, with
Johnston getting 57 percent and Jennings 71 percent. No special election will be held unless a candidate or another individual challenges the results of the election in court, Erickson said. “Nobody at this point has challenged the results or requested a special election,” Erickson said. “The number of voters that voted prior to the supplemental ballots being provided is not very many and would not be enough to sway the results of the election.”
BILL KNIGHT can be reached via email at bill.knight@hotmail.com
CANDY APLENTY IN PRINCEVILLE
By BILL KNIGHT
Two people are dead and dozens poisoned in a rash of reactions to a product the Illinois Department of Public Health calls “unsafe” and police said is lifethreatening. Local law enforcement and health officials last week warned the public that synthetic marijuana is causing severe physical reactions, including excessive bleeding, and on Monday, Peoria Coroner Jamie Harwood said authorities suspect K2 in a death last Thursday Inside (March 29). “The deceased, a • Road work for Williamsfield this 22-year-old male summer. Page 7. Peoria resident, was • Turkey season admitted to a Peoria starting slowly. hospital in critical Page 8. condition with severe internal bleeding,” Harwood said, “Despite aggressive treatment, he was pronounced brain dead. It was reported that the deceased had recently used K2.” Supposedly mimicking THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, “cannabinoid” products like K2 aren’t natural, but are human-made substances made by spraying chemicals on dried plant materials, officials say. They’re sold in gas stations, convenience stores and on the street under various brand names, also including Spice, Joker and Kush, and as herbal or liquid inFor The Weekly Post
Continued on Page 2
Speed was of the essence at the start of Saturday’s Easter egg hunt at Cutter’s Grove Park in Princeville, but smiles took over as youngsters found candy at the annual event put on by the Princeville Lion’s Club. While club members took 30 minutes to spread candy throughout the park, the youngsters – divided into different age groups – needed just five minutes to find it all. Photos by Collin Fairfield.
Illinois at the heart of U.S. Interstate system By SHANE NICHOLSON
Its neighbor to the east may claim “The Crossroads of America” title, but by nearly any measure, Illinois is the heart of the U.S. Interstate system. Illinois has the third highest total of Interstate routes and mileage. Only New York and California have more I-designated roadways, with 7 and 25 million more residents, respectively. Only Texas For The Weekly Post
and California routes cover more mileage, though those states are 5- and 3-times larger by territory. And the importance of the routes – many of which were designed to pass through or near Chicago, with its access to the global
economy – further spell out the importance of Illinois as a hub of trans-U.S. travel. The two longest treks of the Interstate system, I-90 and I-80, pass through Illinois on their coast-to-coast journeys. And two key connections to the Gulf States, I55 and I-65, reach their nadir in the Chicago area. Add in I-57, I-64, I-70 and I-94 and an Illinois driver can reach alContinued on Page 13