Eastern Illinois Foodbank (EIF) is distributing food to area families facing food insecurity. The Foodmobile will travel throughout southern Iroquois County on 05/16/2024 and northern Iroquois County on 05/22/2024, with distribution sites and times and for each town listed at https://www.eifoodbank.org/help/mobile.html.

The distribution is part of the Foodbank’s Foodmobile Program, a system of mobile food pantries designed to help bring nutritious food to rural or underserved areas. Those planning to attend should pre-register at www.EIFclient.com, although doing so does not guarantee a place in line. Income guidelines are as follows:

Updates regarding future food distributions can be found at the Foodbank’s website at www.eifoodbank.org.

On 04/20/2024 at approximately 3:44 AM, Newton County Dispatch received a 911 call in reference to a car versus tree and utility pole crash on State Road 16 near George Ade.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a westbound passenger car (driven by a 63 year old Lake Village man) was entering the curves on SR 16 near George Ade when he fell asleep while driving causing the vehicle to exit the roadway and collide with a NIPSCO utility pole and a tree before coming to rest.

The driver of the passenger car was uninjured and refused medical treatment at the scene. A female passenger was treated for minor injuries on scene and released.

Assisting Agencies: Newton County Dispatch, Newton County EMS, Brook Fire Department, NIPSCOWTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

On 04/20/2024 at approximately 7:56 PM, Newton County Dispatch received a 911 call in reference to a car in the ditch with hazards on at the intersection of US 24 and SR 55.  Preliminary investigation indicates that a Chevrolet Traverse (driven by a 35 year old Kentland man) was traveling eastbound on US 24 approaching SR 55 when for unknown reasons left the roadway on the south side of US 24, the vehicle then collided with a culvert before coming to rest on the southeast corner of the intersection. The driver of the vehicle was provided CPR on scene and transported to Riverside Memorial Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Assisting Agencies: Newton County Dispatch, Newton County EMS, Goodland Fire Department, Kentland Police Department, Goodland Police Department, Brook Police Department.

At 6:15 pm on Wednesday April 17, a ballot placement lottery was held at the Iroquois County administrative building. Democrats won the ballot placement lottery and will appear first on the ballot in November. Republicans will appear second on the ballot.

Then it was the Iroquois County Republican Party county convention at 7:00.

Seventeen of the nineteen elected precinct committeepersons attended the county convention.

Challenger Mitchell Bence defeated the incumbent Lyle Behrends to become the new Iroquois County Republican Party chairman. The vote was 9-8 for Bence. Behrends had served as chairman since 2016.

Dan Huse was reelected vice chairman. He defeated challenger Lindsey Ishmiel. Huse also received 9 votes.

Kurt Albers was reelected treasurer without opposition.

Joseph Monack was elected secretary without opposition.

A Watseka man will be in court May 20 on a felony criminal damage to government property charge.

Brandon J. Wood, 40, homeless, is also charged with a class A misdemeanor criminal trespass to state land charge.

According to reports from Illinois State Police, at 8:43 am. April 15, ISP Trooper 5 responded to a trespasser under the bridge on U.S. 24 over the Iroquois River.

“Wood had been previously advised to vacate the area,” reads the report. “Wood refused to vacate and was placed under arrest and transported to the Iroquois County Jail.”

Illinois Department of Transportation crews were called to move many items that were under the bridge area. Those items were then taken to the Watseka city dumpster to be disposed of. Public Works Director Loren Grosvenor said the crews worked much of the day and filled a 30-yard dumpster.

Wood is scheduled to be in court at 9:30 a.m. May 20.

On 04/16/2024 at approximately 5:05PM, Newton County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the area of CR1200S and CR350E for a single vehicle crash with injuries.

The preliminary investigation indicated that a single vehicle (driven by a 20-year-old Brook, IN man) passenger car was traveling northbound on CR350E near CR1200S. The driver lost control on the gravel causing the vehicle to travel off the roadway and roll multiple times coming to a rest in a field. The male driver was ejected from the vehicle during the collision.

The male driver was immediately transported to the hospital for injuries; his injury status is unknown at this time.

Assisting agencies; Newton County 911 Communications, Newton County EMS and Brook Fire Department

The Iroquois County Fair Board is excited to announce the headliner for the 2024 Christian Concert, presented by 89.7 Shine FM. Christian music hitmaker Colton Dixon is set to headline the concert on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the Iroquois County Fair in Crescent City, Illinois.

After finishing in the top seven on Season 11 of Fox’s American Idol, Colton Dixon first emerged as a phenomenon. Delivering a series of fan-favorite albums, 2013’s A Messenger achieved “the biggest first-week sales by a new solo Christian act” and catapulted into the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart. A year later, Anchor yielded his third and fourth #1 hits on Christian Hot AC with “More of You” and “Through It All.” In 2017, he returned to #1 on the Christian Albums Chart for the third time. He has collected a pair of Dove Awards in “Rock/Contemporary Album” and “Recorded Music Packaging.” Following an invite from the White House, he also shined at the 2019 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. He performed on Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, and in the pages of People magazine. During 2020, he embarked on a new chapter with Atlantic Records ignited by the self-titled Colton Dixon EP and runaway hit “Miracles”—one of his most popular tracks to date. 2022 saw him make his show-stopping debut at the Grand Ole Opry in the midst of kicking off another era and experiencing a creative breakthrough with “Build A Boat.” Between the original and duet version with multiplatinum country songstress Gabby Barrett, it reeled in over 20 million streams. It stood out as “the longest-running Mediabase Christian AC #1 song of 2022” and locked down #1 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs Chart and Christian AC Airplay Chart.

Tickets for the concert will go on sale at 8 AM CST on Friday, April 12, 2024. Grandstand seating and track section tickets will be available. Tickets will be available at www.iroquoiscofair.com.

Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 5 arrested 26-year-old Grant W. Pate of Westville, IL for 11 counts of Possession of Child Pornography (Class 2 Felony) and 11 counts of Dissemination of Child Pornography (Class X Felony).

On March 26, 2024, ISP conducted a residential search warrant in Westville, Illinois.  The search warrant was in reference to multiple Cyber Tips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography.  During the execution of the search warrant, Grant W. Pate was taken into custody and transported to the Vermilion County Jail.

This investigation was a collaborative effort between the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Westville Police Department, and ISP. “The dissemination of child pornography is not only disturbing, but dangerous for the victims depicted in the images stated Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy. Working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program to bring offenders to justice is necessary to keep our children safe.”

The Illinois State Police provide the following resource for parents, for the public to report crimes against children, and victims to start their path towards healing and recovery. Anonymous tips of child pornography can also be reported through the NCMEC CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com. To keep kids safe online, learn more at: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe/; www.cybertipline.org ; For resources for survivors of sexual abuse visit: https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources .

The Watseka Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace - No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town is having bed build at the Gibson Area Hospital Clinic in Watseka from 9 to noon on Saturday, April 13.  Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register at shpbeds.org > find my chapter > click on the event. https://volunteer.shpbeds.org/ 

No building skills or tools are needed.  Training and equipment will be provided.  We plan to build the components for 30 beds for kids ages 3 - 17 in Iroquois and part of Vermilion County, including Hoopeston, East Lynn and Rankin.

 The frequency of and damages caused by severe storms and other natural hazards in Iroquois County will be discussed when the Iroquois County Natural Hazards Mitigation Planning Committee meets at the MABAS 37 Building, 103½ Main St., Crescent City (behind Ailey’s Welding Shop), at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. This Committee, comprised of County, township, municipal, school, fire protection district (FPD), and EMS representatives as well as technical partners and stakeholders, will meet over the next several months to update the Iroquois County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. All Committee meetings are open to the public. “The goal of this meeting is to identify how often severe weather events occur within the County and what kinds of damages have resulted. Based on this information we will begin to compile lists of activities and projects to reduce damages caused by these events,” said Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator, Scott Anderson. The focus of this effort is on natural hazards — severe thunderstorms with damaging winds or hail, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, floods, drought, and excessive heat. Interested people can provide input at these Planning Committee meetings or submit their comments and questions to their appropriate representatives. Participants to date include the County, Ashkum Township FPD, Ashkum, Beaver FPD, Beaverville FPD, Belmont Township, Buckley FPD, Central CUSD #4, Chebanse Township Rural FPD, Chebanse, Cissna Park FPD, Cissna Park, Concord FPD, Crescent City, Crescent Township, Crescent-Iroquois EMS, Crescent-Iroquois FPD, Danforth FPD, Danforth, Gilman Community FPD, Gilman, Iroquois County CUSD #9, Iroquois-Ford FPD, Iroquois-Kankakee Regional Office of Education, Loda FPD, Lovejoy Township, Milford FPD, Milford, Onarga FPD, Onarga, Ridgeland Township, Watseka Fire Department, Watseka, Wellington-Greer FPD, Woodland FPD, Woodland Firefighters Association, and Woodland. Jurisdictions that have yet to participate in a committee meeting are encouraged to attend. “This Plan will be our best resource for determining how to prepare for storms and other natural hazards. After the Plan is completed, comprehensive information will be available in one document to help guide those who are making decisions about how to better protect Iroquois County residents,” added Anderson.