Galesburg

City leaders in Galesburg are encountering pushback to a plan for expanding Lake Storey to four times its current size. 

Most of us expect water to run freely from our faucets without disruption. Pay your bill, and the water flows. But for some Galesburg residents, keeping up with their water bill has been a struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food insecurity in Galesburg was already a problem before COVID-19 shut down schools in mid-March. So when Governor J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home orders three months ago, Knox County United Way director Laun Dunn knew her organization had to act fast. 

Scott Rasso said he got hooked on the rock opera Tommy when he was in high school.  Now he will direct a version of the classic story for the Prairie Players Civic Theatre in Galesburg.

Housing Program Coordinator Judy Guenseth said Galesburg received grant funding last fall to remove lead paint from up to 200 homes. But only 20 people have applied for the program, so the city is trying again to get out the word.

The Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg will host a series of documentary films during the first part of the year. Executive Director Erin Glasnovich said the theatre has shown documentaries in the past but never week-after-week as part of a series.

Erin Glasnovich has worked at the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg for seven years. She has served as a box office assistant, operations manager, and – for the past 11 months –interim director.  Now the word "interim" has been dropped from her title and she is the theatre's new executive director.

Galesburg has completed the latest round of testing for the presence of lead in drinking water. The city said the results show its prevention efforts are working.

Captain Russ Idle joined the Galesburg Police Department as a patrol officer in 1994. On September 9, he will assume command of the department and its roughly 75 employees, including nearly 50 sworn officers.

"Lights for Liberty" vigils were held around the world on July 12.  Demonstrators called for an end to the human detention camps used by the United States along its border with Mexico.

Milwaukee-based Phoenix Investors has announced the acquisition of the two buildings that housed the Maytag facility in Galesburg. Phoenix is a commercial real estate firm.

There might soon be a public transit option for Knox County residents who live outside of Galesburg.

When Heather Dickson relocated to Galesburg with her husband and daughter, she had no personal connection to the town. In Hope Cemetery, she began putting streets to names. In the process, she gained a deep appreciation for the free thinkers and innovators that abound in Galesburg's past.

Dr. B.S. Kesavan became a much-beloved pediatrician during his four decades in Galesburg.  A stroke sidelined him a couple years ago. It left him wondering what he should do and how he might recover.

Hundreds of people turned out Wednesday morning for a ceremony to mark the opening of the East Main Street underpass.  It will allow emergency vehicles and other drivers to get around that part of town without being stopped by trains.

Project Rebound is a non-profit organization that looks for single family homes in Galesburg that can be bought, renovated, and then sold for $60,000 or less with no down payment.  It strives to help people who are working stable jobs and have good credit but who don't make enough money to save for a down payment. 

The Knox Prairie Community Kitchen (KPCK) provides free community dinners twice a month in Galesburg.  The dinners will continue but beginning in July 2018 they will be held at a new location: the First Baptist Church of Galesburg at 169 South Cherry Street.

The Illinois Department of Transportation said that beginning Monday, April 16, it will close all four lanes of U.S. Route 34 from Illinois 164 east of Monmouth to Main Street in Galesburg to make improvements.  The project is scheduled to last into October.

World-renowned artist Julien de Casabianca installed a large mural on the east side of the Kensington Supportive Living Center during his Galesburg residency at the end of September.  It turns out the mural did not last for long.

Galesburg will join an international art project this month when artist Julien de Casabianca brings one of his latest projects to town.

George Washington Gale is one of Galesburg's most important historical figures. He founded the city and Knox College in 1837. And one year before that, Gale founded the location that would be his final resting place, Hope Cemetery.