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Around the Tri States: Missing Fulton County teen located in Arizona; Macomb chamber director steps down; Galesburg to buy five new city buses

Jane Carlson
/
Tri States Public Radio

A weekly roundup of news from around the region.

Missing Fulton County teen located in Arizona

A Fulton County teenager reported missing earlier this month has been located in Phoeniz, Ariz.

The 16-year-old girl was last seen Sept. 6 in Canton before being located by authorities.

Police said an investigation led to the arrest of Jack L. Daniels of Wisconsin on a Fulton County warrant for child abduction.

The FBI assisted with the investigation.

Macomb chamber director steps down

Lauren Merritt is resigning after more than six years as executive director of the Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce.

She is leaving to become business manager of Wesley United Methodist Church. She begins that position next month.

Merritt said she will work closely with the Chamber’s Board of Directors to ensure a smooth transition, and will remain fully engaged in her duties until a new executive director is onboard.

Galesburg to buy five new city buses

The city of Galesburg will use a $900,000 federal grant to buy five new passenger buses for public transportation, but they’ll be smaller than what’s currently on the streets.

The city received the grant in 2018 to buy up to two heavy-duty buses with 30 seats. Because of staffing changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, the purchase was never made.

The price of new heavy-duty buses then went up significantly, so the city decided to go with up to five 22-passenger buses instead.

The new buses will help the city’s aging fleet of buses, according to officials.

Macomb city council approves tourism contract

The Macomb Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has a new contract with the city.

It makes no changes from the previous agreement. The CVB, also known as Visit Unforgettable Forgottonia, is in charge of promoting tourism and bringing conventions to Macomb.

In exchange, the city will pay the organization 78% of the hotel-motel tax revenue collected in the city.

The contract runs through the end of April 2027.

New hours for DMVs in Illinois

Illinois is adjusting the operating hours of many of its Department of Motor Vehicle facilities across the state beginning on Monday, Sept. 23.

The facilities will open at 7:30 a.m., half-an-hour earlier than current hours. They will also close half-an-hour earlier at 5 p.m.

The Secretary of State’s office said it’s making the change because there is generally a higher customer demand in the morning.

DMV facilities with new hours include Beardstown, Canton, Carthage, Galesburg, Havana, Macomb, Monmouth, and Pittsfield.

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