10. Guilty Homicide Verdicts
Guilty verdicts were handed down in several high-profile homicide cases in the region. In February, a Henry County jury found Daylon Richardson guilty of two counts of murder in the 2022 death of Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist near Alpha. In March, Emily Johnson of Gladstone was found guilty of reckless homicide in Henderson County for the 2022 distracted driving crash on the Great River Bridge that killed construction workers Pearson Franklin and Andrew Whitcomb. She was sentenced in May. In McDonough County, a jury deliberated for only an hour in August before finding Dylan Lovato guilty of first-degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of Ivan Almanza in a Macomb apartment.
9. Keokuk Union Depot Restoration
Keokuk celebrated ongoing restoration efforts at the Union Depot with an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony in November. The 1891 building was used as a passenger depot until 1967, then fell into disrepair. Now, after around $2.5 million in restoration work, the interior and exterior of the depot’s large waiting room again look like they did in 1891.
8. New College Presidents
Monmouth College and Western Illinois University hired new presidents this year, and they’re both women with strong ties to the institutions. Patricia Draves taught chemistry at Monmouth 20 years ago, alongside her husband, an alum. She returned in July to lead the college. After serving as interim since April 1, Kristi Mindrup was named Western Illinois University’s first female president in December. She started working at WIU in 1997. She was vice president of operations at WIU’s Quad Cities campus before being named interim president.
7. Rushville School Bus Crash
On Monday, March 11, an unthinkable tragedy in Rushville: five people were killed when a school bus collided with a semi truck carrying sand. Those killed included three young children. Hundreds of mourners, many wearing the purple and gold colors of the Schuyler-Industry School District, later gathered for a candlelight vigil.
6. A New Library for Galesburg
It was a dream decades in the making. And in April of this year, it finally came true when Galesburg’s new 68,000 square foot library opened its doors. The new library was funded by a $15 million grant from the Illinois State Library and more than $4 million raised locally. It replaces what was meant to be a temporary location after the city’s Carnegie Library burned in 1958. TSPR was there for all the new-library excitement, from the final countdown to the doors opening to the book brigade that helped move collections to the new building. In the new space, library staff are seeing increased social service needs and now plan to hire a safety coordinator.
5. A Standoff in Macomb, Two Officers Shot
In early September, two Macomb police officers were shot while serving a warrant at a residence near the campus of Western Illinois University. The shooting led to a nearly 20-hour standoff involving local, state, and federal officers before the suspect surrendered, and it closed the WIU campus. The wounded officers were back on the job in November.
4. MDH Leadership
Former President and CEO Brian Dietz signed a separation agreement with McDonough District Hospital in February. That was after employees complained in anonymous letters to the hospital’s board and to community leaders that Dietz’s leadership style was creating a toxic work environment. Chief Financial Officer Bill Murdock served as interim President and CEO, then was appointed to the position by the board in May. Murdock is working to grow MDH, improve its financial margins, and address employee concerns by being more transparent.
3. Inside Jails & Prisons
In October, Illinois prison employees staged demonstrations across the state, including at Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg. They say drug use inside prisons has skyrocketed in recent years, with correctional officers exposed to fentanyl-coated envelopes and other substances coming in through the mail. Also in Galesburg, youth detained at the Mary Davis Home filed a federal lawsuit, alleging the conditions and treatment of youth, including extensive solitary confinement, violate their constitutional rights. The U.S. Justice Department later filed a statement of interest in the case. Another federal lawsuit was filed against McDonough County over the beating death of an inmate in the jail late last year. The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the daughter of Darrell Hocker says his constitutional and civil rights were violated when he was housed in a cell with a man known to be violent and mentally ill.
2. Manufacturing Highs & Lows
Vaughan & Bushnell Manufacturing Company appeared to be on the verge of closing, leaving its 130 employees without a job. But in May came the news that the tool manufacturer would be acquired by Iowa-based Marshalltown Tools. The state of Illinois announced a $5 million dollar grant to help the company complete the purchase. That’s not the only manufacturing success story of 2024. Twenty years after Maytag closed in Galesburg, that factory will now be fully occupied again. In October, the city council approved a development agreement with Western Smokehouse Partners. The company’s expansion into the former Maytag building is expected to generate up to 180 manufacturing jobs. But elsewhere in the region, Capital New Holland announced its Burlington factory could close in the coming years as the company looks to streamline operations, leaving 350 people there without jobs. And on the supply chain side, this year saw the announcement of the region’s first Amazon “last-mile” distribution centers – one that’s coming to Burlington and another to Quincy.
1. Western Illinois University Layoffs
As WIU President Kristi Mindrup said, “this is the difficult year.” First, at the end of June, 36 contracts for non-tenure track faculty were not renewed, as the university began to grapple with a large operating deficit. Faculty, staff, and students rallied in downtown Macomb along with community members to ask the Board of Trustees to vote against more layoffs. In August, the Board of Trustees authorized a staff reduction. The administration then said, in order to ensure financial sustainability, WIU would eliminate 57 more faculty positions, including 40 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, and 32 staff positions. The layoffs affected departments across campus. Some non-tenure track faculty were let go immediately, requiring rescheduling of classes for the fall semester. Among those who received layoff notices were all of the university’s library faculty. Board Chair Carin Stutz said the administration took bold decisive actions that the board advocated for to ensure WIU has a stable and sustainable financial future.
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