Construction about to begin on new public library in Carthage
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, at the building site at First and Center streets in Carthage.
The new library will be paid for with grants, donations, library savings, and with money from a bond referendum passed in 2021.
In addition, Prairieland Investment Group donated the site.
The library board is now focused on raising money for new shelving and furnishings. Donations can be made online or sent to the Carthage District Library Foundation, 500 Wabash Ave., Carthage, IL 62321.
Macomb could impose grocery tax to replace state tax
Illinois will repeal its statewide grocery tax on January 1, 2026.
As part of the plan, local municipalities are allowed to implement their own grocery tax without a referendum, and Macomb is prepared to do that.
The city administration said Macomb stands to lose $500,000 in local revenue without the grocery tax.
The city council could give final approval to the tax later this month.
Radosh reappointed to WIU board
Polly Radosh will continue serving on the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced on Monday, April 7 that he’s reappointing Radosh.
She’s been on the board since 2019 and is currently its vice chairperson.
The reappointment is pending approval by the Illinois Senate.
Radosh served 24 years on WIU’s faculty before retiring in 2008. She was a professor of sociology and the founding chair of the university’s Department of Women’s Studies.
One dead in Knox County single-vehicle crash
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal accident near Victoria.
The crash happened around 5:12 p.m.Sunday, April 6 at Illinois Route 167 and Knox Road 1650 East, west of Victoria.
The vehicle was traveling eastbound when it crossed the roadway and struck a fixed object.
The driver was found dead at the scence.
The driver’s name has not been released.
Scholarship honors fallen Knox County deputy
A Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy who was killed in the line of duty in 2022 is being honored with a new scholarship.
The Fraternal Order of Police Spoon River Valley Lodge 427 established the Deputy Nick Weist Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will provide assistance for college criminal justice and law enforcement administration majors from Knox, Mercer, Henry, Warren, and Fulton counties.
Teams are being sought for the first official fundraiser to support the scholarship, a Music Trivia Night on Saturday, May 3 at 6 p.m. at the American Legion in Abingdon. Email memorial@srvfop427.com for entry information. Entry fees and other event proceeds are considered a tax deductible contribution to the 501(c)3 Deputy Nick Weist Memorial Scholarship Fund.
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