Man charged with murdering father
A Mason County man was arrested March 3 for the murder of his father.
Sheriff’s deputies found Paul D. Harris, 69, dead when they went to his home in Goofy Ridge for a well-being check.
Illinois State Police were called to investigate after deputies deemed the death suspicious.
Paul A. Harris, 41, is charged with first-degree murder. Authorities confirmed he is Paul D. Harris’ son.
Monmouth man arrested for child porn
Illinois State Police arrested a Monmouth man on child pornography charges.
Christian Gillette, 18, is charged with one count of possession of child porn and one count of distributing child porn.
ISP and the Monmouth Police Department executed a search warrant at a Monmouth residence and found evidence leading to Gillette’s arrest.
He is in custody at the Warren County jail. A preliminary hearing is set for March 30.
Governor appoints new WIU trustee
Gov. JB Pritzker has appointed Derek Wise to the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees.
The appointment must still be confirmed by the Illinois Senate.
Wise retired last year from the Illinois State Police, where he was Southern Patrol Region Commander.
He also has experience as an Adjunct Professor at Lindenwood University and Southern Illinois University, and he has served as President for the Illinois Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers.
He has associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, though none are from WIU.
Wise replaces Erik Dolieslager of Quincy, who was the current vice chairperson on the WIU board.
The board’s next meeting is on March 23 and 24 at Western’s campus in the Quad Cities.
Macomb police officers promoted
Five members of the Macomb Police Department are taking on new responsibilities:
· Lt. Jeff Hamer was promoted to Operations Commander
· Sgt. Bill Lipcamon was promoted to Lieutenant
· Sgt. Todd Tedrow was promoted to Lieutenant
· Officer Nick Goc was promoted to Sergeant
· Officer Troy Shoudel was promoted to Sergeant
Chief Jerel Jones conducted the promotion ceremony in the Community Room at Macomb City Hall.
Grant to renovate Galesburg park
Galesburg has received a $224,825 state grant to renovate a public park on the city’s south side.
The project includes a modernized playground, picnic shelter, walking path, and half-court basketball area at Lancaster Park, which is off Monmouth Boulevard.
The Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant will fund about half the project, with the other half coming from the city.
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