Peoria County Area News Briefs

Chronicle Media
Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino, 7 Blackjack Blvd., East Peoria, will be the site for the annual Super Trivia Challenge benefitting the  Peoria-based Community Workshop and Training Center. (Photo CWTC.org)

Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino, 7 Blackjack Blvd., East Peoria, will be the site for the annual Super Trivia Challenge benefitting the Peoria-based Community Workshop and Training Center. (Photo CWTC.org)

Peoria County

Super Trivia Challenge a fundraiser for CWTC

Community Workshop and Training Center announced its annual Super Trivia Challenge for Friday, Jan. 15 t the Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino, 7 Blackjack Blvd., East Peoria. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the trivia begins at 7 p.m. Individuals, companies, and organizations are welcome to participate. Registration is $30 a person while groups can reserve a table of eight for $240. Entries include appetizers and cash bar. Prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place teams. All money raised goes directly to programs and direct services for CWTC consumers.

Download registration forms and order tickets online at cwtc.org or send a check to CWTC, 3215 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604. For more information, contact Rick Stephenson at 686-3300 or rstephenson@cwtc.org

Circuit court judge assignments announced

The new judicial assignments for the 10th Circuit Court were recently announced.  Judges John Vespa and Albert Purham Jr. will be in the felony courtrooms previously held by Judges Kevin Lyons and David Brown, who have new assignments. Former county prosecutor Suzanne Patton was appointed to replace Judge Dave Dubicki, who retired. Patton will be to handle orders of protection, paternity, small claims, mental health and other civil matters in Peoria County. Judge Jodi Hoos will now preside over one of Peoria County’s civil courtrooms. Judge Steve Kouri will be in the other civil courtroom and remain as chief judge. Kouri is responsible for administrative duties for all of the 10th Circuit, which serves Peoria, Tazewell, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties. Judge Paul Gilfillan is the chief judge in Tazewell County and will preside over Tazewell’s felony court, and Judge Kirk Schoenbein will preside over Pekin’s misdemeanor and juvenile courtroom. Judge Mike Risinger will move from probate court to head Tazewell County’s civil courtroom. Judge Thomas Keith will preside over Tazewell’s domestic relations courtroom. Judges Kim Kelley and Mark Gilles will oversee the two domestic relations courts in Peoria. Judge Michael McCuskey stays on as the judge in the circuit’s northern three counties of Marshall, Stark and Putnam.

Chillicothe

City to tackle drain issue on Truitt Avenue

The City Council approved a proposal to have staff prepare bid specifications for a drain improvement project on Truitt Avenue.  The council took the action at its Dec. 14 meeting and expects the project to begin sometime in January. Standing water has long been a problem in that Truitt Avenue location as the water that build up there does not drain properly, despite the city cleaning out dry wells and taking other measures. The city’s location to the river also is a contributing factor as the slopes of the streets create landscape that traps the water. According to the city, the first part of the project will involve piping with holes being laid along section of Truitt Avenue, according to reports. Cost of this phase is expected to be between $60,000 and $80,000, according to reports.

Peoria

Man held for trying to get sex from young girl

Da Marcus C. Pate Jr., 22, of 3501 N. Sterling Ave., was being held on a $150,000 bond last week for allegedly attempting to solicit sex from an 11-year-old girl. Pate had reportedly set up a meeting with the girl after a discussion they had became sexual in nature. He was discovered at the girl’s home by three women who held him after being suspicious about his behavior and called police. If convicted, Pate faces a prison term of up to 15 years.

Christmas tree causes home fire

A Christmas tree is the cause for a Christmas Day fire in a home at 510 E. Embert Place, Peoria, according to reports. The residents arrived home around 6 p.m. Dec. 25 and found smoke and their smoke detectors had gone off, according to reports. When firefighters arrived around 6:10 p.m., there was no fire but smoke was inside the home.  A Christmas tree inside the home had apparently caught fire and then burned out, according to reports. Damage was estimated at $20,000.

Local man found dead in McLean County pond

Authorities are investigating the death of a Peoria man who was found dead Dec. 22 after the vehicle he was driving went into Lake Evergreen in Hudson. Patrick M. McCurdy, 37, formerly of Minonk, was pronounced dead at 1:31 p.m., according to the McLean County Coroner.  McCurdy as alone in the vehicle and was wearing a seat belt, according to reports. A toxicology report was pending. Members of the McLean County Sheriff’s Office and the Hudson Fire Department ,along with the Hudson dive team responded to the initial call.

Peoria man receives commutation by the president

A Peoria man had his sentenced commuted by President Barack Obama.  Eugene L. Haywood Sr., 39, was one of nine people from Illinois the president commuted and one of 95 across the country. In July 2002, he was sentenced to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted earlier in that year to conspiring to sell crack cocaine and possessing more than 50 grams of crack cocaine, according to reports. Haywood had two prior felony drug convictions.  All of those commuted from Illinois were convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

Regional

Farmers Market manager certification available

This year marks the inaugural class of Illinois Certified Market Managers sponsored by the Illinois Farmers Market Association (IFMA) and hosted by the University of Illinois Extension in January.  The Michigan Farmers Markets Association (MIFMA) is hosting its sixth annual Market Manager Certificate Program in 2016,  and registration for the full program is now open. The MIFMA Market Manager Certificate  Program (MMCP) is a voluntary program designed to encourage farmers market managers to pursue leadership skills and professional development in topics essential to market management. The full program will include three in-person sessions and seven webinars, totaling more than 35 hours of instruction. The program will begin with in-person sessions hosted in Michigan and  Illinois. The Illinois sessions  will be held in St. Charles, Mt. Vernon and Springfield. The in-person sessions will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23, Saturday, Feb. 6 and on Wednesday, Feb. 17.  The webinars will start on Monday, Jan. 25 and be held through Wednesday, Feb. 15.  Interested individuals can register and reserve their spot for the full program at www.mifma.org/mmcp.

–Peoria County Area News Briefs–