Western Illinois Today

A date for a bench trial has been set for the Mercer County School District superintendent. During Tim Farquer’s appearance in Mercer County Circuit Court on Monday, the trial was scheduled for July 29-31. A [FULL STORY]

Local State Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) has passed legislation out of committee, which aims to increase the annual stipend paid to fire protection trustees. House Bill 5253 provides that a member of the board of [FULL STORY]

Aledo native Suzy Bogguss is returning to the area for a performance this weekend. Bugguss, who is the newest Grand Ole Opry member, will be performing at the Orpheum Theater in Galesburg at 7:30 p.m. [FULL STORY]

Mercer County High School’s music theory class is putting on its spring concert in a couple of weeks. The class produces two concerts each school year, with each kid in the class performing one song [FULL STORY]

A former Mercer County High School ag teacher has pleaded guilty to an amended charge and was sentenced to 10 days in the Mercer County Jail and 24 months of second-chance probation in an inappropriate [FULL STORY]

A New Boston man facing a felony sexual abuse charge will remain out of custody after a petition to revoke his pretrial release was denied by a Mercer County judge on Wednesday. 24-year-old Gage Welch [FULL STORY]

The case against two men arrested after police say they seized more than 13 pounds of drugs from an Aledo house last July continues to move forward. 23-year-old Preston Huston of Aledo and 23-year-old Dequan [FULL STORY]

A Viola man facing two felony sexual abuse counts returns to court later this month. 33-year-old Gregory Wilson appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court on Monday, where a pretrial conference was continued to April 20. [FULL STORY]

A Milan man facing a first-degree murder charge in a 2024 drug-related death investigation in rural Sherrard will return to court in June. 43-year-old William DeWitt appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court on Monday, where [FULL STORY]

The Mercer County Health Department is hosting a breast health education night this week. The event will feature guest speakers discussing breast health, mammograms, cancer risk reduction, and more. Registration information is available on the [FULL STORY]