Western Illinois Today

Mercer County Jail Getting Inmates From Shut Down Warren County Jail

The Mercer County Jail receiving 23 additional inmates from Warren County, that’s because the Warren County Jail is shutting down due to a correctional staffing issue. Mercer County Sheriff Dave Staley spoke with WRMJ late Wednesday afternoon. Staley says the…

Work On Illinois 17 In Mercer County Begins Aug. 20

The Illinois Department of Transportation announces that work will begin on Illinois Route 17 in Mercer County later this month. The project will start Monday, August 20, about 5 miles west of Joy. The upgrade involves replacing the bridge that…

Food Pantry & Tiger Closet Part Of New School Year At Sherrard

Those families in need in the Sherrard School District can get a little more help in the new school year. Sherrard High School and Junior High are partnering with the River Bend Foodbank to create a school pantry. In addition…

WRMJ Interview: Filmmaker Tells Story of $53.7-Million Embezzlement Case in Dixon, Illinois

WRMJ News Director Jim Taylor spoke with filmmaker Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope this morning. The Depaul University accounting professor is the director of the documentary All The Queen’s Horses, which details the story of former Dixon, Illinois comptroller Rita Crundwell,…

Information On Looser-Flake Charitable Foundation & Mercer County: Better Together Detailed Monday Night

A lesson in the Looser-Flake Charitable Foundation and the resulting Mercer County: Better Together effort. The foundation’s Kelly Thompson provided an update at a public education session held last night at the Hamlet-Presbyterian Church Hall. The Looser-Flake Charitable Foundation represents…

Mercer County Unemployment Rate At 4.4 Percent

Mercer County unemployment remains steady at 4.4 percent. The number is for June and is similar to the same figure recorded a year ago. Unemployment also steady compared to year over year levels in Henderson, Henry, Knox, Rock Island and…

Plenty Of Mural Work Continues For Aledo’s Clark

WRMJ News Director Jim Taylor caught up with Aledo artist/sign painter Mike Clark this afternoon. He has worked on a number of mural projects this summer–including work in Aledo, Kewanee, Galva and Streator along with New London, Iowa.