David Adam, MRN Editor
QUINCY — Transitions of Western Illinois recently received a three-year grant of approximately $573,287 from the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide mobile crisis response services to the counties of Adams, Hancock and Pike. “The mental health agencies in the counties of Adams, Hancock and Pike currently offer telephone crisis services and walk-in crisis…
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QUINCY — Chuck Scholz fondly remembers most of his time as Quincy’s mayor from 1993 to 2005. He doesn’t hesitate, however, when asked which day was his worst. Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1996. 5:02 p.m. Twenty-five years ago today. United Express Flight 5925, a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop plane, collided as it tried to land with…
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QUINCY — Rodney Hart and his wife Sheryl moved Second String Music from Eighth and Washington to the first floor of the Dodd Building on the northeast corner of Fifth and Maine in July 2012. Hart said the building was in “rough shape” when they bought the entire building a year later. “We took a…
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QUINCY — As Judge Tad Brenner read Tuesday afternoon the details of one count of alleged aggravated criminal sexual assault committed Nov. 9, Bradley S. Yohn interrupted to say, “You’ve got the wrong person, your honor.” And near the end of his first appearance in Adams County Circuit Court, Yohn blurted out, “Kill me now,…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council looked for the first time during Monday night’s meeting at an ordinance that Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says brings the city’s municipal code for video gaming licenses more in line with the Illinois Liquor Control Statute. “We’re not looking at creating additional revenues, but just maintaining and cleaning (the…
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NORMAL, Ill. — Carrie Shaffer couldn’t help herself. Shaffer, a setter on the last Augusta Southeastern team to reach the state volleyball tournament, sent a note to her daughter, Abigail, on Thursday night to offer thoughts about what to expect in Friday morning’s semifinal match. Well, maybe more than a note. “I sent her a…
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QUINCY — Maureen Kahn, president and CEO of Blessing Health Systems, doesn’t want any of her employees to leave. A recent federal mandate regarding COVID-19 vaccines likely will make that difficult to avoid now. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released last week specific health care and business rules to be implemented nationwide. Blessing…
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QUINCY — Larry Webb tries to take care of veterans who visit his restaurant every day. They received an extra treat on Thursday. Webb, owner of the Firehouse Subs restaurant at 3720 Broadway, offers a free drink and a bag of potato chips to all veterans any day. On Veterans Day, he offered to serve…
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QUINCY — Ever wanted to be a police officer? Adam Yates says the time has never been better. Yates, a deputy chief, is searching for possible recruits to apply for positions within the Quincy Police Department. A simple two-page application must be filled out by Nov. 30. A physical agility test is set for 9…
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QUINCY — The city’s newest Dollar General opened its doors Monday after closing the doors of another Dollar General last week. The store at 2000 Broadway welcomed its first customers at 11:30 a.m. Monday. The six employees were transferred from the store at 330 N. 30th, which closed last Wednesday. “We worked really, really hard…
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QUINCY — Aldermen got their first look at a proposed re-districted city ward map at Monday’s City Council meeting. Anyone else getting their first glance at the map would have to look long and hard to find the changes. Only two sections of the current map were adjusted to create the proposed map. One is…
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QUINCY — Susan Scholz doesn’t want to make a big deal out of becoming the first woman to join the Quincy Exchange Club. She wants to focus on her excitement to be part of what is known as “Quincy’s finest hour.” “I am proud and privileged to be a member of the Quincy Exchange Club,”…
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MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — Jury selection in the first-degree murder trial of a Mount Sterling man is scheduled to begin Dec. 6. However, plenty of work remains to be done before the trial begins. John M. Dean, 42, of Mount Sterling, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder in the June 14, 2019…
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What is the longest red light in Quincy? What determines the length of red lights? Muddy River News reached out to the engineering departments for the city of Quincy and the Illinois Department of Transportation for help with this question. Mike Boll is the traffic signal coordinator for the city. He works with the inspection,…
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QUINCY — The jury trial of a Quincy man, charged with aggravated battery after an incident at the nightclub he owned, has been pushed back two months. Steven Homan, who pled not guilty to the charge on May 12, appeared Tuesday morning in Adams County Circuit Court. When he last appeared in court on Sept.…
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QUINCY — After working in the restaurant industry for 20 years, Rebecca Lee always had wanted to own her own restaurant. “It was just one of those dreams that never happened,” she said. Until now. Monday was the first day for Lil’ Abnors Omelette Shack at 938 Maine in the former Pops Pizza building. Lee…
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BARRY, Ill. – Dave Forshey bought a vehicle service contract with St. Louis-based CarShield in June 2020 to cover any problems with the motor, engine and transmission in his 2011 Ford F150. “I told them my truck had more than 289,000 miles on it,” he said. “I really didn’t think they’d take (the policy). That’s…
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QUINCY — Bob Weirather has been interested in astronomy since he was 10 years old. “I would take a cardboard tube that you find in a roll of wax paper and said, ‘This is my first telescope,’” he said. “I put plastic lenses in them, made a telescope, and I’d watch a jet airplane take…
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QUINCY — A yellow giraffe with polka dots named Flower Girl likes to play video games. Flower Girl’s favorite video game involves tractors with flowers. Flower Girl’s friend, a brown cheetah named Cheety, wants to come over to play video games. A red lion named Tiger also wants to play games, but Tiger’s sharp teeth…
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QUINCY — Blaise Haxel always has wanted to own and operate his own bar. After negotiations with another bar owner fell through late this summer, Haxel visited with Sonny Settles, owner of Port’s Place, 510 Jersey. “What really intrigued me about Port’s Place is any time I came in, I always felt like family,” Haxel…
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QUINCY — Mario Mason of Turrell, Ark., pled not guilty to charges that he kidnapped a Quincy woman in July. Mason, 40, entered the plea Tuesday afternoon during an arraignment hearing before Judge Amy Lannerd in Adams County Circuit Court. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit while handcuffed at his ankles and wrists. A status…
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Hotel Nauvoo receives $1.03 million in grant money QUINCY — More than $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds has been given to 15 restaurants, bars and catering companies in Quincy during the last six months. The businesses are among 101,000 across the United States receiving emergency assistance from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The U.S. Small…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council approved Monday spending $973,171 for the city’s 2021 concrete repair project that consists of the patching of concrete pavement, fire hydrant replacement and new sewer manholes at six locations throughout the city. Jeffrey Conte, director of utilities and engineering, specifically mentioned the intersection of 27th and Cedar. Most of…
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QUINCY — Sam McKelvie greets the people in her class with “Hello, my friends,” then instructs them to begin stretching before they start exercising. It’s a routine she’s gone through many times. On some days, those instructions are given in a studio she rents in the Washington Theatre building in downtown Quincy. On many days,…
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QUINCY — Mike Troup’s first “Lunch with the Mayor” drew about 15 people to City Council chambers Wednesday afternoon. “I think it was good,” he said. “We need to do more of these. Some ideas that came up today are important, and we need to follow up with them.” Quincy Planning and Development Director Chuck…
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QUINCY — An eight-person committee has been formed to search for Roy Webb’s replacement as the superintendent of the Quincy School District, and the deadline for candidates to apply is Nov. 5. Sayeed Ali, president of the Quincy School Board, returns to the committee. He was part of a seven-person committee in 2015 that eventually selected…
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QUINCY — Sara Reuschel wasn’t actively looking to leave her position as the executive director of the Quincy Community Theatre. “If you would have talked to me about two or three months ago, I would have told you I was going to retire from the theater,” she said. “There was not a job that I…
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QUINCY — Fire Station 6 at 24th and Cedar was briefly closed twice in the past 30 days because of a lack of available firefighters. “A guy called in sick in the morning. We had four guys in Chicago training, and we had some guys taking vacation days,” Fire Chief Bernie Vahlkamp said of the…
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I recently was in Chicago and boarding a plane at O’Hare when I saw something called a cannabis amnesty box. Does the airport in Quincy have a cannabis amnesty box? Marijuana became legal in Illinois on Jan. 1, 2020. Airports in Chicago immediately set up “cannabis amnesty boxes” that allowed travelers departing the state to…
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PLAINVILLE, Ill. — A visitor stopping by Richard Chapman’s home in rural Adams County might look at the car parts scattered throughout the property and wonder what he’s planning to do with all of that … well, junk. “My wife tells me that all the time,” Chapman said. “But what’s junk to someone else, I…
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