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QUINCY — At 4:15 a.m. Wednesday, the Quincy/Adams County 911 Center received a call ofsuspicious circumstances in the 400 block of Gardner Park Drive. Quincy Police Officers were dispatched to investigate. Shortly after the initial call, another call was received reporting shots fired. About that same time, another call came in from the 400 Block…
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QUINCY — Former Quincy mayor and current president and CEO of the Great River Economic Development Foundation Kyle Moore is the first to throw his hat in the ring to succeed Randy Frese in the Illinois House of Representatives. Frese announced on Wednesday he would not seek re-election after serving 10 years in the statehouse.…
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PALOMA — Republican State Representative Randy Frese will not seek another term for the 99th Illinois House District seat. “It has been both an honor and a privilege to represent the fine people of West Central Illinois for the past eight and a half years,” Frese said in a press release issued Wednesday. “The job…
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QUINCY – The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) has asked for and received the resignation of Troy Culbertson as the administrator of the Illinois Veterans’ Home of Quincy. Culbertson was hired in August 2016 under former governor Bruce Rauner, just as the facility was dealing with an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease that took the…
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CHICAGO — Tim Mapes, a Hancock County native whose rose to the pinnacle of power in the State of Illinois as the right hand man to Michael J. Madigan when he served as speaker of the Illinois House, has been found guilty on perjury and obstruction of justice charges by a federal jury. Mapes, who…
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QUINCY — Now that Target has finally opened its doors, Quincy shoppers want to know what businesses will be filling three parcels of property on the northeast corner of 36th and Broadway. Muddy River News has confirmed through multiple sources that Raising Cane’s, an American fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken fingers, will be built on a…
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QUINCY — A Quincy man is in the Adams County Jail after Quincy Police Department received a report that he exposed himself at The Crossing. Police report they arrested Tyrone Davis, 42, of Quincy, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday after allegedly exposing himself in the presence of children The Crossing’s 150 S. 48th location. Davis faces…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — A Hannibal teen was arrested Thursday following a attempted shooting and kidnapping that took place Wednesday night. Bradley M. Roberts, 18, was charged with First Degree Assault, Armed Criminal Action, Kidnapping, and Possession of a Defaced Firearm. The incident took place around 10:40 p.m. Wednesday in the 3000 block of Warren Barrett Drive.…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — A 22-year-old male is dead and an 18-year-old is in custody after a body was delivered to the Adams County EMS station in Camp Point early Monday morning. Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens said deputies are still searching for a murder weapon and investigators are trying to determine where the fatal…
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QUINCY – The Quincy Fire Department responded to a fire at 1123 N. 6th St. early Saturday morning at a two-story brick residence with four apartments. No one was injured, but two of the residents are displaced. QFD Engine Companies #4, #2, #6 and the Incident Commander responded. Pre-Arrival, QPD Officers reported flames visible to…
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QUINCY — Tim Bliefnick sat motionless and emotionless from the time he sat down at the table next to his counsel, wearing the orange and white jumpsuit and shackled awaiting to hear his fate. Bliefnick remained in that state as Judge Robert Adrian shouted out 14 gunshots, replicating the shots Bliefnick was found guilty of…
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Are we getting a Target? Where’s Target? Why can’t Quincy get a Target? Those questions now have been answered. Target’s store at 3701 Broadway opened on Wednesday, Aug. 9. It will be a day not soon forgotten by West-Central Illinois shoppers. The aisles were filled looking at sporting goods, housewares, books, electronics, health care, pet…
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QUINCY – A Quincy Police Department squad car was stolen Monday morning from the QPD lot at 530 Broadway. The vehicle was locked but the keys were in the vehicle. The suspect broke a window to gain access before driving away. The vehicle was tracked to Hannibal where Hannibal Police made the arrest. A news…
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QUINCY: Jack R. Blanke, who was given probation earlier this month after being caught in mid-coitus with a horse by Adams County Sheriff’s deputies is back in the Adams County Jail. At about 1 a.m. Sunday, deputies were dispatched to 5505 North Bottom Road regarding a suspicious person who had been captured on surveillance cameras…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois is set to become the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail after the state Supreme Court justices ruled Tuesday that a landmark criminal justice reform law did not violate the state’s constitution. The opinion was released more than six months after the Pretrial Fairness Act was halted by…
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QUINCY — An Adams County jury took 2 hours and 45 minutes to find Bradley Yohn guilty of all six felony counts at a trial that lasted a week. Yohn was charged with home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon — all Class X felonies — that…
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Quincy Mayor Mike Troup has issued a statement that his office requested go to media as well as the Quincy City Council. The statement is below.
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QUINCY – Before a packed Quincy City Council chambers, the city’s aldermen voted 7-6-1 that they had no longer had confidence in the administration of Mayor Mike Troup. While the unprecedented action has no real consequences, it sends a message that the city’s governing body hasn’t been pleased with the first two years of the…
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QUINCY – The proposed agenda for next week’s Quincy City Council meeting has an item that calls for aldermen to take a vote regarding their confidence in Mayor Mike Troup. At the July 3 meeting, the past and current presidents of the Quincy Police Benevolent and Protective Association Labor Unit 12, asked the council to…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal City Council members unanimously voted Tuesday not to retain Angel Zerbonia as city clerk. The vote was taken during a closed session meeting on Tuesday after the regularly scheduled City Council meeting. Zerbonia had been on paid administrative leave since November 2022 and under investigation by an independent third party since…
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BUSHNELL, Ill. — The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation has arrested Davin M. Purden, 18, and Nicholas C. Lafary, 17, both of Bushnell, for first-degree murder. ISP investigators were asked June 2 to conduct a death investigation in the 600 block of Osbourne Street in Bushnell. During the investigation, Travis Purden, 43, was…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — In a letter addressed to Hannibal’s city council, city clerk and city manager, Mayor Jim Hark has tendered his resignation. The Hannibal City Council has its regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Hannibal City Hall. Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Dobson will serve as the interim mayor until a…
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MRN Publisher J. Robert Gough had a text conversation Friday morning with a juror who wished to remain anonymous as they didn’t know if any other jurors were or had been talking to the media. MRN: “Was there a first head count? Like 10 guilty, 2 not guilty? What was the feel of the room?…
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QUINCY — Courtroom 2A in the Adams County Courthouse was a mixture of gasps, shrieks and tears as three guilty verdicts were read in the first degree murder trial of Tim Bliefnick late Wednesday afternoon. Becky Bliefnick was shot by her estranged husband on February 23. Her parents, sister and other family members filled two…
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QUINCY — A jury of six men and six women found Tim Bliefnick guilty Wednesday on two counts of First Degree Murder and one count of Home Invasion in the Feb. 23 shooting death of his estranged wife Rebecca Bliefnick. The Adams County jury took 4 hours and 15 minutes to decide Bliefnick’s fate. Bliefnick…
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QUINCY — The woman involved in last week’s shooting in the 1100 block of Jefferson has died. Dana A. Lawton-Marshall, 47, was sitting on the front porch of a home in the 1100 block of Jefferson with another person. The investigation so far has determined that Lawton-Marshall played no part in this disturbance and was…
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QUINCY — An Illinois State Police (ISP) ballistics expert with 26 years of experience testified that eight shell casings found by the slain body of Becky Bliefnick were fired by the same gun as 27 shell casings found in her estranged husband’s basement. Tim Bliefnick’s first-degree murder trial resumed Tuesday morning. He is accused of…
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QUINCY — A former cross-fit partner of Becky Bliefnick’s testified Becky sent her Facebook messages in March 2022 saying she was nervous about how her divorce from Tim Bliefnick was going to turn out. Christine Mandel, who is from Quincy but now lives in California, worked with Becky Bliefnick at Q-Town CrossFit. Mandel was sobbing…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — A Hannibal teenager was killed Saturday night in a crash three miles outside of Hannibal on Route M in Ralls County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder was westbound on Route M at 8:26 p.m. and travelled off the right side of the road. The vehicle returned to the…
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QUINCY — Three members of the Quincy Police Department explained the evidence-gathering process that led to the arrest of Tim Bliefnick, who is charged with the Feb. 23 murder of his estranged wife, Becky Bliefnick. The fourth day of the murder trial was conducted in Adams County Circuit Court. The trial is scheduled to resume…
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These videos are from the second day of testimony in the Tim Bliefnick murder trial. Two parts, morning and afternoon. Pool video: WGEM-TV. Pool photos: Matt Hopf, Herald-Whig
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FROM THE QUINCY POLICE DEPARTMENT: QUINCY — Just after 10 p.m. Wednesday, Quincy Police Department officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired in the 1100 Block of Jefferson. Upon arrival, officers located female victim, 47, who was taken to Blessing Hospital before being life-flighted to Springfield for treatment of injuries. This does not…
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QUINCY — Tim Bliefnick filed for divorce from Becky Bliefnick in Jan. 2021. For the next two years, according to testimony in Adams County Circuit Court Wednesday morning, the two didn’t agree on very much, but it appeared the divorce might finally be getting close to final in late Feb. 2023 But Becky Bliefnick didn’t…
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QUINCY — MRN Publisher Bob Gough and Editor David Adam will provide real time updates via social media. You can follow via Twitter @MuddyNews or on the Muddy River News Facebook page. As the trial breaks for lunch, Muddy River News will prepare a brief report on the morning’s happenings in the afternoon. Also, we will replay the morning’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A six-man and six-woman jury was selected Monday to hear testimony in Tim Bliefnick’s first-degree murder case beginning Tuesday. Bliefnick is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion in connection with the Feb. 23 shooting death of his estranged wife, Rebecca Bliefnick. Jury selection lasted about 8…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jury selection begins Monday in the first-degree murder trial of Tim Bliefnick, who is accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife three months ago. Bliefnick and his attorney, Casey Schnack, appeared before Judge Robert Adrian along with Assistant State’s Attorneys Josh Jones and Laura Keck Friday morning. The attorneys confirmed no plea arrangements…
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QUINCY — Maureen Kahn, President/CEO of Blessing Health, has elected move up her retirement date earlier than previously announced. Kahn. will now retire effective July 1. Last November, she had announced she was retiring in October 2023. She will now remain as an executive consultant until October 6. Brian Canfield was announced as Kahn’s successor…
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WEST QUINCY, Mo. — The remains of a cafe that was closed by the Flood of 1993 was destroyed by fire Thursday night. Crews from Palmyra, Ewing, LaGrange in Missouri and Quincy and Tri-Township in Illinois responded to a mutual aid call at 6:43 p.m. A Marion County Sheriff’s deputy who was driving by put…
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CHICAGO – A federal jury on Tuesday convicted three ex-lobbyists and the former CEO of electric utility Commonwealth Edison for their involvement in an alleged bribery scheme aimed at longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and Mike McClain of Quincy – the utility’s longtime contract lobbyist and close confidant of…
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QUINCY — At the beginning of what was expected to be a long day of reviewing motions in the Tim Bliefnick first-degree murder case, the defense said the state needs to prove if there was any domestic violence in the marriage of Tim and Rebecca Bliefnick. Judge Robert Adrian heard non-evidentiary motions for about 40…
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QUINCY – The Adams County Coroner has released the following information regarding the two men found deceased in separate apartments on Spring Street.On Wednesday, April 5, the Coroner’s Office was notified of two bodies found in apartments at 1303 Spring Street. Pronounced dead at the scene were Bradley J. Seager, 61, and Edward A. Day,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Two men were found dead Wednesday morning in separate apartments in the same building on Quincy’s north side. Adams County Coroner Scott Graham and officers with the Quincy Police Department were on the scene late Wednesday morning to remove the bodies from the building. Four apartments are in the building at 1303 Spring.…
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QUINCY — Adams County Circuit Court Judge Scott Larson has set a hearing for April 11 regarding a temporary restraining order filed against the estate of Tim Bliefnick. Attorneys Gerald Timmerwilke and Erin Wilson-Laegeler representing the estate of the late Rebecca Bliefnick entered the order to freeze Tim Bliefnick’s assets on March 20, and Judge…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — A review of three years of text messages between Palmyra teachers and administrators on a school-issued cellphone revealed multiple racial and homophobic comments, as well as comments showing disrespect and disregard for some of the students under their supervision and the teachers they worked with. The texts were provided to Muddy River…
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NEW LONDON, Mo. — The Ralls County Courthouse was evacuated Friday afternoon after a fire started because of what is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike. New London Fire Department Safety Officer Brian Reed said courthouse employees called emergency services reporting that fire was coming out of the outlets and smoke was…
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Meteorologist Brent Clair tell us the weather patterns are still holding true for a stormy Friday.
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Video from WIU. MACOMB, IL — The Macomb Police Department (MPD) is investigating the report of a shooting that occurred off campus in the early morning hours on Saturday, March 25. A caller reported to MPD that a shooting occurred in the 500 Block of North Johnson Street. The Macomb Police Department has confirmed one…
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QUINCY — Tim Bliefnick remained silent, but attorney Casey Schnack entered a “not guilty” plea for her client in the first-degree murder case of Rebecca Bliefnick before a crowd of about 50 people in Adams County Circuit Court Friday afternoon. Judge Robert Adrian asked, “Not guilty, Miss Schnack?” Schnack replied, “Yes, your honor.” Rebecca Bliefnick,…
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QUINCY — An Adams County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment Thursday morning in the case of Tim Bliefnick, who is charged with two counts of murder in the Feb. 23 shooting death of his estranged wife, Rebecca Bliefnick. The grand jury met for about three hours Thursday and heard evidence on 38…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — A special meeting of the Palmyra School Board has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Superintendent Jason Harper told Muddy River News Tuesday afternoon that four staff members with the Palmyra School District were placed on paid leaves of absence on Tuesday. He provided no other information about the suspended educators. Harper…
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UPDATE: Adams County Coroner Scott Graham issued a press release at 4:45 p.m. Saturday identifying the man who was killed as Flint C. Reed of Camp Point. CAMP POINT, Ill. — An unidentified man died at about noon Friday in Camp Point when he was struck by an Amtrak train traveling from Chicago to Quincy.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tim Bliefnick will remain in the Adams County Jail until at least next week when a grand jury will hear the evidence against him to decide if he will be arraigned. Bliefnick, 39, made his first appearance in Adams County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon with attorney Casey Schnack in Courtroom 1A before Judge…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tim Bliefnick has been charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of home invasion in the shooting death of his estranged wife, Becky Bliefnick. He was taken into custody by Quincy Police Monday morning. QPD will have a news conference with more details later this morning. Becky Bliefnick, a…
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CHICAGO — Michael J. Madigan will likely never step foot in the federal courtroom where four former political power players are about to face trial, accused of trying to bribe the longtime Illinois House speaker to benefit ComEd. But the case starting Tuesday is all about Madigan. And once it’s underway, it is expected to…
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QUINCY — Evidence gathered at the scene of a fatal shooting and from other locations has been sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab in Springfield. Quincy Police sent an update to local media Friday morning regarding the investigation into the shooting death of Feb. 23 shooting of Rebecca Bliefnick. The 41-year-old mother of…
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CANTON, Mo. — Douglas B. Palmer, president of Culver-Stockton College, has accepted the position of president of Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. He will conclude his tenure at C-SC on June 30 and begin his new role in July. Palmer, C-SC’s 27th president, joined the institution in 2020 after having served as Provost at Walsh…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Sources have told Muddy River News that an agreement has been reached in the labor dispute between members of United Steelworkers Local 11-205 and management at Hannibal’s Continental Cement plant. About 100 workers took to the picket line on February 22 over multiple issues with management. The contract between the union and…
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QUINCY — Quincy Police started executing a search warrant Wednesday morning at 1641 Hampshire, the home of the estranged husband of a Quincy woman who was killed last week. Police Chief Adam Yates confirmed the search of a home at 1641 Hampshire and a car outside the home. Muddy River News has learned the home…
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QUINCY — Adam Yates, chief of the Quincy Police Department, said he’s making no apologies for being “tight-lipped” about the investigation into last week’s fatal shooting of Rebecca Bliefnick. He wants Quincyans to know that “homicide investigations are complex, difficult and take time,” and his department has “only one chance to get it right.” Yates…
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QUINCY — Quincy police officers responded to a report of a fatality at a house in the 2500 block of Kentucky Road Thursday afternoon. Upon arrival at 3:23 p.m., officers found a body and called for the Adams County Coroner’s office to respond. Detectives from QPD’s investigative division are on the scene and will be…
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Meteorologist Brent Clair lets us about today’s rain and how long it will last. Muddy River Weather is brought to you by Hilbing Auto Body.
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — About 100 members of United Steelworkers Local 11-205 who work for Continental Cement went on strike at 4 a.m. Wednesday. The union claims the company has engaged in unfair labor practices. The previous contract with Continental Cement originally expired in May 2022 and the union agreed to two extensions that went through Sept.…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. – The Hannibal City Council meeting became a little heated Tuesday evening as several issues were discussed. The proposal by two councilmen, Charlie Phillips and Stephan Franke, that would require City Manager Lisa Peck to give monthly updates. Councilman Mike Dobson moved to table the proposal. Charlie Phillips told the group he has…
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QUINCY — The station that brought you “Silly and Billy” weekday mornings and a few innings of Harry Carey during years of Cubs’ broadcasts will be off the air for good on March 1. Gray Television, owners of WGEM, has informed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that the company is pulling the plug on WGEM-AM,…
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QUINCY — Brian Canfield will become president/chief executive officer of Blessing Health upon the Oct. 6 retirement of Maureen Kahn. Blessing Health consists of Blessing and Illini Community Hospitals, Hannibal Clinic, a provider group and network of rural health clinics, college of nursing and health sciences, charitable foundation and durable medical equipment/biomedical/linen services business. Blessing…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The five defendants in the cases surrounding the death of Taurean Snoddy of Hannibal made an appearance in court Friday morning by video conference from the Marion County Jail. Braden Chestnutt, 19, Chad Elliott, 20, Dakota Laster, 23 and Damien McCulley, 25, all of Hannibal, were charged Jan. 28 with charges of…
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QUINCY — The Illinois State Police’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has begun its investigation into Thursday evening’s fatal shooting involving deputies with the Adams County Sheriff’s office. Preliminary information indicates at approximately 3:50 p.m., Adams County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of 5th Street and West Radio Road south of Quincy on a report…
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QUINCY — A man who pointed a handgun at Adams County Sheriff’s deputies and threatened to kill himself was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in a field off Radio Road south of Quincy. Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens said deputies responded around 4 p.m. on West Radio Road west of Ill. 57. Deputies blocked off…
Read Full Article HANNIBAL, Mo. — Five Hannibal men facing murder charges in the death of another Hannibal man will be back in court Friday. Braden Chestnutt, 19, Chad Elliott, 20, Dakota Laster, 23 and Damien McCulley, 25 all of Hannibal, were charged Jan. 28 with charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault. Elliott and McCulley also…
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HANNIBAL — The Riedel Foundation, and other supporting local businesses, will help young entrepreneurs in a new program set to start this fall. The program was announced at the Riedel Reception Thursday evening where recipients of Riedel funding from 2022 gathered to celebrate the previous year and look forward to the 2023. The Riedel…
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CHICAGO — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the state’s public health emergency will end on May 11, aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency. Ensuring Illinois’ and the federal government’s health emergencies were linked brought in additional federal funding and expanded healthcare access for residents across the state.…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Four more have been charged in connection to the death of a Hannibal man that occurred on last Wednesday, Jan. 25. On Saturday, four warrants were issued in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Marion County charging the following subjects: Braden Chestnutt, 19, Assault 1st Degree, Murder 2nd Degree Chad Elliott, 20,…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Susan Johnson, Superintendent of Hannibal Public Schools, announced Friday in a public release that Gretchen O’Bryan, teacher at Early Childhood Center, was placed on paid administrative leave due to an issue reported of a physical nature. The Division of Family Services has completed an investigation and determined the report to be unfounded…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Police Department wants to speed up investigations and offset reduced manpower by installing multiple cameras around the city to identify vehicle license plates. Adam Yates, chief of the Quincy Police Department, made a presentation Tuesday night to the Quincy City Council’s Police Aldermanic Committee to spend $117,600 on a two-year lease…
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QUINCY — Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens was one of several sheriffs in Downstate Illinois to announce they will not be fully enforcing the new Protect Illinois Communities Act, which has also been called an assault weapons ban. In a statement issued Wednesday, Grootens said he believes the new law is a “clear violation of…
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QUINCY — Just after midnight Tuesday, Quincy Police officers at approximately were called to the 500 block of S. 8th St. in reference to a fight in progress. Upon arrival, officers learned a 22-year-old man had sustained a non-life threatening gun shot wound during a disturbance. Officers learned several subjects were engaged in a physical…
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