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QUINCY — A trial for a Quincy man charged nearly five years ago with first-degree murder in the death of an infant is on track to begin May 15. Only one more hurdle must be cleared. Travis Wiley, 35, appeared with public defenders Todd Nelson and Shelby Hoiness for a pre-trial hearing before Judge Michael…
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QUINCY — A Quincy man was arrested Friday for having sex with a horse and being caught by Adams County Sheriff’s Department deputies. Jack R. Blanke, 39, of Quincy is charged with unlawful sexual contact with an animal, a Class 4 felony punishable for between 1 and 3 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections,…
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QUINCY — The Althoff family is finally getting out of the hotel business. Jim and Jo Ann Althoff have owned and/or operated the Althoff Motel, 3511 N. 24th, since 1985. Jim’s parents, Alene and Elmer Althoff, owned the 40-room motel after Jim helped build it. His parents at one time also owned the Diamond Motel,…
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QUINCY — Two flipped votes turned a potentially contentious debate over the city’s budget into much ado about nothing. Richie Reis and Patty Maples, Democratic aldermen in Quincy’s 6th Ward, were among seven aldermen at Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting who voted not to approve a $50.29 million budget for the 2024 fiscal year. However, at a…
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QUINCY — The senior alderman on the Quincy City Council called Mayor Mike Troup “tyrannical,” believes the public is “fed up” and says the “best thing for our community” is for him to resign immediately as a deadline to pass a city budget looms. Mike Farha, a Republican alderman in the 4th Ward since his…
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QUINCY — A Wednesday afternoon motion hearing in Adams County Circuit Court didn’t go well for Bradley Yohn. Judge Roger Thomson addressed five motions made by Yohn, who is defending himself pro se in a criminal sexual assault case. One eventually was skipped, three were denied, and Yohn eventually was kicked out of the courtroom…
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QUINCY — ADI Ventures of Quincy is working with a Nashville inventor to distribute a product that helps eradicate the residue of deadly opioids on multiple surfaces. Ken Sparrow with ADI said his company discovered SoRite DECON after area law enforcement officials had reached out to the company about products to disinfect police cars and…
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QUINCY — The idea of the Gene Grawe Fund was created by JoAnn Witte in 2005 as a fundraiser at St. Anthony School. Eighteen years later, it has grown into something not even Witte could have imagined. Organizers announced Tuesday night the fund is awarding $375,190.51 to 437 participating families to defray tuition costs for…
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QUINCY — The theatre department at Quincy High School will end the 2022-23 school year with the historical drama, “Lizzie Borden of Fall River” by Tim Kelly, which takes audiences to Fall River, Mass., in 1892. The Lizzie Borden case divided public opinion as no murder trial had ever done. Did the strong-willed, intelligent Lizzie…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council approved Monday night a petition for a revocable permit allowing for the encroachment of the city right-of-way with temporary memorials. However, Stacie Sparks, who first brought the issue to aldermen on April 17, still isn’t happy. The petition was created by Assistant Corporation Counsel Bruce Alford and submitted to aldermen…
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QUINCY — Asked why they were among the seven aldermen who voted Monday night not to approve a $50.29 million budget for the 2024 fiscal year, Richie Reis (D-6) and Greg Fletcher (R-1) echoed their answer. “Communication,” they said. After three weeks of public meetings (before Quincy City Council meetings) discussing the city budget, aldermen…
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QUINCY — Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Tad Brenner has denied a petition to reduce the 115-year prison sentence of a Quincy man. Gavin Masters, 26, had filed a petition for post-conviction relief and was heard by Brenner in Adams County Circuit Court on March 30 as his lawyer, Curtis Lovelace, argued the sentence was a…
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Dear MRN, Any word on what’s going on at the old Wright’s Auto Parts property on North 24th? The place is looking good, and they continue to work. The former Wright’s Auto and Tractor Parts, a 3.32-acre property at 2024 N. 24th, was sold for $375,000, according to property tax documents filed in the Adams…
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MRN’s Ron Kinscherf talks to Luke Craig with Craig Industries. The Quincy company specializes in manufacturing high-quality insulated building panels for use in a wide variety of industries, utilizing computerized design and manufacturing processes to achieve precision quality products.
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QUINCY — The prosecution wanted the maximum prison sentence allowed, and the defense wanted probation. Judge Mark Vincent, admitting he didn’t know what he was going to do before the beginning of Friday afternoon’s sentencing hearing of John Rokusek, decided a little of both was in order. Rokusek, 60, the former owner of a Quincy…
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The Muddy River News team spent Thursday at the Kohl Food Show as the Quincy company celebrates its 150th anniversary. Steve Eighinger also filed a story as we all know how this event is Steve’s Super Bowl.
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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 — As part of its 100th anniversary season, the Quincy Community Theatre is offering a production of “Rent,” a rock opera about struggling young artists living in New York at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Brandon Thomsen is the artistic director at the Quincy Community Theatre and the director for…
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QUINCY – Judge Robert Adrian will hear arguments regarding a blanket unsealing of all documents pertaining to the first-degree murder case of Tim Bliefnick. But those arguments won’t happen before a Thursday court appearance by Bliefnick that is expected to last for most of the day. Muddy River News, WGEM-TV and The Herald-Whig, represented by…
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Greenhaus Café, 212 N. Sixth, opens its doors as Quincy’s first hookah lounge for an open house on Thursday. Owner Beth Busbey invites everyone to come in and enjoy different menu item samples, both hookah and café, free of charge to celebrate her grand opening and the holiday. She will provide tutorials along with full…
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QUINCY — Advancements in engine parts and technology make it difficult for students learning about the subject to keep up without hands-on experience. Keeping up with newer engines just got easier for the students in Brian Armstrong’s diesel equipment technology class at the Quincy Area Vocational Technical Center. The local GTG (Grask Truck Group) Peterbilt…
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QUINCY — Incumbent Democratic Alderman Ben Uzelac took all three votes in the 7th Ward that were verified Tuesday afternoon by the Adams County Clerk’s Office. Uzelac defeated Republican challenger Tim Siemer 208 votes to 205 votes. Write-in candidates received 13 votes. About 20 people were in attendance, including Siemer and Uzelac as well as…
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QUINCY — Stacie Sparks says she’s received “hundreds” of compliments from Quincy Cleaners customers when she visits the memorial she created two years ago for her son, who died in a car accident at the northeast corner of 30th and Maine. “Every time I’m out there changing it, somebody stops me and says it’s beautiful,” Sparks…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council voted Monday night not to pay $4,000 to the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for a hotel market study that was presented in February. The City of Quincy, the Oakley-Lindsay Center and the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau commissioned Core Distinction Group, a Wisconsin hospitality consulting firm,…
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QUINCY — The profitability and popularity of youth sporting events in Quincy has prompted city officials to begin looking at the possibility of expanding the Oakley-Lindsay Center or building a nearby facility. Quincy Mayor Mike Troup and Chuck Bevelheimer, director of planning and development, have recently met with representatives with the Quincy Park District, the…
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