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QUINCY — Adams County Circuit Judge Scott Larson signed an order Thursday immediately allowing portable electronic devices in the Adams County Courthouse. However, using those devices in the courthouse will have limitations. The order limits visitors to using portable electronic devices in the common areas of the courthouse, such as lobbies and hallways, for email,…
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QUINCY — Legal counsel for three Quincy media outlets appeared before Adams County Circuit Judge Robert K. Adrian to request he unseal court documents related to the first-degree murder case of Timothy Bliefnick. Adrian told the parties he would take the motion under advisement. He gave them seven days to submit briefs. He said he…
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Local and state political leaders are reacting to Tuesday’s guilty verdict of retired lobbyist Mike McClain of Quincy on nine charges of federal bribery. Statement from the office of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: “Since taking office, Gov. Pritzker has advanced the cause of ethics reform in key areas, especially in bringing more transparency to the…
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“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” — St. Augustine Mike McClain’s friends and supporters always saw him as their champion. When roads and bridges needed to be built, McClain got the call. Need a Civic Center? McClain is on it. The ultimate fixer. The insider’s…
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QUINCY — The third session of a constitutional convention to propose separating downstate Illinois from Chicago and Cook County will be held Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, at the Holiday Inn, 4821 Oak. The Friday night and Saturday morning presentations are open to the public. The event is presented by New Illinois. It describes itself…
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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 — Quincy’s two newest aldermen said their focus is on “learning the process” after they completed their first meeting Monday night as members of the Quincy City Council. City Clerk Laura Oakman swore in Glen Ebbing (R-5) and Jake Reed (R-6) before Monday’s meeting, officially giving Republicans a 10-4 advantage. Ebbing replaces John Mast,…
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QUINCY — Julie Schuetz’s son received a diagnosis of dyslexia just before the COVID-19 pandemic. She wanted to help him, but she didn’t have access to resources about his disability. “All the schools had shut down,” she said. “That’s when I found out there wasn’t a whole lot of resources for kids.” Taking a sabbatical…
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QUINCY — A Quincy man arrested Friday for having sex with a horse appeared in Adams County Circuit Court Monday morning after spending the weekend in the Adams County Jail. 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…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says he has no intention of asking 4th Ward alderman Mike Farha to rejoin the two committees he resigned from earlier this week, saying “his time’s up.” “He showed his true colors,” Troup said after Thursday’s special meeting of the Quincy City Council, during which aldermen passed a $50.29 million…
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Two years ago this weekend, Muddy River News launched and while it seems like it was only yesterday, it also seems like we’ve been doing this forever. Because most of us have been doing this forever. When Jim Rapp approached me about getting back in the news game, the timing was perfect. Jim and Mike…
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Tim Maguire with Servpro talks to Ron Kinscherf about the job of cleaning up big messes and restoring property back to better than before.
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Assistant Adams County State’s Attorney joins Bob Gough to talk about his run for state’s attorney in 2024.
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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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article February 25, 2025
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