Residents of Henry County will have the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates seeking the position of County Attorney during a special forum hosted by KILJ Radio this week.

The Henry County Attorney Candidate Forum will take place Friday, March 13 at 9:00 a.m. and will feature candidates Abbie Liechty and Becky Wilson. The discussion will give voters a chance to learn more about each candidate’s experience, priorities, and plans for the Henry County Attorney’s Office ahead of the upcoming election.

The forum will be broadcast live on KILJ at 105.5 FM, 1130 AM, and 98.5 FM.

Community members are also invited to take part by submitting questions for the candidates. Questions can be emailed to kiljradio@kilj.com or submitted by calling the station at (319) 385-8728 before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. KILJ staff say they will do their best to ask as many listener questions as possible, though time constraints may prevent every question from being included in the discussion.

For those unable to listen live, the full forum will be posted afterward on the KILJ Spotify page so listeners can access the conversation at their convenience.

KILJ will also rebroadcast the forum Monday evening at 6:00 p.m. for anyone who may have missed the original broadcast.

The Mount Pleasant Municipal Utilities Board of Trustees met Tuesday, February 24th, at the utilities conference room on North Adams Street.

During the meeting, trustees approved the Fiscal Year 2024–2025 Independent Auditor’s Report, presented by Dan Montgomery of Forge Financial and Management Consulting. The audit received an unmodified opinion, indicating the utility’s financial statements were found to be accurate and in compliance with accounting standards. Copies of the report will be available at the Mount Pleasant Public Library, City Hall, and the utilities office.

The board also approved $1.33 million in bills and payments and accepted the January financial report presented by Accounting Supervisor Jody Fuller. Fuller also discussed banking accounts, previewed a potential budget amendment, and shared information regarding electric and water rates with General Manager Nate Lucas.

Trustees received updates on several ongoing projects, including the Cedar Lane Well Number Seven and water distribution system project, the Advanced Metering Infrastructure project, the water treatment maintenance project, the Hoaglin Drive overhead-to-underground improvement project, and the transmission system power supply project.

Utility crews reported continued work on the Winfield Avenue road project, while the water department continues installing new AMI and ERT metering devices. Officials also noted that ImOn has completed its underground infrastructure build-out in the community, and Windstream has begun installing new telecommunications infrastructure.

During January, the utility experienced three electric outages and two water main breaks, and crews installed two new electric services. The utility also continues to search for a replacement journeyman lineman after a previous job offer was declined.

The board entered a closed session with legal counsel to discuss litigation related to wholesale power supply before returning to open session and adjourning.

The next regular meeting of the Mount Pleasant Municipal Utilities Board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 at 1 p.m.

A Washington man was arrested on multiple felony charges Saturday after shooting a firearm into a highway and a second was trespassed following the incident.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a civil issue at approximately 10:22 p.m. The caller stated shots had been fired near 260th Street and Ginkgo Avenue. Deputies arrested 49-year-old Erik Strand of Washington on multiple charges including: going armed with intent, a class D felony; assault while participating in a felony, a class D felony; intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a class C felony, and reckless use of a firearm, a simple misdemeanor.

According to Washington County Communications, in addition another individual was trespassed following the incident.

According to court records, “deputies spoke with the victim who stated that he was sitting on the side of the roadway at Ginkgo and 260th, attempting to locate his children” who were possibly at a nearby residence. He tried to also contact a female at that home. During this time, he was approached by Strand who was in a vehicle.

Conflicting stories outline that three shots were fired; the victim said the gun was pointed at him, and then shot into the ground. The claim from Strand alleges that he fired the shots into the air, in an attempt to scare him away. Strand stated the victim did not display any weapons and both individuals were in their vehicles.

Deputies located two casings and two slugs in the roadway where the incident occurred in rural western Washington County. The firearm was located at the residence and seized by authorities. The shots were fired less than 200 yards from an occupied residence.

An initial appearance for Strand was held Monday.

The Western Illinois Threshers are preparing for their 59th annual summer show.

The event will take place Friday through Sunday, August 7th through the 9th, at the organization’s grounds located about two miles north of Hamilton.

Plans for this year’s show were discussed during the group’s recent annual meeting, where several directors and officers were also elected.

Chosen to serve three-year terms on the board of directors are Ed Hartweg, Raymond Siegrist, and Jeremy Buckert. Other board members include Mark Weirather, Buck Cameron, Justin Sewell, Matthew Starr, Ken Buckert, and Kyle Buckert.

Officers elected for the coming year are Mark Weirather as president, Ken Buckert as vice president, Ed Hartweg as secretary, and Matthew Starr as treasurer.

This year’s featured tractor line will be International. The spotlight tractor will be a 1961 560 Wheatland International owned by Les and Candy Harnetiaux. The featured truck will be a 1928 International owned by Larry Buckert of Warsaw, and the featured garden tractor will be a Cub Cadet M-100.

Several giveaways are also planned during the show. A Farmall B tractor will be awarded at the end of the event, along with a handmade quilt, farm toys, and other prizes.

During the meeting, members also heard updates on the Bolton Barn project and the Western Illinois Shortline Railroad.

In addition to planning the August show, the organization is also preparing to host local school children at the thresher grounds in May for a field day focused on learning about farming and life in earlier times.