WGFA NEWS for Monday, February 1, 2010 >
WX > Cloudy on this first day of February, high near 33. East to South wind at 5 mph.
– Primary Election Day in Illinois tomorrow, polls open at 6 am –
> A Clifton man died in a single-vehicle accident early Sunday. 27-year-old Randy Schultz was driving a pickup truck northbound on Iroquois County Road 300 E. Sheriff’s Police report the vehicle left the road, spun after hitting a tree and collided with a ditch embankment. Members of the Ashkum Fire & Rescue Squad, Riverside Ambulance personnel and the Iroquois County Coroner responded to the accident near 2447 N Road.
> A Remington, IN man was killed while fleeing from police. It happened early Sunday when the driver crashed into a pile of lumber at a pallet company. 26-year-old Philip Pharlor (Far-ler) was stopped by police in Rensallaer for crossing the centerline. While officers were gathering Pharlor’s license info, the driver sped off. The crash happened at Route 24 and U-S 231.
> An elderly Bradley couple was air-lifted to Chicago hospitals Sunday in what investigators are calling an apparent murder-suicide attempt. Bradley Police Chief Steve Coy said a police dispatch around 10:20 am alerted an officer to the 600-block of Juniper Lane. The Bradley Fire Department also answered the call where emergency personnel found 86-year-old Bobbie Karr and 84-year-old Dorothy Karr both suffering from gun shot wounds to the head.
> Will County detectives will continue to investigate the disappearance of a Beecher woman. But a weekend search resulted in nothing substantial in trying to locate Cynthia Schmidt, missing since a week ago Sunday. The Will County Search & Rescue Team Saturday was unable to locate the 50-year-old woman. Relatives first reported her missing a week after her husband died. Police said statements from relatives indicated Mrs. Schmidt was very depressed since losing her husband. Saturday’s search concentrated on the Schmidt’s 10-acre property site along Kentucky Road in Beecher.
> Another status hearing on the sentencing of former Grant Park Police Chief Scott Fitts is scheduled this afternoon. A Friday morning conference in U-S District Court in Urbana was postponed again. Today’s hearing to discuss sentencing recommendations is set for 1:30 pm with U.S. District Judge Michael McCuskey. Federal prosecutors will be involved with the telephone conference.
Fitts pleaded guilty May 28 to wire fraud, filing a false 2006 U.S. Income Tax return and money laundering in connection with a prostitution scam that he operated out of the Grant Park Police Department. Fitts remains free on a $90,000 bond.
> Hundreds of people gathered Saturday to show support for injured sheriff’s deputy Dave Stukenborg. Many didn’t even know the Kankakee County Sheriff’’s deputy. Yet, they said they felt they needed to be there; to show support for somone who puts forth the effort, the risk to protect us in emergency situations.
The crowd was something to see in Bradley. And Dave Stukenborg himself, unbelieveably upbeat–considering he’s a quadriplegic after answering a bogus 911 call, then flipping his squad car when a tire blew out. A prank phone call by a woman left Stukenborg paralyzed. His partner, Brooke Payne, was also hurt, but just minor injuries. Stukenborg said the support he’s received is overwhelming…officers and friends from all around, including Kankakee, Iroquois, Livingston, Will, Cook and Newton counties. Deputy Dave says he’s determined to walk again and he’s made great strides in therapy. His brother John says the community support is so encouraging…..
The injured deputy’s wife and 11-month-old child also attended Saturday’s benefit at the Quality Inn in Bradley.
> The number of sheriff deputies answering emergency calls in Iroquois County could dwindle, depending on what voters say in Tuesday’s election. A public safety tax referendum seeks a Yes vote to maintain the current number of deputies. A No vote guarantees the elimination of four patrol officers and a correctional officer. Lay-off notices have already been mailed. Additional lay-offs are possible later this year. The public safety tax is expected to generate $1.2 millioin to be used by the county board for sheriff’s department patrols.
Watseka Mayor Bob Harwood assures Watseka residents that their tax dollars will be used to operate the Watseka Police Department, not to handle continuous calls for the sheriff’s department. Regarding an agreement that’s been place for years, Harwood emphasized in a news release, that city officers would not respond to any calls for assistance outside the city limits unless they were of life threatening nature to the public or another police officer. The mayor was objecting to an advertisement by the Citizens FOR the Public Safety Tax suggesting that the Watseka Police department would be used to subsidize the Sheriff’s department in the event the tax fails Tuesday.
“Your Illiana News Source” — 94.1 FM, WGFA
