Edgar County Watch Dogs
Recent News About Edgar County Watch Dogs
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Shelby County addresses legal barriers with new rescue act
In May 2023, a dust storm south of Springfield, Illinois resulted in a multi-vehicle pile-up with multiple fatalities on Interstate 55. Emergency personnel from various districts were called to manage the mass casualty incident, which included numerous vehicle extrication and rescue operations. Such multi-jurisdiction responses often raise issues regarding command and coordination. These incidents typically provide valuable training opportunities to prevent future mistakes.
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Illinois State Police spends $237K on FOIA lawsuit settlements
The Illinois State Police (ISP) has spent $237,316.47 settling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits over the past five years. This figure was revealed following a recent settlement in which the ISP paid over $20,600 to an attorney representing the plaintiffs.
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Shelby County investigates questionable hotel reservation on state attorney's office credit card
Former Shelby County State’s Attorney Nichole Kroncke established an American Express Amazon Prime Business card for the Office of Shelby County State’s Attorney. While this article will focus on redactions of certain charges, other points of interest include taxpayers paying for memberships to Amazon Business Prime for three users and a large number of Reward Points accumulated (19,363) that the public will be unable to benefit from.
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Former Shelby County attorney questioned over Orlando hotel reservation
Shelby Co., Ill. (ECWd) – An inquiry into the whereabouts of a State’s Attorney Conference in Orlando, Florida, during December 2022 has led to new findings. Despite exhaustive efforts to identify such a conference and concluding that none took place in Florida, another significant detail has emerged.
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Understanding the role and budget of Shelby County's State's Attorney office
The role of a State's Attorney in Shelby County has recently been under scrutiny, particularly on social media. However, it is important to note that the Office of State’s Attorney is not a county office but an executive branch of state government. Therefore, the County Board has no control over its employment matters. The board's powers are primarily budgetary, such as approving the budget submitted by the office.
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School district 95 ordered to release federal grand jury subpoena
The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against School District 95 in Paris, Illinois was heard in court yesterday. The suit was initiated after the school provided a heavily redacted document, which the plaintiffs believed violated case law. A copy of the redacted record is available for download.
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Shelby County board member calls for special meeting amid controversy
Shelby County Board member Tad Mayhall recently circulated an email requesting a special meeting. The initial request for the meeting came from the newly appointed State’s Attorney, who only requested it to discuss her budget. "I am writing to request an immediate special meeting to discuss the remaining 2024 budget allocated for the State’s Attorney’s office," she wrote.
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Oak Brook Park District scrutinized for unauthorized compensation to commissioners
The Oak Brook Park District in Illinois has been under scrutiny for allegedly providing public property and resources to its commissioners and their families. This practice, although not as extensive as that of the Naperville Park District, calls for immediate attention and a proposal to revoke the entire 2010 Ordinance.
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Bloomington Township voters reject anti-Israel ballot question
A resident of Bloomington Township managed to gather the required 15 signatures necessary to hold a special township meeting of electors. The objective was to vote on a ballot question that many perceived as being distinctly anti-Israel. The question read, “Shall the United States federal government and subordinate divisions stop giving military funding to Israel, which currently costs taxpayers 3.8 billion dollars a year, given Israel’s global recognition as an apartheid regime with a track record of human rights violations?”
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Examining Discrepancies in Statements by Shelby County Dive Team Commander
In the April 2024 Shelby County Board meeting, Shelby County Dive Team Commander Austin Prichard read a statement on trust. He said, “The definition of trust: assures reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something, one which confidence is placed.”
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Former Village President accused of misusing official title
Three years after losing his position as the Village President of Poplar Grove, Owen Costanza continues to use the title. His persistent use of the title on his Facebook account and email address has raised eyebrows among residents.
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Shelby County initiates forensic audit into Dive Team's fund management
In Shelby County, concerns have been raised about the proper handling of funds donated to the Dive Team over the past few years. The question at hand is whether these donations were deposited into an appropriate Shelby County government account.
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Shelby County Board votes to sell county farmland to highest bidder
In a recent Shelby County Board meeting, characterized by significant disruptions from several attendees, the board decided to proceed with all necessary measures to sell the county farmland to the highest responsible bidder. The decision was reached after extensive discussion among board members.
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A local attorney failed to provide a legal opinion during a recent county farm meeting, leading to misinformation about the leasing of the farm
Attorney Tom Finks Failed To Provide Legal Opinion On Leasing County Farm; Misinformation Spreading
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Village Gives Away Cash For Christmas Gifts – May Violate Laws
Le Roy, Ill. (ECWd) –According to meeting minutes of the November 20, 2023, Le Roy village board meeting, the Trustees voted to give away municipal funds. By unanimous vote, Christmas gift (debit) cards totaling $1000.00 were gifted to village employees and to members of the village zoning board. At least one State’s Attorney has issued a written opinion on the gifting of public funds for things such as Christmas gifts, or for this letter, bereavement flowers, etc. The bottom line? It violates the constitution’s requirement of a public purpose, see Article VIII, Section 1....
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Former President Trump Files Motion to Dismiss Florida Case – Media Silent?
Former President Donald J. Trump has filed a motion in this Florida case dealing with classified documents to dismiss the indictment based on selective and vindictive prosecution. This motion was filed on May 2, 2024. We have yet to see any mainstream media cover this filing.Regardless of political leanings, we urge everyone to read the motion as it is chock full of factual information which we suspect the mainstream media will never share."When elected officials across the country recite the pledge of allegiance before their meetings, the last three words are seldom...
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Illinois State Police Settle FOIA Lawsuit for $20,622.93
Illinois State Police Settle FOIA Lawsuit for $20,622.93May 5 2024After the Attorney General’s office chose to not pursue any criminal charges in the illegal sale of seized firearms by the former Sheriff Don Koonce, Shelby Co. (ECWd) requested all the investigation files to include the taped interviews so that they could try to understand how a law enforcement officer selling seized guns to himself and his employees resulted in zero action being taken by the Attorney General.As covered in these articles, it was apparent after listening to the actual interviews the...
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Dr. Boehm Files Complaint Against Shelby County State’s Attorney
"Dr." Chris Boehm of Findlay recently filed a complaint with the ARDC against the Shelby County State’s Attorney, making allegations of misconduct and violations of legal rules. The complaint, filled with what has been described as 'incoherent ramblings filled with false and misleading information,' was closed just seven days after being brought to the attention of the State’s Attorney.One of the key claims in Boehm's complaint was related to the swearing in of witnesses during Grand Jury proceedings. In response to Boehm's assertion that oaths were not commonly...
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Dolton’s Law Firm Refuses to Represent Village, Citing Mayor's Conduct
Dolton, Ill. (ECWd) –We recently published the Del Galdo Law Group (Dolton’s legal firm) Motion to Withdraw on one of our FOIA lawsuits against the village of Dolton. We have now obtained a copy of the three-page letter from Del Galdo to Mayor Tiffany Henyard and the Village of Dolton Trustees, which, while not surprising, is fairly damning, and shows how far down an out-of-control Mayor can drag one village while prosecutors appear to slow-walk any accountability.In the letter, an unnamed source from Del Galdo Law Group stated, "We believe Del Galdo should have demanded,...
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Shelby County State’s Attorney Resigns Effective May 10, 2024
Shelby County State’s Attorney Rob Hanlon has submitted his resignation letter, with an effective date of May 10, 2024, at 4 pm, citing alternative opportunities available to him as the reasoning. The County Board now has 60 days to appoint a new State’s Attorney as outlined in the election code.It is reported that Ruth Woolery, the only candidate who ran for State’s Attorney in the last primary, is set to be hired as an Assistant State’s Attorney this week to facilitate an effective transition in case she is appointed to fill the remainder of the term.In his...