East Central Reporter

The Shelby County Court hearing on State’s Attorney Woolery’s subpoenas to the County Board Chairman and the contracted auditing firm concluded with the court quashing the subpoenas and auditing State’s Attorney Woolery’s MX cases. However, local residents might not be aware of this outcome based on reports from their local newspaper.

The "Chicago-based" newspaper, the Shelbyville Eagle, reported that a dispute between the county board chair and the State’s Attorney had been settled. This report was published in an article by Sharon Barricklow titled “County Board Chair, State’s Attorney settle dispute.”

John Kraft of Edgar County Watchdogs, Inc. questioned this reporting. He stated, “We find it amazing how the ‘Chicago-based’ newspaper, which is based out of Cook County in a suburb of the city of Chicago, Illinois, can get something so wrong, especially a front-page story.”

Kraft pointed out discrepancies between what transpired during the court hearing and what was reported by the Shelbyville Eagle. According to Kraft, “The obvious problems start with the title – The county board chair and State’s Attorney did not ‘settle’ any dispute – the Court quashed the subpoenas.”

Edgar County Watchdogs sent questions to the Shelbyville Eagle seeking clarification but have yet to receive a response as of publication.

“We read your August 24, 2024 article written by Sharon Barricklow entitled ‘County Board Chair, State’s Attorney settle dispute’ – and have some questions and requests for comment,” Kraft wrote in his inquiry.

Shelby County residents are left with conflicting accounts regarding their local government proceedings due to differing reports from media outlets.