Regional Media Podcast Network

In the second installment of what Dave has dubbed Murder We Wrote, due to his having reported on these cases during his time as a reporter for the Star Courier, alongside a team of terrific journalists, we look back on 1995 in Kewanee when the town was rocked by a pair of high profile murders. In February of 1995 a man by the name of Martin Wooley murdered Dianna Turley and Rane Baldwin at Phylly's Bar in Kewanee following an alleged argument. Dave takes us through the story with insight provided by the actual stories of Star Courier writer Judy Schell and his own recollection of the shocking incident. And then, Dave walks us through the terrifying murder of prominent Kewanee citizen, Laurie Gwinn. Gwinn was killed in August of 1995 by alleged serial killer, Arlie Ray Davis and his partner James Linsley. With insights provided by the reporting of Judy Schehl and fellow reporter Martha Szalo, Dave takes us back to the scene of the crime to reflect on the the effect this shocking murder had on the town and to remember Laurie Gwinn, the victim of this horrendous crime.

Sparks chats with Kathy Waters from the Humane Society of McDonough County about their upcoming Casino Night fundraising event, scheduled for Saturday, March 4th from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at the Macomb Dining Company. 

For more information or to buy tickets, visit hsmcil.org

State Senator Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills) joined several Illinois Republican legislators at the Capitol Tuesday to call for action to address the rising cost of energy impacting Illinois families and businesses.

Gathering a day before the Governor’s 2023 Budget and State of the State Address, the legislators said providing long-term relief for Illinois families should be one of Gov. JB Pritzker’s top budget priorities, and have introduced a number of proposals for short-term relief.

“Far too many Illinois residents are facing the difficult choice of paying their power bills or paying for other basic necessities like food and medicine,” said Sen. Stoller. “We have to act now to address the ongoing energy crisis because that is a choice that no one should have to make.”

Citing energy rate increases that have almost doubled some families’ power bills since May 2022, Sen. Stoller is backing Senate Bill 2200, which would allocate $200 million in rebates to affected consumers. The Legislature approved an Ameren rate relief package during last month’s lame-duck session that would provide the average household with $170 in rate relief. The rate relief would be broken up into monthly bill credits likely occurring from April through October. The program is subject to appropriation, and it has not been funded.

Sen. Stoller is also supporting Senate Bill 1548, which would cut burdensome regulatory “red tape” at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which has prevented new power plants from coming online in a timely manner. And Senate Bill 1547, which would create the Power Grid Task Force requiring the General Assembly to look at the impacts that energy policies are having on Illinois’ ability to produce the required amount of energy to meet Illinois’ needs.

“The Governor cannot have it both ways. He can’t say that he was able to pass the most expansive energy legislation in the nation while also claiming it had no effect on energy rates,” continued Sen. Stoller. “These are solutions that provide short-term, intermediate-term and long-term relief to the ongoing energy crisis afflicting Illinois families and businesses and I implore the Governor to lend his support.”

While Illinoisans await action on legislative measures to address energy costs and grid supply, legislators will be sending a letter to Gov. Pritzker requesting the filing of emergency rulemaking procedures to dump more power into the grid markets and revised permit procedures to fast-track the development of natural gas plants.

Sparks chats with Velvet Powell, the Spoon River College Community (SRC) Director of Outreach about current and upcoming adult, business professional, and youth education programs at the SRC Community Outreach Center in Macomb

On Monday, February 13th, 2023, the Kewanee City Council met in a meeting that was broadcast live, and now archived, on the WKEI Facebook Page. Mayor Gary Moore joined Wake Up Tri-Counties on Tuesday to discuss the meeting, issues with the street maintenance program in Kewanee, new agreements signed at the meeting and a discussion about new Henry County Tourism videos that many, including the Mayor, believe left out Kewanee from the promotion. Mayor Moore addressed the new tourism campaign and stated that he felt Kewanee was under-represented compared to other Henry County locations.

Beth Looney, Behavioral Health Navigator with OSF Saint Luke Medical Center and member of the Henry County Mental Health Alliance joined Samantha Rux and Sean on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Monday, February 13th, 2023. Beth was on hand to get a head start on promoting a Mental Health event with the Henry County Mental Health Alliance set for May of this year. The event, The 2023 Mental Health Conference: Protecting Hope, will take place at Black Hawk College on May 24th, 2023 from 7:30 AM to 3:45 PM. The event will feature guest speaker Dr. Jessica Schultz and tickets for the day long event are available now.

The price of Eggs has been going up around the country while a scarcity in supply has led to people not being able to get their particular brand of eggs as often as they would like. Becky Krystal has written about food for the Washington Post for the past 5 years and she spoke with WKEI on Wake up Tri-Counties on Monday about the the price of eggs, the potential for market manipulation that is currently under investigation, and alternative egg products that are gaining popularity as people seek to replace the dietary staple that is the everyday Egg. We spoke with Becky Krystal from the Washington Post on Monday's edition of Wake Up Tri-Counties.

This morning we heard from Danelle Saunders, Nurse Practitioner, in the CGH Cardiology department at the CGH Main Clinic. She was in to talk about CGH Cardiology and Heart Month (February) at CGH Medical Center.

According to the CDC, February is American Heart Month, a time when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health. They are doing a campaign that encourages people to take small steps to address key risk factors like hypertension , high cholesterol , and  high blood sugar .

To schedule an appointment with CGH Cardiology or for any of CGH heart services, please call (815) 625-4790. For more information on CGH Health Foundation Cholesterol and Glucose Screenings, please call Sherry at (815) 625-0400, ext. 5716

Sparks talks with Macomb 185 School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Twomey about the recent successes of Macomb Bomber Athletics, as well as the progress on the construction of the new Macomb middle school building

State Representative Brad Fritts from the 74th district stopped in early this morning. Brad is the youngest ever elected to the Illinois House. We talked about what lead to his decision to run, and how his education will help with being in Springfield. 

Brad also shared what he is hearing from constituents, and the importance of staying in the fight for Illinois, instead of pulling up stakes and leaving.