HIGHLAND MAN KILLED WHILE WORKING ON INTERSTATE 39 NEAR ROCKFORD
Keith Jakel, age 55, of Highland, was struck by a truck and killed Tuesday, March 20 while performing repairs on Interstate 39 near Paw Paw, Illinois, about forty miles south of Rockford. According to a news release from the Illinois State Police District 1, Roger D. Miller, age 76, of Grand Ridge, was northbound in a truck tractor, on Interstate 39 at mile post 80.6. An Illinois Department of Transportation arrow truck was blocking the right lane and diverting traffic to the passing lane. Miller was unable to merge into the traffic lane due to another vehicle in the lane and went to the shoulder to avoid striking the arrow truck. Miller’s truck tractor struck Jakel who was out of his vehicle doing maintenance work to the shoulder of Interstate 39. Illinois State Police were assisted at the scene by Lee County Sheriff’s Deputies, Paw Paw Fire and Ambulance Emergency Personnel, the Lee County Coroner, and Illinois Department of Transportation Officers.
BALLOTS CAUSE HURDLE DURING PRIMARY ELECTION IN BOND COUNTY
The Illinois Primary Election was Tuesday and Bond County had a hurdle to overcome to tally up the votes. Bond County Clerk Randy Reitz said his office started receiving calls from the polling locations early on election morning that ballots were not feeding into the machines. Investigation showed the ballots were 1/32 of an inch too wide. The size problem was the fault of the ballot printer not a vendor. Election judges trimmed 1/32 of an inch off the ballots, so they would work in the machines. Randy praised and thanked his election judges for the extra work did to make it possible for people to cast their vote. At this time, everything is complete in regards to the election. The only additional numbers to be tallied will come from absentee votes. There is a 14 day window in which absentee ballots may be counted.
EASTER EGG HUNT AT PATRIOT’S PARK
The Greenville Commercial Club and the Greenville Optimist Club are sponsoring the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Patriot’s Park, Saturday, April 7, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The hunt is divided according to age groups as follows; toddler – age 2, ages 3-5, 6-7, and 8-9. There will be a special section for disabled boys and girls through the sixth grade. For more information, call 664-1872.
LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS
Illinois voters went to the polls Tuesday to cast their vote in the March Primary election. Mitt Romney won the Illinois Primary for the Republican Presidential Nomination. Locally, however, Romney did not receive the highest number of votes. Most voters in Bond, Clinton, Fayette, and Madison counties choose Rick Santorum. Santorum received 10,799 votes in the area, beating Romney by a margin of about 1,500 votes. 9,287 people voted for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Candidate Ron Paul got 2,490 votes, narrowly beating Newt Gingrich with 2,189 votes. Approximately 14% of voting-age citizens voted Tuesday.
