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PRINCETON, Ill. — A new Civil War monument honoring Black soldiers was unveiled in Princeton on Friday. 
The project, called “Lift Every Name Who Served,” was started by the Bureau County Historical Society (BCHS) earlier this year. It came shortly after a local historian, Sarah Cooper, wrote an article connecting Black Civil War soldiers to Bureau County. 
These soldiers were not included in the county’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument and according to the society’s executive director, the article inspired an area donor to fully fund the project. 
The monument honors 45 Black Union servicemen who fought for the 29th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry, the 8th U.S. Colored Infantry and the 13th U.S. Colored Artillery. 
According to Cooper’s article, the 29th Infantry was present when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. The infantry itself was formed in Quincy, Illinois, but many men returned to the state after the war ended, with some residing in Bureau County. 
Charles Moses was one of those soldiers. He lived in Princeton with his wife, Priscilla Parham. BCHS teamed up with the Bureau County Genealogical Society and was able to contact Moses’ great-granddaughter, Frances Clarke, who attended the unveiling ceremony. 
“It’s important that he served because he was a person who was once enslaved,” Clarke said. “And he served in a war that changed the trajectory of life in the United States.”
The monument is located at the corner of Park Avenue West and South Pleasant Street in Princeton. 
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PRINCETON, Ill. — Editor’s Note: The video attached originally aired on Oct. 24 around when Swanson’s equipment was initially stolen. 
Updated Story: 
Back in October, Princeton resident Gary Swanson had his van and thousands of dollars in sound equipment stolen. Swanson is known for providing music at numerous community events. 
Last Saturday, Swanson learned that the Princeton Police Department had recovered some of his equipment. According to a Facebook post, two vintage keyboards, a small 16-channel Peavy mixer board, three microphones, an empty wireless mic system case and some speaker chords were recovered. 
“This experience has been challenging,” Swanson said in the Facebook post. “Spite what happened I was determined to move on and do what I love to do, providing sound, my studio, and my band… all I can say is wow, I did not expect all the support from the community and others that I received. It will definitely ‘get the music rolling again!'”
Original Story:
Police officers in Princeton, Illinois are asking for the public’s help in locating a stolen van and sound equipment.
According to a recent Facebook post, the van and equipment were stolen at some point overnight between Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. 
The 2000 Chevrolet gray conversion van and speakers were taken from Gary Swanson’s shop on Peru Street. The gray trailer with them is labeled with the letters “GES.”
“As many of you know, Gary donates the sound services for numerous community events,” the Facebook post from Princeton police reads. “He is very passionate about Princeton and the surrounding communities, volunteering his time, selflessly, promoting a positive message wherever he goes.”
News 8 spoke with Swanson’s daughter for more information and got photos of the missing items, which can be found below. 
“The whole town knows and loves my dad, the whole county,” Holly Nelson said. “Everybody knows and loves my dad. He does stuff for free. It’s just a terrible thing that happened to a really good guy.”
Police are asking for the community’s help in locating the equipment, and anyone with information is asked to reach out the the Princeton, Illinois Police Department. Anonymous reports are taken. Police added that if someone has the equipment, they can leave it undamaged where it can be easily found. 
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PRINCETON, Ill. — The beloved Red Covered Bridge in Princeton, Illinois has been hit by a semi-truck, according to the Bureau County Historical Society and History Center. 
The accident occurred Thursday morning around 7:30 when a truck driver from Alabama collided with the historic structure, according to reports on Facebook. 
News 8 talked with a spokesperson from the Bureau County Historical Society who said the community is devastated over the loss of the historical landmark, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places back in 1975. 
Illinois has only nine covered bridges recorded statewide, with two of them being in Princeton. The oldest of the two is the Red Covered Bridge which was built around 1863, the same year the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. 
WATCH: News 8 Drone checks out the historic covered bridges of Princeton, Illinois
The 149-foot-long span cost $3,148.57 to construct and was once part of the Peoria-Galena Trail, crossing over Big Bureau Creek.
Prior to today’s accident, the bridge was one of five covered bridges in Illinois that was still open to vehicular traffic. 
It’s still unknown what the community’s plan is moving forward at the time of publication. However, the spokesperson from the historical society said they would be involved in any restoration plan if that were to occur.  
News 8 will update this news story as more information is made available. Download our app and subscribe to our YouTube channel for updates.  
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PRINCETON, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Transportation began temporary repair work Monday of the historic Red Covered Bridge in Princeton.
The bridge was hit by a semi-truck on Nov. 16 and the truck caused extensive damage.
“Most of the tresses on the north end of the bridge were all compromised and ripped out, so the roof basically collapsed and the walls on the north end started flaring out,” said Princeton City Clerk Peter Nelson. “I was pretty much devastated. I got a sick feeling in my stomach and I just could not believe the extent of the damage and also the unfortunate circumstances of why it happened. It did not need to happen.”
Paul Wappel, a spokesperson for IDOT, said crews are installing temporary supports.
“(It’s) being done to ensure the existing damage to this structure doesn’t worsen or create additional issues,” he said in an email to News 8. “The supports will remain in place until permanent repairs can be made to the bridge, which will remain closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The Department won’t have any recommendations on permanent repairs or restoration measures until a full assessment of the bridge is completed, which will take several months.”
Princeton city, Bureau county and state leaders, as well as community members, met Wednesday morning to get an update on the bridge.
“The message that I know I personally received from all of this was that the goal is restoration and then doing whatever we need to do to facilitate the road changes or signage changes to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” said Lex Poppens, the executive director of the Bureau County History Center.
The iconic Red Covered Bridge was constructed in 1863-64, according to the history center. They believe the first to have crossed it was a man named Joseph Bryan on his horse in April 1864.
It’s reported that it was constructed by a committee appointed by the Bureau County Board. The county pitched in $1,000, Dover Township, where the bridge is located, paid $600 and area residents pitched in the remaining $1,548.57.
Illinois has only nine covered bridges recorded statewide, with two of them being in Princeton. Before the accident, the bridge was one of five covered bridges in Illinois that was still open to vehicular traffic. 
“This is a staple and a focal point for our community and our area and who else can say that they have a 160-year-old bridge that’s functional?” said Jenica Cole, the executive director of the Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce. “This bridge means a lot to a lot of people.”
She is hopeful conversations are moving in a positive direction toward restoration.
“It’s in our hearts and on our minds and we’re all rallying to hope this bridge comes back to what it once was,” she said.
Poppens said people from around the state have reached out offering to donate barn wood. 
“The woods around here are where the bridge came from,” he said. “We have an owner nearby who has trees of the same size that were used for this willing to donate those trees.”
The cost of the repairs won’t be known until IDOT can finish evaluating the condition of the bridge. The assumption, Nelson said, is that the driver’s company, Wynn Logistics, and its insurance policy will be covering some if not all of the repairs.
A semi-truck previously crashed into the Red Covered Bridge in April 2021, but the damage wasn’t to this extent. There was damage to the bridge’s north end, and the bridge was closed until late August that year when repairs were made.
Reportedly, both drivers were following GPS navigation when they hit the bridge, despite there being signs warning of a five-ton weight limit and 11-foot, 10-inch height restriction. 
Nelson said they want to look into whether the GPS route can be altered.
“We need to make sure the structure is safe from here on out and is not really subjected to these types of issues anymore,” he said. “We’re not sure if that means we need to restrict traffic on the bridge or if we just enhance our warnings prior to getting to the bridge. Certainly we need to restrict semi traffic from this bridge.”
Traffic will remain closed on the bridge for the foreseeable future.
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Dan Foes (right), pictured with his son, Grant, in 2021, is retiring after 19 seasons as the head track coach at Princeton High School. He was an assistant for five years before that. (Kevin Hieronymus)
In 2021, Dan Foes stepped down as assistant football coach at Princeton High School to follow his son Grant’s next step playing football at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Foes is making the same decision to follow his daughter Morgan’s career competing for the Illinois State University track and field team next year.
After 19 seasons as boys track and field head coach at Princeton, Foes is retiring.
“Leaving to follow Grant was certainly the right decision, and I know it certainly will be to follow her, also,” he said. “I’m super excited to see her development at the next level, and it’s going to be a lot of fun with that.”
“I’ll always follow the track and field at Princeton High School, that’s for sure.”
Even still, Foes got a little choked up telling the kids at the awards banquet.
“I wasn’t expecting that honestly. I probably practiced that in my mind a thousand times, but it’s a lot different when you’re looking at the kids in the eyes,” he said. “It’s hard because I truly loved all those kids we had this year. I look forward to seeing how some of them develop next year. I am excited for [juniors] Cade [Odell] and Ian [Morris] to have success in their events. When they were freshmen, they were our only two freshmen, and I am very partial to them.
“I’ll always follow the track and field at Princeton High School, that’s for sure.”
It’s been a great run for Foes and Tiger track.
In his 19 years as head coach and the five years before serving as an assistant under Don Carlson (”a great mentor,” Foes said), the Tigers have had at least one state qualifier every season over a 24-year stretch.
“That’s what it was all about, seeing what we can get to state,” Foes said. “We put a lot of names on the [state qualifiers] board outside the cafeteria over the years. And I’m very, very proud of our program and everything that we’ve done. It’s always neat to see it for the kids who are up there.”
Foes’ Tigers won two sectional championships, the first in 2011 in 1A and most recently in 2021 in 2A.
“We’ve been fortunate where we’ve won some team championships and we’ve had a lot of success,” he said. “If you ask Grant Foes, [the 2021 team] was the greatest team ever. We were after a common goal that year. We had a lot of fun. That was a very memorable one winning a 2A sectional because when we got bumped up to 2A, I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to compete for it.”
The Tigers also won Three Rivers Conference championships in 2019 and 2021. Foes said the 2019 championship was most memorable because the Tigers won by only two points over Erie-Prophetstown.
“We knew we were always going to compete and put our best foot forward to try to do it. But you talk about a competitive and outstanding conference. We played the bridesmaid several times with that conference where we got second or maybe third,” he said. “We were always in the mix, but boy it was really tough to win with the likes of Newman, Morrison, Erie-Prophetstown and Bureau Valley. Really all the teams because everybody is kind of stealing from each other.”
Foes, a 1992 thrower for Western High School track, said he will miss the daily interactions with the kids at practice.
Assistant coach Rob Jensen also will step down from his position, leaving weights coach Curtis Odell the lone returner on the Princeton boys staff.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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The fleet of ambulances sits in the Princeton Fire Department garage, including the city’s new ambulance (middle). (Derek Barichello)
Out with the old and in with the new. Ambulances, that is.
The Princeton City Council approved the authorization Monday to sell a retired ambulance. The 2012 Ford E450 was replaced by a new ambulance.
The new ambulance, a new f550, made its maiden voyage about an hour after being put into service May 29. The Princeton Fire Department said crews had been working on the drivers training for the previous month.
City Manager Theresa Wittenauer said the new ambulance was purchased without having to borrow any funds. The ambulance also gives the fire department a completely updated fleet, Wittenauer said.
Mayor Ray Mabry added at the previous City Council meeting the city got good value from the old ambulance, getting more than a decade of service from the vehicle.
In other items, the council:
Heard from Wittenauer that recycling containers are about two to three weeks away from delivery. Anyone who is on the list to receive a new recycling container will be contacted or the totes will be dropped off at their address.
Approved resolutions accepting a bid of $321,722 from Advanced Asphalt for the annual General-Funded Street Maintenance program and a bid of $297,158 from Advanced Asphalt for the annual Motor Fuel Tax-Funded Street Maintenance program.
Approved the appointment of Rob Jensen to a non-expiring term to the Lovejoy Board of Trustees.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Princeton High School’s Varsity Scholastic Bowl Team competed at the Riverdale Early Season Tournament this past Saturday, winning second place out of 10 teams. (Photo provided by Brody Anderson)
Princeton High School’s Varsity Scholastic Bowl Team competed at the Riverdale Early Season Tournament this past Saturday, winning second place out of 10 teams.
Princeton defeated Rock Falls, United Township, Ashton-Franklin Center, Galena and Morrison. This is the best finish Princeton has had in this tournament.
Max Wilborn received all-tournament fourth place, and Clayton Rokosz was 11th place all-tournament. The victory against Morrison was PHS Head Coach Brody Anderson’s 100th career win coaching Scholastic Bowl.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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A Granville man died, and a woman was injured, following a single-vehicle rollover crash Thursday near Cedar Point.
A Granville man died and a woman was injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash Thursday near Cedar Point.
Joel J. Rangel was identified as the man who died by La Salle County Coroner Rich Ploch in a news release sent Friday.
Ploch said authorities were called to North 23rd and East First roads near Cedar Point. There, a car overturned, and two occupants were ejected from the vehicle.
“A female occupant was transferred from the scene to a hospital for treatment,” Ploch said in the release. “The other male occupant was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:20 a.m.”
A forensic investigative autopsy was conducted, with preliminary results indicating that the man died of injuries from the crash.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Five Illinois men, including a man from Streator, were charged for their alleged participation in a burglary ring that spanned several Illinois counties, ranging from the Chicago area to Central Illinois, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
Five Illinois men, including a man from Streator, were charged for their alleged participation in a burglary ring that spanned several Illinois counties, ranging from the Chicago area to Central Illinois, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
John Friedrich, 35, of Streator was charged with one count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 2 felony; one count of money laundering, a Class 3 felony; and six counts of burglary, Class 2 felonies.
The public is encouraged to contact local law enforcement if anyone knows Friedrich’s whereabouts, according to the attorney general’s office.
Others charged are Joseph Montoro, 39 of Berwyn; Sebastian Perez, 41 of Chicago; Jacob Sickel, 20 of Brookfield; and Don Wiley, 53 of University Park, for an alleged string of 22 burglaries in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Champaign, Lake, Tazewell, DeWitt, Peoria, Kankakee, McLean and Will counties.
“The thefts allegedly committed by this burglary ring impacted dozens of businesses and counties, targeting gas stations, bars and small video gaming machine parlors,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a news release. “These arrests are the result of countless hours of investigative work and close collaborations between my office and several law enforcement agencies. I would like to thank the Illinois Gaming Board and the agencies that participated in this complex investigation. I look forward to continuing similar partnerships that help us hold criminals accountable across jurisdictions.”
The Attorney General’s investigation and prosecution of the burglary ring is based on a referral from the Illinois Gaming Board.
“The (gaming board) was pleased to partner with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies in dismantling this video gaming burglary ring and bringing these criminals to justice,” said IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter in a news release. “The IGB will continue working with our state and local partners on criminal investigations statewide to ensure and uphold the integrity and safety of gaming in Illinois.”
Raoul’s office collaborated with dozens of local law enforcement agencies in the 22 affected counties throughout the course of the investigation. According to the Attorney General’s office, from January to November 2023 the men worked together to steal more than $100,000 from video gaming machines in Cook, the collar and Central Illinois counties. All the defendants, except for Friedrich, are awaiting their first appearance in DuPage County.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Jordan Reinhardt and the Princeton Tigers are reloading for another regional championship run. (Scott Anderson)
Princeton High School basketball fans will find some familiar faces, some old but familiar faces and some new ones suiting up for the Tigers this season.
The five returning seniors – Jayden Fulkerson, Wyatt Koning, Noah LaPorte, Jordan Reinhardt and Luke Smith – will be reunited with classmates Asa Gartin and Arthur Burden, who took last year off.
The Tigers also add the talents of senior Jeremy Borsch, who played on the JV last year, juniors Stihl Brokaw, Ryan Jagers, Gavin Lanham, Jackson Mason and Daniel Barnes, a transfer from Princeton Christian Academy, and sophomore Luke LaPorte.
“We have a solid group coming back. A group that played really well together this summer and that was without Ryan who was still coming off an ACL injury,” PHS coach Jason Smith said. “I love the way we compete and I believe we have quite a bit of depth this year. We might struggle early (due to extended football playoffs) but the more practices and games we have with each other and the more continuity, the better we will be.”
Everybody knows about the talents of Noah LaPorte, the Tigers 6-6 senior standout and Northwestern University football recruit. The BCR Player of the Year averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds a year ago and will be taking aim on the all-time school scoring record set by Grady Thompson two years ago.
Most of all, Smith wants LaPorte to be a leader this year.
“He’s going to do a lot on the basketball court for us. He needs to be the on the floor and off the floor leader that he’s capable of doing,” Smith said. “All eyes are on him this year. He’ll embrace that. He’s used to that all through football this year and last year and the focal point was on him last year anyway. I’m just looking forward to him being Noah LaPorte and he’ll do fine and help his team win. He wants to win. He doesn’t like to lose. It’s contagious and I love it.”
Princeton’s Noah LaPorte is the reigning BCR Player of the Year. (Scott Anderson)
While Smith plans to play LaPorte more away from the basket this year and have him handle the ball some, the Tiger coach acknowledged there will be the Twin Towers in play with the LaPorte brothers, including the 6-4 and growing Luke.
“You’ll see a little LaPorte and LaPorte connection. You’ll see big brother get a little frustrated with little brother from time to time and probably vice-versa,’ Smith said with a laugh.
Reinhardt gives the Tigers a 3-point weapon and benefits starting the season healthy after having come in injured off football a year ago. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds as a junior.
Smith said it’s nice to have Gartin, a 6-2 forward, who played his freshman and sophomore seasons, back in the fold.
“I was disappointed he didn’t play last year. He’s just a nice addition,” Smith said. “He plays with a little edge, which is what a lot of these guys need. He’s got a lot of skill. He’s quick. He doesn’t get tired. He’s strong and can shoot the ball outside, but he’s a bit of a slasher for us. And he can play some defense. He’s smart and all those intangibles add up to pretty good basketball player.”
Burden, a standout linebacker for the Tiger football team who wrestled last year, will also be a nice addition, Smith said, providing some inside muscle as a 6-2 forward.
“He came in probably a quarter a way through the summer and asked me if he could play. I said, ‘Here’s a jersey. You bet.’ You can never have enough athletic, skilled kids,” Smith said. “He’s a strong physical kid. An athletic kid who likes to play basketball and is very coachable. He’s going to help, especially down low in rebounding and playing defense.”
Smith is excited to have Jagers back in action after missing his sophomore season and summer basketball recovering from an ACL injury. Classmates Lanham and Mason are expected to provide key minutes as well.
The Tiger coach said this may be his best shooting team with the likes of Reinhardt, Fulkerson, Noah LaPorte, Jagers and Mason.
Brokaw and Barnes will be utilized on the JV team along with juniors Cayden Benavidez, Eli Burden and Jack Orwig.
The Tigers have won three straight regionals, including two Sweet 16 appearances, and Smith said he’d be disappointed if they didn’t make another deep postseason run and play for another regional championship.
“Any time you have a talent of Noah and Jordan and combine them with a bunch of juniors the likes of Gavin, Ryan and Jackson and Luke LaPorte coming in as a sophomore, it’s good,” Smith said. “If we can get those guys all working the same rope, I like our chances in a lot of different aspects.”
The Tigers will open the season at the Shootin’ the Rock Shootout at Ottawa at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26 against Oak Forest.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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