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Kelsea Mongan has been selected as the female Elks Teen of the Year nominee by the Mendota Elks Lodge. (Photo provided by Sydney Markham)
Kelsea Mongan has been selected as the female Elks Teen of the Year nominee by the Mendota Elks Lodge.
She won the Northwest District competition and has advanced to the state-level competition where she could earn scholarship money. Mongan is a senior at Princeton High School. She is the daughter of Marc and Michele Mongan of Princeton.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Joe Kitchens joined Midland Wealth Management, a division of Midland States Bank, as wealth advisor serving clients in Bureau County. (Photo provided by Anna Strong)
Joe Kitchens joined Midland Wealth Management, a division of Midland States Bank, as a wealth adviser serving clients in Bureau County.
“We are excited to introduce Joe as a dedicated adviser in our Princeton office,” Executive Vice President of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management Dan L. Stevenson said in a news release. “In addition to his professional expertise, Joe shows genuine care and interest in the well-being of his clients, fostering trust and long-term loyalty, all of which resonate strongly with our core principles.”
Before joining Midland, Kitchens was a financial adviser at Edward Jones. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Millikin University and his Master of Arts from Wheaton College. Kitchens maintains FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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The following property transfers were recorded July 16-31, 2024, at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office. (BCR file)
The following property transfers were recorded July 16-31, 2024, at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office:
Jeanine Thompson to Dennis and Tina Nink, joint tenancy deed, part of Lot 100 in Princeton, $225,000.
Scott Wagner (ex), Nancy Wright (decd) and Rita Zenor (ex) to Gayla Cook, executor deed, Lot 5 in Block 5 in Smith and Stacy’s Addition in Malden, $137,000.
Dawna McHenry and James Sissel, warranty deed, to Alexander and Dominique Cech, warranty deed, part of Lot 14 in Malden, $100,000.
Cheryl and William John to Jeremiah and Lesley Wilson, warranty deed, part of Section 17 in Concord Township, $95,000.
Daniel Pondinas to Kenneth Brown, warranty deed, Lots 7 and 8 in Block 21 in Myrick’s Second Addition in Cherry, $3,000.
Kenneth and Sharon Bence to James Nickelsen, warranty deed, part of Section 13 in Wyanet Township, $28,000.
Oak Street Properties LLC to Marcelino Millan, warranty deed, Lot 71 in Reavley Addition in Wyanet, $20,000.
Quinta and William Naffziger to Fred Frosch III and Karen Taylor, warranty deed, parts of Section 21 in Princeton Township, $415,000.
Jane Hunley to Jay Edlefson, warranty deed, part of Section 13 in Manlius Township, $429,030.
Brian and Lisa Pagano to Joshua Draksler, warranty deed, Lot 6 in Block 7 and part of Lot 7 in Block 7 in Union Addition in Princeton, $210,000.
Karen and Kevin Fassig to Randall and Tina Toner, warranty deed, Lot 2 in Block 20 in Spring Valley Coal Co. First Addition in Dalzell, $130,000.
Marsha and Roger Spevak to Jeremy Mattingly and Makayla Thompson, joint tenancy deed, part of Lot 1 in Block 4 and part of Lot 2 in Block 4 in Dover, $105,000.
Patricia Mallow to Karen Raschke, warranty deed, part of Lot 5 in McIntire’s Addition in Neponset, $125,000.
Julie Mautino Messina and Richard Mautino to Jose Aviles, warranty deed, Lot 8 in Block 6 in Coveny Subdivision in Spring Valley, $230,000.
Foresman Trust and Ethel Scruggs (tr) to Classic Homes, trustees’ deed, part of Section 21 in Princeton Township, $186,490.
Rosemary Yerly (tr) and Rosemary Yerly Trust to Tracy Fousekas, trustees’ deed, part of Lot 6 in Block 6 in Luther’s Addition in Spring Valley, $67,000.
Amber and Matthew Norman to Carolyn and Michael Maynard, warranty deed, Lot 1 in Resubdivision – Block 2 – McDonald’s Subdivision in Walnut, $30,000.
Susan Norton and Barbara Schesser to Kathleen and Terry Pratt, warranty deed, part of Section 21 in Neponset Township, $195,000.
Laura White to Nicholas Lamberty, warranty deed, part of Section 1 in Greenville Township, $196,000.
Alyssa and Tyler Sultze to Victoria and Daniel Winterrose, warranty deed, Lot 27 in Blakely’s Estates Subdivision in Dalzell, $300,000.
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation to Emmanuel Garcia Mandujano, warranty deed, part of Lot 4 in Block 6, part of Lot 5 in Block 6 and Lot 6 in Block 6 in Union Addition in Princeton, $126,000.
Daniel and Dawn Marshall to Jacqueline and Ronnie Maynard, warranty deed, part of Lot 12 in Block 9 and Lots 9, 10 and 11 in Block 9 in Neponset, $55,570.
Kyle Castner to Carri and Howard Bonnie, warranty deed, Lots 4 and 14 in Pinedale First Subdivision in Princeton, $250,000.
Roy Swanberg to Kyle Castner, warranty deed, Lot 320 in Greencroft Phase III in Princeton, $250,000.
Heather and Jesus Arteaga to Laura Tanner, warranty deed, part of Lot 94 in Princeton, $254,500.
James Hoffman to Kato Medvig, warranty deed, part of Lot 29 in Princeton, $112,500.
Donald and Sandra Elmore to Stephon Low and Rhonda Underwood, joint tenancy deed, part of Lot 10 in Block 1 and Lots 6, 7, 8 and 9 in Block 1 in Ingall’s Addition in Dover, $17,000.
Barbara and Howard Wolcott to Nicole Yarrington, warranty deed, Lot 31 and part of Lot 30 in Hallam’s Addition in Princeton, $80,000.
Susan Norton and Barbara Schesser to Peacock Farms LLC, warranty deed, Section 16 in Neponset Township, $390,000.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Monday was the final day to turn in paperwork to be on the ballot. The last day to file an objection to any nominating petition for the April 1 consolidated election is Monday, Nov. 25. (Scott Anderson)
The April 2025 ballot is starting to take shape in the Illinois Valley.
Candidates turned in their petitions for the municipal elections in La Salle, Mendota, Oglesby, Peru, Princeton, Spring Valley, Streator and Utica. Aside from Utica and Oglesby, each community is shaping up to have contested races, including potential mayoral races in La Salle, Mendota, Peru and Spring Valley. La Salle drew four candidates for the mayor’s post. Ottawa and Marseilles do not have any vacancies for this election cycle.
Monday was the final day to turn in paperwork to be on the ballot. The last day to file an objection to any nominating petition for the April 1 consolidated election is Monday, Nov. 25.
La Salle residents could see multiple contested races come April 2025 – and a ballot lottery to determine order.
Incumbent Mayor Jeff Grove turned in petitions to retain his seat, along with Gary Hammers, Jamie Hicks and Tyler Thompson.
William Sexton and former council member Diz Demes both filed petitions for First Ward at 8 a.m. last Tuesday so a ballot order will be held to determine their order on the ballot. Incumbent Alderman Jim Bacidore did not seek reelection.
Incumbent Alderman Tom Ptak (Second Ward) drew a challenger in Dawn Hicks. Incumbent John “Doc” Lavieri (Third Ward) was joined by Jessica Dergence, Nicole Girton and Danielle “Dani” Piland, who each filed their petitions.
Incumbent Alderman T. Boo Herndon (Fourth Ward) was joined by newcomer Brianne Hicks in filing petitions.
Virginia Kochanowski will seek reelection as treasurer. She was the lone candidate to file for that office. No one had filed a petition for city clerk. Incumbent Clerk Amy Quinn said she will not seek reelection.
Mendota may have a contested race for mayor. Incumbent David Boelk drew a challenger when Shallen Gross filed a petition.
Emily McConville seeks reelection as city clerk. She is the only candidate to file for that office.
Incumbent aldermen Kyle Kim (Third Ward), Jim Fitzpatrick (First Ward), Vicki Johnson (Fourth Ward) and Leo Hochstatter (Second Ward) all filed petitions. Fitzpatrick was joined in the First Ward by challenger Joel Perez. Johnson drew a challenger in Matt Ramer. Rob Letterly filed for treasurer.
Oglesby might have no contested races.
Hilary Moyle has filed petitions for the seat on the Oglesby City Council that was vacated when commissioner Terry Eutis resigned. Don Finley, who was appointed to the seat after Eutis’ resignation, has not filed petitions for election as of noon Monday.
Peru may have a contested mayoral race as incumbent Ken Kolowski was joined by Doug Bernabei, who filed a petition on Tuesday.
Treasurer Jackson Powell will seek reelection. He was the only candidate to file for that office.
As City Clerk Dave Bartley announced he would no longer seek reelection, “James”Jamey” Mertel filed petitions along with former alderwoman Sherry Mayszak. Incumbent Alderman Jason Edgcomb (Second Ward) drew a challenger Monday in newcomer Tom Riordan. Bob Tieman (First Ward), Mike Sapienza (Third Ward) and Jim Lukosus (Fourth Ward) sought reelection.
With two seats available on the Princeton City Council in April, City Council members Michael McCall and Marty Makransky, along with Donald Saletzki filed for candidacy.
Spring Valley Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson turned in her paperwork to run for reelection. Debra Perino also filed to run for mayor. City Clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hansen filed for reelection and John “Jack” Boroski filed for treasurer. In the First Ward, Ed Jauch turned in paperwork; in the Second Ward, Alderman Chris Affelt; in the Third Ward Jake Kelley and JC Heerdt; and in the Fourth Ward Alderman Dave Pellegrini.
Two seats on the Streator City Council will be up for election in April, as the terms of David “Moose” Conner and Matt McMullen come to an end. Christopher Thomas, Tonya Zehr Pearce, Justin Skinner, Scott Scheuer and Daniel Danko have all filed to run for the positions. Scheuer and Danko serve on the Streator Plan Commission.
Utica might have no contested races.
Mayor David Stewart is up for reelection and no opponents have filed petitions as of 3 p.m. Monday.
Three spots are open on the Utica Village Board and all three incumbents have filed petitions. They are trustees Debbie Krizel and Jim Schrader and Pete Pawlak, who was appointed to replace his late mother, Mary, and is seeking his first electoral win.
Mayoral races are shaping up in Spring Valley, Peru, La Salle and Mendota. Spring Valley Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson (left), Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski (third from left) and La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove (fifth from left) all drew challengers. (Scott Anderson)
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Princeton’s police chief has been meeting with the Princeton Ministerial Association and Arukah Institute of Healing the past several months to come up with solutions for what he said is “a pretty significant unhoused population.”
Princeton’s police chief has been meeting with the Princeton Ministerial Association and Arukah Institute of Healing for the past several months to come up with solutions for what he said is “a pretty significant unhoused population.”
The group is looking into starting a warming center in Princeton for the homeless.
Last winter, Arukah housed 37 people throughout the winter, Princeton Police Chief Tom Kammerer said. This year, Kammerer said the agency won’t be able to provide that.
Instead, 28 volunteers from the community received training to staff a warming center in Princeton. The eight-hour training class educated volunteers on mental health, terminology and safety, among other topics, Kammerer said.
The next step in developing a warming center is to take a census of the homeless population and then establish a location. Mayor Ray Mabry said there are indications that the homeless population may be down a little, with Kammerer saying it was at about 50 people in previous years.
Kammerer said he was hopeful the efforts by the group that regularly meets with the strong support of Arukah, and its resources, have led to success in finding homes, jobs or treatment for some of the population.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Overcast. High 48F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..
Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 34F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: March 31, 2025 @ 12:00 pm
Sarah Loesch/Daily Clarion Little House of Yarn in Princeton has a variety of options for customers, including wool, cotton, alpaca blends and acrylic yarns.
Yarn lines the wall of the newly opened Little House of Yarn located at 129 West Broadway St. in Princeton. The shop has a variety of options for customers, including wool, cotton, alpaca blends and acrylic yarns and is open 10-5 p.m. Wednesday, 10-7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 10-5 p.m. Saturday.
Sarah Loesch/Daily Clarion Diana Christie, owner of Little House of Yarn, discusses the varieties of yarn she carries in Princeton. The shop opened to customers Feb. 26.

Sarah Loesch/Daily Clarion Little House of Yarn in Princeton has a variety of options for customers, including wool, cotton, alpaca blends and acrylic yarns.
Yarn lines the wall of the newly opened Little House of Yarn located at 129 West Broadway St. in Princeton. The shop has a variety of options for customers, including wool, cotton, alpaca blends and acrylic yarns and is open 10-5 p.m. Wednesday, 10-7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 10-5 p.m. Saturday.
Sarah Loesch/Daily Clarion Diana Christie, owner of Little House of Yarn, discusses the varieties of yarn she carries in Princeton. The shop opened to customers Feb. 26.
PRINCETON
The underlying mission of Diana Christie’s newly-opened yarn shop is joy and community.
The Illinois native opened Little House of Yarn on the southwest side of the Princeton square last week, and opened the door to a goal about five years in the making.
Yarn has been a part of Christie’s life since her mom taught her to knit around age 6, though there was a time where she put down the needles to work on earning her bachelors degree in business administration.
“There was a 10-year span where no creative anything was coming out of my body,” she said.
It was all about studying, with work and school, she just didn’t have the time. Then around five years ago, her mother bought some yarn at a yard sale and sent it her way. Christie used that yarn to make her mother a blanket, and she was thrilled.
“I think it’s just the joy when people receive the handmade gift that I like the most,” she said.
The joy she saw got Christie thinking about how much she enjoyed making people happy. She began crocheting and selling some items, before telling her husband she wanted to open a yarn shop.
Christie visited a yarn shop in Huntingburg, and said the owner was very candid about her successes and struggles. After that, she began to look for a space, originally in Mount Carmel, but ended up finding 129 W. Broadway.
Now open for business, Christie has a variety of products in stock for customers. Yarns ranging in type from worsted to baby yarn to super chunky. She also has a variety of fibers including, wool blends, wool, cotton, cotton blends, alpaca blends and acrylics.
“I do offer books as well, books and pamphlets,” she said. “There’s some free patterns.”
She also plans to have needles in stock in the coming days.
Christie said so far she’s sold a little bit of everything, but the sock yarn is a popular item right now.
“(Customers) might buy something they’ve never used before,” she said. “Sometimes they might have something in mind, sometimes they don’t, as far as what they want to make.”
Another aspect to the shop is its designated “sit and stitch” events on Thursday nights. From 5-7 p.m. community members are invited to come work on projects with other people at the shop.
Christie said “sit and stitch” is tradition with a lot of yarn shops, and she felt it fit well with her goal of creating community.
“I’m hoping if we get a little group going on Thursday nights we can do something community oriented,” she said.
Christie said the community begins in the shop, but her mission is to bring it into the overarching community. She belonged to a group that would make projects for patients going through chemo, and she would like to start something similar with the shop.
“There’s lot of needs in the community,” she said.
Thursday night is the designated stitch night, but Christie welcomes people to come in and work on projects throughout the day if they’d like.
“If you’ve got some time to kill and you’ve got a project,” she said.
For Christie personally, she often creates projects for other people more than herself. That’s part of the draw to knitting and crocheting, of which she does both, but leans toward crochet.
Whatever their method, Christie’s shop aims to bring joy to others through yarn.
“When you complete a project and you really like it, and especially when you give it away and someone just loves the dickens out of it,” she said. “That’s just a lot of self gratification there.”
sloesch@pdclarion.com
sloesch@pdclarion.com
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We may never know what caused a car to crash into an unoccupied home off of Route 6 in Princeton, Illinois Monday night. The car hit the house causing a fire engulfing the entire structure.
The Bureau County Coroner identified the man found in the car as 33-year-old Nicholas Stocking of Princeton, Illinois. But because of the nature of the flames, the cause of death is undetermined.
Looking back days later, Princeton Fire Chief Chuck Woolley says the way they fought the fire wouldn’t have changed dramatically even if they knew the car was lodged inside.
“Initially it might have been altered somewhat. But we would of initially had to have knocked the fire down getting to it. But once we discovered it, it was obviously too late,” says Woolley.
Chief Woolley says the department’s first priority is to get the fire under control, but they usually try to conserve evidence as best as possible after. The vehicle was already totaled by the time it was discovered.
The man who previously owned the home died days before the incident, leaving oxygen tanks inside. These posed a real danger to fire crews.
“There were fairly large explosions that shook the ground from blowing up. They were kind of like missiles,” says Woolley.
The icy cold weather also made things harder.

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PRINCETON, Ill. — Illinois has only nine covered bridges recorded statewide. Two of them happen to be in Princeton, an hour east of the Quad Cities.
The oldest is the “Red Covered Bridge” that was built in 1863-1864.
The 149-foot-long span cost $3,148.57 to construct.
It was once part of the Peoria-Galena Trail, crossing over Big Bureau Creek.
The bridge is open to one lane traffic. It is one of five covered bridges in Illinois still open to vehicular traffic.
The Red Covered Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. 
The other covered bridge in Princeton is the “Captain Swift Bridge,” located about a mile west of the business district.
This bridge is more contemporary, built in 2006.
Captain Samuel T. Swift was one of Princeton’s earliest settlers in the 1830s.
The bridge is a “burr arch” design, an architectural design patented by Theodore Burr of New York in 1804.
The entire structure is made of wood, with the exterior being Douglas Fir.
It has a 16-foot, 3-inch vertical clearance, 28-foot roadway width and spans 128-feet long over the Big Bureau Creek.
It currently is the only two-lane covered bridge in all of Illinois.
The Captain Swift Bridge is about a mile west of Princeton, located near the intersection of 1600 N Ave and Epperson Road.
The Red Covered Bridge can be found just north of I-80, off of Route 26, along County Road 1950 E. There is clear signage off of Route 26.
Information is courtesy of EnjoyIllinois.com.

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PRINCETON, Ill. — UPDATE (Feb. 9): The Princeton Police Department in a statement Wednesday, Feb. 9 named the officer injured in the Feb. 7 apartment fire.
Sgt. Dan Jaeger, while catching the apartment occupants who jumped from the roof of the burning building, sustained a serious injury to his leg and broke it in multiple places, according to police.
Jaeger was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
The police department on Facebook commended Jaeger and officer Dustin Schaill for their heroic efforts in rescuing the apartment residents from the roof.
ORIGINAL (Feb. 7): Six people are in the hospital after being trapped in or rescuing people from a burning apartment building early Monday morning, Feb. 7 in Princeton, Illinois.
According to the Princeton Fire Department, crews responded at about 1:05 a.m. to an apartment building in the 600 block of East Peru Street after reports of a fire with people trapped inside.
Firefighters arrived to find flames coming out of a front door, as well as a window on the side. There was also one person waiting on the roof. 
Fire crews helped that person down to safety, and Princeton police officers helped three others escape from the roof as well.
Six people, as well as one of the officers, were sent to the hospital for treatment. Further information about their conditions is unavailable.
The blaze was eventually extinguished, but not before it caused heavy fire and smoke damage to two of the building’s four units. The other two suffered more minor damage. Nine people were displaced by the fire.
The cause of the fire unknown as of Monday.
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PRINCETON, Illinois — A new retailer of closeout merchandise is setting roots in the Midwest with a new distribution center that’s expected to cost $68 million and be completed by 2024. 
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Inc., or “Ollie’s,” will build a distribution center in Princeton, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced alongside Ollie’s and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. 
Ollie’s website claims the company is America’s largest retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory. The first store opened its doors back in July 1982 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Now, it’s working to expand across the U.S. 
“Illinois is one of Ollie’s fastest growing states with ten stores and counting to open in the upcoming months,” said Eric van der Valk, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Ollie’s. “Its central location to our other markets in the Midwest region and the strong workforce made Illinois the perfect spot for breaking ground to bring customers more bargains. We appreciate our strong partnerships with Gov. Pritzker, Mayor Quiram, City Manager Wittenauer and their teams and look forward to becoming a valued part of the Princeton and Illinois community.”
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The new distribution center is the company’s fourth one overall and will be 600,000 square feet. It’ll service over 150 of Ollie’s locations across the Midwest. The company received an Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit, which requires it to invest $68 million and create 148 jobs over the next three years.
“I’m excited to welcome Ollie’s first distribution center to Illinois and to the Midwest, and proud that this facility will create full-time jobs and support the local economy in Princeton,” Pritzker said in a press release Friday. “Illinois’ top-notch location and infrastructure are well-suited to support the needs of a fast-expanding company like Ollie’s and their decision to locate here further solidifies the state as a first-class destination to do business.”
MORE IN PRINCETON: ‘It’s our river’ | Former Princeton city council member speaks out against train merger
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