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Representatives from Flags of Freedom spoke Tuesday during the “Positively Princeton” portion of the Princeton City Council meeting. During the presentation, the the group presented two “Governor’s Hometown Awards” to the council to be display in city hall. (Jayce Eustice)
Representatives from Flags of Freedom spoke Tuesday during the “Positively Princeton” portion of the Princeton City Council meeting. During the presentation, the group presented two “Governor’s Hometown Awards” to the council to be display in city hall.
In 2006, the flags received first place for veterans involvement projects for cities between 5,001 and 10,000 in population and received the People’s Choice Best Project Display award.
The local organization is responsible for the four 150-foot tall flag poles each holding at 30 by 60 feet American Flag at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Route 26.
The idea for the Flags of Freedom first came to Princeton in 2003 after organizers saw similar large flags on a trip to the southern U.S. They decided this would be a good thing to try and bring to Princeton.
“It was decided that the memorial would be for Veterans, current armed forces, their families and all future service members,” Organizer Tom Root said. “It’s a unique memorial that gives everyone who views it a feeling of pride in our country.”
A committee was formed and raised over $300,000 toward the project in less than a year. The flags were first flown in Princeton in 2005 after help from a variety of organizations, communities and individuals in the area.
Each year as the flags go through wear and tear, Flags of Freedom makes attempts to repair them by removing sections and resewing when possible, but once a flag drops below 48 feet, they are either scrapped or kept on hand to be sold to communities and organizations.
To help offset the cost for the flags, the group holds an annual Rockin’ the Runway fundraiser event. This year, the event will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at Hundred Acres Orchard, 14180 1800 East St. in Princeton.
The cost of the event is $35 a person and $60 a couple. The event will also feature Quilts of Valor to honor veterans with healing quilts.
The event will feature a live and silent auction, a DJ with live music and food.
Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. with a dinner set for 6 p.m. and the live auction to begin at 7:30 p.m.
For tickets visit or call Central Bank in Princeton, Heartland Bank and Trust in Princeton, First State Bank in Princeton, Rodney Johnson at 815-866-1534, Victor Register at 815-325-3865, Brad Oeder at 815-866-9349 and Terry Robison at 309-854-2692.
Covering local government, breaking news and whatever is thrown at me for the La Salle News Tribune

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Princeton’s Casey Etheridge (1) runs behind a lead block from teammate Common Green during a game last season. Etheridge is chasing Bureau County’s all-time rushing record, while the Tigers look to get past the quarterfinals after four straight losses. (Mike Vaughn)
With football teams around the state opening official practices for the 2025 season Monday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area this fall.
Five of the seven 11-man football teams in the NewsTribune/BCR area have new coaches this fall with JJ Raffelson taking over at La Salle-Peru, Jack Brady at St. Bede, Nick Sterling at Hall-Putnam County, Jim Eustice at Mendota and Pat Elder at Bureau Valley.
Raffelson, Brady and Sterling are all former assistants stepping into the head role, while Eustice and Elder are veteran head coaches.
Raffelson, an assistant for two years at L-P who played college football at Western Illinois, inherits a program that went 4-5 in 2023 and 3-6 last fall following three straight playoff appearances from 2019-21 and a 5-0 spring 2021 season under Jose Medina.
Brady takes over his alma mater after serving as an assistant under Eustice for nine years. The Bruins went 2-7 last fall following three straight playoff appearances in 2021-23 and a 5-1 spring 2021 campaign.
Sterling, who was an assistant last season at Hall, looks to return his alma mater to past glory as the Red Devils have just one postseason berth since 2019.
Eustice moves to Mendota after going 46-47 with four playoff appearances in 10 seasons at St. Bede. He takes over a Trojan program that is 25-88 under two different head coaches since 2011.
Elder has coached teams to 18 playoff appearances in 23 seasons as a head coach with stops at Sherrard, Richmond-Burton and Ridgewood. He led Ridgewood to 8-Man Association playoff berths in all three seasons he was there, including a state final loss to Amboy in 2023.
L-P quarterback Marion Persich scores a touchdown during a game against Ottawa last season. (Scott Anderson)
Not many quarterbacks are ready to step in as a varsity starter as a freshman, but Marion Persich made the transition from grade school to varsity look relatively easy last fall at L-P.
Persich, who is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, completed 100-of-189 passes for 1,398 yards and nine touchdowns to nine interceptions while running for more than 300 yards and five TDs.
Over the summer, Persich attended camps at elite colleges, including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa and Northwestern.
“He’s got the ability,” Raffelson said. “The kid can run. The kid can throw.
“When it comes to ability, there’s not going to be anybody in our conference who’s going to compete with him.”
For four years, Princeton has reached the Class 3A quarterfinals. All four years, the Tigers have lost.
The Tigers lost to IC Catholic in 2021 (31-7) and 2022 (27-20) and were knocked out by Montini Catholic in 2023 (27-9) and 2024 (24-7).
Princeton last won the Class 3A quarterfinals in 2019, defeating Paxton-Buckley-Loda 38-12 before falling to Byron 7-3 in the semifinals.
While the Tigers want to win the conference championship and get past the quarterfinal round, senior running back/linebacker Casey Etheridge said the Tigers’ ultimate goal is to win the state championship.
The Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio football team celebrates after winning its second straight Illinois 8-Man Football Association state title last season. (Alex T. Paschal)
Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio has been dominant over the past three seasons in the Illinois 8-Man Football Association, going 35-4.
The Clippers have won back-to-back I8FA state championships after losing in the title game in 2022. Last fall, Amboy beat Milledgeville 42-14 in the title game to repeat.
This season, the Clippers have a lot of holes to fill if they hope to extend their championship run as they graduated quarterback Eddie Jones, their top four running backs in Josh McKendry, Ed Fry, Brayden Klein and Quinn Leffelman – who all scored in the title game – and receiver Caleb Yanos among others.
Amboy opens its title defense with a championship game rematch with Milledgeville at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 in Amboy.
Princeton senior Casey Etheridge is on target to become the all-time leading rusher in Bureau County and set the record for career touchdowns rushing.
He has rushed for 3,807 yards (1,706 last year), looking to move up the ranks to top Ronde Worrells, who rushed for 4,387 yards for Princeton from 2017-21, and Todd Maynard, who totaled 4,001 yards for Bureau Valley from 2002-04.
Etheridge stands No. 2 all-time in rushing touchdowns with 56 behind Worrells at 72.
Kevin has been sports editor of the BCR since 1986 and is Sports Editor of Putnam County Record. Was previously sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and a contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals magazine. He is a 2021 inductee into the IBCA Hall of Fame (Media) and a 2023 inductee into the Illinois Valley Hall of Fame as "Distinguished Media"

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PRINCETON The name of a man killed Tuesday in a motorcycle vs. car accident has been released by the Coroner.
Scott Briddick, 60, of Princeton was pronounced dead at the scene after an accident occurring at approximately 2:30 p.m. on U.S. 6 just east of Princeton.
Bureau County Sheriff’s Department reported that a 19-year-old female from Princeton was driving an SUV that was involved in the crash that killed Briddick . The crash remains under investigation by the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police Traffic Accident Reconstructionist and Bureau County Coroner.

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(Gray News) – The Department of Veterans Affairs said it plans to remove abortion and related healthcare services from its coverage.
In a Monday release, the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) said it will reinstate the full exclusion on abortions and abortion counseling. This exclusion was in place since the medical benefits package was first established in 1999 and was not removed until September 2022.
The VA also said it is proposing to reinstate this exclusion for the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), which was also removed in 2022.
The VA said the reason for the exclusion’s reinstatement is to make sure “only needed medical services” will be provided to “our nation’s heroes and their families.”
From the establishment of the medical benefits package in 1999, abortion services were not provided because they were not “needed” medical services under section 1710 of title 38 of the United States Code (U.S.C.). For the next two decades, the VA consistently interpreted abortion services as not “needed” medical services and so did not cover them.
This interpretation was changed in 2022 when the presiding VA secretary reversed it in response to the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned the decision for the provision of abortion services from the federal government back to the states.
The VA said it proposes to exclude abortion services from its medical care package as it was before the exclusion was lifted in 2022. It said its legal authority to undo the changes is “beyond doubt.”
The VA said it is open to comments regarding the proposal until Sept. 3.
Comments can be submitted through www.regulations.gov.

Copyright 2025 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Princeton Mayor Ray Mabry delivers the oath of office to City Clerk Peter Nelson during the Monday, May 1, 2023, City Council meeting. (Jayce Eustice)
Monday’s Princeton City Council meeting featured a new face at the front of the room, as Mayor Ray Mabry was sworn in to take the seat vacated by two-term Mayor Joel Quiram.
During the meeting, councilmen Jerry Neumann and Hector Gomez also were welcomed back for another term on the council.
Mabry spoke to those on the council and those in attendance about how grateful he was to receive the support he has and about what he looks forward to working toward as mayor.
As he spoke from the public comment podium, Mabry gifted a Norman Rockwell print entitled “Freedom of Speech” from 1943. Mabry said it had been located in his office and he wanted it to be on display for visitors to City Hall.
The print displays a town hall meeting with a disheveled working man standing to speak in front of a crowd of wealthier businessmen. Mabry hung the print in the meeting room of the City Council.
“I think it’s important to remember that everyone has a voice,” Mabry said. “We’ve always done this in our community, but I just think it’s nice. When people come to speak, they can get a little nervous and I think this just reminds us that we are all on one team working together as a community.”
Princeton Council Member Jerry Neumann delivers the oath of office to City Clerk Peter Nelson during the Monday, May 1, 2023, City Council meeting. (Jayce Eustice)
Mabry introduced a new section of City Council meetings that will be called “Positively Princeton.” He hopes this section will be used to highlight some of the positive things that are taking place around the city.
“We are going to be inviting businesses, individuals and service organizations to come and speak for a few minutes,” Mabry said. “It’s a way for us to learn about businesses and organizations and a way for them to tell us about them and what they are doing. It’s a way for us to say thank you.”
Mabry added he has been in contact with a number of business leaders about scheduling a meeting to visit and encourages members of the council to do the same moving forward.
As he wrapped up his opening speech, Mabry told the members of the council and city administrative team he looks forward to working alongside them.
“It’s a team effort,” Mabry said. “I just want to encourage the four council members as we work together, that we want to respect each other. We are going to have some differences, but we want to work together as a team and I look forward to working with each one of you. You all bring great talents to the table.”
Mabry said the mindset looking forward is “We not I” and that while working with the council, he feels members can keep Princeton moving in the right direction.
Princeton Council Member Hector Gomez delivers the oath of office to City Clerk Peter Nelson during the Monday, May 1, 2023, City Council meeting. (Jayce Eustice)
Covering local government, breaking news and whatever is thrown at me for the La Salle News Tribune

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MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) – The Quad Cities Airport has renamed its road to “George Kirk Drive” to honor the leader and legacy he left behind.
Born in Dixon, Iowa, George Kirk was a World War II naval aviator. He flew 78 combat missions, earned multiple medals and had seven aerial victories, but above all, Kirk never left a man behind.
“And I think one of the reasons why he got this medal was because he and his wingman circled this guy for over an hour and a half and he was maybe 15 miles away from the island where the enemy was until the guy got picked up, that took courage,” his son Randy Kirk said, about one of his dad’s stories during his time in the navy.
In 1954, Kirk’s relationship with airplanes would continue, but a little differently than before, as the first manager of Moline Airport.
After almost 30 years at the job, the airport had considerable infrastructural growth, including the construction of a new terminal.
“It was the golden era of aviation, where commercial air service was really starting to take off, and he’s really credited with setting the foundation for what we have today as the Quad Cities when it comes to the Quad Cities International Airport,” Benjamin Leischner, Executive Director of the Quad Cities International Airport, said.
Leischner said when he learned it was Kirk’s 100th birthday, he decided to give him a call, but he ended up being the one surprised.
“He knew exactly who I was,” Leischner said. He knew what was happening at the airport and community.
Besides being a great example of service and dedication to the community, Kirk was also an example of a dad at home.
“It was fun to follow him in his footsteps as far as in the industry,” Randy said. “But it was a better goal to be a dad like he was.”
Randy learned how to fly by the time he got his driver’s license and ended up working at the airport as well.
Kirk died in 2023, at the age of 101, leaving behind a legacy of excellence that’s now marked with a George Kirk Drive sign, near the place he helped fly to success – the Quad Cities International Airport.
Items donated from the Kirk’s family will be part of a new terminal design in the future to continue to honor his service and impact in the community.

Copyright 2025 KWQC. All rights reserved.

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GENESEO, Illinois (KWQC) – Interstate 80 was at a standstill near Geneseo after a four-vehicle crash.
Illinois State Police said the crash happened on westbound I-80 at milepost 11 at about 3:03 p.m. Friday.
According to KWQC crews at the scene, a semitruck was on its side and ambulances were there.
Both westbound and eastbound lanes were briefly closed but are now reopen.
An IDOT map shows the standstill was where the interstate crosses East 950th Street, near mile marker 11.

Copyright 2025 KWQC. All rights reserved.

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Jim and TJ Scruggs presented the donation to Nick Vujanov, Scott Etheridge and Brian Carrington of the Princeton Fire Department. (Photo provided by Country Financial)
County Financial Representatives Jim and TJ Scruggs have made a $1,500 Operation Helping Heroes donation to the Princeton Fire Department for the purchase of a stretcher with a toolbox underneath for its UTV.
The UTV is used in case of an emergency at community events such as parades, festivals and football games.
Jim and TJ presented the donation to Nick Vujanov, Scott Etheridge and Brian Carrington of the Princeton Fire Department.
“We are so pleased to be able to help take care of those who help care for us and enrich our lives every day within our community; our first responders,” Jim said. “This donation is a small token of our appreciation that I hope will continue to positively impact our community.”
Country Financial has donated more than $4 million since 2020 to organizations and programs that support teachers, first responders, active-duty service members and veterans, supporting the company’s vision to enrich lives in the communities they serve.
The Operation Helping Heroes program was created in 2015 to support non-profit events and programs that benefit active-duty service members, veterans and their families. The program later expanded to include first responders and teachers.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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