Galesburg's Morning News

Jonathan Stephens and Carla Jimenez run Western Smokehouse Partners' two Galesburg manufacturing plants — and between them, they're overseeing close to 1 million snack sticks a day. The plant managers joined Galesburg's Morning News on Wednesday, Sept. 23, for National Snack Stick Day, talking flavors, growth, and what actually goes into making a snack stick. "We do things the right way," Stephens said. "We don't want to cut corners." They talked about: How many snack sticks each Galesburg plant produces daily, and how many flavors The 16-to-24-hour process from raw meat to packaged product Job growth at both plants since last year's $72 mi...

Galesburg is racing toward a 1,000-tree goal by year's end — and Tom Simkins, the city's special projects coordinator, says a Saturday volunteer planting along West Main Street near Route 34 will bring the total to 888. He joined Galesburg's Morning News Tuesday, Sept. 22, to talk trees, volunteers, and a new historic-inspired sign design now debuting at Dale Kelley Park on West Tompkins Street. "I'm a big believer in ownership," Simkins said of the volunteer-driven approach. "That becomes your tree." They talked about: Saturday's tree planting on West Main Street, and how to volunteer Why fall is a good time to plant trees Th...

Note: The location of the book signing has been moved to Wordsmith Bookshoppe, 235 E. Main St. Barry Swanson wanted his grandchildren to know what it felt like to be a Galesburg Silver Streak in 1966. "I wanted it to be remembered," Swanson said — so he wrote a memoir, "Streaksburg," about a team that started the season ranked No. 1 in the state, weathered a rare midseason losing stretch, then reeled off win after win through the tournament, beating four top-10 teams on the way to a second-place finish at the IHSA State Boys' Basketball tournament. The 1965-66 Silver Streaks starter and Galesburg Hi...

Galesburg City Council takes up a first-reading ordinance tonight establishing a 180-day moratorium on new data center permits in the city, running through April 3, 2027. City Manager Eric Hanson joined Galesburg's Morning News Monday, Sept. 21, ahead of tonight's 6 p.m. meeting at Galesburg City Hall, to preview the moratorium along with the rest of the agenda — including the retirement of longtime police K9 Dax. They talked about: The city's proposed 180-day pause on data center development What's driving the moratorium, and what the city is watching for at the state level Why K9 Dax is retiring — and why he's staying with his...

For 30 years, Stone-Hayes Center for Independent Living has helped people with disabilities across Knox, Warren and Henderson counties live more independently — for free, no exceptions. Sarah Nelson, the center's community reintegration coordinator, joined Galesburg's Morning News Monday, Sept. 21, to preview Thursday's open house celebrating the milestone, from the guest speakers to the center's full range of services. "We just want to help people," Nelson said. "We're a phone call away." They talked about: Thursday's "30 Years of Advocacy" open house, from the presentation to the open house hours Guest speakers Ryan McGraw and Nick Boyle The full range of free services th...

Chad Landers still remembers what he told people who asked what he wanted to be when he grew up: "I want to be a muscle man." The ROVA Class of 1986 grad joined Galesburg's Morning News on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, ahead of a Saturday book signing at Wordsmith Bookshoppe, to talk about his new book, "Building Strength and Muscle After 50," and the path that took him from a basement weight bench in Oneida to a 33-year career training clients in Los Angeles. Chad Landers joined Galesburg's Morning News on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. Listen to the full interview above. They talked about: Training as...

Derek Antoine, executive director of the Knox County Housing Authority, says doing nothing about homelessness in Galesburg isn't a real option. "If you think this is a problem now, let's do nothing and watch the problem explode over the next three to five years," he said. Antoine joined Galesburg's Morning News on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, to talk about a personal Facebook post that drew significant attention this month, the actual scope of local homelessness, and the most common criticisms he hears. [caption id="attachment_707638" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Derek Antoine, executive director of the Knox County Housing Authority, visited the WGIL studio...

Prairie Players Civic Theatre presents "A Night of One Acts" Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at its Galesburg theater, pairing an original script with a stage version of the classic ghost story "The Monkey's Paw." Charlie Vestal, Adam Chasteen and Khloe Lovin, all with the production, joined Galesburg's Morning News on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, to preview the show. [caption id="attachment_707597" align="aligncenter" width="800"] From left, Adam Chasteen, Khloe Lovin and Charlie Vestal of Prairie Players Civic Theatre visited the WGIL studio Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, ahead of Saturday's "A Night of One Acts." (JAY REDFERN/WGIL)[/caption]   They talked about: The two p...

Maurice Cohn picked up his first cello at age 4 in Galesburg. Now Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony, he returns Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. to conduct the Knox-Galesburg Symphony's 75th season opener at the Orpheum Theatre. He joined Galesburg's Morning News on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, to talk about the concert, and about what a conductor actually does. "Someone has to be able to put all the pieces in the right place," he said, "and that's the conductor." [caption id="attachment_707583" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Maurice Cohn visited the WGIL studio Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, ahead of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony's 75th season opener...

More than 500 Knox County fifth-graders will spend Thursday outdoors at Lake Storey for the 40th Annual Ken Russell Outdoor Education Day, an event that runs entirely on volunteers and community donations, with no public funding behind it. Cami Tapscott and Kathy Wight of the Regional Office of Education #33 came into the WGIL studio Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, to talk about the day, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. "My hope is that they walk away with a true love of the outdoors, just like Ken Russell would have wanted," White said. They talked about: The eight stations students rotate through...

Sunrise Rotary drops nearly 900 numbered golf balls from a Galesburg Fire Department ladder Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1:30 p.m. at Rotary Park on Losey Street in Galesburg — the club's 7th Annual Great Ball Drop, and its main fundraiser since replacing a longtime citrus sale. George and Mary Burgland, longtime club members, joined Galesburg's Morning News on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, to explain how it works and where the money goes. They talked about: Why the club ditched its longtime citrus sale fundraiser How a Wisconsin golf tournament inspired the whole idea The year a Rotarian nearly disappeared inside the ladder bucket Where the $4,000 in...

Bring quarters — that's the premise of Knox County Drug Court's third Quarter Auction, set for 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1556 E. Fremont St. in Galesburg, with bidding starting at 5 p.m. Ahead of the event, Olivia McCoy and Jordan Petersen came into the WGIL studio to talk about how the 30-month program — which has worked with people facing prison sentences since 2008 — actually works, and why nobody is ever ordered into it. "You have to want to do this," McCoy said. Olivia McCoy and Jordan Petersen joined Galesburg's Morning News on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. Listen to the full i...

Rodney Blue coached cross country at Carl Sandburg College from 2015 until his death in 2024, and the thing everyone remembers is the smile and the high five. It's on the T-shirts for the third annual Coach Rodney Blue Charitable Run, set for 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, on the Galesburg campus. Emma Smith, student engagement specialist, and Genny Stevens, director of student engagement and leadership, came into the WGIL studio to talk about that run, Sunday's Sandburg car show and a Sept. 24 Founder's Day that cracks open a time capsule sealed since 1976. Emma Smith and Genny Stevens joined Galesburg's Morning News on...

Andy Duncan started a boxing club with one rule: hard work and a good attitude, no fee required. Nearly eighty years and three generations later, his family is still running the Galesburg Youth Athletic Club — and this Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Galesburg, they're honoring the man who led it longest with the Carlos Duncan Classic. Weigh-ins start at 11 a.m., doors open at noon, and 15 amateur bouts get underway at 1 p.m. — admission is $15 for adults, $5 for kids 4 to 12, and free for anyone 3 and under. Cori Nance, Marjorie Morris and Julie Guiste joined Galesburg's Morning News...

Brett Anderson's grandfather flew P-47s in World War II, came home, and spent the rest of his life buying and selling airplanes. That meant Anderson grew up with access to one, logging flight time at 12 and flying solo by 16 with hundreds of hours already behind him. Today he flies a Boeing 737 for a living — and this week, he's in something Boeing built in 1935. Anderson flew his Stearman biplane in from Lakeville, Minnesota, for the 55th National Stearman Fly-In, running through Saturday at Harrel W. Timmons Galesburg Regional Airport. He joined Galesburg's Morning News to talk about what makes the ha...

Some of the equipment at the ballpark in Rio is original to the village school, which closed years ago. Brittany Miller, Bailey Lee and Danielle Bush are three moms in a village of a few hundred people who decided that wasn't good enough, so they brought back Rio Days — a community day that ran for 27 years before ending in 1997, until somebody found an old trophy and they decided to put it back into action. It returns Saturday, Sept. 12, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ballpark in Rio: free admission, Touch-a-Truck, bounce houses, 20-plus vendors, live music, and a ki...

Galesburg has more shelter beds than it did five years ago. The Rescue Mission is still full, some shelters still can't take families with children of certain ages, and there's still almost nowhere for someone outside the system to take a shower or wash clothes. Mayor Peter Schwartzman joined Galesburg's Morning News on Tuesday, Sept. 8, ahead of tonight's City Council meeting, and spent most of the hour on it: what the city funds, what the Rescue Mission carries, why the public library has become the place people go, where Galesburg's unhoused population actually comes from, and what he thinks residents...

The first idea was to keep it small. Just the merchants, just to see if a scarecrow festival could work on Seminary Street again after more than a decade away. Then, as Candace D'Agnolo tells it, half the room said heck no, let's go big — and 14 businesses signed up off what was essentially a soft launch. That festival now kicks off Friday, Oct. 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Seminary Street Historic District, the same night as a First Fridays that was supposed to happen in early September until a forecast heat index of 103 moved it. D'Agnolo of Dante & Dory's Pe...

Sitting at the Galesburg airport this week is a 600-horsepower Stearman that still works as a crop duster, one of very few left anywhere. It is called The Beast, and it will probably fly a demonstration or two before the week is out. It's one of roughly 75 or more vintage biplanes arriving from as far as New Jersey and California for the 55th National Stearman Fly-In, running Sept. 7 through 12 at the Harrel W. Timmons Galesburg Regional Airport. Tye Hammerle, president of the National Stearman Fly-In, and Vice President Phillip Wolford came into the WGIL studio to walk through the week...

Chuck Newton has been carrying Nov. 3, 2005, for almost 21 years. On Thursday morning he sat down in the WGIL studio and walked through all of it: the convoy that rolled out at 1 a.m., the two D-cell batteries and a length of wire that blew the Humvee onto its end, the four-foot crater he stepped into when he climbed out, the helicopter, the hospital, and the moment doctors told him there was nothing they could do for the man who had been sitting directly in front of him. Sgt. 1st Class Kyle B. Wehrly of Galesburg died that day. He was 28...

The last time Reserve Artisan Ales ran a 5K alongside Lagtoberfest, the race went off at 8 a.m., and the timing didn't quite work. "People weren't ready to crush a beer and have some lunch at 9 a.m.," Lindsay Benedict said. So this year the race starts at 10. Lagtoberfest and the 5K return to downtown Galesburg on Saturday, Sept. 19, hosted by Reserve Artisan Ales owners Blake and Lindsay Benedict. The festival is free and runs all day at the brewery; the 5K, which benefits the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, steps off at 10 a.m. with packet pickup from 8:30 to 9:45 a...

Dr. Andrew Brooks became superintendent of Knoxville School District 202 on July 1, nearly 26 years after teaching his first class in the district. He joined Galesburg's Morning News on Friday, Aug. 28, to talk about his first months on the job, including a new PK-8 building project set to break ground this month and a district budget he says has already turned a corner. They talked about: What Brooks has learned walking the halls and getting to know students and staff The district's new "Every Day, Every Student, Every Opportunity" focus Construction plans and timeline for the new PK-8 building How the district...

Galesburg's Cooke Park officially opened Wednesday, Aug. 26, on the site of the former Cooke Elementary School. Mayor Peter Schwartzman spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and WGIL sat down separately with four Galesburg residents who grew up on the same ground: Ward 4 Alderman Dwight White, Margaret Gimenez, Jack Perez and Gayla Pacheco, the Galesburg native widely credited with leading the years-long push to build the park. They talked about: Why Mayor Schwartzman calls the park one of the proudest moments of his time in office What it was like growing up on the site when it was Cooke School, from the 1940...

Galesburg's Labor Day Parade — believed to be the nation's oldest continuously running Labor Day parade — turns 134 this year, stepping off at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 7, from Main and Chambers streets. Randy Bryan, president of the Galesburg Trades and Labor Assembly, and Jeff Maher, a Galesburg firefighter and the parade committee's co-chair, joined Galesburg's Morning News on Tuesday, Aug. 25, to preview this year's event — including a marquee act organizers spent nearly a decade trying to land. They talked about: The Chicago acrobatics team fresh off an America's Got Talent run This year's grand marshal and his decades of labor advocacy The 18-piece...

Illinois has already blown past its previous tornado record for the year — and the state's own climatologist says it's not part of any long-term trend, just a stretch of very bad luck. Dr. Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist, joined Galesburg's Morning News to explain what's behind the state's record-breaking 2026, why Galesburg just had its wettest summer since 1993, and why he thinks this winter could feel a lot milder than usual. They talked about: Why Illinois has already smashed its all-time tornado record, with more than 207 so far this year Why Galesburg just had its fourth wettest August on record Ho...

John Anno was 39 when his wife, Meredith, died in December 2015, five weeks after a sudden diagnosis — just two months after their 15th wedding anniversary. She had just turned 40. The Galesburg man, a graduate of Galesburg High School and former operator of Anno & Son Towing, was left raising three teenagers largely on his own. Nearly a decade later, he runs online grief support groups with more than 40,000 members, and he's written it all down in a new memoir, "It's OK to Cry: A Widower's Journey." Anno joined Galesburg's Morning News on Monday, Aug. 24, to talk about it. They talked about: What "wi...

The Galesburg Community Chorus, the oldest community music organization in the area, kicks off its 81st season with rehearsals Monday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg — building toward a fall concert on Saturday, Nov. 21, that takes on one of the most emotionally powerful pieces the group has ever performed. Dr. Tim Pahel, the chorus' Artistic Director, and Will Culbertson, its board president, joined Galesburg's Morning News to talk about "Considering Matthew Shepard," a 2016 choral work exploring the 1998 hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard, and what audiences and singers alike can expect this season. They talked about: What "Co...

Families across Knox, Henderson, Mercer, and Warren counties now have a free, one-stop place to find early childhood resources. Jim Walters, Regional Council Manager, and Alli Chasteen, Family and Community Engagement Specialist, both with Birth to Five Illinois: Region 33, joined Galesburg's Morning News to talk about a new online resource called Before K — and one surprising need they discovered along the way: some kids were showing up to school without clean clothes, because their families had nowhere to do laundry. They talked about: What Birth to Five Illinois does across its 39 regions statewide, and how Region 33 covers Knox, Henderson, Mercer, an...

Mike Anderson, Doug Thomas and Steve Jones of the Abingdon Community Festival joined Galesburg's Morning News on Tuesday, Aug. 18, to preview this year's five-day event, running Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 26-30, at the Abingdon fairgrounds. The festival is entirely volunteer-run and funded through donations, and organizers walked through a schedule that ranges from a kids' pageant to live pro wrestling. They talked about: The Boots & Bows Pageant, Wednesday at 6 p.m., for kids ages 4-8 Thursday's Chicken and Pig Scramble, plus interactive attractions like 250-foot zip lines and a rock wall in place of traditional rides Friday's Figure 8 Race, one...

Laurie Aten, program administrator for the Galesburg Public Schools Foundation, joined Galesburg's Morning News on Tuesday, Aug. 18, ahead of the foundation's 40th anniversary next year. Aten discussed the foundation's back-to-school giving, a recap of spring fundraising, and a preview of the Black-Out for Books fundraiser set for Friday, Oct. 2, when Galesburg hosts Quincy in football. They talked about: A staffing update, as the foundation approaches its 40th anniversary next year School supply donations and teacher raffles for back-to-school season "Silver & Gold Success," a new alumni spotlight series — the first feature is Drexler Blue, a former music executive now running his ow...

Galesburg City Manager Eric Hanson joined Galesburg's Morning News on Monday, Aug. 17, ahead of tonight's 6 p.m. city council meeting at Galesburg City Hall, previewing a full agenda: a state grant application for Lincoln Park upgrades, next steps on the Standish Park redesign, and a development deal with ILPEA Industries. Hanson said the ILPEA agreement is designed to retain and grow jobs at the Galesburg facility, characterizing the deal as favorable to Galesburg over the company's South Carolina operations. He talked about: Why the city is applying for an OSLAD grant to overhaul Lincoln Park's 30-year-old playground and add a...

Carl Sandburg College President Seamus Reilly joined Galesburg's Morning News in the WGIL studio on Friday, Aug. 14, ahead of a big stretch for the Galesburg college: fall semester begins Aug. 24, and a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Charger Center is set for 4 p.m. Aug. 27 on the Galesburg campus. The 70,204-square-foot building will house two wood-floor gymnasiums and a third gym with multi-purpose flooring, plus fitness and training areas, a golf simulator room and an esports arena — with room for more than 3,500 people at a time, enough to host regional conferences and expos. Outside, the college is adding turf fields fo...

Comedian Tom Briscoe called into Galesburg's Morning News from the Queen Mary, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, to preview his stand-up show "Old Mansplaining," coming to the Historic Orpheum Theatre Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Briscoe, a cruise ship comedy veteran who's performed in over 100 countries, built the show around the generational disconnect between himself and younger audiences — and insists it's not what it sounds like. Tom Briscoe joined Galesburg's Morning News on Thursday, Aug. 13. Listen to the full interview above. They talked about: What "Old Mansplaining" actually means, and why it's not about gender The secret to a...

Galesburg Heritage Days turns 31 this year, running Friday through Sunday, Aug. 14-16, at Lake Storey Park in Galesburg. Organizers Dave Bernhart and Mark Ebner joined Galesburg's Morning News on Thursday to preview the free, family-friendly event. Nearly 1,000 reenactors and about 50 merchants are expected across two side-by-side venues — a pre-1840 Rendezvous and a Civil War encampment. They talked about: Why running two separate living-history venues on the same weekend is so rare How this year's event ties into the 250th anniversary of the United States A descendant of Civil War nurse Mary Bickerdyke traveling from Florida to trace his family history in...

Galesburg District 205 students head back to class Wednesday — and Superintendent John Asplund has answers for the questions parents actually ask, from why the year now starts in early August to what it really costs to send a child to district schools (spoiler: not much). Asplund joined Galesburg's Morning News for a wide-ranging conversation that also covered the district's $65 million reserve fund, a change to student eligibility rules, and more. They talked about: Why school now starts in early August — and the surprising reason behind it A breakdown of this year's calendar, including fall break and a shot at four-day weeks in M...

Al Williams, a member of Galesburg High School's 1957 Elite 8 basketball team, first faced Don Nelson at a jump ball circle. Nelson played at rival Rock Island High School when the two squared off as seniors. Williams remembers finally beating Nelson to the tip his senior year and telling him, "Gotcha, didn't I?" — Nelson didn't say a word back. Nelson, who went on to star at the University of Iowa and for the Boston Celtics before becoming a Hall of Fame NBA coach, died Sunday at 86. Al Williams joined WGIL's Jay Redfern on Monday, Aug. 10. Listen to the full interview below. Th...

A photo found in the basement of a downtown Galesburg store is now a 5-by-8-foot mural hanging at Discovery Depot Children's Museum, 128 S. Chambers St. Denise Gerstenberger, the museum's executive director; her husband Steve Gerstenberger, a longtime board member; and Galesburg artist Dusty Scott joined Galesburg's Morning News on Monday, Aug. 10, to talk about the mural, commissioned to mark Discovery Depot's 30th anniversary. They talked about: The building's history as a Meadow Gold Dairy, and what's still preserved from that era today How a 2013 basement discovery turned into a museum centerpiece Dusty Scott's process for finishing an incomplete, decades-old...

"A vibrant downtown is absolutely like having a healthy heart." That's how Phil Dickinson, chair of the Galesburg Downtown Council's Facade Committee, summed up why Galesburg has spent nearly two decades funding facade improvements downtown. Dickinson, Downtown Council board president Bob Bondi, and Steve Gugliotta, the city's director of community development, joined Galesburg's Morning News on Friday, Aug. 7, to explain how two separate grant programs work together to fund projects across downtown. They talked about: How the city's program and the Downtown Council's program differ, and how property owners can use both Where the money actually comes from, including a...

"Please come out. We are looking for everybody to come out in the community. If you need a backpack or not, just come out and just be among your neighbors." That's Pam Davidson, president of the Galesburg NAACP, previewing the organization's 18th annual Back to School Community Cookout, set for Saturday, Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kiwanis Park, 2191 E. Knox St. in Galesburg. She talked about: Why the cookout—which features grilled hotdogs and burgers—has run every year for nearly two decades, timed to the weekend before school starts How more than 250 backpacks and school supplies get...

"You really can come and spend $0 and have a fantastic time." That's how Nikki Malley, owner of Malley Farms, describes First Fridays on Seminary Street — the free, family-friendly street party returning to downtown Galesburg this Friday, Aug. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. Malley and Candace D'Agnolo, owner of Dante & Dory's Pet Emporium, joined Galesburg's Morning News to preview the night, which features Soul Situation, a seven-piece soul and funk band making its first-ever Galesburg appearance. They talked about: Why Soul Situation's Galesburg debut is one of the bigger musical draws First Fridays has booked The DIY flower windmill activity Discovery Depot is...