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Friday, September 21, 2018 - Vol. 119 Issue 15
"Suspicious subject" hiding in tall grass pursues student late at night By Marc Ramirez news editor
SARA REMAR/ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
A unidentified man jumped out at a female student leaving Lincoln/Washington/Grote Hall on Sept. 15.
Wednesday morning it was brought to students’ attention that there was an incident of suspicious activity at Western Illinois University. The incident occurred Sept. 15. around 1 a.m. outside of Lincoln/ Washington/Grote Halls. According to a Western Police incident report form, a female student was reported to be walking to her car parked in L-lot from her residence hall. Using the back steps south of Washington Hall that lead to the sidewalk of Llot, the victim heard sounds emerging from the tall grass located on the hill above the lot. “A stalky black male with a shaved head wearing a black shirt and black shorts,” was the description provided by the Western Police incident form report. The suspect then proceeded to yell at the victim as he quickly ran down the hill towards her. While already on the phone with her roommate, she told her roommate to head towards the window to see if she could hear the incident. She also advised her to send someone outside. The victim then proceeded
to run to her car and when she got there the man was no longer following her and she was unaware of where he had gone. She did not recognize the subject and had no idea who he was. It was also reported that a similar occurrence took place the night before around 1:15 a.m. It was reported that she was walking in the area and heard something; however, didn’t see anyone. It was stated that both times, there was no one else around. “After this was reported Saturday, officers went to that area of campus to investigate, but due to the length of time that had passed, they were unable to locate anyone matching that description; however, since the time of the report OPS and student patrol have increased patrols in that area,” Jodi Pospeschil, public information coordinator, said in an email to the Western Courier. Police Corporal Ted Anderson was the primary officer on scene. Students are being encouraged to utilize the blue light system on campus and the escort system provided through the Office of Public Safety.
"Suspicious subject" page 2
El Rancherito closed due to numerous health code violations By Steven Barnum assistant news editor
The McDonough County Health Department will give El Rancherito one more chance. Located on West Jackson Street, the establishment has been part of the Macomb community since its inception in 1994. El Rancherito is a familyowned, casual dining Mexican restaurant that was recently shut down due to serious health code violations.
Christopher Adams is the Director of Environmental Health for the McDonough County Health Department and he explained that the violations have been reoccurring. What stands out to Adams is the frequency of the problems, many of which are “foodborne risk factors.” “They’ve been cited on several factors in the past,” Adams said. “We’ve trained staff to try to eliminate the occurrence and reoccurrence in those.” The violations he is referring to include using
improper cooling methods and failing to maintain safe cooking temperatures. There is a “temperature danger zone” that is breached when cold food isn’t prepared at temperatures 41 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler, and when hot food isn’t prepared at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. When those standards are not followed, it opens up the door for bacteria growth and food poisoning.
El Rancherito
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MACOMB NEWS
El Rancherito on West Jackson St. was closed Monday due to multiple health code violations.