Northeast Normal car crash victim identified

Posted on June 11, 2020

*The fatal car crash happened around 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy HOI ABC)*

By Neil Doyle

NORMAL – The victim of a fatal car crash early Wednesday night in northeast Normal has been identified.

John J. Charsha, 27, of Downs died from head injuries due to a sport utility vehicle striking a tree at a high rate of speed, according to McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder. Toxicology results are pending.

Authorities said the accident happened around 4:50 p.m. on Fort Jesse Road, about two miles east of the Towanda-Barnes Road. Charsha was the only person inside the SUV, according to police.

This incident remains under investigation by the coroner’s office and McLean County Sheriff’s Office.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…