Three days ago, Dan Riehl shared news about powerful Illinois Democrats and members of the Illinois State Police circling their wagons to protect one of their own after a St. Patrick’s Day incident at a Carlinville, Ill., tavern.

Today, some much-anticipated details about events that lead to Ken Snider resigning from his posts as chair of the Macoupin County (Ill.) Democrat Party and president of the local school board (a.k.a., “SniderGate”) surfaced in an article and an accompanying editorial published in the Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat weekly newspaper.

Mum’s the Word

The article, appearing under the headline, Investigation into Snider’s resignations stonewalled, recapped some of the basic aspects of the controversy before offering the paragraphs below under the subhead, “Mum’s the Word”:

Although the newspaper has questioned many eyewitnesses in an effort to obtain the details of the incident, no one would go on record as to what took place. Sources contacted have repeatedly said they are afraid to come forward with any facts concerning the alleged altercation between Snider and a Blackburn College student.

The newspaper sent its reporter Daniel Winningham to BC last Tuesday to learn more about the incident. Winningham visited the campus around noon and asked several students if they had heard of the incident and whether they had any knowledge of the incident, which occurred at the Anchor Inn.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Carlinville police officers entered the newspaper office looking for a person named “Dave.” The police were told there is no “Dave” employed at the newspaper. The officer then made a call, and whoever the officer called could not remember the reporter’s name. A newspaper employee then asked if they meant Dan or Daniel. The officer said, “Ya, that’s who we need to talk to.” When Winningham talked to the officers, they told him that BC had accused him of harassing students, and he was to never step foot on the campus again.

It went on to describe how, it appears, officials at Blackburn College reached the conclusion that the reporter — by asking questions that were sure to make some Illinois Democrats, including Gov. Pat Quinn and Snider, uncomfortable — should be banned from campus.

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As reported in an earlier item, it’s unusual enough to learn of  a police department visiting a newspaper to advise them to not pursue covering a story. New information obtained from reliable sources in Carlinville, Illinois makes it appear as though local authorities may have visited a local paper, the Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat, advising them to stay away from Blackburn College in reporting on a racial incident involving Democrat Ken Snider due to allegations of student harrassment although no formal allegations appear to genuinely exist.

Information released from the Carlinville Police Department indicates a particular student called police to report the alleged harassment. However, the student is actually a member of security staff at the college. Blackburn employs students in as many areas as possible.

It’s claimed that the sudent simply went to her supervisor to inform them of her interaction with a reporter from the Enquirer-Democrat. The supervisor is said to have then stated that the reporter was on campus allegedly harrassing students, before directing the student security officer to call police and report it.

The Carlinville police report names the student security officer as the student claiming they were harassed. But based upon reliable sources at the Enquirer-Democrat, there was no indication that the student felt harassed in any way during their interactions with a reporter.

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