Karen Wall steps up as circuit judge candidate

                              -one-time WGFA employee and rural Watseka resident-

Vermilion County Judge Karen Wall has a chance to become a resident circuit judge after winning the Democratic nomination in Tuesday's primary.

A former Iroquois County resident (and former WGFA Radio employee), the 41-year-old of rural Danville, beat two local attorneys for her party's nomination and will now face Thomas M. O'Shaughnessy, the Vermilion County recorder of deeds and an attorney from Catlin, in November's general election.

O'Shaughnessy ran unopposed for the Republican nomination for the judge's seat. Unofficial election results show Wall garnered 1,311 votes while private attorney Dan Brown got 596 votes and private attorney Edwin Barney picked up 388.

Wall said Tuesday night that she is "very humbled by the results."

"The support I got from the citizens speaks volumes, and I'm pleased with the results," said Wall, who was a private attorney with the Spiros & Wall firm prior to being appointed an associate judge in 2010.

"With organization and the ongoing support that I've received, and hard work, I think that it will be a good race," she said.

In the three other contested primary races in Vermilion County on Tuesday:

County board District 1. In the Republican primary, incumbent Todd Johnson, 32, of Rossville, finished first in the three-way race with 640 votes.

Larry Baughn, 32, a Hoopeston alderman, received 604 votes and will join Johnson in moving on to November's general election. Newcomer Darrell Cambron, 59, of rural Rankin, finished third with 127 votes.

There are two open seats in District 1, and no Democrats have filed in a district that covers northern Vermilion County, including Hoopeston, Rossville, Rankin and Henning.

The other incumbent, Chris Leigh, R-Hoopeston, decided not to run.

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