Today is the Columbus Day holiday becoming more commonly called Illinois Indigenous Peoples’ Day despite being listed on the federal government calendar as Columbus Day. As a result, all federal, state, county, and municipal offices are closed. Most financial institutions are closed today, as are schools. And there is no mail delivery today.
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Former Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei is announcing his candidacy for Mayor in the 2025 election. In a Monday morning news release, Bernabei spells out his campaign platform which he calls the “2025 Peru Next Generation Initiative” which highlights what he sees as some of the key issues for the community – healthcare access, parks and recreation, and local development.
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The La Salle County Historical Museum held its 53rd annual 2-day Burgoo Fest over the weekend in downtown Utica. With fall-like temperatures on Sunday making a warm bowl of pioneer-style stew even more tempting compared to some previous years, the 300 gallons of burgoo that started cooking late Saturday night was sold out by Noon Sunday. And, the Ottawa Visitor Center’s second-annual Smoketober Fest in downtown Ottawa on Saturday featured 23 backyard barbecue contestants competing for a trophy as they cooked chicken thighs, pulled pork, and ribs. The Visitors Center sponsored an old-fashioned pig roast selling meal plates that included pulled pork, baked beans, and cornbread.
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24 Witches kayaked and canoed along the Illinois River Saturday in the first annual “Paddling for Pets” event at Kayak Starved Rock Campground. Saturday. Donations of pet food, supplies, and money were collected for later distribution to local pet shelters. Meanwhile, Illinois Valley Animal Rescue based in La Salle has no room for additional dogs or cats. IVAR is out of the room and low on staff. Pet Project, the no-kill shelter in Marseilles, took in five dogs from Texas on Friday and celebrated their 30th anniversary with an event on Saturday.
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Governor Pritzker continues to press the federal government for support in dealing with the migrant crisis in Chicago. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” the governor said he hopes the White House will put together one office and a specific department head that Illinois leaders can work with to coordinate
efforts. Pritzker also asked for more communication with the Biden administration on who was arriving and when. He added that he felt that the White House has “heard” him, referring to a letter he sent last week with a list of requests and recommendations for addressing the asylum crisis.
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A Fairbury Police officer is charged with criminal sexual abuse. State police say they were notified last week that Carter Meister of Forest, Illinois had been accused of sexual assault. ISP agents gathered evidence and an arrest warrant was issued for Meister last Thursday. He was taken into custody and transported to the Livingston County Jail.
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51-year-old Dion Chalus of Ottawa was stopped by Ottawa Police in the 900 block of Chestnut Street Thursday and charged with disobeying a stop sign and driving on a suspended license. Chalus was given a notice to appear in court.
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Just after 2:00 a.m. Thursday, LaSalle County Deputies charged a 28-year-old Ottawa man with driving too fast for conditions, improper lane usage, failure to notify authorities, and leaving the scene of an accident. Dylan Chaney lost control of his vehicle on U.S. 52 in Freedom Township near East 1750th Road missing a curve and striking the west ditch embankment. There were no injuries. Chaney was released with a notice to appear in court.
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Sunday morning just before 5:00 a.m., LaSalle County Deputies investigated a single-vehicle accident with no injuries in Allen Township near North 13th and East 25th Roads. 36-year-old Nicolas Galvan, Junior, of Mazon, lost control of his vehicle on North 13th and struck a utility pole. Galvan was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and driving under the influence. He was released with a court date.
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A man accused of exposing himself to children in Kewanee last month is now facing child porn charges. Police say Daniel Carlson was in a parked vehicle when he exposed himself to two girls on September 18th in the 600 block of East 1st Street. Detectives executed a search warrant to analyze the data on both of his phones. Detectives located a video depicting the crimes committed on September 18th, as well as several images of child pornography. He was arrested Friday on preliminary charges of Possession of Child Pornography.
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WEATHER:
Columbus Day
Sunny, with a high near 58. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
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Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low of around 36. Westnorthwest wind around 5 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
William A. Durdan, 85 of Grand Ridge passed away Wednesday morning October 4th, at his home surrounded by his family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held today at 10:30 AM at St. Mary of the Fields Church, Grand Ridge. Burial will be in the St. Stephen’s Cemetery in Streator.
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HIGH SCHOOL LOCAL SPORTS:
Football
Marquette Vs. Seneca Crusaders 6 Seneca 28
LPHS vs. Ottawa The Cavaliers 24 Pirates 19
Streator vs. Peatone the Bulldogs 32 Blue Devils 36
St. Bede vs Dwight The Bruins 31 TroJans 28
Hall vs. Newman from Saturday Hall 7 Newman 28
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Boys golf
Kaufman cards 30th-place finish: On the final day of the IHSA Class 2A State Finals at Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State University, Ottawa senior Drake Kaufman finished up his stellar prep career by shooting a 5-over-par 76 — six strokes better than his opening round Friday — to finish tied for 30th place with a 36-hole score of 158.
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Zellers scores a 25th-place mark: In Class 1A at the Prairie Vista Golf Course in Normal, Marquette Academy senior Carson Zellers followed up his 84 in Friday’s opening round with a solid 3-over-par 75 on Saturday to finish with a 159 — good for 25th place in the field of over a hundred.
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Girls tennis
Pirates claim title at I-8 Meet: At the Henderson-Guenther Courts on Saturday, host Ottawa claimed the championship at the Interstate 8 Conference Tournament
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Girls volleyball
Earlville 2, Somonauk 0: At Leland, the No. 4-seeded Red Raiders claimed the third-place trophy at the Little Ten Conference Tournament
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PRO SPORTS:
>>Notre Dame Loses To Louisville
(Louisville, KY) — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish dropped ten spots in the top 25 following a 33-20 loss to number-15 Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday. The number-21 Irish surrendered 26 points in the second half after the game was tied at the break. Sam Hartman passed for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions in the losing effort. Notre Dame fell to 5-and-2, and they take on number-nine USC at home this Saturday.
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>>Illini Fall To Nebraska
(Champaign, IL) — The Illinois Fighting Illini are on a two-game losing streak following a 20-7 loss against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Friday night. The Illini gave up the first 17 points and never had a lead during the loss. Luke Altmyer had 289 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while Pat Bryant hauled in four passes for 76 yards and a score. Illinois is 2-and-4 overall and 0-and-3 in the Big Ten. The Illini visit Maryland this Saturday.
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>>Northwestern Holds Off Howard
(Evanston, IL) — The Northwestern Wildcats survived a late Howard rally during a 23-20 win at Ryan Field on Saturday. The Wildcats led 16-0 at halftime, but Howard scored two touchdowns late in the fourth to get within three. However, Northwestern was able to run out the clock after recovering an onside kick with two-and-a-half minutes left in regulation. Brendan Sullivan passed for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and he added a score on the ground. Northwestern improved to 3-and-3 overall and remains 1-and-2 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats have a bye this weekend and visit Nebraska on October 21st.
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>>College Football Wrap-Up
In other college football action over the weekend, Illinois State fell to South Dakota State 40-21, and Northern Illinois crushed Akron 55-14.
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>>Herbert Out For Multiple Weeks
(Lake Forest, IL) — The Chicago Bears won’t have their starting running back for a few weeks. Khalil Herbert injured his ankle during Chicago’s win over Washington last Thursday, and he’s expected to miss multiple weeks. The 25-year-old has rushed for 272 yards on 51 carriers this season, and he’s caught ten passes for 83 yards and a score. Chicago signed Darrynton Evans from Miami’s practice squad to replace Herbert in the interim. The Bears host the Vikings this Sunday.
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>>Blackhawks Lose To Blues In Preseason
(St. Louis, MO) — The Chicago Blackhawks never led during a 5-3 preseason loss against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Saturday. Chicago gave up two goals within the first six minutes of the game before Lukas Reichel got on the board. St. Louis scored two times at the beginning of the second, but Joey Anderson and MacKenzie Entwistle both lit the lamp for Chicago to make it a one-score game. However, St. Louis scored in the second minute of the third period to put the game away. The Hawks went 2-2-and-2 in exhibition play this year. They open the regular season with a road game against Pittsburgh tomorrow night.
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>>Bulls Go Down In Preseason
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Chicago Bulls gave up a go-ahead score in the final minute of a 105-103 preseason loss against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. The game was tied at 99 with thirty seconds left in regulation, but Drew Timme put Milwaukee up for good with a lay-up. Coby White led Chicago with 14 points, and Patrick Williams chipped in with 13. The Bulls are 0-and-1 in exhibition play, and they host the Nuggets on Thursday.