No official report is on file yet from the LaSalle County Sheriff or the LaSalle County Coroner, but officials do confirm two fatalities in an apparent head-on crash on Illinois 23 near the Leonore Blacktop south of Grand Ridge around sunrise Wednesday morning. No passengers were in either vehicle, only the drivers, reportedly a woman and a man, suffered fatal injuries.
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Ottawa Commissioner of Public Property Brent Barron is hosting a public utilities water & wastewater treatment plants open house this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. The water treatment plant is at East Norris Drive and Champlain Street. The wastewater treatment plant is located off Illinois 71 just west of the Allen Park entrance. Supervisors at each facility will be on hand to answer questions about the operating systems at the site.
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Last Friday was the end of the “Back to Business” Restaurants, Hotels, and Arts program with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity handing out $ 156 million in relief funds among nearly 4,000 grants to businesses in 95 of the 102 counties in the state. Nearly $ 1 million was distributed in LaSalle County to hotels, motels, and restaurants. No grants were made locally in the Arts category. Hotels and motels in LaSalle County that applied received $675, 348 with restaurants receiving $319,581. The grant award amounts were determined based on a percentage of revenue declines for restaurants, and funding for the hotel and motel awards awards was allocated based on the number of rooms. The grant program utilized American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and was designed to offset losses and support job retention in the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Chicago isn’t the only location in Illinois impacted by the migrant crisis. Residents in southwest suburban Joliet took part in a community meeting last night to discuss an eight-point-six-million-dollar grant designed to help asylum-seekers. Some attendees contended that the money should be used for existing residents. Joliet Township has not yet accepted the grant money. Mayor Terry D’Arcy says that the grant can’t be sustained as it is written.
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Former NFL player Sergio Brown is in police custody in connection with his mother’s death. Authorities found 73-year-old Myrtle Brown dead near a creek behind her Chicago-area home last month. Sergio Brown was traveling in Mexico when he was deported and taken into custody by US police near San Diego. Mexican law enforcement reportedly knew of Brown’s whereabouts a few days after his mother’s death. Medical examiners determined she died from injuries related to assault and it was ruled a homicide.
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Ottawa Firefighters made a run to the LaSalle County Governmental Complex on Etna Road for an activated alarm. There was no fire. The detector that activated the alarm was in a room housing HVAC equipment.
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The City of Peru will flush hydrants beginning Monday, October 9th continuing through Wednesday, October 18th. Flushing will occur on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Residents/businesses could experience low water pressure and/or rusty water. Residents are urged to let their water run until it is clear.
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WEATHER:
Thursday
Rain and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m. High near 67. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
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Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of rain after 1 am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 54. Breezy, with an east wind of 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
Chloe Ann Hettel, 15, of Buda, TX (born in Ottawa) passed away on Monday, October 2nd. Visitation will be from 12:00 until 2:00 p.m. today at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home with burial to follow at St. Columba Cemetery.
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Joan Elaine Graves (Lindquist) was born in Rockford. Will have a celebration of life on Saturday, October 14th at 11 AM at Salem Lutheran Church, 1145 DeKalb Ave, Sycamore. Visitation will be on Friday, October 13th from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM at DeFiore Funeral Home in Huntley, and one hour before the celebration service.
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Lois J. (Breyer) Rowe, 94, of Ottawa, passed away on October 6th, at her home. A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on October 14th at Grace Baptist Church in Ottawa. Visitation will be an hour before the service at the church. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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HIGH SCHOOL LOCAL SPORTS:
Our featured game of the week will pit the Marquette Crusaders against rivals the St. Bede Bruins. Join Bryer Lehr el Solo Lobo on the call, and Tony B back at the WCMY studios. 6:45ish Pre-Game and 7 PM kickoff, on your ONLY official Crusaders station. Don’t believe the magnets!
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Boys soccer
Serena 4, DePue-Hall 3: At Serena, the No. 6-seeded Huskers’ got the victory over the No. 9 Little Giants in the Class 1A Mendota Regional quarterfinal match Wednesday.
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PRO SPORTS:
>>Blackhawks Get Beat By Bruins
(Boston, MA) — The Blackhawks suffered their first loss of the season in a 3-1 defeat against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Connor Bedard scored his first NHL goal to give Chicago an early lead, but the Bruins ended the contest with three unanswered scores. The Hawks fell to 1-1-and-0 with the loss. Chicago visits Montreal on Saturday night.
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>>Bulls Host Nuggets In Preseason
(Chicago, IL) — The Bulls go for their first preseason win when they host the Denver Nuggets at United Center tonight. The Bulls are 0-and-1 in exhibition play following a 105-102 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Tonight’s game tips off at 7:00 p.m.
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>>Moore Earns Player Of The Week Award
(Lake Forest, IL) — A Bears receiver is being recognized for his masterful performance in Week Five. DJ Moore was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week yesterday. Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns as the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Commanders 40-20 last Thursday. Moore becomes the first Bears receiver since Marcus Robinson in 1999 to win the award. Moore and the Bears host the Vikings on Sunday.
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>>Cubs Fire Two Coaches
(Chicago, IL) — The Cubs are getting rid of two members of last year’s coaching staff. The team fired game strategy coach Craig Driver and bullpen coach Chris Young yesterday. Driver had spent the last four seasons with the Cubs after being hired in 2020, while Young first joined the team in 2019.