La Salle Police Chief Mike Smudzinski has confirmed the police are investigating a non-fatal shooting Thursday afternoon. At 1:45 p.m., police were called about shots fired in the alleyway of Fajitas Mexican Restaurant, 254 Third Street. A witness told officers they saw a man get shot in the arm. As police were sealing the area, an ambulance call went out around 2:00 p.m. for a man with a gunshot to his arm. The individual was at a home in the 300 block of Fourth Street, just north of the shooting incident. The gunshot victim was treated and released. The shooting was labeled an isolated incident.
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A former Congressman who once represented the 16th Congressional District will be the keynote speaker at the LaSalle County Republicans’ annual Reagan Day Dinner. LaSalle County Republican Central Committee Chair Larry Smith says Don Manzullo will speak on his experience serving on some of the most important House committees for a decade. The Reagan Day Dinner is set for Saturday, October 28th at Pitstick’s Pavilion. Tickets are on sale at LaSalle-County-Republicans-dot-org.
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The LaSalle County Health Department will offer the newest COVID-19 Moderna vaccine by appointment only on Wednesdays beginning next week on October 25th. Shots will be available from 1:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon. The Fall 2023 vaccine is authorized for people ages 6 months and older. Medicare and Medicaid will cover the cost of the vaccine. Proof of insurance will be needed for private insurance, otherwise, the charge for the shot is $191.00. Appointments can be made online at the health department’s page at lasalle-county-I-L-dot-gov.
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The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services will temporarily pause new enrollees for the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program. The pause will take effect on November 6th. HFS previously announced that new HBIS enrollment would be temporarily paused at 16-thousand-five-hundred individuals, an enrollment benchmark the program is expected to reach in the coming weeks. The HBIS program provides Medicaid-like health care coverage to individuals aged 65 and older who would be eligible for Medicaid but for their immigration status.
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Illinois’ unemployment rate is up. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the state’s jobless rate increased by point-three percent last month to four-point-four percent. However, non-farm payroll jobs increased by 95 hundred in September to a record high, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
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Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias [[ ah-LEX-ee jih-NEW-lee-us ]] is expanding parental leave for employees in his office. Giannoulias signed an Executive Order to expand the office’s parental leave policy from four weeks to twelve weeks. Under the new policy, all of the 41 hundred Secretary of State employees will receive up to twelve weeks of paid parental leave regardless of whether they are the birthing or non-birthing parent.
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Over 500 witches roamed Mill Street in downtown Utica Thursday night in the fourth-annual Witches Night Out sponsored by the Utica Business Association. Along with live music, some 300 diners and shoppers were encouraged to look for hidden trinkets like eyeballs and spiders that would result in a prize gift basket.
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An attorney with the Illinois comptroller’s office is out of a job over antisemitic comments she made on Instagram. The comptroller’s office announced that they fired the employee yesterday after a screenshot of the Instagram exchange was re-posted to X. During the exchange, the lawyer reportedly said “All you Zionists will pay” and “Hitler should have eradicated all of you.” The fired employee has been identified as legal counsel Sarah Chowdhury. Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office said she has zero tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech.
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21-year-old Samanta Urena-Lopez of Streator was arrested by Ottawa Police Thursday at Arch Street and First Avenue in south Ottawa on charges of driving on a suspended license and obstructing justice. Urena-Lopez was issued a notice to appear.
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A Toluca woman has charges of driving on a suspended license and a rear tail light violation. 22-year-old Danielle Engel was stopped by Ottawa Police Thursday on the south side at First Avenue and Arch Street. She has a notice to appear in court.
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Thursday at 12:55 p.m., Peru Police responded to a stalking call at the Tou-Rest Motel, 16 US Route 6, Room 7. After an investigation, police officers arrested 30-year-old Quenton B. Glover, Peru, for stalking with no contact order. Glover was given a citation with a mandatory 9:00 a.m. court appearance on Friday, November 3, and taken to La County Jail.
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Thursday, Peru Police Officers were called to a car crash scene at the intersection of May Road and Route 251. After an investigation, 20-year-old David D. Dietz of Princeton was charged with driving with no valid driver’s license.
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The Ottawa Fire Department responded to an alarm at 900 Paul Street just after 11:00 on Wednesday. Cooking smoke set off a detector.
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Interstate 80 travelers from Iowa into Illinois will experience lane closures early next week. The Illinois Department of Transportation will reduce eastbound I-80 to one lane on the Mississippi River bridge for deck repairs. Work will start Monday and wrap up by Wednesday afternoon, weather permitting.
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WEATHER:
Today
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low of around 45. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming south after midnight.
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OBITUARIES:
Patricia A. Perrot, 93, of Ottawa, passed away Wednesday, September 27th, at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, IL.
Visitation will be from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. today at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park.
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Marie Monheim 68, of Ottawa, passed away Wednesday, October 11, at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford. A visitation will be at the Ottawa Funeral Home tomorrow from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. at St. Columba Church. Her burial will be at St. Columba Cemetery following Mass.
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Patricia E. (Young) Finley, 84, of Mendota, passed away on Sunday, October 15th, at Stonecroft Village in Mendota. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 23rd, at Waltham Presbyterian Church. Burial will be at Waltham Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the time of service at the church.
Frances M. “Frannie” Neurohr, 99, of Ottawa, passed away Wednesday, October 18th at La Salle County Nursing Home. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at Ottawa Funeral Home on Monday, October 23rd. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, entombment will take place in the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum in Oakwood Memorial Park.
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HIGH SCHOOL LOCAL SPORTS:
Football
Our last featured regular season game of the week tonight pits your Marquette Crusaders against the Dwight Trojans at Dwight. Join Andrew Evola and Isacc Missle on the call, with TonyB. back at the WCMY studios. We will have a 7 p.m. pre-game and 7:15ish kick-off (Start could change) due to Dwight’s senior night festivities.
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Ottawa Pirates, Woodstock Blue Streak: At Woodstock, the game will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. This is the last regular season game for the Pirates.
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Girls Tennis
Ottawa’s doubles team of Rylee O’Fallon and Emma Cushing went a perfect 3-0 at the Class 1A State Girls Tennis State finals on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals today.
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Volleyball
Seneca 2, Roanoke-Benson 0: At Roanoke, the Fighting Irish wrapped up their Tri-County Conference slate with a victory over the Rockets.
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Newark 2, Moline 1: At Moline, the Norsemen closed out their regular season with a victory over the Maroons.
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Woodland 2, Marquette 1: Warriors wrapped up their first league title since 2012 with a thrilling victory over the Crusaders at Bader Gymnasium. Woodland (21-8, 8-1) has now won six straight matches, while Marquette (24-6, 7-2) had its six-match winning streak snapped.
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Cross Country
Class 2A Metamora Regional
Time: 10 a.m. girls, 11 a.m. boys
Location: Black Partridge Park
Teams: La Salle-Peru, Ottawa, Streator, East Peoria, Joliet Catholic, Kankakee, Manteno, Metamora, Morris, Morton, Pontiac, Washington.
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Class 1A Seneca Regional
Time: 9 a.m. girls, 10 a.m. boys
Location: Seneca Ag Farm
Teams: St. Bede, Hall, Putnam County, Mendota, Princeton, Henry-Midland, DePue, Amboy co-op, Aurora Christian, Aurora Central Catholic, Dwight, Hinckley-Big Rock, Marquette, Seneca, Somonauk, Stark County.
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PRO/COLLEGE SPORTS:
(Chicago, IL) — The Bears welcome the Las Vegas Raiders at Soldier Field on Sunday. The Bears are looking to get back into the win column after falling to the Minnesota Vikings 19-13 last Sunday. Undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent is in line to make his first career start after Justin Fields dislocated his right thumb against Minnesota. Bagent completed 10-of-14 passes for 83 yards and an interception last week. The Bears are at the bottom of the NFC North at 1-and-5. Chicago had seven players miss practice with injuries yesterday. Sunday’s game kicks off at noon.
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(Denver, CO) — The Blackhawks got just 18 shots to the net during a 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. The Hawks surrendered two goals late in the first period and never were able to get back into the game. Petr Mrazek saved 37 shots in the losing effort. Chicago fell to 2-3-and-0. The Blackhawks host the Golden Knights tomorrow night.
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(Chicago, IL) — The Bulls struggled in the third quarter of their 114-105 preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at United Center. The Bulls were outscored by 11 points in the third, helping Minnesota seal the victory. Nikola Vucevic scored 21 points in the losing effort, while Ayo Dosunmu chipped in with 15. The Bulls went 1-and-4 in exhibition play. They open the regular season with a home game against the Thunder next Wednesday.
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(Champaign, IL) — The Illinois Fighting Illini will try to get a winning streak going when they host Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium tomorrow. The Illini snapped a two-game losing streak with a 27-24 win over Maryland last weekend. Illinois is 3-and-4 overall and 1-and-3 in the Big Ten. The Illini beat Wisconsin last year but have lost 11 of the last 13 contests between the two teams. Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 2:30 PM.
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(Lincoln, NE) — The Northwestern Wildcats return from their bye week with a road game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium tomorrow. The Wildcats are coming off a 23-20 win over Howard on October 7th. Northwestern is 3-and-3 overall and 1-and-2 in Big Ten action. The teams have alternated wins over their last four meetings. Tomorrow’s contest starts at 2:30 p.m.
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In other college football action over the weekend, Illinois State visits Youngstown State, and Northern Illinois hosts Eastern Michigan.
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A former Cubs skipper could enter Cooperstown next summer. Lou Piniella was named a Hall of Fame finalist by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for Non-Players yesterday. Piniella led the Cubs to the playoffs twice in his four years leading the team, but they were swept in the first round each season. He was fired during the 2010 season, ending his Cubs tenure with 316 wins and 293 losses. Piniella won a World Series with the 1990 Reds, and he also managed the Yankees, Mariners, and Devil Rays. Voting results for the Hall of Fame will be revealed on December 3rd.