No new information has been released following the report around 2:00 a.m. Thursday of shots being fired on Ottawa’s west side in the 1100 block of Pine Street. Ottawa Police says preliminary investigation indicated it was an isolated incident with no further danger to the public.
———————————————————————-
Ottawa Police and the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office are continuing to investigate an unresponsive and lifeless body found on the Riverwalk at the 500 block of Columbus Street shortly after Noon Thursday. Ottawa EMS transported the man to St. Elizabeth’s OSF Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. The Coroner’s office says the cause of death is pending at this time, and Ottawa Police say no foul play is expected.
———————————————————————-
The Ottawa City Council met for a work session Thursday afternoon. They heard a presentation by Ross Grimes of Fehr Graham (Fair – Gray Ham), a tri-state environmental services firm that advises municipalities and applies for grants on their behalf. The topic was cleaning up the old Peltier Glass Factory building at 518 Deleon Street. Built-in 1890, Peltier produced glass for train windows and auto headlights. Today, most of the building is cold storage for the City of Ottawa and evidence storage for the Ottawa Police Department. Testing at the Southeast corner of the factory, Fehr Graham found evidence of heavy metals in the colored glass several feet underground. Grimes presented several paths to the City Council to remedy the situation. For about $800,000 they could drill down and neutralize the contaminants but leave the soil in place. For $1.7 million, the soil could be treated and capped with Portland cement. For 4 million dollars, the Southeast portion of the factory would be demolished and all the dirt down to a depth of 10 feet would be removed, trucked out of state, and backfilled in with fresh earth. The matter will be debated at the regular Ottawa City Council meeting on Tuesday night, November 7th at 7:00 p.m. They will also likely decide what size federal cleanup grant to apply for, since the deadline is November 13th. The data presented by Fehr-Graham during Thursday’s working Council session is available at Ottawa City Hall.
———————————————————————-
Illinois Valley Community College commemorates November as Native American Heritage Month with a visit from Chief White Winnebago of the Ho-Chunk Nation at Noon on Monday, November 6th, in the Student Life Space. The event is open to the public. White Winnebago is the formal native name of Gerald Savage, an IVCC graduate, who is a territorial clan chief. He grew up in the Illinois Valley and
was introduced to the Ho-Chunk traditions by his grandparents. After being resettled out of state, Savage’s family returned to Illinois in the 1930s. Savage travels the state as part of a speaker’s bureau that brings native culture and history to Illinois communities. His presentation is sponsored by IVCC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
———————————————————————-
A new report shows that most deaths among pregnant Illinois women were preventable. The third Illinois Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report says 263 people died while pregnant or within a year of giving birth in Illinois from 2018 to 2020. Of those, 91 percent were preventable. Black women were nearly twice as likely to die from any pregnancy-related condition and substance use disorder was the leading cause of pregnancy-related death.
———————————————————————-
No one is hurt following a fire at Rivian Automotive in Normal. Around three hundred employees were evacuated to another part of the building due to a fire in a trash compactor last night. The flames caused smoke to fill the south end of the plant. Investigators are trying to determine the cause.
———————————————————————-
Shortly after midnight Thursday, LaSalle County Deputies conducted a traffic stop in the area of Illinois 18 and East 1st Road in Hope Township. 24-year-old Adrianna Gerard of Peoria was cited for speeding 74 miles an hour in a 55 zone. Then, at about 1:15 Thursday morning, 47-year-old Jason Wilcox of Edwards was clocked doing 73 in a 55 zone on Illinois 18 near East 3rd Road. Wilcox was given a speeding ticket.
———————————————————————-
Ottawa police arrested 30-year-old Margo Corujo of Harwood Heights on Tuesday. She’s accused of resisting arrest, battery, and failure to appear on a warrant. She was taken to La Salle County Jail.
———————————————————————-
On Wednesday, 35-year-old Nicole Bell of Mendota was charged with driving on a suspended license. She was stopped by Ottawa police at Boyce Memorial and Norris Drive and given a notice to appear.
———————————————————————-
32-year-old Carlos Alinas-Rosales of Joliet was arrested Thursday on Columbus Street near I-80 for driving without a valid license. He was given a notice to appear.
———————————————————————-
A 57-year-old Ottawa man has a charge of no valid registration after LaSalle County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped Michael Jager in Bruce Township near Illinois 23 and North 17th Road.
———————————————————————-
An Ottawa man faces charges of operating an uninsured vehicle and driving on a suspended license after LaSalle County Deputies conducted a traffic stop in Utica Township on U.S. 6 and East 8th Road. 36-year-old Joshua Farro was stopped shortly before 3:00 a.m. Thursday was taken to the LaSalle County Jail, and then released with a notice to appear in court.
———————————————————————-
Around a quarter after 6:00 Thursday evening, LaSalle County Deputies stopped a 20-year-old Serena man near North 40th and East 2351st Roads in Serena Township. Alexander Heiman was cited for speeding 79 miles an hour in a 55 zone.
———————————————————————-
University of Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman will likely be sticking around for a while. The university Board of Trustees will consider a three-year contract extension for Whitman during a November 16th meeting. If approved, the new eight-year contract keeps Whitman as leader of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics through at least June 30th, 2031. His salary will be one point five million dollars retroactive to July 1st.
———————————————————————-
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, November 5th. While you’re setting all your clocks back an hour before going to bed Saturday night, the Illinois State Fire Marshal is reminding residents to test, inspect, and replace any broken or expired smoke and CO alarms. If your alarm was manufactured before October 2013, it’s time to replace that alarm with a ten-year sealed battery device. The National Fire Protection Association reports that between 2014-2018, almost three out of every five home fire deaths in the U.S. resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms.
———————————————————————-
WEATHER:
Today
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. South southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Tonight
Scattered sprinkles with isolated showers before 8 p.m., then scattered sprinkles between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight. The chance of precipitation is 20%.
———————————————————————-
OBITUARIES:
Rosemary Thorson, 60, of Ottawa, passed away on Sunday at Richard Owens Hospice Home in Peoria. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 4, at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Ottawa. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 3, at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa and the church on Saturday, one hour before the service.
———————————————————————-
HIGH SCHOOL LOCAL SPORTS:
The Princeton Tigers are playing with a lot of ambition on the football field this season. You can now call it Blonde Ambition. A large percentage of team members, including coaches, have dyed their hair blonde in a show of team unity. Blondes, they say, have more fun. The Tigers hope that fun translates onto the football field.
Class 3A – Second Round
#2 Princeton (9-1) at #10 Monmouth-Roseville (6-4)
When: 5 p.m., Saturday, Coach Dobry Field, 323 S. Sunny Lane, Monmouth. Last matchup: Princeton 40-0 (2023 opener)
———————————————————————
PRO/COLLAGE SPORTS:
>>Montez Sweat Visiting Saints In Bears Debut
(New Orleans, LA) — The Bears will try to get back in the win column when they visit the Saints on Sunday. The Bears were one of several teams to make a splash at the trade deadline. Chicago acquired defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders for a second-round pick in the 2024 draft. Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent will once again start for the injured Justin Fields. The Bears are currently last in the NFC North at 2-and-6, and they had five players miss practice with injuries yesterday.
———————————————————————
>>Bears Extend DT Billings
(Lake Forest, IL) — The Bears are locking down the middle of their defense. The team signed defensive tackle Andrew Billings to a two-year extension worth eight-and-a-half million dollars yesterday. The contract includes six million dollars guaranteed. Billings signed with the Bears as a free agent in the offseason. He has 14 tackles and three tackles-for-loss in eight starts this season.
———————————————————————
>>Bulls Begin In-Season Tournament Against Nets
(Chicago, IL) — The Bulls tip off the NBA In-Season Tournament with a game against the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center tonight. The contest will be the first of four group-stage matches that the Bulls play before seeing if they advance to the knock-out rounds. The game is also a regular season contest and will affect Chicago’s record in the standings. The Bulls fell to 2-and-3 with a 114-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
———————————————————————
>>Blackhawks Host Panthers Tomorrow
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks look to get back in the win column when they host the Florida Panthers at United Center tomorrow night. The Blackhawks were embarrassed by the Coyotes 8-1 in their most recent game on Monday. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with six points and a 3-6-and-0 record.
———————————————————————
>>Notre Dame Visits Clemson
(Clemson, SC) — The number-15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish look for their third win in a row when they visit Clemson at Memorial Stadium tomorrow. The Irish are coming off a 58-7 rout over Pitt last weekend. Notre Dame is 7-and-2 this season. The Irish haven’t won in Clemson since 2015.
———————————————————————
>>Illinois Takes On Minnesota
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Illinois Fighting Illini come off their bye to take on the Minnesota Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium tomorrow. The Illini haven’t played since October 21st, when they gave up 18 fourth-quarter points in a 25-21 loss to Wisconsin. Illinois is tied with Purdue for last place in the Big Ten West. The Illini are 1-and-4 in conference play and 3-and-5 overall. The Illini have won their last two games against Minnesota.
———————————————————————
>>Northwestern Welcomes Iowa To Wrigley
(Chicago, IL) — The Northwestern Wildcats head to the diamond for the Wildcats Classic against Iowa at Wrigley Field tomorrow. Northwestern is coming off a 33-27 win over Maryland last weekend. The Wildcats are in fifth place in the Big Ten West with a 2-and-3 conference record and a 4-4 mark overall. Northwestern has lost three of its last four games against Iowa.
———————————————————————
>>College Football Round-Up
In other college football action this weekend, Illinois State visits Missouri State, and Valparaiso hosts Dayton.
———————————————————————
>>Hendriks, Bellinger Win Comeback Player Awards
(Updated) — A pair of Chicago baseball players were named the Comeback Player of the Year award winners by the Player’s Choice Awards yesterday. White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks won the American League award, while Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger won the National League award. Hendriks overcame a battle with cancer and returned to pitch in five games for the Southsiders before tearing his UCL. Bellinger signed with the Cubs in the offseason and bounced back from two straight dreadful seasons to put up an OPS of .881.
———————————————————————
>>Three Cubs Players, One White Sox Player Up For Silver Slugger
(Updated) — The city of Chicago is well-represented in the pool of Silver Slugger Award finalists. White Sox superstar Luis Robert is one of seven finalists for the American League outfield award, while shortstop Dansby Swanson and outfielders Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki are all up for the National League awards at their respective positions. Bellinger is also up for the National League utility player award. The Silver Slugger honors the best hitter at each position in each league. Robert hit .264 with 38 home runs and 80 RBI in 145 games with the Southsiders. Swanson hit 22 home runs, Suzuki had a .285 batting average, and Bellinger hit .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI for the Cubs. The winners of the Silver Slugger Awards will be revealed next Thursday.
———————————————————————
The NFL International Series makes a stop in Germany this weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs battle the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt on Sunday morning. This will be the first game played in Germany this season, and it marks the first time an NFL matchup will be played in Frankfurt.