Utica took a significant stride in advancing the Market on Mill project by approving the acquisition of portable stalls for the proposed outdoor retail plaza in the northern part of downtown. On Monday, the Utica Village Board unanimously voted 6-0 to grant a contract to Everlast Portable Buildings of Sullivan. The approved contract entails the construction of the initial set of 12 portable retail stalls, totaling $172,364 or approximately $14,400 each. Utica secured a Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets capital grant amounting to $1.2 million in August 2022 for the construction of the retail plaza. Meanwhile, there’s a slight reduction in Utica’s property tax rate, although the savings are relatively modest and may go unnoticed by residents when the tax bills are issued in May.
———————————————————————
The Peru Police Department and the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office have joined forces with the Illinois Department of Transportation to raise awareness about the perils of impaired driving. In separate announcements on Monday, Peru police and the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office introduced a joint enforcement initiative called “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Drive High – Get a DUI.” Running from December 15th to January 2nd, law enforcement throughout Illinois will steadfastly enforce a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, aiming to safeguard our roads and contribute to a joyous and secure holiday season.
———————————————————————
Horizon House is actively expanding its presence in La Salle. During Monday night’s La Salle City Council meeting, Horizon House CEO Michelle Rich announced the relocation of its Community Day Service Program to the premises at 105 Marquette in February. The southern section of the current occupant, “That Guy’s Secret,” will now host this program. The Community Day Service Program offers participants opportunities to engage in recreational, personal/social, and educational activities. This section of Marquette Street and the adjacent alley will experience heightened traffic during morning and afternoon hours. In response, Rich has formally requested the city to implement several changes, such as installing a stop sign at the east end of the alley, placing bollards near the sidewalk area, assigning up to three parking spaces for the disabled, and enhancing lighting in both the alley and parking lot.
———————————————————————
Temporary reinforcements are being put in place at the venerable Red Covered Bridge in Princeton to prevent further deterioration of the existing structural damage and to forestall the emergence of additional issues. On Monday, the crews initiated the temporary repair efforts, with the entire process anticipated to span a few weeks, according to Paul Wappel, the Public Information Officer at the Illinois Department of Transportation. The comprehensive evaluation of the necessary bridge repairs is not anticipated to be accessible for several months.
———————————————————————
Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin was on the WCMY morning show yesterday discussing the 1980s ban on nuclear power plant construction in Illinois that is coming to an end next year. Governor JB Pritzker on Friday signed a bill that will allow for the construction of small modular nuclear reactors. The measure takes effect June 1st. You can hear the full interview if you missed it, on the 1430 WCMY Facebook page.
———————————————————————
The first phase of the huge 150-million-dollar construction project on the Kennedy Expressway is done. All inbound lanes and ramps were fully opened yesterday morning. The reversible express lanes are also back to normal. Phase two of the project is expected to start in March with a focus on the Kennedy’s express lanes.
———————————————————————
Illinois is releasing preliminary totals for the Illinois firearm deer hunting season. Hunters in Illinois harvested more than 76-thousand deer during the seven-day season that concluded December 3rd. That is slightly less than last year.
———————————————————————
George Culbertson, a 41-year-old resident of La Salle, admitted guilt in a felony domestic battery case and received a two-year prison sentence, with almost six months credited for his pretrial detention. This incident occurred in April of this year in La Salle, and Culbertson has a history of previous incarcerations for offenses such as attempted home invasion, burglary, aggravated battery, and domestic battery in Macon County.
———————————————————————
On December 9th, at 11:15 pm, a two-vehicle head-on collision occurred at N 2975th Rd and Hollerich Dr in Peru. Peru Police, Fire, and Volunteer Ambulance, along with Life Flight Helicopters, LaSalle Fire/Ambulance, and Spring Valley Ambulance, responded to the incident reported at 11:16 pm. The investigation revealed Unit 1’s 18-year-old female driver swerved into the westbound lane to avoid a dog or coyote, resulting in a collision with Unit 2. The Unit 1 driver faced charges of improper lane usage and illegal alcohol transportation, and a passenger was charged with unlawful alcohol consumption. Two other passengers were Life Flighted to OSF Peoria for injuries, and all involved were released on a notice to appear.
———————————————————————
Brandon Wardell of Ottawa was arrested in the 1500 block of Columbus Dr in Ottawa for an outstanding Lasalle County FTA warrant for criminal trespassing to land.
———————————————————————
Michael Johnson of Flanagan was stopped on Norris Drive in Ottawa Saturday and charged with DUI and obstructing a peace officer.
———————————————————————
WEATHER:
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 37. West northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
———————————————————————
OBITUARIES:
Patricia “Pat” Munari, age 93, of Marseilles, passed away Sunday, December 3rd, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 A.M. Today at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marseilles. The interment will be in Oakwood Memorial Park, Ottawa. Visitation will be from 10 AM to the time of service at the church. Arrangements are with the Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home.
———————————————————————
Arthur J. Preci, 68, of Ottawa, passed away December 6th, at OSF St. Elizabeth with his wife by his side. Funeral services will be on December 15th, at 6 p.m. at Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home with Father Nicolas Wilson officiating. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until the time of service.
———————————————————————
Georgiann Kobiella, 82, of Ottawa, passed away Saturday, December 9th, at her home with her family by her side. Visitation will be on Saturday, December 18th, from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will take place at noon at the funeral home. Burial will follow at St. Columba Cemetery.
———————————————————————
LOCAL SPORTS:
Ottawa Dolphins Compete at the DCST Barb Wire Classic Invitational
432 Swimmers competed from 11 teams
The Ottawa Dolphins had 35 swimmers participate
Team Scores
· Fox Valley Y Aqua Force – 3732.5
· YMCA of RRV Stingrays – 3251
· DCST – Meet Host – 2930.5 (Exhibition)
· Knox County Krocs – 1497.5
· Sage Y Piranhas – 1137.5
· Ottawa Y Dolphins – 1091
· Kankakee Y – 493.5
· Illinois Valley Y Dolphins – 411.5
· Hastings Lake – 232
· Kewanee Y – 99
· Dixon Y Dolphins – 85
Personal Best Swims
53/155 (34%) personal best swims
· Ryland Heaver swam all 6 of his events in the best times.
· Evelyn Hansen had 5/6 personal best swims.
· Elizabeth Hansen had 4/6 personal best swims.
· Bennett Andree, Kallyn Jobst, and Elliot Citta only swam one day but, swam all of their events in personal best times.
Individual First Place Finishes
· Ryland Heaver – Boys 8&U 25 fly and 8&U 25 breast
Boys basketball
Serena 51, Sandwich 46: At Sandwich, the visiting Huskers moved to 9-0 on the season with the hard-fought, nonconference victory.
At the seeding meeting for the 60th Plano Christmas Classic on Monday, Kaneland earned the top seed, La Salle-Peru was selected as the No. 3, and Streator left with the No. 5 seed for the holiday staple, which will run Wednesday, Dec. 27 through Sat., Dec. 30. Streator will open the tournament with a 9 a.m. against unseeded Yorkville Christian on the 27th. unseeded Ottawa squaring off against No. 8 Hinckley-Big Rock at 12:30 p.m. No. 3 La Salle-Peru follows at 3:30 p.m. against unseeded Mendota.
Girls basketball
Putnam Co. 54, Marquette 51: At Granville, the visiting Crusaders fell to the Panthers in Tri-County Conference action.
St. Bede 59, Seneca 29: At Peru, the visiting Lady Irish suffered the Tri-County Conference defeat. Alyssa Zellers scored a team-high nine points.
Manteno 49, Streator 13: At Manteno, the visiting Bulldogs (0-14 overall, 0-5 Illinois Central Eight) were handed the ICE loss despite six points from Ava Gwaltney.
Newman 59, Mendota 23: Crystal Garcia had six points, five rebounds, and four steals as the Trojans lost a Three Rivers Conference East Division game in Mendota.
Boys bowling
St. Bede 3,139, Ottawa 3,048: At Dettore’s Town Lanes, the host Pirates were defeated.
La Salle-Peru 3,048, Rochelle 2,951: Aaron Siebert rolled a 588 series to lead the Cavaliers to an Interstate 8 Conference victory at the Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru.
GIRLS BOWLING
Mendota 1,116, Hall-Putnam County 1,089: The Trojans beat the Red Devils in a match at Ladd Lanes in which each team only had three bowlers.
———————————————————————
PRO & COLLEGE SPORTS:
>>Bulls Comeback Falls Short
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Bull’s four-game winning streak was snapped with a 133-129 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. The Bulls overcame a 14-point deficit and forced OT when DeMar DeRozan knocked down a game-tying floater at the end of regulation. Chicago took a brief lead in the extra period before giving up an 8-0 run to hand Milwaukee the win. DeRozan poured in 41 points in the losing effort, while Coby White finished with 33. The Bulls are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 9-and-15 record. Chicago hosts Denver tonight.
———————————————————————
>>Blackhawks Visit Oilers
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks look to get back in the win column when they visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place tonight. The Hawks are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with 19 points and a 9-17-and-1 record. Tonight’s game gets underway at 9:00 PM.
———————————————————————
(Chicago, IL) — Blackhawks television broadcaster Tony Granato is taking a temporary leave from the booth. The NBC Sports Chicago and NHL Network announcer was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Granato posted on X that he will begin treatment this week. He is a former NHL player and coach.
———————————————————————
>>Bears Prepare For Browns
(Lake Forest, IL) — The Bears will spend the week getting ready for their road game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Bears are on a two-game winning streak after knocking off the Detroit Lions 28-13 on Sunday. Chicago remains in last place in the NFC North at 5-and-8. Sunday’s game will kick off at noon.
———————————————————————
>>Illinois Basketball Moves Up In Coaches Poll
The Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team is moving in the right direction. The Illini jumped up two spots to number 16 in yesterday’s coaches poll. Illinois played two ranked teams last weekend, beating number-14 Florida Atlantic and losing to number-ten Tennessee. The Illini go up against Colgate on Sunday.