An agreement between Illinois Valley Community College and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale will now allow IVCC students to earn their bachelor’s degree remotely in 12 academic programs. IVCC President Dr. Tracy Morris and SIU-Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane signed the agreement for the “Saluki Step Ahead” program on Wednesday during a virtual ceremony. The program enables students who graduate with an associate degree from partnering community colleges to complete their SIU bachelor’s degrees online in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, industrial management and applied engineering, information technology, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology and radiologic sciences.
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The City of Ottawa is planning a Volunteer Fair on Monday, June 10th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the gymnasium at the new Ottawa YMCA. Following up on the successful Volunteer Workshop held at Ottawa City Hall in April, the June event will showcase displays by various organizations actively seeking volunteers. Organizations looking to participate need to register ahead of time to participate. A form is on the website, cityofottawa.org, under the News and Announcements tab. Reservations need to be made by May 31st.
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Lil Wayne will headline the Illinois State Fair Grandstand this summer. The five-time Grammy Award-winning rapper will be performing on August 14th. Wayne has more than 100 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley on the list. Other State Fair acts include Keith Urban, Motley Crue, the Jonas Brothers, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Miranda Lambert. The 2024 Illinois State Fair runs from August 8th to the 18th in Springfield.
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Comptroller Susana Mendoza expresses her disappointment over the U.S. Postal Services’ recent decision to relocate the Springfield Post Office’s distribution operations to St. Louis, leaving Illinois’ state capital without a distribution center for state payments. In a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Mendoza’s concerns highlight the potential delays in essential payments to home healthcare providers, childcare facilities, state vendors, emergency child support, and tax refunds. She emphasized the importance of ensuring timely delivery, particularly for Illinois residents who heavily rely on state payments. With approximately 11,000 checks sent daily across the state, totaling 3 million annually, Mendoza stressed the necessity for timely delivery. She addressed the efficiency of routing mail to St. Louis before redirecting it back to addresses in Illinois, particularly given that two-thirds of the mail is destined for Northern Illinois. Mendoza urged DeJoy to prioritize service improvements and efficiency over actions that could further burden Illinois residents with delays, calling for a reversal of the decision. She pledged to collaborate with the Illinois Congressional Delegation to address this issue.
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Northwestern University is facing more lawsuits over the hazing scandal involving the football program. Three more former Northwestern football players have filed lawsuits against the university and former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald. Two of the complaints claim the players took steps to alert university employees to the hazing and emotional abuse taking place in the football program before Northwestern hired an outside attorney to investigate the hazing allegations. So far, more than two dozen accusers have sued the school.
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An early-morning shooting today at the Love’s Truck Stop in Dwight resulted in one person being shot in the leg. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police say the shooting was the result of an altercation between two individuals in the parking lot area. Law enforcement says it was an isolated incident.
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A two-vehicle accident just after 3:00 p.m. Wednesday resulted in one driver being injured. LaSalle County Deputies say a vehicle driven by 28-year-old Amber R. Taliani of Depue was struck by a vehicle driven by 76-year-old William E. Holdridge of Farmington at the intersection of North 27th and North 2803rd Roads in Ottawa Township. Taliani’s vehicle ended up in a ditch, striking a stop sign. Holdridge continued through the intersection and ended up in a ditch. Holdridge was taken to OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center by Ottawa EMS.
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Peru Police arrested 29-year-old Joshua J. Rodda of LaSalle late Tuesday night at Main and Church Streets. Rodda was wanted on two LaSalle County warrants for failure to appear in court. He was taken to the LaSalle County Jail
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WEATHER:
Today
Showers are likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 62. East-northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
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Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 47. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph
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OBITUARIES:
Arla Elaine Severson, 92, of Ottawa, passed away on Monday, April 29th, at Pleasant View. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 9th at the First Presbyterian Church in Ottawa. Burial will follow at Deer Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the church. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
BASEBALL
La Salle-Peru 2, Sycamore 1:
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GIRLS SOCCER
La Salle-Peru 11, Plano 5:
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox salvaged their series against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-1 win at Tropicana Field. Chris Flexen had his best start since joining the Southsiders, earning his second win after striking out eight and allowing just one run on three hits in six innings. Paul DeJong hit his fifth home run of the season, while Michael Kopech picked his third save. The Sox have won three of five, but they remain in last place in the AL Central at 9-and-28. Erick Fedde starts for the Southsiders against Cleveland tonight.
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The Chicago White Sox are parting ways with one of their outfielders. The Southsiders sent Robbie Grossman to Texas in a trade with the Rangers. Chicago is receiving minor league right-hander Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa in exchange for the switch-hitting journeyman. Grossman was batting .211 with four RBIs in 25 games with the White Sox.
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The Chicago Cubs managed just one hit during a 3-0 loss to the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field. Yan Gomes was the only Cubs player to collect a base knock. Hayden Wesneski was charged with his first loss after allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings. Chicago remains in second place in the NL Central at 22-and-16. The Northsiders are off today and head to Pittsburgh to begin a series against the Pirates tomorrow night.