Summer-like weather will dominate a busy weekend in the LaSalle County area with several events and activities scheduled for the outdoors. Tonight is the Ottawa Community Outdoor Movie Night on the Riverfront with a free showing of “Toy Story” beginning at dusk. Free water and popcorn will be given away while supplies last. It’s also the first of five “Third Friday” evenings in the 200 block of West Madison Street. Saturday and Sunday is the 2-day “Kites In Flight” event at the old Central School grounds on the downtown Ottawa Riverfront. Professional kite flying demonstrations from the Chicago Kite Company, along with a designated area for kids and families to fly kites, children’s live entertainment, a candy drop, face painting, a dunk tank, s balloon artist, and food vendors. Kites will be for sale on-site, but families are encouraged to bring their kits. Also happening in Ottawa is the 2-day General W.H.L. Wallace Memorial Civil War event. Saturday’s events include a Civil War encampment on the Reddick Mansion grounds offering a glimpse into camp life with re-enactors showcasing various activities. Entry is $5.00 per person and $20.0 for a family. Attendees on Saturday can also access the W.H.L. Wallace Memorial window at Christ Episcopal Church at Lafayette and Columbus Streets across the corner from the Mansion. Sunday features an extensive collection of Civil War flags at the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum, along with guided tours of the private Wallace-Dickey cemetery on Ottawa’s north bluff. Tours will depart from the Museum every 30 minutes from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., costing $15.00 per person and $25.00 per family. The proceeds from both Saturday and Sunday support the cemetery’s wall restoration. Streator’s Food Truck Festival on Saturday will run from Noon until 7:00 p.m. on the Hickory Street side of City Park. And, Marseilles has the annual community rummage sales both today and tomorrow. Maps are available at some businesses and several of the city parks around town. And, at the Illinois Valley Regional Airport in Peru is the 2024 TBM Reunion. The Friday-Saturday event features vintage World War 2 aircraft including the TBM Avenger, the P-41, and C-47. Aircraft flights, the Titan Aerobatic Team, and a fireworks show tonight. A Veterans Parade is planned for Saturday. The Facebook page “TBM Avenger Reunion” has a full list of activities and times.
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Some Ottawa Police officers are spending their morning on the roof of the Dunkin location on North Columbus Street for the 21st annual “Cop On The Rooftop” event raising funds for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois. There are donation incentives. Along with other police officers statewide, the Ottawa Police officers are on the Dunkin rooftop until Noon today.
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LaSalle County Sheriff Adam Diss says now through Memorial Day weekend, the department is stepping up enforcement efforts to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket”. The Sheriff says the consequences of not wearing or improperly wearing a seat belt resulted in 300 fatalities in Illinois in 2022. The “Click It or Ticket” campaign is funded with federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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A sell-out crowd of more than 260 attended Thursday night’s 2024 annual dinner of the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Starved Rock Lodge. The audience heard keynote speaker former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood refer to Ottawa as a shining example of the success that is obtained when people share ideas and work together. Along with serving in the Obama Administration Cabinet, the Peoria Republican also served 7 terms as the 18th District representative in the U.S. House. LaHood said communities across Illinois should take a chapter out of what he called the “Ottawa book” on how to revitalize a community, encourage business and tourism, and demonstrate how people work together without allowing politics to get in the way. Awards presented during the evening included the Chair Award to Gentry Nordstrom, the Ethyl Strong Ambassador of the Year honoree Linda Johnson, and the Leo Parkerson Award handed to long-time Ottawa City Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut.
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Weather permitting, the southside Ottawa storm sewer project will require some street closures beginning Monday and continuing through Friday, June 7th. The 100 blocks of both East and West Allen Street, as well as the 800 blocks of State and Catherine Streets between Allen and Watson. Those blocks will be closed during the workday but will reopen for evening and overnight hours.
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Chicago Construction News is reporting that LaSalle County is set to receive over $19.5 million for various construction projects in 2024, with the largest being a $14 million overlay of 5.26 miles of Interstate 80. Additional projects include
road and bridge improvements, such as a $2.6 million overlay in Earlville and $494,000 for pavement rehabilitation on County Highway 41. These investments aim to enhance transportation infrastructure and safety across the county.
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Illinois’ unemployment rate remains steady. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the state’s jobless rate was unchanged last month at four-point-eight percent. Non-farm payroll jobs increased by more than seven thousand in April.
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Illinois lawmakers could be making changes to the state’s biometric privacy law. Illinois’ biometric privacy law requires companies to gain consent before they collect and store biometric information such as fingerprints or retina scans. The House passed legislation yesterday that would amend the law to state that a violation of the act only occurs when an entity collects or discloses a person’s biometric information without consent.
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Illinois is launching a summer food program for low-income families with school-age kids. The Summer EBT program aims to provide essential support to economically disadvantaged children during the summer months. It will provide 120 dollars to low-income families with school-age kids for meals over the summer months. The program is the first of its kind to launch in Illinois in over 50 years.
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The city of Chicago has lost residents in recent years, but the suburbs in Cook County have lost more. New U.S. Census estimates show Chicago lost close to 82 thousand people from April 2020 to July 2023. During the same period, Cook County lost 188 thousand residents. The biggest losses have been shown in the western suburbs of Cicero, Berwyn, and Riverside.
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The remains of a Whiteside County teen who was killed during the Korean War are being identified. The remains of 17-year-old Army Corporal Richard Seloover were accounted for in January. Seloover went missing in action in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea in September 1950. Seloover will be buried in his hometown of Rock Falls at a later date.
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LaSalle County Deputies cited 34-year-old Sean Sullivan of Streator with operating an uninsured motor vehicle after a traffic stop at Bloomington and Lee Streets just after 2:00 a.m. Thursday.
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Just after 4:00 a.m. Thursday, a 73-year-old Ottawa woman was cited by LaSalle County Deputies for speeding 74 miles an hour in a 55-miles-an-hour zone. Linda Shamberg was stopped near U.S. 6 and East 14th Road in Ottawa Township
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WEATHER:
Today
Areas of dense fog before 9 am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming west-southwest around 5 mph.
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Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
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Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming south-southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
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Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
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Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. West-northwest winds around 5 mph becoming east-southeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 10 mph.
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Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
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OBITUARIES:
Lori Ann Girard, 53, of Ottawa, passed away Wednesday, May 8th, at her home surrounded by her loving family. A funeral ceremony for Lori Ann Girard will be held today at 10:00 am at Ottawa Funeral Home. Burial for Lori Ann Girard will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park.
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Kathleen Anne “Kate” Reynolds-Millett, 73, of Marseilles, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, May 14th, at her home. Visitation for Kate Reynolds will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 20th at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Seneca. A Mass of Christian Burial for Kate Reynolds will follow at noon. Burial for Kate Reynolds will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Utica. Arrangements have been entrusted to Seals-Campbell Funeral Home in Marseilles. Kate worked with us here at WCMY for a short time and had a sweet disposition, and she will be deeply missed.
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Carl Edward “Higgins” Dimmick, Jr., 64, of Ottawa, passed away on Tuesday, May 7th, at his home surrounded by his family. Funeral services for Carl Edward “Higgins” Dimmick, Jr will be private. Arrangements for Carl Edward “Higgins” Dimmick, Jr have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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Thomas George Hughes, 60, of Ottawa, passed away on Wednesday, May 1st, at his home in Ottawa. A private burial took place for Thomas George Hughes at Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa for the service.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Softball
Ottawa 2, Normal Community 0: At King Field.
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Baseball
Geneseo 8, Ottawa 7: At Richmond Hill in Geneseo
Stillman Valley 7, Sandwich 4: In the semifinals of the Class 2A Marengo Regional, Sandwich season has ended.
Herscher 6, Seneca 0: In the semifinals of the Class 2A Herscher Regional, Seneca’s season has ended.
Streator 7, Plano 6: At the SHS Athletic Fields
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox begin a weekend series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium tonight. The Southsiders were off yesterday, but they took two of three against Washington at home earlier this week. Chicago is still in last place in the AL Central at 14-and-30. The Sox will send Mike Clevinger to the mound tonight. The first pitch is at 6:05 PM.
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The Chicago Cubs dropped the first game of their weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 at Wrigley Field. Edward Olivares hit a two-run home run in the top of the first to put Pittsburgh up early, and the Cubs trailed the rest of the way. Ian Happ went deep in the losing effort, while Justin Steele was charged with his first loss after surrendering five runs on six hits in five-and-two-thirds innings. The Northsiders are still in second place in the NL Central at 25-and-20. Kyle Hendricks starts for Chicago against the Pirates this afternoon.
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The Chicago Sky look for their first win of the season when they visit the Dallas Wings at College Park Center tomorrow. The Sky opened their season with an 87-79 loss to the Wings in Dallas on Wednesday night, and they’re currently 0-and-1. Tomorrow’s game tips off at 7:00 PM.
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The Chicago Bears are continuing to lock down their draft class. Edge rusher Austin Booker signed his four-year rookie deal with the team yesterday. Booker was Chicago’s fifth-round pick in last month’s draft. The Bears now have three of their five draft picks under contract, with first-rounders Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze still yet to sign.
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COLLEGE SPORTS:
The Women’s College World Series gets going today. Northwestern will take on St. Francis in Austin at 5:30 PM. The Wildcats will also play at least one game again on Saturday, and they could play on Sunday if they don’t lose twice earlier in the weekend.