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WCMY News for 5/30/24

By WCMY News May 30, 2024 | 7:02 AM

LaSalle County Sheriff Adam Diss has released statistics on citations issued during the Memorial Day “Click It or Ticket” enforcement period. Deputies wrote 25 citations for seat belt violations, three citations for distracted driving, three tickets for suspended registration violations, one driving under the influence charge, two citations for disobeying a stop sign, nine tickets for no valid insurance, and 29 speeding tickets, along with a few other offenses. The “Click It or Ticket” campaign is funded with federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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This year’s Farmers and Makers Market in downtown Ottawa has a grand kickoff this Saturday, June 1st, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Vendors will be on-site in the 100 block of West Jackson Street on the south side of Washington Square Park each week with a variety of seasonal fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, food stalls, and unique handcrafted items. The Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry is sponsoring the Farmers and Makers Market and has a Facebook page named “Farmers and Makers Market”.
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The LaSalle County Health Department received confirmation that a robin from Somonauk tested positive for West Nile virus. The bird was collected on May 15, 2024, and was tested by the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. This is the first documented West Nile virus activity in LaSalle County this year. West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a Culex mosquito, commonly called a house mosquito, that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache, and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. Most people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms; however, in rare cases, it can lead to severe illness.
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Governor JB Pritzker is planning to sign a 53-billion-dollar budget plan approved by the Illinois General Assembly. The budget includes more than 500 million dollars in increases for education and the elimination of the statewide grocery tax. It also includes tax increases on sportsbooks, retailers, and other businesses and a five-percent pay raise for lawmakers.
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The city of Evanston is being sued over its reparations program. A conservative group has filed a class-action lawsuit against the city, claiming the north suburb’s program designed to repay historical wrongs against Black residents violates the U.S. Constitution. The program provided up to 25 thousand dollars to Black residents with ties to the community between 1919 and 1969, the period of housing discrimination that caused segregation of Black residents in the city. The suit was filed on behalf of six non-Black residents who lived in the city during that period.
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The University of Chicago is settling a lawsuit related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The university has agreed to pay nearly five million dollars to settle the suit filed in 2020 by current and former students seeking tuition refunds after classes went remote during the pandemic. The suit accuses the school of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The settlement applies to all students who were enrolled in any of the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs between January 1st, 2020, and the end of the spring quarter that year.
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27 fire departments, some municipal and others from rural protection districts, spent the night battling a huge fire at a sprawling chicken housing facility in south-central Illinois north of Salem. No one was at work when the blaze was discovered about 7:00 a.m. Wednesday. The five buildings making up the facility were destroyed in the blaze that caused nearby roads and highways to be closed for a time. There were no reports of any injuries. The fire was extinguished by early Thursday morning.
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29-year-old Andrew J. Lopez of Ottawa was stopped by Ottawa Police Sunday at Columbus and Madison Streets and cited for driving under the influence. He was released with a court date.
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A Streator woman has charges from Ottawa Police for driving on a suspended license, no valid registration, and no valid insurance. Myriah N. Merritte was stopped Monday in the 500 block of State Street.
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30-year-old Lorenzo L. Strong of Ottawa is charged with driving on a suspended license and no insurance following an Ottawa Police traffic stop Tuesday in the 1100 block of First Avenue.