The Ottawa Water Department will be conducting regular hydrant flushing maintenance this week. Today, hydrants to the east of Columbus Street from Joliet Street north to Goose Creek, including Alinda Avenue, will have maintenance. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the flushing moves north of Interstate 80 with all hydrants west of Illinois 23 on Tuesday, and east of Illinois 23 on Wednesday. Thursday, hydrants on West Joliet Street from Walnut Street east to Columbus Street and north, including the Wilcox Subdivision, will be flushed. And Friday, the work moves to West Joliet Street from Poplar Street east to Boyce Lane and north to Evans Street, including Autumnwood Subdivision. Flushing can stir up sediment in water lines causing discoloration. Doing laundry on flushing days in your neighborhood is not recommended. If the water is discolored, let the tap run for a few minutes.
—————————————————————–
A residential fire broke out on the 900 block of 25th Street in La Salle on Sunday evening. A statement from Assistant Chief Dale Tieman of the La Salle Fire Department says firefighters arrived at the scene at 6:52 p.m. and found heavy flames engulfing a detached building. The fire had started spreading to a nearby home and garage. Tieman said the blaze was controlled within 15 minutes. Firefighters stayed on-site afterward to put out hotspots and conduct overhaul operations. The final crew cleared the scene by 7:54 p.m. The La Salle Fire Department received assistance from the Peru and Utica fire departments. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
—————————————————————–
A Spring Valley woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to a shooting in Ottawa on June 5th. Chastity A. Furar appeared before Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia for a status hearing last week in LaSalle County Court and has been ruled mentally fit to stand trial. Furar, who remains in custody at the La Salle County Jail, was previously denied pretrial release in October 2023. Her boyfriend, Nicholaus Phillips, also of Spring Valley, is facing the same charges related to the death of 42-year-old Eric Clements of Ottawa. Phillips is also undergoing a mental evaluation, and his attorney requested a 30-day extension on Friday.
—————————————————————–
Ottawa marked a major milestone Thursday with the unveiling of a $1.1 million renovation to the playground areas surrounding the ball diamonds at Peck Park. The upgrades, which also included plumbing improvements to the fields’ concession stands, were celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by city construction coordinator Bill Boettcher. The project at the park on the sound end of State Street began in August 2023 and was funded through the City of Ottawa General Fund.
—————————————————————–
The LaSalle County Emergency Management Agency is promoting emergency preparedness for National Preparedness Month. They emphasize the importance of discussing potential risks, making plans, and staying informed to build a culture of preparedness. The campaign encourages families to discuss local risks, create a family emergency plan, build an emergency kit, get involved in the community, and stay informed. You can download the free LaSalle County EMA Illinois smartphone application to guide you through the process. For more information, visit FEMA’s preparedness resources at www.ready.gov.
—————————————————————–
A trial begins tomorrow for the former AT&T Illinois president accused of trying to bribe ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Paul La Schiazza was indicted in October 2022 with conspiring to pay a former state lawmaker 25 hundred dollars a month in consulting fees as part of a plan to win Madigan’s backing of legislation in Springfield. The trial is expected to last three weeks. It is the last of a series of trials to play out before Madigan faces his own racketeering trial next month.
—————————————————————-
An Oswego man faces child porn charges. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office charged McKade Murphy in Kendall County Circuit Court and the 21-year-old is being held at the Kendall County Jail. Prosecutors say the charges were filed after officers searched Murphy’s home in the 600 block of Springbrook Trail North in Oswego and discovered evidence of child porn videos.
—————————————————————–
Streator Police arrested a Streator woman over the weekend on two outstanding warrants out of Will County. 28-year-old Latrece M. Cooke was taken into custody in the 1400 block of North Otter Creek. Cooke was taken to the LaSalle County Jail.
—————————————————————–
Late Friday, Ottawa Police arrested a homeless man on an outstanding LaSalle County warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of criminal trespass. 30-year-old Daniel Vargas-Rosas was picked up at Marquette and Chestnut Streets.
—————————————————————–
A 17-year-old Ottawa juvenile was stopped by Ottawa Police early Sunday and cited with a curfew violation as well as a probation violation.
—————————————————————– St. Columba Church in Ottawa will be closed for restoration until December 2024. During this time, all services will be held at nearby churches. The updated Mass schedule is 8:00 a.m. Thursday & Friday at St. Francis of Assisi, 7:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis, 4:00 p.m. Saturday at St. Patrick’s, and 7:00 a.m. Sunday at St. Francis. The Sunday 9:00 a.m. mass will be temporarily suspended starting September 16th.
—————————————————————–
WEATHER:
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low of around 51. West southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
—————————————————————–
OBITUARIES:
None at this time
—————————————————————–
HS SPORTS:
Football
Ottawa 34, Streator 7: 103rd all-time meeting.
Marquette 41, Madison 6:
Seneca 40, Lisle 0:
Metamora 22, LPHS 14:
—————————————————————–
Girls volleyball
Ottawa finishes runner-up at Rochelle: The Pirates fell to McHenry in the championship match of Saturday’s Rochelle Invite.
At Rock Falls: La Salle-Peru finished second in the Rock Falls Invitational.
In pool play, the Cavaliers beat Morrison, Bureau Valley, and Princeton.
At Oregon: Mendota went 1-4 over the weekend at the Oregon Tournament.
—————————————————————–
Boys soccer
Ottawa 2, Sterling 1: At the King Field
Romeoville 6, Streator 1; Streator 2, Rockford Auburn 1: At Woodstock
Princeton 3, Earlville 0: in Princeton.
La Salle-Peru 2, Plano 2: in La Salle.
Princeton 3, Earlville 0: in Princeton.
—————————————————————–
Girls tennis
Ottawa places 5th at own invite: the Pirates scored 16 points and finished in fifth place at the eight-team Ottawa Invite that was won by Metamora (32).
At Bradley: St. Bede went 3-0 at the Bradley-Bourbonnais Quad.
—————————————————————–
PRO SPORTS:
The White Sox salvaged their series finale with a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Fraser Ellard was credited with his second win of the season after pitching two-thirds of a scoreless inning of relief. Luis Robert Jr. led the way at the plate after going three for four with a run batted in. Chicago is in last place in the AL Central at 33-and-111. The Southsiders host Cleveland tonight. We will have a 6 pm pre-game and a 6:40 pm first pitch.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Cubs avoided being swept by the New York Yankees with a 2-1 win at Wrigley Field. The Cubs scored both of their runs on a two-run single from Isaac Paredes in the bottom of the first. Jameson Taillon kept the Yankees in check from there, earning his tenth win after giving up just one run on six hits in six innings. Porter Hodge picked up his fourth save, and the Northsiders are now five games back of the final NL Wild Card spot at 73-and-70. Kyle Hendricks starts for Chicago against the Dodgers tonight.
—————————————————————–
The Bears collected an old-school victory after coming from behind to top the Tennessee Titans 24-17 at Soldier Field. The top pick from the 2024 NFL Draft made his debut as Caleb Williams completed 14 of 29 for 93 yards. Chicago’s special teams and defense dominated the second half. Jonathan Owens recovered a blocked kick for a touchdown, and Tyrique Stevenson recorded a 43-yard pick-six. The Bears are tied atop the NFC North at 1-and-0. Chicago visits Houston this Sunday.
—————————————————————–
COLLEGE SPORTS:
The Northern Illinois Huskies completed one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history with a 16-14 win over number-19 Notre Dame on Saturday. Kanon Woodill knocked in a go-ahead 35-yard field goal with a half-minute left in regulation, and Notre Dame had its field goal blocked at the buzzer. Ethan Hampton had 198 passing yards and threw a touchdown in the win. Riley Leonard threw two interceptions for Notre Dame. The 1-and-1 Irish visit Purdue this Saturday.
—————————————————————–
The Illinois Fighting Illini are on a two-game winning streak after a 23-17 win over previously-ranked number-20 Kansas at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kaden Feagin scored a one-yard touchdown with nine-and-a-half minutes left in regulation to give the Illini the lead, Xavier Scott forced a fumble on Kansas’ final drive. Luke Altmyer passed for 192 yards in the victory. The 2-and-0 Illini host Central Michigan on Saturday.
—————————————————————–
The Northwestern Wildcats are back at .500 following a 26-20 double overtime loss to the Duke Blue Devils at Martin Stadium on Friday. Northwestern gave up two touchdowns in the extra period and turned the ball over on downs to end the game. Mike Wright passed for 156 yards and an interception in the losing effort, while Cam Porter had 94 rushing yards and a pair of scores on the ground. The 1-and-1 Wildcats host Eastern Illinois this Saturday.
In other college football action over the weekend, Illinois State beat North Alabama 24-17
—————————————————————–
WOMEN’S SOCCER
IVCC 7, Triton 1: The Eagles earned their first victory of the season Sunday at Rotary Park in La Salle.
MEN’S SOCCER
IVCC 1, Triton 0: Nick Venjakob scored an unassisted goal to lift the Eagles to a victory at Rotary Park in La Salle.
—————————————————————–