The Illinois 178 crossing in downtown Utica is closed for the replacement of the CSX Railroad crossing. The closure is expected to last 10 days. Village officials say the Lincoln Street bypass remains open, allowing motorists to access Illinois 178 through downtown Utica. Detours are in place using U.S. 6, Illinois 351, and Illinois 71, Walnut Street in Oglesby, as well as Interstate 39.
—————————————————————–
County Highway 15, also known as Kernan Road or East 22nd Road, from Illinois 18 to County Highway 5, also known as Richards Road, east of Streator, will be closed in 1-mile increments starting on Monday, September 16th. The work will progress from the south to the north and is expected to take three weeks, weather permitting.
—————————————————————–
The LaSalle County Board approved a measure on Monday regarding the hiring of experienced corrections officers. Sheriff Adam Diss can now offer incentives to experienced corrections officers, similar to those provided to experienced patrol deputies. Officials say the change will make La Salle County more appealing to experienced corrections officers, reduce training costs, and provide the same benefits to both corrections and patrol deputies.
The board also decided to change the food-service vendor for the jail. The current vendor’s food quality led to inmate complaints and additional work for officers. In addition to being financially beneficial for the county, the new vendor will assist inmates in obtaining food handling certification, which can help them secure employment upon release.
—————————————————————–
The City of Ottawa’s Public Works Department is looking for workers to help with the city’s Leaf-Vac Program which is expected to begin after November 4th. Applicants must be 17 years of age or older, have a photo ID, and a Social Security card. Work hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays for a period not to exceed more than 29 workdays. Workers hired who are over 21 years of age will be paid $ 18 dollars an hour. Those between 17 and 21 years of age will be paid the current hourly minimum rate. Applications can be picked up at Ottawa City Hall at Clinton and Madison Streets or at the city’s Public Works building at 425 West Jackson Street. Applications must be returned by Friday, November 1st.
—————————————————————–
For the second time in 2024, officials at the Illinois Veterans Home in La Salle have issued an alert regarding new pneumonia cases within the facility. On Friday, a message was sent to residents and their representatives, notifying them of two or more confirmed cases of pneumonia last week. In compliance with state regulations, the veterans home is required to inform residents and their representatives whenever two or more cases of an infectious disease are detected inside the facility. If a resident is diagnosed with pneumonia, their representative will be contacted directly by staff. This is not the first time the Illinois Veterans Home in La Salle has faced health concerns. In 2020, the facility made national headlines during a COVID-19 outbreak that claimed the lives of more than 30 residents.
—————————————————————–
Illinois is investing more than 25 million dollars in grants to build charging stations along interstate corridors. A total of 37 projects throughout the state were chosen in this first round of funding. The funds advance Governor Pritzker’s commitment to putting a million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030.
—————————————————————–
Once again, gas prices are decreasing along the I-80 corridor between Peru and Utica. Currently, Speedway and Sapp Bros in Peru are selling regular gas at $2.89 a gallon. In Peru, Quick Trip offers gas at a lower price of $2.79 a gallon. Love’s travel stop in Utica is reporting the same $2.79 price plus $.10 off for rewards customers, and the Utica Casey’s off I-80 is matching that price at $2.69 a gallon for regular. Most towns in the area are selling gas at around $3.09 a gallon on average. However, Ottawa once again has some of the highest gas prices averaging $3.59 a gallon.
—————————————————————–
The LaSalle Fire Department was called to the 400 Block of Maple Road just before 8:00 o’clock Monday night for a grill on fire. The situation quickly escalated as the fire spread to the house, requiring additional support from the Peru Fire Department, and the Utica Fire Protection District. The fire was contained to the front porch area of the home. The crews were able to get the fire under control in less than 10 minutes and crews left the scene shortly before 9:00 o’clock.
—————————————————————–
A call reporting an active threat at a Champaign high school is being called unfounded. Champaign Police were called out yesterday after a 9-1-1 call was placed indicating a potential armed subject at Centennial High School. Unit 4 officials put both Centennial and Central High Schools on lockdown out of an abundance of caution as officers searched
the buildings. No threat was located and the lockdown was lifted. Champaign Police continue to investigate the source of the call.
—————————————————————–
A former Rockford Public School teacher is charged with having child porn. Mark Henschel is accused of having inappropriate images of minors on his flash drive and micro-SD card. The charge comes after the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Illinois Task Force last month. Henschel taught math at Auburn High School, but no longer works there.
—————————————————————–
The former AT&T Illinois president accused of trying to bribe ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan goes on trial today. Paul La Schiazza was indicted in October 2022 for 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.
—————————————————————–
An 18-year-old man from Princeton was arrested by Peru Police on Saturday evening, at the intersection of 11th Street and Walnut Street. Talan S. Weber was taken into custody shortly before 6:00 o’clock after authorities discovered three active warrants out of White County, Illinois for forgery, battery, and criminal damage to property. During an investigation. The warrants were issued out of White County, Illinois. Weber was charged with obstructing justice and taken to the LaSalle County Jail.
—————————————————————–
A domestic battery incident led to the arrest of a LaSalle woman at the intersection of Shooting Park Road and Meridian Road on Friday. 33-year-old Karen J. Armstrong, 33 was taken into custody by Peru Police just before 5:00 p.m. following an investigation into a reported domestic altercation. Armstrong ended up at the LaSalle County Jail.
—————————————————————–
28-year-old Hector A. Parra Rodriguez of LaSalle was cited Saturday night around 8:00 o’clock by Peru Police at Shooting Park Road and Rock Street for driving on a suspended or revoked license as well as operating a vehicle with a suspended registration.
—————————————————————–
WEATHER:
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light south wind becoming south southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low of around 54. South-southeast winds around 5 mph.
—————————————————————–
OBITUARIES:
Gloria Antoinette Sigler, 98, of Ottawa, passed away Saturday, September 7th, at LaSalle County Nursing Home. Visitation will be Friday, September, 13th, from 9:00 am until 10:00 am at Ottawa Funeral Home. Mass of Christian burial for Gloria Antoinette Sigler will be at 10:30 am on Friday, at St. Francis of Assisi Church. The entombment for Gloria Antoinette Sigler will be in the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum at Oakwood Memorial Park.
—————————————————————–
Phyllis Joan Williams 78 of Ottawa passed away peacefully on September 6th. A visitation will be held at Ottawa Funeral Home on September 14th from 10-12 PM. The funeral ceremony for Phyllis Joan Williams will follow at noon at the funeral home. The burial will immediately follow at St. Columba Cemetery.
—————————————————————–
HS SPORTS:
GIRLS TENNIS
Ottawa 4, Princeton 1: The Tigresses lost in Ottawa.
—————————————————————–
GIRLS GOLF
La Salle-Peru 204, Ottawa 211: at Senica’s Oak Ridge Golf Course in La Salle.
BOYS GOLF
La Salle-Peru 183, Princeton 185: in Princeton.
Streator 173, Peotone 178: At the Eastwood, the host Bulldogs moved to 3-0 in the Illinois Central Eight Conference with the victory
—————————————————————–
VOLLEYBALL
Marquette 2, Reed-Custer 0: At Braidwood
Mendota 2, Sandwich 1: nonconference victory in Mendota.
Streator 2, Serena 0: At Pops Dale Gymnasium
Woodland 2, Tri-Point 0: At the Warrior Dome in rural Streator
—————————————————————–
BOYS SOCCER
Yorkville 5, Mendota 0: in Yorkville for their first loss of the season.
Serena 4, Yorkville Christian 2: At Serena
IVC 3, Earlville 1: the Red Raiders lost a nonconference game in Chillicothe.
Sandwich 3, Harvest Christian 3: tied at Elgin
—————————————————————–
PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox dropped their series opener against the Cleveland Guardians 5-3 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Southsiders gave up the first five runs in the first five innings of the game and couldn’t come back. Bryan Ramos hit a two-run home run in the losing effort, while Jared Shuster was charged with his fourth loss after surrendering three runs on five hits in two-and-two-thirds innings. The White Sox dropped to 33-and-112. They send Jonathan Cannon to the mound against Cleveland tonight. In other team news, Andrew Vaughn was named the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award yesterday.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Cubs rattled off 16 hits during a 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs scored three runs in the first inning and led the rest. Michael Busch went four-for-five with a home run and three RBI, while Cody Bellinger also went deep and drove in three. Keegan Thompson earned his second win out of the bullpen. The Northsiders are just five games back of the final NL Wild Card spot with a 74-and-70 record. Shota Imanaga starts for Chicago against Los Angeles tonight. In other club news, Patrick Wisdom was named the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award yesterday.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Bears could be without their star rookie receiver for the foreseeable future. The team announced yesterday that first-rounder Rome Odunze sprained his MCL in Sunday’s game against the Titans. Odunze is week-to-week as he recovers from the setback. He caught one pass for 11 yards during Chicago’s 24-17 win on Sunday. The Bears visit Houston on Sunday Night Football in Week Two.
—————————————————————–
NFL Fun Fact: It’s not often that you see an NFL game end with a final score that’s never happened in league history, but that’s exactly what the Jets and 49ers gave us Monday night in San Francisco. Yesterday’s game was the first game in NFL history to end with a score of 19 to 32.
—————————————————————–
COLLEGE SPORTS:
WOMEN’S SOCCER
IVCC 5, Joliet 3: won its second game in a row in Joilet.
—————————————————————–
MEN’S GOLF
At Bloomington: IVCC placed eighth among 12 teams in the Hawk 36 at Crestwicke Country Club.
—————————————————————–
WOMEN’S TENNIS
IVCC 8, Lake County 1: The Eagles earned a win in Lake Villa