Early voting for the November general election begins today throughout much of Illinois. Beginning today, registered voters can cast their ballots early through November 4th. La Salle County officials previously announced a change in the early voting location for the upcoming elections. Early voting will no longer be held in the basement of the La Salle County Governmental Complex at 707 E. Etna Road in Ottawa. Instead, voters will now head to the Emergency Management Agency building, situated at the southern end of the county complex parking lot at 711 East Etna Road. Early voting kicks off in Cook County and the City of Chicago early next month. Illinois residents can register to vote online through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is releasing a Voter Misinformation Guide to help Illinois voters identify election misinformation generated by artificial intelligence. AI-generated content is increasingly being used to create fake but realistic content about the November election and its candidates. It can cause confusion or even dissuade people from voting. The guide offers tips for spotting AI-generated content and urges voters to protect themselves from election misinformation.
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The 2024 Illinois fall trout season opens on Saturday, Oct. 19th, at 60 locations statewide, and locally in LaSalle County at the Illinois, and Michigan Canal Lock 14, in LaSalle. An early catch-and-release period begins Oct. 5th, but no trout can be kept until the regular season starts at 5 a.m. on the 19th. Anglers can catch up to five trout daily. All participants need an Illinois fishing license and inland trout stamp, available online or at various retail locations. Fishing times may vary, so anglers should check with individual sites before heading out. Visit the 1430 WCMY website for this story and for links to the INDR site. Check the IDNR website for locations. Fishing licenses and trout stamps can be purchased online with a credit card.
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KSB Hospital, a longtime fixture in Dixon, will soon be renamed OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center as it officially joins the OSF HealthCare system. Founded in 1897 in memory of Katherine Shaw Bethea, the hospital’s new name honors its legacy while embracing a future focused on enhanced health care. David Schreiner, CEO of KSB, stated that the name change reflects both the hospital’s history and its continued dedication to the community under OSF. The change follows approval from the Illinois Health Facilities Board. The official unveiling of the new name will take place this winter.
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State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is returning missing money to nearly 140-thousand residents. A record-setting 138-thousand people are in line to receive a total of just over 13 million dollars from the state’s Unclaimed Property program. The checks are part of the latest round of the Enhanced Money Match program that allows the Treasurer’s Office to automatically return money to individuals without the need to file a claim.
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Illinois is investing more than one million dollars in EeroQ’s quantum headquarters in Chicago. The investment will enable the company to develop the team and tools needed to build a commercial-scale quantum computer. A quantum computer processes information at an unprecedented speed and has the potential to make breakthrough discoveries in areas such as biomedical research, financial modeling, climate change solutions, and more.
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IVCC welcomes Dr. Maureen Dunne, a neurodiversity expert and author, who will deliver a keynote address on October 3, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in La Salle-Peru Township High School’s Matthiessen Memorial Auditorium. Her talk aims to inspire a shift in how communities perceive and support neurodiverse individuals, emphasizing their unique strengths. Dr. Dunne’s message extends to educators, parents, community leaders, and neurodiverse people themselves, advocating for a world that embraces neurodiversity. Those interested can reserve seats through IVCC’s Continuing Education system online or by phone.
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A Havana man is accused of traveling to Galesburg to have sex with a minor. Police say Kevin Cooper planned to meet with a 15-year-old and provide the teen with marijuana. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office learned about the plans and arrested him at a hotel. Cooper faces charges of indecent solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a child, and driving without a valid license.
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A Champaign woman is being sentenced to 324 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute meth. Prosecutors say Malaia Turner was a leader in a conspiracy responsible for obtaining large quantities of drugs from suppliers in California, Texas, and Illinois and transporting those drugs to central Illinois. Turner was convicted following a four-day jury trial in May.
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The owner of a Texas trucking company is going to prison for hauling drugs to Chicago. Jose Farias was sentenced to 25 years behind bars. Prosecutors say Farias owned a trucking company in McAllen, Texas. In 2015 and 2016, Farias arranged with truck drivers to transport large amounts of narcotics to the Chicago area hidden in the hollowed-out wheel axles of tractor-trailers. His drug trafficking organization used warehouses in Naperville and Sugar Grove, an abandoned auto lot in Chicago, and an auto repair shop in Channahon. In all, the drug trafficking organization distributed around 130 kilograms of heroin and 45 kilograms of cocaine in the Chicago area.
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LaSalle County deputies responded to a single-vehicle accident Tuesday morning around 10:00 involving a 73-year-old woman in the area of Route 251 and North 41st Road in Troy Grove Township. According to authorities, Marjery Redcliff, of Compton was traveling north on Route 251 when her vehicle veered off the roadway, striking two mailboxes in the front-right corner. Despite the collision, Redcliff continued driving to her home in Compton. Deputies later located Redcliff at her residence. She was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, failure to report the accident, and leaving the scene of a property damage incident. Redcliff was released with a notice to appear in court. No injuries were reported.
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WEATHER:
Thursday
Patchy fog before 8 am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 81. Light north-northeast wind becoming east-northeast at 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
Rose Mary Eschbach died peacefully in her home on July 6th, at the age of 96. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, September 27th, at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Private burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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HS SPORTS:
FOOTBALL
Friday: Ottawa at Sycamore at 7 pm
Saturday: Marquette at St. Bede at 1 pm
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Boys soccer
Kaneland 8, La Salle-Peru 0: At Maple Park
Earlville 0, Serena 0 (OT): At Earlville
Streator 6, Kewanee 0: At the James Street Soccer facility
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Girls golf
Ottawa 4th at own invite: At Deer Park,
Seneca wins at TCC: At Wolf Creek
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Boys golf
Marquette 9th at TCC: At Wolf Creek,
Ottawa takes title at Cadet Classic: At Aurora Country Club,
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Girls volleyball
La Salle-Peru 2, Rochelle 0: At Rochelle
Sandwich 2, Plano 0: In Kishwaukee River play
Seneca 2, Streator 1: At Seneca
Woodland 2, Earlville 0:
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Girls Swimming
La Salle-Peru Co-Op 79, Geneseo 11: At Peru
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox staved off a record-setting 121st loss for the second night in a row. Chicago earned a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field yesterday. Andrew Benintendi hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth to give Chicago the win. Korey Lee and Lenyn Sosa both homered in the victory, while Jared Shuster earned his second win in relief. The Southsiders improved to 38-and-120. They send Chris Flexen to the mound against the Angels today. We will have a 12:30 pm pre-game here on WCMY.
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The White Sox front office is giving interim manager Grady Sizemore a vote of confidence despite the team’s disastrous season. Sox General Manager Chris Getz announced yesterday that Sizemore is a candidate for the full-time position next season. After former manager Pedro Grifol was fired in August, Getz said he was looking for someone outside of the organization to replace him. Getz says Sizemore has traits that he likes and is considering him a candidate. He still plans to go through the process of interviewing other hopefuls when their postseason is over.
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The Chicago Cubs were knocked around for 13 hits during a 9-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen’s Bank Park. The Cubs surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first and trailed the rest of the way. Nico Hoerner hit a pair of home runs and finished the game with four RBI, while Javier Assad was charged with his sixth loss after allowing eight runs on eight hits in four-and-a-third innings. The Northsiders are in third place in the NL Central at 81-and-78. The Cubs host Cincinnati tomorrow.
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The Chicago Bears are still dealing with a number of injuries. Defensive back Terell Smith, offensive lineman Darnell Wright, and defensive linemen Darrell Taylor and Zacch Pickens all missed practice with injuries yesterday. Six other players were limited participants, including Keenan Allen, who’s missed the last two games with a heel injury. The Bears host the Rams this Sunday.
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The Chicago Blackhawks dropped their preseason opener 4-2 against the Detroit Red Wings at United Center yesterday. Craig Smith and Teuvo Teravainen both scored in the second period to give Chicago a 2-1 lead before Detroit scored three unanswered goals to end the game. Chicago is 0-and-1 in exhibition play. The Hawks are in Detroit tomorrow.
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COLLEGE SPORTS:
Women’s Soccer
IVCC 0, South Suburban College 0: At Oglesby, goalkeeper Grace Johnson helped lead the Eagles to a scoreless draw. IVCC moved to 3-4-2 overall.