One of two teenagers is facing charges after a firearm was discovered in a locker at Ottawa High School. The discovery was made on Tuesday afternoon and led to a formal investigation. During an emergency hearing in La Salle County Circuit Court, the teen was presented with three felony charges: unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and disorderly conduct. The court ordered the youth to remain detained until at least October 29th, when his next hearing is scheduled. If the charges had been brought against an adult, the most serious charge—unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 3 felony—could result in a prison sentence of up to five years. However, juvenile offenders face a wider range of potential sentencing outcomes. The La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office revealed that the weapon involved was a .45-caliber Springfield Armory pistol. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges are being considered, officials said. Authorities explained that the student who allegedly brought the firearm into the school, along with another student who reportedly had knowledge of it, was taken to the Ottawa Police Department for questioning. While one student was taken into custody, the other was released to a parent. Both students are being referred for juvenile complaints of unlawful use of a weapon, as police believe they had shared possession of the firearm. The case continues to develop as investigators review evidence and consider further legal action.
—————————————————————–
LaSalle County Highway Department is announcing some closures, County Highway 15, also known as East 22nd Road and St. Mary’s Road or Kernan Road, from County Highway 5, North 17th Road or Richards Road, to County Highway 6, also known as North 21st Road or the Grand Ridge-Mazon Blacktop, will be closed in 1-mile increments starting on Monday, October 7th. The work will progress from the south to the north and is expected to take 3 weeks, weather permitting. Additionally, County Highway 5 will be closed for a pipe culvert replacement on Monday, October 7th. The culvert replacement work is expected to be completed in 1 day. The pipe culvert is located 50 feet East of County Highway 15 and the intersection will remain open during this time. County Highway 15 will not be closed until this location is open.
—————————————————————–
A new Director has been named by the Reddick Public Library District Board of Trustees. Laura Youngstrum, who has served as Adult Services Librarian since 2018, assumes the role upon the resignation of Director Molly DeBernardi who has served as Library Director since 2017. Youngstrum started her library career in 2006 as a part-time Page and Shelver at Reddick. She holds a Masters Degree in Library Science and Information from the University of Illinois and was a Library Director in Berlin, Wisconsin, before returning to Reddick Public Library in 2018 as the Adult Services Librarian.
—————————————————————–
Illinois is launching a new notification system to help reduce the number of crashes caused by drivers who fail to move over for vehicles with flashing emergency lights. The Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology have partnered with Google Public Sector to develop a real-time, GPS-based alert to inform drivers of ISP traffic activity on the road. To alert drivers to slow down and move over, a message about a crash, traffic stop, or debris in the roadway is generated by state police. That message is then sent to Waze.
—————————————————————–
Chicago-based United Airlines is getting a pass from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA announced Wednesday that it’s finished its safety investigation into the airline without finding any significant flaws. United has been under scrutiny since last spring when it was plagued by safety-related incidents like a stuck rudder and a plane losing a tire on takeoff. The FAA says it’s ending its enhanced oversight of the airline as well.
—————————————————————–
A federal judge is denying a motion to drop key charges in the case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan despite a Supreme Court ruling limiting bribery law. Madigan and longtime confidant, Michael McClain, are set to go on trial next week on racketeering charges accusing them of conspiring to participate in an array of bribery and extortion schemes. Attorneys for Madigan had requested that several criminal counts be dismissed after the high court ruled in June that a federal bribery statute doesn’t ban “gratuities” to public officials. The judge ruled that the change in the law minimally affected Madigan’s case.
—————————————————————–
A man faces arson charges following a standoff and fire in Sterling last week. Alan Marshall was arrested yesterday in the 100 block of East LeFevre Road on charges of residential arson, arson, and aggravated arson. He was wanted in connection with an incident last week in the 600 Block of West 5th Street, where he barricaded himself inside his
home. The home was set on fire. Marshall was arrested after leaving the building and taken to the hospital for treatment.
—————————————————————–
A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to threatening a public official. Joseph Call entered the guilty plea for one count of making threats, part of a plea deal in which six other counts were dropped. The charges stem from an incident in May when Call reportedly took to social media to issue threats against three judges and four lawyers in La Salle County. Due to the nature of the case, a special prosecutor and an external judge were brought in to oversee the proceedings. This is not Call’s first run-in with the law. In February, he pleaded guilty to domestic battery, and he also has a prior misdemeanor conviction in La Salle County for violating an order of protection. The plea agreement and subsequent sentence highlight the seriousness of threats against public officials, especially in a climate of increasing concern over the safety of those in the legal profession.
—————————————————————–
27-year-old Tony Sander was arrested and booked into the La Salle County Jail on Tuesday after a series of incidents involving a knife. He appeared before a judge on Wednesday and was formally charged with felony counts of being a felon in possession of a weapon and aggravated assault. Sander was also deemed too dangerous to be released on bail while awaiting trial. The confrontation between Sander and La Salle police began on September 7th when officers responded to reports of a man on a bicycle threatening people with a large butcher knife at 3rd and Gooding streets. Sander reportedly fled the scene on his bike before abandoning it and fleeing on foot. Although police were unable to catch him at the time, they did recover the knife. The situation escalated last Thursday when officers were called to Crosat Street regarding another report of a man with a knife. Officers arrived to find Sander, who allegedly approached one of them while holding the weapon. Despite warnings and the threat of a Taser, Sander continued advancing before eventually dropping the knife. According to court records, Sander is currently homeless. His trial date has yet to be set.
—————————————————————–
LaSalle County Sheriff’s deputies responded to two single-vehicle accidents involving deer. In Otter Creek Township Monday morning, an accident near the intersection of East 18th Road and North 16th Road involved 37-year-old Aaron Kuykendall of Streator who was northbound on East 18th Road when a deer suddenly ran onto the roadway. Kuykendall was unable to avoid the animal and his vehicle struck the deer. There were no injuries, but the front end of the vehicle sustained damage.
Then, Wednesday morning in Manlius Township on North 2553rd Road near East 2450th Road, 45-year-old Jennifer Swanson of Ottawa was eastbound on 2553rd Road when she was unable to avoid a deer than ran onto the roadway. Swanson was uninjured, but the front of her vehicle as damaged. Sheriff’s Deputies remind drivers that wildlife is active this time of year both early in the morning and early evening.
—————————————————————–
WEATHER:
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
Thursday Night
Isolated showers after 4 am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 55. East wind 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 20%.
—————————————————————–
OBITUARIES:
Chad Allen Elliott Abram, 34, of Ottawa, passed away Tuesday, September 24th, at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center. A visitation will be held on Saturday, October 5th, from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will take place at 2:00 pm at the funeral home. Cremation rites have been entrusted to Ottawa Funeral Home.
—————————————————————–
LOCAL SPORTS:
Shepherd 7th grade Lady Rams lost to Spring Valley 29-14.
Cameron Lawsha had 6 pts and 9 rebounds 7th grade is now 2-3
Shepherd 8th Grade Lady Rams defeated Spring Valley 39-12.
Kennedy Kane 15 points 8th grade is now 5-0
—————————————————————–
Football
La Salle-Peru (2-3, 0-2) at Ottawa (1-4, 0-2)
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday at King Field.
Marquette 1, Walther Christian 0 (forfeit) Marquette Academy (4-2 overall, 3-0 Chicagoland Prairie) had its second consecutive Saturday afternoon game forfeited by Walther Christian early Wednesday afternoon. Walther Christian is coming off two major blowouts over their last two games, and last season was winless. No rescheduled game has been announced by the Crusaders.
—————————————————————–
Boys golf
Seneca wins 1st regional title in program history: At the Class 1A Dwight Regional at Dwight Country Club.
Streator trio advances from Class 2A Coal City Regional: At Cinder Ridge Golf Course in Wilmington, the Bulldogs had three players — senior Nolan Ketcham, junior Kolden Neumann, and sophomore Brennen Stillwell advance to next week’s Champaign Centennial Sectional at the University of Illinois Golf Course.
—————————————————————–
Girls Volleyball
Marquette 2, Serena 1: At Serena
Woodland 2, Peoria Heights 0: At the Warrior Dome in rural Streator
—————————————————————–
Girls tennis
Ottawa 6, Rochelle 3: At Rochelle on Tuesday, the Pirates picked up the Interstate 8 Conference win
—————————————————————–
You can find high school sports scores in our area on the WCMY Scorestream at 1430 wcmy.com/highschoolsports/
—————————————————————–
PRO SPORTS:
Tory Taylor is being recognized for his strong Week Four performance against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bears rookie punter was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week yesterday. Taylor punted five times during Chicago’s win over the Rams, and he averaged over 55 yards per punt. Taylor and the Bears host the Carolina Panthers this Sunday.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Blackhawks are whittling down their roster. The team sent three players down to AHL Rockford yesterday. Chicago currently has 15 forwards, nine defensemen, and four goaltenders on its roster. The Hawks go up against the Wild at home tomorrow.
—————————————————————–
COLLEGE SPORTS:
Mens Soccer
IVCC 0, Harper College 0: A tie in Oglesby.
—————————————————————–
Womens Soccer
IVCC 3, Harper College 0: A win for the Lady Eagles in Oglesby.