Ottawa police are investigating an overnight Saturday break-in on the 1100 block of West Main Street that led to a weapon charge but no firearm was used, according to Captain Kyle Booras. 39-year-old Jason J. Pegues of Ottawa was taken into custody at 8:27 Sunday morning and is being held on preliminary charges of home invasion, unlawful use of a weapon, and aggravated battery. Pegues faces a detention hearing Monday in La Salle County Circuit Court, with home invasion—a Class X felony carrying a sentence of six to 30 years without probation—as the controlling charge.
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The City of Marseilles Water Department will begin flushing fire hydrants today. Flushing will take place from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. This process will take approximately one week to complete. Please use caution when doing laundry, running hot water, or using your dishwasher during this time. You may experience low water pressure and rusty or discolored water, but these issues should clear up within one to two hours. If you have any questions, please call Brian Trainor at the Marseilles City Garage: at 815-795-4000.
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County Highway 15 (E. 22nd Road) (St. Mary’s Road), from County Highway 5 (N. 17th Road) (Richards Road) to County Highway 6 (N. 21st Road) (Grand Ridge-Mazon Blacktop), will continue to be closed in 1-mile increments for another 2 weeks, with an end date of November 8, weather permitting. Work will progress from the south to the north.
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Rockford-area leaders joined IDOT Friday morning to celebrate the new Interstate 39 and U.S. 20 interchange. This $98.8 million project, made possible by Governor JB Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, rebuilt this interchange to improve safety and increase capacity in this corridor. The project, which features two new ramps that connect both directions of I-39 to and from U.S. 20, improves safety, reduces congestion, and enhances quality of life while creating jobs and long-term economic opportunities for the region.
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Law enforcement from around the state joined family, friends, and community members in honoring fallen Illinois State Trooper, Corey Thompsen. The 28-year-old trooper was laid to rest in Champaign yesterday. Thompsen was killed in the line of duty when he was hit by a passing truck more than a week ago. More than 600 volunteers joined to line Thompsen’s funeral procession route with American flags in his honor.
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A Spring Valley man has been sentenced to 35 years in state prison after pleading guilty to three counts of possession of child pornography, with Judge Geno Caffarini presiding. 30-year-old Brandon Swiskoski received 15 years for the first count and 10 years each for the second and third counts, following his August arrest after a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which prompted involvement from the Spring Valley Police, Illinois State Police, and Illinois Attorney General’s office. In September investigators found child sex abuse material on Swiskoski’s cell phone. Previously, Swiskoski had been sentenced to six years for a similar offense in La Salle County in 2020. This recent case was prosecuted by Bureau County State’s Attorney Thomas Briddick and Assistant Illinois Attorney General Katherine Hegarty.
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A University of Illinois Police Department employee is on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate an incident last Saturday on the field following the Illini’s win against Michigan. Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said her office hasn’t received any reports from the university about any incidents. Thousands of fans celebrated the victory by running onto Zuppke Field at Memorial Stadium.
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A 27-year-old from Chicago who narrowly avoided prison for a high-speed chase in 2021 that injured an Earlville police officer, was admitted Friday in La Salle County Circuit Court to violating her probation. Jaquaya Roy entered a blind admission after pepper-spraying a woman in Indiana, a violation of her 30-month probation for aggravated fleeing and eluding, a Class 4 felony. She now faces a potential one- to three-year prison sentence, with resentencing set for Dec. 20th before Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. Roy’s legal troubles began in April 2021 when she fled a traffic stop, leading officers on a chase exceeding 100 mph through a Mendota residential area, where the speed limit is 45 mph. Prosecutors initially sought prison time, particularly since Earlville Officer Jesus Alonzo was injured during the pursuit, crashing on Route 34 near the Meriden Township building and fracturing two vertebrae; he has not returned to the force.
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42-year-old Eric A. Everspaugh of Dalzell was arrested by Peru Police Thursday afternoon on charges of battery following an incident at the intersection of Shooting Park Road and Sycamore Street.
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51-year-old Johnathan L. Keneipp of Somonauk has two charges of driving under the influence following an Ottawa Police traffic stop Saturday at Main and Fillmore Streets.
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Peru Officers responded to a report of retail theft at the Walmart Supercenter on Thursday. Following an investigation, 30-year-old Gregorio Santos-Alvoro, residing at a motel in the 1900 block of St. Vincents Avenue in LaSalle, was arrested and charged with retail theft.
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32-year-old Pedro San Miguel of Streator has a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia after Ottawa Police stopped him in the 1100 block of East Norris Drive Wednesday.
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A Morris woman has two citations of driving under the influence after Ottawa Police stopped 21-year-old Madelynn R. Bouley Saturday at Adams and Glover Streets.
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21-year-old Braden C. Hayes of Ottawa was arrested by Ottawa Police Saturday on a LaSalle County warrant for failure to appear in court on a driving under the influence charges.
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WEATHER:
Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 69. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 63. South southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
Ann Marie Day, 97, of Ottawa, passed away on October 24th, at LaSalle County Nursing Home. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 30th, from 9:00 am until 11:00 am at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will take place at 11:00 am at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Oakwood Memorial Park.
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John Lenac Jr., 70, of Grand Ridge, IL, passed away on October 24th, at home with his family by his side. A Christian Celebration of Life will be held at Heritage Christian Center on November 2nd at noon. A Luncheon will follow at the church. Visitation will be from 10-12 PM. Burial will be in St. Columba Cemetery after the luncheon.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Dwight/GSW 21, Marquette 20: At Gould Stadium, the host Crusaders (5-4) fell to the Trojans (6-3), splitting the regular-season series.
Class 1A – 13 Marquette (5-4) at No. 4 Rushville (8-1)
When: 7 p.m. on Friday.
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St. Bede 38, Ottawa 28: At St. Bede
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Girls volleyball
Serena wins AFC Tournament championship: At Ashton, the Huskers defeated Marquette 20-25, 26-24, 15-11 to capture the title match of the Ashton-Franklin Center Tournament.
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Congratulations to the 8th-grade Lady Rams basketball team from Shepard Middle School on being the Starved Rock Conference Champs!
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago Bears surrendered a Hail Mary on the final play of regulation during an 18-15 loss to the Washington Commanders. The Bears are in last place in the NFC North at 4-and-3. Chicago goes up against Arizona in Week Nine.
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A Bears defensive back is apologizing for his role in a last-second Hail Mary throw that led to a Commanders win. Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson apologized on social media after he was seen taunting the Washington fans just moments before the Commanders completed a last-second 52-yard touchdown pass as time expired. Stevenson said that there were “notes taken” and that “improvement will happen.” The Bears had a three-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
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The Chicago Bulls turned the ball over 26 times during a 114-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at United Center on Saturday. Chicago trailed by as many as 25 points during the losing effort. Zach LaVine poured in 22 points to lead the Bulls, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The 1-and-2 Bulls are at Memphis tonight.
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The Chicago Blackhawks came up short during a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday. The Hawks trailed by three in the third period before Ryan Donato and Connor Bedard each scored to bring Chicago within one, but Dallas scored an empty-netter in the final minute of regulation to seal the win. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with five points and a 2-6-and-1 record. The Blackhawks visit the Avalanche tonight.
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Chicago baseball fans are considered among the most emotional in sports. A new survey conducted by Wetten-dot-com rates supporters of the Cubs fifth when it comes to crying over their team. The White Sox fans are number eight on the list.
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COLLEGE SPORTS:
The number-nine Notre Dame Fighting Irish blew Navy out of the water during a 51-14 rout at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. The Irish raced out to a 31-7 halftime lead and never looked back. Riley Leonard passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and he added 83 yards and a score on the ground. Jeremiyah Love finished the day with 102 rushing yards and two scores. The Irish improved to 7-and-1. They host Florida State on November 9th.
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The number-24 Illinois Fighting Illini had no answer for the number-one Oregon Ducks during a 38-9 loss at Autzen Stadium this Saturday. The Illini were outscored 35-3 in the first half before Oregon coasted to victory. Luke Altmyer passed for 161 yards and two interceptions, while Ca’Lil Valentine scored the Illini’s only touchdown. Illinois dropped to 6-and-2 overall and 3-and-2 in the Big Ten. The Illini host Minnesota this Saturday.
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The Northwestern Wildcats fell apart in the third quarter of their 40-14 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Northwestern trailed by just five at halftime before getting outscored 28-0 in the third. Jake Lausch passed for just 62 yards and two interceptions in the losing effort. The Wildcats fell to 3-and-5 overall and 1-and-4 in the Big Ten. Northwestern is at Purdue this Saturday.
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In other college football action over the weekend, Northern Illinois lost to Ball State 25-23.