Construction has begun on Interstate 80 between Spring Valley and Peru, with crews working overnight from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday through Friday, to mill and resurface the stretch from exits 70 to 75, including Illinois 89 and Plank Road exit and entrance ramps. One lane will remain open in each direction during these hours, with full access restored on weekends and holidays. The $21 million project is set to be completed by fall 2025.
—————————————————————–
The Village of North Utica says Mill St from Grove St to Church St and Church St from 178 to Mill St will be closed for the rest of the week beginning this morning for the final installation of asphalt. Utica officials ask that In order to keep workers safe, please do not drive around ROAD CLOSED barricades. The goal is to reopen the road at the end of the week. Businesses on Main Street will remain open during the paving project. Utica Police say follow the parking signs on Illinois 178.
—————————————————————–
Illinois State Police Troop 2 has announced a series of targeted patrols set to take place in La Salle and Rock Island counties this November. These specialized patrols will focus on alcohol countermeasure enforcement, distracted driving, roadside safety checks, nighttime enforcement between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., and seat belt compliance. Additionally, state troopers will conduct special traffic enforcement aimed at curbing the “fatal four” offenses: impaired driving, lack of occupant restraint, speeding, and distracted driving. These efforts are funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, as part of a statewide initiative to improve roadway safety.
—————————————————————–
Former Illinois National Guard member Joseph Bierbrodt of Sheridan has pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to assaulting police and entering restricted areas during the January 6 Capitol attack. Initially charged with eight federal crimes, Bierbrodt reached a plea deal before trial, with sentencing set for February. The FBI identified him and his brother, who faces similar charges, using surveillance footage and a past news clip. Prosecutors say Bierbrodt clashed with officers and was pepper-sprayed before leaving the Capitol with his brother. Bierbrodt retired from the National Guard in 2018.
—————————————————————–
An Ottawa man initially facing serious charges was released from La Salle County Jail on Monday after prosecutors significantly downgraded the allegations against him. 39-year-old Jason J. Pegues was arrested Sunday on a preliminary charge of home invasion. However, after reviewing the case, the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office chose instead to charge Pegues with two counts of criminal trespass to a residence—a Class 4 felony punishable by one to three years in prison. Court records indicate Pegues allegedly pursued a resident into the resident’s home in the 1100 block of West Main Street after an argument outside, classifying the entry as unauthorized rather than forced. Additionally, Pegues was accused of striking the resident with nunchucks, resulting in a downgraded charge of misdemeanor battery. Pegues appeared in court Monday, where he was granted a public defender and scheduled for a Nov. 7 hearing.
—————————————————————–
Owens-Illinois has officially notified the state of its plan to close its Streator plant, impacting 152 employees. The layoffs are set to begin December 21, following the plant’s anticipated closure date of November 18, according to the notice filed with the state. In an email to employees, a member of the management team explained the company’s decision, saying, “We have made the difficult decision to restructure the Americas North business, impacting multiple departments outside the plants. These decisions were not made lightly, and we will provide transition support to our impacted team members.” Owens-Illinois previously laid off approximately 160 workers at the Streator plant just two years ago.
—————————————————————–
An overheated fan ignited a fire early Monday morning, severely damaging a Streator residence on North Wasson Street. Firefighters responded just after midnight to find heavy smoke and flames pouring from the second story of the two-story wood-frame house. Upon entering, firefighters encountered significant hoarding conditions, complicating efforts to contain the blaze. They successfully rescued two pet rabbits from the home. One resident was taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, while a firefighter sustained a minor injury during the response. The American Red Cross is currently assisting the displaced residents. The house suffered extensive fire, smoke, and water damage in the affected room.
—————————————————————–
Illinois will use funds from the state’s opioid settlement and recreational marijuana sales to fund behavioral health services. The Illinois Department of Human services said yesterday millions of dollars will be allocated for drug treatment and other community services. Since legalizing adult use recreational marijuana in 2020, the state has said 25-percent of the sales tax revenue would go toward mental health and addiction services. Additionally, Illinois is in line to receive more than 770-million dollars over the next 15 years as part of a national opioid settlement.
—————————————————————-
The corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan at the Dirksen Federal building in downtown Chicago. The jury heard wiretapped recordings last week between Madigan and his co-defendant, longtime ally Michael McClain. They both face racketeering charges and have pleaded not guilty and deny any wrongdoing. The trial is expected to last until at least mid-December.
—————————————————————–
38-year-old Joel Carpenter of Sheridan was in LaSalle County Court Friday and sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to violating the state’s sex offender registration act. Carpenter has been listed on the sex offender registry since 2007, stemming from a criminal sexual abuse conviction in DuPage County.
—————————————————————–
29-year-old Hector A. Parra Rodriguez of LaSalle was stopped by Peru Police Friday during the Noon hour at the intersection of May Road and Illinois 251. He was cited for operating a vehicle with a suspended license and suspended registration.
—————————————————————–
Mendota Police Department was dispatched late Sunday morning to 809 Indiana Ave for a disturbance where a subject was stabbed with a knife. The person responsible for the stabbing was taken into custody and an investigation into the incident was started. The victim, so far, has not been cooperative in signing charges against the suspect and the suspect has since been released as a result of this. The victim was evaluated at a local hospital and was released. This case is still under investigation and will be sent to the LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.
—————————————————————–
Jadon D. Langston, 47, of Peru, was stopped Sunday afternoon by Peru Police near 38th Street and Venture Drive. The 47-year-old Langston was charged with driving on a suspended license. A passenger, 48-year-old Dyan M. Langston of Peru, was charged with violating pretrial release conditions.
—————————————————————–
Peru Police stopped 42-year-old Christopher G. Morales of LaSalle at the intersection of Shooting Park Road and Prospect Avenue late Sunday afternoon. He was charged with driving on a suspended license and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration.
—————————————————————–
Luke Tomsha, founder and director of The Perfectly Flawed Foundation, will present “How to Respond to an Overdose and Understanding Drug Supply Trends” on Friday, November 1st, from 12-1 PM in the Dr. Weeg Cultural Centre (CTC-129). This free, public presentation, part of Illinois Valley Community College’s Student Wellness Week, will cover responding to opiate overdoses, handling stimulant and THC-related issues, current drug trends, including pressed pills and fentanyl risks, drug checking services, substance combination risks, Good Samaritan laws, regional harm reduction resources, and advocacy options. For more information please see this news story at 1430 WCMY dot com. The event is viewable on Zoom; preregister at https://buff.ly/4fgmFlU. For details, contact Crystal Credi at crystal_credi@ivcc.edu or Luke Tomsha at luke@perfectlyflawed.org.
—————————————————————–
WEATHER:
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 83. Breezy, with a south-southwest wind of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Breezy, with a south wind of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
—————————————————————–
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.
—————————————————————–
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.
—————————————————————–
Pearl Eiben Burns, 98, of Marseilles, passed away Friday, October 25th, at LaSalle County Nursing Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 2nd, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday at Seals-Campbell Funeral Home. Burial will be at Riverview Cemetery in Marseilles.
—————————————————————–
LOCAL SPORTS:
Girls volleyball
Marquette Lady Cru takes on Chicago Military Eagles at 6 pm – tonight
Ottawa Lady Pirates versus Pontiac Indians at 7 pm – tonight
—————————————————————–
Sandwich 2, Mendota 0: At the Class 2A Coal City Regional, the No. 8-seeded Indians advanced with a 25-21, 25-21 triumph over the No. 11-seeded Trojans.
—————————————————————–
Parkview Christian 2, Earlville 0: The Falcons get a win over Earlville in Monday’s quarterfinal match of the Class 1A Serena Regional. The Falcons, who improved to 13-14, advance to play top-seeded Newark at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Red Raiders finish the season at 12-20.
—————————————————————–
PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago Bulls overcame a 20-point deficit during their 126-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. The Bulls outscored Memphis by ten in the final quarter and got a stop on the final possession of the game when Desmond Bane missed a game-tying three right before the buzzer. Zach LaVine poured in 30 points during the victory, while Nikola Vucevic finished with 22. The Bulls improved to 2-and-2. They host the Magic tomorrow night.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Blackhawks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Philipp Kurashev, Lukas Reichel, and Ryan Donato all scored in the first period to give Chicago a one-goal lead. Donato and Ilya Mikheyev both added empty-netters in the final minute of the game to seal the win. The Hawks are in last place in the Central Division with seven points and a 3-6-and-1 record. Chicago is in San Jose on Thursday.
—————————————————————–
Tyrique Stevenson is owning up to his major mistake. The Bears cornerback told reporters yesterday that he apologized to his teammates for his antics while trying to defend a Hail Mary during Chicago’s loss to Washington on Sunday. Stevenson was taunting fans during the final play of Sunday’s game, and he ended up tipping the game-winning pass right to Commanders receiver Noah Brown. Stevenson said that he let the moment get too big and he won’t make the same mistake again. Head coach Matt Eberflus later added that the Bears staff is still considering internal disciplinary measures against Stevenson. The Bears go up against the Cardinals this Sunday.
—————————————————————–
The White Sox are expected to name their new manager in the coming days. General Manager Chris Getz and his staff have been interviewing since the end of the team’s horrific 41-and-121 season. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that there are at least eleven candidates in the running to become the skipper of the Southsiders. The names include Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore, former Angels manager Phil Nevin, and former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker