A reported child abduction attempt in Bureau County on Friday was determined to be unfounded, according to a Monday news release from Sheriff James Reed. Deputies responded to a complaint at 7:55 a.m. in the Hollowayville area, but after a thorough investigation—bolstered by community assistance, video evidence, and multiple interviews with the reporting party—the claim was found to be false. Reed expressed gratitude for the community’s cooperation during the investigation.
—————————————————————–
Twenty-six-year-old Jerron Fisher of Ottawa appeared in a La Salle County courtroom Friday, pleading not guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The judge ordered him to remain in the county and set his jury trial for May 12th. Fisher was tracked down in North Dakota last year and returned to La Salle County after being shot in the chest during an altercation near Doc’s Pub in downtown La Salle last July. He faces charges for allegedly shooting at 26-year-old Leeonta Patton of Oglesby. Both men remain in the La Salle County Jail, with Patton also facing charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, being an armed habitual criminal, and multiple counts of fentanyl distribution.
—————————————————————–
Joseph J. Urso, 51, of Montgomery, took a plea deal Friday, avoiding further jail time for threatening a La Salle County judge in two recorded calls. He received 30 months probation, must undergo drug testing, complete anger management, and cannot own a firearm. Having served 77 days in jail, he fulfilled a 144-day sentence with credit. Urso pleaded guilty to threatening a public official and violating an order of protection. Prosecutors say he left the judge after-hours messages on Dec. 16th, revealing case details, and also contacted the petitioner. Urso has prior domestic battery and protection order violations but has never served prison time.
—————————————————————–
A semitrailer caught fire Monday morning on northbound Interstate 55 near Channahon, around milepost 246, according to state police. The fire, reported at 10:25 a.m., was contained to the truck, and no injuries were reported, said Illinois State Police Trooper Josh Robinson. Troopers assisted the Channahon Fire Protection District at the scene, but no further details were available.
—————————————————————–
The man accused of a deadly Illinois July 4th parade shooting in 2022 is changing his plea to guilty. Robert Crimo the Third’s change of plea comes just as opening statements were set to begin yesterday. Seven people were killed and dozens were injured in the shooting. Crimo’s sentencing is set for April 23rd. He faces up to life in prison without parole.
—————————————————————–
The Illinois Tollway is warning drivers about a texting scam. Officials say the scammers will send texts to people claiming they have unpaid tolls and need to pay immediately. Officials say don’t respond or provide payment information because these are phishing text scams. In order to check if the text is legitimate, individuals should reach out to the Illinois Tollway.
—————————————————————–
A federal judge is granting the ComEd Four a new trial. Justice Manish Shah tossed out four counts against Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, lobbyist JohnHooker, and ex-City Club President Jay Doherty in the bribery trial. Judge Shah says the Supreme Court ruling last year on a key bribery statute means the jury was not instructed properly. Meanwhile, the five counts remaining are tied to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
—————————————————————–
Illinois is coming off a record-breaking fall archery season. Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary record statewide total of just over one thousand wild turkeys during the 2024-2025 fall archery turkey season. The previous record was 851 turkeys in 2015.
—————————————————————–
A proposed Illinois bill, the Homeschool Act, aims to introduce oversight for homeschooling families due to concerns over the lack of safeguards for education and child protection. Currently, Illinois has minimal homeschooling regulations—parents aren’t required to register or track progress. The bill would require families to notify school districts of their homeschooling decision and mandate that parents have a high school diploma or equivalent. Authorities could request evidence of teaching materials and student work if they suspect inadequate education.
—————————————————————–
Some Democrats are inviting federal workers who lost their jobs to attend President Trump’s speech to Congress. Many were affected by mass layoffs called for by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Congressman Brad Schneider of Illinois noted that while some Democrats will skip the speech, others aim to highlight how Musk and Trump have harmed the American people. The White House criticized Democrats for allegedly using this for political gain.
—————————————————————–
A Plainfield man was arrested Saturday night after a domestic incident and house fire, Joliet police said. Brandon White, 46, is charged with domestic battery, reckless conduct, and child endangerment. Police say he left a gathering alone, and when his family arrived home in the 5500 block of Maha Court, they found the house on fire. White allegedly returned, struck his wife—who was holding their three-year-old grandson—with his car, hit another vehicle, and fled. Emergency crews extinguished the fire, and no injuries were reported. White was later arrested during a traffic stop and taken to the Will County Jail. The fire’s cause remains under investigation.
—————————————————————–
Dominique G. Shebley, 23, of Peru, IL, was arrested at the intersection of Shooting Park Road and Pike Street for multiple offenses, including driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and failing to provide aid or information after striking an unattended vehicle. Shebley was released on a notice to appear in La Salle County Court.
—————————————————————–
Landon R. Marx, a 19-year-old male from Oglesby, IL, was arrested at the intersection of 4th Street and Cleveland Street in Peru, IL. He was charged with driving without a valid driver’s license and speeding (radar). Marx was issued a citation and released with a mandatory court appearance scheduled for March 20, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at the LaSalle County Courthouse.
—————————————————————–
Travis J. Cox, a 50-year-old male from Peru, was arrested at the intersection of 5th Street and Buffalo Street (US Route 6) in Peru. He faces charges of two counts of aggravated battery, failure to yield to a flagger in a construction zone, and filing a false police report.
—————————————————————–
WEATHER:
Tuesday
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 50. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3 am. Low around 46. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
—————————————————————–
OBITUARIES:
Sandra (Sondra) Trager, 86, of Marseilles, passed away Wednesday, February 26th, at her home, with her loving family by her side. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held TODAY, at 11:00 am, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Marseilles, and a luncheon will be held at the Marseilles Lions Club after the burial.
—————————————————————–
Betty Haage, 96, of Ottawa, passed away Thursday, February 27th, at LaSalle County Nursing Home. Visitation will be TODAY from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will be held at noon at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Oakwood Memorial Park.
—————————————————————–
Margaret “Margy” Chambliss, 91, of Ottawa, passed away on Thursday, February 27th, at her home, surrounded by family. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. TODAY at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Ottawa. Visitation will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa before the Mass. Burial will be at Oakwood Memorial Park at a later date.
—————————————————————–
LOCAL SPORTS:
The Ottawa Dolphins competed in the 2025 Northwest Junior District / District Championships from February 28 – March 2 at the Kishwaukee YMCA in Sycamore. The Dolphins finished in 4th place overall. A total of 438 swimmers from 8 teams in the Northwest District competed. The Dolphins sent 63 swimmers to the meet in individual and relay events. They had 13 swimmers swim all of their events in personal best times. They are Stella Andree, Sawyer Booras, Caden Brown, Elias Hagenbuch, Evelyn Hansen, Dane Hawkins, Declan Hawkins, Breckyn Jobst, Parker Kaminski, Kaiden Lemke, Bryce Marks, Jonathan Neu, and Shane O’Brien.
Junior District Champions – 10 events
· Elliot Citta – Girls 8 under 25 Free
· Oliver Funk – Boys 8 under 25 fly
· Jonas Hagenbuch – Boys 10 under 50 fly
· Marcos Hagenbuch – Boys 12 under 50 fly
· Olivia Hogue – Girls 8 under 50 free
· Colter O’Brien – Boys 12 under 50 breast
· Shane O’Brien – Girls 12 under 100 free, 50 fly, 200 free
· Reid Rutherford – Boys 10 under 200 free
District Champion – 1 event
· Jonathan Neu – Boys 21&under 100 fly
—————————————————————–
PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox gave up two runs in the top of the seventh during a 5-4 Spring Training loss to the A’s at Camelback Ranch. The Southsiders led by a run before Fraser Ellard surrendered both runs to get charged with the loss. Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Tauchman both homered in the losing effort. The Sox are back in action against the Brewers tomorrow.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Cubs surrendered 16 hits during a 10-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Spring Training game at Salt River Fields. Caleb Kilian was charged with the loss after giving up three runs on four hits in two-and-a-third innings. Gage Workman had two hits and an RBI. The Northsiders are 8-and-2 in exhibition play. They sent Shota Imanaga to the mound against San Diego today.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Blackhawks scored in every period during a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at United Center. The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead with a goal from Ilya Mikheyev in the first minute of the second period, and they led for the rest of the game. Alec Martinez, Ethan Del Mastro, Andreas Athanasiou, and Ryan Donato also lit the lamp in the victory. Spencer Knight had 41 saves in his Hawks debut. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with 45 points and a 19-35-and-7 record. The Blackhawks host Ottawa tomorrow.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Bulls look to get back in the win column when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at United Center tonight. The Bulls are coming off a 127-112 road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Chicago is in tenth place in the Eastern Conference at 24-and-37. Tonight’s game tips off at 7:00 PM.
—————————————————————–
The Bears are resuming economic impact and traffic studies for the potential redevelopment of Arlington Heights, as confirmed by Team President Kevin Warren in a letter to Village Manager Randy Recklaus. The team had previously paused a $5 billion redevelopment project at the former racetrack due to a tax dispute with local school districts, which was resolved in December. While the Bears are currently focused on building a $3 billion domed stadium near Soldier Field, they remain open to revisiting Arlington Park.
—————————————————————–
COLLEGE SPORTS:
The Northwestern Wildcats couldn’t complete a late comeback bid during a 73-69 loss to the UCLA Bruins at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern was down 68-54 with three minutes left in regulation before going on a 13-0 run to get with one. However, UCLA was able to pull away at the end. Ty Berry had 22 points in the losing effort, while Nick Martinelli finished with 20. The Wildcats are in 15th place in the Big Ten with a 7-and-12 conference record and a 16-and-14 mark overall. They visit number 14 Maryland on Saturday.
—————————————————————–
In college hoops action tonight, Northern Illinois hosts Bowling Green. Tomorrow, Notre Dame welcomes Stanford. Illinois is at home against number-18 Purdue on Friday.
—————————————————————–
Former Illinois basketball player Meyers Leonard is retiring from the sport. The Robinson, Illinois native announced his retirement over the weekend following ten seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Trailblazers. Leonard played for the Illini from 2010 to 2012 before being drafted 11th overall by Portland.