Early voting is underway for the April 1 consolidated election, with key local races and ballot questions in La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam counties. La Salle County voters can cast early ballots at the Etna Road complex in Ottawa during business hours and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Vote-by-mail applications are available from your county clerk. Races include the mayor, village president, city council, school boards, township offices, and library, fire, and park districts. Oglesby voters will decide on adopting a managerial form of government, and Waltham School District residents will vote on a $9 million bond for new classrooms.
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Students will be back at school today after a natural gas leak led to an early dismissal at Pontiac Township High School. Officials say a gas line was hit yesterday during construction on school grounds, impacting the nearby PTHS Natatorium and the Pontiac Recreational Center. The gas line doesn’t service the school building, but emergency personnel responded to the scene to measure air levels in the high school. Students and staff were sent home early as a precaution.
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Streator Police reported two major accidents yesterday. The first happened at 400 N. Park St., where a delivery van struck a subcompact car, causing heavy damage to the car’s passenger side; thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but both vehicles were towed. Later, at 3:39 p.m. on East Hickory St., an ATV driver lost control while riding on two wheels and crashed into a parked car. The helmeted rider briefly lost consciousness but fled before police arrived. He later sought treatment at a local hospital for a fractured pelvis, admitted to driving the ATV, and was cited for multiple violations, including reckless driving and fleeing the scene. Authorities remind the public that ATVs are illegal on city streets and will be impounded if found in operation.
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The Ottawa City council Tuesday night approved a measure to put the fire department’s nearly 30-year-old ladder truck up for sale. The agreement is with an Alabama-based company that sells used fire trucks. The Ottawa Fire Department purchased a new tower ladder truck in 2023 with a cost of 1-point-5 million dollars. Ottawa Mayor Robb Hasty will join the conversation on WCMY after 9:00 this morning.
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The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a resurgence of jury duty scams in the area. Commander Jason Langston emphasized that the sheriff’s office will never call to demand money or payment for missing jury duty. “With an increase in jury trials, these scams are popping up again,” Langston said. “We want to remind everyone that we will never contact you asking for a bond or any form of payment related to a missed jury duty date.”
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The Oglesby City Council is close to finalizing an agreement with Knobelsdorff Enterprises, Inc. (KEI) to bring 100 new jobs to the city, but council members added a key requirement: the jobs must be located within Oglesby. On Monday, the council voted unanimously to include language in the redevelopment agreement ensuring that KEI’s commitment to create 20 jobs per year over five years, starting in 2026, will apply specifically to positions based within the city’s corporate limits. Commissioner Austin Cullinan emphasized the importance of keeping the jobs local and not off-site.
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Waltham Elementary in Utica will host a community open house on Thursday, March 27th, offering a school tour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a presentation at 6:15 p.m. to inform residents about the need for a potential building addition. According to a Tuesday news release, this is the final open house before the April election. In December 2023, the Waltham Elementary School District 185 Board approved a resolution seeking $9.96 million to fund the addition, aimed at relieving space constraints at the school.
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Construction begins next Monday on the I-74 bridges over the Spoon River in Knox County. The project will remove and replace the eastbound span, with two-way traffic using the westbound bridge utilizing crossovers. Work is expected to be completed in December. Drivers can expect delays.
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The Illinois State Police (ISP) remains committed to fighting human trafficking. ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly and key stakeholders will testify before the Senate Criminal Law Committee in support of Senate Bill 2323, which calls for a statewide, victim-centered, trauma-informed strategy and standardized training for law enforcement. In 2024, ISP’s Trafficking Enforcement Bureau conducted seven operations, resulting in 31 arrests and 90 criminal charges.
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Community college enrollment in Illinois is growing at a record pace. Governor Pritzker announced that 2025 Spring enrollment at Illinois Community Colleges increased by nearly nine percent as compared to last spring. That jump is the largest Spring-to-Spring enrollment increase since the Illinois Community College Board began collecting systemwide enrollment in the late 90s. It is also the third straight year of Spring enrollment increases.
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Illinois lawmakers are considering a plan that would create a task force on ADA requirements for prisons in the state. The task force would study a number of inmates in correctional facilities who have sight, hearing, and mobility issues and create the best accommodations for them. They would submit recommendations for changes to Illinois prisons by July 1st, 2026. The bill was approved by the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee and now moves to the House floor for further consideration.
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is urging basketball fans to use caution when betting on March Madness. Raoul encourages fans who may be filling out Brackets to be aware of the risks of unlicensed operators. Certain sports betting apps and websites are allowed to operate within the state of Illinois, but operators must be licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board and in compliance with state regulations. The state Gaming Board is cracking down on unlicensed betting operators.
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The National Transportation Safety Board is releasing its preliminary report on the near-collision at Midway Airport last month. Officials say the incident happened on February 25th while the Southwest Airlines Flight from Omaha, Nebraska was attempting to land. A video posted to social media showed the Southwest jet close to touching down before pulling up as the smaller jet taxis across its path. The NTSB report says private jet pilots got confused by taxi directions they were given from ground control, and the sun made it difficult to see runway markings. The pilots also claimed the runway was a similar width to taxiways and that they didn’t recognize it as a runway.
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Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger says “bring it” to a legal battle with President Trump over his role on the House January 6th committee. Trump has targeted members of the committee that investigated the 2021 Capitol riots and claimed to nullify former President Biden’s preemptive pardons for them. Speaking on CNN, the Illinois Democrat defended the panel’s work, saying “There is one person that’s obsessed about the 6th because he still has been basically deemed guilty in the court of public opinion.” He said he’s not worried about Trump’s December 2024 threats to imprison members of the committee.
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Brad Paisley is coming to the Illinois State Fair this summer. The country superstar will perform at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand on Wednesday, August 14th. Paisley has earned three Grammys, two American Music Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 14 Country Music Association Awards. The 2025 Illinois State Fair is being held August 7th through the 17th in Springfield.
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A new study shows that tighter truck pollution restrictions will help save the lives of 500 people a year in the Chicago region by 2050. The report from Northwestern University also discovered that 600 new childhood asthma cases would be prevented annually. The rule requires the makers of medium and heavy-duty trucks to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles sold to 40 percent to 75 percent in 2035.
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Adrian M. Brown, 31, of Peru, IL, was arrested during a traffic stop at the I-80/Plank Road intersection (MM 73.5) in Peru. Brown was charged with driving on a suspended/revoked license, operating a vehicle with suspended registration, and displaying an expired registration sticker.
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A traffic crash occurred at the intersection of 38th St. and Venture Dr. in Peru, IL. Anthony L. Rhodes, a 55-year-old male from Ladd, IL, was arrested at the scene. He was charged with driving with a suspended/revoked driver’s license and failure to reduce speed, leading to the accident.
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Jesus Caixba Mazaba, a 21-year-old male from LaSalle, IL, was arrested at the intersection of US Rt 6 and Meridian Rd, near Dalzell Blacktop in Peru, IL. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license, driving an uninsured vehicle, and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration.
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Cody J. Crouch, a 20-year-old male from 2103 Crosat St., LaSalle, IL, was arrested at Lot 15 of Kenmar Trailer Court, 2836 4th St., Peru, IL, near the I-80/Plank Rd intersection. He was charged with domestic battery.
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WEATHER:
Today
A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11 am and 4 pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4 pm. High near 64. Breezy, with a south wind of 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 3 am. Some thunder is also possible. Patchy blowing snow after 1 am. Low around 31. Windy, with a southwest wind of 15 to 20 mph becoming north-northwest 25 to 30 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible.
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OBITUARIES:
Joan Elaine (Mennie) Harvey, 92, of Ottawa, passed away on March 12th, at Pleasant View, surrounded by her family. A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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Vince Bernardini, Jr., 75, of Ottawa, passed away on Friday, March 7th, at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center. A Memorial Service will be held at noon on Thursday, March 20th, at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be private at Ottawa Avenue Cemetery in Ottawa.
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Robert “Bob” Gibson, 86, of Seneca, passed away Wednesday, March 12th, at Morris Hospital. The family will receive friends at Osborne-Nelson Funeral Home on Thursday, March 20th, from 2 p.m. until the time of the funeral services at 4 p.m. Cremation rights have been entrusted to Ottawa Funeral Home.
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Joretta Emily Ewald, 89, of Ann Arbor, MI, formerly of Ottawa and Naperville, passed away Friday evening on March 14th, at Birchwood Gardens in Ann Arbor. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 22nd, at the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum in Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. in the mausoleum. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa, an interment will follow.
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Betty A. Pakenham, 97, of Earlville, passed away Monday, March 17th, at The Pavilion of Ottawa. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 24th, at St. Theresa Catholic Church: 221 W. Union St. in Earlville, with an 11:00 a.m. funeral mass following the visitation at the church, burial will follow at St. Theresa Catholic Cemetery in Earlville.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
BASEBALL:
Ottawa 9, Metamora 8: At Metamora
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SOFTBALL:
Marquette 13, Kewanee 5: At Kewanee
Seneca 7, Normal U-High 1: At Seneca
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Girls soccer
Reed-Custer 4, Ottawa 1: At Braidwood
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox return to action with a Spring Training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix this afternoon. The Southsiders are 8-and-15 in exhibition play. They send Shane Smith to the mound for today’s contest, which begins at 3:10 PM.
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The Chicago Cubs gave up four unanswered runs during a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the regular season opener in Japan yesterday. The Northsiders got on the board first with an RBI double from Miguel Amaya. However, Jon Berti made a throwing error that allowed the eventual game-winning run to score in the top of the fifth. Shota Imanaga tossed four hitless innings before Ben Brown was brought in from the bullpen and charged with the loss. Justin Steele is on the mound for the Cubs against the Dodgers this morning.
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The Chicago Blackhawks surrendered four goals in the second period of a 6-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at United Center. Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi scored in the first period to give Chicago an early 2-0 lead, but Seattle scored six unanswered goals to end the game. The Hawks are in last place in the Central Division with 49 points. They host the Kings tomorrow night.
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The Chicago Bulls look to get on a winning streak when they visit the Phoenix Suns at PHX Arena tonight. The Bulls are coming off a 111-97 road win over the Jazz on Monday. Chicago is in ninth place in the Eastern Conference at 29-and-39. Tonight’s game tips off at 9:00 PM.
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The Chicago Bears are bringing back their novelty player. The team re-signed offensive lineman Doug Kramer to a contract for the 2025 season yesterday. Kramer was used as an extra blocker in running downs and was nicknamed “Mini-Fridge” after lining up as a fullback similar to Bears legend William “the Refrigerator” Perry.
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COLLEGIATE SPORTS:
SOFTBALL
IVCC 6-5, Highland 1-4: in Oglesby.
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BASEBALL
IVCC 4-4, Oakton 2-1: in Schaumburg.
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In the NIT bracket today, Loyola takes on San Jose State, while Bradley goes up against North Alabama.