The City of Ottawa Public Works Department is hiring junior laborers for summer employment to help maintain parks and public spaces—an excellent opportunity to work outdoors and support a cleaner, more beautiful Ottawa. Applicants must be at least 17 and possess a valid government-issued photo ID and Social Security card. Positions are limited to 29 workdays, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Applications are due by April 18th and are available at City Hall (301 W Madison St., Ottawa, IL) or online at www.cityofottawa.org. For more details, contact the Human Resources Office or visit our website.
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The Streator Education Association and the school district’s negotiating team will meet this morning in a last effort to avoid a Friday strike. The union, representing elementary teachers and support staff who’ve been working nearly 300 days without a contract, says it will attend in good faith to keep the school year uninterrupted. Key issues still unresolved include teacher salaries and full-time status with insurance for support staff. School Board President Angela Risley says the board will continue balancing good-faith negotiations with student needs, adding that the board respects all staff and their right to strike.
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Starved Rock Wood Products, a cabinetry, railings, stairs, and custom interiors manufacturer based in Mendota will close its doors on June 8th, leading to the loss of over 77 jobs. The company, founded in 1994, has informed both its employees and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity about the impending closure.
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A new name for the Ottawa Catholic Parish is coming soon, and parishioners have until Tuesday to submit the name of a saint for consideration. Three names will be chosen and sent to the Bishop, who will make the final decision. While the names of St. Columba, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Patrick’s will remain unchanged, the new parish name will serve as a unifying identity to guide the community moving forward, according to the Ottawa Catholic Community Facebook page.
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Jonathon Gounaris, a 32-year-old man from rural Dixon, remains in custody following a June incident during which he allegedly attempted to murder three police officers. Charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery, and two counts of possession of a firearm without a valid firearm owner’s identification card, Gounaris is accused of having engaged in a standoff with law enforcement on June 12 in the Lost Lake subdivision. Despite his defense team’s extensive arguments for his release, he has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently held at the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health is launching a new measles simulator dashboard. The new data dashboard is designed to help school officials and members of the public assess the potential severity of any outbreaks of measles, should one occur in Illinois. Currently, there are no reported cases of measles in Illinois. However, state health officials are closely monitoring an outbreak in Texas and New Mexico that has resulted in more than 530 confirmed cases, including three deaths.
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The Trump administration is revoking the visas of international college students across Illinois. Reports say groups of international students at the University of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Illinois, University of Illinois Chicago, and Southern Illinois University have had their visas terminated. Similar terminations have been reported at universities across the country. The Trump administration has targeted students who had been involved with pro-Palestinian protests.
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An ex-red light camera executive is expected to take the witness stand in the bribery trial of State Senator Emil Jones the Third. Omar Maani is a co-founder of SafeSpeed LLC. He is expected to testify about secret recordings he made where he allegedly talked about paying Senator Jones five thousand dollars for his help on red-light camera legislation. The defendant is charged with bribery, use of an interstate facility to solicit bribery, and lying to federal agents. Opening statements of the trial will start today, with Maani as the first witness on the stand.
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The Illinois Supreme Court is rejecting a challenge by state Republicans over Illinois’ legislative map. House GOP members filed a lawsuit in January asking the state’s high court to declare the Democratic mapping effort an unconstitutional political gerrymandering. The suit claimed the boundaries were drawn to give Democrats supermajorities in the state House and Senate. The Supreme Court ruled that the GOP waited to long to contest the 2021 redrawing of legislative districts.
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A new report by the Anti-Defamation League shows hate crimes are on the rise in Illinois. The report tracked hate incidents aimed at immigrant, Black, Jewish, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities in the state between 2020 and 2024. The number of hate crimes in Illinois jumped from 98 in 2021 to 347 in 2023. The majority of reported incidents were based on race or ethnicity.
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WEATHER:
Thursday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 10 am. Patchy fog before 10 am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 57. East-northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 36. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
Anthony “Tony” J. Hinterlong, known by many as “Hollywood,” passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, April 1st, in the presence of his loving family and friends. A private family ceremony with Military Honors will be held at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home is assisting the family.
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Timothy “Tim” Helffrich, 58, of Ottawa, passed away Friday, April 4th, at his home. A visitation will be held on TODAY, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will follow at 6:00 pm.
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Sandra Ellen (Funk) Swanson, 79, of Ottawa, passed away on Monday, April 7th, at her home surrounded by her family. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 12th, at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa. Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, at the funeral home.
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Annette Cokley born January 15th, 1944, passed away peacefully on March 30th. A private service will be held in her honor. Ottawa Funeral Home is handling the arrangements for the family.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Softball
Somonauk/Leland 30, Mendota 29: At Somonauk, the fifth-highest-scoring game in Illinois history.
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Baseball
Minooka 9, Ottawa 6: At King Field
Streator 13, Reed-Custer 1: At Braidwood
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Girls soccer
Streator 5, IVC 0: At Chillicothe
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Girls track and field
Pontiac 114.5, Streator 43.5, Putnam Co. 11: At Pontiac, the Bulldogs finished in the middle of the triangular pack.
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox continued their nightmarish start to the season with a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. The Southsiders left 11 men on base and went three-for-12 with runners in scoring position during the losing effort. Sean Burke was charged with the loss after surrendering three runs on three hits and four walks in three innings. The 2-and-9 Sox send Jonathan Cannon to the mound against Cleveland this afternoon.
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The Chicago Cubs surrendered four runs in the top of the fifth during a 6-2 loss to the Texas Rangers at Wrigley Field. Seiya Suzuki had two hits and an RBI in the losing effort, while Shota Imanaga was charged with his first loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings. The Cubs fell to 9-and-6. They visit the Dodgers tomorrow night. In other club news, the Northsiders placed starting pitcher Justin Steele on the 15-day injured list yesterday.
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The Cubs will be without one of their best-starting pitchers. Justin Steele has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with elbow tendinitis. The lefthander was sidelined last September for more than two weeks with the same issue. There is no word on who will replace Steele in the starting rotation. Meanwhile, the team recalled reliever Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa.
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The Chicago Blackhawks look to get back in the win column when they visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden tonight. The Hawks are coming off a 5-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road on Tuesday. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with 54 points. Tonight’s game starts at 6:00 PM.
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The Bulls earned a big win over the Heat. The team took down Miami 119-111 from Chicago to maintain the ninth seed in the East. Josh Giddey tallied a triple-double on 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Bulls trail the Hawks by half-a-game for eighth with a 37-and-43 record. Chicago hosts Washington tomorrow night.
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COLLEGE SPORTS:
Softball: Black Hawk College @ Illinois Valley Community College, conference doubleheader in Oglesby.
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Men’s Tennis: IVCC 9, Waubonsee 0: The Eagles secured a victory at the Vaughn Center in Aurora.
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Chicago State is introducing its first head football coach in school history. Bobby Rome the Second has been hired as part of the university’s efforts to bring NCAA Division One Football to Chicago. He most recently coached at Florida Memorial University. Rome was also nominated for HBCU Coach of the Year in 2024.