A water main project is closing the intersection of East Joliet and Post Streets on Thursday morning at 7:00. Traffic in that intersection will resume by 7:00 Friday morning.
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Authorities are searching for a man who went missing in Lee County, Illinois. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says Michael Widolff has been missing since Monday from West Brooklyn, Illinois. The 64-year-old was last seen at his home in the rural town. Widolff is five-foot-nine and weighs around 160 pounds. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
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Closing arguments are expected to begin today in the perjury trial of the longtime Chief of Staff of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Timothy Mapes is charged with lying to a grand jury in the federal probe that led to Madigan’s indictment last year in a racketeering case. Mapes served as Madigan’s chief of staff from 1991 until June 2018, when he was ousted following allegations of harassment. His lawyers rested their case yesterday after calling four witnesses. Mapes decided to waive his right to testify in his defense.
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LaSalle County Deputies arrested 21-year-old Bryant Lopez of Streator late Monday night at West Main and Clay Streets in Ottawa on charges of operating an uninsured motor vehicle and driving while his license was suspended. He was released with a notice to appear.
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23-year-old Katie Thompson of Streator was cited by LaSalle County Deputies for speeding 78 miles an hour in a 55 miles an hour zone near Illinois 18 and East 6th Road in Hope Township late Monday afternoon.
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An 18-year-old Cornell man was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to wear a seatbelt Tuesday afternoon. Blayton Ruberstell was stopped by LaSalle County Deputies at Illinois 23 and 4th Street in Streator.
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32-year-old Ryan Saylers of Streator was stopped by LaSalle County Deputies Tuesday afternoon at Main and Otter Creek Streets in Streator and cited for failure to wear a seatbelt.
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A traffic stop Tuesday in downtown Ottawa at Columbus and Main Streets resulted in 36-year-old Brittany Turczyn of Tonica being cited for unlawful use of an electronic communication device.
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A 46-year-old Joliet man was charged with failure to wear a seatbelt on Tuesday afternoon. Shawn Medlin was stopped by LaSalle County Sheriff’s Deputies at Columbus Street and Norris Drive in Ottawa.
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A 40-year-old homeless Ottawa man faces charges of violating an order of protection as well as an additional order of protection. Roque Romero was arrested by Ottawa Police in the 700 block of Columbus Street on Tuesday.
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42-year-old Lisa Phillips of Streator was stopped by Ottawa Police at LaSalle Street and Lincoln Place on Tuesday and cited for driving while license was suspended, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration.
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An Ottawa woman was charged by Ottawa Police Tuesday with driving while her license was revoked. 35-year-old Tina Spoonmore was stopped at Columbus and Madison Streets.
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WEATHER:
Today – Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 116. West southwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight – Partly cloudy, with a low around 78. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
*Excessive Heat Warning, Dangerous hot and humid conditions with afternoon heat index values of 110 to 115 expected, with locally higher values possible. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young
Children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles
under any circumstances.
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OBITS:
Joyce Annette Riskedal, age 54, of Leland passed away on August 18th. A Visitation will take place from 2:00 – 8:00 PM today at Bethany Lutheran Church located in Leland. The funeral service is to take place at 9:00 AM tomorrow, also at Bethany Lutheran Church. Burial will be at Little Indian Creek Cemetery in Leland.
Dennis P. Pellegrine, 72 of Streator passed away Saturday evening August 12, at Arcadia Care, Streator. Following cremation, a visitation will be held This Sunday from 1 – 2 PM at the Winterrowd Funeral Home. Services will follow at 2 PM at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery at a later date with military honors conducted by members of the Streator American Legion and VFW.
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SPORTS:
Girls volleyball
Ottawa def. Dunlap 26-24, 25-23: At Dunlap, the Pirates (1-0) claimed their season opener with a thrilling two-set road victory in conference action.
Streator def. Dwight 25-19, 25-14: At Pops Dale Gymnasium, the Bulldogs (2-0) scored another nonconference road victory against a Tri-County Conference team.
Leland def. Midland 25-10, 16-25, 25-22: At rural Varna, the visiting Panthers triumphed in a three-set, nonconference thriller.
Lexington def. Marquette 19-25, 25-13, 25-16: At Lexington, the visiting Crusaders (0-1) lost their season opener to the Minutemen in three sets.
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Boys soccer
Rock Island 6, Streator 1: At Rock Island on Monday, the Bulldogs (0-1) fell in their season opener.
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>>White Sox Fall To Mariners
(Chicago, IL) — The White Sox went one-for-eight with runners in scoring position during a 6-3 loss to the Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Southsiders out-hit the Mariners 10-9, but they left nine men on base in the losing effort. Andrew Benintendi hit his third home run of the season, and Mike Clevinger was charged with his sixth loss after allowing four runs on six hits in five innings. The Sox are in fourth place in the AL Central at 49-and-77. Michael Kopech starts for Chicago against Seattle today.
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>>White Sox Fire Ken Williams, Rick Hahn
(Chicago, IL) — The White Sox are cleaning house after a disappointing 2023 campaign. The team fired vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn on Tuesday. Hahn oversaw a lengthy rebuild that led to playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021, but Chicago missed the playoffs in 2022 with an 81-and-81 record, and they have a 49-and-77 mark so far this season. Williams had been with the team since 1992 and built the 2005 World Series team. The team says that they want to have a “single decision-maker” selected to build the roster by the end of the regular season.
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>>Cubs Lose To Tigers
(Detroit, MI) — The Cubs allowed four runs in the bottom of the fourth during an 8-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Cubs had a one-run lead heading into the frame after scoring four runs of their own in the previous half-inning, but Drew Smyly got knocked around the park and didn’t make it through the fourth. Smyly was charged with his ninth loss. Dansby Swanson and Jeimer Candelario both went deep in the losing effort. The Cubs are three-and-a-half games behind the Brewers for first place in the NL Central at 65-and-60. Jameson Taillon starts for Chicago against Detroit today.
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>>Rookie OT Wright Leaves Practice With Injury
(Lake Forest, IL) — The Bears offensive line has lost another starter to injury. First-round right tackle Darnell Wright left yesterday’s practice early with an injury. Head coach Matt Eberflus did not update reporters on Wright’s status after practice. The rookie is the second starting offensive lineman to suffer an injury over the past week after guard Teven Jenkins suffered a leg injury. The Bears host the Bills to wrap up the preseason on Saturday.