The City Council of La Salle voted 5- 4 in favor of acquiring 45 acres across from 3020 East 8th Road in Utica. A super majority is required for the bid to pass. The City will therefore leave the bidding at auction on December 12th, to private investors.
Back In 2005, the real estate was earmarked to be developed into Frontier Lodge Waterpark similar to Grand Bear Lodge in Utica. Due to various delays, by 2008, with the fall of the housing market, all plans were scuttled.
The land is currently owned by Wintrust Bank. La Salle mayor Jeff Grove wanted to make a bid but 4 alderman last night squashed that hope.
Mayor Grove said the city is at the mercy of whoever buys the land. The new owner may not develop it immediately but just sit on it.
The City hopes the new owner has unique and creative ideas for the land. One thought was that it could be a whisky distillery and visitors center. Whatever comes of the 45 acres, whether it becomes a large alcohol-themed destination or parceled out in individual units creating a shopping court of mini-marts and a couple of gas stations, the mayor promised whoever buys the land will have the full marketing cooperation of the City of LaSalle to promote it.
The mayor stressed their goal has always been to alleviate taxes on residents of La Salle and the volume of business done by truckers and passers-through on I80 is a huge tax generator for the city.
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District 3 Bridge Maintenance Engineer Louis Calderon says IDOT is trying to address immediate needs to shore up the Old Red Covered bridge in Bureau County that was struck by a semi back on November 16th. The damage done was mostly to the roof of the bridge but that of course, also means structural damage has taken place. The bridge itself will remain closed until further notice.
Calderon says they understand the importance of the bridge to the community. When full reconstruction happens, every effort will be made to preserve as much of the historic nature as possible with current resources. Repair work will be coordinated with the Illinois Historical Society.
Repairs are extensive so no date has yet been set for permanent repairs.
Likely the long-term repair work will begin in 2024.
Built of mostly oak in 1863, the bridge is inspected by IDOT every two years and was last fully rehabilitated in 1973. The bridge is one and a half miles north of Princeton on Route 26.
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The City of Streator will hold a special city council meeting tomorrow night at 6:00 pm at City Hall, 204 S Bloomington.
Among other items on the docket is a resolution authorizing participation in the mutual aid box alarm system. It’s also known by the acronym MABAS.
Mabas offers a statewide mutual aid response for all first responders, fire and EMS. The Office of the State Fire Marshall and the Illinois Department of Public Health share in the effort. The system would add Streator to a statewide response plan when the Governor declares an emergency or a disaster.
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WEATHER:
Tuesday
Increasing clouds, with a high near 25. Westnorthwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
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Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
Donald Winslow, 90, of Ottawa, passed away Sunday, November 26th, at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Visitation will be on Wednesday, the 29th, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. Visitation will also be from 11:00 am until noon on Thursday, the 30th at the funeral home. A funeral ceremony will follow at noon at the funeral home. Burial with military honors will be at 2:00 pm in the Sheffield Cemetery in Sheffield, IL.
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Kenneth Duane Lane, 75, of Lake Placid, FL, formerly of Marseilles, IL, passed away on Wednesday, November 22nd at AdventHealth in Orlando, FL. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 3rd at Seals-Campbell Funeral Home. Funeral services will follow at 3 p.m. at the funeral home. Military honors will be accorded at the funeral home by the Ottawa American Legion honor squad.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Girls basketball
Serena 46, Ottawa 43: At Serena, the Huskers improved to 6-0 on the season with the three-point win over the visiting Pirates (3-2).
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Herscher 23, Streator 19: At Herscher, the Bulldogs fell just short in the Illinois Central Eight Conference loss to the Tigers.
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Seneca 49, Henry-Senachwine 34: At Henry, the Fighting Irish picked up the Tri-County Conference win over the Mallards.
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Morris 34, Newark 24: At Newark, Tess Carlson led the Norsemen (3-2) with eight points in the home loss.
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Marquette Academy freshman Kaitlyn Davis scored the final seven points in the Crusaders 60-55 Tri-County Conference victory over St. Bede Academy at Bader Gymnasium on Monday night.
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Princeton scored the first 15 points of the game, including three straight layups, to race off to a 60-34 win in nonconference play over visiting Sandwich.
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Boys basketball
Plano 51, Newark 22: At Plano, the Norsemen shot just 22% from the field in the loss to the Reapers.
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Boys bowling
Mendota 3,231, Streator 2,630: At Mendota, the Bulldogs were defeated by the Trojans.
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PRO & COLLEGE SPORTS:
>>Bears Rally Past Vikings On Monday Night Football
(Minneapolis, MN) — Justin Fields marched his team down the field in the final minutes of the Bears’ 12-10 win over the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Minnesota. The Vikings took a 10-9 lead with under six minutes left in regulation when Josh Dobbs hit TJ Hockenson for a go-ahead score, and Fields lost a fumble on Chicago’s next drive. However, the Bears forced a three-and-out to get one more possession. Fields led Chicago to the 13-yard line, and Cairo Santos hit a 30-yard game-winning field goal with ten seconds left in regulation. Fields passed for 217 yards in the victory, while DJ Moore caught 11 passes for 114 yards, with his last catch setting up the game-winner. Chicago remains in last place in the NFC North at 4-and-8. Chicago has a bye in Week 13.
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>>Bulls Visit Celtics
(Boston, MA) — The Bulls wrap up the Group Stage of the NBA In-Season Tournament when they visit the Boston Celtics at TD Garden tonight. Chicago is on a four-game losing streak after falling to Brooklyn 118-109 on Sunday. The Bulls are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference at 5-and-13. Tonight’s game tips off at 6:30 PM.
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>>Blackhawks Host Kraken
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks end a three-game homestand with a game against the Seattle Kraken at United Center tonight. The Blackhawks just lost to the Blues 4-2 on Sunday. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with 12 points and a 6-13-and-0 record. Tonight’s contest gets underway at 7:30 PM.
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>>Northwestern Crushes Northern Illinois
(Evanston, IL) — The Northwestern Wildcats controlled the second half during an 89-67 win over Northern Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats trailed by a point at halftime before outscoring the Huskies 48-25 the rest of the way. Boo Buie poured in 23 points in the victory, while Matthew Nicholson chipped in with 15. The 5-and-1 Wildcats host number-one Purdue on Friday.
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>>Notre Dame Takes On South Carolina
(Columbia, SC) — The Notre Dame men’s basketball team goes for its third win in a row when the Irish visit South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena tonight. The Fighting Irish crushed Maryland Eastern Shore 75-55 last Wednesday to improve to 3-and-2. Tonight’s game tips off at 6:00 PM Central time.
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>>College Basketball Round Up
In other college basketball action today, Loyola hosts Chicago State.
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>>Illinois Moves Down In Top-25
The Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team is moving in the wrong direction. The Illini dropped two spots in yesterday’s coaches poll, and they now sit at number 24. Illinois played just one game last week, an 84-52 rout of Western Illinois. They’ll play just one game this week, a road contest against Rutgers on Saturday.