One Spring Valley lottery player is already having a great Christmas. A One Million dollar winning Instant Scratch Ticket was purchased at Happy’s Super Service convenience store in Spring Valley. For selling the winning ticket, Happy’s Super Service in Spring Valley will receive a selling bonus of $10,000.
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The cause of an early Saturday morning house fire in Peru remains unknown. The incident prompted a response from Peru Firemen to 8th Street shortly after 2:30 AM. Upon arrival, the fire had already breached the roof. Auto-aid was called in, bringing assistance from Tonica, Spring Valley, Oglesby, and Utica. The unoccupied residence possibly in rehab sustained significant damage before the firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze. Reports from Neighbors say they saw a flash of lightning and then heard a loud boom. The fire occurred during the storms that came through that morning. No official word has been released if the weather might have played a role in starting the fire.
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Despite 44 other Illinois counties, including neighboring Marshall County, being classified at an elevated risk for COVID-19 by the Illinois Department of Public Health, La Salle County continues to maintain a low-risk status. The assessment is based on various indicators, and in the past week leading up to Thursday, La Salle County reported a rate of 8.8 new hospital admissions per 100,000 residents for confirmed COVID-19 cases. Additionally, only 3% of staffed inpatient beds were in use by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19. In contrast, statewide, there was a notable increase of 20% in new COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 1,039 reported cases. The CDC has said that home test kit usage is making it more difficult for local counties to more accurately track COVID-19 cases.
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The Illini Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized six students on Thursday with the Good Citizen Award in their respective schools. Emma Cushing from Ottawa High School and Jenna Gamons from Marquette Academy were honored at a ceremony held at Reddick Mansion in Ottawa. Gamons won the chapter’s scholarship and will now vie for district, state, and national levels.
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The festive spirit will come alive as the Ottawa High School Music Department gears up to enchant audiences with a holiday concert scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12th. The venue for this musical celebration is the high school’s auditorium, located at OHS.
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Reminder for Streator residents and travelers. The Main Street crossing of the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe railroad in Streator will undergo a temporary closure for three days starting on Monday, December 10th, due to construction. Route 18 is synonymous with Main Street. For alternative routes, the closest BNSF railroad crossings are Bridge Street to the south and Broadway Street to the north.
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Reddick Library in Ottawa will be unveiling its new fish tank from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 16th. The public is invited to hear guest speaker, Tom from Mermaid’s Cove/Aquascape, introduce the new fish. The library also will be serving snacks donated by Pepperidge Farms.
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La Salle County Sheriff’s Office had a fun exception on Saturday when 29 employees used funds from the “Christmas 4 Kids August auction” to help 110 children shop for clothes and toys at Ottawa Walmart. Deputy Felecia Rasmussen led the annual effort, with Sheriff Adam Diss and Undersheriff Jason Martin joining to bring smiles to kids from struggling families. Walmart provided treats, and everyone posed for photos, now on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
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GARY SCHWEICKERT Age 69 Male of PERU was Arrested Thursday at 7:22 am on charges of Disorderly Conduct. After the traffic stop and brief investigation, SCHWEICKERT was issued a non-traffic citation for disorderly conduct.
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LaSalle County Deputies conducted a traffic stop in the area of IL RT 18 and E 950th RD (Eagle TWP). The vehicle fled and a pursuit occurred. The driver was identified as Xavier L. Acevado (24) of Aurora. He was arrested for Agg. Fleeing to Elude, Reckless Driving, and Speeding 35 MPH+ and transported to LASCO Jail. He was later released with an NTA.
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Following a brief vehicle pursuit and foot chase on Friday morning, La Salle County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended John Freeman, a 34-year-old Streator man, at 2:43 a.m. in the vicinity of South Park and Monroe streets in Streator. Freeman faces charges including no valid driver’s license, driving while license suspended, reckless driving, fleeing/attempting to elude police, and three La Salle County failure to appear warrants (related to two charges of driving while license suspended and aggravated assault), as well as a Livingston County failure to appear warrant for driving while license suspended charge. Freeman was released from La Salle County Jail on Saturday.
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Friday morning Spring Valley police apprehended Roy Adams, 45, from Cleveland Street on charges of violating a protective order, leading to his transportation to the Bureau County Jail in Princeton. Subsequently, on Wednesday evening, shortly before 7 PM, Spring Valley law enforcement addressed a collision at the junction of Route 6 and the Dalzell Blacktop. Christopher Miller, 51, hailing from Granville, faced multiple charges, including failure to decelerate to prevent an accident, operating a vehicle with a suspended registration, driving without insurance, disregarding a stoplight, and neglecting to wear seat belts.
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WEATHER:
Monday
Cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 38. Light and variable wind becoming southwest at 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. South-southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight.
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OBITUARIES:
Stephen Klag, 71, of Ottawa, IL, passed away Friday, December 8th, at his home. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm today at Ottawa Funeral Home and Crematory. A funeral ceremony will follow at 7:00 pm A private burial will take place in St. Columba Cemetery.
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Patricia “Pat” Munari, age 93, of Marseilles, passed away Sunday, December 3rd, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, December 12th, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marseilles. The interment will be in Oakwood Memorial Park, Ottawa. Visitation will be from 10 AM to the time of service at the church. Arrangements are with the Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home.
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Georgiann Kobiella, 82, of Ottawa, passed away Saturday, December 9th, at her home with her family by her side. Visitation will be on Saturday, December 18th, from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm at Ottawa Funeral Home. A funeral ceremony will take place at noon at the funeral home. Burial will follow at St. Columba Cemetery.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Wallace, Serena see seasons end: At the IESA Class 8-2A and 8-1A state finals downstate Saturday, both the Serena and Wallace eighth-grade girls’ basketball teams saw their seasons come to an end with quarterfinal defeats.
In Class 8-2A, Serena (16-7) lost 44-8 to Paris Crestwood.
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In Class 8-1A, Wallace (26-2) fell 44-25 to Sigel St. Michael’s.
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49th Annual Colmone Classic championship
First-place game
Fieldcrest 62, Rock Falls 42: Fieldcrest defeated Rock Falls 62-42 to win the 49th annual Colmone Classic championship on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at Hall High School.
Third-place game
La Salle-Peru 88, Mendota 47: After suffering a 27-point loss in Friday’s semifinals, the Cavaliers came out strong, scoring the first seven points and opening the game on a 17-2 run.
Fifth-place game
Princeton 52. Pontiac 43: The Tigers led 27-15 and 41-25 after three quarters before holding off a Pontiac rally in the final eight minutes.
Seventh-place game
Hall 73, Marquette 71: The game was tight throughout with Marquette leading 20-16 after one and 33-31 at halftime before the Red Devils took a 49-44 lead into the fourth where they held off the Crusaders in a high-scoring quarter.
Ninth-place game
Bureau Valley 64, St. Bede 44: Corban Chhim scored 19 points and Elijah Endress had 17 as Bureau Valley rolled to the victory.
11th-place game
Putnam County 51, Stillman Valley 48: Orlando Harris scored 14 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had three assists to lead Putnam County.
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Girls basketball
Mendota 31, Streator 21: At Mendota, the visiting Bulldogs (0-13) were defeated despite seven points scored by Joey Puetz and five from Ava Gwaltney.
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Serena 49, Hall 35: At Serena, the host Huskers (7-0) remained unbeaten paced by 18 points from Makayla McNally, 13 scored by Paisley Twait, and a dozen put in by Gwyneth O’Connell. All three hauled in seven rebounds, with Twait adding five assists.
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Annawan 76, Seneca 42: At Annawan. the visiting Fighting Irish (6-6) were defeated despite 11 points scored by Graysen Provance and nine courtesy of Alyssa Zellers.
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Girls BOWLING
At Peru: The La Salle-Peru girls started the Cavalier Classic strong Saturday with a 961 game and maintained a lead all day en route to its third straight title at its tournament. At the Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru, both Ottawa and Streator took part in La Salle-Peru’s Cavalier Classic on Saturday.
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Boys bowling
Streator 12th at Cav Classic: At the Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru, both Ottawa and Streator took part in La Salle-Peru’s Cavalier Classic.
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Boys wrestling
Seneca 3rd at Boyd Tournament: At the Jim Boyd Riverdale Tournament, Seneca wrestled to third place as a team
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PRO & COLLEGE SPORTS:
>>Bears Upset Lions
(Chicago, IL) — The Bears shut down the Detroit Lions in the second half of their 28-13 win at Soldier Field. The Bears trailed by three at the break before outscoring Detroit 18-0 the rest of the way. Justin Fields passed for 223 yards and a touchdown, and he added 58 yards and a score on the ground. The Bears improved to 5-and-8 with the victory. Chicago visits Cleveland next Sunday.
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>>Blackhawks Fall To Capitals
(Chicago, IL) — The Blackhawks surrendered three goals in the second period of their 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at United Center. Philipp Kurashev scored in the second to give Chicago a brief lead, but Washington scored the next four goals of the contest to seal a win. Connor Murphy also scored for the Blackhawks. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with 19 points and a 9-17-and-1 record. The Hawks visit Edmonton tomorrow night.
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>>Bulls Visit Milwaukee Tonight
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Bulls are back in action tonight visiting the Bucks in Milwaukee. Chicago is on a four-game winning streak following a 121-112 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic, and Coby White also scored at least 20 points in the victory. Chicago is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference at 9-and-14.
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>>White Sox Trade For C Stassi
(Chicago, IL) — The White Sox are getting some depth at the backstop. The club traded for Braves catcher Max Stassi on Saturday. The Southsiders will send a player-to-be-named-later to complete the deal, and the Braves will pay most of Stassi’s 2024 salary. Stassi missed all of the 2023 season, and he hit just .180 with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 102 games with the Braves in 2022.
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>>Illini Get Bested By Tennessee
(Knoxville, TN) — The number-18 Illinois Fighting Illini faded down the stretch during an 86-79 loss to number-13 Tennessee at Food City Center on Saturday. Illinois had a four-point lead early in the second half before surrendering a 29-17. The Illini trailed the rest of the way. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Quincy Guerrier both had 22 points in the losing effort. The Illini dropped to 7-and-2 with the loss. They host Colgate next Sunday.
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>>Northwestern Destroys Detroit Mercy
(Evanston, IL) — The Northwestern Wildcats ran away with a 91-59 win over Detroit Mercy at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats led by ten at the break and outscored the Titans 48-26 the rest of the way. Nick Martinelli poured in 22 points in the victory, while Ryan Langborg chipped in with 19. Northwestern is 7-and-1 overall and 1-and-0 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats host Chicago State on Wednesday.
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>>Notre Dame Gets Crushed By Marquette
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a pitiful first half during their 78-59 loss to number-seven Marquette at Fiserv Forum on Saturday. The Irish trailed 52-24 at the break and weren’t able to get back into the game. Markus Burton led the Irish with 20 points in the losing effort. Notre Dame is 4-and-5 overall and 0-and-1 in the ACC. The Irish host Georgetown this Saturday.
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>>ISU Investigating Claims Fans Used Racial Slur Against Norfolk State Player
(Normal, IL) — Illinois State University is investigating claims that fans directed a racial slur at an opposing team’s player at a men’s basketball game over the weekend. Norfolk State coach Robert Jones Tweeted that one of his players had been called a slur by ISU fans during his team’s win over the Redbirds Saturday in Normal. ISU apologized to Norfolk State, adding they have moved swiftly to investigate the report and will respond appropriately.
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>>College Basketball Wrap-Up
In other college basketball action on Saturday, DePaul beat Louisville 75-68, Illinois State fell to Norfolk State 64-58, Loyola crushed Goshen 115-64, Northern Illinois was edged by Monmouth 74-71, and Valparaiso fell to Virginia Tech 71-50. Chicago State lost to St. Thomas 66-50 yesterday.