As you heard yesterday on WCMY, in response to potential migrant bus drop-offs in Ottawa, city officials, including Mayor Robb Hasty and Police Chief Brent Roalson, have collaborated with community organizations like The Salvation Army and local churches to create an emergency response plan. The plan focuses on providing temporary shelter, food, and clothing for migrants until they can be transported to Chicago within two, four, or six hours. Ottawa is among several communities within a 100-mile radius of Chicago discussing contingency plans for such scenarios, reflecting a trend of Texas transporting migrants to Democratic-led cities. Chicago has imposed penalties on unscheduled bus drop-offs, leading to migrants being left in suburban areas. Ottawa would notify the La Salle County Emergency Management Agency if a drop-off occurs, treating it as an emergency and ensuring migrants are cared for before transport to Chicago. Other localities, including Marseilles, are considering measures such as fines or impounding buses, while the La Salle County Board is expected to vote on becoming a “non-sanctuary county.”
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Streator City Council deliberated on potential scenarios if a migrant-carrying bus were to arrive in the city, though they deemed it unlikely due to its geographical location. While no definitive action or plan was decided upon during the discussion, members acknowledged the city’s limited options and reached a consensus that, if necessary, migrants might need to be transported to Chicago where more resources are available. This deliberation follows a broader trend in northern Illinois communities grappling with similar concerns as buses from Texas, transporting migrants to Democratic-led cities, pose challenges for local authorities. Chicago has imposed penalties on unscheduled drop-offs, prompting nearby suburbs to confront the issue. Legal considerations, constitutional rights, and potential services for migrants were discussed, with some council members advocating for immediate action, while others debated the consequences of inaction. The broader La Salle County region is also contemplating measures, with the county board considering a “non-sanctuary” designation, Marseilles implementing ordinances, and Ottawa devising emergency plans for short-term migrant services on Interstate 80. Despite discussions, there have been no reported migrant drop-offs in La Salle County thus far.
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The new state-supported shelter in Chicago is now accepting migrants. The shelter is located at the site of a former CVS in the Little Village neighborhood. It will house around 220 people as they transition to independent living. The shelter development is part of Governor Pritzker’s investment of an additional 160 million dollars to address the migrant crisis in Chicago.
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City of LaSalle residents can contribute to enhancing community safety in La Salle by participating in the “Community Camera Network” initiative promoted by the La Salle Police Department. Simply register your private surveillance cameras by completing a form, and your home or business will be added to a map exclusively accessible to the La Salle P.D. It’s important to note that registration does not grant direct access to your surveillance equipment, and you are not obligated to share video footage with investigators even after signing up. Visit the City of La Salle website to register with the police department.
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Governor Pritzker is celebrating last year’s economic development milestones as Illinois advances into 2024. The governor says Illinois business is stronger than ever and there’s no better place to expand and grow. Pritzker highlighted the fact that last year was a record year for economic development in key sectors. He noted that Illinois is attracting companies looking to make large-scale, long-term investments. Illinois also reached its highest-ever hotel tax revenue figures.
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85-year-old Chester Weger appeared in LaSalle County Court for a brief hearing Wednesday. With his lead attorney absent, a new status hearing was scheduled for April 10th. The significant development was the revelation that the special prosecution plans to file a motion to dismiss Weger’s case and vacate his conviction next month. This move comes after recent testing of a hair found at the crime scene pointed to a set of brothers, not Weger. Despite inquiries, Weger’s attorney, Celeste Stack, kept the brothers’ last names confidential. Weger, who was paroled in 2020 but later recanted his confession, is seeking to have his conviction overturned
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27-year-old Brennen Lee Jorgenson of Marseilles, who has been associated with locations where law enforcement discovered drugs and firearms, opted to forego his right to a prompt trial on Wednesday, paving the way for his appearance before a jury in April. Jorgenson was in La Salle County Circuit Court Wednesday. Prosecutors assert that he
had a modified automatic-fire pistol, substantial quantities of marijuana, and so-called “magic mushrooms”. The majority of the confiscated contraband, valued at $180,000, resulted from a combination of a traffic stop and executed search warrants, revealing an assortment of drugs and firearms. Jorgenson, along with his Defense attorney William Hotopp, requested more time for trial, and the right to a swift trial was waived. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. rescheduled the trial for April 8, with Jorgenson’s next court appearance set for March 28. Meanwhile, a second suspect, Thomas J. Higgins of Ottawa, is slated for a detention hearing on Friday. The 45-year-old Higgins faces an unresolved charge of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and, after the raids, is linked to possessing a rifle associated with the stash houses. Higgins faces four felonies, including armed habitual criminal and armed violence, all classified as Class X felonies. Although legally distinct, an undercover agent revealed that a confidential informant tipped off drug agents about Higgins possessing a prohibited firearm and having access to a “stash house” in Marseilles, later identified as Jorgenson’s residence. The subsequent search resulted in the seizure of 18 grams of cocaine, 26 pounds of purported psychedelic mushrooms (a potential La Salle County record), eight illegal firearms, including a Glock pistol modified for full automatic capability, and multiple high-capacity magazines.
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A 32-year-old St. Louis, Missouri, man is in LaSalle County Jail awaiting extradition. Steven L. Moore was arrested by Marseilles Police Wednesday on an outstanding failure to appear to warrant out of Adams County on a charge of driving on a suspended license.
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18-year-old Levi J. Jiardina of Peru was arrested by Peru Police late Tuesday night at an apartment at 1309 5th Street on a domestic battery charge. He was taken to the LaSalle County Jail.
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More and more people are traveling to Illinois to get an abortion. The Illinois Department of Public Health’s annual abortion stats report shows more than 56-thousand were performed in Illinois in 2022, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That is the most since the mid-90s. The rise in abortions that year was driven by a 49-percent increase in out-of-state patients. Nearly 17 thousand people came from other states to terminate a pregnancy in 2022.
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Spring Valley’s new OSF HealthCare primary care office on East Second Street is now open, welcoming patients starting Thursday morning. Staffed by doctors like Michael and Robert Morrow, Fazal Khan, and Louis Lukancic, the clinic operates from 7 AM to 5 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, with extended hours until 6 PM on Thursdays.
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WEATHER:
WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING… Heavy snow and blowing snow are possible. Total snow accumulations of greater than 6 inches are possible. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 26 by 5 pm. West wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
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Thursday Night
Snow after midnight. The temperature rises to around 31 by 5 am. Breezy, with a light southeast wind becoming east at 15 to 20 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible.
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OBITUARIES:
John Michael “Yocko” Fraine, 83, of Ottawa, passed away on Wednesday, January 10th, at home. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 13th, at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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Jon Mark Wenger, 67, of Lostant, passed away on Sunday, January 7th, at his home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, January 13th at Heritage Christian Center in Ottawa. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. at the church. The burial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, January 15th at Hollands Grove Cemetery in Washington, IL. Seals-Campbell Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
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We have an updated funeral service information for Margaret Gaffney, 97, of Ottawa, who passed away Sunday, December 24th, at The Pavilion of Ottawa. The visitation previously scheduled for Saturday the 13th, will now be rescheduled to Monday, January 15th, from 10:00 am until noon at Ottawa Funeral Home. The funeral ceremony will now take place at noon Monday the 15th, at the funeral home. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park. Cremation rites have been entrusted to Ottawa Funeral Home.
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Ralph E. Rowe, 83, of Marseilles, passed away Saturday, January 6th, at his home with his family by his side. The Ottawa Funeral Home is handling any arrangements.
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Dorothy Darlene (Houchin) Fowlie, 86, of Ottawa, passed away on Thursday, January 4th, at her home surrounded by her family. Funeral services will be private. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home Ottawa.
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Rita Jean (Dippel) Honer, 91, of Ottawa, passed away on Tuesday, January 9th, at her home. Funeral services will be private. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Shepherd Middle School: 7th grade defeated Streator Northlawn 33 to 21 in the semifinals of the Starved Rock Conference Tournament. Leading the way: Luca Fernandez with 10 points, Mason Mucci and Keandre Miller with 7 points, and Marquise Davis with 4 points. 7th grade is now 12-7.
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8th grade lost to LaSalle Lincoln 45 to 35. Leading the way for Shepherd: Blake Schiltz with 14 points, Nicole Kimes with 7 points, Nevan Holloway and Amari Molina both had 5 points. 8th grade is now 10-9.
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Join Us tonight for Marquette Girls Basketball as the Lady Cru takes on the Seneca Lady Fighting Irish from Bader Gym at 7 pm. Bryer Lehr and David Bergeson with the call.
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OTHER GIRLS BASKETBALL
Ottawa 40, LPHS 38: Ottawa defeated L-P 40-38 in overtime on Wednesday, at Sellett Gymnasium.
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Rochelle 58, Hall 55: the Red Devils came up short in a nonconference game in Spring Valley.
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Hinckley-Big Rock 51, Mendota 14: the Trojans lost a nonconference game in Mendota.
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Boys bowling
Ottawa 3,239, Streator 3,129: At Dettore’s Town Lanes, the Bulldogs captured the opening game, but the Pirates won the final to earn the rivalry victory.
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Sterling 3,186, La Salle-Peru 2,964: the Cavaliers lost a nonconference match on the road.
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Girls bowling
Ottawa 2,665, Morris 2,375: At Echo Lanes, the Pirates picked up the road Interstate 8 triumph.
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Wrestling
Seneca 71, Manteno 12; Seneca 67, St. Bede Academy 11: At Seneca, the Fighting Irish rolled past the Panthers and Bruins to improve to 15-6 on the season.
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PRO & COLLEGE SPORTS:
The Bulls extended their winning streak following a 124-119 overtime victory against the Rockets in Chicago. Coby White led all scorers with 30 points and dished out a team-high eight assists. Zach LaVine netted 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Nikola Vucevic tallied his double-double on 18 points and 15 boards. Chicago has won three straight and sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference at 18-and-21. The Bulls host Golden State tomorrow night.
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The Blackhawks will try to snap out of the cold streak when they visit the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre tonight. The Blackhawks have dropped six of seven after falling to Edmonton 2-1 on Tuesday night. Chicago is in last place in the Central Division with 26 points and a 12-27-and-2 record.
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The NHL will be without one of its most promising and electric players for a long time. Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard suffered a broken jaw and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The forward left during a recent loss to the New Jersey Devils after he took a hit from defenseman Brendan Smith. Bedard tallied 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games this season, which leads all rookie skaters. He was set to become the youngest player to appear in an All-Star game at 18 years old.
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The Bears are moving on from their offensive coordinator. The team fired Luke Getsy and four other offensive assistants yesterday. Getsy spent the last two seasons calling the shots on offense for Chicago. The Bears had the tenth-worst scoring offense in 2022 and the 15th-worst scoring offense last season. The Bears also confirmed that they are bringing back head coach Matt Eberflus for the 2024 season.
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The Northwestern Wildcats dominated the second half of their 76-72 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. The Wildcats trailed by eight at halftime before outscoring Penn State 76-72 the rest of the way. Brooks Barnhizer poured in 23 points in the victory, while Boo Buie chipped in with 17. Northwestern improved to 12-and-3 overall and 3-and-1 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats visit number 15 Wisconsin on Saturday.
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The number ten Illinois Fighting Illini will try to get back in the win column when they host Michigan State at State Farm Center tonight. The Illini are coming off a close 83-78 loss to number-one Purdue last Friday. The loss snapped the Illini’s four-game winning streak. Illinois is 11-and-3 overall and 2-and-1 in the Big Ten.