The parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria will undergo a massive reorganization and consolidation beginning July 1st and continuing into 2027, as the church grapples with falling attendance and a growing priest shortage. Bishop Louis Tylka announced Saturday the diocese’s 156 individual parishes will become 75 parishes. Twelve parishes will merge into neighboring parishes, and another 107 will merge to create 38 new ones. Some of the parishes set to be closed are St. Mary in Grand Ridge, St. Francis in Ottawa, St. Joseph in Wedron, Sts. Peter and Paul in Leonore, St. John the Baptist in Lostant, and St. Patrick in Ransom.
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Health officials are reporting the first two batches of mosquitoes to test positive in 2024 for West Nile virus in Illinois. One specimen in Hoffman Estates in Cook County was collected last Tuesday. A second batch to test positive was found last Thursday in Jacksonville in Morgan County. IDPH recently reported that the first bird to test positive for West Nile virus this year was found on April 2nd in Douglas County.
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Pre-registration is open for free kidney and diabetic screenings in LaSalle County, provided by the LaSalle County Health Department in collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois and Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC). The screenings will be held at the IVCC Oglesby campus this Thursday, May 23rd, from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. One in three Americans is at risk for kidney disease, and the screenings will include tests for blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, urinalysis, and a possible blood draw. Participants must be 18 or older, and fasting is not required, but a urine sample is needed. The registration information and the pre-screening questionnaire link can be found on the health department’s page at the LaSalle County government website, lasallecountyil.gov.
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Seven Chicago Tribune journalists are suing the newspaper alleging sexual and racial discrimination. The class action suit claims systemic pay disparities between female and male employees, as well as between African American and white employees. The seven defendants are representing over 50 other women and African American employees of the publication. The suit seeks back pay for the disparities in wages, along with a restructuring of the Tribune’s compensation policies and practices.
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41-year-old Ashley Moats of Streator was picked up by Streator Police Saturday during the noon hour in the 300 block of Chicago Street on a LaSalle County warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of theft. She was taken to the LaSalle County Jail.
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A 50-year-old Mendota woman was arrested on a charge of no valid driver’s license late Friday morning. Lilia Diaz was stopped by Mendota Police near the intersection of 3rd Street and 1st Avenue and was released with a court date.
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A traffic stop by LaSalle County Deputies near Illinois 23 and Oakley Avenue in Streator Saturday shortly before 1:00 p.m. resulted in a citation for 84-year-old Fred Schimek of Streator for failure to wear a seat belt.
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A Streator man was arrested just after 4:00 a.m. Sunday and charged with disorderly conduct. 63-year-old Ayman M. Abu Shanab was involved in an incident in the 600 block of Everett Street. He was released by Streator Police with a notice to appear in court.
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LaSalle County Deputies cited 53-year-old Tracy Shoopman of Marseilles Saturday afternoon with failure to wear a seat belt and operating an uninsured motor vehicle after a traffic stop near the Illinois 23 – Interstate 80 interchange. She was released with a court date.
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LaSalle County Deputies investigated a single-vehicle accident with minor injuries late Tuesday afternoon near Illinois 251 and North 40th Road in Mendota. 35-year-old Deidra Dennis of Wenona swerved off the roadway to avoid striking a vehicle in front of her, entering the ditch and causing damage to her vehicle.
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An accident late Wednesday afternoon in South Ottawa resulted in minor injuries. LaSalle County Deputies say 29-year-old Adam Boles of LaSalle was driving his motorcycle westbound in the area of 1500 Illinois 71 when he slowed down and lost control, laying the motorcycle down to avoid striking a vehicle in front of him.
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WEATHER:
Today
A slight chance of showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west-southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 50%.
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Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 am. Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 66. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
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OBITUARIES:
Kathleen Anne “Kate” Reynolds-Millett, 73, of Marseilles, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, May 14th, at her home. Visitation for Kate Reynolds will be from 10 a.m. to noon today at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Seneca. A Mass of Christian Burial for Kate Reynolds will follow at noon today. Burial for Kate Reynolds will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Utica. Arrangements have been entrusted to Seals-Campbell Funeral Home in Marseilles.
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LOCAL SPORTS:
Baseball
Alec Novotney struck out 17 to lead Marquette baseball to a 7-0 regional final win over Serena. The Crusaders will be in the Elgin Sectional semifinal at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Winnetka North Shore Country Day.
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The St. Bede baseball team beat AlWood 11-2 on Saturday to win the Class 1A St. Bede Regional championship.
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Softball
East Peoria 7-6, Streator 1-2: At the SHS Athletic Fields
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La Salle-Peru dropped a pair of non-conference games at the L-P Sports Complex, losing to Illinois Coaches Association Class 3A No. 3 Metamora 11-4 and to ICA 3A No. 6 Sterling 10-2.
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PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago White Sox were swept by the New York Yankees with a 7-2 loss in the Bronx yesterday. The Southsiders scored twice in the top of the second before giving up seven unanswered runs the rest of the way. Corey Julks homered in the losing effort, while Chris Flexen was charged with his fourth loss after surrendering seven runs on eight hits in four innings. The White Sox remain in last place in the AL Central at 14-and-33. Erick Fedde starts for Chicago against Toronto this afternoon.
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The Chicago Cubs managed just two hits during a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel each drove in a run during the loss. Jameson Taillon was charged with his second loss after giving up three runs on six hits in four-and-two-thirds innings. The Cubs are still in second place in the NL Central at 26-and-22. Chicago hosts Atlanta tomorrow night.
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The Chicago Sky dominated the fourth quarter during an 83-74 win over the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on Saturday. Chicago trailed by eight through three quarters before ending the game on a 28-11 run. Diamond DeShields led the team with 16 points, while Marina Mabrey chipped in with 14. The 1-and-1 Sky go up against the Liberty on Thursday.
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The Chicago Bears get back into action today. The Bears hold their first of ten OTA workouts at Halas Hall today. Chicago will have three workouts this week, with the other two happening tomorrow and on Thursday.
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COLLEGE SPORTS:
In the Women’s College World Series on Friday, Northwestern beat Saint Francis 7-2. On Saturday, the Wildcats lost to Texas 14-2 before beating Saint Francis again 5-1. However, Northwestern was eliminated from the tournament yesterday after going down against Texas 7-0.