Authorities are investigating additional threats made against the Marseilles Elementary School District following two incidents reported over the weekend. On Monday, the school district released a statement revealing that “our school community experienced two threats toward school employees.” The announcement reassured parents and community members that all individuals are safe and that school administrators are collaborating closely with law enforcement to address the situation. Coinciding with the announcement, Marseilles Elementary School conducted a “Code Red Drill” on the same day. This follows an incident last Thursday morning when additional police presence was deployed on campus in response to a threat of violence directed at a specific classroom made by a student. The district continues to prioritize the safety of its students and staff amid these unsettling events.
—————————————————————–
Beginning August 29th, the Ottawa Police Department received multiple reports from local businesses about a male suspect attempting to pass counterfeit $100 bills. Surveillance video was collected to help identify the individual. Similar reports surfaced again on September 3rd, with footage revealing the same suspect from the earlier incidents. Ottawa Police issued an alert to nearby law enforcement agencies, and shortly after, Morris Police stopped a vehicle linked to the suspect. The driver, 33-year-old Donell L. Thomas of Chicago was found with counterfeit bills and later identified as the suspect in both Ottawa incidents. The case was forwarded to the LaSalle County State’s Attorney, and on September 19th Thomas was charged with two counts of forgery, a Class 3 felony. He was issued a summons to appear in court. The Ottawa Police Department received assistance from the Morris Police Department and the LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s Office.
—————————————————————–
The Ottawa Police Department has charged 69-year-old Wellington Tyson of Chicago, in connection with using a fraudulent check and ID on August 6th to purchase a lawnmower valued at over $10,000 from Stoller International in Ottawa. A multi-agency investigation, involving law enforcement across northern Illinois and Indiana, identified Tyson as a suspect in similar offenses across the region. On August 12, Illinois State Police stopped Tyson near Pontiac while he was driving a stolen U-Haul truck linked to the Ottawa theft and other crimes. Tyson was charged in Livingston County with possession of a stolen motor vehicle and released on pretrial conditions. Tuesday, the LaSalle County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Tyson with identity theft, theft by deception, and forgery. He was issued a summons to appear in court. Multiple agencies, along with the LaSalle County State’s Attorney, assisted in the investigation.
—————————————————————–
An unidentified man suffered serious injuries in a two-vehicle accident on Monday. The incident occurred just after noon on I-39, just south of the U.S. 34 interchange, involving a pickup truck and a semi-truck. The driver of the pickup required extrication from the vehicle following the collision. Authorities temporarily closed a section of I-39 to facilitate the landing of LifeFlight, which transported the injured man to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Rockford. The man’s dog was also injured in the accident and later died. The driver of the semi-truck reported no injuries. A La Salle ambulance crew joined Mendota and Troy Grove first responders at the scene to provide assistance.
—————————————————————–
Jury selection is underway in the long-awaited racketeering trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. A questionnaire was issued to dozens of potential jurors yesterday. Madigan and longtime confidant, Michael McClain, face charges accusing them of conspiring to participate in an array of bribery and extortion schemes. The 82-year-old was the longest-serving House speaker in U.S. history before he resigned in 2021. The judge in the case tentatively set October 15th for opening statements.
—————————————————————–
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is revoking several personalized license plates that display some form of the date “October 7th.” The move follows complaints against the apparent reference to the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel last year. Giannoulias’ office deemed the controversial plates as offensive. A picture shared on social media last month showed a Chevy Tahoe with a specialized Illinois license plate with “OCT 7” framed by a plate holder reading “FREE PALESTINE” along with images of two Palestinian flags.
—————————————————————–
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is suing TikTok. The lawsuit accuses the video-sharing social networking service of targeting children with addictive features. The suit stems from a bipartisan nationwide investigation announced by Raoul in March 2022. Thirteen other states have filed separate lawsuits against TikTok. Raoul claims TikTok uses design features that are addictive and that exploit young users’ psychological vulnerabilities to keep them repeatedly using the platform for prolonged periods of time.
—————————————————————–
OSF HealthCare has collaborated with PulsePoint AED to enhance community preparedness for cardiac emergencies in LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall, and Putnam counties by launching a regional initiative to map and register the locations of automated external defibrillators. This vital information will be shared with local dispatch centers to direct first responders and community members to AED locations in real-time, making a significant difference in the outcomes of cardiac events. To encourage the public to register AEDs in spaces like schools, businesses, and gyms, the PulsePoint Foundation is hosting a nationwide contest during Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month in October. Each person who registers an AED through October 31st can win one of ten $500 Amazon gift cards. Additionally, communities registering the most AEDs will be eligible to win $5,000 worth of new AEDs. AEDs can be registered using the free PulsePoint AED app or online at AED.new, through October 31st.
—————————————————————–
Hard Rock Casino Rockford is bringing in a lot of money. The Illinois Gaming Board says the casino brought in more than 13 million dollars in revenue last month. That makes the Rockford casino the second largest in revenue in the state. The top casino in revenue is the Rivers Casino Des Planes.
—————————————————————–
26-year-old Tyler M. Slaughter of Earlville was arrested by Ottawa Police Tuesday at the Southtowne Mall on charges of criminal trespass to state-supported property and violation of pre-trial release.
—————————————————————–
A 15-year-old male from LaSalle, IL, was arrested Tuesday morning just before 8:00 o’clock at the intersection of Midtown Road and Plaza Drive in Peru after attempting to flee a traffic stop. The juvenile, who did not have a valid driver’s license, was cited by Peru Police for fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, speeding, disobeying a traffic control device, and driving without a valid license.
—————————————————————–
An Ottawa man has charges of domestic battery, aggravated resisting a peace officer, and violation of pre-trial release. 22-year-old David A. Mercadel was arrested by Ottawa Police Tuesday at Rigden Park.
—————————————————————–
A 36-year-old LaSalle woman was arrested by Peru Police Monday afternoon after being stopped at the intersection of Illinois 251 and Shooting Park Road. Zanina S. Hall faces charges for driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license.
—————————————————————–
59-year-old June L. Mabe of Ottawa was picked up by Ottawa Police Tuesday at an apartment in the 400 block of East Washington Street on a LaSalle County warrant for failure to appear in court.
—————————————————————–
A Streator woman has a notice to appear in court after a traffic stop by Streator Police late Tuesday night at Kent and Bloomington Streets. 38-year-old Ashli J. Ciesielski is charged with driving on a revoked license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
—————————————————————–
A 16-year-old female from Peru was arrested by Peru Police at Walmart Sunday evening shortly before 8:00 o’clock. The juvenile has a notice to appear in court on a charge of theft involving items valued at over $100.
—————————————————————–
Streator Police arrested a juvenile Tuesday night shortly before 9:00 o’clock on two charges of criminal trespass to a vehicle and a charge of disorderly conduct.
—————————————————————–
Peru Police responded to a report of a domestic situation at Illinois Valley PADS on Menards Drive just before 7:00 o’clock Tuesday evening. Following an investigation, Brandon M. Davis, a 39-year-old homeless man from Peru, was arrested on a failure to appear warrant issued by LaSalle County. Davis was taken to the LaSalle County Jail.
—————————————————————–
35-year-old Randy W. Osborne, Jr., of Streator, is charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct after Streator Police investigated an incident Tuesday evening at about 7:30 at 420 East Main Street.
—————————————————————–
WEATHER:
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 78. The calm wind is coming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 10 mph.
Wednesday Night
Clear, with a low of around 46. East wind around 5 mph.
—————————————————————–
OBITUARIES:
Michael M. Vasquez, age 75, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 4th, with his loving family at his side. A visitation will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 PM Thursday, October 10th at Gladfelter-Roetker Funeral Home followed by a memorial service at 4:00 PM. Services will conclude with Military Honors by the Ottawa American Legion Post 33 Honor Guard.
—————————————————————–
Gerald “Jerry” Eich passed away on October 3rd, at the age of 84, surrounded by his loving family at the Pavilion of Ottawa. Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 12th from 10-11:30 AM at the chapel at Oakwood Memorial Park. A funeral ceremony will follow at 11:30 AM. Interment with military honors will follow at the graveside.
—————————————————————–
Amy Jo Linton-Smith, 64, of Marseilles, passed away Friday, October 4th, at The Pearl of Orchard Valley in Aurora. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, October 12th, at the First Congregational Church in Marseilles. Funeral services will follow at 12 p.m. Saturday at the church. Seals-Campbell Funeral Home is entrusted with cremation rites. Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery at a later date.
—————————————————————–
LOCAL SPORTS:
FOOTBALL
Marquette takes on Aurora Central Catholic at home on Friday at 7 pm.
—————————————————————–
Girls volleyball
Ottawa 2, Rochelle 0: At Rochelle
Seneca 2, Woodland 0: At the Warrior Dome in rural Streator
Coal City 2, Streator 0: At Coal City
—————————————————————–
Boys soccer
Hinckley-Big Rock 2, Earlville 0: At Earlville
—————————————————————–
Boys cross country
Sandwich 1st, Ottawa 4th, Somonauk 5th at Indians’ meet: At Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area in Yorkville
—————————————————————–
Girls cross country
Sandwich 1st, Ottawa 2nd at Indians meet: At Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area in Yorkville
—————————————————————–
Girls tennis
Ottawa 3, Pontiac 2; Ottawa 4, Coal City 1: At the L-P Sports Complex in La Salle
—————————————————————–
You can find high school sports scores in our area on the WCMY Scorestream at 1430 wcmy.com/highschoolsports/
—————————————————————–
PRO SPORTS:
The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their Week Six trip to London. Chicago begins game-planning and practicing for their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday. The Bears will be looking to win their third game in a row after crushing the Panthers 36-10 in Week Five. Chicago is tied for third place in the NFC North at 3-and-2. Sunday’s game kicks off at 8:30 AM.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Bulls are off to a fast start this preseason following a 116-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse yesterday. The Bulls overcame a 16-point deficit to win the game. Coby White led the way with 21 points, while Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls are 1-and-0 in exhibition play. They host the Grizzlies this Saturday.
—————————————————————–
The Chicago Blackhawks opened up their 2024-25 season with a 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center last night. The Hawks gave up the first three goals of the game before Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Foligno both scored to get the team within one. However, Chicago surrendered two empty-netters in the final minute of regulation. The 0-1-and-0 Blackhawks visit Winnipeg on Friday
—————————————————————–
COLLEGE SPORTS:
Women’s Volleyball
Carl Sandburg College 3, IVCC 0: At Galesburg