New website for the City of Peru

If you haven’t already, check out the city of Peru’s new website.  It’s supposed to be more user friendly.

City Clerk Dave Bartley unveiled the new look site at Wednesday’s city council meeting.  Featured on the site is a calendar of events plus links to ask city officials a question, look at financial reports and notices about city events or emergencies.

Connecting Point Computer in Peru designed the site.   Peru’s website is at http://www.peru.il.us/

State Fire Marshal Investigating Boat Fire

Officials will try to get what’s left of a burnt yacht out of the Illinois River today near Naplate.

The 27-foot boat exploded last night around 6:45 while docked at the Starved Rock Yacht Club.  No one was on the boat.  Conservation Police Sgt. Robert Frazier says the man who owns the boat lives in the suburbs.

Smoke could be seen miles away when the boat caught fire.  Frazier says the State Fire Marshal’s Office is helping to find out why boat ignited.

The boat is a total loss and a nearby dock was also damaged.  Frazier says firefighters were able to keep the fire spreading from other boats.

Peterson Will Appeal Murder Conviction

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) – An attorney for Drew Peterson says the defense team will appeal the former police officer’s conviction in the slaying of his third wife.

Attorney Ralph Meczyk says the defense raised reasonable doubt in the case. He says Peterson was sad, but didn’t say much after the guilty verdict was read Thursday.

Jurors had to weigh hearsay testimony from witnesses, including those who said Savio feared Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident. Hearsay is often barred at trials. But Illinois adopted legislation allowing it in cases like Peterson’s.

Meczyk says hearsay will be the big issue in an appeal and says the law should be changed.

Investigation Continues Into L-P Scouting Scandal

“Nothing new to report”, that’s according to La Salle County State’s Attorney Brian Towne on the L-P scouting scandal investigation.

Towne says no one has officially been charged with anything involving scouting reports of L-P’s football team being sent to their opponents.  The reports included injury information on specific players.

Towne calls it a “despicable” but “unique situation”.  He says the investigation needs to be very detailed to see if state or federal laws were actually broken.

L-P teacher and former assistant football coach Jake Burke is on paid leave as part of the investigation.  Burke was also dropped as a volunteer football coach at Ottawa High School.

Burke was removed from coaching at L-P earlier this year.

New Mural In Ottawa

There’s another mural in Ottawa.

A 30-foot painting was unveiled yesterday inside Lincoln Elementary School.  The mural features a young Abraham Lincoln reading while sitting on a log fence.  Several other children are in the background also reading.

Laurie Ragan of Ottawa painted the mural.  She finished it in about six weeks.