La Salle Council appoints economic development director

Is La Salle broke and decaying? If so, will an economic development director be able to turn it around? That’s what the mayor and majority of the city council are hoping.
The council created the position and approved the mayor’s appointment for the job Monday night. The aldermen were brutally honest during the discussion before the vote. Gary Schroeder and George Green don’t think the city has the money to create a new position and wanted to see the questioned table for a month or two. Green went as far as to say the city is broke.
During a vote to table, John Lavieri sided with Schroeder and Green, saying he wasn’t sure yet. But the vote to table failed, clearing the way for a vote to create the position. It passed with only Green and Schroeder voting no.
Diz Demes was the first alderman to speak out in favor of the position. He says he remembers when La Salle was great but it’s deteriorated. He thinks an economic development director will take them in the right direction.
Mayor Jeff Grove says he’s not adding to the payroll because he did away with the Director of Public Works Position that paid considerably more.
Don Alesky’s first day is Tuesday. His appointment is for one year. He’ll earn $45,000 and received medical insurance. Mayor Jeff Grove thinks Alesky will focus on the downtown and start by cataloguing the available properties and speaking with the owners.

Marseilles man dies in crash

Investigators are not sure why a man killed in a crash over the weekend drove off the road and hit a utility pole.
20 year old Keifer Boaz of Marseilles died at the scene Saturday afternoon.
Police say he was in Otter Creek Township, northeast of Streator.
Autopsy and toxicology results are pending.

Conditions Updated For Family Hurt In Rafting Spill

Only one of three people hurt in a rafting accident Saturday in Oglesby is still hospitalized.

11 year old Apurva Riswadkar is in fair condition at St. Francis Medical Center. Her 7 year old sister and mom Manjiri have been released from the hospital.

Conservation Police say the mom and her girls were flown to Peoria Saturday after their rubber raft capsized in turbulent water below the Buzzi Unicem dam. Nearby paddlers rescued the mom and her daughters. The 47-year old dad Mukund was able to save himself.

Conservation Police say the dad told them he saw a sign to move right as they approached the dam but wasn’t able to move in time.

The family is from India and was in the area visiting relatives.

Granville Pilot Killed In Crash

46 year old Charles Salisbury was killed Friday while flying a crop-dusting plane. Salisbury’s plane went down just north of Cordova, a small town outside the Quad Cities.

Salisbury was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Investigators think the plane went down around 4:30 Friday afternoon.

An autopsy on Salisbury is tentatively set for today.