Husband And Wife Busted For Heroin

Luke and Jennifer Raley were arrested by TRIDENT drug officials last night after a search warrant was done at their home on St. Paul Street. Detectives say they came after Luke Raley because he delivered heroin to an undercover informant.

While at the Raley’s house, Luke allegedly was found with 26 bags of heroin in his pocket while Jennifer supposedly was seen trying to hide heroin in a wash machine. A search of the wash machine allegedly turned up 212 bags of heroin and 54 tins of the drug. All told, drug officials say the Raley’s had 29 grams of heroin in their possession. TRIDENT officials think it’s the largest amount of packaged heroin ever found in the area.

Both were taken to the Bureau County Jail on charges of unlawful possession of controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

Women accused of breaking into Oglesby home

Oglesby is usually a pretty quiet place, especially at 1am, but that wasn’t the case at a home on the town’s west side overnight.
Police received a 911 call from a woman on Hickory Avenue after someone broke into her home.
Two women from Marseilles were arrested for residential burglary and having burglary tools. Sarah Grever and Misty Grooms were taken to the La Salle County Jail.

Animal rescue teams tests their skills

When a disaster hits, do you have a plan to save your animals?
In times of trouble, the La Salle County Animal Rescue Team could spring into action. The group of veterinarians, farmers, and police among others are one of just a handful of active animal rescue teams in the country.
The rescue teams held an evacuation exercise Thursday night at a farm in Streator. They practiced rescuing everything from horses to rabbits.

Country star donates $20,000 to Easter Seals

The children who are served by the local Easter Seals office are probably too young to be big fans of Alan Jackson, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the country music star.
Jackson has donated $20,000 to Easter Seals of La Salle and Bureau Counties. The check was sent after Jackson learned they fell short of the 2009 fundraising goal.
Jackson was in La Salle a couple of weeks ago to perform at Lou’s LaGrotto’s Concert for a Cause.

Four face drug charges after bust in Mendota

A lot of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana are what undercover police say they found during a drug sting in Mendota.
Investigators with TRIDENT arrested two sets of people from Rockford they say were bringing drugs to the Illinois Valley.
The first arrest was Tuesday afternoon at a truck stop in Mendota. Police say Adrian Daniels and Ernest Monroe of Rockford brought about 90 grams of uncut heroin to someone working with TRIDENT.
They were arrested for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a class X felony.
That evening police arrested two other people from Rockford they say brought more than 100 grams of cocaine and 25 pounds of marijuana to the truck stop.
Alvaro Torres Hernandez’s bond was set at $1 million after him and Elizabeth Macias were arrested for unlawful delivery of controlled substance cocaine with intent to deliver, a super class X felony.
All four were taken to the La Salle County Jail.

More Dead Sparrows

La Salle County Animal Control Officer Gary Wind says dead sparrows were spotted in a handful of spots the last few days including Dottie’s Trailer Park in Ottawa and at a farm in Wallace Township. Some of the birds have been sent to a lab in Springfield to see what’s causing them to die.

Wind says a biologist thinks the birds could’ve been exposed to poison that was supposed to kill off Japanese beetles.

Attempted Sexual Assault Investigated

Streator Police are looking for your help in solving an attempted sexual assault.

Investigators say a Hispanic man on Tuesday evening attempted to sexually assault a teen in an alley near the 900 block of Wasson Street.

If you have any information, call Streator Police or Streator Crime Stoppers. You could get a cash reward.

Opposition Continues Towards River Closing

Despite plenty of opposition, the stretch of the Vermilion River that Buzzi Unicem controls in Oglesby remains closed to recreation.

The La Salle County Board’s Tourism Committee took a stand yesterday by voting to send a written appeal to area legislators to give public access to the stretch of the river. The committee specifically had in mind the effects to businesses like Vermilion Rafting who are hurt with the river closure.

Another group coming together against the river closure is the Better Fishing Association. They had a special meeting last night in Peru to talk about Buzzi’s actions. Oglesby Mayor Tony Torres is a member of that group. He says he is still gathering information before having a formal meeting with Buzzi officials regarding their stretch of the Vermilion.

So far, the state has backed Buzzi’s decision saying the stretch of river isn’t deep enough for commercial navigation.

County Clerk Running Again

Another La Salle County officeholder wants to keep their job.

County Clerk JoAnne Caretto announced last night she will seek a second term as clerk. Caretto started as a temporary worker in the County Clerk’s office back in 1979. She was Chief Deputy County Clerk before getting elected as County Clerk in 2006.

As to why you should re-elect her, Caretto says it’s essential to have a dedicated and knowledgeable person to handle changes in Federal and State laws.

Water Rates Rising In Peru

While cities seemed to be excited to have projects approved for federal stimulus money, they still need to come up with the money to pay back millions of dollars in loans.

In Peru, where a combined sewer separation project is estimated to cost 8.1 million dollars, an increase in water and sewer rates seems to be the remedy for paying back the loan.

The city council could approve a rate increase Monday night. The finance committee is recommending a two-part increase that would raise the average bill by almost 16 percent, taking a 28 bill and making it 38 dollars. The first increase would happen in September followed by a second next May.