Arrests Made In La Salle Shooting

A dispute between groups of teenagers erupted in gunfire according to La Salle Police.

A 15 year old boy from La Salle and 14 and 16 year old boys from Peru are charged with armed violence and aggravated discharge of a firearm after police think the 16 year old fired at a car full of people in the area of 9th and Sterling Streets Wednesday evening. Three adults and two minors were in the car but no one was hurt. Investigators say the car had damage to the front driver’s side which is consistent gunshots. Two spent 20 gauge shot gun shells were allegedly found by police.

Investigators think it stemmed from a dispute between two different groups of teenagers, ranging between 14 and 18 years old. The three teens who were arrested yesterday morning were taken to the county detention home.

Man Falls Nearly 100 Feet In Streator

Rescue crews from throughout La Salle County were called into action yesterday after a 66 year old man fell nearly 100 feet in Streator.

According to Reading Fire Chief Paul Losy, his department responded to a 911 call about a man falling behind the Streator Country Club just after ten yesterday morning. Golfers apparently heard the man yelling for help and called 911.

Losy says rescuers slid down a steep embankment on their backside and found the man lying next to the Vermilion River. He was put on a stretcher, taken across a shallow part of the river and loaded into an ambulance. He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital. The man’s name wasn’t released.

Rescuers think the man was mowing grass when for whatever reason he flipped the mower and went down the embankment.

Jobless Figures Ugly In Area

Putnam County’s jobless rate for July was 15.4 percent, edging out Winnebago and Clay counties for tops in the state. Putnam County’s unemployment rate this time last year was a mere 6.7 percent.

Not much better news in Bureau, La Salle or Grundy County. La Salle County’s July unemployment rate is 11.8 percent, up from 8.1 percent the same time a year ago. Bureau County has a 10.1 percent July jobless mark, up from 6.1 percent last July. Grundy County meanwhile has a 13.1 percent unemployment rate, up from 7.3 percent last July.

Country Crooner In Princeton

Get the cowboy hats and boots out, it’s Country Western Day today at the 154th annual Bureau County Fair.

The main attraction of the fair is a concert tonight with Billy Currington. Heidi Newfield is the opening act and will take the grandstand stage around 7:30. Tickets are available at the gate or by calling the fair office.

Other stuff going on today at the fairgrounds is a chain saw artist, beer garden and a cake walk.