Crowd Gathered at OTHS

People gathering outside Ottawa High School

AM1220 WLPO’s Jeremy Aitken shot this photo while awaiting the results of the mediation between OTHS Teachers and the school board Thursday evening.  Tune to AM1220 WLPO for the latest developments in the Ottawa High School Teachers strike.

Three face felony retail theft charges

Frequent shoppers or frequent shoplifters? Three people from La Salle face felony charges after police say they took things from Wal-Mart and Kohl’s in Peru.
Investigators think Marc Davis went into Wal-Mart three times Tuesday, one time alone and other times with Wanda Woods and Johnny Ford. They’re accused of stealing a couple of hundred dollars worth of items.
Police think Ford and Woods eventually went to Kohl’s where they stole stuff again. They were arrested outside.
They were taken to the La Salle County Jail.

Three arrested on drug charge

Drug charges for several people stopped in a parking lot in Peru.
Peru Police overnight Thursday brought out the drug dog after pulling over Jessica Battaglia, Christopher Robbins, and Ryan Hill of La Salle in the Jewel parking lot.
Police say they found heroin. The three were arrested for possession of a controlled substance and were taken to the La Salle County Jail.

FEMA Giving Millions Towards Ottawa School

After months of waiting and appealing a previous decision, FEMA has agreed to award the Ottawa Elementary School District $12.5 million for an improved building project. That amount is 75 percent of the total eligible costs through FEMA’s cost analysis formula.

The school district wants to build a new school to replace the flooded out Central Elementary School and can use this money for a new school. The estimated cost of a new school is over 20 million dollars.

The district is still trying to get emergency construction money from the state that would also pay for a potential new school.