Mendota Community Hospital changes visitor policy due to swine flu

Another hospital is saying children and teens should avoid visiting patients due to swine flu concerns.  Mendota Community Hospital wants people 16 years old older to stay home since young people are more susceptible to swine flu.  The say the change in policy is to protect their patients.
St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator and Ottawa Regional Hospital have also made similar changes.
Hospital officials say you can be contagious even when you don’t feel sick, prior to becoming sick.  And if you are feeling sick and don’t need to be at the hospital or medical office, stay home.

Spring Valley drug store robbed

A few minutes after 11 o’clock this morning,  a white man in his 20’s came in thru the back of Thompson’s Drug Store on East Saint Paul Street and showed a knife to the pharmacist.  Spring Valley Police say he demanded prescription medication and the pharmacist gave him two boxes containing an unknown amount of prescription drugs.  There were no injuries.

Investigators say the suspect ran through the alley wearing a gray parka with a fur lined hood.  He had covered his face with a white bandana. 

If you have any information into the armed robbery, call the Spring Valley Police Department or Illinois Valley Crime Stoppers.  You could receive a cash reward. 

Serena School Set To Open Again

Class will resume Monday at Serena Grade School.  

Superintendent Dan Joyce says if your child is still experiencing flu like symptoms, keep them home.  Earlier in the week nearly a third of the schools total enrollment would’ve been home sick so classes were cancelled all week.   

Joyce says while they have no confirmed cases of H1N1 or swine flu, all indications show they are dealing with that strain of the flu.  He goes on to say that “odds are good” they’ll have to deal with this situation again during the school year.

All extra curricular activities involving Serena Grade School are cancelled through this Sunday.

Makeshift Senior Night At Ottawa High

Tonight should not only be the last football game of the regular season for the Ottawa Pirates, but also a time for the seniors to be honored.

Since there won’t be the usual senior night activities at the football field, some students have set up an impromptu senior night program at the high school tennis courts.  The program starts at 6.

Each senior  will receive a balloon to give to parents.  Ottawa would have played Streator tonight.

United Way at 32% of their fundraising goal

After crunching the numbers, a recent radiothon brought in $6,215 in pledges for United Way of Illinois Valley.  The round-up heard on AM 1220 WLPO Saturday, October 17 was held at Starved Rock State Park.

During the four hour-long radiothon, volunteers made calls people in the area they still hadn’t responded to the United Way’s annual mass mailing. 

          The Miller Group Charitable Trust made a $2,500 matching pledge.

          The money pledged during the radiothon goes toward their annual fundraising campaign.  United Way Executive Director Andrea Walters says so far they’ve raised about one third of their $340,000 goal.

Semi Crashes On I-80

A man from Georgia was hurt after sliding his semi down I-80 last night.

State Police and Utica Fire and Ambulance responded to a trucker who for whatever reason flipped his truck going westbound around 12:30 this morning.  Billie Washington had to be cut out of the truck thru the windshield.  No word on his condition.

The accident happened about two miles east of the Utica exit.

Putnam County unemployment reaches 15%

Retail saw an increase in employment in September but it wasn’t enough to help out area unemployment rates.

The September unemployment in Putnam County reached 15%.  In La Salle County, unemployment was over 12% and in Bureau County unemployment was just under 11&.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security says in the Ottawa-Streator area saw the largest decline in jobs in manufacturing, construction and professional-business trade.

Friday deadline for Catlin Park antlerless deer permit

Did you get a permit for the second-ever deer hunting season at Catlin Park near Ottawa? 

          The deadline to pre-register for a Catlin Park antlerless deer permit is Friday.  The county doesn’t charge for the permit.  The park is only open to archery and cross bow hunters. 

          Hunting at Catlin starts November 1^st and runs through January 14^th.  Twenty hunters will be allowed to hunt each day, on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

          The county wants to cut down on the deer population in the park which is off Route 71 between Ottawa and Utica.