Miners’ Memorial dedicated in Cherry

A tragedy that fueled major changes to labor laws won’t be forgotten in Cherry.  Hundreds of people from Bureau County and beyond watched as a Miner’s Memorial was unveiled during a dedication ceremony Saturday.

          It was part of a weekend of programs marking the 100^th anniversary of the mining disaster that killed 259 men and boys.

Safety on the job was one of the messaged repeated throughout the program. 

Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson presented Cherry Mayor Bob McCook with a resolution she introduced in the US House, noting the disaster’s historical significance.

Other speakers included State Senator Gary Dahl, State Representative Frank Mautino, and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Killbride.  Killbride read a poem published locally weeks after the cherry.  The poem can be found on the back side of the monument in downtown Cherry. 

The exhibits and programs continue Sunday, including a memorial service at Miners’ Memorial Cemetery at 1pm. 

Man arrested after police called to auto body shop

A couple of charges for a man from Paw Paw after police were called to an auto body shop in Mendota. Jeffrey Delong was arrested Friday afternoon by La Salle County Sheriff’s deputies for domestic battery and criminal damage to property. It happened at Delong Auto Body in Mendota. Mendota Police arrested him for DUI. He was taken to the La Salle County Jail.