Mendota Warming Center

The Mendota Civic Center remains a warming shelter for anyone without power in the area.

According to the Mendota PD, some areas in and around Mendota aren’t expected to have power restored until today at some point.

Anyone without transportation can call 539-9331.  Officers also say due to the heavy volume of emergency calls please don’t call 911 unless you have an actual emergency.

Alleged Cockfighters Visit Court

Ten men charged in an alleged Earlville cockfighting ring were in La Salle County Court Friday.

Rudolfo Villaneuva of Earlville allegedly owns the barn off I-39 that was raided by 50 police officers this past Saturday.  He and nine others are charged with the class 4 felony of animal fighting for entertainment.  Investigators think the group had been betting on cockfights for up to five years, possibly using some of the gambling money for drugs and gun trading.

All ten had initial court appearances today and were given public defenders.  All of the men needed interpreters.

The whole group has posted bond and are currently out of jail.

Winning Lotto Ticket Sold In Streator

Someone’s Christmas just got a lot merrier.

A manager at B & R Grocery in Streator is confirming they sold a winning Little Lotto ticket this Tuesday for 112 thousand dollars.

No one has claimed the ticket yet.

Scattered Outages In The Area

Power outages have canceled Christmas services for a couple of churches.

The Zion Lutheran Church in LaMoille won’t be able to have their 10pm Christmas Eve service.

Emanuel Lutheran Church in Compton has canceled its candlelight service and Christmas service.  The Christmas Eve pageant has been rescheduled for Sunday.

Winter weather is being blamed for the outages that have lasted all day Thursday near Mendota and LaMoille.  They’re mostly served by ComEd. 

Some homes were without power in Streator, an area served by Ameren.

Power was briefly out to about 100 customers in Granville this morning while crews were performing underground work.

Injured Tiskilwa Soldier Home For Holidays

Christmas has come early for a family in Bureau County.

Drew McComber of Tiskilwa is home for the holidays after being seriously hurt while serving in Afghanistan.  McComber was hurt when one of the soldiers he was walking with stepped on a landmine.  Three soldiers were killed.  McComber was airlifted to a hospital in Germany.  He’s now being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

He’s undergoing rehabilitation.

Flood Watch Continues For Area

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the listening area through late tonight.

Rain’s expected to become heavy today with two to three inches possible in some spots.  Add these amounts to melting snow, and some rivers could flood.