Streator High Facing Job Cuts

There could be a clearer picture after tonight of what the Streator High School Board will do with budget cuts.

The board is having a special meeting tonight at 6 in the school library.  At the last regular board meeting, Superintendent Kevin Myers spelled out scenarios where the school would lose either 530 thousand, 766 thousand or 956 thousand dollars in state funding.  He said with the best case scenario would be cutting 16 staff members while the worst case is losing 25 positions.

Myers also mentioned raising various fees.

Congressional Candidate Visiting Ottawa

A man wanting to be your next congressman is coming to Ottawa tonight.

Republican Adam Kinzinger of Manteno is on what he calls a “Repeal & Restart” health care town hall tour.  After a stop last night New Lenox, Kinzinger plans to talk health care tonight at Pitstick’s Pavilion starting at 7.

Kinzinger says his opponent Democrat Debbie Halvorson “owns” the health care bill.  He calls it bad public policy and says the people of Halvorson’s district will “remember come November that she turned her back on them yet again”.

Lady Antebellum Ticket Announcement

Tickets for Lady Antebellum in La Salle go on sale April 9^th.

Merry Noonan from Lou’s La Grotto announced that tickets will be 40 dollars and sold at Lou’s, AT&T in Peru and Wyanet Carpet in Princeton.  The ticket price includes parking.

Antebellum is coming off winning a grammy this year and will be the first of at least two planned “Concerts for a Cause” put on by Noonan.  This concert will benefit an area school.

96-5 the Wolf is among the sponsors for the show on Saturday, August 14^th.

Another Success For St. Baldricks

105 people including four females shaved their head yesterday in the fight against pediatric cancer.

The 3rd annual St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser at Senica’s Oak Ridge brought in over 29 thousand dollars this year, surpassing the fundraising goal of 27 thousand dollars.

The Peru Fire Department raised the most money in it’s competition with fire departments in Utica, La Salle, McNabb, Oglesby and Spring Valley.

Wiccan Back In Trouble

Remember the guy who was in La Salle County Court a couple years ago that claimed he embraced evil, practiced spells and was an anarchist?  He’s back in trouble.

25 year old Jonathan Pinney was arrested last week in Sheridan for trespass and disorderly conduct.  He was on probation after being found guilty in 2008 of aggravated battery for biting an Ottawa Police Officer at then Community Hospital of Ottawa.  Prosecutors have filed a petition to revoke his probation.

Pinney’s 2008 trial drew the interest of many in the county governmental complex as he represented himself and colored the area around his eyes dark black makeup.  At one point in the trial, Pinney bit his own arm to demonstrate how he bit the police officer who was trying to restrain him.

He’s being held on 15 thousand dollars bond.

Record Setting Day In Ottawa

Leave it to Ottawa to come up with new ways to honor Abraham Lincoln.

With nearly 3,000 Lincoln Logs stacked to the ceiling at Jeremiah Joe’s, organizers of the log stacking think they’ve broken a world record for the tallest Lincoln Log stacking in the world.  The nearly 11 foot tall Lincoln Log tower was the work of the Community House of Arts of Ottawa, or CHOAS, Ottawa High School students and people from the public who donated logs.

The tower which wobbled at times, was unveiled Saturday.  Organizers are selling raffle tickets at Jeremiah Joe’s to be able to knock down the tower next month.

Nuisance ordinance up for discussion in La Salle

Junk and broken down cars- just a couple of the things they’ll be talking about during the La Salle City Council meeting Monday.  They’ll be discussing changing the nuisance ordinance.  The council could also change parking in a block of Wright Street. 

          The La Salle City Council meets at 7pm.

Halverson votes in favor of healthcare overhaul

A transformative health care bill is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature.  House Democrats voted 219-212 Sunday night to send legislation to Obama that will extend coverage to 32 million people that don’t have insurance.

          Among the lawmakers voting in favor was Illinois Democrat Debbie Halverson.  She says she made her decision after hearing from voters in Illinois.

The legislation’s also designed to cut deficits and ban insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Republicans opposed the bill, saying it’s too expensive and calling it a government takeover.