Rescuers called to Starved Rock twice this week

          It’s been beautiful weather for hiking at Starved Rock State Park, but you’ve got to be careful.  Members of the Utica Fire Department and other rescuers were called to the park late Thursday afternoon for a 15 year old boy that had fallen at Owl Canyon.

          Conservation Police Sgt. Robert Frazier says the teen’s injuries didn’t appear to be serious.

          It’s the second time rescuers were called to the park this week.  Tuesday evening, a 15 year old Ottawa girl fell while at Lover’s Leap.  Frazier says they think the girl went off the boardwalk and fell.  She was taken to Ottawa Regional Hospital with more serious injuries.

          A woman from the suburbs was flown to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria after falling in Wildcat Canyon last Friday.

Area fire departments handle rural fire

 It’s not a good time to start a burning a pile.  A man living on a farm property north of La Salle that was a blaze Thursday was burning before the fire grew out of control.

Fire fighters were called to the property on the Troy Grove Blacktop at 4:20pm Thursday.  They arrived to find grass, a barn and another building burning. 

Peru and Mendota fire were also called.  It took about an hour to get the fire under control.  Gusty winds didn’t help.  La Salle’s crew was on the scene until about 8pm.

Trial date scheduled in arson case

 A pretrial and jury-trial date has been set for a woman accused of setting a house on fire and stealing from her church.  Terri James was arraigned Thursday in La Salle County Court.

          She faces felony residential arson, attempted arson, and theft charges.  She’s being held in jail with her bond set at 200 thousand dollars. 

          A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 4 with a jury trial scheduled for June 7^th.

Fire damages Peru home

http://ping.fm/p/rFVyx – West St fire

A house fire on West Street in Peru, a block north of Illinois Valley Community Hospital, detoured traffic for over an hour and left a home with fire and smoke damage.

It’s unclear what started the fire in the one-story brick home.  Peru Assistant Fire Chief Jim Duncan says the woman that lives there wasn’t home when it was called in just after 11am Thursday.  A cat was trapped in the house, but was saved.

The state fire marshall’s office has been called to investigate.

Ottawa Bar Loses Liquor License

Another bar in Ottawa has lost its liquor license.

Ottawa Mayor Bob Eschbach who also acts as the city’s liquor commissioner has revoked the liquor license of Fanatic’s Sports Bar and Grill on East Stevenson Road.  Eschbach says DMV Enterprises, the ownership group of Fanatics has had two previous liquor ordinance violations.  They were ticketed for selling liquor after closing time in 2007 and for allowing a minor in the bar in 2008.

Although Eschbach didn’t say if it played a role in his decision, the bar’s owners Victor Darwish and Minh Vo both face drug charges in Will County.

Last June, Blarney Pub in Ottawa also lost its liquor license because of drug dealing.

More Locals Could Need Flood Insurance

If you live along the Fox or Illinois Rivers, be in Ottawa April 21^st.  That’s the message from Ottawa Building Inspector Mike Sutfin.

Representatives from FEMA, IDNR and insurance officials are holding a floodplain map meeting on the 21^st at the Ottawa Knights of Columbus Hall from 6 until 8.  Sutfin says new flood maps have raised the base flood elevation 1 ½ feet, meaning some people who didn’t need flood insurance before need it now.

Sutfin says now is the time to buy flood insurance because you’ll get a preferred premium.  If you don’t get the insurance before flood maps become final, Sutfin says the insurance could go from 200 dollars to costing 2,000 dollars.

The public will have a couple months to comment about the maps before they become final.

Animal Shelter Needs A Home

Where do you quickly place about 80 cats and dogs?  It’s a question they’re asking at Just Animals Shelter in Seneca.

The shelter has been given a 30 day notice by their landlord to move out so a new tenant can move in.  A Plus Storage co-owner Justin Terry says they needed to find a renter.  The storage company issued a statement Tuesday saying they offered the animal shelter a six-month lease following the end of seven year lease in January.  The new lease would have raised monthly rent by 150 dollars.  The shelter had been paying one thousand dollars a month since it was built for them seven years ago.  The storage company says shelter officials turned down the lease and said they were moving to Morris.

Shelter officials say they’ve always paid their rent complete and on time.  In their own statement, they say have no idea where they will go or what will happen to the animals they have.  They say they can’t take new animals while they look to relocate.

Census Forms Due Today

Have you returned your census form yet?  Today’s the day the government wants your census form in the mail.

According to U.S. Census website, 64 percent of Bureau County has returned its census information so far.  La Salle County has a 63 percent return rate, Grundy County 61 percent and then Putnam County at 59 percent.

Each county sits well above the state return rate of 54 percent and national return rate of 52 percent.  If you don’t turn them in by that date, census workers will start going door-to-door trying to get your information.