http://ping.fm/p/MIEV3 – Listener submitted pic of downtown Marseilles fire.

Major Fire In Marseilles

A major fire in downtown Marseilles was brought under control around five this evening.

The fire along Commercial Street apparently started in an abandoned warehouse just before two this afternoon.  The fire then spread to nearby rundown buildings including one that’s called “the foundry”.  The large fire caused traffic to be diverted and led to power outages.

There are no reports of injuries.

IVCC Offering Degrees In Exchange For Janitorial Work

Making more in-roads into Ottawa, Illinois Valley Community College has struck an unusual deal with the new Marquette Academy.

Starting in the fall, Marquette juniors and seniors can get an Associate’s in Science degree from IVCC by taking dual credit courses.  In exchange, Marquette officials will offer their janitorial service to keep the new IVCC-Ottawa Center clean.

Marquette juniors can enroll in 17 hours of dual credit while seniors can enroll in 21 hours of dual credit by going to Marquette in the morning and attending class at the Ottawa Center of IVCC in Oglesby in the afternoon.

The IVCC Board approved the so-called “Running Start” pilot program Thursday.

Police say they find crack-cocaine during I-80 stop

An ordinary traffic stop for speeding turned into a drug bust for police on Interstate 80.

Police say after they stopped the car Tuesday night near a man riding in the car, James Toliver of Chicago, admitted that he had a small amount of marijuana.  This reportedly prompted troopers to search the the car.  Police say they found 112 grams of what they think is crack-cocaine in the trunk.

Toliver was arrested for possession of cannabis and possession of a controlled substance and was taken to the La Salle County Jail.

Ground Breaking For Ottawa Goodwill Store

Groudbreaking on a new Goodwill store in Ottawa happens next week.

City officials will join Goodwill ownership in moving dirt next Tuesday morning at 11.  The 17 thousand square foot store is north of interstate 80 near Wal-Mart.   The store should open this fall and employ 30 to 35 full and part-time workers.

The Ottawa Goodwill will be primarily donated goods but they’ll have some non pre-owned merchandise available.  As in Peru, the Ottawa store will have a drive-up, drop-off point.

Doctor To Evaluate Accused Thief and Arsonist

A woman accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a church and setting a house on fire in Ottawa will have her mental state evaluated next week.

Judge H. Chris Ryan gave the go ahead for 42 year old Terri James of Ottawa to be evaluated Tuesday before her trial date of June 7^th.  The defense is wondering if she’s mentally fit to stand trial for arson and theft.  Lawyers hope to have the mental exam results for James’ next court appearance next Friday morning.

She was arrested in March after fires broke out at an abandoned house on Leland Street and a home on Catherine Street in Ottawa.  Prosecutors think she was trying to destroy evidence showing that she stole over 100,000 thousand dollars from the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Ottawa where she was a secretary.

James remains in the La Salle County Jail on 200 thousand dollars bond.

A new purpose could be in the future of an old church in La Salle

A new use looks to be in the feature for a former church in La Salle.  An architect from California with ties to the area is a potential buyer for the old St. Roch’s Church.  The property has been on the market for several months after Catholic Charities moved their offices to a new location in La Salle.  It hasn’t been used as a church since the late 70’s.

The potential buyer has plans to convert the building into to a single family home and restore it’s original elements.  The sale is expected to close by the end of June.

La Salle Pool gets ready to open Saturday

If the weather stays as warms as it has been, La Salle’s swimming pool will be a busy place this weekend.  The pool opens for the season noon Saturday.  They’ll be open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 5pm and on weekdays from noon until 7pm.  Adult swim will be from 11am until noon.  Admission is $1.25.

Danielle Newell is the pool manager.  She’s says with the chance that Peru’s pool won’t open, they’re predicting they’ll have more kids, but it’s hard to say until everyone’s out of school.

Local unemployement show improvement from March to April

Fewer people were filing unemployment claims last year at this time, but there is one positive sign for local unemployment numbers.

April unemployment numbers for La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam Counties were slightly lower than they were in March.

April unemployment in La Salle County was 14.3%.  It was 11.4% in Bureau County and 13.5% in Putnam County.  This April’s figures, however, were slightly higher than those of April 2009.