Resurfacing to begin Wednesday on Route 178

If Route 178 through Utica is part of your usual drive, you may want to leave early.

Route 178 is being resurfaced from Route 6 to Route 71.  It’s a three and a half mile stretch that includes Utica.  Work is scheduled to start Wednesday.

Crews with Len Trovero Construction will be milling and resurfacing and making some sidewalk improvements.  The project is costing over $1 million.

They’re not scheduled to finish until August.

Low-interest loans available for homeowners, business owners and farmers affected by tornadoes

With La Salle, Livingston, Peoria and Putnam counties declared as state disaster areas, people who lost their houses and businesses and farmers are eligible for low-interest disaster recovery loans.

Homeowners and business owners can apply for a Disaster Recovery Loan while farmers can apply for the Cultivate Illinois: Storm and Drought Loan.

The state treasurer’s office gets below-market interest rates for storm victims in declared disaster areas that finance their disaster repairs by going to a local bank.  Loan rates would be no more than 4 and a half percent.

If you expect insurance to cover your damages, you can qualify for one-year bridge loans with interest-only payments. Those loans will be paid off in one lump sum when insurance or aid comes through.

If you’re underinsured, you would qualify for low-interest loans with repayment terms of up to five years.

To participate in the loan programs, you must file the application within 90 days of the state or federal disaster declaration.

If you are a homeowner, business owner or banker you can call the storm victim hotline at (866) 523-0641 or email opportunityillinois@treasurer.state.il.us.

If you are a farmer or banker who needs more information on Cultivate Illinois, call the storm/drought division at 217-558-6217 or email cultivateillinois@treasurer.state.il.us.

Ways To Help In Streator

Looking to help people hit by the Streator tornado?  There are a number of ways.

Monetary donations should be made to the American Red Cross or Salvation Army.  Checks should be dropped off at Streator City Hall.

As for clothes, you can drop clothes donations off at the north door of First Assembly of God Church at 1902 South Church Street in Streator.  Victims can pick up clothes today at the church from 1 until 3.

If your wanting to volunteer in the cleanup, call 815-257-9911.

Fall At Starved Rock

Finding a private place to relieve himself apparently led a man from Lisle to fall at Starved Rock State Park.

Michael Deglinnocenti was taken by ambulance to IVCH and then flown to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria after falling 60 feet to the bottom of Hidden Canyon Sunday evening.  He’s listed in fair condition.

Conservation Police say Deglinnocenti was hiking with a group that all had been drinking when he and Caleb Peterson of Wisconsin went off the marked path to urinate.  Both were ticketed for unlawful entry into a restricted area while Peterson was also picked up for underage drinking.

More Salmonella Cases

The Illinois Department of Public Health says the number of Salmonella illnesses related to people eating at Subway restaurants in Illinois has gone up.

Public health officials say there are now 48 cases of Salmonella in 18 different counties including Bureau, La Salle and Marshall between May 11^th and the 25th.  The cases range in age from six to 88 years old.  Seventeen people had to be hospitalized but are said to be recovering.  La Salle County health officials reported two local cases as of last week.

At this time, a specific food source hasn’t been identified with this outbreak.

New River Rescue Team

Peru and Ottawa have one, and now so does Oglesby.

With plenty of people using the Vermilion River, Oglesby has established its own river rescue squad.  The squad has 19 trained members, many who are either firefighters or ambulance workers.

Public Safety Commissioner Tom Porter says the rescue team isn’t an attempt to try and get Buzzi Unicem’s stretch of the Vermilion back open.

Streator Theater Group Picking Up Pieces

“The show will go on at some point”.  That’s according Engle Lane Theatre Board member Kathy Missel.

Missel and other Engle Lane board members spent Monday meeting with insurance adjustors and engineers to go over the damage assessment of the theater.  Missel says they haven’t been inside to fully check things out but knows the roof is almost all gone, walls are bowing out and the stage for the upcoming play is completely lost.

Missel admits it could’ve been worse.  Exactly a week before the tornado hit, the theatre was full with people watching “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”.

Missel and her board will have an emergency meeting tonight at 7 inside Streator Home to figure out the immediate future of the theatre.

Shelter Gives Displaced Families Place To Stay

The Heartland Red Cross Chapter out of Bloomington has set up a shelter in Streator.

The shelter opened overnight inside the St. Stephen’s Parish at 811 Lundy Street.  The shelter’s open to people displaced by Saturday night’s tornado and will remain open until people can return home or find other arrangements to live.

Cots, beds, food and drinks are available at the shelter.