Mega Millions Winner In Princeton

There’s been another lottery winner in the area.

Sullivan’s Gas Station in Princeton sold a 250,000 thousand dollar winning ticket in Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing.  The name of the winner hasn’t been released.  The winner matched all five mega millions number but missed out on the “megaball” number which would have made the winnings 17 million.

In March, Dane Colby of Hennepin won 20 million thru Mega Millions.  He bought the ticket at Hennepin Food Market.

Tornado Does In Theater Season

With a city cleaning up and a building destroyed, Engle Lane Theatre officials made the difficult decision to suspend the rest of the 2010 season.

The Engle Lane board of directors made the decision at an emergency meeting last night.  Board member Kathy Missel says they can’t find suitable alternate sites available in-time for upcoming productions.  The theatre group was already auditioning three upcoming plays with “Christmas Belles” set to start June 20^th.  Missel says they’re offering season ticket holders a refund for the rest of the season.

Engle Lane members are planning a variety show at some point in August at an alternate location.

Tornado Briefly Touched Down Saturday Near Naplate

According to the National Weather Service, a tornado briefly touched down west of Buffalo Rock State Park at 8:32 Saturday night.

Officials say the EF0 tornado downed a couple large trees but was only on the ground for a minute.

The tornado was a quarter mile wide and had maximum winds of 70 miles per hour.  The tornado path covered 50 yards.

New Salmonella Subway Case

The number of Salmonella cases related to Subway restaurants is up to three in La Salle County.

The third case was reported this week after two cases last week.  Statewide, there are now 60 Salmonella related cases covering Subway’s in 22 different counties including Bureau, La Salle and Putnam counties.  The cases range in age from two to 88 years old.

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

Magnolia “in pretty good shape”

Four days after a tornado struck Magnolia, a Putnam County official says they’re in pretty good shape.

Les Grant is the public information officer for emergency management in Putnam County.  He says they’ve gotten a lot done in town.

IDOT is in town picking up debris and most of the trees are cut.   He thinks they may actually be done in town.  Next they’ll work on the rural areas.

Utilities are almost all restored in town.

Grant says two homes for sure are a total loss.  Four or five others are repairable but have a lot of damage.  Grant believes one family is staying with family in Utica and the other is in a motel looking for more permanent housing.

Route 251 bridge traffic restricted to one lane

Traffic on the Route 251 bridge on the south side of Peru is back to one lane as bridge inspections continue.  Expect to wait as flaggers are controlling traffic.

Insurance counseling available for tornado damage

Was your property affected by the tornado?  The Illinois Department of Insurance will provide free, one-on-one counseling services in Streator to help you with the insurance claims process.

Department staff can assist with questions such as how to properly document storm damage, whether to make temporary repairs, what your homeowner policy covers, and what to expect during the claims process.

They’ll be at Streator City Hall Wednesday and Thursday from 9am until 7pm .

Boy Scout troops setting up camp in Ottawa

It’s been a big year for the Boy Scouts of America.  The organization is 100 years old and many events to mark the anniversary are Friday and Saturday in Ottawa.

Boy Scouts from all over are arriving in Ottawa Wednesday to set up camp sites at Friendship Village.   They’ll be hiking the 16-mile long W-D Boyce Trail Thursday. They’ll meet at the Salt Well off of Route71 for a short re-dedication ceremony.

You’ll find events for everyone downtown Friday and Saturday.  To participate, you would need to buy a wristband at the Masonic Temple either Friday or Saturday.