Heat Kills Thousands Of Fish At Power Plant

The hot weather has killed off thousand’s of fish outside the Exelon Nuclear Plant near Marseilles.

Plant officials say more than two thousand fish were killed in La Salle Lake.  Vice President Dave Rhoades says they take every precaution to prevent and minimize impacts to the lake but when there are extreme weather conditions, it’s historically led to loss of fish.  Rhoades says most of the dead fish are gizzard shad.

The DNR is surveying the lake.  They’re also working with Exelon officials to clean the lake.

More Homes Being Bought In The Area

Home sales are up in the Illinois Valley.

According to a report by the Illinois Association of REALTORS, more homes were sold between this past April thru June than during the same months last year.

La Salle County had 284 home sales this past quarter, up from 248 last year.  Bureau County had 76 homes sold in the second quarter, up from 62 last year.  Putnam County homes sales went up from 12 to 20.  The realtor association credits a tax credit and strong buyer market as reasons home sales are up.

While home sales are up, the price they’re being sold for is going down.  The median sale price in Putnam County dropped from 112 thousand to 96 thousand dollars.  The median price in La Salle County is down from 105 to 97 thousand dollars while Bureau County had a lesser drop, going from 96 to 93 thousand dollars.

The median is a typical market price where half the homes are sold for more, half sold for less.

Leininger Doesn’t Know When He’ll Quit County Board

A couple weeks after announcing his intentions to resign from the La Salle County Board, Jack Leininger says he still plans to resign but when is still up in the air.

The Marseilles republican said at yesterday’s board meeting that he was still resigning but also said it probably wouldn’t be his last meeting.  Leininger says family medical issues have popped up that didn’t exist six months ago, leading him to stepping down before his term is up late next year.

He is chairman of the county’s Property Committee and also serves on the Nursing Home, Finance, Tourism and Circuit Wide Probation committees.  Leininger’s been on the county board since 2002.

Federal grant could help La Salle County Transit Group

Kind of like with commuter rail service, a push is still on for a countywide transit system although it’s taking awhile.

Jim Monterastelli of Horizon House and the La Salle County Transit Partnership Group told the La Salle County Board Thursday that an $850,000 federal grant is awaiting La Salle County.  He says they need to send in their official application to get the money.  The board is helping the process by agreeing to be the grant recipient since it’s for areas with 20 thousand or more population.

Monterastelli says between social service providers and hospitals, they have 58 vehicles that could provide countywide transportation.  He says Horizon House and others would also cover the 20% local match for the grant since they spend that money already driving people around.

After getting the grant, Monterastelli says his transit group would go after several more grants to keep the transportation service running.

Water could help prevent a heat related illness

Chugging a glass or two of water today could help you stay healthy during the extreme heat.

Given the temperatures and the humidity, it could feel like it’s 109 Friday.  The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory through Friday evening, meaning you should take a few precautions to avoid a heat related illness.

Vanda Spanbauer is a nurse with Illinois Valley Community Hospital.  She says the easiest way to avoid getting sick is drinking water.  You should also avoid going out during the hottest times of the day.

She says some signs you could be suffering from a heat related illness include feeling faint, having a grayish look to your face, and hot feeling skin.

If that happens, get out of the sun and cool down your body.  If you believe someone has suffered heat stroke, you should seek medical attention.

La Salle County public safety sales tax money up

For the seventh month in a row, Public Safety Sales tax revenues for La Salle County are up.

The county brought in over $213,000 of sales tax revenues in May, up nearly $4000 from the year before.  The May sales tax revenue is the highest since December.

The county has brought in over $40,000 more from the public safety sales tax than at this point last year.

Kangley Blacktop reopens Friday

A portion of the Kangley Blacktop, a half a mile north of Route 18 will reopen at noon Friday.  The road has been closed so the bridge over Egg Bag Creek could be replaced.