Officers and EMS thanked for saving man’s life

A fast and skillful response on the part of two Peru Police Officers and four Peru Volunteer Ambulance EMS is being credited for saving the life of a man whose heart had stopped beating.

62 year old Jerry Bima of Oglesby and his wife Georgia were driving on Route 6 in Peru Friday, June 25 when Jerry stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.

A person called the police thinking he was a drunk driver, but when Officer Mark Credi found Bima stopped near the Route 251 overpass it was clear it was a medical emergency.

Credi and Officer Jeremiah Brown pulled Bima from the car began CPR and using a defibrillator to revive Bima.

Soon two ambulances arrived and EMS gave Bima an IV before taking him to Illinois Valley Community Hospital.  From there he was flown to Peoria.

Bima, his wife, children, and grandchildren watched Monday night as the officers and ambulance personnel Justin Jackson, Dawn Olson, Ashley Tondi and Jeanie Mekley received commendation from Mayor Scott Harl.

Bima’s son David told the council he is forever grateful they were able to give him his father back.

Police Chief Intervenes At Oglesby City Council Meeting

A boiling issue in Oglesby came to a head Monday night.

Oglesby Public Safety Commissioner Tom Porter responded to recent criticism by Drew Merriman of Oglesby after Merriman didn’t get transported by Oglesby’s Ambulance due to his size.  Porter says Oglesby has the same stretcher as everyone else in the area does and they’re a fully staffed and capable service.  He said he wanted to clear up misconceptions about the ambulance department and criticism that he believes is politically motivated.

Porter went on to say that they’ve only had one request for a larger bariatric stretcher and doesn’t see paying over 10 thousand dollars for just one request.  Merriman questioned Porter’s information after the meeting.  The discussion eventually became heated with Oglesby Police Chief Jim Knoblauch walking Merriman out of city hall.

Nursing Home Administrator Quits

For the second time in less than a year, a new administrator needs to be hired at the La Salle County Nursing Home.

Dr. Amjad Hussein resigned from the position Friday after a closed session meeting of the La Salle County Nursing Home Committee.  He was hired in February to take over for previous administrator Adrienne Erickson who was fired after the county was sued for alleged sexual assaults at the nursing home.

La Salle County Board Chairman Jerry Hicks says he knew “thing’s just weren’t working out” with Hussain but declined further reasoning on the resignation.  He already has a potential replacement in mind.  Hicks says this person was interviewed for the job earlier this year before Hussain was hired.

Hicks expects the new administrator to be hired within a week or two.

Update On Crash That Killed Three Near Grand Ridge

At least one teen remains hospitalized after a crash that left three other dead.

Police say a pickup truck with six people, five of which were teens, sheared off a telephone pole and rolled before hitting a house in Farm Ridge Township yesterday evening.

Investigators believe 49 year old James Black of Grand Ridge was traveling at a high rate of speed when he apparently lost control.

Black and two others, 16 year old Brittany Burash of Grand Ridge and 18 year old Robert Eccleston of Streator were pronounced dead at the scene.

17 year old Adam Renner of Streator was taken to Ottawa Regional Hospital.  His condition hasn’t been released.  19 year old Anthony Schumacher and 17 year old Cody Black of Streator were taken St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator and later to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.  Black remains in critical condition while Schumacher was treated and released.

The owner of the house, Robert Smith, wasn’t home when it was hit.

Princeton Teen Still Critical After Crash

A Princeton teen involved in a bad accident last week near Utica remains in critical condition.

14 year old Corren Bolin is still being treated at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.  She was in a car that was smashed into by a truck driver from Ohio state.  Bolin’s dad and her driver Thomas was treated and released from St. Francis Medical Center.

The Bolin’s were stopped in traffic last Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 80 near Utica because of an earlier accident involving two semis.

Oglesby solider receives special welcome home

Oglesby has welcomed home one their own.  Kurtis Strand returned home from Afghanistan Monday morning.

Strand took a leave of absence from the Oglesby Fire Department and ambulance service to serve in the Army.

He was escorted from the Interstate 39 overpass to his home by a squad car, an ambulance and two fire trucks.

Harvest Fest topic of Oglesby events committee

Harvest Fest will be one of the topics when the Oglesby Events Committee meets Tuesday.

They could also talk about an event for the winter.  If you’re interested, you can participate.  The meeting is at 7p.m. at City Hall.

Russian Gulags topic of exhibit at IVCC

An exhibit at Illinois Valley Community College takes a close look at a dark time in Russia’s history.  The Russian Gulag exhibit explains how the prisons worked as forced labor camps and as a punishment for people considered to be enemies of the state.

You can find the exhibit in the lobby of Building C.  It will be up through August 31.Books about this time period are also available at the campus library.

A professor from the University of Illinois will be on campus Monday, August 23 talking about the Gulag.

Blagojevich jury deliberations entering 13th day

CHICAGO (AP) – Jurors coming off a three-day break at the corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are returning for a 13th day of deliberations.

They gather Monday with a chance they could soon provide additional word about whether they’ve reached full agreement.

They created a stir last week with a note to Judge James Zagel signaling they’re stuck on several of 24 counts. They say they’ve agreed on only two.

Zagel told them to deliberate further.

If they can’t agree, Zagel could accept a partial verdict and declare the jury hung on undecided charges. That could result in prosecutors retrying Blagojevich.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to all 24 counts, including trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.