New Area Extension Director

There’s a new woman in charge of the newly consolidated University of Illinois Extension Office.

Jill Guynn of La Salle is the director of the extension office that covers Bureau, La Salle, Marshall and Putnam Counties.  The new four-county partnership is one of 26 multi-county officers that were part of a statewide reorganization because of state funding cuts.

Ancilla Parducci is now the local 4-H Youth Development Educator and Rachel Schwarzendruber is the Family Life Educator.  A Horticulture Educator will also be hired.

Cocaine Arrest In Streator

A Streator woman is accused of dealing drugs from home.

TRIDENT officials arrested Mary Ford Tuesday for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.  She’s accused of selling cocaine to an undercover informant at her home on East Broadway Street.

Ford was taken to the county jail with her bond set at 50 thousand dollars.

New Interstate Testing Building In Ottawa

Contracts totaling more than 473 thousand have been awarded to build a new Test Road Maintenance Facility in Ottawa.

D.J. Sickley Construction of Peru was the winning bidder for general construction of the building.  They’re bid is 308 thousand dollars.  Metcalf-Martin Plumbing and Heating of Streator was awarded the plumbing work for 122 thousand dollars.  J.B. Contracting of La Salle will do the electric work for 42 thousand dollars.

They will put up a five thousand square foot maintenance building that includes office and storage space, restrooms and general use space.  The building is expected to be done by Fall 2011.

The money is from the state construction program called Illinois Jobs Now!

Another Discipline Issue at Ottawa High

It looks like another student at Ottawa High School is getting kicked out of school.

The school board will meet in closed session Tuesday morning at the school to handle an expulsion recommendation for a student discipline issue.  The board earlier this week expelled a student for a full calendar year.

The board doesn’t give details on the expelled student or why they’re expelled other than to say for gross misconduct.