Peru Mayor wants to review deal with PVAS

La Salle isn’t the only city taking a closer look at their ambulance service; Peru Mayor Scott Harl wants to review their deal with the Peru Volunteer Ambulance Service.  He says it’s been six years since they approved their last agreement with the service.

Peru pays $4,000 a month to PVAS.  Alderman Jack O’Beirne called that “darn cheap for an ambulance service.”

Alderman Bob Ankiewicz seemed to take offense to Harl’s request, saying Harl knows what the ambulance service produces.

In November, La Salle decided to hire an out-of-area company to provide ambulance service to their town as their contract with PVAS expired.  It’s unclear what impact that will have on PVAS.

New City Clerk Named In Oglesby

The Oglesby City Council has picked a familiar face to be their next city clerk.

Oglesby’s Economic Development-Tourism Director Becky Clinard is also the pick to be city clerk.  She was chosen among 11 finalists and nearly 140 people who applied.  Mayor Don Finley says Clinard was the only “in-house” candidate vying for the job.

Current clerk Mary Hancock is retiring officially in May after 26 years in the clerk’s office.  She’s been the city clerk for the last three years.  Hancock is taking advantage of Oglesby’s early retirement package.

Clinard will keep her economic development and tourism job that has her working around 20 hours a week and being paid $20 an hour.  Her starting city clerk annual salary is $42,000.

Woman still missing after three days of searching

The sun has set on the third day of a search for a missing mother of four.

40-year old Tanya Shannon of Ransom hasn’t been seen since leaving a Christmas Party in Streator late night Saturday.  Her husband 41-year old Dale Shannon was found dead in a one-car crash early Sunday morning in rural Brookfield Township.

Investigators think she was in the car but got out after the crash.

Dozens continued searching for her Tuesday.

Scam Reports In Mendota

Mendota Police are taking new complaints of the so-called “grandparent scam”.

The “Grandma/Grandpa scams” are where a person says they’re a relative asking the caller for emergency funds due to an accident.  Investigators say these calls usually come from Canada.  Almost always the money is asked to be sent by Western-Union.

Call police if you get one of these scam phone calls.

Oglesby Enforcing Parking Restrictions

With another snowstorm possible this weekend, Oglesby’s Police Chief is putting out a friendly reminder.

James Knoblauch says his department handed out over 70 warning tickets for cars parked on city streets after last weekend’s snowstorm.  City ordinance calls for no parking on any city street in Oglesby if there are two or more inches of snow.

Knoblauch says the tickets were written all across town, not one spot in particular.

Area Cemetery Vandalized

Police in Seneca are looking for clues in who damaged at least six headstones at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

The vandalism report came into police Sunday after cemetery volunteers noticed tire tracks leading up to the damaged headstones.  They think the driver circled around and intentionally hit the headstones.

Investigators say they found at least two sets of footprints in the snow where a car became stuck.

Cemetery officials say they won’t know the extent of the damage until the snow melts.