Snowy December cuts into Peru’s salt supply

It’s been a snowy December and that’s kept the Peru streets department busy.  Plows in Peru have already dropped an estimated 1700 tons of salt this season.

Public Works Superintendent Gary Bleck says that’s about half of their supply.  He says he’ll monitor their supply, but says he’s seen seasons when it’s starts off snowy but they have salt left in April.

2010 brought fewer deadly crashes locally

The number of people killed in car crashes this year in the Illinois Valley is down.

According to IDOT, 14 people have died this year in 12 crashes in La Salle County.  That’s down from 21 deaths last year.  Bureau County has had six crashes that killed six people.  Bureau County had seven people killed in crashes the previous two years.  There have been no fatal crashes for the second year in a row in Putnam County.

Statewide, 916 people have been killed in crashes this year, up from 911 all of last year.

Burglary related charges for Peru man

A ladder and a heater are a couple of things that were allegedly about to walk away from a construction site in Peru.

Police went to the Illinois Valley Professional Complex after getting a call about a burglary Sunday night.  Police say they arrived and found William Davis of Peru trying to put a large ladder in a truck that already had a propane tank heater inside.  They also say they found a handgun.

Davis was arrested for burglary, possession of burglary tools and unlawful use of a weapon.  He was taken to the county jail.

New Details In Three Semi Crash Near Peru

The three truckers involved in a Monday night crash near Peru have been identified.

State Police say Larry Ridgeway of Indiana was westbound on I-80 when he drove through the median and into the east bound lanes.  He ended up hitting a semi driven by Timothy Arndt of Wisconsin.  A third semi driver Dennis Jacks of Rock Island couldn’t avoid the other two trucks and sideswiped Ridgeway.

Ridgeway was taken to St. Margaret’s Hospital while Jacks and Arndt went to Illinois Valley Community Hospital.

No tickets have been issued.

Investigators Hope Break In Weather Means Break In Case

Investigators hope unseasonably warm weather will allow them to continue their search for Tanya Shannon who’s been missing since a car crash that killed her husband.

The search for Tanya has been postponed for a few weeks due to wintry conditions.  Now, the forecast calls for temperatures to warm up into the 50s by Friday.

Sheriff Tom Templeton says he wants to see what actually happens with the weather before deciding to resume the
search. Templeton also says there are no new developments in the case.

Streator Teachers On Verge Of New Contract

School may be out but school board members and teachers at Streator High School are busy with contract negotiations.

The school board has called a special meeting tomorrow night at 5 to potentially approve a new contract with the Streator Federation of Teachers Council.  The contract vote will come after a closed session.  The meeting is in the Streator High School Library.

The new contract will be good thru the 2012-2013 school year.  Teachers have been without a new contract since June.