Ottawa Continues Push For County Transportation System

The city of Ottawa is taking charge in bringing a public transportation system to La Salle County.

The Ottawa City Council is filling out a grant application to receive 900 thousand dollars to start up countywide transportation.  Mayor Bob Eschbach sees a system where cities, hospitals and social service agencies like Horizon House pull resources together and offer rides throughout the county.  Eschbach says Ottawa will be administrator of the system by dishing out funds but will ask North Central Illinois Council of Governments to run the day to day operations like hiring personnel, providing office space and dispatching vehicles for pickups.

The grant requires a 50 percent match for mileage and 20 percent match for administrative costs.  Eschbach says this money will come from existing costs of cities, hospitals and others already offering transportation.

Little Lotto winner remains unkown

The person who bought a winning Little Lotto ticket at a gas station in Princeton is keeping it a secret, for now.

The winning ticket was sold Friday at Becks Express on Main Street and is worth $250,000.

The winning numbers were 21, 24, 32, 36 and 37.

The store will receive a 25 hundred dollar bonus.  Illinois Lottery officials say the winner has yet to come forward.

Celebrity Waiter Dinner to raise money for LPHS foundation

If you like food, costumes and competition, you would make a good celebrity waiter.  The LP High School Foundation For Educational Enrichment holds its annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner February 19 at Senica’s Oak Ridge.  They’re looking for pairs of people who would like to host a table complete with a theme and money raising ideas.

A buffet will be served and there will be games and prizes.  Proceeds go to the foundation which helps teachers and the school pay for classroom items and projects.

If you’re interested in having a table, call the high school.  If you don’t want to be a waiter, but still want to go tickets are $30 a person.

Caller asked man to wire money to Miami to receive prize

Wouldn’t it be great to win $85,000?  Chances are you haven’t and if you did, you wouldn’t need to wire money to a man in Miami to receive it.

A local man called the sheriff’s department after someone called him claiming that he had won money that was to be delivered by UPS.  The caller asked him to go to Walmart and wire $100 to a person in Miami.

Don’t fall for it and call the police if you receive this call.

Senior Senator Says No Death Penalty

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says states shouldn’t impose the death penalty, but he says he doesn’t want to abolish all federal authority to employ capital punishment.

Durbin says he has always supported the death penalty, but he  says he’s come to believe that “life in prison is penalty enough” and that it is time to bring an end to the death penalty. Durbin says his concern is about whether the death penalty can be fairly administered.

He says he’d make an exception for national crimes that involve terrorism or treason.

Three Businesses Fail Alcohol Test

The latest test to see if area businesses sell alcohol to minors led to three arrests.

State Police did an alcohol check last week at 17 businesses in Ottawa, Streator and Grand Ridge.  Troopers say a minor was able to buy alcohol at Mann Food and Gas in Streator, Shaker’s Lounge in Ottawa and the Grand Ridge Shell Fast N Fresh.

Mann employee Sangaykumar Patel, Shaker’s employee Sheri Lawson of Marseilles and Fast N Fresh worker Jennifer Gentry of Marseilles were all arrested for unlawful delivery of alcohol to a minor.  All three were released with court dates.

Tax Referendum In Earlville

The financial future of the Earlville School District will be put in the hands of voters.

The Earlville School Board voted last night to create an April referendum asking voters to increase the district’s Education Fund tax rate to 4 dollars per 100 dollars assessed valuation.  This would be an increase of $1.40 and bring the rate to the state maximum.  This would mean 393 dollars more a year in property taxes for someone owning a 120 thousand dollar home.

Earlville’s current Education Fund tax rate is the lowest in the county and has been the same for nearly 40 years.