Mautino named House Deputy Majority Leader

A new title and a new office for your state representative.  Democrat Frank Mautino was named House Deputy Majority Leader after the new General Assembly took office in January.

Mautino’s Springfield office is moving from the Stratton Building to the third floor of the State Capital.

Interstates closed, state troopers and National Guard to rescue stranded motorists

All interstates in Illinois State Police District  17’s area are being shut down at approx.  9:30pm Tuesday.  State Police Sgt. Quillard Skinner says state troopers and members of the Illinois National Guard will be working through the night to get stranded motorists to safe areas.

He says snow drifts as high as IDOT trucks have been spotted along I-39.   The interstate likely won’t reopen until late Wednesday morning or afternoon.

Other roads aren’t any better.  A couple of county highway departments have pulled plows from the roads and the winter storm rages on.    In La Salle, Public Works Superintendent Sam McNeilly decided to pull the plows from the far east end of town, east of I-39 by 9:30pm.   Plows will remain on the main roads in La Salle through the night.

IDOT has placed signs out warning that roads are dangerous.  La Salle County Sheriff Tom Templeton is urging you to stay home unless it’s an emergency.

You can find a link to IDOT’s statewide map by visiting am 1220 wlpo dot com.

Click here to visit IDOT’s statewide map.

Kinzinger Cancels Local Appearances Due To Weather

Newly-elected Congressman Adam Kinzinger won’t be coming to Princeton or Ottawa Wednesday  as scheduled.

The 11^th District Representative had scheduled town hall meetings at the Prouty Building in Princeton and the Ottawa City Hall .   Those are postponed because of the weather.

Kinzinger says he’ll make the stops at a later date.

State Police Say Stay Home

Stay home and watch the snow fall, that’s the message from District 17 State Trooper Craig Graham.

Graham says its “all hands on deck” for his department with the expected blizzard to make travel dangerous over the next day or so.  Graham says if you get stranded or in an accident, be patient and stay with your car.

If you have to drive, Graham says to take bottled water, jumper cables, energy bars and make sure your cell phone is charged.  If you get stuck with plenty of gas in the tank, keep your car idling as long as you can while making sure nothing is blocking the exhaust.

Also keep track of your surroundings.  The more specific you can be with police as to where you’re stuck, the quicker they can find you.

Driver Hurt In Semi Crash

Mechanical problems are being blamed for a semi rollover yesterday afternoon near Ladd.

Ronald Sessler of Spring Valley told troopers he was driving his semi eastbound on I-80 when mechanical issues caused his truck to swerve into a ditch.  The truck hit several trees and overturned onto its side.

Sessler was taken to St. Margaret’s Hospital.  He wasn’t ticketed.

Latest Road Condition Reports

Road conditions are sketchy this morning.

IDOT reports that Interstate 39 from La Salle south has scattered slippery spots.  I-39 from La Salle to the north is 25 percent snow and or ice covered.

Interstate 80 and 180 both are reported to have scattered slippery spots.

 

Latest Storm Outlook

If you have travel plans later today through Wednesday afternoon, probably best to cancel them.

A Blizzard Warning is in effect for the entire listening area until 3pm Wednesday.  Two to four inches of snow is possible this afternoon with the possibility of a foot more tonight.  The snow could fall 1 to 3 inches an hour.

Making issues even worse, the wind will gust up to 50 miles per hour creating the blizzard-like conditions.

Black ribbons worn to remember Peru alderman

A bow made from black ribbon adorned the name plate marking where Peru Alderman Ron Wren would sit during council meetings.  Monday night’s meeting was the first since without Wren who died Friday after a brief hospitalization.  Wren left the previous council meeting by ambulance after collapsing minutes after the meeting adjourned.

Many city officials wore black ribbons on their shirts.  Wren’s wife Pat and his children were at the meeting for a moment of silence.