Gingrich visits Tampico and Sterling for Reagan celebration

President Ronald Reagan’s 100^th birthday celebration brought former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich to rural north central Illinois.

Gingerich and his wife Callista spent Friday visiting Reagan’s birthplace in Tampico and later appeared at Sterling High School for a showing of their documentary “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny”.

Gingrich says he believes that as historians get away from partisanship and ideology they’ll reach the conclusion that Reagan may have been more purposefully affective than any other American president.

Afterwards Gingrich was the keynote speaker at the Illinois Ronald Reagan Commission’s Gala at the Deer Valley Golf Club.  Others scheduled to speak include U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and former House Speaker Denny Hastert.

Reagan would have turned 100 years old Sunday.

Local State’s Attorney Leaving Job To Be A Judge

Grundy County will soon need a new state’s attorney.

Current State’s Attorney Sheldon Sobol of Morris has been appointed to fill an Associate Judge seat in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit which covers Bureau, La Salle and Grundy County.  He fills the vacancy left behind by Associate Judge Lance Peterson who was elected to a Circuit Judge seat.  Sobol will be sworn in Monday, March 7^th at the Grundy County Courthouse.

He’s been Grundy County State’s Attorney since 2002.

Alderman Needed In Peru

If you have an interest in filling Ron Wren’s 4^th Ward alderman seat in Peru, contact the mayor.

The Peru City Council must approve an appointment within 60 days.  Wren died January 28^th, two days after collapsing at a city council meeting.  He was chairman of the Electric and Buildings and Grounds Committees.

Whoever is appointed to Wren’s seat will fill out the remaining two years of the term.

Rezin Gets Committee Appointments

38^th District State Senator Sue Rezin will serve on five Illinois Senate Committees.

Rezin has been named the Republican Spokesperson on the Senate Environment Committee.  She says she “welcomes the opportunity to help expand the green economy in the 38^th District and across Illinois”.

Rezin will also serve on the Energy, Agriculture, Appropriations and Commerce committees.  She’ll start her committee work when the General Assembly reconvenes Tuesday.

Community remembers Pete Miller III

The popular, but private President of Miller Group Media is being remember by his community a day after being pronounced dead in his home.

Kris Ellberg with Illinois Valley Animal Rescue says Pete Miller III was there for the animal shelter from day one.

Linda Kleczewski, the Editor at the NewsTribune says Miller was a very intelligent journalist.

Miller Group Media includes AM 1220 WLPO, 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 The Wolf, The NewsTribune and Agrinews.

An autopsy was scheduled for Friday.

He’s survived by his wife Cathy.  Funeral services will be private.

Garbage Hauler Not Hitting Rural Routes

As you try to get back to a sense of normalcy after the blizzard, garbage crews continue to work from behind.

Garbage pickup in Peru and Streator is a day behind this week and Illinois Valley Waste Services is not running rural routes this week.  They’ll double up their pickup next week for anyone passed over this week.

IV Waste officials say they are picking up garbage in Lostant, Buda and Neponset today and will pick up garbage in Ladd, Henry, Hennepin and Tiskilwa tomorrow within city limits.

K of C collecting food for the IV Food Pantry

Area Knights of Columbus members are blitzing hunger and not quarterbacks this weekend.

Members of the Marquette Council in Utica and Calvert Council in La Salle are gearing up for their 11^th annual Hunger Blitz.  Members will be collecting food from 8am-4pm Saturday at Illinois Valley Food Center, Hy-Vee, Jewell-Osco and Save-A-Lot.

Donations go to the Illinois Valley Food Pantry.  Last year’s blitz raised over $1900 and collected 45 hundred pounds of food.

Gingrich, Hastert expected at Reagan Celebration

A special birthday is being celebrated this weekend around Illinois and the nation.  Ronald Reagan, the only U.S. president born and raise in Illinois would have turned 100 years old on Sunday.

Ann Lewis with the Dixon Reagan Centennial Commission and the Illinois Reagan Centennial Commission says they have 50 events planned across the state for the 40^th president.

Lewis says Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be in the area Friday visiting Reagan’s birthplace in Tampico and later appear at Sterling High School for a showing of the documentary “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny”.

Friday evening is the Illinois Ronald Reagan Commission’s Gala at the Deer Valley Golf Club in Deer Grove.  Gingrich will be the keynote speaker.  Others scheduled to speak include U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and former House Speaker Denny Hastert.

The dinner is being used as a fundraiser to raise money for a statue depicting a young Reagan sitting on a cannon, an imaged based on a story from Reagan’s childhood in Dixon.

IDOT lays out plans for Rt 178 reallignment

“You guys got a problem”.  That was IDOT Engineer Herb Jung’s message to Utica officials and business owners when it comes to bottleneck traffic during the Burgoo Festival.

Construction of a new Route 178 and Interstate 80 interchange is underway and Jung is trying to work with village officials to figure out a traffic control plan during busy events like Burgoo or the Veteran’s Day Parade.  Traffic often backs up on 80 during these events.

Jung says traffic problems will only worsen this year with the 178-80 overpass being torn up.

While no plan was decided on at a public meeting last night, Jung offered some suggestions.  He says they could take traffic off Interstate 80 in Ottawa and have them take Route 6 into Utica.  Burgoo traffic could also be directed to Route 23 and then take Route 71 from Ottawa into Utica.

Jung said the most likely choice would be to shut off the 178 exit during Burgoo and have festival goers instead take Interstate 39 and backtrack to Utica using Route 6.