derailment update

The coal spilled Friday by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train may keep a residential crossing closed the rest of this month. Mendota police learned Sunday from a railroad official Sunday, the Fifth street intersection, a block south of Route 34 will require additional time and attention. Police indicated work was being done today (Sunday). There were no injuries in the Friday derailment. Facebook pictures of the site indicate some cars came detached from their wheels. Additional pictures may seem to indicate considerable damage to the fifth street crossing.

Financial Stress program

Surveyed Americans say money, the economy, work and health are their top stressors. If you feel you lack the power to cope, you might be interested in an Extension Service program at 1:30pm this Thursday. Rachel Schwarzendruber, Extension educator will explain how financial difficulties affect families, how families respond and ways to move beyond the financial crisis. The program is free and held at 850 Thompson Street in Princeton. For information or to pre-register, call the Bureau County Extension office.

Mr. LP

LP Senior, Johnny Mendez seemed to be quite a hit at the Mr. LP fundraiser event in the auditorium Saturday night. About six hundred people watched ten contestants step through entertainment, formal wear, interview, swimsuit and SuperFan catagories. Mendez did a Michael Jackson type dance and was later joined by a female partner. Mendez raised one thousand dollars for the event. Coming in second in fundraising was Freshman Riley Sweetland of Tonica with 500 dollars. In total, some 25-hundred dollars was raised for the Illinois Valley Food Pantry

96-5 The Wolf “Kiss off” winner

Melissa Taylor and Dino Gualandri, both of LaSalle like each other a lot. Enough to lock lips thru three rounds and win 96-5 The Wolf’s “Country Kiss-off” at Hy-Vee in Peru Saturday afternoon. The affectionate two -some won a dozen arranged roses, Surf and Turf for two, Cheesecake dessert and Wine – a one hundred twenty five dollar value from Hy-Vee. Round one involved just kissing, round two kissing with hands behind their back and round three, kissing while standing on one foot. On hand for the contest was 96-5 The Wolf’s “Cowboy”, morning co-host, Clare Bennett and a bunch of curious onlookers.

Still cleaning in Mendota

When a train derails…it can leave quite a mess and cause problems cleaning up afterwards. In Mendota, the Fifth street crossing, a block south of Route 34 remains closed after a Burlington-Northern Santa Fe train derailed Friday spilling coal. A Mendota police dispatcher said several pieces of railroad equipment were still at the scene. The closing of the Fifth Street crossing will likely be a minor nuisance to Mendota residents. A few other crossings were affected but have since opened. No one was injured in the Friday derailment. It’s unknown just how long the Fifth street crossing will be closed.

Mr. St. Bede

The Mr. St. Bede event at Celebrations 150 appears to have been quite successful. Eleven contestants competed Saturday night amid music. Joe Kolodziej of LaSalle was named Mr. St. Bede. Some 24-thousand dollars was raised for St. Bede Academy through this event.