EPA Warns Of Contamination In Oglesby

Don’t drink the water.  That’s the message from the EPA for property in downtown Oglesby.

The Oglesby City Council passed an ordinance last night that prohibits anyone from drinking groundwater in the Sparkle Cleaners area on East Walnut Street.  The EPA has detected groundwater contamination on the property although the cleaners itself taps into city water, avoiding the groundwater.

City officials say the ordinance is much cheaper than trying to physically fix the contamination problem.

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Woman Accused Of Ripping Off Youth Football League

A woman from Sandwich is accused of using her position with the local youth football league to steal thousands of dollars.

Tammy Harrison was arrested by DeKalb County deputies at her home Friday night for theft over ten thousand dollars.  The Sandwich Youth Tackle Football Board approached police about an internal theft.

Harrison is the football league’s treasurer and is blamed for making illegal ATM withdrawals from several different banks using the football league’s account dating back to April of 2009.  She’s also accused of using the league’s account to make personal purchases.

Harrison posted three thousand dollars bond and was released.

La Salle Murderer Dies Nearly Decade After Crime

A convicted murderer from La Salle has died after serving only nine years of his sentence.

55 year old Dennis Wilson was pronounced dead last week at Chester Memorial Hospital.  He was taken there from Menard Correctional Center.  The Randolph County Coroner says Wilson died of liver failure.  He was suffering from Hepatitis C.

Wilson was sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing his Ottawa girlfriend Connie Farmer in February of 2002.  He beat the woman to death with a baseball bat and hid her in a stolen car that was abandoned in Varna.

Severe Weather Classes Are Back

Believe it or not, severe thunderstorm season isn’t that far away.

The National Weather Service is again holding a series of Severe Weather Spotter Training courses in the area.  The free classes run about two hours and cover things like what to look for in severe storms.

The first class is tonight at New Hope Church of the Nazarene in Princeton.  Classes will be at the McNabb Fire Station on March 3rd, Illinois Valley Community College on March 28^th and at Ottawa Regional Hospital on March 30th.

All the spotter classes begin at 6:30.

Rivers Heading Down

The Illinois River at La Salle should crest this evening.

The river is expected to hit 21.9 feet this evening, before eventually falling back below the 20 foot flood stage by Friday evening.  When the Illinois hits 22 feet, water starts coming up on the Starved Rock boat ramp.

A flood warning continues for the Illinois at La Salle.

A flood advisory is also in effect for the Illinois River at Ottawa.  The river is expected to crest today about a half foot under flood stage.

Polar Plunge returns for Special Olympics

You don’t have to wait until summer to take a dive into the lake at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville.  More people are needed for the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge on March 6.  It’s a fundraiser for the area Special Olympics Illinois chapter.

If you’re interested, you’ll need to collect a minimum of $75 in donations.  You can arrive in costume and form teams.

You can register online at www.plungeillinois.com.

Semi trailer hauling paint and TVs overnturns on I-39

One accident that may have been a result of the bad roads happened around 2:30am Tuesday near Tonica.

Police and fire were called to Interstate 39 for a semi trailer hauling TVs, paint and paint thinner that went into the median and overturned.

Police say some paint spilled but it wasn’t a lot.   No one was hurt.