New Face With Local Easter Seals

There’s a new Director of Development for the Easter Seals of La Salle and Bureau Counties.

Kelly Rick is now responsible for implementing a development plan for Easter Seals, which includes donor development, special events and estate planning.  For the last three years, Rick has been the public relations coordinator for the Rick Park Fund in Naplate.  Her son Grayson was the Easter Seals Little Ambassador last year for La Salle County.

Rick has also interned with the Special Olympics of Illinois.

LPHS senior named National Merit Scholarship finalist

Only a select group of high school students are named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

A senior at LP High School has made the list.  Dakota Kowalski was chosen from a group of 16,000 students.  He’s the son of John and Amy Kowalski of Peru.  He plans to study computer programming at either MIT or the University of Illinois.

Band festival returns to Streator High School

Several local junior high bands will be performing as one during the 51st Annual Illinois Valley Mass Band Festival.  The concert features students from Mendota, Streator and Ottawa.

It’s at 5pm Saturday in Streator High School.  It’s open to everyone.  Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students.

Local clothing retailers have noticed the rise in prices

The price of gasoline isn’t the only thing that’s increasing.  Cotton prices have more than doubled over the past year and the price of other synthetic fabrics has also increased.

Kathy Walter is an owner and manager at Men’s Emporium in downtown La Salle.  She says fashion designers are responding by using cotton blends but people will still want cotton.

Walter says the customers haven’t noticed because people haven’t started shopping for spring and summer clothing yet.

One block away is Kelly Cawley’s Boutique.  Owner-operator Kelly Cawley says they’re going to bite the bullet and get through it because they still need to offer 100% cotton.

People in the clothing industry think the rise in prices will be about 10%.

Peru Pool supporters take their cause to Facebook

The group trying to raise money for a Peru swimming pool has taken their cause to Facebook.

A Facebook page was set up this week promoting “Friends for Peru Pool”.  The fundraising group is chaired by Heidi Heuser, who is Peru Mayor Scott Harl’s administrative assistant.  She and a handful of others met last week to form the committee and talk about ways to raise money for a new city pool.

The group wants to add more committee members in the next couple weeks while also putting together a letter that will be sent to potential donors.  A fund for the pool has so far raised about $4,000.

A new pool is estimated to cost over $3 million.  Peru has applied for a $2.5 million grant.

The committee will meet next at 5:30pm March 8 at city hall.

Roads mostly clear after light snowfall

The heavy snowfall that was predicted never hit the Illinois Valley.  Roads, for the most part, are clear Friday morning.  Some areas may be patchy with snow.  Slow down at intersections.

If you’re heading south towards Bloomington-Normal expect to encounter more snow.

Former glass company could become a warehouse

The old Peltier Glass site in Ottawa could have a new tenant.

A company called Compatible Glass wants to turn the building into a warehouse.  They need a zoning change and their request will be voted on Monday night by the Ottawa Planning Commission.

Peltier Glass stopped production last May.