Crash Near County Line Injures Three Teens

Three teens from Newark were hurt after a crash on Route 71.

Deputies say a 17 year old girl was driving north into Newark when she pulled out in front of Laura Clausel also of Newark.  The teen driver was taken to Copley Hospital in Aurora.  Her passengers, a 15 year old boy and Megan Probst were both taken to Valley West Hospital.

The teen driver was ticketed for failing to yield.

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La Salle County Bridges Up For Inspection

Two area bridges taking you over the Vermillion River are due for a checkup.

The La Salle County Board has hired an engineering group out of Chicago to inspect the bridge on Ed Hand Road on the east side of Oglesby and the Sandy Ford bridge near Leonore.  The cost of the inspections is 181 thousand dollars.

La Salle County Engineer Larry Kinzer says the bridges aren’t falling apart, but they both are inspected every two years.  The Ed Hand bridge was built in 1940, he Sandy Ford bridge went up in 1959.

Kinzer says there will be lane closures when the bridge inspections start next month.

McNabb man dies following tractor accident

Injuries from a tractor accident have killed a man from McNabb.  77 year old Irving Stansell died at about 5am Thursday in St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Stansell was taken there after he reportedly ran himself over with a tractor Wednesday afternoon.

Johnna Ingersoll, Peoria County Coroner, says he died from crushing injuries of the pelvis and legs.  An autopsy was performed Thursday.

Illinois jobless rate dips to 8.8 percent in March

CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent in March, improving for the 14th consecutive month.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security released the new figures Thursday.

The March rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point from February and is the lowest jobless rate since February 2009, when it was 8.6 percent.

There still were 582,100 Illinoisans without jobs in March.

IDES Director Maureen O’Donnell says the long-term data show “Illinois is moving in a positive direction.”

She says this is the longest sustained decline in Illinois unemployment since December 1994.

The national unemployment rate for March also was 8.8 percent.

Perjury Charge Against Sheridan Teenager

A teen from Sheridan is accused of lying to a grand jury.

Richard Lewanski was indicted this week on one count of perjury.  He’s accused of lying to a grand jury last month when questioned about a New Year’s Eve shooting in rural Sheridan.

Kevin Kuhns of Triumph and Bryan McQuiston of Somonauk are accused of trying to break into a man’s home before the homeowner shot and injured Kuhns.  Prosecutors say Lewanski lied to a grand jury about the whereabouts of McQuiston and whether he allowed Kuhns to park his van on his property.

Lewanski is out of jail after posting five thousand dollars bond.

Sheridan Man Hurt After Car Catches On Fire

A fiery crash sends a man from Sheridan to the hospital.

Brian Wickens was on Millington Road in Kendall County Wednesday evening when he was hit by Jason Beyer of Bristol.  After the collision, Wickens smashed into a utility pole, rolled over and had his car catch fire.  He was taken to Valley West Hospital in Sandwich.

Beyer meanwhile was ticketed for failing to yield at an intersection.

Blagojevich Speaks To The Media

CHICAGO (AP) – A defiant Rod Blagojevich says prosecutors are trying to prevent his lawyers from proving his
innocence at his upcoming corruption retrial.

Blagojevich stood outside his house Wednesday declaring his innocence and blasting prosecutors for objecting in advance to lines of questioning the defense wants to pursue. It was a virtual replay of what he did on the eve of his
corruption trial last year. Blagojevich was convicted on just one of 24 counts – lying to the FBI.

Blagojevich’s retrial begins next week. And neither prosecutors nor defense lawyers have given any indication they’d be willing to cut a plea deal that would render a trial unnecessary.

Area Tea Partiers Ready For Tax Revolt

A group of people in the area who are mad and aren’t going to take it anymore are headed to Springfield.

A bus full of Bureau-La Salle Tea Party members are heading to the state capitol Friday for what’s being called a “Statewide Tax Revolt”.  The rally starts at 12.

Art Havenhill of Seneca will be there.  He’s tired of increased spending and taxes calling it “insane”.  Havenhill says the grass roots groups headed to Springfield represent how the majority of the state feels when it comes to taxes and government spending.