Bureau County School Will Benefit From Trace Adkins

Van Orin Elementary School needs new textbooks.  If you buy tickets to see Trace Adkins and Eric Church, you can help fill their need.

Concert promoter Merry Noonan of Lou’s LaGrotto announced Friday afternoon that the district would receive money from the June 25th show at the airport in Peru.  Van Orin teachers and students wrote Noonan to say their textbooks are 25 years old and are torn and tattered.

Van Orin is Kindergarten through 6th grade.

Fire Outside Mendota Community Hospital

Hospital emergency rooms are always hectic places.  The one in Mendota got even more exciting today with a fire.

Mendota firefighters were called out to Mendota Community Hospital just after 11:30 today for a power pole that caught fire outside the hospital’s ER entrance.

ComEd was at the scene about 15 minutes after the fire call.

Wind Prompts Weather Advisory

Hold onto your hats!  A wind advisory is in effect.

The advisory goes until nine tonight for the entire listening area.  Winds are coming out of the east at 20 to 30 miles per hour with possible gusts of 45 miles per hour.

Traveling on north and south rounds could be difficult.

TIF Fued Could Lead To A Lawsuit

The La Salle County Board and Dimmick School Board may team up to sue an area city.

The county board has passed a joint agreement with Dimmick that says lawyers can file a lawsuit against Peru because of opposition to the city’s North Commercial TIF District.  The resolution says the county and Dimmick School District have “genuine concerns and doubts whether Peru has sufficiently established facts to support the creation of the TIF District”.  The agreement goes on to say the county and school question if the TIF will cause negative impacts on their property tax base.

If there’s a lawsuit filed, Dimmick has agreed to pay for 63 percent of the legal fees with the county picking up the rest.

Ladd Students Say They Were Approached By Shady Character

Police in Ladd are investigating a report of two kids being approached by a suspicious man offering them a ride.

Ladd Police Chief William Gaefcke says a 10-year old boy and 5-year old girl were walking to class yesterday morning on South Main Street when they say a man in his 50’s approached them in a silver sedan with lightly tinted windows.  The kids told police the suspect asked if they wanted a ride in a stern voice.  They instead ran home.

If you see or hear about any similar incidents, call the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office.

Area Soap Star Loses Job

NEW YORK (AP) – ABC is canceling the soap operas “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” both programs that have been on the network’s daytime lineup for more than 40 years.

On his Facebook page, Ottawa native Walt Willey who has played the longtime role of Jackson on All My Children said while not a shock, the news was tough to hear.  He’s been on the soap since 1987.

Willey has been spending more time in Ottawa, starting  WilleyWorld Productions, a theater group that put on “The Odd
Couple” and “Arsenic and Old Lace” at Ottawa High School.  He’s planning another summer comedy this year in Ottawa.

You can hear an interview between Willey and LouAnne Lenzie on AM 1220 WLPO.com.

Rubber Duck Thieves Are Nabbed

YORKVILLE, Ill. (AP) – Kendall County prosecutors say two teenagers have been charged in connection with the thefts of hundreds of rubber ducks from the Yorkville Citizens Police Academy.

State’s Attorney Eric Weis said the teens, who will not be named because they were charged Thursday as juveniles, will have a court appearance later this month.

About 2,500 yellow ducks were taken last month. The Yorkville Citizens Police Academy planned to use them for its annual charity “Duck Pluck.” The fundraiser supports the Citizens Police Academy and has been happening in Yorkville since 1991.

After the theft, the ducks were scattered all over Kendall County, including hundreds found in one pond. Citizens Police Academy President Lisa Schillinger says some of the ducks recovered are no longer usable.