Suicide Prevention Walk A Success

Over 500 walkers showed up to Baker Lake in Peru Sunday for the inagural Out of the Darkness suicide prevention event.

Initially just over 50 thousand dollars was raised through donations.  Miller Group Media which was the lead sponsor of the event then announced they would match every dollar raised, bringing the event total to over 100 thousand dollars.

Miller Group Media includes AM 1220 WLPO, 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 the Wolf, NewsTribune, AgriNews and Ottawa Delivered.

Weather Service Praising Spring Valley

There will soon be some new signage when you drive into Spring Valley.

The National Weather Service now considers Spring Valley to be a StormReady community.  To get the recognition, a town has to do a list of things including creating an emergency operations center, promoting readiness through community education and develop a hazardous weather plan.  Spring Valley’s the 54^th town in Illinois to become StormReady.

The city will get their signs and certificate at tonight’s city council meeting.

Local Farmers Can Get Help From Feds

Although flooding wasn’t overly bad this year in the Illinois Valley, farmer’s can still get disaster assistance.

The federal government named 46 counties as natural disaster areas because of flooding.  Lee County is one of the 46 and since Bureau and La Salle County share a border with Lee, they also become eligible for assistance.  The assistance for damaged crops comes thru low-interest loans.

If you think you may qualify for disaster assistance, call the Farm Service Agency.

Separate the water sheds

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says a coalition that favors physically separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds has grown to 17 states. Schuette tells The Associated Press that attorneys general from 11 states have joined the campaign, which he and counterparts from five other Great Lakes states began last month. They’re pushing Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to decide quickly on a plan for cutting the man-made connection between the drainage basins near Chicago. Michigan contends that it’s the only way to protect the Great Lakes from an invasion by Asian carp. Business interests in Chicago say it would be disastrous for their economy. Schuette said the campaign attracted endorsements from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Ex-girlfriend held captive

A Chicago man who allegedly held a woman he once dated captive for more than two months will be held without bond. Twenty-two-year-old Sir Wilfred Camaligan appeared in court Sunday on charges that he beat the woman and held her hostage at his apartment. Authorities say she escaped Friday and someone let her use a cellphone to contact her mother. Camaligan was found in the basement of his home and arrested by police Friday. He was charged with domestic aggravated battery, kidnapping and attempted murder. The Chicago Tribune reports a public defender says Camaligan was a nursing assistant. Prosecutors say the alleged victim suffered hearing loss in one ear and a fractured shoulder blade. Attorneys say Camaligan and the woman met at an anime convention and began corresponding online.

AFSP receiving six figure donation

The first “Out of the Darkness” walk at Baker Lake will result in a six figure donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Over five hundred walked Sunday afternoon in Peru under partly sunny skies. Prior to the walk, some 50-thousand six hundred dollars had been collected. Miller Charitable Trust will match this one hundred percent amounting to approximately One hundred one thousand three hundred dollars. The total may grow more with the addition of on-line donations since Noon Friday. Forty corporate sponsors participated. Miller Group Media includes AM 1220 WLPO, 99-3 WAJK, 96-5 The WOLF, Ottawa Delivered, The News Tribune and Agri-News.

Friday fatal updates

A Dwight man is improving while a woman has died the result of separate fatals Friday in LaSalle County. 22-year old Casey Sebby died over the weekend in St. Francis in Peoria. She was in an SUV driven by her twin, Elizabeth when it collided with a semi Friday morning four miles north of Ottawa on Route 23. A one year old, Maya Williams was not seriously hurt in that accident. Micah Strief of Dwight is now in fair condition at St. Francis in Peoria after his car crashed with a semi on Route 18 Friday morning, five miles east of Streator on Route 18. Strief had to be cut out of his car. The semi driver was treated at St. Mary’s in Streator and released.

cheating the state

A newspaper reports that more than one-fourth of Illinois gas station operators have pocketed millions of dollars of sales tax owed to the cash-strapped state by underreporting the amount of fuel they sell to the public. The Chicago Tribune reports in its Sunday editions that indictments over the past year and a half accuse at least 14 of the state’s roughly 2,400 gas station operators of illegally withholding a portion of the sales taxes their customers paid at the pump. But that’s just a fraction of the 651 operators the Illinois Department of Revenue says has cheated the state. Some $54 million in back sales taxes, interest and penalties have been recouped largely through settlements or after scofflaws came forward under the threat of greater penalties.

sudden Ameren outage

The failure of a “bus cable” inside the Hennepin sub-station is the cause of a sizeable power outage in LaSalle, Bureau and Putnam Counties late Saturday afternoon. Leigh Morris, spokesperson for Ameren IP told AM 1220 WLPO news personnel were at the sub-station to make needed repairs around 5pm. Reports of restored service were coming into AM 1220 WLPO via Facebook around 6:25pm. At the height of the outage, 15-thousand Ameren IP customers were affected, according to Morris. Morris said the outage would have affected users of Cornbelt Energy around Ladd, Cherry and parts of LaSalle County. Morris said with a chuckle, he’s glad the outage didn’t occur during the Bears/Packers game.

Out of Darkness walk

The goal was ten thousand dollars, but the LaSalle – Peru “Out of the Darkness” walk has currently raised 17-thousand 5-hundred sixty three dollars. It’s the first walk of its kind in our area. Twenty some businesses are sponsoring the event today. Check-in time at Baker Lake is Noon and the walk is at 1pm. You can walk with them today if you havent’t signed up yet.