La Salle water and sewer rates expected to be increased

Sewer projects can be costly for a city and one way to pay for them is with a rate increase.  Sewer and water rates will be more expensive if the city council approves increases Monday.

Base water rates would increase by $2.50 and by one dollar every following year while base sewer rates would increase by $10.80.

Sewer rates were last increased in 2009 for the new wastewater plant that isn’t yet online.

The La Salle City Council meets at 7pm Monday.

Streator Chamber nominations

Those investing private capital or volunteering to make Streator a better town will be honored at the Chamber’s annual meeting in March. But now is the time to submit nominees for investing or volunteering to the Chamber’s office by February 17. The annual meeting will be March 19 at the Streator Country Club. The capital investment award is named for Cephas Williams who reinvested profits from a construction business into new buildings and businesses around the city. The Streator Business of the Year will also be named in March based on nominations received at the chamber office.

PES plays

Have dinner, play some “Price is right” and bid in auctions. It’s what “PES Plays” has planned February 4th at the “Underground Inn”. A “rainbow play system” offered by rainbow play peoria will be raffled. “PES Plays” is hoping to raise through this fundraiser money for new playgrounds at Reagon, Lincoln and Jefferson schools. Tickets are $25 per person or one hundred forty dollars for a reserved table of six. For tickets, contact Katie Ford, Sarah Aley or Laurie Carlson in the Princeton area. You can go on-line to pes plays.com slash contact.

Giffords resigning

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is resigning from Congress. The Arizona congresswoman says on her Facebook page she needs to concentrate on recovering from the wounds she suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago. Officials in Washington say her resignation is expected to take effect tomorrow.

Scrutiny after overlooking

Illinois regulators have quietly increased their scrutiny of abortion clinics after realizing some had gone without inspections for up to 15 years. An analysis of state documents by The Associated Press finds the state is catching up with a backlog of neglected inspections, but a few clinics still haven’t been checked in more than a decade. The renewed oversight last year led to the permanent closure of a clinic in Rockford earlier this month, following the closing of a second clinic in suburban Chicago last October. State officials say gruesome revelations about a Philadelphia facility spurred the renewed inspections. They attribute the past lag to a lack of funds and resources. Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, said Illinois gave clinics “a pass” because of ideology.

Illinois weather

Temperatures will rise but rain will fall across Illinois in the wake of heavy snow and frigid temperatures this weekend. The National Weather Service says Sunday’s forecast calls for a high near 40 degrees in Chicago and near 60 degrees in southern parts of the state. But there’s also rain and freezing rain in the forecast. A flood warning is in effect for portions of southeastern Illinois. Southern Illinois was spared the heavy snow that blanketed northern parts of the state and wreaked havoc on travel during Friday evening’s rush hour. More than 700 flights were cancelled at Chicago’s airports. And travel on the area’s expressways was at a near standstill for hours. The southwestern Chicago suburb of Joliet was the hardest-hit area, with 8.3 inches of snow.

traveling office hours Thursday

While he won’t be there, Adam Kinzinger’s “people” will take your questions and concerns this Thursday. Staffers of the Republican congressman are holding traveling office hours in Troy Grove, Mendota, Earlville, Leland and Sheridan, stopping in that order. The first meeting starts Thursday morning at 10 in the Troy Grove Community Building. The day will end at 5 at the Sheridan Village Hall. Kinzinger faces a primary election challenge in the 16th Congressional District against Don Manzullo.

Council preview

Ordinances amending ordinances. That’s a part of the next LaSalle city council meeting in City Hall 7pm Monday night. Separate ordinances will be voted on regarding wastewater service charges and water rate charges. Alderman will consider an ordinance authorizing the potential sale of the city’s interest in real estate at 820 7th Street. The docket says the state department of revenue is reporting sales tax of nearly 68-thousand and a referendum approved sales tax of nearly 30-thousand dollars – both in the month of October.