I and M Canal Day to be held in Springfield

Living in towns like La Salle, Utica, and Ottawa you’re familiar with the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the tow path, though the people in Springfield may not have a clue.

That’s why the I and M Canal Alliance is heading to the capitol Tuesday, February 21 for the first I and M Canal Day.  Ana Koval with the Canal Corridor Association says they bringing displays and people to talk about the canal.

Koval says the day is part of the 10-year plan for the I and M Canal National Heritage Corridor.  Canal maintenance will be one of their top concerns.  She says a stretch of the tow path near Buffalo Rock remains closed and it has people choosing other paths over the canal.

If you would like to participate, two chartered buses are riding to Springfield for it.  You can sign up by calling the Lock 16 Visitor’s Center in La Salle.

An interview with Koval is available at the AM 1220 WLPO news page.

Senator Kirk continues to recover from a major stroke

CHICAGO (AP) – Doctors say Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois has reached a milestone in his recovery from a stroke. They say the swelling in Kirk’s brain is going down and a portion of his skull has been reattached. That moves him closer to rehabilitation.

Ottawa to announce “major grant” Wednesday

Processing what you flush down the toilet takes money.  Perhaps that’s why Ottawa city officials plan to say something about a grant Wednesday morning.

Without saying what the grant would be for, Economic Development Director Reed Wilson says Mayor Bob Eschbach and someone from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation will be at the wastewater treatment plant for what he calls a major grant announcement.

Girl friend and crime scene investigator testify during day one of Mackowiak trial

Grisly details of what investigators saw after finding Seneca couple dead in their home were shared with a jury Tuesday.  It was day one of the Keith Mackowiak murder trial in La Salle County.

Mackowiak was arrested the day the bodies of Al and Catherine Twardowski were found in July 2007.  Prosecutor Brian Towne has said he believes it was robbery gone wrong.

Among the witnesses testifying Tuesday was a crime scene investigator.  The jury was also shown photos showing the couple bound.  In one photo, you could see Al Twardowski’s pants pockets left inside-out, as if they had been searched.

Earlier Mackowiak’s girlfriend, an EMT and La Salle County Sheriff’s Deputy testified.

Tea Party Picks Manzullo

The Illinois Tea Party has endorsed longtime Congressman Don Manzullo over freshman Congressman Adam Kinzinger in a north-central Illinois primary battle.

The group cites the nine-term Republican’s voting record for fiscal responsibility. Manzullo recently announced that Bureau-La Salle Tea Party organizers Art Havenhill and Chris Arndt were apart of his campaign team.

A Tea Party spokeswoman says it’s the first time the group is making endorsements as a statewide entity; the movement’s
smaller groups often operate independently.

Kinzinger’s spokeswoman says he’s proud of other endorsements.

Warm Winter One For The Record Books

Weather trackers say Illinois’ winter has been the sixth warmest on record.

State climatologist Jim Angel says the average temperature in January for the state was 31.4 degrees. That’s about 7 degrees above normal, making January the 13th warmest on record.

Belleville, Kaskaskia and Cairo recorded the warmest temperature readings of the month. All three cities reached 69 degrees. Belleville and Kaskaskia hit that temperature on Jan. 6. Cairo reached 69 degrees on Jan. 18. The coldest reading was 6 degrees below zero at Elizabeth and Galena on Jan. 12.

The average temperature for December and January was 33.4 degrees. That makes it the sixth warmest December-January period since 1895.

Order Up In Oglesby

Unless there’s a problem, alcohol delivery will be allowed in Oglesby.

The city council met last night and there was no ordinance proposed to stop Brady’s Liquors from delivering alcohol.  Mayor Don Finley says since there also isn’t any state law against alcohol delivery, they’ll just see how it goes.

Police Chief Jim Knoblauch has come out against the concept.

Chicken-keeping rules outlined in La Salle ordinance

Chickens are okay but no roosters, geese, or other farm animals will be allowed in La Salle neighborhoods.  After several discussions about people in town keeping chickens as pets and a source of food, the city has created rules for having chickens.

The city council Monday night approved an ordinance that allows you to have up to 10 hens.

Corissa Childers and her chickens are what prompted the conversation.  She’s found she’s not the only person who wants chickens.

As for the new rules, she says she can agree with most of them, though she would like to have a rooster.

To keep chickens you will need an annual $30 permit. The chickens would have to be kept in a well kept, enclosure that’s at least 25 feet away from somebody’s house.