Peru alderman and mayor suggest have aldermen at-large

You can’t see it when walking through town, but Peru is divided into four wards.  Each ward has two aldermen representing it on the city council.  But an alternative way of electing aldermen is receiving some consideration.

Alderman Rodney Perez and Mayor Scott Harl think electing four aldermen from any ward in the city while keeping four aldermen representing a ward would give you more say when choosing city council members.

Harl says you would be able to decide on five voting officials instead of two.  You would still have at least one alderman representing your ward. A disadvantage to plan would be if most of the aldermen live in the same ward.       The earliest it could be in place would be 2015.

Perez thinks the idea deserves more discussion and asked to have it on next Wednesday’s agenda.  The city council could decide to put it on the November ballot as a referendum.  People in town could also petition to have it on the ballot.

Aldermen Dave Waldorff and Bob Ankiewicz aren’t for it.  Waldorf say if it’s not broke don’t fix it.

Dance and auction raises money for Red Cross

If you went to the Have a Heart Dance and Auction for the Illinois Valley Chapter of the Red Cross you helped them make about $52,000.

The fundraiser was Saturday night at Senica’s Oak Ridge in La Salle.

250 tickets were sold.  It’s expected to bring in about the same as it did last year.  It was sponsored by the Miller Group Charitable Trust and Miller Group Media.

Ottawa bar to loose its liquor license following a drug investigation

A tavern that’s been linked to illegal drug dealing is loosing its liquor license.  The Right Downtown Sports Bar in Ottawa won’t be allowed to serve after closing time April 1.

Ottawa Mayor Bob Eschbach is also the liquor commissioner.  He says his decision came after recent arrests and a six-month police investigation.

It’s the second time a tavern in that building has lost its license.

Buy Your Lotto Tickets Online Now

CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois Lottery officials say the first day of online lottery tickets brought in more than $15,000 in sales.

On Sunday Illinois became the first state to offer the games of chance online. The first ticket was bought at 7:03 a.m., just
minutes after Mega Millions and Lotto tickets became available online. Within hours, hundreds of people had purchased tickets.

Lottery officials say they believe the pace of sales will be fast until Tuesday evening. That’s when the Mega Millions drawing takes place. The estimated jackpot is $356 million.

Those who want to play online have to register and verify their age.