Ottawa High School officials continue to push for river levee

Efforts to raise a levee around Ottawa High School continue.

The high school board is paying Renwick and Associates around 20 thousand dollars for an impact analysis study required by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  They’re seeing if others would be impacted along the Fox River if they raised their levee.

Superintendent Matt Winchester says they are paying higher insurance rates right now because their Fox River levee is under the 100-year flood plain.  They’ve already received preliminary approval to raise their levee from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Big Pot Bust Near Ladd

A good K-9 drug dog will usually sniff out drugs no matter how well their hidden.

State Police say Vincent Orlando was hiding 56 pounds of cannabis inside hidden compartments built into the floor of a minivan.  A K-9 led police to the hidden drugs Sunday afternoon according to troopers.

Orlando was arrested for possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and possession of a vehicle with a false compartment.  He was taken to the county jail.

Orlando was stopped on Interstate 80 near Ladd.

Mansion Roof Being Repaired

Repair work has started on the Reddick Mansion roof in Ottawa.

Lightning last July hit the mansion chimney, sending bricks down to the ground.  Besides the chimney damage, there was damage to the roof, air conditioner and a window.

A crane is in place in front of the mansion, stopping westbound traffic on West Lafayette Street and limiting parking.  Weather permitting the repairs are expected to be done by the end of the week.

Local Lawmaker Pushing For Parks Fee

The budget for state parks has taken some big hits over the years and that has lawmakers looking for ways to raise money.  Several bills have been proposed including one that would create a park sticker, charging you a fee to visit state parks like Starved Rock and Matthiessen.

Democrat State Representative Frank Mautino supports a bill that passed the House Monday.  Mautino says they need to figure out how it would be enforced and who would have to pay.

Mautino says the bill would require money to go towards repairs, maintenance and improvements.  Some other fees in other bills would go to land, water and fisheries.

The Senate has the bill for discussion.  He thinks they’ll take action on it by the end of April or early May.  Gov. Pat Quinn backs the proposal.

Blagojevich Home No Longer For Sale

CHICAGO (AP) – Rod Blagojevich’s family is no longer selling their Chicago home.

Patti Blagojevich has decided taking the house off the market is best for daughters Amy and Annie. A family spokesman says she wants to avoid the stress of showing a house during a time already filled “with so much upheaval.”

The house had been for sale since last year with an asking price of $1.07 million. The 13-room brick home is in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.

The house was where FBI wiretaps captured Blagojevich talking. It’s also from where federal agents led him away in handcuffs.