Peru budget includes surplus

You give money to Peru every time you shop in town and if you live there, when you pay your property taxes.  The tentative budget for the next fiscal year tells you where that money will be spent.

Treasurer Gary Hylla explained it Monday night.  He says city-wide the budge will be fine.  The budget is in the black and includes a surplus of $3.6 million.  Hylla says that’s because it includes the money they borrowed for the streets and infrastructure project.

Sales tax is the largest money maker for the City of Peru.  The one percent municipal tax one percent home rule tax that goes towards the Peru School District and infrastructure improvements are expected to collect $9.1 million.

Where will that money be spent?  The largest expense is the police department.  It’s followed by the annual street project and street department expenses.

A final draft of the budget will be approved later this month.  Their new fiscal year begins May 1.

Varna man hospitalized after crashing into a tree

A 911 call in Marshall County turned into a police chase and a fiery crash.

Sheriff’s deputies tried pulling over Dominic Ghighi of Varna early Sunday morning after finding out that Ghighi had been threatening to hurt himself and maybe others.

Police say Ghighi wouldn’t pullover and led them from Marshall County into Putnam County where he went off the road and hit a tree north of McNabb.

Firefighters had to pull Ghighi from his burning car.  He was eventually flown to St. Francis Medical Center where he’s in critical condition.

Police and the states attorney’s office are considering possible charges.

Police Say Drinking Party Was At City Commissioner’s House

Ottawa will be abuzz today but not for anything positive.

Ottawa Police say they busted an underage drinking party Friday night at the address of City Commissioner Dan Aussem.  Fourteen teens were arrested for underage drinking.  The commissioner wasn’t arrested.

The teens that were include: Andrew Baudino, Jackson Smith, Grant Kuffel, Wayne Wackerlin, Jared Byrd, Daniel Aussem, Bailie Bongartz, Robert Dunn and Bryan La Rette of Ottawa; Anthony White of Minonk; and Brooke Miller and Janelle Maierhoffer of Seneca.  Bongartz, Dunn and LeRette were also arrested for resisting a peace officer.

Two 16-year old boys from Ottawa were also picked up at the party.  All fourteen of the teens were released with court dates.

Crash Kills Seneca Man

Easter weekend was a deadly one for one local man.

According to Seneca’s fire chief, 25-year old Jonathon Hamilton of Seneca died Saturday morning after flipping his car in rural La Salle County.  Hamilton was the only person involved in the fatal crash that happened just after 3 in the morning on Saturday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fill Up If In Princeton

Want the lowest gas prices in the listening area?  Head to Princeton.

According to the website Illinois Gas Buddy, Road Ranger in Princeton has the lowest gas around at 3.77 a gallon.  Other stations in Princeton are selling for 3.79 a gallon.

Gas in La Salle and Peru ranges from 3.87 to 4.05 a gallon.  Unleaded gas in Ottawa and Streator is selling for 3.85 a gallon.

The average price of unleaded gas in Illinois is 4.23 a gallon.  The U.S. average is at 3.90 a gallon.

Woodsmoke Ranch Fire

A fire at a popular recreation spot near Seneca looks suspicious.

Three trailers were heavily damaged and a shed destroyed during a Saturday morning fire at the Woodsmoke Ranch RV park north of Seneca.  A person out walking his dog first called 911 say he saw a gas tank explode.  Seneca and Marseilles firefighters responded and were on scene for about three hours.

No one was hurt in the fire.  A state arson investigator was called.

Conditions Favorable For Fires

Please put off the burning for at least one day.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the listening area today from noon until 8 o’clock tonight.  The red flag warning means conditions are favorable for rapid growth of fires.  The conditions include low humidity and gusty winds.  Wind gusts could be as high as 40 miles per hour.

Just yesterday, Naplate firefighters handled a mulch fire.